I thought hard before requesting Ciao to put this book on so that I could write a review about it.
In fact, I thought hard about buying the book. But when I was in Macro one day, it was there on the shelf reduced and I thought I would give it a go. I had often thought it quite odd that ... Read review
GOODBYE DEAREST HOLLY is written by Kevin Wells, father of Holly Wells. It starts on the day that Holly went missing and covers the period from then up until the court case when Ian Huntly was convicted of their murder.
Kevin tries to convey his emotions and feelings and he does so in a very matter of fact way. At times he is incredibly frustrated by the police system and the fact that he is left out of the ... ...on the Wells family and only mentions the Chapman family in passing, which was at the request of the Chapmans.
The book describes what a wonderful little girl Holly was and the hopes and dreams that the family had for the future. Kevin berates himself for working so hard to be able to send Holly to a good school and wishes that he had spent more time with her as a child.
The book goes into some detail of the investigation ... more
I thought hard before requesting Ciao to put this book on so that I could write a review about it.
In fact, I thought hard about buying the book. But when I was in Macro one day, it was there on the shelf reduced and I thought I would give it a go. I had often thought it quite odd that Kevin Wells had written a book about the death of his daughter, but after reading it, I changed my mind.
I am not sure what I was expecting, but the book is a matter of fact statement of the events and feelings of that terrible time when Jessica and Holly went missing and were eventually found dead in a ditch.
There cannot be anybody out there who did not hear about the murders of two little girls in Soham in August 2002. That eternal image of them in their Manchester United tops must have been seen all over the world.
For two weeks, the whole country hoped desparately that the girls would be found safe and well, but these hopes were dashed when the girls bodies were found and their school caretaker was arrested for murder.
GOODBYE DEAREST HOLLY is written by Kevin Wells, father of Holly Wells. It starts on the day that Holly went missing and covers the period from then up until the court case when Ian Huntly was convicted of their murder.
Kevin tries to convey his emotions and feelings and he does so in a very matter of fact way. At times he is incredibly frustrated by the police system and the fact that he is left out of the information loop by them.
The book concentrates on the Wells family and only mentions the Chapman family in passing, which was at the request of the Chapmans.
The book describes what a wonderful little girl Holly was and the hopes and dreams that the family had for the future. Kevin berates himself for working so hard to be able to send Holly to a good school and wishes that he had spent more time with her as a child.
The book goes into some detail of the investigation and each step that the family faced.
It describes the exact moment when the family were told that the bodies found were Jessica and Holly. The family were then told the state of Holly's body and that they should remember her as she was and not see her like that. The decision not to see her was to come back to haunt them as they often wondered was it really Holly, although they knew deep down that it was.
The book covers the trials and traumas that the family had to face time and again and also how they helped their surviving son to come through it and how the whole family started to live again.
The book also tells of help that Kevin received from "mediums" and clairvoyants, most of which was uncannily right. Whether you belive in them or not, they were right about several things in this case, facts that they could not have known.
The family received so many letters of support and offers of help. They were also targetted by crank calls and letters saying that it was their own fault that Holly had died.
The book then covers the court case and events leading up to it.
The proceeds of the book went to the Holly and Jessica Memorial Fund, which was used to create a memorial for them at the school and to help disadvantaged children everywhere.
The book contains family photos of Holly, a pretty little blonde 10 year old, who should have had her whole life ahead of her.
I will not say that I recommend this book as I feel weird saying "its really good, read it" as it is about the death of a 1o year old girl. It's one of those things that you don't want to read, but just have to, to try and understand what actually happened. It is a thought-provoking book and makes you wonder how some people on this earth can be so evil as to kill a little girl. It is an amazing true story of a family and the tragedy that they faced
Holly and Jessica will never be forgotten, not by their families and not by this country.
Available from Amazon and other bookshops, priced from £7 to £10. I paid £3.72 for my copy from Macro.
Advantages: well written and captivating Disadvantages: difficult and emotional reading
I was a little hesitant to buy and read this book, thinking it was wrong that he was making money from such dreadful events. But now I'm glad I did. I was truly moved by so many sections of this book, reading with tears in my eyes. Detailed accounts from the moment the girls were realised missing to the trial and beyond, including things that were kept quiet by the media - such as the families use of a medium and the accuracy of those readings in ... ...book finished in two evenings and was left feeling emotionally drained, as if I had been through the awful events of August 2002 and the trail process myself. I also came away with an urge to know more, and spent the next few weeks reading all the newspaper articles I could find online from the time. Such a powerful book, that I found myself often drifting into memories of exactly where I was and what I was doing each time a new piece of information ...
liz1102 16.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Goodbye Dearest Holly - Kevin Wells
Advantages: Incredible insight that couldn't have been written by anybody else. Disadvantages: You will cry.
This is a truly remarkable book. I bought it shortly after it's release (against the wishes of my wife, who was of the opinion that the subject-matter/author mix was a bit wierd).
Having been married for 22 years, for the first time she saw me cry whilst reading a book. She changed her mind and read it straight after me (it took both of us two days - you just can't put the thing down!)
The book is simply about love. Not the cheesy Hollywood love ... ...in my opinion you can only find for your children. What is truly unbelievable about Kevin Wells is that the book resonates with this love far more than it does with the hatred he must feel towards Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr. Quite an achievement and a wonderful tribute to Holly in it's own right.
Unlike other reviewers of this book I would totally recommend it to anyone. To not do so would be to lend weight to the completely false argument that ...
KWMotion 12.01.2008 (06.01.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Goodbye Dearest Holly - Kevin Wells
Advantages: Non fictional, detailed & honest Disadvantages: The truth and sadness
Goodbye dearest Holly is the story of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The book itself is written by Hollys father Kevin. The book takes you from the days that the two girls went missing in their hometown of Soham in cambridgeshire,, the search for the girls, the search for their killer and then the trial of Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr. This is a truly outstanding read, i can honestly say it is one of the best books i have ever read and it will remain ...
polo_princess 16.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Goodbye Dearest Holly - Kevin Wells
Advantages: a personal account of a very public and sad time Disadvantages: the sadness
...was information in there that was personal to the Wells and chapman familes that were never known publicly.
A sad but good read... RIP Holly & Jessica xxx
Goodbye Dearest Holly can be found in most bookshops, priced around £6.99
Keep your children safe ... Caroline xxx ...
chezbabe101 06.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Goodbye Dearest Holly - Kevin Wells
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Quick review of Goodbye Dearest Holly - Kevin Wells
What a shame this was a true story! Written very well, I cried and cried. Very good book written by Holly's father. Very informative from the minute the girls go missing up to the court case and rebuilding their lives afterwards. ...
Singleatlast 14.01.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Goodbye Dearest Holly - Kevin Wells
