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R J Gould
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Then and now: A tale of love, loss and the chance to put things right Kindle Edition

by R J Gould (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 161 ratings
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‘I didn’t just ‘enjoy’ this book. I rapidly became mesmerised by it, lost in it, consumed to the extent that I couldn’t put it down and had to stay up all night to finish inhabiting this timeless take on life, love, risks, wins and losses.’

Sandy is about to retire following an illustrious career as editor of an upmarket fashion magazine.

Michael can’t retire, he thinks his work to explain the dangers of climate change is far too important.

Jonathan would like to retire from running his fundraising consultancy but a family crisis is getting in the way.

These three were the best of friends at university before a tragedy wrecked their friendship. That was fifty years ago and they haven’t spoken since.

Sandy urges the other two to join her at a weekend reunion. Together they reminisce about their student days, such a wild era with its heady mix of free love, drugs and ground-breaking music. They share their life journeys since the Swinging Sixties – the successes and failures, the happiness and despair, and their optimism and fears for the future.

The reunion is drawing to a close. Dare they tackle the incident that tore them apart, an event that has brought guilt for so many years? If they are to have any chance of reconciliation they have to, but the clock is ticking.


What book review bloggers are writing about the novel:

“A gorgeous ray of sunshine of a book. I can’t put into words how much I love this author’s style of writing. The characters truly feel like people you know and their stories are very real but also captivating.” Wrong side of forty

‘Loved it all. Enjoyed it. Devoured it. Recommended.’ Between the Pages Book Club

‘Full of humanity and gentle humour – another wonderful and thought-provoking read from R J Gould.’ Ceri’s Lil Blog

‘A poignant and life affirming read – I absolutely love this author’s books and writing style.’ Rachael, NetGalley reviewer

‘Fiction at its best with the characters in the story living on in the reader’s thoughts after the book is read.’ Reading High Reviews

‘An amazing book with lives examined, the past slowly revealed, and most of all, the truth told.’ NetGalley reviewer

‘I was gripped by this emotional and true to life story.’ Beyond the Books

‘A fantastic read – a book that really pulls on the heartstrings.’ TBHonest

‘I loved Then and now. I was utterly hooked and thought the characters were brilliantly written. A great and superbly written, almost life affirming read.’ Niki, Professional Book Reviewer
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  1. Print length
    260 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 10, 2022
  4. File size
    951 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"I didn't just 'enjoy' this book. I rapidly became mesmerised by it, lost in it, consumed to the extent that I couldn't put it down and had to stay up all night to finish it, in order to find out what happened to the characters in whom I had become so utterly invested, inhabiting this timeless take on life, love, risks, wins and losses." Eatwell Reads Well, blog tour reviewer

"I'm going to jump in feet first and say I loved Then and Now. I was utterly hooked and thought the characters were brilliantly written. This is a gripping story in so far as the characters are so well written, flaws and all. They are realistic and I connected with each one, thinking, yep that's me or oh that is so and so. A great and superbly written, almost life affirming read. It's a fantastic contemporary book full of laughs and sadness and relationships that we can all relate too." Niki Preston, Professional Book Reviewer, Writer and Product Tester

"I can't put into words how much I love Richard's style of writing. The characters truly feel like people you know and their stories are very real but also captivating. A gorgeous ray of sunshine of a book." Lisa at Wrong Side of Forty reviews

"A poignant and life affirming read." Rachael, NetGalley reviewer

"Loved it all. Devoured it. Would recommend." Gemma at Between the Pages reviews

"Then and Now by R J Gould is a wild ride. For the younger generation, this is probably considered historical fiction. But for those who lived through the 1960s, the book is a nostalgic look back at a never to be repeated time in their past. Either way, this is an amazing book to read. Lives are examined, the past slowly revealed, and most of all, the truth is told." Gina Rae Mitchell, blog tour reviewer

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09VCW66R4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (March 10, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 10, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 951 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 161 ratings

About the author

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R J Gould

R J Gould

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R J Gould is a rare male member of the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association, writing contemporary fiction about relationships using a mix of wry humour and pathos to describe the tragi-comic life journeys of his protagonists. He has been published by Headline Accent and Lume Books and also self-publishes.

