Dreamrunner by Clare Jay

Leo is a 6-almost 7 year old boy, living with his parents in a suburb of Lisbon, Portugal. He is the centre of his parents', Olivia and Carlos',  world.  Gentle and loving by day, Carlos begins to suffer nightmares, violent, explosive nightmares that send him leaping and fighting around the house. When the nightmares happen, Carlos heads straight for Leo's bedroom and, when Olivia tries to stop him, he hits her or throws her out of the way. Terrified for the safety of herself and her son, Olivia has to choose between her husband and her boy.

Carlos's tale is told in flashbacks. He is 7 years old and has a secret friend, a street orphan of whom his rich and well connected father disapproves of strongly. Carlos' mother is dying and his aunt (his father's sister) sleep-walks into the kitchen and eats her way through the contents of cupboards and the fridge.

Clare Jay gradually and delicately compares Carlos the man with Carlos the boy, showing us the parallels between his boyhood and manhood. The story of his boyhood friend is mirrored in the presence of a street beggar in his adult life; his aunt's sleep-walking and his own nightmares and so on, and we come to see how Leo's 7th birthday is the catalyst for Carlos' dangerous behaviour. We learn about Leo, as his child's mind tries to process the strange things that are happening around him and his quest for resolution through the 'magic' of dolphins, a quest that takes him into even greater danger.

The secret that Carlos has kept for 30 years - the reason for his nocturnal violence - is revealed in the final chapter and is as shocking as anything that Olivia imagined.

This book is an exploration of family life, of the power of the unconscious and the damage that parental  manipulation can cause. Beautifully written, almost poetic in places, Clare Jay has a light touch and a rare insight into the minds of children.

With the touch of a thriller, a mystery and a generational family tale all rolled into one, this book is well worth a read. I kept turning the pages long after I should have turned out the light.

 

The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

In her short career (2 books - Black Water Rising and now The Cutting Season) Attica Locke has received plaudits from other authors, media critics and readers alike. In this, only her second book, she demonstrates, again, a steady hand on the tiller of slow moving crime suspense writing.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the breakdown of her relationship with Eric, Caren Gray moves herself and her daughter back to her childhood home, the Belle Vie estate in Louisiana . There she manages the estate as the tourist attraction it's become under the ownership of the last of the Clancy family. The house is used as a venue for conferences and weddings, and a cast of players performs a production meant to depict a snap-shot picture of life at Belle Vie during its days as a slave worked sugar plantation, for tourists.

Caren's quiet but busy life is turned upside down by the discovery of a young woman's body, buried after her throat has been cut, in a shallow grave on the estate's border with a sugar field across the road.

What follows is the story of Caren's desperate attempts to solve the crime and the mystery of the young woman's identity. She has real fears that her 9 year old daughter might, somehow, be involved in the crime, and the re-emergence of her former partner, Eric, in their lives complicates things. Caren's feelings become conflicted, which doesn't help her keep a clear head as she tries to understand what's been happening on 'her' estate. When a young man employed by the estate is arrested and charged with the murder, Caren becomes even more desperate to find out exactly what happened.

Then Caren learns that the estate is to be sold to an industrial farming combine, and the house and its ancillary buildings will be raised to the ground to make way for new sugar fields. Could the success of this deal be threatened by publicity surrounding the murder? Is the sale somehow connected? What does the history of Caren's ancestor, Jason, have to do with today's mystery?

This is a slow burning story, sometimes re-tracing itself, as Caren becomes more anxious and more determined to find answers in the face of police incompetence and stereo-typical assumptions. Tension builds gradually, carrying the reader forwards in skilful fashion. The plot is complex and almost leisurely in the way it performs the twists and turns of the very best crime stories. History and today collide in thought provoking fashion without a trace of sentimentality.

This book will appeal to lovers of crime fiction, mystery stories and those who have an empathy with the American deep south and its history. Recommended.

A Dark Matter by Peter Straub

The Guardian newspaper's critic said, about this book "……terrifying……" and "Gripping". Stephen King, that master of terror and suspense, said "Terrifying……impossible to put down", so I have to wonder - is it just me?

The story tells of 4 American High School students, 2 College 'frat boys' and a beautiful teenage girl who all fall under the spell of a man who purports to be a charismatic, travelling, free spirit, a psychic, a wizard. He tells them he can change the world, if only for a moment, through a special ritual that he proposes to hold in a local field. This is the 1960s, when the world seems to be full of people like this character, Spencer Mallon, so it's less difficult yo believe that these kids would follow a character like this than it is, perhaps, nowadays, in our more cynical times.

The story is told, in retrospect, by the husband of one of the main characters - a girl nicknamed the Eel (her name, Lee, backwards). It works less well in the UK, where the female variant is Leigh but that's by-the-by. His name is also Lee (confused? you will be!) Harwell and they, together, are nicknamed, the Twins.
The 4 students all have nicknames, too and Straub flips backwards and forwards between the full names, shortened names and nicknames often - sometimes several times in the same sentence. More confusion.

All 5 of these characters - the students plus the teenage girl - are telling their versions of the story to Lee (the husband) much later on in their histories, after years of being separated by life's experiences and the trauma of the night in the field with Spencer. The incident in the field is filled with weird and inexplicable happenings, such as the appearance of nightmarish creatures, a tear in the fabric of reality and violent death.

There is redemption in the telling, and a repairing of old, fractured, relationships, but there are also a number of hanging threads. Who, for example, is the character who appears at the edge of Lee's (the husband, not the Eel) vision? Who is the man who gives him a warning that saves his life, and why? these, and other questions, are never answered.

I found this book neither frightening or satisfactory. The explanations of what happened in the field are long - perhaps too long - and grow tedious, which isn't conducive to the generation of fear. As for frightening - well, it might work as a film (visual images are certainly more evocative) but I can't say that I was frightened anywhere in this story. It's laboured and loose in it's construction, so much so that I struggled to maintain my motivation to read it and almost gave up several times. Sorry, but can't recommend.

A Dark Matter is published by Doubleday.

Letters to my Daughter's Killer by Cath Staincliffe

This is a harrowing story, told in a series of letters from an ordinary grandmother, Ruth Sutton, whose much loved daughter, Lizzie, is murdered in her own home. Lizzie and her husband, Jack have a 4 year old daughter. They share childcare because they're both freelance - Lizzie as a sign language interpreter and Jack as an actor.

Ruth learns of her daughter's death in a phone call from Jack late one night. Lizzie has been horrendously beaten. Initially, suspicion falls on a stalker, who trouble the little family a couple of years before, but the police quickly discount him. Jack, shocked and stunned, says that "It's always the husband that they look at first, isn't it?" when he brings his little daughter to Ruth's house as the police look for evidence at his home.

In the years after the killer is caught, convicted and gaoled, Ruth's anger, grief and hatred grows. She realises that these feelings are destroying her life but can find no way of moving beyond them, even while helping her grand-daughter's recovery from the traumatic loss of her mother. So Ruth begins to write to the killer in gaol. She writes letter after letter, telling the story of Lizzie's childhood, of her and Jack as a couple, at what Lizzie's murder has done to her. She asks for answers to numerous questions.

No-one in my family has ever suffered from a violent crime, so I have no basis of experience about this subject. Nevertheless, I sank into this story and wanted to help this grieving mother. It made me realise, if I needed reminding, that there are many experiences from which people suffer that they have to suffer alone. That well intentioned sympathy and even the practical assistance of walking the dog, bringing food, running errands, offer little or nothing to the traumatised.

