Sunday War Poets...

Sir Henry Newbolt

(1862-1924)

FAREWELL 

Mother, with unbowed head

 Hear thou across the sea

The farewell of the dead,

 The dead who died for thee.

Greet them again with tender words and grave,

For, saving thee, themselves they could not save.

~

To keep the house unharmed

Their fathers built so fair,

Deeming endurance armed

Better than brute despair,

They found the secret of the word that saith,

"Service is sweet, for all true life is death."

~

So greet thou well thy dead

Across the homeless sea,

And be thou comforted

Because they died for thee.

Far off they served, but now their deed is done

For evermore their life and thine are one.

*~*~*

Sir Henry Newbolt was born in Bilston,Staffordshire. On leaving Christi College, Oxford, he became a barrister but is better known for his poetry and for his literary works on naval history. At the start of the First World War, Newbolt - along with over 20 other leading British writers - was brought into the War Propaganda Bureau which had been formed to promote Britain's interests during the war and maintain public opinion in favour of the war.

***

FAREWELL was originally composed in 1910 but was reprinted in The Times on the 

23rd September 1914

***

Review ~ Daughter of the Winds by Jo Bunt

When the Turkish invade Cyprus in 1974 Pru, a young British Army wife, has her life turned upside down. Two weeks later she flees the country with a baby who isn't hers.

Over thirty years later that baby, now a grown woman called Leni, returns to the island of her birth to find out about the chain of events that led her to be brought up as Pru's child. She discovers the true cost of war, how the hurt still continues through the generations and what being a family really means.

In this story of love and loss Leni will lay ghosts to rest in more ways than one

About the author

Jo Bunt was born in Cyprus to British parents. It made sense to her that her first novel should be based there.

Following the family's return to England Jo went to school in Nottingham, university in Hull and then worked in London as a Recruitment Consultant for PwC for many years. Following a family illness Jo moved to Derbyshire where she now lives with her husband and her twin sons. This has enabled her to focus on her two great loves in life; her family and her writing.

She remembers writing her first 'novel' when she was seven but spent her angst-ridden teenage years writing miserable and dark poetry. She mostly writes mainstream fiction but is also working on a series of children's adventure books, largely guided by her own children. When she is not writing or looking after the children Jo is an avid reader and self-confessed food snob. If she can combine the two she is a very happy lady indeed.

~*~*~

My thoughts on Daughter of the Winds

This multi generational story weaves together the present day story of Leni as she returns to Cyprus to discover the truth about her family, in order to lay the ghosts of the past and to find out what happened during the political unrest of 1974 when Leni’s adoptive mother Pru fled the island with a baby that didn't belong to her. Leni’s attempt to piece together the fragments of her past opens up a story of secrets, lies and devastating loss.

I enjoyed the story, there is nice attention to detail and the Cypriot culture both past and present is imaginatively described. The present day island comes alive with stunning descriptions of food and hospitality. The warmth of the Cypriot sunshine infuses the pages with a compassion which is in direct contrast to the description of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Overall, the fine distinction between factual evidence is nicely blended with an interesting fictional story and both time frames blend together quite well. 

An enjoyable story written in the easy style of Victoria Hislop, I think the combination of history and sunshine makes this an ideal holiday read.

***

Daughter of the Winds is now available on Kindle for just 99p as part of a special Valentine's Day promotion

14th - 20th February 2014.


My thanks to pubshelf for my copy of this book.

Happy Valentine's Day...

“For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”

© Diana Gabaldon, Outlander, 1991

*~*~*

Giveaway ~ The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman

*~Giveaway~*

To celebrate the publication of  The Dead Wife's Handbook by  Hannah Beckerman

on the 

13th February 2014

Penguin Books UK
13 February 2014 

From the beginning of the book we know that the narrator, Rachel has recently died and is inhabiting a form of private purgatory where she can view her loved ones as if from afar but who is unable to make any sort of physical contact with them. Through Rachel’s unique form of analysis we meet with her grieving husband, Max and their bewildered seven year old daughter Ellie, both of whom are still struggling to deal with the aftermath of Rachel’s unexpected death.

What then follows is the story of how the grieving process evolves and even though well meaning friends feel that Max should be able to move on, somehow ‘moving on’ isn’t as important as remembering what has been lost in the first place. Despite the premise of the book being controlled by the feelings evoked around death and dying, it isn't always a sad story, there are moments when the book is quite uplifting.

Ultimately, however, this is a story about what happens to those who are left behind following the death of a loved one, and is testament to how everyone experiences grief and loss in quite different ways. There are subtle chapter references to the five stages of grief first recounted by the eminent American physician, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, whose book ‘On death and Dying’ is still the definitive work on the grieving process.

The author has captured the emotional aspect of grief very well and with a subtle hand has explored the vagaries of loss in an appealing and eloquent way. The book is very readable and gets the message across without ever resorting to over sentimentality. It is a commendable debut novel, and I look forward with interest to more books from this talented author.

My thanks to Katie Sheldrake at Penguin Books UK

***

I have one paperback copy to giveaway to one lucky UK winner 

*~ Good Luck~*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My author in the spotlight is ...Carol Cooper

I am delighted to welcome 

Dr. Carol Cooper

Author of

One Night at the Jacaranda

November 2013

*~Carol ~ welcome to jaffareadstoo ~*

Where did you get the first flash of inspiration for One Night at the Jacaranda?

