Tapestry (Fiona McIntosh, HarperCollins)

Fiona McIntosh is certainly prolific; she has written over 25 adult novels and six young-adult novels spanning several genres. Her new novel Tapestry blends historical fiction and fantasy. It starts out in 1978 in London with attractive couple Jane and Will celebrating their engagement. Will is a handsome American geophysicist and Jane is a classic British beauty and budding novelist. Both come from privilege and wealth, and their families have come together to toast the couple when a tragic accident leaves Will in a coma. In desperation, Jane takes a spiritual journey to Uluru—one of Will’s favourite places—where she is swept into another century and another woman’s body. This is where the plot really takes hold as Jane, or Winifred, as she is known in 1715, goes on a quest to save her husband, the Earl of Nithsdale, from execution in the Tower of London. It will be Jane’s actions in the past that will change her—and Will’s—future. The book becomes a page-turner as the reader is swept into a race against time. This novel fits squarely in commercial women’s fiction and should appeal to McIntosh’s many fans.

Sarina Gale is a freelance writer and bookseller at the Sun Bookshop in Yarraville