Book Review ~ Islands of Mercy by Rose Tremain

 

Chatto and Windus
10 September 2020

Thanks to the publishers for my ecopy of this book 

She was ‘The Angel of the Baths’, the one woman whose touch everybody yearned for. Yet she would do more. She was certain of that.

In the city of Bath, in the year 1865, an extraordinary young woman renowned for her nursing skills is convinced that some other destiny will one day show itself to her. But when she finds herself torn between a dangerous affair with a female lover and the promise of a conventional marriage to an apparently respectable doctor, her desires begin to lead her towards a future she had never imagined.

Meanwhile, on the wild island of Borneo, an eccentric British ‘rajah’, Sir Ralph Savage, overflowing with philanthropy but compromised by his passions, sees his schemes relentlessly undermined by his own fragility, by man’s innate greed and by the invasive power of the forest itself.

Jane’s quest for an altered life and Sir Ralph’s endeavours become locked together as the story journeys across the globe – from the confines of an English tearoom to the rainforests of a tropical island via the slums of Dublin and the transgressive fancy-dress boutiques of Paris.

Islands of Mercy is a novel that ignites the senses, and is a bold exploration of the human urge to seek places of sanctuary in a pitiless world.

What did I think about it..

Irish immigrant, Clorinda Morrissey sets up a tea shop in the city of Bath. There she comes into contact with Dr William Adeane, a practitioner who is tending the sick, along with his daughter, Jane, who is known, because of her compassionate nursing skills, as the Angel of Bath. Jane Adeane is a complex character, filled with  a longing for something she doesn't yet know she needs. She flees the city, after a conventional proposal of marriage and goes to reside with her rather Bohemian relative in London, there she meets someone who will change her life forever.

The Borneo connection sits somewhat incongruously at first and I wasn't really sure how this would fit in with the rest of the story but it does eventually pull together and it was interesting to see the layers peeled back revealing the rather jaded lifestyle of Sir Ralph Savage. An interesting character and a marvelous place to set a story, but sadly, neither the place nor the people, held any sort of interest for me.

I wanted to like this book and after reading so many glowing reviews I expected to be blown away by it and, sadly, I wasn't. The Borneo aspects of the story was something I could very easily have skipped through and I'm afraid to say it but I found Jane to be profoundly irritating. The saving grace of the story was Clorinda Morrissey's place in it.  Her strength of purpose and determination shines through in a world where so often women were greatly overlooked. She also made a great sponge cake 😐

About the Author

Rose Tremain's best-selling novels have won many awards, including the Baileys Women's Prize, the Whitbread Novel of the Year, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Prix Femina Etranger. Restoration, the first of her novels to feature Robert Merivel, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. (Goodreads)

Hist Fic Saturday ~ The Women's at Hitler's Table by Rosella Postorino

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to ...WW2

Harper Collins
ebook 1 August 2019
Hardback 14 November 2019

Translated by Leah Janeczko

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

East Prussia, 1943. Hitler hides away in the Wolfsshanze – his hidden headquarters. The tide is turning in the war and his enemies circle ever closer.

Ten women are chosen.

Ten women to taste his food and protect him from poison.

Twenty-six-year-old Rosa has lost everything to this war. Her parents are dead. Her husband is fighting on the front line. Alone and scared, she faces the SS with nothing but the knowledge every bite might be her last.

Caught on the wrong side of history, how far is Rosa willing to go to survive?

What did I think about it..

Towards the latter years of WW2 Hitler was becoming increasingly paranoid and even though he was hiding himself away in the Wolfsshanze in East Prussia, the fear of being poisoned was never very far from his mind. In this fictional account ten women are chosen to act as food tasters and so protect Hitler from poison.

Rosa has recently moved from the city to live with her parents-in-law in a supposedly safer environment but soon after her arrival she is chosen to be one of Hitler's food tasters and Rosa realises that she has merely swapped one danger for another far more insidious threat. The SS collect Rosa from her home in a rural community and take her, and others, to Hitler's lair where they are given high quality vegetarian meals as Hitler didn't eat meat, but sumptuous and plentiful though the food was, Rosa couldn't begin to relax enough to appreciate the food on offer.

This is far more than the story about the food on Hitler's table, it's about the horrors of war and the absolute terror of living life with no idea if each day was to be your last. Rosa's somewhat troubled relationship with the other taster women, who see her as a city girl, and Rosa's very real fear for the life of her soldier husband makes the story all the more poignant.

