House for all Seasons

by Jenn J. McLeod

Small towns can keep big secrets.

Bequeathed a century-old house, four estranged friends return to their home town, Calingarry Crossing, where each must stay for a season at The Dandelion House to fulfil the wishes of their benefactor, Gypsy.

But coming home to the country stirs shameful memories of the past, including the tragic end-of-school muck up day accident twenty years earlier.

Sara, a breast cancer survivor afraid to fall in love; Poppy, a tough, ambitious journo still craving her father’s approval; Amber, a spoilt socialite addicted to painkillers and cosmetic procedures; and Caitlin, a doctor frustrated by her controlling family.

At The Dandelion House, the women will discover something about themselves and a secret that ties all four to each other and to the house – forever.
Get it as an ebook now https://books2read.com/ap/RWKlqv/Jenn... Also avail in print at https://www.jennjmcleod.com

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Australia, Chick Lit

474 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Jenn J McLeod loves ticking things off her bucket list. So far she’s made that sea change, run that country B&B, and written that bestseller. In 2014, Jenn downsized her life and home is now a 3-tonne, 25-foot caravan named Myrtle the Turtle.

With her Seasons Collection of four novels already adored by readers, Australia’s nomadic novelist is finding inspiration for more heart-warming small town tales of friendship, family, and contemporary country life.

Book #6 - House of Wishes is going back to Calingarry Crossing. Join me.

Other titles: House for all Seasons (#5 Top Selling Debut Novel), Simmering Season, Season of Shadow and Light, and The Other Side of the Season. Her fifth novel is A Place to Remember.

Small town stories from the country to the coast: www.jennjmcleod.com
Twitter: @jennjmcleod
Facebook author page: Jenn J McLeod.Books (or 'friend' me)

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been twenty years since former friends Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin have seen each other. After the tragic event at a school muck up day the friends drifted apart and so did their friendships.

The women have inherited an old house named The Dandelion House in a small town of Calingarry Crossing from an old friend, Gypsy. Each of them are required to spend one season of the year in the house before the final decision is made on what to do with the house. With each season we journey through the lives of each of theses women and discover the challenges that they have faced throughout their lives and how they have dealt with them.

I absolutely loved this beautifully written book. An easy read that will touch your heart in many ways. This story really was an emotional roller coaster for me as it had me laughing in parts and in other parts I had tears rolling down my face. I have no hesitation in HIGHLY recommending this truly delightful story written by Aussie author Jenn J. McLeod.

[Helene Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenn J McLeod’s debut novel, House for all Seasons, is a rich tapestry of small town life. It interweaves the lives of Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin as they deal with painful memories and confronting secrets.

The themes are strong and wide-ranging, moving from the issues of illness and disability, to teenager pregnancy, domestic violence, alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder. That may sound like a truckload to pack into one book, but Ms McLeod doesn’t dwell on the issues or preach. Rather she allows the characters to tell their stories and then leaves the reader to make their own judgments.

The cast of supporting characters in House for all Seasons is large and yet they are all vividly drawn. (I was reminded of Monica McInerney’s beautifully crafted stories.) The benign spirit of Gypsy adds a mystical layer, the animals add extra depth.

The setting of Calingarry Crossing will sound familiar to anyone who’s ever lived in a small community and I loved the mud-map on the opening pages so I could instantly see where the characters were at any time. There are minute details scattered throughout that flesh out the town and its people.
House for all Seasons had me crying and laughing as I turned the page.

It’s a story that deserves to be savoured and will linger long after you finish reading. I look forward to many more stories from this talented new author.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin were to stay at The Dandelion House, a season each, they hadn’t seen each other for twenty years. They had all drifted apart after the Year 12 muck-up day, in which they were all a part of, went terribly wrong, and guilt kept them apart while they forged ahead with careers and marriage, life and living.

Owner of the house, Gypsy, had left it to the four of them, but they had to come back to the country, to their origins in Calingarry Crossing, and stay for a season before making a decision on the house’s future after the twelve month period was up. They had all loved Gypsy, her home and daughter Willow had been a haven from their own lives while they were growing up. The various problems they all encountered in their childhood faded into insignificance while in Gypsy and Willow’s home and company. But they couldn’t work out why they, those particular four, had been chosen to inherit the old house.

The four women, each with their own problems and agendas, would learn more about themselves in their required stay at The Dandelion House, and more about each other than they had ever known previously. The secret which had been hidden for over thirty years would eventually be revealed. What would they discover about each other? What would it do to their relationships, to their families…past and present?

I really enjoyed this book! At first I didn’t think I would, as I didn’t like the characters of the four girls when they got together (grudgingly) in the board room at the request of Gypsy’s law firm. They were spoilt brats, albeit grown-up, adult brats, but as they each travelled to Calingarry Crossing, and their stories were told, I grew to like and then love them. I felt for them, and their varying circumstances made me laugh and cry. It was a great debut from a new voice in Aussie literature. I will read more from this author!