Whilst this is a difficult story to read, Cath Staincliffe handles the subject with rare insight, emotional intelligence and great sensitivity. Her research is meticulous. There is no happy ending to this story but there is a kind of hope, visible in the last page, for Ruth and her little family.

Handle with care before you read on, but it's well worth it. Recommended

"Letters to my Daughter's Killer" is published by Constable and Robinson, ISBN 978 1 78033 571 1 (paperback) and 978 1 78033 572 8 (eBook)

Fall from Grace by Richard North Patterson

Adam Blaine has moved as far away from his home in Martha's Vineyard as it's possible to be. He works as an agricultural advisor in Afganistan. At least, that's what he tells everyone. He's estranged from his father, Benjamin, a famous novelist but, when Ben dies in an apparent accident, Adam returns home for the funeral to find his mother has been disinherited and the circumstances of Ben's death are less than straightforward. Much to his amazement, Ben's will appoints Adam as the administrator of his estate.

Even though Adam is the administrator, he feels duty bound to his mother to try to overturn the will, protect his mother, uncle and brother from poverty and accusation, and get to the bottom of the circumstances of his father's death. What he uncovers is a labyrinth of lies, deceit, betrayal and secrets.

RN Patterson has written many books about secrets, guilt and judgement. In this one he populates his narrative with fine portraits of familiarly related and flawed characters, all with their secrets. Everything that happens is linked back to the character of the one person who features only as a dead man - Ben Blaine. We can, however, read between the lines as Patterson draws us into the weaknesses of the other characters - why did they allow their lives to be dominated so intently by Ben Blaine? What hold did he have on each of them? Why did he feel the insatiable need to dominate and control his family?

I found this to be a fascinating read about what motivates people and just how far will they go to protect their own weaknesses, which kept me turning the pages long after I should have turned out the light. I was keen to find out if Ben's death was an accident or if he was murdered. If he was murdered, was it one of those relatives or someone not yet introduced into the story? Characters whom the reader is encourage to see as 2 dimensional suddenly become interesting in their own right, with back stories that could form another story.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

Fall from Grace is published by Querus, ISBN978 0 85738 700 4 or eBook 978 0 85738 701 1

10th Anniversary by James Patterson

As the title suggests, this is the 10th book in the Women's Murder Club series, on which Patterson collaborates with other writers; in this particular case, with Maxine Paetro.

Recently married American detective Lindsey Boxer has been called to investigate an unusual crime. A teenage girl is found, abandoned, in the road. She is bleeding and on the verge of death. She's recently given birth but her baby is nowhere to be found.

Alongside Lindsey's case, a friend - Yuki Castellano - is prosecuting the case of a woman accused of murdering her husband. The case seems simple; the woman was found in the house, with the gun used in the killing, and with gun shot residue on her hands. The woman says that an intruder shot her husband, and she used the gun to fire shots to scare him away.

Neither case is what it seems. Lindsey uncovers evidence to suggest that the accused woman could be innocent and she struggles to find any evidence at all to help locate the teenager's missing baby. It quickly becomes clear that both the woman accused of murder, and the teenage mother, have secrets they're keeping close and that both have ways of confusing the investigations into the crimes that affect them.

Will Lindsey be able to solve both mysteries? Is the accused guilty or innocent of murder? Where is the baby?

James Patterson is a master of crime fiction, with numerous titles, including books for children, to his credit. When you pick up one of his books, you know just what you'll get. Well crafted plot lines, a knowledge of police and legal systems in the US and a way of building characters through their home lives, as well as through the crimes with which they are attached to the story. He does it with effortless ease and style.

For lovers of American crime/mystery, this is recommended

"10th Anniversary" is published by Arrow Books, ISBN 978 000 9957 07 45

The Twins by Saskia Sarginson

Identical twins can be a mystery and an enigma to many people. Are they telepathic between themselves? Do they like to be dressed alike or do they strive for originality? Do they cleave to each other or move heaven and earth to be unique?

Isolte and Viola, the twins in this story, have an usual childhood. Their mother is a free spirit living in a rundown cottage in the woods; their father unknown. The girls play together, whisper together and, yes, often feel each others feelings. In childhood they are also mildly prescient.

They meet, and become friends with, another pair of identical twins, this time boys from a dysfunctional, local, family. Together the quartet run wild and, as adolescence beckons, Viola and John become closer.

But this isn't Enid Blyton and things begin to change when Isolte and Viola's mother, Rose, meets a widower who has a young daughter, Poppy. The twins resent these intruders, especially when Rose insists that they allow Poppy to join their games. During this final summer of innocence, the 4 older children do all they can to discourage Poppy from following them until, quite unintentionally, they lose her. In the aftermath, Rose's new romance falls apart and tragedy follows tragedy.

Years later, Isolte is a fashion designer for a London based magazine but Viola is chronically ill, haunted by the past. In desperation, Isolte revisits their childhood haunts to try to resolve buried traumas. Can she succeed and, in the process, free both herself and her twin from shadows of the past?

This book illustrates how few of us leave our childhoods behind when we grown up, whether for good or ill. Childhood might be innocent, but it can carry the seeds of destruction. Blending joy and tragedy, light and a darkness of the soul, this book is a wonderful debut for this new writer.

Recommended

"The Twins" is published by Hachette, an imprint of Little, Brown, ISBN 978 0 7499 5869 5

Child of Vengeance by David Kirk

For centuries Japan was closed to the western world; an insular world of war lords, rivalries, pride and murder, all in the name of honour.

Musashi Miyamoto (this is the western name style) is a legendary figure in Japanese history. He is believed to have been born in 1584 to Munisai Shinmen and his wife, Yoshiko. He was a ronin samurai (samurai without a master, or lord) who fought in many battles and wrote a treatise on strategy, tactics and philosophy titled "The Book of Five Rings" and a book titled "The Way of Walking Alone" which contained 21 precepts on self-discipline. 

Much of his early history is conjecture, although it seems likely that he was raised by his uncle, a Buddist monk called Dorinbo. David Kirk's book focuses on Musashi's adolescence, when he was known by his childhood name of Bennosuke, and what happened to him after he fought his first duel, aged about 13, defeating the champion of a local lord. This set his feet on the path to becoming a samurai, following in his famous father's footsteps. 

The boy, Bennosuke, became a common soldier and learned his craft of swordsmanship through battle, duels, hardship and solitary practice, in constant fear of being unmasked as the killer of the champion and seeker of justice after his father's horrific death. His chance to wipe the slate clean, and begin again, arrived during the infamous battle at Sekigahara in October 1600, where treachery and deceit wiped out the flower of a generation of Japanese warriors. 

David Kirk breathes life into the boy, Bennosuke, and seeks to explain why a warrior of such talent and, presumably, in much demand for a lord's retinue, should be a ronin. His scholarship about this period in Japan's history - it's code of honour, brutal battles, the tradition of seppuku (ritual suicide by self-disembowling then beheading by another warrior) and the samurai traditions - is exemplary. Bennosuke is a sympathetic character who captures the heart and imagination as he fights for survival in a world for which he is ill equipped.  I haven't read more comprehensive detailing of 16th century Japan since James Clavell's "Shogun". Like this earlier book, "Child of Vengeance" brings to life a fascinating period in the history of Japan's history.

