The Unravelling Of Maria by F.J. Curlew

Release: November 7th, 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Fiona Curnow
Source: FJCurlew
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon UK, B&N, Kobo, Waterstones.

Lovers separated by the Iron Curtain.
Two women whose paths should never have crossed.
A remarkable journey that changes all of their lives.

Basically, Maria’s history is a lie. While washed up on Sweden’s shores in 1944, with no memory, she was forced to create her own. Now, 43 years later, she still has no idea of who she really is.

While Jaak fights for Estonia’s independence, he refuses to accept the death of his fiancée Maarja, whose ship was sunk as she fled across the Baltic Sea to escape the Soviet invasion.

Identically, Angie knows exactly who she is. A drug addict, a waste of space. Life is just about getting by. A chance meeting in Edinburgh’s Cancer Centre is the catalyst for something very different.

Sometimes all you need is someone who listens.

About the Author:

Fiona dropped out of school aged 15, because being the consummate rebel, she hated it! After becoming a single parent, she decided to return to education, graduating in 1996 with an honors degree in primary education. Ah, the irony!

As soon as she graduated, she packed everything she owned into her Renault 11, including her daughter, two dogs, and a cat. She headed off to Estonia to become an international school teacher. However, after fifteen years of teaching, predominantly in Eastern Europe, she returned to the UK to focus on her writing.
She now lives on the east coast of Scotland with a rescued Ukrainian street mutt (now deceased – heavy sigh), a Scottish Black Labrador, Springer Spaniel, and a Portuguese cat who doesn’t like the weather!
She is the author of two novels. ‘To Retribution,’ a dystopian thriller and ‘Dan Knew,’ the semi-autobiographical account of her travels through the eyes of Dan, one of her Ukrainian rescue dogs.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

The Unravelling Of Maria Review:

The first thing which I loved about this book is the way the author’s writing style. She writes the story in a beautiful, fluid manner that makes you hang on to every word. I am not a fan of big books, and this is a pretty lengthy book. However, I never felt the story drag as I read this story. The author creatively puts in many details that make the characters come alive. Even Angie’s accents that the author inserts in her dialogues give it a nice, authentic touch.

Moreover, the author describes the setting beautifully and poignantly. Reading this book has urged me to visit Estonia at some point in my life. Honestly, I had minimal knowledge about the country’s history before reading this book.

All three characters bring something different to the table that will move you in some way. Maria is a beautiful character, and my heart went out to her after what happened to her husband. I loved her bond with Angie and loved their scenes together. It was fascinating to see how they grew after initially bonding over the sadness in their lives. Even Jaak made an excellent addition to the canvas. Moreover, the author tells the tale from the various perspectives of the characters, which kept the story fresh.

Overall, “The Unravelling of Maria” is a beautiful, emotional story that will touch your heart.