Good friendships are forged in the unlikeliest places, and Magpie Beach is one of them. It's a story of what happens behind the closed doors of these women's lives against the perceptions held about them all and the mystery surrounding them. It has some touching moments, and some dark themes, and is a sound read.

This book is very well written. The flowing prose and the nuanced characterisation make for a gripping novel, which I'd highly recommend. They mystery element is handled with care so you don't feel as if you should be searching for clues, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride as events unfold. The writing style reminded me of one of my favourite authors, Elizabeth Strout, and praise for the craft doesn't come much higher than that. The only downside for me was, with choosing to use first-person narrative for all 3 main characters, the book falls into the common trap of all those characters effortlessly using high quality use of language throughout, with a wonderfully articulate turn of phrase and impressive broad vocabulary (as if they are all professional writers). If I returned to some passages mid-chapter, just lovely!

2.5

It's an alright book with a promising premise, and a lot of people seemed to love it, but I thought that it was a but slow and drawn out in places. I'd have loved it to be a bit faster, and maybe I'd have enjoyed it more.

A compelling debut novel, takes a while to kick into gear, but when it does it is all worth it. It is well written, and always keeps you on the edge of feet

'An Afterlife for Rosemary Lamb' is a slow-burning mystery that is beautifully written and explores the intricacies of life in a small town. The plot revolves around three outsiders - Meg, Rosemary, and Lily - who form an unlikely bond in the face of prejudice and suspicion from their neighbours.
The story takes a sudden and shocking turn when nine-year-old Jessie Else goes missing, and the trio is immediately viewed as suspects. As their secrets and pasts are slowly revealed, the tension and intrigue build up, leading to an explosive conclusion.
The author's writing style vividly depicts the day-to-day realities of small-town life. The characters are skillfully crafted, and their struggles and isolation are palpable, making the reader empathise. The mystery of Jessie's disappearance is a slow-burning, captivating puzzle that will keep you glued to the pages and, upon reaching its resolution, will leave you in awe.
While the book is a thriller at its core, it also explores broader themes of community, identity, and belonging. These themes are woven into the narrative seamlessly, providing a sense of depth and meaning that elevates the book beyond a mere whodunit.
'An Afterlife for Rosemary Lamb' is a masterfully written novel that is well worth your time, with its beautiful prose, nuanced characters, captivating mystery, and depth of themes, all coming together to create an outstanding reading experience.

“We all carry secrets. Some we are given for safekeeping, wrapped in velvety trust. Some we have only an idea of: a glimpse of something like a sock beneath a washer, a look between people who should not be looking, whispers overheard, words torn from pages. They are pebbles in our pockets, and those we bury deepest are our own. Things we choose never to tell, pushed out of sight but never far from mind, and worried smooth by memory.”

An Afterlife For Rosemary Lamb is the first novel by Australian author, Louise Wolhuter. When twenty-year-old Rosemary Lamb and her husband Eddie move to the fringes of their coastal Queensland hometown, Winifred, a little place called Magpie Beach, there are two women living lonely existences nearby.

When Meg Cooper lost Sonny thirteen years earlier, she retreated into herself. She’s still grieving, just her and the cat keeping to their van and lean-tos and garden, except for her weekly shift at Winifred’s library. Without power, it’s a fairly primitive lifestyle but she survives on home grown fruit and vegetables. She watches with interest and a little apprehension as the Lambs erect their house.

On the other side of the headland, Englishwoman Lily tries to stay under the radar, determined to care for her husband herself, to uphold her wedding vow. But as Norman’s dementia worsens, it becomes more of a challenge. They’ve hidden themselves quite deliberately. She longs to be back in Yorkshire, but here in her isolation with the husband who has lost almost every trace of the man she married, she also craves company.

While Eddie, the butcher’s son who refused to follow in the family’s footsteps, carves exquisite rocking horses to sell, Rosemary works nights at the chocolate factory, and continues to wonder about the father her mother refused to identify. At Eddie’s urging, she insists that Meg joins her for the Tuesday cinema club.

After some months of weekly outings, they encounter Lily in the foyer of the Galaxy Cinema and, slowly, gradually, three women form a tentative friendship. For Lily it’s a break from Norman; for Meg, an antidote to her loneliness; and Rosemary enjoys the company of people who accept her as she is, without the judgement Winifred passes on her.

Winifred is a gossipy small town, and where there are mysteries and secrets held tight, there is speculation, rumour, “a thing tricky as butter to take back once spread”: Why did Sonny and Meg flee New Zealand? Where did Sonny go? Or was he dead, murdered by Meg, maybe? Who is Rosemary’s father really? And in the background of all that, the whole town wonders: who took nine-year-old Jessie Else back in February?