Highly recommended.

[MarciaB - Book Muster Down Under · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four women! And a tale that lays bare the dark secret of a NSW country town!!

Former friends Sara, Amber, Poppy and Caitlin, are introduced to us as they sit in a solicitor’s office, having just received news of an unexpected inheritance. Gypsy, an old friend, has bequeathed The Dandelion House to them in four equal shares, her terms – to each spend one season at the house! After the tragic events which took place twenty years before, they find it curious that they have inherited the house and don’t appear over-eager to return to a place which holds so many haunting memories.

Broken up into four parts, each character is seemingly at a crossroads and has her own story to tell. With the narrative flitting between past and present, we are given insight into how each of them must come to terms with the circumstances and events surrounding both that fateful day twenty years before and the dark secret which needs to be uncovered.

Although Caitlin describes Sara as “whiny”, she is a woman who has faced many challenges in her life, her breast cancer and broken marriage only two contributions to her character as a whole. Childless for most of their marriage, she was born to her parents late in their lives with her mother having been placed in a home before her sixteenth birthday and her father suffering from dementia. Afraid to fall in love thanks to the mental scars inflicted by the pain of her marriage breakup and the physical scars left by her breast cancer, Sara is in need of more than just physical healing. It comes as no surprise then (or does it) that Summer is the season chosen to fulfil Gypsy’s wishes – after all, Summer is a time of growth, a time to take inventory and learn how to heal. Will Sara finally be able to add love to the never-ending items on her list, thereby learning to accept the fact that life is to be lived?

Poppy feels she has a lot to prove. Having always felt responsible for the deaths of her grandmother, mother and brother, she believes that this is the reason why her father has never been able to accept and love her. Constantly striving to prove herself to him, she is a tough and ambitious journo who has been out on the frontline and is currently up for a journalism award. Used to retreating and, after attending the awards ceremony where, all too painfully, her father’s absence has been noted, she decides to take some time off work and spend her season at The Dandelion House. With thoughts of her father’s ultimate rejection battering her mind, uppers and downers lying on the dining-room table, and her journalistic instinct sniffing out a story, she befriends Elias who, through his own experiences in Vietnam, forces her to realise that her father came home mentally damaged after which she concludes that not all stories need to contain the guts and glory of war. Left holding a Dandelion puffball after a mysterious visit from her father, will she finally be able to forgive him and allow herself to be open to a power greater than ourselves?

Amber is a character who raised my hackles with her supercilious and conciliatory attitude from the beginning, when Sara likened her to “a cat in looks and temperament” but as I got to know her, I realised that there were a lot of issues which ran much deeper and shaped her into what she had become and felt that she was the character who had the most to learn in her season at Calingarry Crossing. Having been brought up with an alcoholic mother and a controlling father who were always feuding, she was rather rebellious and impetuous with the result that she fell pregnant at the age of seventeen and was whisked away by her father, thereby deserting her mother. Now, a spoilt socialite addicted to painkillers and cosmetic procedures, Amber arrives at a deserted Dandelion House during Autumn, discovering that her bedroom, like the late autumn trees, are bereft of all decoration and colour, and some disturbing revelations are about to be uncovered! Is Amber’s season a reflection of the place she has arrived in her life and will she be able to revisit her past, re-connect with someone she has always spoken of as “dead” thus becoming the woman she was meant to be?

Caitlyn is described as the clever one. A doctor frustrated by her controlling family and drawing the line at their expectations of babies and marriage for her, she arrives at the house after suffering hurt at the hands of her ex-husband and his philandering ways. The bedroom that greets her is filled with all sorts of animals, a reflection of what she once longed to be … and then there’s Alex, and the decisions she needs to make when she discovers a secret that will either destroy all four women as they attempt to repair their broken lives, or forever bind them together. Does meeting Alex represent a second chance for Caitlin to finally follow her own dreams?

With mystical insight and deep love, Gypsy is both the axis around which each of the four narratives spin themselves with her back-story shining through, as well as the vessel through which each woman will experience great emotional and spiritual development on their personal journeys, ultimately changing their perceptions of themselves. Just like the liquidambar trees are a steadfast presence throughout this novel, so, too, is Gypsy who constantly makes her presence known through the letters she has written to the four women, the truths locked away behind each door and the memories they hold of her.

Debut author, Jenn J McLeod, has produced a well-written novel with strong characterisation in both her main and supporting characters, giving us a remarkable insight into the human psych. A novel which contains deeper themes of alcoholism, domestic violence and terminal illness interspersed with the more intricate themese of family ties and friendship which all lend themselves to sub-plots that cascade perfectly into the final crescendo of a long-kept secret which this reader never even saw coming, this is a novel which will appeal to a wide range of readers.

So, if you’re looking for a whimsical read steeped in atmosphere, laced with spiritual resonance and interspersed with idyllic descriptions of the beautiful countryside of New South Wales whilst all being perfectly wrapped up in wisps of gypsy magick, then I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this great book while we await the release of The Simmering Season.

