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Pink champagne and apple juice
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The moon's complexion
On the edge
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Anne Brooke - read the beginning
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Angie Howard has one ambition - to escape from her home in the idyllic Essex countryside and set up her own cafe in London. Once there, she seeks out her long-lost Uncle John, whose lifestyle is not at all what she expected. Before she can achieve her goal, she has to juggle the needs of a glamorous French waiter, a grouchy German chef and her exuberant, transvestite uncle.
What's more, if she manages to keep the lid on all that, what will she do about the other hidden secrets of her family?
Anne Brooke is the author of five novels, as well as many short stories and poems. She was shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Novel Award in 2006, the Royal Literary Fund Awards in 2004 and the Asham Award for Women Writers in 2003. Living in Surrey, she is proud to be an Essex Girl and, in her other life, works in student care services at the local university. She plays extraordinarily bad golf and sponsors a Golden Guernsey goat in Devon. More information can be found at annebrooke
Read an interview with Anne Brooke at the Writewords site: anne brooke
'... an amusing, fast-paced novel, full of action and comedy' Marsha Rowe, co-founder of Spare Rib
'Pink Champagne and Apple Juice is a rollicking roller-coaster of a ride from the moment we first encounter Angie, legging it along Platform One, her mother in hot pursuit ... The writing carried me along at a cracking pace, and I laughed aloud more than once. Brooke makes it look so easy. An enjoyable and light-hearted read and the perfect holiday novel or pick-me-up for a grey day. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in a single sitting. Pure escapism!' Nell, Writewords
'... a real page turner and I could relate absolutely to Angie, a girl after my heart, spirited and with guts.' Margaret Gill, writer
'Splendidly raunchy and funny without being superficial, Pink Champagne & Apple Juice is full of wonderful larger than life characters that get up to things that are beyond your wildest fantasies! And then some! I loved this chaotic tumble into London's steamy underbelly. I challenge you not to love gorgeous Uncle John and Heinrich, the cantankerous, mushroom-fixated German chef. Hilarious and at times poignant. I recommend it for bedtime reading - your dreams will be unbelievable!' Irene Black, writer
'"Mad, bad and dangerous to know" was Lady Caroline Lamb's assessment of Lord Byron, but it might equally apply to Angie's Uncle John. Owner operator of one of the wildest clubs in Muswell Hill, he opens Angie's eyes to a whole different world from the one she is used to. In keeping with its title, Anne Brooke's novel is a joyous and frothy romp in which an innocent girl from Essex runs away from home only to run into a North London gay club. As an innocent abroad Angie makes quite a few unexpected discoveries but also, ultimately, finds her feet.' Five-star review on Amazon
Surrey Advertiser Bookclub entry
'This is the odyssey of a young girl running away from her Essex home to big bad London, where she finds temporary accommodation with black sheep of the family, Uncle John, who is enjoying a successful career as the drag queen and night club proprietor "Jolene" in (of all places) Muswell Hill. She goes through a series of adventures, romantic and otherwise, in pursuit of her dream of running a sophisticated cafe/restaurant, and we watch her personal unfolding brought about by the process. The opening chapters seem light and amusing, and are written in a style so straightforward and conversational as to seem almost artless. This is not however a criticism, because it ensures that the author doesn't intrude into what is in fact a very involving and quite touching rite of passage story about growing up and pursuing your dreams in the adult world. Although the early chapters are played almost entirely for laughs, as the story progresses many extra layers emerge (and it becomes a little raunchy), but the lightness of touch is never lost. Angie and Uncle John turn into far more human and engaging characters than we might have expected, with emotional lives that the reader can no longer dismiss as comic hyperbole. This is in fact a much better and more serious book than it seems at first. It deals with the struggle of a young girl to break away from home and become a person in her own right who is then strong enough to take on the task of mending her damaged relationship with her mother and finding emotional anchors in a new world away from home. Few of us will fail to see something of our own story in Angie's. Most of all though, it's great entertainment, and you'll find yourself wanting to read it as quickly as you can to find out what happens next. This would be a perfect book to give to a teenage girl who isn't much interested in reading. The author seems completely at ease with her teens/twenties heroine and presents her with affection and understanding and without a whiff of condescension or disapproval. As a result, we like her too and care about what happens to her and how her plans pan out. For a light but not brain-dead summer read, you won't go far wrong with this one.' David Gardiner of Gold Dust Magazine
Writers' News Article October 2006
'A cracking good story and such wonderful characters, none of them too wicked nor too pious. They are all so real and colourful. John aka Jolene has just the right mix of impudence, sauciness and humanity to make us love him/her. It is, of course, Angie's story, and we are with her all the way. This is one of those books you don't want to put down or finish. Another story about Angie would be fantastic!' Five-star review on Amazon
'I just knew I was going to love this book even before reading it. Why? I’ve met Anne, the writer of this book through MySpace and she writes some really funny articles in her blog section. When I saw that she had just brought out this book, I knew I had to get a copy and I wasn’t disappointed. My measure of a good read is how fast I get through it. By that, if I’ve read it within a few days, it was because I couldn’t put it down. Well, I’d read this book cover to cover in two days! So why was it so good? It has a brilliant mixture of humour, characters and a very different storyline. I was able to visualise all the characters, even down to how the buildings would look. So I’d better not be disappointed when they make it into a film!! The storyline is about Angie who flees from her very loving home to make her mark in the world. She looks up her Uncle John who she hasn’t seen for many years and turns up unannounced. Maybe Angie should have had some hints that all would not be as it seems, when she asks for directions and is met with ‘you want where?’. Her first meeting with Uncle John is a memorable one and the story of why Uncle John has not been around for years unfolds with interesting reasons. Mixed in with this are the people who work for Uncle John and the entangled love interests. To find out why you’ll just have to read the book. You’ll be hooked.' Review from Sue Haywood on sue
'Pink Champagne and Apple Juice is a book full of larger than life, intriguing characters. Anne Brooke has the capacity to create the kind of bizarre characters that have such a unique flavour they will, I'm sure, enter the realm of classic characters. I loved the flamboyant "Uncle John" and the moody Heinrich who turns out to be pure gold in the end. I warmed to the kind of philosophy that lies behind much of Anne's writing and which encourages us to be whatever we want to be, to be that bravely and spiritedly, and to be damned as to what others think.' Five star review on Amazon by Megsl
'A chaotic, whirlwind of a story and I loved it. Uncle John was certainly the Champagne to Angie's apple juice. It was great. So layered and deliciously tangled. I could picture everything, you did such a wonderful job on the characters. I didn't want it to end.' Review from Diane, writer
publication June 2006
Special Discount Price (UK) £9.49 including P&P; £1.50; ISBN 0-9531613-4-x
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Sales enquiries to jennifer
Telephone (01483) 562722 (working hours)
Sales enquiries to jennifer
Telephone (01483) 562722 (working hours)
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