Tag Archives: New Books

MORTON S GRAY REVIEWS

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The Girls of Bomber Command by Vicki Beeby

Vicki Beeby has done it again!

I enjoyed her last two WW2 series about The Ops Room Girls and The Wrens, but I loved the first in this new series about The Girls of Bomber Command.

A poignant subject, Beeby comments in her notes that the RAF Bomber Command had one of the highest casualty rates of any Allied unit during the Second World War and yet the author manages to portray this sensitively in a very enthralling read.

I loved Pearl, who reminded me of myself as she tries to look after her younger sister and strives to find her own place in the world whilst staying true to her aspirations. Greg has to deal daily with the thought that he might not survive the next bombing mission and that colours how he lives his life.

The author’s notes on the research undertaken to inspire and also to make this story authentic were fascinating.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

 

Wild Hope by Donna Ashworth

I cannot speak too highly of this volume of poetry. Comfort in troubled times and wisdom for everyday living.

Having seen a social media video of the author using the volume as an oracle, I now open this book daily at random and the results have never ceased to surprise me. I have my favourite poems of course but each page has the ability to touch my heart and often to produce tears.

I don’t think I have ever read a volume of poetry so often. Wonderful.

 

The Paris Affair by Victoria Cornwall

I really enjoyed this book and felt as if I was actually Charlotte, the heroine as she negotiated the sadness, excitements and uncertainties of her life and relationship with Pierre.

The Parisian scenes, particularly the characters’ visit to The Sacre Coeur took me right back to a long ago visit to Paris.

Victoria Cornwall is a skilled storyteller who makes you care about her characters and root for them as they tackle dangers and challenges.

I have always wondered how I would have coped in times of war and hope that I would step up to the challenge of helping with the war effort just as Charlotte, Pierre and their colleagues did in the book.

A thoroughly enjoyable read that made me reflect on the war experiences of members of my family.

 

The Lost Heir by Jane Cable

Jane Cable captures the time of the Covid era lockdowns, which caused many people to re-evaluate their lives and make changes, as does the modern day character of Carla in The Lost Heir. As a family historian myself, I enjoyed the research Carla and Mani’s research adventures. I liked the present day story, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to read about Covid times when I started reading the book, and would really like to know more about what happened to these characters after the end of this story.

Franny in the historical story, with her different way of seeing the world and her companion, Harriet, is a very complex character. I loved the secrets and risks surrounding William.

Loved the fact that Carla had inherited her grandmother’s skills for seeing auras and presences. Fascinating to read in the notes to the book about the inspiration for the story and the research done by the author.

All in all, a great read.

 

 

JANE CABLE REVIEWS

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The Forgotten Promise by Corin Burnside

I’m normally a fan of dual timelines, but with this book I enjoyed the Second World War timeline so much I would have preferred for it to have filled every page. Maggie and Agnes’ story was so moving, and it was refreshing to read about a same sex romance in that period. The war around them was well researched and felt real, and I enjoyed this aspect very much.

The premise of the book, without giving too much away, if that when Agnes is recruited to join SOE she is forbidden from telling Margaret, because they are only ‘friends’. In the end she does leave a letter promising to return, but it never reaches its intended recipient.

I found myself hanging on every word of Agnes’s time in France, but not so the contemporary story. I found elderly Margaret’s periods of confusion and clarity a bit too convenient to the narrative, to be honest. But it didn’t spoil the book overall.

Call me grumpy, but I just wish that the title related better to what was between the pages; the book is called The Forgotten Promise, but to me the whole point was that neither of them did forget.

 

The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page

I love books about friendship, and this must be up there among the best. Although it took me a while to settle into it, once the cast of characters began to build around ‘Average Jo’ I was enthralled, and wanted to know more about them.

When Jo’s uncle develops dementia and her relationship breaks down, she goes to London to look after his stationery and hardware shop. Isolated and lonely, her confidence in shreds, she meets some of the people living and working around her, including Ruth, the runaway vicar, and Malcolm, a retired analyst who buys a new notebook every week. And slowly, maybe a little too slowly, their friendship begins to form.

This book is rich in vivid detail; about the settings, the characters, and the ghosts who may or ma not walk on Christmas Eve in Highgate Cemetery. Although there were small parts of the plot I did not like, they didn’t detract from the whole and I was left in awe of the writer’s skill.

 

The Figurine by Victoria Hislop

As always, the sense of Greece at a certain moment in time is created perfectly by Victoria Hislop. The oppressive atmosphere of young Helena’s grandparents’ apartment when she visits in the 1970s echoes the regime her grandfather is part of, and the whiff of corruption is never far away. And when, years later, she discovers an Athens of her own, the sense of new freedoms is palpable too.

I also really liked Helena as a character and was sufficiently interested to know how her story unfolded to almost forgive the head-hopping, which blighted the early parts of the book in particular. There was a vividly drawn supporting cast too, but I felt there were too many of them at times, too many scenes which contributed little to the overall narrative. I did enjoy the story, but overall it was too long in the telling for my taste.

On one level I feel bad criticising such a successful and established writer, but on the other, I do not want to misrepresent my personal opinion of the book.

 

 

The Bonbon Girl By Linda Finlay | New Books

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An absorbing read. Highly recommended.

In a tumbledown Cornish cottage, with an alcoholic father, Colenso Carne works with the Serpentine stone from the local mine. When she catches the eye of the new factory manager, her father insists she rejects her beloved Kitto in order to marry Fenton.

Forced to flee the village when Fenton turns nasty, she is taken under the wing of wise woman Mara and travels to local fairs, learning to make bonbons to pay her way.

But she never gives up hope of being reunited with Kitto…

Set against the dramatic Cornish coastline, this tale of triumph and tragedy will delight fans of Rosie Goodwin and Dilly Court.

Available here.