I wish to thank both Simon and Schuster and The Reading Room for providing me with a copy of this engaging novel.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story about 4 childhood friends who are reunited after many years. They have been left a house in the will of a lady who lived in their hometown. One of the conditions of the inheritance is that they each spend one season back at the house, they don't know why, but do comply with the conditions. They all find out lots about themselves and reunite with old friends and relatives and townsfolk that they have not seen for years. There is the underlying story about a fifth friend called Willow who mysteriously died when they were teenagers, and this story is a pivotal point of the whole book. I loved reading about Sara, Amber, Caitlin and Poppy, they were such complex characters and could have had a book each to expand on their lives alone. It all came together in the end with shock revelations, laughter, tears and new beginnings. I loved it. Thank you Jenn J McLeod for the complimentary signed copy of your first novel - one that I will treasure.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a half stars. Four women are left a house known as The Dandelion House in a will. The condition set by the owner is that each of the four women spends a season at the house in Calingarry Crossing before they decide what to do with it. These four women had grown up in Calingarry Crossing and been friends of sorts during their school year but had drifted apart afterward and gone their separate ways. Why they wonder has Gypsy left this house been left to the four of them? None of them is keen to return to Calingarry Crossing, as the place and the events surrounding their upbringing and the death of Willow, Gypsy’s daughter brings back too many memories and also guilt.
When I first met the four main characters in this novel, Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin I was not particularly enamoured of any of them. They grudgingly agree to abide by the conditions of the will. Sara is first in spring. As I read I began to understand more of Sara, so much so that when it was time to move onto Poppy and summer I didn’t want to leave Sara as I had come to care about her. Such is the skill of the author that even though I was reluctant to read about Poppy and summer, I soon became engrossed in her story. The same thing happened with the subsequent seasons with Amber and then Caitlin. By good writing that really gets inside the minds of the characters and by setting up the backgrounds and events that helped shaped the characters of each woman I ended up caring about all of them.
This is a hugely enjoyable read that had me in tears at times but laughing at other times. There is also a love interest but it is not one what dominates the whole story, which covers issues such as teenage pregnancy and domestic violence. In the end though it’s not a book about issues so much, as an exploration of character with themes of forgiveness, change, friendship, change and moving on. Add to this well crafted characters and a long held secret, and you have all the ingredients of a novel to keep you reading. It is a novel I kept wanting to go back to, as evidenced by the short time it took me to read it. I highly recommend this novel. Loved the cover too.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

House for all Seasons is the debut novel from Australian writer Jenn J. McLeod. I discovered her awesomeness last year with A Place to Remember, so figured I should go back and check out her earlier works (and isn't that the best thing about discovering a new author? Loads of unread earlier works - yay!)

This is the story of 4 women, friends in high school but who haven't spoken to each other in 20 years, who share an inheritance in the Dandelion House. One of the clauses of the will though, is that they must each spend a season back home prior to making a decision on the fate of the house. And so the novel is essentially 4 stories in 1, as each woman tells us her story and her experience in the house.

There's Sara, who is recovering from breast cancer and a divorce. Poppy, an award winning journalist who longs for approval from her absent father. Amber, who's father took her from the town when she ended up pregnant. Caitlin, the daughter of the former town doctor who has grown up to be a doctor herself.

And look, as you'll find with any story containing multiple characters, some you'll connect with more than others. For me, it was Sara and Caitlin's stories I was most invested in. Each woman was so wonderfully unique there was never fear of getting any of them or their stories mixed up.

The descriptions of Dandelion House and its surroundings were just so vivid, I want to visit! The book really had the country town feel about it, and for more just that something that made it wonderfully uniquely Australian.

If I had to have a complaint, it would be that with so many stories happening, I felt their dealing with each were quite shallow. I'd imagine each woman's story could have been a book in its own right, but then obviously that would mean delaying the wonderful big reveal that I did not see happening!

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenn J McLeod's lovely debut novel, House For All Seasons, is the story of four women, once childhood friends, now strangers, drawn back to their hometown by the unusual terms of a surprising inheritance. Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin must each must spend a season at Dandelion House in Calingarry Crossing to honor Gypsy's last wishes and face the memories they left behind.

The women in The House For All Seasons are at a crossroads in their lives when they receive word of the bequest. Sara is physically and emotionally fragile after treatment for breast cancer and her recent divorce, Poppy is beginning to recognise that her professional success is a poor substitute for personal satisfaction, Amber's perfect facade is starting to crack and Caitlin is frustrated by thwarted dreams.
Though they are reluctant to revisit Calingarry Crossing, Dandelion House proves to be a haven as each woman assesses her past, present and future, searching for redemption and renewal. With a nudge from heartfelt letters left for them by Gypsy, and timely intervention from mysterious (perhaps mystical) sources, Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin confront their difficult pasts and their memories of Willow.