I was sitting on a plane with a gin and tonic, bound for New York and my father's funeral, when the idea for a plot popped into my head. So  I began scribbling on the paper napkin.  I then worked on the story over the next few months. Maybe the spur was the fact that my father had always wanted to write, though he never did, apart from a couple of chapters in books on life insurance.  It took me a while to finish One Night at the Jacaranda because I had commissions for two non-fiction books around that time, but I'm glad I persevered.  Dad would have been proud of me, even if the novel itself would have shocked him.

What do you love about writing?

I love using words, and I relish the challenge of using ordinary words to say extraordinary things.  Plus you can write anytime, even if feeling miserable. Writing is the perfect escape when things aren't going my way.

Do you write stories for yourself, or other people?

A bit of both.  Of course, I write stories that I hope people like and will identify with.  But it also has to be the kind of story I'd most like to read myself.  The legendary crime writer Ruth Rendell once told me that if your own writing makes you cry or gets you aroused, then you know you've hit the spot.

What books do you like to read?

I like fiction with colourful characters that I can care about, with realistic dialogue, and a pacy plot that keeps me on my toes.  If there are long passages of description, I usually skim over them.  I read a lot of chick-lit as well as Kate Atkinson, Tony Parsons and Harlan Coben. They're all master story-tellers, and just as importantly they know when to stop.

What next?

Many readers have commented that the characters in One Night at the Jacaranda cry out to have their lives play out in another novel.  I'm therefore working on a sequel, but there's also a prequel simmering away in my head.  It will go back 15 years, to when some of the characters were students.  I loved being at university, so there are loads of ideas for this bubbling away already.

Thank you so much for joining us today Carol, Jaffa and I look forward to seeing the sequel to 

One Night at the Jacaranda.

***

My Thoughts on One Night at the Jacaranda

During the eponymous one night at the Jacaranda, four very different individuals come together for a speed dating evening. In three minute conversation bursts, lives are laid bare, hidden hopes, fears and failings are brushed away, and the bright veneer of high expectation gathers momentum. The observation of such a night creates fodder for undercover journalist Harriet, who is only there to raise enough copy for her next piece of writing, and yet unwittingly gets drawn into the whole premise of what happens next.

The story is cleverly written and exposes the lives of the characters as they slowly interact in the aftermath of their first meeting, and although on the surface they have nothing in common, gradually common bonds are realised and as the different strands of the story come together, what is revealed are lives blighted by secrets, lies, hidden terrors and unfulfilled dreams.

My initial impression of the story was that it would be a light and frothy chick lit type of romance but I couldn't have been more wrong. What I got was a warm-hearted and compassionate story about the vagaries of modern life, written in a lively and fun style. Undoubtedly, the writer has a real skill with words, her ability to tell a good story really shines through and her affection for, and understanding of, her characters make this a commendable debut novel.

Recommended.

*~*~*

Review ~ Guilty by Jane Bidder

Accent Press
January 2014

As the result of a momentary lapse in concentration, Simon Mills causes the death, by dangerous driving, of a family friend. What then follows is a cautionary story of the resulting consequences, when Simon, once a successful solicitor, is sent to prison to atone for his crime. The story focuses on the very real problems of what happens when families are split apart. For those who live on the outside, life will never be the same again, and Claire, Simon’s wife, is forced to make some really harsh decisions which impact on both herself and her son, Ben. Prison life is no bed of roses either, and Simon is constantly plagued by guilt as he is forced to recognise his own culpability.

Written in two distinct parts; the first deals with Simon’s time in prison, the second when he is eventually released, both stories focus on the alternate viewpoints of Simon and Claire and make for compelling reading. The author writes with great conviction so that life ‘inside’ really comes alive with all its rules, regulations, petty squabbles and insidious boredom. Equally compelling is the story of Claire’s overwhelming struggle on the outside, as she copes with the crisis of losing everything she once considered important.

Overall, this was a compelling and thought provoking read. The story flows really well, and neither patronises nor sensationalises what is happening on both the inside and the outside, and yet successfully serves as a warning that this really could happen to anyone.

Recommended.

My thanks to Accent Press for my ecopy of this book.

Guilty is out now in Paperback and on Kindle

*~*~*

Sunday War Poets...

Thomas Hardy

(1840-1928)

"MEN WHO MARCH AWAY"

(Song of the Soldiers)

WHAT of the faith and fire within us  Men who march away  Ere the barn-cocks say  Night is growing grey, To hazards whence no tears can win us; What of the faith and fire within us Men who march away! Is it a purblind prank, O think you, Friend with the musing eye Who watch us stepping by, With doubt and dolorous sigh? Can much pondering so hoodwink you? Is it a purblind prank, O think you, Friend with the musing eye? Nay. We see well what we are doing. Though some may not see— Dalliers as they be— England's need are we; Her distress would leave us rueing: Nay. We well see what we are doing! Though some may not see! In our heart of hearts believing Victory crowns the just, And that braggarts must Surely bite the dust, Press we to the field ungrieving, In our heart of hearts believing Victory crowns the just. Hence the faith and fire within us Men who march away Ere the barn-cocks say Night is growing grey, To hazards whence no tears can win us; Hence the faith and fire within us Men who march away. Thomas Hardy September 5, 1914. *** Although known for his Wessex inspired classic fiction, Thomas Hardy considered himself to be a poet and is now considered to be one of the greatest twentieth century poets. Men Who March Away was written in September 1914 at the very start of the Great War when English optimism was running high and the war was fully expected to be over 'by Christmas'. Hardy was no stranger to war poetry and had penned several during the earlier Boer War - he took a pragmatic approach to conflict and Men Who March Away is seen as a rallying cry. *~*~*