The Women at Hitler's Table is inspired by the true story of Margot Wölk, who was the only survivor of the 15 original women who were chosen as food tasters. Margot only revealed her story, and her horrific wartime experiences, when she was 95 years old. This fictional account is a fitting tribute to her courage and fortitude, and of the immense pressure that the taster women faced on a daily basis.

About the Author

Rosella Postorino is an internationally bestselling author and an editor. She speaks fluent English, Italian, French, and German. The Women at Hitler’s Table is her first novel to be translated into English.

Twitter @HarperCollins

Review ~ The Quiet Earth by Elizabeth Harris

Endeavour

I lost touch with this author when this excellent set of historical fiction went out of print. So, I was delighted to find that her books have been reissued in digital form and are accessible once more. Revisiting The Quiet Earth was a real treat, as not only did I devour it the first time around in the 1990s, but also I reread it just as avidly this time around.

Set in the Wye Valley in 1994, Nina is an ecologist working with archaeologists on a site which is about eight centuries old but Nina has some hidden secrets and when her life becomes intertwined with that of Roese and Mark in the thirteenth century you quickly realise that the past is about to encroach on the future.

I loved this story, it's atmospheric and edgy with a delicious creepiness which infuses the page with a real sense of history. The modern day elements, and yes, I realise that 1994 is no longer classed as modern, sits comfortably alongside the historical. For all that it was written twenty two years ago, it does feel, in places, remarkably contemporary, and could still have been written today.

Elizabeth Harris writes dual time narratives very competently and can blend past and present like no other author I know, so that reading her books is like stepping into a superior time travelling machine. Such is the power of her storytelling that you have to occasionally look up from reading to make sure that you are still in the here and now.

I am really thrilled to find that most of Elizabeth  Harris's back catalogue is being converted to digital by Endeavour Press, I can't wait to catch up with some old friends.

About the author

Elizabeth Harris was born in Cambridge and brought up in Kent, where she now lives. After graduation she hid a variety of jobs including driving a van, being a lifeguard and working in the Civil Service. She has travelled extensively in Europe and America, and lived for some years in the Far East. Elizabeth Harris was one of the finalists of the 1989 Ian St James Awards. She is an acclaimed writer with many novels to her name. In The Quiet Earth , she deftly weaves the challenges and questions of modern life into those of the distant past, to deliver a story brimming with intrigue, history and romance. 

**Elizabeth Harris also writes historical crime fiction as Alys Clare**

My thanks to Endeavour Press and NetGalley for my review copy of this book.

~***~

Review ~ The Ballroom by Anna Hope

Doubleday
Random House UK, Transworld Publishers
February 11 2016

In the long hot summer of 1911, the inmates of Sharston Mental Asylum in Yorkshire swelter in the heat. A touch of breeze and a glimmer of sky are only possible for a few fortunate men who find release in the oblivion of hard manual labour, and yet, just sometimes, a glimpse of swallows in flight reminds them what it is to be human. The women, often subjected to repetitive and monotonous drudgery, have no such escape from the mundane of this desperate world. Closed doors and segregation mark this as a place of hopelessness, a place were neither love nor charity is allowed to flourish.

Doctor Charles Fuller, one of medical officers, struggling to find his own place in the world, uses his love of music to try to get into the psyche of the damaged souls in his care. A weekly dance held in the ornate ballroom is the only time that the men and women are allowed to come together, and in a macabre ritual, the social niceties, whilst not observed in the usual sense, allow the participants a small dream of pleasure. John, Ella and Clem are inmates, incarcerated in Sharston Asylum for very different reasons and yet, though lost, lonely, forgotten and hopelessly subjugated, they find that their lives are irretrievably tangled together.

There is no doubt that the author has done a commendable job in allowing this story to take flight, and by weaving together some factual information with compelling fiction, a strong story emerges. Her extensive research reveals not just the sensitive subject of mental illness in an age when incarceration was the only viable treatment, but it also exposes the shadowy and rather disturbing world of selective eugenics. The characters literally leap off the page and enter into your subconscious. They beguile and mesmerise, they make you both angry and sad and undoubtedly, they make you rant at the injustice of a system which created more far problems than it ever solved. 