As part of the women's stories, McLeod explores difficult issues such as cancer, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, post traumatic stress and addiction. The larger themes examine the need to make peace with the past in order to move forward and the importance of knowing what you need, and want, to be happy within yourself. Their experiences are sure to strike a chord with any reader who has questioned their role or direction in life.

There is romance, though it remains mostly low key. The emotion is heartfelt and honest without becoming overly sentimental. The drama increases as the secrets begin to unravel concluding with a surprising twist that binds the women in an unexpected manner. I thought perhaps McLeod could have lingered a bit more over the ending, it felt a little rushed and blurs with Caitlin's story. It is a minor quibble though, for what is a well crafted, well written story.

A moving novel of friendship, family and forgiveness, I thought House For All Seasons was a warm, engaging story and an impressive debut from Jenn J McLeod. I look forward to revisiting Calingarry Crossing in her next book.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. For some reason initially left unspecified, four women (Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin), who sometimes hung around together when growing up, are obliged to return to a house bequeathed to them jointly and are required to each spend a period of time at the house. Why the house was left to them jointly and what the link is between the 4 of them and the lady who owned the house is the main mystery running through the book and it ties the individual stories of the women together.

I felt this book started slowly - I generally like books told from different points of view, but slightly resented when this one switched from Sara's story to Poppy's, leaving Sara (who I liked) to her own devices while focussing on Poppy (who I didn't like). I also didn't like Amber very much, but by the time I got to her part of the story, I was very involved in the story and wanted to find out more. And as I found out more about each of the characters, I grew to understand and like them more.

I also liked finding out a bit more about the terms of the house-sharing agreement and the different "caretakers" each woman met in her period at the house. Once I was properly involved in it, this was an engaging read. The ending felt a little too contrived, to my way of thinking, in some respects, and there were some minor things not fully explained, but overall this was certainly an enjoyable read - 3.5 stars. I'm looking forward to picking up Jenn J. McLeod's next book, Simmering Season.

I won this on Jenn J. McLeod's Australia Day blog hop giveaway, so thanks to the author for my copy.

[Greg Barron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished House for all Seasons, and I know it won't be easy to summarise in a few words. In many ways, despite the minutiae of its northern New South Wales location, and some unmistakeably Aussie characters, it reminded me of the work of UK authors like Marian Keyes. House for all Seasons is big in scope, with likeable characters galore, but always damaged by life in some way, if not positively ravaged.

It's all about the characters, and for me there were several "goosebump" moments. I was particularly affected by Sara and Will's struggle to understand each other, Poppy's decision to present the human face of a soldier's death, thereby coming to see what her own father went through, and Cheryl Bailey's relationship with Amber. Strangely, the mystery of the Year 12 muck-up day that hung over the book didn't grip me that much, but it didn't need to. I was happy enough just to follow the characters around. They're worth following, right to the surprising end ...

Jenn J McLeod is a gifted writer, with a knack of raking up emotions. House for All Seasons is definitely worth a read.

[Kerrie Paterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this debut release at lunch time today. 5 hours (and numerous cups of tea!) later, I finished it and sat there, savouring the stories. It's one of those books you want to keep going so instead you sit with a smile and imagine what happens next.

I was teary in places, I snorted, sniggered and smiled in many places! Above all, I kept turning the pages! Told by each of four women, childhood friends torn apart by a muck-up day incident twenty years prior, now forced to return home. The story is woven well, some characters are more likeable than others, but I cared about what happened to each of them. There is a touch of "magic" in places and lots of cute animals!

Like another reviewer, I kept waiting for Alex to say "Just joking" but hey, that's life!

I'm looking forward to the next story set in this town, and I hope we get to revisit the wonderful characters from this book.

[Ange · Rating 4 out of 5]

This enchanting story is told from the point of view from each of the friends. After twenty years four childhood friends, Sara, Amber, Poppy & Caitlan receive news that they have inherited a house in their home town of Callingarry Crossing from their old friend Gypsy. The will states that all of the friends have to each spend one season at the house before they decide the outcome of their inheritance.

Starting with Sara in spring, each of the girls form new friendships, relive childhood memories, discover secrets about themselves and each other.

I loved this debut novel by Jenn McLeod and can't wait for her to introduce a second. Spring, summer, autumn & winter which will be your favourite?

[Andrea Grigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the fact there are so many Australian authors these days who use the country as their setting. Jenn J McLeod has done this so well. I thoroughly enjoyed her descriptions, her characters, and especially the minor characters, people whose occupations are so different from those of us who live in suburbia. House for all Seasons is a cleverly-woven tale of the complex ties between four women, with an ending I didn't see coming. I'll be on the lookout for Jenn's next novel.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. Each of the women are so distinct and different and the way the thread ties up at the end is really interesting. Sara and Caitlyn's stories were my favourites. 4 stars.

