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By: Bill Bradshaw

Hello Welcome

Pages: 116 Ratings: 5.0
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Two people separated by age, distance and culture. Both suffering emotionally. Martin at home in Ireland, grieving for his wife who had died some seven years previously, and Joy, a bar girl in Thailand with all that entails for a young girl far away from her family. Neither of them are contemplating any sort of emotional attachment. Martin, in following his interest in figurines of deities, travels to Thailand for an auction and is robbed by a street thief. In chasing her he finds himself in Joy's bar and they discover an affinity with each other. There are obstacles. Martin still loves his wife and cannot let her memory go. Joy has had enough of men. But they are drawn to each other and friendship develops into affection and then an intense love. There is opposition from Martin's family and the bureaucracy that threatens to overwhelm them as Martin desperately tries to get her to Ireland. At times his desperation turns to near despair and he is willing to chance all, even his life, for the love of this woman who has made him want to live again.
Bill Bradshaw was a prison officer with the Irish Prison Service for over fifteen years. During his service, he was posted in Mountjoy Prison and Limerick Jail. In 2004, he wrote the bestselling novel From the Horse's Mouth - A Jailer's Tale. The book was added to the essential reading list for the Custodial Studies course at The University of Phoenix. In 2012, Bill took early retirement from the service to concentrate on his writing. He has several film scripts in development and he wrote/directed the multi-award winning short film The Long Night Followed. He lives on the west coast of Ireland where he drinks beer and concentrates on the future.
Customer Reviews
5.0
11 reviews
11 reviews
  • Cyril Crew

    Hello Welcome', a book by Bill Bradshaw, is a cleverly formatted short story full of intriguing twists and turns that had the pages turning far too quickly.
    Giving the two main characters, Joy and Martin an introductory chapter each, lights a candle that's hard to extinguish. Once an avid reader it's been a while since a book has held me like 'Hello Welcome'. For the same reason its size first got my attention. I'm retired but with grandchildren and jobs for family and round the house the days are not long enough so a quick read suited my itinerary.
    Excuses to linger came easy as you are brought deeper into the lives of the characters.
    It's an honest book of love born not from sexual desire but a far more satisfying desire of kindred spirits bonding. Two people, their lives antipodal becoming one.
    Add to that the unstable politics of Thailand with civil unrest between city royalists and the poorer of the land and you have an intriguing melting pot that holds you captive until the last sentence.
    A great read.
    Cyril Crew
    Co Clare
    Eire

  • Mark Devine

    I really loved this book. I thought the characters were incredibly well developed and the story is a heart breaker for sure. I will never forget the final scenes and I keep turning them over in my mind since I put the book down. I'd recommend Hello Welcome to everyone, a little gem.

  • Katherine Casey

    What a book. It was beautiful, sad, uplifting and inspiring. I cried a few tears toward the end as I felt I was standing on the seafront with Martin. A great read and a wonderfully crafted story that really gets you where it counts. Bravo Bill Bradshaw.

  • Robert Dawson

    Hello Welcome reminded me a little of Madame Butterfly and The Quiet American. The central characters, Martin and Joy, live apart from the world to some degree and, regardless of geography, it is in their common ground that the story unfolds and it unfolds rather brilliantly. The book pulls on you emotionally. I could almost feel the anger and frustration and it would be difficult not to resonate with the more tragic aspects of the book as they are the base on which each chapter is developed. Bradshaw is one seriously talented writer, a real find and he tells his story flawlessly. I greatly look forward to his next outing.

  • Arianna Weston

    I'm wondering if this is a true story. It seemed so real as if the writer was recounting a passage in his own life. A great story. I loved every line. The poetry that opens each chapter is so beautiful. I'm reading it again.

  • Shauna Murray

    I ordered the book a few weeks ago and it arrived yesterday. I poured myself a glass of wine and thought I'd read a chapter or two but the time passed and I had to stick with it. This is a brilliant book. My God, what a story. It was heartbreaking at times and it kept me glued right up to the last line. I kept rooting for Martin and Joy and it was such a pleasure to share their journey. Hello Welcome has it all, tragedy, political intrigue, a powerful love story and huge heart. The best book I've read this year.

  • Ted Gray

    For reasons I've never fully appreciated, my wife is an avid reader of romance novels. Over the years she recommended a few but it was hard for me to get past the formula. Hello Welcome arrived a few days ago and once she's read it she put it my work bag without saying a word. The book opens with a short poem 'Mother I drifted away from you, lost your hand in the fog as it cleared, turned to make good on my servitude but the path I had known disappeared.' I was drawn in already. All chapters begin with a short poem that reflects the pages ahead and I just loved it. It's a story about love and loss but it goes deep into a political conflict and a culture that seems almost familiar buy the time you put this book down. It's a cracking read and it goes to prove that wife knows best or so she tells me.

  • Anne Dillon

    I don't write book reviews so you'll have to bear with me. My favorite book is Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy, I think I've read everything she's written and it's been a very long time since a book struck me in the way a Binchy novel does. Hello Welcome did just that. Bill Bradshaw writes with a compassion that caught me completely by surprise. This is a warm and thought provoking, funny at times and terribly sad in parts . Hurray for the underdog. A genuinely unexpected treat.

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