Recommended

"Child of Vengeance" is published by Simon & Shuster, ISBN 978 1 47110 242 4 or Ebook 978 1 47110 243 1

The Litigator by John Grisham

David Zinc is a lawyer in the rarified American world of corporate law. His speciality is in company law, far from criminals, court rooms and the slightly seedy world of ambulance chasers and bail-bondsmen. He is paid lots of money, has a clever and beautiful wife and a lovely home. Then, one day, he implodes, walks out of his job, spends the entire day in a bar, drinking, and wakes up the next morning to find he's accepted a job with one of the ambulance chasing firms of 2 partners that his business colleagues despise.

Living from hand to mouth, taking cases for tiny fees, working in an attic box room at the firms' premises, David hasn't been as happy for a long time. Then a big case drops into their laps. All their resources, and more besides, goes into working a case that could earn them millions of dollars. While pursuing a large, pharmaceutical company, David learns the craft of court room law. He meets movers and shakers at the top of his chosen profession and grows in confidence.

But the big case has been built on a foundation of sand and, when things go horribly wrong and the firms 2 partners both melt down at the same time, David is left to pick up the pieces. Will his kindness to strangers provide the lifeline he, and the partners, need, or will David go his own way with the wind-fall that has dropped into his lap?

This book is, as you'd expect from Grisham, full of the fizz and excitement of courtroom law, fast paced action and twists and turns. His characters have real heart and the black humour he uses is punchy in the character's hands. Clever, knowledgable and snappy, this is a good read.

Recommended

"The Litigator" is published by Hodder ISBN 978 1 444 72972 6

Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach

This little book was first published in 1972 but it continues to be an inspirational text of great charm and power.

Jonathan Livingstone Seagull is a seagull like no other. He has dreams of being the perfect flying machine, unlike his contemporaries who use their gift of flight simply to squabble and fight over food and to move from one spot to another for breeding or resting.

Jonathan spends hours and days trying to perfect his flying skills, developing manoeuvres that no other seagull has even dreamed of. In striving for greater goals, he learns some life lessons that carry him into a new and enchanted existence. Even in the face of fierce opposition from his own kind, Jonathan never gives up, nor does he shrink from progress.

Jonathan dreams, and makes his dreams come true. An example to human kind as well as seagulls.

I love this story; it lifts the heart, encourages the spirit and makes every dream seem achievable. Highly recommended.

"Jonanthan Livingstone Seagull" is published, in the edition I read (86 pages, many of which are illustrations and photographs)  by Thorson Element, ISBN 0-00-649034-4

My Last Duchess by Daisy Goodwin

I'll show my prejudice now. I was a bit wary of taking a book by an author called Daisy. I associate the names of flowers, in authorship, more with soft romance and bodice-rippers than with the kind of books I normally choose, but choose this one I did.

Cora Cash is the rich, rather spoilt, only child of an American industrial tycoon. Her mother, a social climber of renown and considerable success, is determined that her daughter will marry an English aristocrat. This is the turn of the 19/20th centuries and quite a few American heiresses are on the same mission - it's fashionable to exchange wealth for titles and both sides benefit.

Daisy dislikes the cold, old fashioned and run down English houses of the great and good and dreams of how they could be improved with some solid American money. She's  sponsored into English society by a well-connected hostess and, in a convenient twist of fate, is thrown from her horse, while on a hunt, in woodlands belonging to a rather reclusive and impoverished Duke. So far so usual.

However, Cora's ingenuity and strong will are put to the test severely when she makes a series of serious mistakes in her new life as an English Duchess. She finds herself to be the subject of gossip and, when her reticent husband absents himself on several important occasions, Daisy is left wondering if he has any feelings for her at all.

Does Cora give up and go home with the childhood sweetheart who comes to re-claim her? Or does she tough it out to become what her mother always wanted her to be? Will her father's money come between her and her new husband, or will it revive the fortunes of the house, the title and the estate?

OK, so this is a pretty standard romance, but Daisy Goodwin write well and keeps the story moving forwards without any sticky-sweet cliches (apart from the horse episode). It's not bad, and kept me entertained as I enjoyed the summer afternoons in the sunshine. Mind you, I still don't know why the words "My Last" are in the title.

"My Last Duchess" is published by Hodder Review, ISBN 978-0-7553-4808-4

As Sure as the Dawn by Francine Rivers

This is the 3rd and final instalment in the 'Mark of the Lion' series. Artretes, the German warrior and gladiator slave. When he learns of the existence of his son, given away by the child's mother, Julia, Atretes lover, he vows to find the boy and reclaim him. Hadassah, the central character of the first 2 books, is living with the surgeon who saved her life, as hi assistant and is gaining a reputation as a miracle worker. 

Julia is sick and Marcus, her brother, increasingly in love with Hadassah but not knowing where she is, is struggling with his conscience over his hedonistic lifestyle.

Eventually Artretes finds his son but is thwarted in in his attempts at reclaiming him by the boy's foster mother, Rizpah, a Christian widow. Concerned for his son's future and home-sick for the family and friends left behind in Germania, he begins the long journey home, taking Rizpah with him and accompanied by a Christian, retired, Roman Centurian, Theophilus.

On their long journey, Artretes is exposed to the Christian teachings of his companions and gradually grows in faith, But he's headstrong and impulsive and his young faith is tested when the little party arrives at Artretes home village. 

Can Artretes hang on to his faith? Will he abandon it or will Jesus' influence in his life grow and strengthen? Will Julia and Marcus be reunited? Will Julia be able to make amends and find forgiveness for her selfishness and wrongdoing? 

The climax to the story of Marcus, Julia, Artretes and Hadassah, together with Rizpah, Theophilus and all the other characters in this story, flows into a future of faith, strength and following the path set by God and not by selfish desires. As inspiring story and, even for non-Christians, a lesson in morality and the art of good living.

"As Sure as the Dawn" is published by Tindale Fiction

An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers

This is the second of Francine Rivers' 'Mark of the Lion' trilogy.

This stage of the story of Hadassah and Atretes opens with Alexander Democedes Amandinus, the elder brother of Julia (see previous post - "A Voice in the Wind"), witness the sacrifice of Christians in the Roman arena, including Hadassah, his sister's personal maid.  Sickened by a spectacle he has never particularly enjoyed, he leaves Rome, temporarily, for Ephesus, where his father has a trading depot.

Hadassah has not, however, died in the arena. Rescued when attention is diverted elsewhere, she is taken from the arena and nursed back to health in secret, although she is left with terrible scars from her injuries by the lion.

Meanwhile, Julia has been determined that she will have Atretes as her lover but, convinced that she will be a social outcast if she does this openly, she enters into a meaningless marriage with a gay friend as cover. Atretes is heartbroken when she rejects his proposal of marriage just as he has been able to buy his freedom with riches earned from patronage at his disposal.

In Ephesus, Marcus finally admits his feelings about Haddash, little realising that she feels the same for him. Will they find each other? If they do, how can they be together as Hadassah is still a slave - and a slave in hiding, at that - and dreadfully disfigured by the lion's injuries? What happens to Julia? Can she regret, and be forgiven, for her vengeful act of condemning her slave to the arena?

As before, love and faith are the building blocks of this story. Francine Rivers writes with passion about  these, and about the Christian faith in the early days of the Church. Her research is meticulous and her commitment to good writing shines through.

Recommended, but read "A Voice in the Wind" first!