[Lauren Keegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

House for All Seasons is an Australian set story of four former friends who are reunited 20 years later when they inherit The Dandelion House in Calingarry Crossing from Gypsy a woman who along with daughter Willow played a pivotal role in their childhoods. All of the women are quite resistant about returning to Calingarry Crossing for a season as requested in Gypsy’s will prior to deciding on the fate of the house. They have secrets to hide, regretful pasts they’ve shied away from and futures they’ve worked hard to achieve.

The story is divided into four parts where each woman lives in the home for a season and it is focused on their internal journey of accepting the past, revaluating their priorities and taking charge of their lives.

Sara is probably the least resistant to returning to Calingarry Crossing, after all the love of her life, Will still resides there. But twenty years have passed and Sara has been married and separated and diagnosed with breast cancer and survived. Will on the other hand had his whole life overturned when he was injured in a car accident that took the life of his wife. Widowed with two children, living at his parent’s home and paralysed from the waist down, Will has a few demons of his own. This was probably my favourite ‘story’ in the novel as I really felt for both of these characters. At first Will’s over the top comedic traits seemed a little ingenuine and intense for me but his defences soon unravelled and he and Sara connected on an emotional level.

Poppy, the hard-working and independent journalist has just won a major award in her industry, so no one is more surprised than her when she accepts her time at the house and leaves her life behind for a month or two. There’s a great relationship dynamic with her older, friend and boss Max who really cares deeply for her. But Poppy is quite emotionally avoidant after growing up with a father who was emotionally neglectful and whom she continually strives to please- only to be forever disappointed. Poppy’s story was quite touching as she finally got in tune with her feelings toward her father and was able to see how the war and the loss of his wife and son impacted on his capacity to show his love.

Amber, the plastic surgeon’s wife and snotty fundraising queen was, admittedly the character I liked the least. However, as her childhood and family secrets were uncovered I could empathise with her and understand why she was the way she was. I think she underwent the most growth in the story as she reconnected with her country roots and reassessed what was truly important in life.

Caitlyn’s story felt a little rushed and she was a character I really enjoyed so I was a little disappointed that her situation wasn’t explored further. She’s a doctor who seems to be living life to her parent’s expectations but is desperate to break free of their reigns. When she meets Alex, a rural vet in Calingarry Crossing she discovers her passion for helping can be achieved in ways other than her current conforming ways. When this story began I thought it was going to be like a typical rural romance and I got quite excited about this prospect. But Alex’s surprise confession was a bit of a shock and I read the next few pages waiting for him to say ‘just kidding!’ Of course, I eventually got over it and really liked the dynamic he played in Caitlyn’s journey- though I felt his presence was a little too much like a plot device for her to reassess her situation and I would’ve liked to see that happen internally rather than be influenced by an outsider.

In fact, each of the women’s change are facilitated by a local whom they associate with during their stay. For Sara it’s the quirky caretaker Eli, for Poppy it’s the mythical Elliot, for Amber it’s young farmhand Christopher and for Caitlin it’s Alex. Though I really enjoyed each of these additional characters it did begin to feel a little repetitive and predictable that someone would come along and challenge each of the women to face their fears.

There’s a lot that happens in this novel and I haven’t even touched on the part that young Willow played in the women facing their fears and the huge secret that explains why these 4 women inherited the house from Gypsy.

At first I was nervous about whether I would enjoy the structure of the story, with each viewpoint taking on a quarter of the story, but I actually really enjoyed it. It worked quite well for me. In fact after I read each part (almost like reading a novella about each character) I thought to myself, I could’ve read a whole book about Sara and Will or Poppy and Max…. etc but I was just as happy to delve into the next character’s head and go on a new journey while in the familiar surrounds of Calingarry Crossing.

House for All Seasons is a lovely novel that sweeps across the four seasons and follows the stories of Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin in their individual journey of acknowledging past mistakes and finding peace with themselves to build the future they always wanted. A captivating, moving and enjoyable debut from Australian author, Jenn J. McLeod.

[Helen McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old house, a small town, several different stories that weave together...what a great idea! LOL. This charming book has many similar elements to my own novel, so naturally I was very eager to read it. And I definitely wasn't disappointed.

Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin were once good friends when they all lived in the small NSW town of Calingarry Crossing. Central to their friendship was their association with The Dandelion House - a place they all spent time at under the wise and watchful eye of Gypsy. However a tragedy rocked their friendship and the town on school muck up day back in 1989 and one by one the four girls fled the town and their friendship.

Twenty years later all four women are shocked to discover that Gyspy has willed the old house to them, but before any decisions can be made about its future, each of them must spent a season back in Calingarry Crossing, alone. All are reluctant at first, but in turn they acquiesce and each then embarks on their own journey to healing the past.

I really liked the way the author created four very different but real characters to mirror the seasons. Each is flawed but endearing in some way and I came to know and care about each of them. All four women have faced their own challenges in life, despite how they may outwardly appear. Like some other reviewers I did not find any of the characters particularly likeable in the first scene in which they are introduced, but naturally each story saw each woman become much more 3D. Perhaps the only character I didn't get quite as much of a feel for was Caitlin - her story just seemed a bit shorter and not quite as in depth. But this is only a minor quibble.

