The Truth About Melody Browne
Lisa Jewell was born and raised in north London, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. Her first novel,
Ralph’s Party
, was the bestselling debut of 1999. She is also the author of
Thirtynothing, One-Hit Wonder, Vince & Joy, A Friend of the Family
and
31 Dream Street
, all of which have been
Sunday Times
bestsellers.
‘Full of heart and humour, this will move you to tears. An absolute must-read’
Cosmopolitan
‘Not many books can claim to be an instant page-turner, but from the moment you read about nine-year-old Melody Browne’s house burning down … you won’t be able to tear yourself away .…You
will
want to keep the Kleenex to hand. But this is not just a sad, sorry tale. Ultimately, it’s life-affirming and uplifting, and Lisa Jewell writes the tale so beautifully that the words just dance off the page and sweep you up in a literary waltz. Quite possibly our favourite Jewell yet. A stunning effort – perfect for the holiday reading season’
heat, *****
‘Lisa’s best book yet. I loved it’
Jane Fallon
‘Sincere and engaging with a great plot and believable characters’
Daily Mail
‘A brilliant read that will have you in tears’
Company
‘
The Truth about Melody Browne
perfectly illustrates the truth about Lisa Jewell. She writes like a dream, creates characters that you really care about and tells a story so compelling that it will still be with you long after you’ve read the last page’
Mike Gayle
‘A refreshing departure from the usual girl-in-search-of-boy template … Jewell has a convincing eye for detail, and throws in a roller-coaster-worth of attention-grabbing twists and turns’
Guardian
‘An engaging, easy read, where a first date to watch a hypnotist begins the heroine’s extraordinary journey through a maze of forgotten memories and oddly familiar strangers’
Easy Living
‘Lisa Jewell’s writing is like a big warm hug and this book is a touching, insightful and gripping story which I simply couldn’t put down’
Sophie Kinsella
‘What is revealed is a network of rewardingly complex characters, a dramatic, suspense-filled explanation of how [Melody] ended up where she did, and a family tragedy that is profoundly moving’
Daily Telegraph
‘Classic storytelling’
Elle
‘
The Truth About Melody Browne
is the perfect holiday read. It’s surprisingly light-hearted, despite the subject matter, as well as being suspenseful, gripping, touching, cleverly written and heartwarming. Melody Browne is a character who will stay with you for years’
London Lite
‘Lisa is a great storyteller – always humane, kind and witty’
Freya North,
Sunday Express
‘Lisa’s latest offering, as ever, doesn’t disappoint’
Closer
, *****
‘Her skill comes to the fore in telling Melody’s past through a convincing child’s-eye view while giving insights into the lives of the dysfunctional grown-ups around her. Jewell wraps it all up in typically feel-good fashion, but not before an intriguing, well-constructed world has been laid out for us to chew on’
Metro
‘An engaging and heart-warming book that moves and amuses as its tale unfolds’
Bella
‘Mistakes and missing memories make up the world of Melody Browne … a warm novel from the bestselling author of
Ralph’s Party
’
Marie Claire
‘I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, fast-paced story that’s full of surprises’
Candis
‘I found this book difficult to put down as it was so intriguing … very good!’
Essentials
‘Moving’
The Times
‘This will make you laugh, cry – then tell all your friends about it’
Daily Record
Also by Lisa Jewell
Ralph’s Party
Thirtynothing
One-Hit Wonder
Vince & Joy
A Friend of the Family
31 Dream Street
This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
Epub ISBN 9781446410769
Published by Arrow Books 2010
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Copyright © Lisa Jewell 2009
Lisa Jewell has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
First published in Great Britain in 2009 by
Century
The Random House Group Limited
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London, SW1V 2SA
Addresses for companies within The Random House Group Limited can be found at:
www.randomhouse.co.uk/offices.htm
The Random House Group Limited Reg. No. 954009
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9780099533672
Dedicated to
Ruby Roxanne Seeley
18.09.07
Thank you to Judith Murdoch and Louise Moore. My debt to you both is huge and I miss you both enormously.
Thank you to Jenny C for being my buddy, generally, but in particular during the stormy weather of April 2008 which I don’t think I could have got through without you.
Thank you, for similar reasons, to Jascha. You are always at your best in a crisis and this was no exception.
Thank you to Jonny Geller and Kate Elton for steering me so patiently and gently through the choppy waters. You made it as painless as could reasonably be expected and I look forward to many years of smooth sailing with you both.
Thank you to my lovely girls, Amelie and Evie, the smallest of whom was a mere pillow up my top when I first started writing this book and is now a little girl with burnished gold curls, slate blue eyes and a fondness for the word ‘mine’. I am a lucky mother.
Thank you to everyone at Century and Arrow Books who has worked so hard to transform my typed sheets of A4 paper into a thing of great beauty, get it into bookshops and under everybody’s noses. And thank you to everyone who sells a copy and everyone who buys a copy. It’s all a bit pointless without you.
Lastly, but never leastly, thank you to my friends on the Board. You know who you are and you know the score.
Melody Browne opened her eyes and saw the moon, a perfect white circle, like a bullet-hole shot through the sky. It was fully lit and beamed down upon her, as if she were the star of the show.
She closed her eyes again and smiled. Around her she could hear the rapturous applause of creaking timber, blistering paint, popping windows, a fire engine’s alarm wailing dramatically somewhere in the distance.
‘Melody! Melody!’ It was her. That woman. Her mother.