Tag Archives: book reviews

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom

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Lucky-Us-Amy -Bloom

When Eva’s mother abandons her on Iris’s front porch, the girls don’t seem to have much in common – except, they soon discover, a father. Thrown together with no mothers to care for them and a father who could not be considered a parent, Iris and Eva become one another’s family. Iris wants to be a movie star; Eva is her sidekick. Together, they journey across 1940s America from scandal in Hollywood to the jazz clubs and golden mansions of Long Island, stumbling, cheating and loving their way through a landscape of war, betrayals and big dreams.

Set in 1940s America, this is a thrilling and resonant novel about loyalty, ambition and the pleasures and perils of family.  Iris has grit and the determination to escape her surroundings;  she wants a different life and Eva soon becomes a part of, and important to, those new horizons. Bloom artfully covers such detail in so few words that it read like a huge sweeping novel rather than the slim volume it was. Clever and deft writing, sharp and witty by turns, the characters and their circumstances are finely observed and I cared about each one of them, willing them to overcome the obstacles that littered their paths.

Iris and Eva are full of guts and the determination to not only  survive, but thrive. The book explores what is possible when we refuse to give up and are willing to be flexible and adapt to conquer life’s twists and turns. Something that resonates with the challenges we face at the moment.

A totally satisfying and superb read. I look forward to reading more of Amy Bloom’s writing now that I’ve found her.

www.grantabooks.com

 

 

Lover by Anna Raverat. A review by Frances Colville

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Lover by Anna Raverat. A review by Frances Colville book review books good reads

What happens when the relationship you thought was solid, even if not earth-shattering, comes to an unexpected end, leaving you with two young children to care for (and explain things to)  at the same time as the job you loved starts to become complicated and untenable?  In her new novel, Lover, Anna Raverat tells the story of Kate and how she copes with just that situation.  T

he book begins with a Charlie  M Schulz quote: Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me, ‘This is going to take more than one night.’ which sets the scene and tone nicely.

Kate is a well-drawn character with whom it’s not hard to sympathise and her story is told with sensitivity and intuitiveness.  And while it’s not a wholly original plot,  there is enough individuality here to make this novel a good read.

Lover by Anna Raverat  is published by Picador and available in hardback and as an ebook from 10 March 2016

 

 

A Fellow Traveller by Karen Neale Book Review

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afellowtravveler

A Sketchbook Journey Inspired by World Heritage Cities and Sites

A Fellow Traveller by Karen Neale is well worth reading. The watercolours almost leap off the page, they are so immediate, so imbued with the artist’s passion, and curiosity. Each illustration has text to put it in context. It is a brave and encompassing journey – for Karen, and an enormously satisfying read – for us.

Nick Danziger writes the forword, in which he talks of Karen Neale’s passion and courage, as she shared her ‘Fellow Traveller’ project after she was shortlisted for a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship some years ago. Karen’s plan was to visit parts of the world, many of which were not on most tourists’ itineraries.

She travelled for five months through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, India and Nepal in 2001. During this time she completed 106 annotated, watercolour sketches recording her experiences, 42 of which appear in this book.

Drawing with just a black biro, she became a part of each place for a time. Karen Neale found that sketching erodes cultural and linguistic barriers, as a picture and the process to create it can be universally understood. Almost without exception, people were friendly, informative, inquisitive and afforded her great hospitality. She soon realised that despite different cultures, languages, societal and physical structures, there lies a common universal aspiration. That is to lead an uncomplicated, peaceful life, with a roof over one’s head, food on the table and to be surrounded by family and friends, and taking great pride in our natural and cultural heritage.

I leafed through this album of water colours inspired by World Heritage Cities and found they communicated a profound sense of place, and were full of movement, somehow. No, it’s not as good as going yourself, but it’s still pretty damn good.

I heartily recommend A Fellow Traveller. Just wish I’d been alongside Karen for the trip.

