The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (by Joan Aiken)

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'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase' is a classic story for children by Joan Aiken. I enjoyed it as a child, and I read it aloud recently to my sons, who are currently 11 and 13.

The story features Bonnie and her gentle cousin Sylvia. They are left in the care of the power-crazy - and rather caricatured - Miss Slighcarp. She treats them extremely badly...

England in the 19th century comes alive in this book. It's a very exciting story which is mostly believable, albeit rather melodramatic at times. Apparently there really were wolves in the UK in that era.

Overall, we thought this very enjoyable. This is often thought of as a book for girls, but my sons liked it very much, too. And it's well worth re-reading as an adult - I had forgotten most of the detail, and was very pleased to have read it again.

Recommended.

Fillets of plaice (by Gerald Durrell)

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'Fillets of plaice' is a collection of stories by Gerald Durrell. They are mostly biographical, and include anecdotes about himself, as well as his family and friends.

While this book stands alone, it's more enjoyable to read after his classic 'My family and other animals'. That's because it contains the story of his moving to Corfu as a child, and introduces many of the people who re-appear in 'Fillets of plaice'.

It's hard to say anything much without giving spoilers. But the stories are well-written, with some brilliant observations and the classic Durrell-style confused conversations.

Very enjoyable. Highly recommended.

For the sake of the children (by June Francis)

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'For the sake of the children' is a war-years historical novel by June Francis. I picked it up in a charity shop. The cover looked good, and the blurb sounded interesting. I'm not in general a huge fan of stories set in the war years, but there seem to be a large number of them at present.

The novel is set in war-torn England. Amelia, the main protagonist, gave up her chance of marriage to look after her father and younger sister. Now she is suddenly landed with her orphaned nieces and nephews, and her best friend's twin sons.

How she copes, and grows from being cold and dutiful to warm and caring is the focus of the book. We also follow along with the trials of the children as they make the effort to live together. Gradually they learn to trust each other, and to grow up and develop new and lasting relationships.

I found this book more enjoyable than I expected. Recommended.

London Transports (by Maeve Binchy)

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'London Transports' is a collection of short stories by Maeve Binchy, set in London. I like Maeve Binchy's novels, on the whole, but have not been so taken with her short stories. Still, I found this volume in a charity shop and thought it worth reading.

I enjoyed some of these stories. But many of them seemed almost unfinished, with no real resolution or conclusion. I assume that was deliberate: the author left the reader to decide on their own conclusions. I prefer closure, or at least some clear indication of where a story is going.

Having said that, there are likeable and believable characters in these stories. There are some interesting ideas, too. But - especially in the earlier stories - I found most of them rather frustrating.

Perhaps I should re-read them again in another ten years, and see if I 'get' them rather better.

Note: This collection is also published as 'Victoria Line, Central Line', with the stories in a slightly different order. 

Blandings Castle (by P G Wodehouse)

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Blandings Castle' is a collection of short stories by PG Wodehouse. He is probably best known for his 'Jeeves and Wooster' series, but I like some of his other work too.  The 'Blandings' books are just as enjoyable, in my view.

These stories, set in the early part of the 20th century, feature the rather vague Lord Emsworth and his son Freddie. Freddie is married to an American.

There's lots of light humour, as I have come to expect from PG Wodehouse's writing.  And there's a more serious side: Lord Emsworth finally gets the courage to stand up for himself against his domineering sister and gardener.

Overall I thought this book was very enjoyable. I read it aloud to my sons (aged 11 and 13) and it worked extremely well as a read-aloud. Some of the humour comes across more clearly than when reading alone, and I always like sharing this kind of book with someone else.

Recommended.

Cashelmara (by Susan Howatch)

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'Cashelmara' is a historical saga novel by Susan Howatch. It's not really my kind of book, but I have liked her other writing so much that I was determined to collect (and read) all her novels.

In this book, Edward, a 60-year-old widower, falls in love with a girl called Marguerite. She is a 17-year-old American distant cousin. He brings her to the UK in order to marry her.

His home is called Cashelmara. It's an Irish estate, and the story takes place during the Irish potato famine of the 19th century. That means that the book has a background of tragedy and, for many people, raw anger. 

Edward's son Patrick inherits the estate and, similarly, marries a younger American girl. However, there the similarities end. Patrick turns out to be a gambler who should never have married.

This is one of Susan Howatch's earlier (and longer) books. It's written in her distinctive style with each section written from a different viewpoint. Each one gradually reveals more as the novel progresses.

While the writing is excellent, there are some very unpleasant scenes and violence. These made this book rather distasteful in places. However the story was interesting enough that I still found myself eager to keep reading.

It was certainly worth reading once, but I don't currently have any inclination to re-read this book.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (by J K Rowling)

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'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' is the fourth book in the popular series by JK Rowling. We have been enjoying the books so much that we decided to buy each new one as soon as it's published, in hardback. And this is a huge tome!

Harry and friends are beginning to grow up in this book. There are a few little hints about hormones and girl-boy relationships, though far less than would be expected from typical books about 14-year-olds. But it means that I consider this book more suitable to a slightly older audience than the earlier books, which were recommended for age 8-11.

Having said that, I read it aloud to my sons who were 11 and 13 when it arrived, since none of us could agree who would read it first.  It made a very good read-aloud.  We all enjoyed much of the the writing, and appreciated the humour and the clever plotting. Once again we were all surprised when it was finally revealed who had been 'against' Harry in this book.

On the other hand, we thought the book rather too dark for enjoyable light reading. And we didn't much like the ending.

Still, I'm sure it will be read and loved by millions...

(Note that  when I re-read it five years later, I liked it better - see my review of 'Goblet of Fire' in 2005 for a more comprehensive account.)

The Best of Friends (by Joanna Trollope)

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'The Best of Friends' is a modern novel by Joanna Trollope. I have enjoyed the books I have read by this author so far, and am gradually acquiring more.

This story is told from the point of view of Sophie, a teenager whose father decides to move out of the family home. Her hurt is clearly described alongside her mother's pain, which then infects their closest friends. These include Lawrence, who has been Sophie's mother's closest platonic friend for many years.

I thought this was a realistic book, with three-dimensional characters. There are several cleverly interwoven sub-plots to heighten the emotions. There is also a satisfying conclusion without tragedy.

Recommended.

(I also wrote a rather longer review of 'The Best of Friends' after re-reading it fifteen years later)