Published by Tyndale Fiction, ISBN 10: 0-8423-1307-9

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

This is the first of a trilogy, by this author, and the story centres on 2 main characters - Hadassah (a Christian Jewish woman) and Atretes (a Germanic tribal leader) and is set in the Roman empire of 70AD.

Both these characters have been taken prisoner and sold into slavery by Roman soldiers. Haddash has been taken from Jerusalem after the city fell to the Romans after the great Jewish rebellion. Solomom's Temple was destroyed by an army led by Titus, a future Emperor, and the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, decreed that the Jewish nation should be destroyed and its people scattered. Atretes was taken when his tribe's rebellion against Roman rule was defeated.

The story tells us of how each of these characters adjusts to life in slavery; Hadassah in the household of a wealthy merchant's family and Atretes in the arena as a gladiator. Hadassah accepts her fate, earning her the affection and respect of many, Atretes is in a constant state of rebellion against his captivity and dreams of returning home. She has utter and complete faith in her God and Jesus Christ, whilst Atretes has faith in no-one and nothing.

Their lives cross when Hadassah's mistress, Julia, meets and falls in love with Atretes. Nowadays we'd say she was a 'groupie' and Julia was certainly captivated by Atretes performance in the arena and engineered a way to meet him, as Roman ladies sometimes did with their heroes. Atretes comes to admire Hadassah, although he doesn't understand her, but when she is condemned to the games by her jealous mistress, Atretes must face his demons in a much more personal way than ever.

This story is about love and faith and of how these twins can either separate or join together. In separation is loneliness and despair, whereas joining makes them both, and the people who experience them, stronger.

For lovers of historical fiction, highly recommend.

A Voice in the Wind is published by Tyndale Fiction, ISBN 10:0-8423-7750-6

The Poisoned Crown by Maurice Druon

How often have you picked up a book that you know you ought to read (everyone says you should and the critics rave over it) but you just can't see what all the fuss is about? This happened to me with this book.

I love history. It was my favourite and best subject at school. I love reading historical novels - and this is an historical novel. So what's not to like? Well, this book received a review from the Sunday Times which read "Dramatic and colourful as a Dumas romance but stiffened by historical accuracy and political insight". that's it, exactly - the word "stiffened" says it all.

To me, this book is neither history nor fiction but a weird mixture of both and neither. It preaches like the worst history teacher and totally fails to entertain as a novel should. At least, that's how it seems to me.

The story centres on King Louis X of France and his new Queen, Clemence of Hungary. Louis's previous Queen has met a sticky end in prison after being condemned for adultery and poor Clemence is walking into a viper's den of barbarism, intrigue and ambition. Louis is a weak king, totally unlike his father, Philip IV, and the kingdom is falling apart under his reign. What should be an exciting, page turning, gallop through this blood-curdling period of French history turns into a turgid history lesson that had me yawning from page 4. Did I finish it? No. Do I recommend? Only if you like your fiction as dry as a bone and your history full of impossible made-up dialogue.

This edition of The Poinsoned Crown (first published in 1956) is published by Harper Collins, ISBN 978-0-00-749129-2

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

Ian McEwan is a Booker prize winning novelist (for 'Amsterdam' in 1998) and I sometimes find such eminent writers almost impenetrable! However, 'On Chesil Beach' is a short novel (just 120 pages or so) and a must-read to any self-respecting blogger, so I took the plunge.

In 1962 Edward and Florence have just been married and have arrived in Dorset for their honeymoon. The story revolves around the 2 or 3 hours it takes for their marriage to fall apart. Too much information when you haven't even read it, yet? Sorry!

We learn how the couple met and fell in love. We hear Edward's voice, describing his chaotic childhood in a country setting, and Florence's voice tell of her privileged upbringing among the educated elite of Oxford. Each has had a sexually repressed adolescence. Edward, however, wants sexual freedom from his marriage whereas Florence is very afraid of what marriage, and Edward,  expects of her.

This is a sad little story of 2 people who imagine that love will conquer, when all it does is blind them to each other's true personalities and needs.

I read it through (it didn't take long) but half wish it hadn't. It left behind a feeling of deep sadness for the mess people can make of their lives, with far reaching consequences, because of secrets, lies and repressions, which lasted a long time.

'On Chesil Beach' is published by Random House, (and others in different covers and formats), under several different ISBN numbers.

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

What's it like to be one of identical twins? This book describes one such relationship beautifully, ensuring that the characters of parents, friends and lovers all play their parts in revealing the poignant, funny and spine-tingling moments of a pair of sisters who are as close as 2 people can be.

Daisy and Violet both have psychic powers. Their school days are marked by this difference, making their classmates either curious or aggressive. Their mother is withdrawn and ineffectual, their father is pre-occupied and distant, so the sisters rely on each other. As they grow into adulthood, Violet embraces her special senses, using them to gain notoriety whilst Daisy denies them so strongly that she even changes her name.

When Violet has a 'sense' that disaster will befall their home town, the sisters are drawn into a public world that Daisy abhors. Will the disaster happen? How will Violet cope if her powers prove less than accurate in such a publicly humiliating way? And how will Daisy live with the consequences of her actions, actions that betray everything she cherishes?

Curtis Sittenfeld describes twin-ship with depths and compassion; she expresses both the frustration of never being absolutely unique individuals (which most of us take for granted) with the emotional closeness that can only come from such a relationship. The characters in this book are vividly described, even when they inhabit only a small part of the story. Clever, amusing and gentle, this is a well told and page-turning story.

Recommended

'Sisterland' is published by TransWorld Books, ISBN978-0-55277-659-2

Forgive Me by Lesley Pearse

Lesley Pearse is a prolific writer of stories about young heroines in trouble. Many have names that would be familiar to readers of 1920s and 30s fiction, such as Dulcie, Daisy, Rosie, Belle and so on. The heroine of this story is Eva, who was born illegitimate and raised by her mother and step-father in a   a comfortably-off family. The story begins in 1991.

Eva's mother commits suicide and Eva is determined to find out why. She realises that her mother wasn't who Eva thought she was. Unfortunately her investigations open a Pandora's box of troubles for her and her 2 younger half-siblings. What follows is a series of disasters that would fell the strongest of people . There are several men involved in Eva's journey of discovery; most of them are stereotypes - either complete a******s or gentle and kindly.

Eva has no financial worries - her mother's legacy takes care of that - and she travels between London, Cheltenham and Scotland adding to her store of knowledge, with the help of her mother's diaries. The fact that the diaries contain only initials instead of names, and no dates, makes Eva's job less than straightforward.

Eventually the whole truth emerges, but only after much soul baring and tragedy. Eva emerges stronger  and ready to start a new life with her true love.

Being new to Lesley Pearce's books, I read the back page and thought I was in for a mild thriller/amateur detective story. Unfortunately this one turned out to be just a cut above a Mills and Boon, but without the bodice-ripping. Too many stereotyped characters for my liking. Still, many will love this, and other Lesley Pearce, books so have a go if you like your books to be less than challenging.

'Forgive Me' is published by Penguin Books, ISBN978-0-241-96149-0  

Mrs Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman

Mary Todd Lincoln was a complex woman and, like many women in history, has been virtually ignored by writers and students of her turbulent period in American history.  She was born on 13 December 1818 in Lexington, Kentucky, to a wealthy family. She married politician and lawyer Abraham Lincoln on 4 November 1842.

