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Kate Vane
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Not the End Kindle Edition

by Kate Vane (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.4 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

This is the story of a drowning, a heatwave and a painting that shouldn't exist.

The death of octogenarian sea swimmer Maud Smith doesn't excite much interest in the Devon seaside town of Dormouth, but it changes the lives of three people she never met.

Insomniac Brenda, walking her dog on the beach at dawn, finds Maud's body and loses a husband. Now her house is falling down.

Jim, reluctant Londoner and heir hunter, loves birds, fresh air and suddenly, Maud's neighbour. Maud's tangled past with a local artist might just change his future, but he has a mortgage on a basement and a woman who's not ready to let go.

Cemetery manager Neil clears Maud's flat then promptly moves in. He attends the funeral and flirts at the wake but can't fully account for a painting missing from her estate.

Maud may be dead, but it's not the end yet...

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  1. Print length
    360 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    February 7, 2014
  5. File size
    480 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The characterisation is fantastically imaginative" - Ashrae, top 500 Amazon reviewer

"Thoughtfully written and often poignant without being sentimental" - Hair Past a Freckle blog

"The major questions of life are interwoven" - Necessary Fiction

"Vane's sharp observations raised several giggles" - Stephanie Jane blog

"I didn't want it to end!" - Maggie, Amazon reviewer

About the Author

Kate Vane is the author of three novels, The Former Chief Executive, Not the End and Recognition.

She has written for BBC drama Doctors and has had short stories and articles published in various publications and anthologies, including Mslexia and Scotland on Sunday.

She lived in Leeds in the north of England for a number of years, where she worked as a probation officer. She now lives on the Devon coast.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00IBK2E7S
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 7, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 480 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.4 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

About the author

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Kate Vane

Kate Vane

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I worked as a probation officer in Leeds for a number of years. I started writing crime fiction because I thought made-up criminals would be easier to manage (I was wrong).

As well as writing novels, I have written for BBC drama Doctors and my short stories and articles have appeared in various publications and anthologies, including Mslexia and Scotland on Sunday.

I’ve always loved the sea, and now live on the beautiful south Devon coast. If I’m not reading or writing, I’m probably in the garden.

*

For the latest on my writing, go to katevane.com where you can sign up for my newsletter.

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
18 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Ashrae
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Glimpse into Real Life
    Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2014
    Format: Kindle
    As the blurb says, this book revolves around Maud and how her death affects three people (or sets of people) that she never met...
    It is a book where the main character only appears posthumously. She is merely the catalyst that ignites and influences the stories of several other people that are indirectly connected to her by virtue of her death, and it is these people, and their friends/family/acquaintances that we read about in the rest of the book bringing them from the background into the foreground as they develop from bit-part to co-main character status!
    In this way the book comes across sometimes as episodic. It takes you through highs and lows, love, heartbreak, quite a few tears and some pretty funny laugh out loud moments. Although it is quite light-hearted overall, the author does introduce some quite heavy topics, mental illness for one, but this is done in a way that doesn't drag the overall tone of the book down.There are also quite a few "I remember him/her/them/that" moments...

    The characterisation is fantastically imaginative in parts and this works extremely well. The only criticism I would have would be the quantity of character which I admit I did struggle with initially as they were all introduced to me quickly, but after they were completed and became more "real", they were easy to get along with. Spelling, grammar (to the best of my knowledge) and formatting were all spot on.

    As the book featured so many interesting characters, there is plenty of potential for future continuation and I, for one, would be up for reading more about these people.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • darswords
    3.0 out of 5 stars Confusing
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2015
    Format: Kindle
    Oh. I am so sorry. I tried. I really did. I read every little bit of this book. And I was given this book by the author for an honest review. But, all I could come up with, is 2 stars, which on GoodReads means 'it's okay'. I'll adjust accordingly on Amazon's star rating to the 'okay' standing.

