Greatest Hits by Laura Barnett

From the author of the bestselling The Versions of Us Laura Barnett returns with her second novel that is destined also to be a bestseller and the perfect read for these long Summer days. Greatest Hits follows a singer songwriter now in her 60’s Cass Wheeler. Each chapter contains the words of each of her songs. Along with the book comes an album of each of the songs featured in the novel sung by the Mercury-Nominated singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams.

Greatest Hits is a novel is set over the course of one day starting at 8am and Cass Wheeler is in her studio listening the catalogue of her songs. The reason for this is that Cass withdrew from the music scene and from life in general after an awful personal tragedy.

There are through the course of the day flashbacks through her life from the fractious relationship with her mother and to her love Ivor Tait this is a man she loved but their relationship was at times fraught and in the end sad. Each of the 16 songs that Cass wrote and sang and now find their way onto the Greatest Hits album really talk to the reader about the life that Cass has led and also a tribute to the music of this country through the 1960’s and 70’s. This is an outstanding beautiful book and Barnett has written a novel that spins a web that captures the reader to the very last.

There is real beauty in the writing of Laura Barnett and the characters she creates and in music there are songs that bring back memories for us all be it happy or sad. Sometimes a song will play on the radio and instantly you are transported back to a moment in time to a lost love or to happier times and this is very much the lyrics contained in Greatest Hits. Music has played a vital role in my life and may be this is one of the reasons why I so loved this novel about life, love and sorrow. Like the strings of a Guitar Greatest Hits played with my heart strings. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I can also recommend the soundtrack that accompanies the book the songs are just sublime with both Kathryn Williams and Laura Barnett working together on the writing of the songs.

464 Pages

Thank you to Rebecca Gray for the advanced review copy of Greatest Hits.

Greatest Hits by Laura Barnett is published by W&N and is available through Waterstones, Amazon and all good bookshops.