Before becoming a full-time author he worked in the educational and charity sectors. In addition to his addiction to telling stories, he has somewhat milder addictions to playing tennis, watching film noir cinema, completing Wordle and eating dried mango slices.

R J Gould lives in Cambridge, England.

You can connect with him at www.rjgould.info, on twitter and Instagram @rjgould_author, and on Facebook at RJGouldauthor

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
161 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Karen Jost
    5.0 out of 5 stars Friendships Now and Then
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    R J Gould seamlessly weaves a story of friendships that were made by a group of college students, who then haven't communicated for nearly fifty years. Each of the main characters are well developed by introducing who they are now, then providing their backstory that shaped them. Suspence is provided as each character tackles not only their own problems but the events that led to their estrangement. Even though the story provides a satisfying ending, I was sorry to have it end. I enjoy stories with mature characters and would love to follow these friends.
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  • Elisabeth Carey
    4.0 out of 5 stars Old friends confront a painful old secret
    Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2022
    Fifty years ago, four young people, three young men and a young woman, from quite varied backgrounds, started university. They lived in the same housing block, and were all studying geography.

    In the present day, fifty years after starting university, three of them decided to go to their class reunion and meet up again, for the first time since graduation.

    Sandy was the only daughter of well-off, upper middle class swingers. This is never admitted to their daughter, of course, but in her teens, Sandy figures it out. She's smart, talented, charismatic, and precariously balanced her own wild teenage life with being a decorous and dedicated student--and finally settles on a new university that isn't at all what her parents or teachers anticipate.

    Michael has a childhood troubled by the fact that his father is a kind, loving, gentle parent, and committed but utterly inept thief. His mother is honest and reliable and rigid--possibly understandably. She's certainly not wrong when she finally kicks her husband out for good, but it doesn't make Michael's life easier. School, and ultimately a grant that allows him to attend university, becomes his escape.

    Jonathan is from a secular Jewish family, has two sisters, and is the tormented odd sibleing out in a rather intense sibling rivalry where his sisters always manage to appear innocent. At the grammar school he attends, he also runs into some problems due to being Jewish--a thing he feels no connection to.

    Stuart is the mystery, the one whose childhood we get no glimpse of. We only meet Stuart when the flashbacks reach university, and the four meet on their first day of class. Stuart is intelligent, flashy, embraces radical politics that not uncommon among students in the 60s and 70s, is an effective speaker, and indulges freely in drugs, He's not there for their reunion; Stuart's fate is the painful secret that haunts the other three and ended their friendship not long before graduation.

    But while that secret haunts them even at their reunion, they're all struggling with their own family troubles, that at first they are very reluctant to share. Three adults in their late sixties, near retirement, and with changes and challenges facing them in their family lives, none of them are really sure why they came to the reunion, not even Sandy, who was the one who emailed the other two, nearly fifty years after they last met, to suggest it.

    What follows over the course of the weekend is a rediscovery of their friendship, a rediscovery of the tensions in it, and the unfolding and sharing of the current stresses in their lives--as well as, ultimately, confronting what happened to Stuart, and how it ended their friendship. Three adults with successful careers behind them, doing things they enjoy and care about, and with family members they love and care about for all the stresses involved, discover they still have a little piece of growing up to do. And since they are all decent, honest, kind people who have tried to live in keeping with their values, we want them to succeed.

    Recommended.