    The writing was not as bad as many I have seen lately, but it left a lot to be desired. I never got to the point that I liked any of the characters enough to feel engaged. Sometimes by turning on the text-to-speech feature (in this case in Moon Reader Pro) and placing it on a high enough speed to still be best understood without sounding like a chipmunk, I can get past boring or confusing parts. Well, not so much this time.

    Oh, and speaking of characters... Wow! this had a country full of populous. So many points of view that I couldn't keep track. Often the fast reading speed gets me to the part of a book where I know who is who. Nope. At the end, I still was confused as to who was in lust with Elizabeth. Who was the twin to Roisin. And the lesser characters were even more confusing.

    Maybe it is just me. Probably. But I just didn't feel anything about the story or people. Look, if it's any consolation, it took me forever to tell the difference between Rob and Jon in the TV series, Game of Thrones. Now having watched it a million times I have them separated. But, show either of those actors in another context and I get them confused again. AND what makes me frustrated was wondering, if this was my story how would I change it? I couldn't figure it out. A picture book with names and personal histories on the side?

    Oh, and how did the death of the woman at the beach change anyone? They all seemed pretty messed up even in the end. I'm so, so sorry I couldn't offer more. But thank you for letting me read your book, Kate Vane. I'm sure others out there will love it. Good luck in your future writing. I do think you have the chops.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Fieldcene
    4.0 out of 5 stars Colours, patterns and thoughts build a picture.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2015
    Format: Kindle
    I was given an ARC of this novel. This extremely well written book left me floundering in a sea of incidentals. The multitude of crazy character's are hard to distinguish at the start. One third of the way through, I still hadn't grasped who everyone was in the glorious, rambling script which swept me to a dreamland full of fractured thoughts. Yet, the plot kept me fascinated—unable to look away, as if I was hanging on to the flying mane of a charging steed. With the use of the written word, instead of a brush and canvas, the author daubs colours, patterns and thoughts to build a picture.
    What I liked was the unusual aspect of the way each character's mind side-tracked them.
    What I didn't like was my own inability to pin down the various characters and their relationships to each other. Put that down to old age and distractions. This is a worthy book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Melanie Page
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not the End...for what or who?
    Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2014
    Format: Kindle
    "...If it sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Kate Vane takes on a lot in Not the End—a lot-a lot. The three main characters who are supposed to be changed by Maud’s death, according to the Amazon synopsis, are Neil, Jim, and Brenda. Since the novel begins with Neil in Maud’s flat, one is led to believe that the focus will be on Maud or her burial or estate. Rather, readers bounce between Jim’s, Brenda’s, and Neil’s perspectives (and some chapters are from the perspectives of others, like Fraser’s short moment in the sea), and though Vane creates whole little worlds for each, keeping all of their motivations straight is difficult because each of these three main characters bring in additional characters. Jim’s co-worker Bert is a man who diligently takes dump at the same time each morning at work (a funny detail!) only for Bert to be referenced one more time about 150 pages later. Teri, who also works with Jim, is a woman who wants every man to worship her despite her husband being deployed (also funny: Teri nearly kills herself by getting her hair too close to the paper shredder). The connection to Brenda finding Maud’s body is interesting, but the story of Brenda doesn’t seem as if it were meant to be connected to Maud; Brenda’s focus is Robbie, Paula, Callum, Bob, Tony, her dog Prince, etc...."

    Full review here-- http://grabthelapels.weebly.com/home/not-the-end
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Maggie
    4.0 out of 5 stars i didn't want it to end!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Really interesting group of characters. Loved the interesting weaving of the separate storylines and touchpoints of the characters. Very good descriptive vignettes which set the place for the stories without over burdening the reader with description.
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  • Kindle Customer
    1.0 out of 5 stars Confusing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Too many characters who unfortunately did not come together in the ending so you were left wondering about their significance. Also the author didn't entitle her chapters as to which character it was about, so you are half way through the chapter before you manage to work it out.
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