This novel tells her story in the first person narrative, so we hear her voice telling us how she met Abraham Lincoln, what she did to win him and how theirs was a love match. They had 4 sons, 3 of whom died and, when Abraham was assassinated at Ford's Theatre, she sank into a deep depression. She was committed to an asylum by her eldest and surviving son, Robert, from where it took her several months to win her freedom.

Janis Cooke Newman creates a sympathetic character of great strength and resourcefulness. She weaves fact with fiction to produce a believable, almost biographical, tale of triumph and tragedy, seasoned with details of ordinary domestic life in the midst of the great events of the American civil war  

Her writing breathes life into the simplistic portrait of Mary - that of a spendthrift, mentally disturbed woman who breaches many of the restrictive rules that governed women's lives at this time. The writing is generous in style, perceptive and detailed in its descriptions but, even at its most emotional moments, never descends into mawkishness. 

My only criticism is that, at 562 pages, I found the book just a tad overlong. This might just be a personal preference, however. As a sort-of-writer myself, I frequently look at a piece of fiction and work out how the story could be improved. It's easy to be critical when it's someone else's work!

In spite of this I recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy a well researched and well written piece of historical fiction.

Mrs Lincoln is published by Myrmidon, ISBN 978-1-905802-10-4 (hardback), 978-1-905802-11-1 (Export Trade Paperback)




  

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

I love Jody Picoult. Tens of thousands of others do, too, so I'm in a big Club.

'The Storyteller' tells to tale of Sage Singer, a secular Jewish young woman who works in a cafe bakery at night and sleeps during the day. Her face has been scarred in a car crash (we learn later how and why) and this makes her shun company; a night job suits her fine. Her grandmother was born in Germany and a parallel story reveals what happened to her, and her family, during the 1930s and 40s.

Josef Webber, an elderly retired teacher and mentor of young people, is also from Germany. When he befriends Sage at the bakery, she is warmed by his interest and the friendship he offers until he tells her that he has chosen her, deliberately, because she is the only Jewish person he can find in their small town. He tells Sage that he was a concentration camp guard and that, now he is old and riven with guilt, he wants her to help him die. He explains that only by asking a Jew can he come some way of atoning for what he did in Germany.

Sage is appalled and, in the turmoil of trying to decide what to do, she tells her story to a professional Nazi hunter. In the days that follow she learns how hard it is to convict a war criminal and her mind won't let go of Joseph's plea that she helps him to die. Learning her grandmother's secret history puts her in a turmoil.

How does Sage decide, and what does she decide? I won't spoil the story by giving away the ending but you will wonder about yourself, when you read what she decides, how you would act in her situation.

This is Jody Picoult's skill. She writes a rattling good story but there is always a morale dilemma at the heart of every single one of her books.  Recommended.

'The Storyteller' is published by Hodder and Stoughton, ISBN - Hardback 978-1-444-76663-9. Trade paperback 978-1-444-76664-6. Ebook 978-1-444-76665-3.

All Fall Down by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards

These 2 authors have collaborated previously on 2 books, although this is the first that I've read. 'All Fall Down'  reads as though it's been written as a film script. Clever female scientist, with a troubled past, has only a few days to save the world and does it with only hours to spare and with the help of her slightly less clever, but equally committed, partner. You know the style.

Kate Maddox  is trying to lead a normal, quiet, life after being involved in something nefarious (in the previous book). However, a deadly virus is spreading rapidly through California and someone is determined to prevent the world's top virologists from finding a way to stop it. A bomb rips through the hotel where they're all assembled for a conference, killing them all.

Shuttled across the world, Kate and her partner, Paul, are separated but pursue a resolution to the crisis in their different ways. Kate's young son is also in danger but he, too, becomes an unwitting part of the eventual saving of civilisation.

Did I enjoy this book? In a way, yes, I suppose I did. It's a combination of detective story, thriller, drama and the love that drives people to try that bit harder. However, I'm a bit cynical about 'saving the world in a few days' stories - they always seem so unlikely. Or is this just because we, as the general public, are never told how close we come to disaster? Mm.

"All Fall Down' is published by Harper, ISBN978-0-00-7466072-4

Shadows on the Nile by Kate Furnival

In the England of 1912, some parts of society are experimenting with the 'science' of eugenics. There are several theories about how to 'improve' genetic characteristics in humans and many believe it to be an acceptable method of breeding out all kinds of diseases and disabling conditions.

Against this background, the 8 year old Jessie Kenton has lost her brother. Georgie disappears in the night and, in his place, there is Timothy. Against all the odds, and her despair at the loss of a much lived younger brother, Jessie comes to love Timothy, too.  20 years later, when he, too, disappears, after attending a seance, she determines to find him, no matter what.

Timothy and Jessie bonded over their love of Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' stories and Jessie quickly realises that Tim has left her a string of clues, based on this shared passion. Following the clues, she re-visits the scene of the seance and finds that the owner of the ramshackle country seat, Sir Montague Chamford, wants to help her with her search.

Does Monty have his own agenda? Perhaps he knows more about Tim's disappearance than he tells Jessie. Things begin to point towards Tim being involved in illegal activities concerning Egyptian antiques. As they travel to Egypt, where Tim has worked on digs before, Monty and Jessie become ever closer. When Jessie, too, disappears, Monty is frantic for her safety.

What Jessie finds in the desert brings her to the knowledge that her family is completely different from her understanding but, nevertheless, family can be more that blood and breeding.

This book was billed as '……a rollicking good read….' and '……a fast moving plot…….' by the Daily Telegraph. I don't entirely agree. There are plenty of good bits in the novel, and the plot twists in a very satisfactory way, with a few surprises, but there were places where I wished for tighter writing and more pace. Still, the background of eugenics experiments in the early 20th century is a neat basis for the story and I enjoyed reading this book.

Shadows of the Nile by Kate Furnival is published by Little Brown, ISBN 978-0-7515-4337-7

The Great Lie by M Stanford-Smith

I've read a fictionalised version of Shakespeare's life before, and blogged about it here, but this one is different in that the story is told from the viewpoint of Nicholas Talbot, a budding and ambitious young actor. He escapes an intolerable home life by joining a company of players, which is based in London but which travels the Shires when the London theatres are closed.

His story pulls together some of the major characters of the time - Christopher Marlow, (Shakespeare's volatile playwright contemporary), Robert Cecil (the Queen's spymaster) and Shakespeare himself.

Nicholas becomes a spy, travelling Europe, but is also being pulled back home to his sweetheart and the estate he has inherited. His life is full of adventure and risk, during which he becomes a close friend of Christopher Marlow and they hatch a plot to save Marlow's life and talent. Did they succeed? Was Marlow killed in an ale house brawl, as history records? Who really wrote Shakespeare's plays? Was it the man himself - who was born in rural Warwickshire and never left these shores, or someone else who had travelled extensively and understood the social and political situations in Europe that were so obvious in these famous plays?

This book postulates yet another theory. Whether you believe it, or not, you'll find yourself questioning much of what you think is true.

Recommended.