Jenn writes in a simple and easy to read style that kept me fully engaged right from start to finish. I thought she captured a small town perfectly, right down to the quirky background characters and solo pub and cafe as the social hubs for the community. Her own love of small town life shone through in her creation of this charming rural setting.

On a final note the eventual 'reveal' of the secret that ties all the women together was cleverly orchestrated and took me quite by surprise. In all the scenarios I had considered this was not among them.

Overall a delightful and satisfying read that will leave you with a smile on your face.

[Rowena Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

House for All Seasons is the engaging debut from novelist Jenn J McLeod. Told with a distinctly Australian voice, this ensemble tale is fragrant with the best of Australian country life.

When an old friend dies, four former school friends are bequeathed a house in their home town, Callingary Crossing, in country New South Wales. The only caveat is that each must spend one season in Dandelion House – a house that holds ghosts for each of them. As each woman returns to Callingary Crossing, the scene of a childhood tragedy which scarred them and their friendship, they are forced to confront a past each has done their best to forget. But Callingary Crossing holds a deeper mystery. One that will change the women and bind them in a way they could never have imagined.

House for all Seasons is effortlessly told, evoking the character, resilience and colour of country living. As each protagonist spends her season in Dandelion House she remembers her past and her hand in the tragedy. The conflicts faced by the characters – particularly their inner demons – are as riveting as the mystery at the heart of the bequest. Those who like their women’s fiction thick with ardour may feel a little bereft as the romance, while satisfying, is secondary to the women’s need to face their past. House for all Seasons is a story about looking back to move forward, about starting over with a better sense of self. And Dandelion Cottage is the kind of house we’d all like to come home to.

This is the first in a series set in the fictional town of Callingarry Crossing and I look forward to more from this new voice in rural women’s fiction.

[Rhonda Bottari]

I have just reading this marvellous good 'House for all Seasons' and just wanted more feeling very sad that there were no more pages. Due to a severe sciatica attack I was laid up for 7 days and I found the book to be very comforting and theraputic. Loved all the characters but perhaps favoured Sarah the most as I could identify with her. Many thanks to Jenn for putting a wonderful story together that I have passed on to many of my friends. Looking forward to the next novel.

[Bree T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four friends who have barely spoken to each other in twenty years are left a hundred year old house that they spent time at during their childhood. Situated in their hometown of Calingarry Crossing, the terms of the will state that each woman must spend a season there in order to fulfill the terms of the inheritance. Each of the women have varying feelings about returning to spend time in the house, from downright refusal to eagerness. Returning means confronting demons for all of them, including what happened during their muck up day celebrations, so many years ago.

Sara is first. A breast cancer survivor, she’s had one man run out on her when she was at her lowest. Returning to the Dandelion House gives her an opportunity to make amends for things she’s done wrong in the past and it gives her a chance to rekindle her friendship with Will, someone Sara has always loved. But Sara is afraid to love now, love is not on The List.

Poppy is a journalist, up for a Walkley award after a stint overseas reporting on the war in Afghanistan. No matter how successful she is, what she does, all that matters to her is the approval of her distant father Johnno, damaged from what he saw overseas in his own war, Vietnam.

Amber was a spoiled and cosseted teenager, the apple of her charismatic father’s eye. When a youthful indiscretion meant that Amber should probably leave Calingarry Crossing, her father arranged everything. Twenty years later Amber is an over-Botoxed socialite desperately tired of the charity lunch game. The return to Calingarry Crossing gives her a chance to face what her childhood really was and make amends with someone she has long done without in her life.

Caitlin is looking to give something back to the small community, the way her respected doctor father did. Taking over the local practice while she’s spending her required season in the house, Caitlin is about to uncover a well kept secret that will bind the 4 girls even more tightly together…and give them the strength they need to decide what to do with their legacy.

I’ve been looking forward to this book for a long time now. Following authors and publishers on twitter means you hear about things often long before they arrive and the wait can sometimes feel like forever. You hear details of books going through drafts, edits, etc. It’s much different to when you just walk into a bookshop and see whatever happens to be on the shelf, published already.

From the inside out, this book is beautiful. From the very beginning, when we meet our four women as adults in their mid-to-late thirties, you know that something has happened to make them no longer friends. It isn’t just that their lives have changed and grown, they’re all carrying feelings connected to their hometown that have made them want to forget. Gypsy, the former owner of the house has used their connections to it in order to bring them back and make them face what happened in the town twenty years ago and also help them assess their lives and what they really want and need. Each one of them is dealing with something, or many things. Alone (with no contact with each other during their season ‘stay’) they each have no choice but to really examine themselves and their lives.

