It’s a beautiful book. I can identify with Tess, the longing, the sadness and nostalgia of times past and a wishful time that never happened. The boys, realizing life injustices, belonging nowhere because of facts that are nobody’s fault.
As someone else said in their review, nothing really happens, it’s a telling of life, of time passing, of everyday and routine. However, this is what makes it beautiful.
I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read the physical version, rather than the audio, so I could savor the words.

I enjoyed some of this book..it was fine.,
I was expecting way more from it. I had moments where I kept zoning out and not as interested. Loved the settings and narration but I struggled to connect.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 by 𝘍𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘴 sets the standard high for 2024 reads. If you're looking for some literary fiction that stirs your emotions and touches your heart deeply, this is the one. Fiona's words make you feel like you're right there with the characters, experiencing everything alongside them.

Tess and Richard move to Richard's family farm in the Somerset, leaving behind the busy life of London. As Tess, a young architecture student, navigates life in this rural community, being the only black person around adds another layer of complexity. When she becomes pregnant with twins who present their race differently, the spotlight shines even brighter on her. When tragedy strikes, the stage for a journey through the toughest seasons a family can face ensues.

The novel beautifully weaves the natural world with fiction, with the house itself becoming a character as it weathers the changing seasons. From floods to scorching summers, nature is an integral part of every page. The boys' love for wildlife and exploration adds depth to the story, making you want to look up birds and plants just to experience their world more fully.

I'm having a hard time deciding how I feel about this book. It had the potential to be really great, but it just never got there for me. The writing was all over the place and distracted from the heart of the story. One of the things that bugged me early on was that there's a really old-time feel to the setting, so I had to keep reminding myself it was a contemporary setting. While I enjoyed the narration of the four perspectives, it bothered me that three of characters were written in first-person while the father's chapters were written in third-person. I found the writing style was too wordy and overly descriptive. The most frustrating thing for me, though, was that the author kept throwing in more and more topics for the characters to grapple with, but none of them was ever resolved or thoroughly explored. This book just felt incomplete to me; even the ending felt like it wasn't finished.
I'm giving this one 2.75 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me early access to the ARC audiobook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book, although it wasn’t as groundbreaking as I was hoping it would be. The setting is splendid, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters and the storytelling was a bit all over the place. Nevertheless, I’d give it three stars and recommend it to people who are into contemporary novels that deal with grief and conflict in a quiet, well-written way.

Good lord this book is beautiful!
Love and grief, hope and fear, race and family, all intertwine in this multi-perspective story. The writing is the very definition of lyrical prose, carrying the reader along in a stream of vivid imagery, palpable emotion, and poignant narrative.

The House of Broken Bricks" by Fiona Williams offers a poignant exploration of grief, identity, and family dynamics through the lens of a mixed-race family grappling with loss. Set against the backdrop of seasons, the narrative follows Richard, a farmer from Southwest England, Tess, his wife South London, and their twin sons, Sonny and Max.

From the outset, the family is depicted as fragmented, with the lingering presence of Sonny, who has passed away in previous seasons, casting a shadow over their lives. Max's continued attachment to his deceased twin, manifested in speaking, playing, and dressing identically, underscores the family's struggle to come to terms with their loss. Tess, in particular, is depicted as unable to let go, maintaining Sonny's side of their room as if he were still present. The community's questioning of Max's relationship to Tess further exacerbates their sense of displacement and isolation.

Fiona Williams' skillfully portrays the toll of grief on each family member. Tess's sleepless nights and futile attempts to find solace in baking reflect her inability to move forward. Richard's increasing isolation and reliance on alcohol as his business falters in the winter season speak to his sense of helplessness. Max's internal conflict over his black identity and white appearance, exacerbated by teasing and questioning by those around the family.

The motif of the house of broken bricks serves as a metaphor for the family's fractured existence, with no straight lines mirroring their tumultuous emotional landscape. Tess's desire to return to her family home in London symbolises her longing for a sense of belonging and acceptance, away from the prying eyes of their small village.

Fiona's storytelling is lauded for its magical quality, drawing readers into the heart of the family's struggles with empathy and nuance. The novel's exploration of race, grief, and identity resonates deeply, offering a poignant reflection on the complexities of modern family life.

