Caroline Muntjewerf

                                         

A. Spicer, U.K.:

This is a well-crafted story of love, loss and intrigue set in the music city of Memphis, Tennessee. The reader is able to sympathise with the trials and tribulations of the strongly portrayed Kate Jennings, and there is a ghoulish dimension, which gives the story real atmosphere.
The tale builds towards an engrossing and satisfying ending. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

D. Tishler, Australia:

Return to Les Jonquières is a cracking story of one man’s return to the simplicity of his childhood experiences in the South of France as he begins to pick up the pieces of his broken family relationships and the death of his beloved wife. He must face his own emotional darkness as he attempts to restore a crumbling horse stable to its former glory.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the countryside in the South of France and the stable itself. Caroline really brings the reader in close and immerses them in this very specific world of horse racing and all that that entails. This story is unpretentious and beautifully crafted around a group of support characters who echo the simple lifestyle that the main protagonist, Sebastien, is trying to recapture after many years in fast-paced Paris. Without giving too much of the story away there is an interesting whodunnit subplot as the protagonist is both learning how to rebuild the stable and recapture his love of horses but also becoming an amateur detective in the process.
Readers won’t be disappointed by this story and will find any effort to read it well worth it. Good luck and enjoy.

M. Holman, author, U.K.:

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I read it very quickly because I just could not put it down. I remember enjoying the ‘Belle and Sebastien’ story as a child, and the author cleverly moves the character of Sebastien into his adulthood and uses references from his childhood to help to build the plot. Sebastien left Les Jonquières after his first wife died in an accident, and now he returns to rebuild the stables and make a home there. Along the way, he has to do some soul-searching as he deals with conflict from his estranged daughter and from his brother, and also tries to build a relationship with the grandson he’d never met. While all this is going on, he has an encounter with a criminal element who is determined to spoil his plans at the stables. This is the power of the writing – that the author understands how people interact and the decisions they make when they deal with actions and consequences. The detailed, well-researched description of the Provence region provides a perfect backdrop to the events, and I highly recommend this story.

 

Mrs. B. Davies, New Zealand:

Of Dutch Descent is a very easy to read novel giving an insight into life in New Zealand through the eyes of a young Dutch girl. The storyline is simple and pure and takes you through the young girl’s life to adulthood. It is an open-ended story which I hope has a sequel to it so that readers can follow her life into the future.

K. Dimmick, retired vicar & chaplain, U.S.:

I read it avidly, getting into it more and more as the story progressed. At first, I didn’t realize the style was intentionally like a child, and as she grew up the language matured. Very difficult to do but with great subtly the author pulled it off. Can’t wait for the sequel!

K. Franke, Germany:

I like the book. It is very interesting and I didn’t want to stop reading!

Lisa, U.S.:

Highly Recommended Coming-Of-Age Story

Caroline Muntjewerf’s Post WWII Family Saga, “Of Dutch Descent”, is a moving, poignant and entertaining read. The author captures perfectly the experiences of ex-pats / immigrants trying to adjust to life their new country. This reader empathized with all the characters, especially the main protagonist, Ellie, through the author’s talent for creating realistic characterization by means of dialogue and description. The saga is rich with many thought-provoking topics: PTSD after war; whether to keep a child in the dark about family problems and death; friends that become like family – especially important to immigrants whose blood family are far away; illicit affairs and whether to keep an illegitimate baby; parental responsibilities versus having a personal life; how some people react to stress and disappointments; date violence; new relationships forming; the danger of living with secrets that can come back to bite the secret-keeper – and how that affects everyone – and more.

This is also a coming-of-age story, so it’s perfect for YA and up. Highly recommended!

M. Padt, The Netherlands:

It was so nice to read the book. I like the conversations, the descriptions, to read about the life of emigrants.

S. Torabi, U.K.:

Fantastic job. I started reading the book and can’t wait to find out what’s happening next.