By giving a voice to those hopelessly demoralised souls who spent their lives languishing in mental institutions for the simple offense of being different, Anna Hope has written a book of extraordinary compassion and overwhelming beauty.

Best Read with....thick slices of humble pie and restorative gulps of brandy...

About the Author

Anna Hope is a writer and actress. Her first novel, Wake was published, to great acclaim in 2014.

Twitter @Anna_Hope

End Note :

It’s fair to say that most major towns in the UK had a mental institution of some kind. They were those crumbling Victorian edifices, which stood like sentinels, guardians of terrible secrets which were too harrowing to recall. I remember as a child passing the red brick walls of a local asylum and my mother quietly telling me that that's where the sad people lived. And as a nurse working in Leeds in the 1980s, I am familiar with the psychiatric hospital, High Royds, in Menston, on which The Ballroom is based.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

~***~

Review ~ Viral by Helen Fitzgerald..

Faber and Faber Ltd
2016

When twenty-three thousand and ninety six people have seen you in a compromising situation which makes you slither and crawl with humiliation, there really is nothing that you can do to feel remotely better about yourself.  Teenager, Su Oliphant-Brotheridge is about to find out just how bad her life can get when a compromising video clip of herself in a Magaluf nightclub goes viral.

What then follows is a very modern story about the pitfalls of social media, particularly when mobile uploads can make or break people in milliseconds. The author does a commendable job of weaving the story away from its rather shocking opening sentence and delivers a salutary tale about the quirks of modern family life and of the petty jealousies which so often simmer below the surface. I think it also highlighted the insecurity of someone living in an environment not of their own choosing, of the heart-breaking search for lost identity and the complicated enigma of sibling rivalry.

The story sets off a cracking pace and never falters in what it sets out to deliver which is a moralistic story about what happens when private goes public. There is no doubt that many readers will pick up the book just to read the six words which make up its opening line, but the book is about so much more than that. It’s not all about shabby voyeurism, it’s also about calculated revenge and the search for identity, it’s about family and a feeling of belonging and it’s also about hope for a future which at first glance seems damaged beyond repair.

Perhaps if more people were to read of the unimaginable horror of what ‘could’ happen when a mobile phone gets into the hands of someone with no moral scruples, maybe, just maybe… it might make them think twice about what they share with the world.

Best read with…a strong cup of tea and a plate of your favourite biscuits…

About the Author

Find on Twitter @FitzHelen

My thanks to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for my copy of  Viral. 

~***~

Review ~ The Widow by Fiona Barton

Random House UK Transworld Publishers
Bantam Press
January 14 2016

Sometimes a book hits my book radar long before it's published and there has been a fair amount of hype on social media about The Widow, so my expectation was high long before I started to read what is being hailed as the psychological thriller of 2016. Despite the hype, I always try to have an open mind about any book I read, preferring, where I can, to make up  my own mind.

And so to The Widow, which, for me, has all the elements of a highly inventive story. The eponymous widow, Jean Taylor, is our guide over much of the story, she's the quintessential unstable narrator, because, as the books flips around in time, we are never quite sure of what to make of her. We know at the very start of the novel that her husband, Glen, is dead, that comes as no spoiler, after all, the clue is in the title, but, as this rather tragic story starts to unfold, do I really believe Jean’s version of events, can I reconcile what’s happening behind closed doors, with the naivety of a woman who disregards her husband’s rather bizarre behaviour as his bit of ‘nonsense’?

I am quite taken with this newly emerging domestic noir genre, and I quite believe that The Widow is up there with the best of them. It’s a clever book, well controlled but not overly demonstrative. It has a quiet confidence and a really subtle touch, and the narrative very quickly draws you into a story of two people who are each superbly flawed, and it must be said, totally unlikable, but for very different reasons. Glen Taylor has no redeeming features, he’s dark and dirty, a dangerous manipulator who schemes and plans and ever so subtly undermines everything that is right and proper. And then there’s Jean the widow, alone, vulnerable, carrying secrets and making up lies, twisting the truth, planning small victories as she sees them, but with long reaching repercussions. 

I’m not going to tell you anything about the plot, counter plot and all the manipulations that occur as that would be to do the author a complete disservice. What I will say is that I read the story quickly, starting it early one morning as heavy clouds overhead started to snow, and so the coldness of the story started to seep into my bones, and I found that I couldn’t leave the book alone until, with tired eyes, I had read the story in one sitting.

