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Actor, Susan Hampshire
"Very impressed! It is a wonderful rich portrait... Page turning reading. All that Phyll is going through is very compelling and perfectly developed."
Karen (Jones) Savage Script Supervisor;
Downton Abby, The Crown, Shackleton and Endeavour
"June is able to capture a range of characters in minute detail. Her scene setting is gripping and the build up of tension, brilliant! Her observations are both funny and sad and the highs
and lows of Phyll’s journey is a real page turner."
PAPERBACK
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REVIEWS
I have finished Pruning of the Vine, & absolutely loved it. I honestly couldn't put it down. I loved the characters & the story & it made me laugh a few times with the goings on with the wedding! It also had surprises that I didn't see coming which was great. You write beautifully & I look forward to reading more of your work!
Sophie Barker
"I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed, Pruning of the Vine; how triumph can overcome adversity and happiness prevail. It was a very heart warming read!"
Joan Lowbridge
"Pruning of the Vine is a feel-good story that gives you an insight into life in the swinging sixties. It has a good pace and June portrays the characters so well that you feel you know them! A good read."
Linda Kidd
"Well thought out with an easy reading style"
Kindle Customer
"In todays world the relationships described are relevant, and always have been. Although may previously have been thought " that you've made your bed etc etc" The insidious nature of dominance and the undermining of confidence is well portrayed, and something that is better understood and not as readily tolerated today. This was an interesting read with an ending which gave hope for a better future for the character."
Kindle Customer
"I received Pruning of the Vine yesterday and I couldn’t resist it, so I started reading it immediately and fished it this p.m. June, I think you have a best seller! It kept me rooted from beginning to end. Congratulations. I hope it gets the publicity it deserves."
Elsie Thomas
"I agree with Susan Hampshire. Pruning of the Vine is a, page turner! I thoroughly enjoyed it; definitely a woman's book. A "Me Too" with a small m. I enjoyed the insight into the main character's struggle to overcome her unhappy past and her determination to seek a good new beginning. Written with compassion and empathy"
Petrina Rowey
"In hospital a couple of weeks back, Phyll and the Old Crowd kept me company! Well done June, I hope you’ve had great feedback from your readers. I did want to get hold of Phyll and give her a bit of a shake from time to time but the 1960’s setting and the fact I was feeling a bit fragile held me back! It was a really good ending!"
Veronica Castillo
"I have now finished reading your delightful novel. Will they? Won’t they? It kept me guessing to the end. I really enjoyed it!"
A Johnson
"Beautifully Written and Absolutely Charming I so enjoyed this book; it was beautifully written, the characters were wonderful and the story of Phyll described in such a unique, charming and sensitive style. I just didn't want it to end."
Sally Oliver
"This book is brilliant: insightful, touching and well written with highly developed characters and excellent storyline. A real page turner; I haven't torn through a book like this in years, and loved every minute of it."
Shelly Scott
"Started Pruning of the Vine" yesterday, finished it today and enjoying it immensely."
Bob R
Jean Young
I had previously read Unshriven which was a great read and was looking forward to reading Junes latest book Pruning of the Vine - it is a completely different genre and she has certainly captured the mood of the 60’s. It made for an enjoyable easy read.
"Pruning of the Vine is an enjoyable romantic romp through the 1960s with colourful characters that are warm and cleverly drawn. It has good pace and attention to detail. It draws a picture of the 1960s that many people will find familiar; a time when life was simpler somehow and yet not without its problems. It's a book to curl up with on a long winter's day"
Janis Hall
P. Barker
The interplay of male and female energies; a past poisoned by doubt and jealousy, make ‘Pruning of the Vine’ impossible to put down’. This is a book of Love, Lust, Passions and Ego. I loved it !!!’
S.
"Pruning of the Vine" was an easy read (with good size print) and you have described your characters well and compassionately. I have read and recommended your book - I enjoyed it!
As someone who was a child in the 60s, if you are looking for an engaging and intriguing read do pick up "Pruning of the Vine".
Having been raised by a woman who had as strong a commitment to her career as her children and would have been Phyll's contemporary in the 1960s, Phyll's story intrigued but baffled me. Initially I felt vexed by the way she had allowed herself to be manipulated and humiliated by Patrick but as she grew and set her mind to overcoming the difficulties she found herself in, I warmed to her and found myself cheering her on and gripped by the story - with each step backwards I wanted to see her next step forward. June Kidd has created a character you can really care about living in an era, now past, that this book illuminates well.
Alison Eastcott
Reply from June Kidd:
To understand Phyll’s character, chapter sixteen holds they key.
At the age of eight, her beloved father died, her mother immediately sold the family home, packed Phyll off to boarding school and went off on a round the world cruise with no date for return. The child had no anchor. She was insecure and that is why aged barely 18, she fell for the sophisticated charms of a much older man who found her inheritance, very attractive!
"I read Pruning of the Vine in one go! It was a roller coaster. One minute I was laughing and the next, crying. It was an emotional journey. If you like to read a book which engrosses you, you will love this."
Karen Barnes Silva Instructor
Pruning of the Vine. What a delightful story and so beautifully written with such graphic detail. I felt that I was there in the story. The characters felt so real and the story depicted a true picture how woman were so different in their expectations of life back in the 60's. Thoroughly enjoyed the book and didn't want it to end. Well done.
Edwina Turner
I thoroughly enjoyed Pruning of the Vine, which I think discloses your understanding of various psychological problems besides being a rattling good tale. I have to say, though, that I didn’t feel the connection/continuation from the first book; "1663 Unshriven 1963", which affected me quite oddly, as if I were viewing it from the inside, does that make sense ? Anyhow, well done. Two good reads. I enjoyed both.
Mrs. Vera Robertson
Pruning of the Vine is an inspired tale of self-discovery and personal growth. We follow the protagonist, Phyll, as she battles through emotional turmoil dealing with toxic relationships and disappointment, but we see how she gains the confidence to become happier and fall in love once more. June's writing is engaging and original, this is a must read!
Rebecca Kidd
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