Order the book directly via www.karenneale.co.uk

 

 

Month 10 of My Reading Challenge By Frances Colville

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The first book I picked up this month was a biography of Thomas Hardy by Claire Tomalin, entitled  Thomas Hardy: the Time Torn Man.  This is not a quick read.  It’s lengthy, detailed, and packed full of information about the life and works of Hardy and the people around him.  But it’s not a difficult read. It’s well-written, the information is interesting and for me provided new insights into the work of a great author. I particularly liked learning more about his first wife Emma and trying to understand how their relationship deteriorated over the many years they were together.

Month 10 of my reading challenge Frances Colville 1thomashardy

Earlier this month I went to a talk at the Cheltenham Festival of Literature by Paula Hawkins, author of the best selling The Girl on the Train.  It’s always interesting to listen to an author talking about his or her work. Unfortunately on this occasion an unguarded question from a member of the audience told me the ending of the book before I’d got to it.  And that is something you don’t want to happen with a psychological thriller. Despite the spoiler, I did enjoy the book. It’s a fast-paced, keep-you-on- the-edge-of-your-seat read. I got a bit fed up with all the changes from one date to another, and I found the three female characters rather too similar.  But I still recommend it – and I gather it’s being made into a film as well.

                                          Month 10 of my reading challenge Frances Colville 2girlonthetraingosetawatchman

And then a book I’ve been looking forward to reading ever since I first heard it was going to be published.  Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mocking Bird which is such an iconic book that I wasn’t sure if anything else could live up to it.  And my conclusion is that it didn’t.  Written before To Kill a Mocking Bird and rejected by publishers, it does read like an unedited early version. It’s more a stream of consciousness than a novel with a plot, and there are some annoying sections when the author switches from third to first person.  I could see how To Kill a Mocking Bird had developed from it, and how much better a writer Harper Lee became once she had found the voice of the child Scout instead of the adult Jean Louise in Go Set a Watchman.  But that doesn’t mean the latter isn’t worth reading.  It deals with important issues in its own right and it’s also a significant stepping stone towards fully appreciating the greatness of To Kill a Mocking Bird.  I’m very glad to have read it.

A book I have spent a great deal of time reading and re-reading this year is an anthology of short stories and poetry to which I contributed, and for which I was co-editor and proofreader.  It’s called Narrative Threads and is a compilation of the work of sixteen Dorset-based authors and poets, known as Story Traders.  Every piece in the book has a connection with the theme of rope, because of the importance of the rope and net industry in our local town of Bridport.  Of course I recommend it – for its variety and uniqueness as much as anything – even though just at the moment I’ve had enough of going through it with a fine toothcomb.

Month 10 of my reading challenge Frances Colville narrativethread

Next a thoroughly enjoyable couple of evenings reading The Future is Ours, one of Margaret Graham‘s early books.  Set during the aftermath of the Second World War and then the Korean War and the run up to the Cold War, a period which has always interested me, it’s a very human story with a delightful main character Rosie. A book which is very easy to read as it’s well-paced and the writing just flows.

Month 10 of my reading challenge Frances Colville 4

And finally something completely different – a family/travel memoir called Grape Expectations by Caro Feely, which describes the new life she and her husband (with two very young children) carved for themselves in a vineyard in the South of France.  Not the best-written book of its type I have read, but it’s a compelling read and I have endless admiration for someone who can achieve so much under some fairly adverse circumstances and still have the strength and enthusiasm to write about it.

Overall, not a bad month in terms of number and quality of words read, and books crossed off my list.  Onward and upward!

 

 

A Killing Winter By Tom Callaghan Book Review

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A Killing Winter By Tom Callaghan Book Review

Hail my new hero, Tom Callaghan.

As a fan of Tom Rob Smith and especially his novel, The Secret Speech, I thought there would not be another writer to touch him. I was wrong.

With A Killing Winter, Tom Callaghan has created a fascinating, cold and harsh setting, but one in which the central character is a living breathing empathetic detective, one with compassion, one dealing with personal loss, but one who ploughs on through the political difficulties determined to reach the truth, whatever the threat to himself.

With a superb sense of place. Callaghan gets the balance of tension, empathetic characters, and the setting just right.

When Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad arrives at the brutal murder scene of a young woman, all evidence hints at a sadistic serial killer on the hunt for more prey.