Some people have felt a bit let down by the ending, but I think that it was a perfectly acceptable way to wrap up the story. I agree that’s there’s no dramatic dénouement, but for me that’s where the strength of the story lies, in the multi-layered minutiae of ordinary lives, which should have been oh, so normal and yet, which, in the final analysis, went horribly wrong.

Best read with honey laced, frothy hot milk and chunks of bitter chocolate.

 About the Author

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press

for my copy of The Widow.

~***~

Review ~ The Other Half of My Heart by Stephanie Butland

Random House UK
Black Swan
2015

What Memories Are You Hiding?

I first came across this author's work, last year when I read her novel, Surrounded by Water, (aka Letter to my Husband) so it was a lovely surprise to catch up with some of the characters from that novel, in The Other Half of My Heart. Although, it must be said that this novel is an entirely separate story, and not a sequel. 

It focuses on the story of Bettina May, a thirty something woman with a secret past,which at times, threatens to overwhelm her. Bettina finds comfort in baking the most delicious bread and her village bakery is the source of much comfort to her. She pours her heart and soul into the bread she lovingly bakes, and rather than risk getting hurt, Bettina shields herself from getting too close to anyone. Her relationship with her lover, Rufus, is filled with a reticent tenderness, which at times, Bettina doesn't seem to know how to handle. Very cleverly, and rather like putting together a literary jigsaw puzzle, the story is revealed, and we travel back to a time, some, fifteen years ago, when Bettina was a teenager known as Tina, in love for the first time and with her whole life ahead of her. The reasons for Bettina's reluctance to get close to people and the, rather, strained relationship she has with her mother, starts to make sense.

I thought this was a really poignant story, cleverly highlighting how life can change in a heartbeat and that if feelings are hidden away, the repercussions can last a whole lifetime. It's also about finding love, holding it tight and never letting it go, and equally it's the story of unbelievable suffering and of heartbreaking loss on  a grand scale. Stephanie Butland writes so beautifully, that I must admit that I had a walloping great lump in my throat on more than one occasion and at times, needed to take a break from reading in order to gather my thoughts.

It's an emotional story that will resonate long after the last page is turned.

Best Read with a strong expresso and thick slices of crusty Scarborough cob, loaded with butter.

About the Author

Amazon UK

My thanks to NetGalley and  Random House, Transworld Publishers for my copy of this novel.

~***~

Review ~ Master of Shadows by Neil Oliver

Orion
September 2015

The Blurb :

In fifteenth-century Constantinople, Prince Constantine saves the life of a broken-hearted girl. But the price of his valour is high.

John Grant is a young man on the edge of the world. His unique abilities carry him from his home in Scotland to the heart of the Byzantine Empire in search of a girl and the chance to fulfil a death-bed promise.

Lena has remained hidden from the men who have been searching for her for many years. When she's hunted down, at last she knows what she must do.

With an army amassing beyond the city's ancient walls, the fates of these three will intertwine. As the Siege of Constantinople reaches its climax, each must make a choice between head and heart, duty and destiny

When I first picked up this book, I of course, imaged the narrative spoken in the wonderfully rich Scottish voice of its author, Neil Oliver, and, I wasn't disappointed by that, although there were times when the written narrative appeared a little more clumsy. There's no doubting the author's passion for his subject matter, and there is a nice realism to the story which comes from someone who clearly knows and understands history very well. It's more the overall effect of the story that left me feeling rather let down, and for once, I'm struggling to say why I was so underwhelmed. But somehow, the timeline of the plot lost me at times, and I found myself doing the unspeakable and skipping chunks of story to get through it.

The fall of Constantinople is not a subject that I am familiar with, and so, maybe the overall problem with the story lies with me, rather than the author, who on this occasion, failed to inspire me. I must, however, conclude on a positive note, to say that the cover is sumptuous and portrays the book very well.

I'm not despondent, as I am sure that my still, small voice will barely make a speck in the many reviews from readers who feel that they engaged better with the story and found more to enjoy than I did.

About the Author

Amazon UK

My thanks to Orion Publishing Group andNetGalley for my copy of this book.