In conclusion, "The House of Broken Bricks" is a captivating debut novel that navigates themes of loss, identity, and belonging with sensitivity and grace. Fiona Williams's masterful storytelling and evocative prose make this a compelling read that lingers in the mind long after the final page. Highly recommended for those seeking a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of family dynamics and the human experience.

I would like to thank Dreamscape Media and #NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy #TheHouseofBrokenBricks in exchange for my own honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very engrossing read, full of lots of symbolism. This was a good read that shows how all family’s have cracks in them and how we all live between the cracks and learn to overcome.

The House of Broken Bricks takes us through four changing seasons for the four members of the Hembry family. It’s a devastatingly sad yet beautifully written tale, a quiet character study filled with grief and love.

Ben Allen, Lee Braithwaite, and Jessica Hayles did an excellent job inhabiting the characters narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Fiona Williams, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow... honestly, this one surprised me. Going into it I wasn't expecting much and in the beginning of the book, I was also not blown away. I was definitly enjoying myself right from the start, but I just didn't have any great expectations for the book. Ans then the story swept me away. I loved the autor's choice of letting us see the projection of the story from all four family members vantage point. I loved how diverse the writing felt and different the POV's felt to each other.
I loved the theme, the writing style in general and the way the author played around with the language. And the twist... uf. I couldn't help but smile. It was awesome. A really great book that I'd highly recommend to others. I will definitly keep my eye on this author in the future.

I absolutely loved this one! I was a little concerned about the four POVs when I first started but they played out brilliantly. I truly can't imagine it being written differently. This one really had me in my feels by the end. I wasn't expecting this to elicit such a response; but isn't that how these character driven stories usually go haha I can't even begin to list all of the deep themes this one touched on. Just prepare to go in and feel all the feels.

This was both beautiful and heartbreaking! I loved the narration. LOVED it so much. This is a wonderful book about family and loss.

The story deals with a broken family living together, dealing with the cracks of their own relationships and the lemons that society throws at them in silence. The story is narrated from multiple PoV capturing each person's perspective to navigate through the events of their lives. The book did address the disparities of colour discrimination in a prominent way.

The lack of communication amongst the two adults in the book however was making me clench my fists tight. Unfortunately, the multiple PoV was also not working for me as most of the conversations were happening inside their head. I am all in for in-depth conversations but, the severity of the situation just did not reflect the same actions of many members of the house.

I felt the narrative cast did their best with what they were given and tried to puncture emotions into a very numb storyline. The book did turn out very different from my expectations.

Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media for the Audio ARC
Genre: #literaryfiction #multicultural
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams and narrated by Ben Allen; Lee Braithwaite; Jessica Hayles is a stunning experience. It is more than an audiobook, more than a novel, it is truly an experience to listen to

Jess, her husband Richard and twin boys Sonny and Max move away from Jess' Jamaican family in London to Richards home in the countryside (referencing the Quantocks, I would imagine Somerset area) The audiobook is told from multiple povs and explores each family member's perspective. This is hugely simplified because in all honesty, I was gobsmacked

The twin boys are fraternal, but one presents as Black and the other white. There is a section whereby the story of the publicity of their rare birth is reported in the papers and throughout, there is a seam of tension between the parents about the difference between the two and how they are perceived in public

There is also tension between Jess and Richard because Jess misses the London life and feels isolated, whereas Richard finds solace in his work on the vegetable crops and this threatens to dissolve the marriage, until a tragedy strikes that affects them all. At no point is it specified what the tragedy is (although I have an idea) but as in the style of writing, it is about the human experience as opposed to the minutae of details

Williams writes in such a beautiful, natural way, with extensive knowledge of flora and flora that is reflected in the boys wonder at their world. I was utterly entranced by the writing style

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Meida, the author Fiona Williams and the narrators for this incredible ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

The House of Broken Bricks is a stirring, deeply moving novel, blending character driven literary fiction with family drama. This character study of a multiracial family (white dad, Black mom, and non-identical twins - one Black and one white) explores racism, loss, assimilation, and family dysfunction. I really appreciate the multiple perspectives and the unique way it was organized by season. The full cast narration was excellent, and I'm so glad I chose this format. 5 star performances across the board.
Overall rating: 4.25 stars. 💕 Thank you Dreamscape for my gifted ALC.