Each of the women are very different, some were harder to connect to than others but I found that I had little trouble immersing myself in their lives. Sara, the first to spend time in the house, was easy to like but it wasn’t hard to see just how much of herself she was holding back, scared to fall in love again after her husband betrayed her and left her when she was most vulnerable. I liked her blossoming friendship with Will, a man who had also been dealt numerous blows as well. I loved the way that Will was portrayed, a man who was trying to make the most of his situation, but sometimes exhausted by the effort it took. The optimism and frustration was very well done.

I didn’t love Amber at first, but I think she’s the character who experiences the most personal growth. I think her journey was the one that touched me the most, even though I didn’t relate to her as such. We have nothing in common and she wasn’t entirely likable but watching this Sydney Potts Point lady who lunches settle back in to a quiet country town and realise that the woman she saw in the mirror for twenty years wasn’t really her was fascinating. The only thing about that storyline that did have me raising an eyebrow was the forty year old surgeon who wanted to marry a seventeen year old girl. That was a bit weird, even if I did like the character of her husband. But it was probably weirder that Amber’s father agreed to it. In some ways I found Poppy’s story similar to Amber’s – Poppy was also being someone that she didn’t realise wasn’t really her and a lot of her issues were all hung up on someone she had a difficult relationship with. In order for both Poppy and Amber to become the people they really were inside, they had to obtain some sort of closure or reconnection with the parent relationship and allow themselves to move forward in a new way. Caitlin was probably the only one that didn’t seem to be undergoing the same amount of emotional upheaval as the other three and her story felt much shorter and not quite as intense as the stories of the others. Her stay though, was crucial as it was the way in which the secrets were uncovered.

I really enjoyed this book – I read it in less than a day. It kept me turning the pages, drawn into the journey of these four women and their guilt and sadness over what had happened twenty years ago. It’s beautifully written, a story that sweeps you in and holds you there. There’s a little bit of magic in this one.

[Carol Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing that drew me to House for All Seasons was its rural setting and that didn't disappoint. I really felt that the suthor transported me to this small town in NSW. The premise of four former friends drawn back to the town they escaped many years before was also intriguing, with the layers of secrets to be discovered and the reunions with people left behind. The characters were all distinct and well drawn and I really wanted to know what happened to them. Each story was satisfactorily well rounded and concluded. A very enjoyable read.

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Gypsy's death four women have to come together after twenty years. Gypsy has left them the Dandelion House. There's one condition, they each have to spend a season at the house. Sara is the first one who's staying. She has some unfinished business in Calingarry Crossing. After so many years she finally has a chance to become friends with Will again. She was once madly in love with him, but she never got the chance to tell him. Now they have time to catch up and go out together, but their tragic pasts are making things difficult for both of them.

Poppy is a journalist who wants nothing more than her father's pride. It's the only thing she's ever wanted to achieve and the one thing she never received. Even when she wins a prestigious award she can't be happy because her father isn't there to celebrate with her. Poppy has a wonderful boss who takes good care of her and she needs him. When she goes to the Dandelion House she's all alone. There's only a friend of her father to talk to. She learns more about the background of the man whose approval she craved and also that it's good to need someone who cares for her.

Amber seems to have it all. In the eyes of so many people she has the perfect life. She's married to a rich man, she can do whatever she wants and she has a beautiful daughter. Her father plays an important role in her life and she used to adore him. Amber's stay at the house is necessary for her confidence and well being. She's always done what other people wanted her to do and she has lost herself in the process. Being on her own with animals to take care of and a visit to her mother every now and then she finally has the chance to find out what she wants.

Caitlin is the daughter of a successful doctor. Her father's work is legendary and she had to follow in his footsteps. He has passed away and that's giving her the chance to go to the countryside and feel free for a while. Caitlin is a good doctor, but she'd rather care for animals instead of people. While she is in Dandelion House she discovers a terrible secret, something she has to share with her childhood friends.

Because of something that happened in their past Sara, Poppy, Amber and Caitlin are no longer friends. They drifted apart, because they couldn't cope being together. There were too many memories. While being at the house they have to face their past. The house used to be a safe haven and Gypsy wanted them to have that also after her death. I loved that idea. House for All Seasons is a beautiful story about four very different women. They're as different as the seasons. They are all strong, but somehow stuck and they need their life to change. I liked to see the developments in their character during the time they spent at the house. It has a healing effect and it also makes them see things more clearly. I think Jenn J McLeod has written a fantastic book. House for All Seasons is very special, it's such a warm and wonderful story.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who loves character driven fiction I really enjoyed this debut novel from Jenn J. McLeod. The small town setting is very authentic and provides the perfect backdrop for the intersection of 4 women's lives when they jointly inherit a house left to them by Gypsy, a woman from their shared past. Each woman has her own set of issues to deal with as she returns to Callingary Crossing and each finds solace of some sort in the time spent there. If you like stories that unfold gently, characters you can relate to and writing brimming with great dialogue and vivid images you'll love this one.

