Love You Madly by Lucinda Hooley and Daisy Jones

Reviewed by Karen Lane, Need a Read
South African authors, Lucinda Hooley and Daisy Jones have been friends for years and back in the day they were avid letter-writers. Re-reading these colourful letters from their youth inspired them to write a novel together and Love You Madly is the charming and nostalgic result! It’s not their own story, it’s an entirely fictional story about two sisters, Mielie and Mare, who spread their wings in the early 1990’s. It’s a story about growing up in Cape Town, moving to Joburg, working in London. It’s a story of the right friends and the wrong men. It’s a story of falling in love and finding your feet. It really is delightful, plus there’s a complete bonus for the Jane Austen fans out there – the book is based on the Sense and Sensibility story: two sisters who fall in love with the wrong men. It’s fabulous! So much fun following and remembering Austen’s story line as you go along. As the authors say in the credits, they are forever grateful to Jane Austen “for her writing gift and her compassion for the girls who yearn”.

And oh, the memories this book brought back!!! Do you remember mixed tapes made for you by a boy you fancied, the answering machine in the hallway, fold-up blue airmail letters, stamped envelopes, the miracle of email and waiting till Monday to get to the office to read the reply, not to mention the pure joy of receiving a handwritten letter? Did you move to Joburg, jol in Rocky Street, eat at the Italian bistro in Hillbrow? Did you work in London in the early 1990’s, eke out a living, learn how to use the tube, and especially an umbrella? Are you up for a trip down memory lane? Then this book’s for you!

Available for purchase from Need a Read:
Love You Madly | Need a Read