Review ~ Thursday's Children by Nicci French

Penguin Books
Michael Joseph
2014

It's always a relief when you pick up book 4 in series of crime novels, only to find that it's as good, if not better than those that have gone before. I am fast becoming fascinated by the main protagonist, psychotherapist, Freida Klein. She is truly an enigma, and previous stories have only hinted at, but never fully explained anything about her past. 

Thursday's Children, sees Freida return to her childhood home, ostensibly to look after her mother, who has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. But as always Freida gets drawn into a mystery, which, although happening in the here and now, also spans decades, and reopens memories for Freida, which she had rather kept hidden.

I think this has been my favourite of the books so far, mainly because it gets into Freida's psyche and reveals just how vulnerable she is and the reasons why that vulnerability has been so well hidden.

The interesting relationship between Freida and her mother is tight and scarily realistic but it is the relationship Freida has with her teenage school friends, now much older, of course,  where the mystery really bites hard. I enjoyed visiting this wild and windswept part of Norfolk with Freida, and all credit to the authors for maintaining the momentum of the series in such a fabulous way.

I loved it and can't wait to read the next book in the series, Friday On My Mind...

About the author

Nicci French is the husband and wife team of journalist Nicci Gerrard and writer Sean French.

Amazon UK

My Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for my copy of this book.

~***~

Review ~ Waiting for Wednesday by Nicci French

Waiting for Wednesday

Michael Joseph
2013

This is the third book in the excellent Freida Klein series of psychological thrillers from the talented husband and wife writing duo, Nicci French. Waiting for Wednesday is an altogether darker story than the previous two books and picks up where book two, Tuesday's Gone ended, with psychotherapist, Freida, still recovering from her catastrophic trauma from the previous story. Supposedly recuperating at home, Freida gets in inadvertently drawn into the investigation into the murder of seemingly, ordinary mum, Ruth Lennox. 

As always, with these novels, Freida is quickly drawn into the very heart and soul of the story and the many twists and turns in the narrative really keep you gripped from beginning to end. The writing is excellent, with the stories getting stronger and stronger. I'm not sure that I can reveal too much of the plot without giving too much away, except to say that there are couple of dangerous episodes for Freida, and as always you start to fear for her well-being and peace of mind. The eclectic mix of characters who support Freida are again in full voice, I especially love the relationship Freida has with Josef, and enjoy reading about the vitriolic relationship she has with her nemesis and fellow psychotherapist,  Hal Bradshaw.

The murder at the heart of the story is well explained and the police banter between DCI Karlsson and his team feels authentic without being too procedural but it's also nice to get to know a little about the investigative team as people rather than just police officers.

My opinion is that you should read these stories in the order in which they were written, as to start mid series would detract from the overall effect and you would miss all the subtle nuances of the sum total of these excellent crime stories.

My thanks to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

~***~

Review ~ The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies.

Penguin Random House
August 2015

When nineteen year old Gwendolyn Hooper steps of the steam ship in Ceylon, she is excited to start married life with her handsome husband, Laurence. Life on the remote tea plantation is very different from her life in England, but Gwen is determined to make the most of her new life. Totally in love with Laurence, Gwen is puzzled when he appears to become secretive and distant and quite unlike the man she fell in love with, and added to the marital discord, is the appearance of Laurence's younger sister, Verity, whose bizarre possessiveness towards Laurence, makes it difficult for Gwen to be accepted as mistress of her own home.

Captivated and enthralled from the very start of the novel, I quickly became immersed in plantation life and saw that Gwen’s rather naïve outlook on life would make for compelling reading. Idealistic and filled with only kindness, Gwen tries to make sense of this rather archaic way of life and even though she doesn’t fully understand the running of the plantation, she is determined to make a difference. The story is beautifully written, with a true sense of time and place, and brings to life, not just the social history of Ceylon but also the fundamental changes which were happening towards the end of colonialism in the 1920s and 1930s. From the decadent house parties of the late 1920s, to the abject poverty of the plantation workers, I felt like I had stepped into Gwen’s shoes and experienced everything as she saw it. I wore her sumptuous flapper dresses with their beads and fripperies, and strolled with her and Laurence through the cool of the evening towards a lake where sparkled light glistened and danced.

The Tea Planter’s Wife is a story about contrasts, about what is right and proper, and of the great price paid by adhering to social and cultural expectations. It’s also about secrets and lies, of the huge burden of culpability and of the hidden dangers of deceit and overwhelming sadness. After reading this author’s previous book, The Separation, which I absolutely loved, I had misgivings that this one wouldn’t live up to expectations, but I am delighted to say that this book exceeded all my hopes. I was beguiled, immersed and completely overwhelmed by the power of the story and of my emotional connection to it.