'The Great Lie' is published by Honno Books, ISBN 978-1-906784-16-4

The Lost Ark of the Covenant by Tudor Parfitt

Tudor Parfitt "is a British historian, writer, traveller, broadcaster and adventurer. He is Emeritus Professor of Modern Jewish Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where he was the founding director of the Centre for Jewish Studies." (with thanks to Wikipedia)

This book is strap-lined "The Remarkable Quest for the Legendary Ark" and is a factual account of Tudor Parfitt's years of researching and searching for Moses' Ark. It's written more like an adventure novel than an historical account or research paper, which makes it much more accessible than you might expect. Prof. Parfitt even looks a bit like an 'Indiana Jones' character! He takes us from the Holy Lands to eastern and southern Africa and Indonesia in his search and presents fascinating facts as they unfold and add to his store of knowledge. For example, he describes how DNA tests show that an extraordinary number of males in an African tribe carry DNA traces found only in populations of Jewish descent. 

Is this a 'lost tribe' of Israel and did their ancestors carry the Ark to safety from the Holy Land in the years of turmoil when the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed? What, actually, was the Ark? Was it as the Bible describes - a large box like structure covered with gold and decorations, or was it something simpler and more humble? Can it have survived all these centuries after Moses first built it to carry the stone tablets on which the Lord God wrote the 10 Commandments? 

Read the book yourself and see if you agree with Prof Parfitt! If you have any interest at all in the history of the Holy Lands, or in the stories of the founding of the Hebrew nation after their trek out of Egypt, or just out of academic curiosity, you won't be disappointed!

The Lost Ark of the Covenant by Tudor Parfitt is published by Harper Collins, ISBN 13-978-0-00-726266-3 (also 10-0-00-726266-3, 13-978-0-00-726266-0 and 10-0-00-726267-1) (2008)

The Ides of April by Lindsey Davis

Lindsey Davis has published a whole series of tales about Marcus Didius Falco, a respected citizen of 1st C Rome and amateur sleuth. In this story Falco is living in retirement and his adopted daughter, the young widow Flavia Albia - an orphan from Britannia - has taken over his shoes.

An apparently random, but tragic, accident begins a sequence of events that seem, at first, to be unconnected. A child dies in a collision with a runaway cart; an elderly but healthy widow takes to her bed and is found, dead, a few hours later. A fish monger's son dies whilst resting, from shucking oysters, under a tree. The largely incompetent local law enforcement officers want the whole thing dropped quietly, marked down as accidents or natural deaths, but Flavia has other ideas.

With the help of the archivist from a local official's office, she begins to piece together answers, convinced that every one of these events is connected. Her attention, however, is distracted by a growing lust for the archivist and he for her. In spite of being warned about his character, she finds herself being drawn closer to him.

But who is the archivist and why is he so interested in steering her attentions in one direction? Is it that he has little or no authority and is looking to Flavia to help him raise his reputation for his own gain? Or is there some other, more sinister, motive?

The Falco stories are entertaining, and Lindsey Davis' insight into life in Rome during this period provides a fascinating backdrop to the action, but the plot and characters begin to feel a bit formulaic after reading a few of these books. Still, for witty entertainment they're worth reading.

The Ides of April is published by Hodder and Stoughton, ISBN 978-1-444-75581-7 (hardback), 978-1-444-75582-4 (paperback)

The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale

Do you believe in angels? Many do, of course, and many will say they've seen angels and been guided by them, especially at times of great trial or danger.

Daniel Kennedy, a zoologist, and his partner, Nancy, are on their way to the Galapagos Islands on a trip that combines pleasure and work. Their plans come to an abrupt halt when the small plane in which they're travelling ditches in the sea. Afterwards, there are those who hail Daniel as a hero and saviour but is he? Why does he feel so guilty about his actions and what, if anything, did he see as he was swimming to safety?

Daniel's father, Philip, had been a soldier, fighting in several of the conflicts of the second part of the 20thC. Philip's father had also been a soldier, fighting in WWII, as had his grandfather, William, who had fought in WWI. But Daniel had gone his own way, breaking the family tradition in more ways than one.

William's experiences on the battlefield shatter him, as they do so many, and he walks away to safety in a nearby town under the guidance of - what? Is William just one of those who have seen the Angel of Mons, the rumoured guardian of soldiers, or is he just a coward? Williams faces the fate of any convicted coward at that time - the firing squad. But will the results of his actions reach down the years to bind his descendants?

As Daniel struggles to build his career, hampered by his own uncertainties, the deceits of others, Nancy's anger and the suspicion that he's connected, somehow, with threats to the State, how will he put his life back on track? And has he, an avowed atheist and blasphemer, also seen the Angel of Mons?

This is a tale of generations brought together by the repeating sins and triumphs of experience. By fear and cowardice, by bravery and valour. Underneath it all is the quiet message that help comes from many sources and that, even when we think we know ourselves well, we can never know the nature of Angels.

The Blasphemer is published by Doubleday, ISBN 978-0-385-61779-6 (2010)

The Cruellest Game by Hillary Bonner

Hilary Bonner is a compelling writer who can grab your attention from the very beginning, and hold it. This tale begins with an apparently innocent question - "Do you know that feeling, when you walk into a house and you're instantly absolutely sure that it's empty?" I know I have.

Robbie Anderson is an ordinary teenager, living an apparently sheltered life with his 2 parents in a farmhouse. He's an only child and both parents dote on him, although his father is away from home much of the time, working on North Sea oil rigs. Their lives seem to be perfect. So why has Robbie killed himself?

In the midst of her grieving, Robbie's mother, Alison, meets a woman who's just moved into the area and they become fast friends. She helps Alison cope with her grief but gradually Alison begins to feel that something isn't quite right. Who is this woman and where has she come from? Why does she seem so interested in Alison's life and husband?

When a local child disappears, Alison comes under suspicion. Has her grief unhinged her to the point where she must have a child - any child - to replace her lost son? The answers are far from anything Alison can even imagine but, when she discovers the truth about her husband, her son and her new friend, she feels as though her worst nightmares have come to life.

'The Cruellest Game' is a gripping tale of love, unbearable loss and betrayal, as well as lies, deceit and even murder. Tightly written, with a slow unfolding of clues, the final pages will still keep you turning until the last paragraph. If you like tales of mystery, murder and revenge, this is for you.

'The Cruellest Game' is published by Macmillan, ISBN978-0-230-76663-1 (2013)

Skios by Michael Frayne

Within the first few pages of this book you'll be asked to suspend your disbelief in spades! Easy to do if you're aware that you're reading science fiction, or fantasy but less easy if you're reading about present day Greece with characters who look like those that live on your street.

Persevere. It's actually quite entertaining, in a strange and rather disturbed kind of way!

Dr Norman Wilfred is travelling to Skios to deliver a lecture at a world renowned institution. Oliver Fox is travelling to the same place to spend a few days in a borrowed villa with a girl he's met only once. There is a confusion at the baggage carousel and Oliver decides that he would quite like to be Dr Wilfred, just for a while. What ensues is chaos and farce.

The girl Oliver has arranged to meet arrives, but can't find him because he isn't where he's supposed to be. Dr Wilfred isn't where he's supposed to be, either, but is under the impression that he is. Then Oliver's long term girlfriend arrives, intent on trying to patch up the argument they'd had. Will these two meet up and put 2 and 2 together? What about the boyfriend of the girl Oliver arranged to meet at the villa? Has he believed her tale of visiting a friend in Switzerland, who is something to do with ski-ing? Who is this girlfriend and, if she's in the skiing business, why is she, too, confused about where she is when she takes a telephone call from her friend? And that's not all………….take a deep breath and read on.