But when the young woman’s father turns out to be a leading government minister, the pressure is on Borubaev to solve the case not only quickly, but also quietly, by any means possible. Until more bodies are found …

Still in mourning after his wife’s recent death, Borubaev descends into Bishkek’s brutal underworld, a place where no-one and nothing is as it seems, where everyone is playing for the highest stakes, and where violence is the only solution.

I couldn’t put The Killing Winter down. Thank heavens there is another on the horizon: A Spring Betrayal.

I can’t wait.

A Killing Winter – Tom Callaghan  5th November 2015, Paperpack £7.99.

 

 

Our Little Secret By Jenna Ellis Review by Jan Speedie

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ourlittlesecretjennaellisbookreview

Our Little Secret is the debut novel of Jenna Ellis. As a freelance photographer Jenna has worked and lived all over the world. Her saucy, erotic tale about Sophie Henshall is made for holiday reading.

At 20 something, Sophie longs for some excitement in her life. Living in Manchester with her Dad and brother, she works as a nursery assistant at FunPlex. With her boyfriend Scott, she shares a love of dancing and techno music and a healthy sex life in his drab bedsit.

Life changes for Sophie Henshall when she answers an advertisement in The Lady for a live-in nanny to a New York family.  This is her chance to change her life forever as she is transported to a new and glamorous world in the Big Apple with the elusive Mr and Mrs Parker. Out of her depth, she is drawn into a world of designer clothes, grand houses, lavish parties, sexual intrigue and secrets.

Sophie is irresistibly drawn to Edward and Marnie Parker who are both flirtatious and attractive and lead her into temptations she is unable to resist. But the Parkers have a darker side and secrets to share with Sophie that she must never tell. Secrets can bring pleasure or pain.

Can Sophie Henshall survive or must she return to her old life in Manchester?

Ellis has written an enjoyable romp, a page turner, and what a setting. It will be interesting to see what Jenna Ellis produces next.

Published in paperback on 16th July 2015, by PanMacmillan.

 

 

Top Books: What To Read

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thewhiterussian

Now in paperback, The White Russian by Vanora Bennett is a deeply romantic and escapist read. It is well-researched and is a book which gives hours of enjoyment.

From the author of Midnight in St Petersburg, a novel of love, art, music and family secrets set amongst the Russian émigré community of Paris in 1937.

Evie, a rebellious young American leaves New York in search of art and adventure in jazz-age Paris, where her grandmother lives. But on arrival, her grandmother’s sudden death leaves Evie compelled to carry out her dying wish: to find a man from her past called Zhenya.

The quest leads Evie deep into the heart of the Russian émigré community of Paris. With the world on the brink of war, she becomes embroiled in murder plots, conspiracies and illicit love affairs as White faces Red Russian and nothing is as it seems.

With Jean, a liberal Russian writer by her side, Evie finally seems to have found the passion and excitement she’s yearned for. But is she any nearer to discovering the identity of the mysterious Zhenya, or the heartbreak of her grandmother’s past?

kidsdon'tcomewithamanual

Kids Don’t Come With a Manual – The Essential Guide to a Happy Family Life is a brilliant all-round book which is easy to read and is based on hard evidence and the latest research. It offers a fresh perspective and practical tools. It is a brilliant parenting book which is easy to digest. A good, pragmatic and fun read.

Parenting is an important job, yet parents receive little to no training. Since most of our experience is based on our own upbringing, we can feel uncertain as to whether we are doing the right thing. To complicate things further, our partner is likely to have a different parenting style to ours. Drawing on their experience in early childhood education, as Parenting Coaches, and as parents, Carole and Nadim have helped thousands of parents with their programme of practical tools designed to empower parents to:

1. Deal with everyday parenting challenges without confrontation or anger;
2. Help children to become happy, fulfilled and self-reliant adults;
3. Maintain a strong and loving connection with children throughout their lives;
4. Agree on a balanced and more enjoyable approach to parenting

mistmaryfitzgerald

Mist By Mary Fitzgerald is an escapist, interesting and different read. Engaging and enjoyable. This is the second book from Mary Fitzgerald we have reviewed. Recommended.