A perfect accompaniment to a delicious cup of Ceylon tea, The Tea Planter's Wife is without doubt one of my reads of the year...

Amazon UK

About the Author

I am delighted to say that The Tea Planter's Wife has been picked as one of the Richard and Judy book club Autumn reads.

 My thanks to Celeste at Penguin Random House for my copy of this book and the 

to Kandula for the delicious Ceylon tea bags which accompanied the book.

~***~

  

Review ~ Disclaimer by Renee Knight

Random House
Transworld Publishers
2015

On the surface, Catherine Ravenscroft, and her husband, Robert seem to have everything and yet hidden away in their marriage are cracks which conceal shared disappointments and tragedy.When Catherine and Robert move into a new property, Catherine is disturbed to find a book by her bedside which, when she starts to read, is about  something that happened, over twenty years ago, in her own life. The usual book disclaimer has been scored through in red pen. Catherine has no knowledge of where this book has come from. and this unsettling notion forms the basis for this psychological suspense story, which puts the microscope under lives which are about to be unraveled and altered forever.

The writing overall is reasonably good and the tightness of the plot is well controlled in places, but  it does have a tendency to meander. Initially, I was interested enough to want to know what happened in Catherine's past and why she was reacting as she did. And then, by about a third of the way into the novel,  I'm afraid that my attention started to wander and, if I'm honest, I became a bit bored by the whole thing ,until I just stopped caring about what happened to any of them.

I can appreciate that the novel fits comfortably within the domestic noir genre format and as such will have general appeal. It's a cleverly contrived debut novel but, on this occasion,  it didn't just work for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House Transworld Publishers for the chance to read this one.

~***~

Review ~ The Liar by Nora Roberts

Little Brown Book Group UK
2015

Shelby Pomeroy has to come to terms with her husband Richard's death, whilst at the same time being burdened with a spiraling level of debt. With little knowledge of her husband's business affairs, Shelby knows that in order to pay back the staggering mount of money that is owed by overspending on credit cards and house purchases, she must do everything she can to make amends and also she must be able to provide a stable future for her four year old daughter, Callie. Returning home to Tennessee, Shelby is welcomed back by her family and with a supportive network of people around her, she hopes to be able to readjust to life as a young widow. But Richard's shady business deals means that he has made dangerous enemies and Shelby is about to find out just how much Richard has kept from her.

Nora Roberts' unique brand of story telling draws you into a story that is deliciously and unashamedly romantic,  And yet, even though The Liar, has a rather dark edge to it there is never any gratuitous violence, and you always know that the good guy will win in the end, and the bad guy will get his comeuppance. There's the usual detailed characterisation, with some wonderful interaction between Shelby and her mother and grandmother, both of whom I wish I could meet in person, and of course, there is the handsome and rather perfect Griffin, who from their first meeting, is smitten by the sombre young widow and her delightful little girl.

I always look upon a new Nora Robert's story as a real indulgent treat, and even though I've been reading her books for the last twenty years, I can only count a couple of her stories which didn't work for me. This one certainly worked for me.

It's as deliciously dark as a cup of hot chocolate but there's also a smattering of sticky pink marshmallows to keep the edges as sweet as candy.

More about Nora Roberts

Amazon UK

My thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for sharing this book with me.

~***~

Review ~ The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly

Bantam Press
Random House UK Transworld Publishers
August 27 2015

He wants her. At any price.

There is one thing of which I am absolutely sure and that is, to be in possession of a new Paula Daly novel, is akin to winning a literary lotto. All six of your numbers come up at once and as you sit comfortably in your favourite reading chair time simply ceases to exist in the here and now, and you are instantly taken to another time and place, and very quickly find yourself amongst people who become as familiar as friends. And as you do with friends, you laugh with them, hurt with them and try to understand when they make decisions you inherently know are going to bring them a whole heap of trouble.