There is, of course, a deep meaning behind all this. Why is it that we are willing to believe what we see if  it's presented in a way that encourages and allows us to do so? Are we afraid of asking questions or even denying what's in front of us; are we worried about appearing foolish is we're wrong? Ponder and read.

If you're a fan of humour and farce, written by a master of tempo, plot and laughter, this is one for you. I wasn't too sure at the beginning but I'm really glad I persevered. I needed a laugh and boy, did I get several.

"Skios" is published by Faber and the iSBN number is 978-0-571-28145-9

The Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai by Barbara Lazar

Kozaisho is the Fifth Daughter of a poor farming family in 12thC Japan. Often reduced to starvation level, Kozaisho is, nevertheless, a loved child so when her father sells her to a local Lord when she is just 9 years old, she is shocked and desperate. Her owner has her taught the skills of a refined servant so that she can be an adornment to her master's house. She is taught how to dance, handle fans, dress well and entertain guests. She is also subjected to the harsh judgement of the overseer. When she offend her master yet again, he sells her on to the owner of a Village of Outcasts and she is trained to be a Woman-for-Play, or prostitute. 

She learns her trade well and uses it to her own advantage until she is visited by a customer who is a member of the Court of the Taira Clan, which is struggling against rivals for supremacy in the country's leadership. She becomes the mistress, and then powerful wife, of the Lord Michimori.

Throughout her journey, Kozaisho learns about the loyalties of friendship, different kinds of love and how even women can become fighting Samurai (the soldier class). She witnesses, at first hand, an epic struggle for power and how ambition can be thwarted by opposing might.  

I really enjoyed this story and learned much about this period in Japan's history. I did feel, however, that Kozaisho's story could have been told in tighter fashion without losing any of the detail or poetry. 538 pages is just a tad too long.

The Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai is published by Headline, ISBN 978-0-7553-8928-5

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

Did you read 'The Help' by Katherine Stockett? If you did, and liked it, you'll love this.

Dorrie Curtis is a single mother and owner of a single chair hairdressing salon in Arlington, Texas. One of her customers in Isabelle McAllister, an elderly lady who had been born into a privileged family in the whites only town of Shalerville, Kentucky in the 1920s. Dorrie and Isabelle become friends and, when Isabelle is called to a funeral in Ohio, she asks Dorrie to drive her there, a car journey of 2 days.

On the journey, Isabelle tells Dorrie the story of her life; of how, as a naive teenage, she fell in love with Robert, the son of her family's black cook. The love affair reverberates down the years and, through the experiences of of Isabelle and Robert, we see the prejudices, hatred and violence that fuelled the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

What we don't learn, until the heartbreaking final chapter, is the identity of the person Isabelle is travelling to see buried. The reader is desperate for Isabelle to be spared more pain, but Julie Kibler handles this part of the story with delicacy and compassion.

A must read.

Calling me Home is published by panmacmillan, ISBN 978-1-4472-1256-0

The Lower River by Paul Theroux

Paul Theroux is a travel writer as well as a writer of fiction, and knows his locations from personal experience, not just research. In this novel his main character, Andrew Hock, is the owner of a gents outfitters in the town of Medford, Massachusetts. He's a solitary man locked in a loveless marriage, with a daughter who appears to think of him only in terms of what he should give her.

Shopping patterns are changing and Andrew recognises that his business is gradually dying. He dreams of retiring and returning to the place where he was once happy - they Lower River in Malawi, Africa - when he spent some time in the Peace Corps. He's built up his memories into a kind of talisman, and sees them as not just a beautiful past experience but a dream of a happy future.

But memories can deceive. When Andrew arrives at the Lower River he finds that everything has changed and even his memories aren't what he believed they were. What follows is a story of deception, failure and even violence until Andrew is reduced to the status of prisoner and desperate man.

I found myself constantly on edge whilst reading this novel, eager for Andrew to wrest success from failure and find a way to repair the damage of which he became a victim. The end of the story disappointed me somewhat, in that it was so sudden, and over so quickly, that it was a total contrast with the slow build up of tension throughout the story. I'd have liked to see a little bit more of Andrew's tale and what happened in the following days. Still, perhaps that's just me wanting to tidy up the loose ends!

The Lower River is published by Penguin, ISBN 978-0-241-95774-5

Origins of Love by Kishwar Desai

This story focuses on one of India's new "industries" - providing surrogate mothers for Westerners. Simran Singh is a social worker, who is connected with a new facility providing these services. She's torn between understanding the overwhelming need of childless couples to be parents, the relief from poverty that payment to surrogates can bring to their families in India against the exploitation of the women and ruthlessness of the organisations that use them.

When a girl is born, in the clinic, and subsequently diagnosed with HIV, Simran's suspicions increase and she turns detective and the baby's parents are reported dead whilst on a short holiday. Travelling to London to try to trace the baby's relatives, she begins to learn more than she bargained for.

Part morality tale, part detective story, this tale spans the world, showing how far the impact of this industry spreads with little publicity, fewer safeguards than might be imagined and with deeply emotional consequences. Approve or not, this fictionalised version tells us that this trade is well established and unlikely to be well controlled any time soon.

I'd have liked to see tighter writing of this story. It just failed to arouse any passionate feelings in me, either one way or another, which I expected when I first began to read.  Still, the characters are each mixtures of good and bad, kind and casually cruel, just like real people!

Origins of Love is published by Simon and Shuster, ISBN 978-1-47111-112-8

The Light Between Oceans by ML Steadman

Set on Australia's western seaboard in the years following WWI, this is the love story between Isabel and Tom. It's also a talk of morality and consequences.

Tom Sherbourne is drawn to the peace and solitude of the life of a light house keeper following his devastating experiences in Europe during WWI. He accepts a posting to Janus Rock, situated where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet; a place of storms, winds and months at a time of isolation. That is, until Tom meets Isabel Graysmarks in his embarkation port. Her brothers were lost in the War and she's drawn to Tom partly because of his experiences.

In the first years of their marriage Isabel suffers miscarriages and a still birth on the Rock, all with just Tom to help her. Then a miracle happens. A skiff washes up on the Rock; inside is a dead man and a very alive baby girl. She brings them joy and pain, fear and hope but their decisions change Tom and Isabel's lives for ever.

The premise of this novel, and what it does so well with tenderness and insight into the irresistible  human need to nurture and love, is that deeds that seem so right for and to one person can be so wrong. And that confession can be devastating far beyond the initial impact.

This novel asks us all what we would do in the face of overwhelming temptation, especially when we can persuade ourselves that our actions will harm no-one, and no-one will discover what we've done. Recommended

The Light Between Oceans is published by Black Swan, ISBN 978-0-552-77847-3

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

I've read Kate Morton previously - The House at river ton - so, when I was this one on the library shelf, I homed in.

The tale begins in London just before the outbreak of WWII, with young Dorothy (Dolly) Smitham dreaming of a life of fame and fortune far from her suburban childhood. Her ambitions are huge and she's single minded about pursuing them. She's in love with Jimmy and he shares her dreams, although he's not so sure about her methods.

Dolly weaves her dreams as she cares for an elderly aristocratic lady through the Blitz and tries to befriend a rich neighbour when they both volunteer at the local Red Cross canteen. After two disastrous misconceptions, Dolly's optimism turns to thoughts of revenge and she involves Jimmy in her plans. But Jimmy is less than enthusiastic and, gradually, finds himself involved in secrets that put himself, and others, at serious risk. Dolly's dreams end in tragedy.

