Skylark is an engaging book detailing the post university life of Billie May Worthington. Billie was freshly graduated from university when she met moody Evan at an art gallery. She fell head over heels in love with him and they quickly got married. They moved to Paris where Evan secured a job. Billie continued freelancing as a writer. They established a comfortable existence in Paris. Evan made a mistake and allowed his co-worker Juliana to seduce him. Due to the fact that Evan refused to have sex with Juliana, she spitefully made a formal complaint to his boss and had Evan fired. Evan and Billie moved to the tropical island of St. Cloud to start anew. Billie, now pregnant with twins, became the dutiful housewife while Evan worked hard as an architectural draughtsman at a new firm. Unfortunately, Evan was devastated when he learnt that Juliana had again stopped his progress.

Skylark is a very captivating novel. It is written from a female’s perspective - that of the main character. The creative skills of author Ruthie Morgan shine through due to the fact that you feel every emotion Billie is experiencing. The reader can easily grasp the difficulties that a young mother must be going through. You can identify with the main character and empathize with her. I find that this book is very realistic in its approach. The language is colloquial and is easy to understand. The author was also able to reveal the naivete of the main character. The contrast between her emotional reality and the fact that she had a partner is very explicit and gripping. It is also very ironic that she felt more comfortable with a complete stranger as opposed to her husband. I can appreciate the push and pull factors at play in the dynamics of the relationships. I love the way in which the author was able to explore the vulnerabilities of the main character in such a descriptive manner. Skylark is an intriguing read for all lovers of romance dramas.

Skylark by Ruthie Morgan is the tumultuous story of two people brought together by unexpected passion and their struggles as one of them faces undiagnosed mental illness. Billie May Worthington wasn’t looking for love when she met Evan Skylark at an art exhibition. One night turns into a whirlwind relationship, taking the pair to Paris for Evan’s career as an architect to the dreamy island of St. Cloud. With each new location brings new challenges for the pair, including the unexpected birth of twins. St. Cloud was meant to be a new start for the couple, having overcome some scandal in Paris, but old indiscretions have a way of coming back to haunt people. Evan is constantly overwhelmed with manic highs and lows as Billie copes day-to-day, raising the twins with support from some lovely friends, including a neighbor, Jack. With Evan continuing to spiral out of control, will the pair manage to come together before it’s too late?

Miss Morgan has written a captivating novel with a very relatable storyline. As a mother, I could relate completely to Billie’s feelings of isolation with a husband working long hours. She put her dreams on hold for Evan. As much as I wanted to hate Evan for being so selfish and neglectful, I realized it was not his fault. I believe the author drew a lot of attention to the need to help people with mental illness and lift the taboo surrounding manic depression. Skylark is a moving, heartfelt novel and well worth a read.