The Taste of Air

Loved this book a really good read had me hooked right from the start and i couldnt put it down highly recommended

A beautifully written book about love, loss and secrets. Nell and Bridget discover so much about their mothers secret life and so much about themselves. The descriptions in this book are so vivid I could almost imagine myself in Hartland.

Thanks to NetGalley and Red Adept for the advanced copy.

Set in New England this a story about the secrets a mother has kept from her family for over forty years. A surprise phone call from a hospital in a different part of the state, calls into question everything Nell thought she knew about her family when goes to sit by her sick Mother's bedside.

This is a wonderful novel that caught me by surprise as I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It hooked me from the beginning and kept me reading, wanting to find out what had been going on behind the scenes of Mary Reilly's life. The characters all felt real and the setting was perfect for the story.

I kept thinking about my elderly Mother and if she has any secrets and if I'd want to know about them. This is my first book my this author and I'd definitely like to read more by her.

I recommend this for lovers of women's fiction, it reminded me of novels by Barbara Delinsky. I think it would work really well in a book group too as there as some great themes in there.

In "The Taste of Air" Neil Williams receives a phone call that her mother is in a hospital in Vermont instead of a assisted-living facility in Massachusetts. When Neil goes to see how her mother is, she finds out that her mother has been living a double life. Neil did makes it her mission to find out why and for how long. What she finds out is so much more. Gail Cleare has written a well plotted story and it held my interest through the book. The only problem I had was how easily everyone involved accepted what they found out. I am not sure it would have been so easy for me to digest.

Mary Ellen is a woman with a secret - her daughters Nell and Bridget think they know everything there is to know about her - so why is Nell getting a phone call to say she is in intensive care in Vermont when she should be living in Massachusetts

Rushing to the hospital Nell is astounded to find that her mother owns a cabin by the lake and she got ill while out boating on the lake with her neighbour, why do they know nothing of this? When she goes to the cabin she finds all sorts of things pointing to a life that she knows nothing of and so a story starts to unravel

A great book with lots of surprises but the love and warmth of the family coming through as they pull together and find out the back story - definitely a book not to put down!

The taste of air. Like a breath of fresh air I loved the book. What a nice fantasy to have a home just for you with no outside demands. Mary was lucky to have two homes where she was loved. A lovely legacy for the girls time for them away from the day to day and time to examine their lives and make new friends. Beautifully written about the tapestry of life. I was totally enthralled

When Nell receives a call saying that her mother, Mary Ellen, is very sick she rushes to her bedside. When she arrives, she discovers that her mother has led a secret life all of these years. This is the story of how Nell and her sister Bridget unravel their mother's secret life. Along the way, they discover some secrets about themselves. I liked this story, and felt the title was just perfect. As the mystery is solved, it helps everyone be honest and breathe a more authentic life. I highly recommend this story! Gail Cleare is a great storyteller that draws the reader right in to her intriguing stories.

Really good story of love and secrets long held that are now revealed. It kept me turning the pages and lovers of womens fiction/mystery will love this.

I had read one of this authors previous books so I am aware of her style, but this book surpassed the last read but in a different way.

It was written with sheer passion for the characters which shone through each page. The more I got to learn about this double life of the Mother the more I fell into the emotional trap of secrets.

Imagine 40 years of a families secret known only by the Mother.

Family secrets can go any two ways, crumble a family into a heaped emotional mess with anger, frustration and dysfunctional to pulling them closer together.
I couldn't help but wonder which way this would unfold.

A fantastic well written book which evokes many emotions of family life.

Makes me wonder, who is hiding secrets in my own family, because I am sure through the lineage of most families there are some.


My thanks for the invitation to read this from the author and connected to Red Adept Publishing, LLC via Net Galley which I received as an early copy.

When Nell gets a phone call informing her that her mother Mary is in the hospital in Vermont she is shocked. She is supposed to be in a nursing home in Massachusetts. Nell and her sister Bridget get to visit briefly with their mother before she dies. They discover she owns a home and is a part of the small Vermont community. They also discover some big family secrets. This was a fascinating book and was narrated by three very different women. I hope to find more books by Gail Cleary, she very talented. I enjoyed this story of how both sisters made major changes in their lives based on how their mother lived her life.

This was the first book by Gail Cleare that I read. This book is about a mom and her two daughters, it is also about a lifetime of secrets that the mother kept from her two daughters and how they react to discovering these secrets.
I loved reading this book and I think it would make an ideal holiday read. I loved how Gail described everything in the book and the characters that she created. I also enjoyed the flashbacks to Mary's life during the war and her marriage. This made the book a bit more special.

Thank you to Netgalley and Red Adept Publishing for the copy.