Roz, a physiotherapist, is desperately struggling to makes ends meet after her profligate ex-husband left her with crippling debts. It’s a common belief that a professional career should earn enough to be able to fill the car with petrol and make sure that there’s food on the table, but life is difficult and Roz is faced with some really tough choices. Amongst her choices, is one being made by Scott Elias, a local man with enough disposable income to get what he wants, and what he wants is to pay for a sexual encounter with Roz. But gratification comes with a high price tag, and the intimate liaison Scott suggests is a way for Roz to escape her money worries forever, but the moral code by which Roz has lived her life is so harshly called into question that you can’t help but be emotionally affected by the choices she makes.

The Mistake I Made is gripping, it’s a real page turner, it’s everything you want in a suspenseful novel and it exemplifies just how clever Paula Daly is at writing about strong, decisive women who have bucket loads of charisma and yet who are as fatally flawed as the rest of us. For those who have read the author’s previous books, there’s a nice sense of continuity as The Mistake I Made is also set in the English Lake District and it features a very welcome appearance by DC Joanne Aspinall who we have met before. As always, though, the book stands completely confidently as a standalone story with more than enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. 

From beginning to end, I absolutely loved it, and I really can’t wait to see what’s to come next from this talented author.

When I'm compiling my books of 2015, The Mistake I Made will definitely be on the list ..

About the Author

Paula Daly lives in Cumbria with her husband, three children and whippet Skippy. Before becoming a writer she was a freelance physiotherapist

Follow Paula on Twitter @pauladalyauthor

The Mistake I Made will be published on the 27 August 2015 by Bantam Press

Amazon UK

My thanks to NetGalley and Randon House UK, Transworld for my copy of this book

~***~

Review ~ The Confectioner's Tale by Laura Madeleine

Random House UK
Transworld Publishers
2015

La Belle Époque in France is a time of great change and for Guillerme du Frere, the chance to travel to Paris is an opportunity not to be missed. At the renowned Patisserie Clermont in Paris, Guillerme discovers not just the sensational art of confectionery, but also falls in forbidden love with Jeanne Clermont, the confectioner's daughter. Eighty years later,  PhD student, Petra Stevenson is determined to protect the good name of her recently deceased grandfather, from a biographer who is determined to sully her grandfather's reputation.

What then follows is an interesting dual time story which intertwines the story of Guillerme, with that of Petra's search for the truth. As dual time narratives go, I thought that this was an interesting story, with perhaps the events of 1909 Paris overshadowing the 1988 search that Petra undertakes. If I'm honest, I found myself more entranced with the story of Guillerme and Jeanne and of their illicit romance amongst the spun sugar and melted chocolate, than with Petra and her search for the skeletons in her grandfather's closet. But as the story starts to come together, and as the loose ends coalesce and combine, a story of intrigue and long buried secrets starts to emerge.

Overall, this is a nicely written dual time story with some lovely descriptions of Paris in the early part of the twentieth century. A bittersweet love story which sweeps across two very different time frames, which I am sure will appeal to those readers who enjoy this type of historical fiction.

About the Author

Amazon UK

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK ,Transworld Publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

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Review ~ Normal by Graeme Cameron

Mira
2015

I'm not sure I knew what to expect when I started to read this book about a serial killer. I'd read a few reviews that said they had found themselves laughing during reading it which I thought seemed entirely incongruous about a book about serial killing but in reality I found that some parts of the book were funny but I'm still not sure it was funny in a 'good way'.

The story is darkly observed, almost a definition of what can be classified as normal, It's well written, quirky , totally original and quite, quite different from the usual crime thriller genre.

I read it quickly which I think is the best way to deal with it. And don't think too deeply and don't try to rationalise something which is as entirely removed from normality, as it's possible to be.

My thanks to Mira and NetGalley for the chance to read something different. 



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Review ~ Another Heartbeat in the House by Kate Beaufoy

Transworld
2015

An old house full of memories is the focus for this dual time narrative which is set in the 1930s and the 1840s and combines the stories of Edie Chadwick and Eliza Drury. Two women who are living a hundred years apart and yet, the story of a house, shrouded in mystery, binds them irrevocably together.

The story is nicely divided with a clear delineation of who is speaking and the time in which the chapter is set. There is a distinct difference between the time frames and both of these young women are adept at telling their story, although, if I'm honest, I did rather prefer Eliza's story in the 1840s,  as Edie's talking dog,  Milo, did irritate me a little, and yet, I know he was the necessary focus for Edie's internal dialogue about the mystery she was uncovering.