Just when Wolhuter has the reader feeling fairly cozy, she throws in torrential rain and flooding, and what that uncovers pulls the reader right out of their comfort zone with a couple of very dark and jaw-dropping turns.

This slow-burn story is told in three narrative strands, but one of those narrators is, perhaps, less reliable than the others. Wolhuter’s gorgeous descriptive prose really evokes her setting and the atmosphere, the smalltown mindset. Her characters are complex and intriguing, if not always likeable.

She has a marvellous turn of phrase: “Acting as if it was barely worth the bother was the coat she wore” and “‘We’re right, thanks,’ thrown over Lily’s shoulder like salt” and “Once he’d shuffled into the care of Eddie’s shadow, he settled like snow” are examples. “After Sonny left, I felt nothing for a long time but a cold vacuum of Doesn’t Matter” is another

Wolhuter gives her characters wise words and insightful observations: “Which is worse? I wonder still. To have love snatched away in one tight, violent second, or to have it dragged off slowly like a heavy carpet ruined in a storm?” This is a tale that really brings home to the reader how we only know a person from what they choose to present to us. Twisty, atmospheric and compelling, this is a brilliant debut novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Ultimo Press.

I loved how the story flicks back and forth between Rosemary, Meg and Lily. But I didn't love not knowing what year the book was set in. I spent half the book looking for clues and trying to figure it out.

More of a contemporary fiction than mystery, this well written novel starts out a little on the slow side. But once the pace picks up, it'll hook you in as their secrets start unfolding.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow what a book, slow storytelling which definitely packs a punch!

The story follows the perspective of Meg, Rosemary and Lily, who all live on closeby in Magpie Beach, each with their own secrets and drawn together after Rosemary invites them to Tuesday movie screenings where they all become friends .
Meg - is outcast with rumours at to what happened to her husband, Rosemary who wants something more from life, and grumpy Lily from England. Interwoven with tales from their past and how they got to where they are now.

About 3/4 through the book it took a much darker turn that I really did not see coming!.

I will think of Meg, Rosemary and Lily for a long time and am pleased they got the endings they deserved.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC

I liked the cover design, and the title interested me.

There was something about this book that made it feel very comforting and nostalgic to read. I liked the characters and was interested in them, and I was invested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

A mystery about three outcasts and unlikely friendship. I struggled with the narrative and the characters.

This is told from the perspectives of our three main characters, Meg. Lily and Rosemary. Living in a very small quiet town, their lives run parallel to each other, they all know the rumors but, they're just The Englishwoman, The Worman in the Caravan and The Woman in the New House. That is, until they start meeting for the Tuesday morning film at the local cinema and then these women, all from different age groups and walks of life, find a friendship like no other.
Initially, I thought that it was a slow burn, not entirely sure where it was going, but it didn't take long to get there, and when it did, I wasn't emotionally prepared. The writing style is just gorgeous and its gentle start, builds up such a rich mix of complex characters. I became so emotionally invested in these characters, I cared about what happened to all of them. I can highly recommend.

I am such a big fan of unlikely friendships and outcasts but this book doesn’t deliver that. The friend’s don’t make enough sense, and the book is far too confusing to pull it all together.

This book follows the POV's of three women and is about thier unlikely friendship, the shocking secrets they keep and the life-changing decisions they make. I found this quite hard to get into for the first half of the book, but ultimately Im glad I stuck with it as the second half picked up pace. This book felt more like a literay fiction than your average mystery book to me, the writing was very descriptive, which depending on your preferences may be a good or bad thing. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this!

A story about a town of outcasts whose secrets are revealed after a nine year old girl goes missing. I didn't mind the back and forth of chapters between Rosemary and Meg. I thought that worked here. The writing style within the chapters though wasn't my favorite.

I'm sorry to say that I found this book quite dull. It's not my cup of tea at all. I did persist with it and it did pick up half way through but then my interest tailed off again.

A gem of a novel from start to finish. The plot is astonishing and the development of the characters is brilliant. A story that grabs you and will not let go as you journey through the lives of three women with their secrets, desires, dilemmas and fears ... impossible to put down. This is a highly recommended novel and is more than worthy of five stars.

4+ stars

I picked this book up mainly due to the recommendation from J.P.Pomare.
I probably owe him a thank you card now.

It's one of those books I'll struggle to review.
Maybe it's enough to say there was a tear in my eye at the end.
Three women, all with their own secrets, and the slow revealing of them is stunning.
If you own this, bump it up your list and read it now!