I loved the title of the book - The Taste of Air as sometime it is possible to taste the air around you.

How would you feel if you suddenly found out that the woman you call Mom is not who you think she is? That she has kept secrets for many years that could impact your life-challenging your emotions of frustration, anger, even shaking your relationships? Will you ever be able to find acceptance when her secrets are revealed? This is what faces row daughters when they are called to their mother's hospital bed nowhere near the assisted living facility she calls home. A very well written family saga filled with secrets, intrigue and the effects it has on family relationships.

As children we believe that we know everything there is to know about our parents. After all, we’ve known them our entire lives and if there were things hidden from us they should have been revealed by now… right?

Unfortunately, for Nell and Bridget what they don’t know about their mother could fill an entire lifetime… and it certainly did.

The Taste of Air captured my imagination and attention from the opening salvo and never let go until the ending. It is the thought provoking tale of what a woman will do for her family and the secrets that she’s kept for herself for years. We will travel back into Mary’s past to understand how some of these life changing events happened. And we will deal with the repercussions along side her daughters in the present.

I have no intention of letting any spoilers slip in this review. This is a story of discovery that you should have the pleasure of unraveling yourself. Told with a mix of happiness and despair, laughter and tears The Taste of Air may just shake up what you think you know about your own family. I know it’s given me some pause as I think back to my own mother’s life. We don’t always know as much as we think we do… and we also don’t always discover the well hidden truth until it smacks us in the heart.

I would recommend this one for any reader – male, female it makes no difference. The reality and the possibilities will fascinate many readers who enjoy delving beneath the surface to discover what’s there.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this novel. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this story.*

This book reminded me on an Anne Tyler type of book and I love Anne Tyler and have enjoyed my first taste of Gail Cleare and The Taste of Air. This story begins with a family mystery and takes two sisters on a journey into the country of their family's past. It is a thoughtful and well drawn out family drama which examines the dynamics between lovers, friends, mothers and daughters and friends. A very engaging story which will keep you turning the pages to discover that we may not know our parents as well as we think we do and that each family has its own secrets and lies. Thanks to all involved for the opportunity to read and review this book at NetGalley.

This is the first book I have read by Gail Cleare and what a wonderful honour it was to read such a beautiful story.

Gail has created a wonderful/loveable set of characters and I felt I really got to know them.
Nell Williams’ well organized life is disrupted by a telephone call. She learns that her elderly mother has been taken ill and is in a hospital in Vermont, now this may not seem all that bigger deal however her mother is supposed to reside in Massachusetts. As far as Nell and her sister Bridget know her mother is living in a assisted living facility. The first thing to go through Nell’s (quite understandably) is what is her mother doing so far from home.
Nell contacts her sister, then after sorting out cover for her work and home life, she makes her way to her mother’s bedside, where she soon discovers that her mother has been leading a very secret second life.
When Nell mentions to the nursing staff that she will need to find somewhere to stay, the nurse gives her the address of her mother’s home.
Nell uncovers secrets that her mother has carried around for more than forty years.
I can honestly say that I was in for some massive shocks reading this and the way the whole thing comes together is simply beautiful, any questions I had in my head were concluded.
I can’t thank Net Galley and Red Adept Publishing for the chance to read the taste of air for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this story! Heartfelt and sweet! Easy read going from past to present.

Nell Williams receives a phone call informing her that her mother, Mary, has been admitted into the hospital in Vermont. Not only is her mother’s health a real concern for Nell but just why in the world was her mother even in Vermont is the big question, Mary was supposed to be in an assisted-living facility in Massachusetts.

When Nell arrives in Vermont she finds that her mother has had a secret life that no one in the family had known about. Mary owns a small cabin and it seems that she has had the place for years, even before Nell’s father had passed away. Now while waiting for news of her mother’s health Nell needs to piece together this secret life that her mother had been living.

The Taste of Air was a fantastic contemporary read that almost had a bit of a thriller edge to it when it came down to unwinding years and years worth of family secrets. The story alternates between the current day and the past leading the reader to find out what exactly Mary had been hiding from her closest family for years.

Not only did Mary have her secrets for Nell to uncover but the book touches upon Nell’s own self discovery along with other characters during the read. It was quite intriguing and had the pages turning all throughout watching the characters grow and find themselves right along with solving the mystery of the small lakeside cottage that Mary had kept and why she hadn’t even told her daughters.

Definitely a compelling read for those that enjoy more of a family drama and secrets spanning decades unfolding before your eyes, one that I’d highly recommend.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

When Nell's mother gets sick in a different state, Nell discovers her mother has been living a secret life. Lots of great twist and turns and I could not put it down.