    I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via Rachel's Random Resources, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
    One person found this helpful
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  • misty
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite all that
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Having lived thru the same time frame, at the same age in life that this story is being told about, I was hoping to reminisce with the characters in the book as well.
    Obviously, being college aged in the late 60's, early 70's in Great Britain was much different in experience than what we went thru here.
    I didn't recognize many of their music/band references, and there was just a lot of 'what are they talking about' swirling around my head as I tried to read this.
    I'm afraid this book makes most of our generation look incredibly selfish, greedy, driven by desires of our own, with little concern for our own families, even. I was basically turned off by most of the attitude within the book. Trust me, sadly, I have lost many friends to drugs and alcohol that I grew up with. Was it our generation? Partly. But no more than the PTSD of Viet Nam, WWII, the depression era, or many other things we can blame. God help us if we glorify ourselves by our rude and crude young lives of coming out into our own. At least the ending shows the main characters have reconciled with who they were. But not everyone grows up.
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  • Jane Wilson-Howarth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2022
    Great fun and plenty of dry British humour, and some food for thought on ageing
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  • Gina R Mitchell
    4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining tale by a master storyteller.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022
    Then and Now by R J Gould is a wild ride. For the younger generation, this is probably considered historical fiction. But for those who lived through the 1960s, the book is a nostalgic look back at a never to be repeated time in their past. Either way, this is an amazing book to read. Lives are examined, the past slowly revealed, and most of all, the truth is told.

    Three friends who attended college together in the 1960s are reunited at a 50-year reunion. They finally decide to confront the events that tore their friendship apart at the end of their university days.

    Told through flashbacks, the backstory of all the main characters continually eludes to a fourth friend whose mystery led to the break up of the friendships.

    The tale is quite entertaining as we learn how the lives of the trio have deviated from their plans, as well as, addressing many pitfalls of aging. Growing old is not for the faint of heart. There are issues with adult children, retirement plans, relationships, and more.

    The pacing is nice and steady while slowly building toward solving the mystery for the reader and the reconciliation of the characters. I always enjoy the writing style of Mr. Gould.

    I think readers of all ages will find this book enjoyable.

    I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Doug Dobbins
    1.0 out of 5 stars No
    Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2022
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    Husband say’s no
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  • Enjoyingbooksagain
    4.0 out of 5 stars Family and friends and life
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2022
    During their third year at college the characters have a disagreement and quit talking to each other for fifty years but at their reunion there is something they need to take care of together
    The characters and their families in this story are layered and complex. But they have a opportunity to go back to their younger life’s and change things. This was a emotional read and I looked forward to read what they were going to do.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Lindsay Fursland
    5.0 out of 5 stars What happens when three old friends confront the skeletons in their closet.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is an ingenious exploration of what happens when three former friends, fifty years on since they were students in the 1960s, attend a university reunion. The author presents us with these believably flawed and relatable to characters, forced almost against their will to confronting their past relationships with each other. The arrogance and entitlement of their callow, youthful selves are vividly and humorously captured. We see how time doesn't exactly heal all wounds, and how fifty years on each character is superficially different (having had lives, careers and marriages) but at a deeper level is fundamentally the same. We see how the "Then" of the past, expressed in vivid flashback, has shaped them; and how the "Now" of the present connects with who they were. There is wit and irony and guilt and sex and reconciliation and the chance to start over in this novel. It is an absorbing and enjoyable read.
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  • Rowena
    5.0 out of 5 stars R J Gould
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2023
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    Then and Now is his usual brilliantly book I love the way the story is told between Then and Now.
    Thoroughly recommend it.
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  • Disgusted
    5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put down
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    As always this author captures you from the moment you start reading , I loved the characters the complexity of their emotions and is a definite page turner. I have read all Richards book and by far this is the best.
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  • Fraochg
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2022
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    I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters and fell a little in love with each one. I'll remember them all for a long time
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  • JMH32
    1.0 out of 5 stars Really bad
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Sorry, this is drivel. I thought it had an interesting idea (and it does) but the characters are 2 dimensional, the dialogue is awful and the writing is formulaic. It’s just awful. Don’t waste your time
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