Jo, the spontaneous and headstrong protagonist of the story, is a strikingly attractive divorcee, but she’s not strong enough to withstand the advances of Steve, a shameless womaniser who seduces her whilst she’s on holiday at his brother’s country hotel in South Africa with her husband-to-be.Years later, Jo rashly accepts a lift in a stranger’s car only to discover the male driver is not a stranger after all…Steve is meanwhile debt-ridden and forced to make a run for it. His twin brother, Bob, single and too busy running the hotel to form a stable relationship, chances to meet Jo while investigating Steve’s disappearance.All too quickly, Jo falls for Bob’s charms, unaware of the consequences…JO is a fast-moving, feel-good, heart-warming story with twists and turns, strong characterisation and a generous dose of romance!‘Lifted my spirits!’ — J. Bromet (UK)‘Clever and funny plot.’ — M. Torriani (CAN)‘A winner!’ — T. Zeitvogel (USA)
Chris Forsyth was born and educated in the UK. On completion of his national service, he started a life-long career in international marketing and advertising. Now retired, he lives in Switzerland.
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7 reviews
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Word count means little in writing a novel, but the art of the novelette or short story involves a deep understanding of superfluous words and the meaning of those that really matter.
In Jo, the author Chris Forsyth has done just that. This is a tender and heart-warming tale - a story with which the reader can immediately identify. Well produced and with a David Hockney inspired cover to set the scene, it is fast-moving, suspenseful and romantic. What not to like. It is well worth the maximum number of stars awarded. More from this author, please.
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A feel good book with twists and turns.
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David Boulton, Peterborough
It is refreshing to read a well-crafted short novel which, although a simple story, flows and encourages the reader to keep turning the pages. The principals are sufficiently developed to give a convincing mental picture for the reader, whilst the story has a number of twists and leaves a number of things 'unfinished' allowing the imagination to roam and speculate on the past, the possibilities and ultimate outcome. This also leaves the opportunity for a sequel, which would allow the author to expand on both the characters, the situations and the plot. It is a short read, but intriguing and well-crafted for a first novel. I read through it more than once and found satisfaction from each visit.
I award it a four-star rating and look forward to reading a follow-up!
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Interesting story that could be turned into a TV film. Has possibilty for a follow up.
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Whilst some deep-cleaned homes, made-over gardens and cleared lofts during lockdown, Chris has written his first novella. Jo is a short story 83 pages long – it took me a fraction over an hour to read.
We are drawn in from the outset; intrigued by the many unanswered questions as the story moves back and forth over a 25 year window.
The mischief, mayhem and humour that ‘twins’ can cause is a device that has appealed to many authors and playwrites over the years (think of Shakespears’s ‘Twelfth Night’, Goldoni’s ‘The Venetian Twins’ or ‘Anouilh’s ‘Ring around the Moon’). Chris too uses ‘Twin Confusion’ as a key to his plot as the past begins to both explain and influence the present.
The concluding chapter resolves any outstanding issues and, cleverly, Chris only places the final piece of the jigsaw on the penultimate page. We are confident our heroine has made the right decisions but, by giving her a return ticket as ‘ insurance’ Chris still leaves a door ajar.
This is an unashamedly romantic novel, full of hope and possibility; just the sort of uplift we all need after this challenging year. Enjoy reading it sitting outside on a sunny afternoon. Or, better still, take it on holiday (holiday ? – now that is REAL OPTIMISM)
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About a year ago I had the great privilege to be offered to read the first draft of the novel….
Only after reading a few lines - I remember this very vividly - I suddenly felt more like watching a film. I was not reading anymore - but virtually saw this attractive woman sitting in the convertible, saw the wind in her hair, smelling the fresh scent of soap and perfume, saw her suntanned thighs and felt charmed by her witty answers….
A perfect movie script in a romantic setting…
For book-lovers: JO is fun and sure makes Five-Star reading.
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I am usually just a holiday reader & have never experienced a novella before. JO certainly kept me awake & thinking about my recent flight. So much
happening to her in what seemed such a short time!
I wasn’t left in suspense as I reached the last page before we landed. The story didn’t really end then but was cleverly left open-ended for perhaps a longer holiday sequel?
Well done Chris.
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