Making Marion

Starred review from June 9, 2014
Marion Miller just wants directions to the Sherwood Forest visitor center, but ends up working behind the counter at the Peace and Pigs Holiday Park in Nottingham, England. On the run from an engagement she doesn’t want and in search of secrets her long-dead father kept buried, Marion ends up staying at the Peace and Pigs and discovering more than she had bargained for. There’s Scarlett, campground owner and purveyor of love and acceptance; her troubled daughter, Grace, whose rebellious attitude masks a stunning gift; Scarlett’s foster daughter Valerie, who is “a little different”; Jake, whose pleasant demeanor may be a ruse; and Reuben, heir to Hatherstone Hall and Marion’s cooking teacher. A host of other quirky characters also populate this delightful novel, which will have readers giggling, sobbing, and rooting for Marion as she faces down her wretched past and moves forward in fits, starts, and belly laughs. This is one of the best inspirational novels of the season, a marvelous debut by a British author to watch.

Starred review from June 15, 2014

Marion Miller journeys from her home in northern Ireland to Nottinghamshire, dwelling of the famous Sherwood Forest and the legendary Robin Hood, to uncover her father's secret past. What she finds is a job in a campground named Peace and Pigs, a boyfriend (sort of), and a band of quirky friends who will change her life forever. Roaming pigs, food fights, and conspiring chickens add flavor to this delightful debut, which also touches on mother-daughter relationships, family secrets, and finding love--and yourself. VERDICT This humorous and tender story about a girl who discovers who she is in the wrong place at the right time will charm fans of women's fiction and readers seeking a fresh, funny, and heartfelt tale in the tradition of Helen Fielding and Sophie Kinsella. [Lion Fiction is the new Christian imprint of UK publisher Lion Hudson, profiled by Prepub Alert editor Barbara Hoffert in "Spotlight on Lion Fiction" at ow.ly/x4ohf.--Ed.]

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