A girl with no home, a house in need of love… A beautiful romance set in the breathtaking Welsh mountains

Lark has been wandering the country for many years, with no real place to call home. Until she meets Matthew Williams, a Canadian who has inherited a run-down hill farm in North Wales. Young and enthusiastic, Matthew has no knowledge of farming and no experience of living in the countryside.

Entranced by the beauty and wildness of the place, Lark agrees to help, and together they throw themselves into getting the farm back onto its feet.

Until a terrible accident brings Matthew’s father over from Canada, and suddenly none of their lives will be the same.

 

normalgraemecameronbookreview

 Normal By Graeme Cameron is compelling and unforgettable. There are some comparisons with TV serial killer Dexter in this book of a ‘normal’ and likeable serial killer. The book is good and is engaging enough to be read in one sitting. Different and well-written.

“Hypnotic and chilling — you won’t forget this in a hurry.” – Lee Child, Sunday Times #1 bestselling author
He lives on your street, in a nice house with a tidy garden.

He shops at your local supermarket. He drives beside you, waving to let you into the lane ahead of him.

He also has an elaborate cage in a secret basement under his garage.

The food he’s carefully shopping for is to feed a young woman he’s holding there against her will – one in a string of many, unaware of the fate that awaits her.

This is how it’s been for a long time. It’s normal…and it works. Perfectly.

But this time it’s different…

Dark, twisted and compelling, this is the most exciting and original thriller of the year

 

 What are you reading this month?

 

 

Month 2 Of My Reading Challenge by Frances Colville

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I began with a book I probably wouldn’t have picked up myself, but which was the book of choice for one of my two reading groups.The Girl Under The Olive Tree by Leah Fleming (published Simon and Schuster UK 2013). It should have been a good read (interesting storyline about an English nurse working for the resistance in Crete during WW2) but there were some irritating anomalies and frequent failures to capitalise on opportunities for dramatic tension. I was left feeling dissatisfied, though I did learn some fascinating facts about Crete and WW2.

MONTH 2 OF MY READING CHALLENGE by Frances Colville

My second book also failed to grab me fully. I recently went to a talk by author Natasha Solomons and thought she spoke well and interestingly. I picked up a copy of The Gallery of Vanished Husbands(published Sceptre 2013) and keenly anticipated reading it. But I wasn’t completely convinced by her portrayal of the main character and I found the plot unrealistic in places. However, it is well written; her use of language appealed to me, as did the pace of the book, and there are some excellent descriptive passages. I think I will try another of her books. One more to add to my list.

MONTH 2 OF MY READING CHALLENGE by Frances Colville 2
Next I moved on to another reading group choice: The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks(published Fourth Estate 2002). This was in fact a re-read for me, but I relished the opportunity to have a fresh look at a book which has long been on my Top Ten List. It’s based on the true story of a Derbyshire village coping with an outbreak of plague in the seventeenth century and is one of those books which is almost unbearable to read, and yet equally you can hardly bear to put it down.

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As an aspiring short story and flash fiction writer, I have been eagerly awaiting the chance to read Hilary Mantel’s new short story collection The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher(published Fourth Estate 2014) and I wasn’t disappointed. Each individual story is a compelling read and all are powerful, harrowing, disturbing and haunting. In fact they made me question why I read. Is it for pleasure and relaxation? To learn? To be challenged? Or to appreciate the skill of the writer? In the case of this book, I think it is the latter two. And that is a tribute to Hilary Mantel who is a supremely good writer.

MONTH 2 OF MY READING CHALLENGE by Frances Colville 4

After that, I needed something less stressful and turned to Claire Sandy’s novel What Would Mary Berry Do?(published Pan Books 2014) Who doesn’t love Mary Berry and the Bake Off programmes? I’m a big fan, and this lighthearted tale of a harassed mother teaching herself with Mary Berry’s help to bake appealed to me. In fact I could have done with a bit more of the baking and a bit less of the rest of the story. It isn’t a book that will stick in my mind for years to come, but it is an enjoyable and relaxing read and I definitely recommend it if that’s the sort of book you’re looking for.

It’s a truism to say variety is the spice of life, but I’m learning that my choice of books reflects just that. So now I have a problem. What to pick up first for month 3?