This is a beautifully written book with multiple POV’s. This is a very character driven story that focuses mostly on character development. This story is a beautifully haunting display of how grief can weave its way through a family and how it can change each person differently. This book discusses a lot of heavy topics but does so very well. The chapters are short which I always like.

The audio was a little hard to follow, especially the passage of time but all of the narrators were great. On audio the POV switching was a little confusing at first but got easier to follow as the story went along. I did want a little more from the ending but overall this was still a great read.

I look forward to seeing what Williams writes in the future after this great debut! This is a great book to pick up if you like literary fiction, lyrical writing and character driven stories.

A family drama from all four members POV, the writing is as a true ode to nature and place, I could have read the descriptions of the landscapes and food and feelings over and over.

As a mother I appreciated the kind of sadness and existential crisis that Tess is facing in her life and how her sons and husband are all orbiting this shift and grappling with it in their own way. It felt melancholy and the feelings often reflected the turning of the weather, the garden, the town, this deep sense of connected intricacies. It was poetic and rich prose gave such a sense of surrounding.

With each season this family cycles through their pain and something anew is shifting them, I really loved the idea of how sometimes even families go through seasons of respite or healing, beginnings and endings. Williams did a beautiful job at showing how resilient the human spirit is and how family alters and protects us.

and Richard are married. Tess is originally from London but her and Richard now live in the English Countryside now, As with most people from the city you may love the the countryside but you still yearn for the city. Richard loves farming and is a bit obsessive compulsive with his crops. He also doesn't know how to communicate every well especially with his wife. Richard and Tess have 10 year old twin boys but people in town have had a hard time believing they are twins. Sonny has a darker skin tone as he takes after her mother who is Jamaican. Max is lighter and takes after his father. Max gets into trouble often and Sonny is very ethereal. From the beginning of the book the reader knows there has been a loss that has affected Tess and Richard significantly. Each of the family members deal with this loss differently. Because of this Tess and Richard have struggles to communicate with each other. The story is told from four point of views, Richard, Tess, Sonny and Max. As the seasons change does the story which fills with grief, heartbreak, loss, and love as all of this is abound in this story. About two-thirds through the book the reader finally finds out what was loss and now the reader will start to understand why they are the way they are. Eventually life begins again. Tess and Richard begin to communicate with each other, learn to love again and heal, They find the love they have for their sons and their home they learn to embrace again. I will not give away the ending but it is wonderful. Your emotions and heart will be working a bit of overtime with this one,

This is a beautiful telling the story of the most difficult year in the life of a family alongside the changing seasons of their home next to a river. The interior heartbreak in each family member draws them steadily away from each other until we see slowly healing revealed in each individual and in the family as a whole. The book is told by the views of each family member. This novel examines themes of loss, tragedy, love and friendships. The books is beautifully written.

This book broke my heart and put it back together again. We see what apathy and complacency can do to a relationship and that children are much more perspective than we give them credit.

Tess and Richard bruise and scar each other in different ways as they move through the motions of their lives. Sonny and Max, though twins, experience life in wildly different ways and are treated very differently by the small-minded community around them.

This book continues a poignant conversation about racism and classism in the UK that is relevant worldwide. Will absolutely demand that my friends read this.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this beautifully-written book by Fiona Williams, perfectly narrated by Ben Allen, Lee Braithwaite, and Jessica Hayles - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Just like their house in the English countryside is made of broken bricks, so is the family of Tess and Richard. They have "rainbow twins" - one appearing White and the other Black. Tess longs for the city life in London, where she wasn't the only Black person, while Richard thrives in the outdoors. Told over 4 seasons, we hear from each family member.

This is such a wonderfully, atmospheric story with beautiful writing - you'll be able to see the birds and the crops, taste the food, feel the weather. But where the story shines is in its character building - each member tells the story from their viewpoint, letting the reader figure things out, and seeing if they will be able to come together and move forward. You'll feel Tess' isolation and her yearning to be among more familiar people and setting; you'll see Richard step back inside himself, trying to figure out how to process; and how each of the boys, different in temperament and appearance, navigate all that's around them. Took me a bit to resettle after the twist, but it was so well done. The ending was perfect - hopeful. High recommended!