I read the book quickly, immersing myself in the cultural aspects of rural Ireland with Eliza and her love affair with the married, Jameson St Leger, which was romantic and sweet, and yet somehow, I felt lacking real passion. I'm also not terribly convinced that Eliza's rather unorthodox relationship with William Makepeace Thackeray was realistic enough but it added a literary interest, particularly in light of Eliza's passion for writing. I enjoyed learning about Eliza's life story and felt that her feisty personality came across well. Edie, on the other hand, I felt was rather bland and found myself drifting through her chapters in the hope of getting back to Eliza's story.

Overall , it was light easy read for a summer afternoon in the garden but lacked a certain oomph which I'm afraid, for me,  makes it a bit underwhelming.

My thanks to NetGalley and Transworld for my copy of Another Heartbeat in the House 

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Review ~ A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale

Headline
Tinder Press
2015

I'm a bit late to the party with this one, and it seems rather incongruous to be reading about a place called Winter in the middle of an English Summer, but that's where the incredulity stops, as before I'd even got to the end of the first few pages, I was completely hooked on this quietly confident novel which explores the concept of family and what that means in its broadest sense.

There is real authenticity to the narrative, from the golden age of Edwardian England, to the stark, unforgiving backdrop of the Canadian wilderness, the author does a commendable job in allowing the the novel to tell its own unique story. There are no unnecessary words, no superfluous descriptions and no altered imagery, just glorious storytelling. There is much to take in: the opening scenes are brutally graphic and at first, made me wonder where the story was taking me, and so, I was ill prepared for the actual beauty of the story, and the evocative way in which Harry Cane's story is told, piece by beautiful piece.

Other reviewers far more eloquent than I have said, that words don't do this book enough justice, and I absolutely agree with that premise. It really is  one of those books which should be read in glorious detail with no preconceptions, and whether you choose to read it in the heat of summer or during the frost of a bleak midwinter, just be prepared to lose track of time, because once started, you won't want it to stop until Harry's story is told.

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline / Tinder Press for my copy of A Place Called Winter.

About the Author

Amazon UK

Review ~ How I lost You by Jenny Blackhurst

Headline
2015

Three years ago Susan Webster was sent to psychiatric prison for killing her three month old son, Dylan. On her release from prison she becomes someone with a new identity and hopes to start afresh but then someone sends her a photograph of  toddler called Dylan and her world explodes in more ways than one.

This is a very clever psychological thriller which certainly cranks up the tension and creates an air of menace which is as compelling as it is intriguing. There is much to take in, both in terms of a story being told in flashback and its relevance to what's happening in the here and now. Obviously, to reel off the plot verbatim would be to spoil this story entirely. It's really worth reading for those genuine gasp out loud moments which have you frantically scurrying back through the pages to see what you've missed in the rush to find out what happens next.

I love a good psychological thriller and this is certainly up there with the rest of the current crop of female authors who do this genre so very well.

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for my copy of this book.

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Review ~ Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans

Simon & Schuster
March 2015

Australian, Jesse Marley comes to the UK in 1981 to discover more about her background. An unexpected accident results in Jesse coming into contact with a neurology doctor, Rory Brandon, who is intrigued by Jesse and her ability to draw pictures of his family home in Scotland.

In 1321, the Dieudonné family, custodians of Hundredfield, are a Scottish/Norman borderland family, who are intrigued by a strange young woman, who comes into their home and who makes them question everything they once knew to be true. What then follows is a dual time novel which blends very different times frames in a story which alludes to the struggle women have had, throughout the ages, to be heard and recognised.

I have to admit to being rather disappointed with this story. I so much wanted to like it and yet found myself increasingly irritated by Jesse, to the point where I didn’t really care enough about what happened to her. The historical time flip, was for me the strongest part of the story, and, I’m afraid that even this failed to live up to my expectations. I thought the story was disappointing , and whilst I have long been a fan of this author’s work and have read everything she has written to date, I do feel that this story lets her down and isn’t as strong as her previous work.

The hint of a suggestion that this book compares favourably to Diana Gabaldon’s excellent Outlander is misleading. There is no link to be made, apart from the Scottish setting, as neither the strength of the story, nor the time frame bears any such comparison.

I hate being disappointed by a favourite author but as always make up your own mind , you may well find something in the story that I didn't , and that to me, is what makes reading such a fascinating adventure.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my copy of this book.

About the author

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