[Lidya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Australian authored book I've read. I enjoyed it a lot that I started my quest in discovering more books authored locally. The author wrote wonderfully. She revealed the plot bit by bit without revealing too much; just enough to keep me wanting to turn the page. All four characters were interesting in their own way. I find it disappointing that the chapters weren't equally done for each of the characters. By the time I reached the last season, I noted that the pages covering it was about half of Sara's story. The ending felt a little bit rush but it was still full with surprises.

Despite the 'negatives' that I mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

[Marie Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book. Not something I would normally read but once started I couldn't put it down.
Four women inherit a house in Calingarry Crossing. What each finds out about themselves will impact on their future. a tale of repair, redemption, research and renewal. The characters breathe through the pages and you will fall in love with them all, even the ones you think - "Not on my guest list, honey". and the secrets the small town keeps?
It's a shocker.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't really get into the book and the characters were a bit annoying :(

[Kerrie McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this debut release at lunch time today. 5 hours (and numerous cups of tea!) later, I finished it and sat there, savouring the stories. It's one of those books you want to keep going so instead you sit with a smile and imagine what happens next.

I was teary in places, I snorted, sniggered and smiled in many places! Above all, I kept turning the pages! Told by each of four women, childhood friends torn apart by a muck-up day incident twenty years prior, now forced to return home. The story is woven well, some characters are more likeable than others, but I cared about what happened to each of them. There is a touch of "magic" in places and lots of cute animals!

Like another reviewer, I kept waiting for Alex to say "Just joking" but hey, that's life!

I'm looking forward to the next story set in this town, and I hope we get to revisit the wonderful characters from this book.

[Lena West · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story of a group of friends torn apart by tragedy who are given a second chance to discover who they really are and where their true happiness lies. Callingary Crossing hides some life-changing secrets beneath its surface of rural normality. Couldn't put it down. Will be looking for more of Jenn's books.

[Kate Gissell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! This one is my favourite of Jenn's books 😊

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara, Amber, Poppy and Caitlin have briefly been reunited for the first time in twenty years and it didn't go well. Gathered against their will in a solicitor's office it is apparent that they will never recapture the close friendship they once shared. But then the real bombshell is dropped - all four women have been named as beneficiaries by their old friend Gypsy. She has left them her house nicknamed The Dandelion House in the small town of Calingary Crossing. But the catch is that each of them must spend one season of the year in the house before the inheritance is official and they can make a decision about what to do with the house.

A House For All Seasons is divided into four sections - each dealing with a season of the year and the journey of one of the women. Sara, Amber, Poppy and Caitlin each have issues they need to resolve in their current life - but more than that each one of them must come to terms with the tragic event that occurred on school muck up day back in 1989. Starting out as a harmless prank, it turned into a living nightmare that ultimately played a hand in each of the women leaving their hometown behind as fast as they could.

While each of the women is reluctant to return, in the end they do and thus we have four different journeys to follow - each with its own emotional upheavals - sadness, joy, wonder and a little mystery too. What they all have in common is the warmth of the storytelling - Jenn writes in a lovely relaxed and homely style, that perfectly matches the small town setting of Calingary Crossing.

I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters in A House For All Seasons. While I did like some characters better than others, each was wonderfully drawn and three dimensional and through the telling of their story I came to understand each woman's past and the part it played in the woman they are twenty years later. I also loved getting to know the town of Calingary Crossing and appreciated its warmth and charm more with each chapter.

Heartwarming and satisfying, A House For All Seasons is a delightful debut novel that kept me entertained from start to finish.

[Catherine Heloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book I won from the Australia Day Blog Hop Giveaway, and is not a book I would normally have sought out for myself. It's difficult to review it (and very difficult to give it a star rating - I really want to give it a 3.5), because I enjoyed it very much, but don't think it was brilliant, objectively speaking.

The story follows four women through the space of a year, with each woman getting one season. These four women were friends at school twenty years ago until something terrible happened on Mess Up Day - and they haven't seen each other since. Now, an inheritance requires each of them to spend a season in the house they used to spend a lot of time in, the home of someone they have tried to forget.

This book is, essentially, four interrelated novellas. The women's stories don't really overlap except at the start and end of the book, and each woman, on coming back to her home town, has to deal with matters from her past, and some of the other reasons she left. Over the course of the book, we learn more about what happened twenty years ago, and we uncover a secret that will be important to all the girls. (I did guess the Big Secret well before any of the characters did - but I think that's the nature of a book like this; I know I'm reading a book, and therefore detect hints of a Big Secret before the characters, who think they are just going about their lives, can possibly do so.)

House for All Seasons is a gentle, pleasant read, which does not demand too much of the reader. A very nice book for a day when one is feeling emotionally or mentally taxed, in fact, which was how I was feeling when I read it, so it worked for me. There are no real villains in this book, and no great upheavals until the very end - rather, it's a picture of a somewhat idyllic small town somewhere in rural New South Wales, where terrible things can and have happened, but where people, on the whole, mean well.

I'll definitely keep an eye out for this author next time I need something soothing to read.