30 years later Dolly's teenage daughter, Laurel, witnesses a violent and brutal death, which haunts her for the rest of her life.

In the present day Dolly is now an old woman, dying and haunted by events in her past and Laurel sets out to search out her mother's secrets. Are they connected with the death she witnessed? And who was Vivien Jenkins?

The story is told in a series of flashbacks - a common story-telling method nowadays, which can work well in building tensions and suspense. The risk, however, is that the reader looses the thread of the story and fails to build any relationship with the characters. Kate Morton handles this complicated method with aplomb. Whilst we can begin to guess at the ending of the story towards the final chapters, Ms Morton carefully crafts a number of possibilities, which keeps the readers attention until the final page. Recommended.

Published by mantle-panmacmillan, ISBN 978-0-230-75950-3

Tarnished by Julia Crouch

This story begins in 1992, with a beach combing boy in a coastal town. Along with shells and flotsam, the boy finds the decomposing head of a girl. In the present day, we meet Peg, her grandmother and aunt. Peg has been raised by them in their bungalow, remembering little about the time 'before'. Now, however, Peg's grandmother displays all the signs of advancing dementia and her aunt, disabled since birth, is now so enormous that she can't leave her bed.

But the influence of Peg's partner, and her own gradual memory recoveries, begin to haunt her. Why didn't she know about the death of an infant uncle? And where is her father? Did her mother really die the way she had always believed?

With her whole life in turmoil, Peg begins to realise that her past is much more complicated than she ever imagined. Even dangerous, and from a quarter that she wouldn't have considered in a million years.

Suspenseful, chilling and can't-put-downable, a book to make you realise that even the most innocuous places can hide unexpected secrets. Recommended.

'Tarnished' is published by Hodder Headline, ISBN 978-0-7553-7805-0

 

Room at the Top by John Braine

I can't remember when I last picked up a book by John Braine so, when this one sort of placed itself under my hand, I had to give it another go.

Room at the Top is the gritty story of Joe Lampton, an ambitious young man from a dirty mill town somewhere in the north of England. It's set in the years just after WWII, so some of the references might be lost on modern readers, but that doesn't detract from the brilliance of Braine's writing.

Joe has left his home town, to which he returned after war service, to take a new job in the town hall of a more prosperous area. He falls in love with the town, and is desperate to join the life he sees in the big houses and clubs. He's sensitive and defensive of his origins but desperate to be accepted in his new home. He's handsome, intelligent and ambitious but does his ambition take him too far and too fast? Tragedy and success come in equal measure but Joe finds that adjusting to both harder than he imagined.

Braine engages us with his characters from the first page. His language is lyrical, poetic and beautiful. The Sunday Times said, when the book was published, that it was "Remarkable". I entirely agree, and hope that doesn't sound arrogant. Thoroughly recommended.

Room at the Top is currently published (as a classic) by Arrow Books, ISBN 978-0-099-44536-4
 

The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon

Hilary Mantel credits this book as "One of the most convincing historical novels I have ever read". A fulsome review from a well respected author.

The story begins in 342 BC, in Macedon (Macedonia) and the central character and narrator is Aristotle, the philosopher. We learn about his personality, his thinking, his loves and his bio-polar condition. Aristotle has been summoned to Macedon by King Philip to be a tutor to the heir to the throne, Alexander - later Alexander the Great. Alexander's early training and, perhaps, his natural bent, shows through in his precocious love of violence and war. Aristotle sees that his duty is to try to teach the boy about the philosophical "golden mean" - the path to mental balance between extremes - in a bid to temper the violence he displays and provide Alexander with some semblance of self-control for when he assumes the throne.

History shows us that Alexander didn't learn this lesson. He went on the wage war over much of the known world, leaving regents to manage his kingdom and desolation, as well as Greek influence, in his wake. His path can be traced in the many cities he founded that bore, and some that still bear, his name.

The characters in this book are finely drawn and multi-layered, with that of Aristotle being a delicate blend of idealistic humanitarian, bemused husband and father, passionate man and gentle teacher. The boy Alexander's portrait reflects everything we know about him as a man - violent, loyal, ambitious and driven. Annabel Lyon cares deeply about her characters and it shows in the care she has taken to make them rounded people with whom we can identify.

If you like historical fiction, this one is for you. Recommended

Published by Atlantic, ISBN 978-1-84887-531-9

The Book of Fires by Jane Borrowdale

Agnes Trussel is from a poor, rural family where life is changing. The enclosure of common lands threatens their food supply and, with another baby on the way and a father who can't earn enough to feed the children he already has, Agnes sees only deepening poverty and shame ahead of her. She's young, pregnant, and desperate to avoid the fate meted out to girls such as she in 1752.

When fate presents her with the opportunity to run away and head for London, with some ill-gotten gold coins in her pocket, Agnes leaves her family and trusts to fate and her own luck. She narrowly avoids an even more desperate fate and, with luck on her side, finds a position in the household of John Blacklock, a maker of fireworks.

Blacklock is a widower, a quiet and secretive man, who takes Agnes as his apprentice, teaching her how to mix, prepare and make fireworks, which are all the rage in London at this time. Agnes believes she is keeping her pregnancy a secret and, through the winter, bundles herself into layers of warm clothing as she works in the draughty workshop. But does Blacklock, or either of his domestic staff, suspect Agnes's secret? In her innocence and continuing denial of her precarious situation, is she fooling herself that she will find a way out when her time comes?

At first sight this novel looks like a bit of a bodice-ripper but it's actually finely drawn, delicately woven and gently poetic. Touches of factual history enhance the store telling and help us understand the enormity of Agnes's fear. We're kept guessing, right until the end, about her fate and the ending could have you either……………well, I'll leave you to decide for yourself!

I enjoyed this story, which was shortlisted for the Orange prize for new writers, and will watch for Jane Borodale's next publication. Recommended.

Published by Harper Press, ISBN 978-0-00-730573-5

 

A Presidential Novel by Anonymous

Back again after a break for a long awaited holiday, Christmas and New Year!

Yup, the author is, truly, anonymous but I venture that he or she is either someone who worked at the House House or was so close to it that any distance is unimportant. The US 'president' of the title is called simply 'O' and the cover picture is a back shot of a tall, slender man with a slight stoop and slightly sticky out ears. Get the picture?

Anyway, the president in this story is building up his campaign for re-election and the story centres on the key players, and their actions, in that campaign - Chief of Staff, Communications Chief, Campaign Manager, rising journalist star, wealthy financial backers etc. The president began his first term in a blaze of optimism only for his good intentions to become the victim of the Washington machine; a dangerous place for a president when he is in the opposing party from that of Congress and the House of Representatives. Now, somehow, he has to revive that early optimism in the voters again. But his opponent is a popular soldier, a general with a squeaky clean record of bravery, commercial and public service success. A formidable opponent indeed, and also familiar from the real thing.

The president's aids must decide whether they will campaign on the president's own merits, or find some way of discrediting their opponent. Dirty politics, as usual; just what the president promised he would change.

This book is strap-lined as for those readers who miss "The West Wing" television show. Well, I found it illuminating, compelling and (as far as I can tell and fiction will allow) a reasonably accurate portrayal of US political machinations. It isn't about politics, however, but about the human beings behind the politics, and their frailties. Worth a read. Recommended for those who like their politics mixed with a little sex, partying and over inflated egos!    

Published by Simon and Shuster, ISBN 978-0-85720-497-4