Prairie storm (by Catherine Palmer)

(Amazon UK link)

'Prairie storm' is the third and last in Catherine Palmer's series of books set in an American prairie town, at a time when the settlement was just started. Each novel stands on its own. The only connection between the three books is the location, and one or two characters who recur in minor roles.

In 'Prairie storm', the early part is about Elijah, an inspired but uneducated preacher. He has no idea what to do with a foundling baby he has been given.

Lily, meanwhile, is very bitter after the death of her baby. She meets Elijah, and agrees to look after baby Sam, but sparks fly as they clash in several ways.

Good writing, with what I assume is an authentic and well-researched background. There's some Christian input but it's not too heavy.

A lot happens before the inevitable happy ending. I thought it made pleasant light reading.

Prairie Fire (by Catherine Palmer)

(Amazon UK link)

'Prairie Fire' is the second book in the 'Town called Hope' trilogy by the American Christian writer Catherine Palmer. The series is about a new small prairie town in Kansas, set around a hundred years ago. Each book stands alone, as they're about different characters.

In 'Prairie Fire', a man called Jack is distrusted by the people of Hope. However he is very attracted to Caitlin, an Irish immigrant, and she also rather likes Jack.

This book follows Jack's attempts to settle in. He is not at all helped by a loud and outspoken mother, and his deeply depressed sister Lucy, who is clearly harbouring a terrible secret.

It's a well-written light read with a dramatic climax. Not brilliant, but a good way to pass a few hours.

Prairie Rose (by Catherine Palmer)

(Amazon UK link)

I'd never heard of Catherine Palmer. But I spotted a series of three romantic historical fiction books by this author. They were very inexpensive on the ship MV Doulos, when it visited our town, so I thought I had nothing to lose by buying them.

'Prairie Rose', first in the trilogy, features a nineteen-year-old orphan in America called Rosie. The stories are set around 100 years ago.

One day Rosie is up a tree, praying, when she observes a fight. She gets involved, then ends up travelling out west to Kansas to look after a small boy, for a surly farmer.

Rosie is a superb cook, and soon settles down and makes friends in the neighbourhood. Inevitably, romance blossoms in many directions... it was all a bit predictable, but a pleasant enough read. The characters are well-rounded and believable, and the story interesting. The Christian input is not too heavy, and the settings feel authentic.

Recommended in a low-key way.

The sequels to this, which both stand alone (albeit based in the same town) are:

• Prairie Fire
• Prairie Storm

More Lives than One (by Libby Purves)

(Amazon UK link)

I'm enjoying reading novels by Libby Purves, who is probably better known as an outspoken journalist. Her style is hard-hitting and concise, her stories always different, revolving somewhat around contemporary issues, and her plots are cleverly done.

'More Lives than One' is an amazing book, one which drew me in almost imperceptibly as an interesting light novel. Then it stunned me, again and again, with such a superb understanding of ordinary people that I found some of my preconceived ideas undergoing a radical re-think. One of the pieces of 'blurb' at the front of this book describes it as: 'The kind of book that you race to finish and then think about for a long time afterwards'. What a very apt description that turned out to be!

Anna is nineteen at the start of this book, on her own after leaving her boyfriend and realising she never loved him anyway. Just to complicate things slightly, they are in Egypt at the time. I'm not entirely sure why this is the setting for the first couple of chapters of the book; it's seems almost incongruous. Or perhaps it's meant to set the scene for an impulsive, friendly and intensely honest girl who copes well with almost any circumstances. She travels to a rather basic hotel where she meets a group of Oxford undergraduates who have come for scuba diving with their instructor, Kit Milcourt. Kit and Anna have an instant rapport, and inevitably become more than close friends within a few days.

The third chapter leaps forward to nine years later, back in the UK. Kit and Anna are happily married, with just one slight problem: Anna isn't getting pregnant. They have both been subjected to tests to try and discover what - if anything - might be wrong. They are also both qualified as teachers: Anna in modern languages, Kit in English. They teach at a struggling comprehensive school, where Kit has made a name for himself as an idealist determined to educate and inspire his students rather than merely enabling them to pass exams. As such he is loved by most of the children, but in constant battles with some of the staff who see their roles quite differently.

The writing style is straightforward, without too much description. Yet I built up a good picture of both Kit and Anna from their conversations and the ways they interacted with other people. Anna is lovable and secure, the product of rather caricatured parents who have given her everything she could need and who have always let her know they love her. Kit, by contrast, has fought his way through boarding school where his cold father was headmaster; he has emerged strong, active and deeply idealistic. He stands out as the kind of teacher who ought to be far more common in every school, and yet is likely to be beaten down by bureaucracy and the need for conforming to government guidelines.

Libby Purves usually manages to cover some hard-hitting contemporary issues within her novels, but to start with there did not seem to be any. For the first part of the book I was lulled into thinking that it was mainly about education for children with social problems. It also covered some of the difficulties experienced by teachers who work too hard and struggle to inspire such students, while forced to keep within the National Curriculum. As I find these topics interesting I wasn't disappointed, but a little surprised. These issues are undoubtedly important, but seemed rather tame compared to other novels I have read by this author.

I found both Kit and Anna attractive characters. They work hard in their different ways at school, they complement each other at home. When the fiery Kit manages to annoy another member of staff, the peaceable Anna generally manages to smooth things down again. Although Anna is sometimes puzzled by Kit, she's secure enough to find explanations for nearly everything that might cause irritation in another woman.

In the second part of the book, the mood changes. The focus is on truth and integrity in the midst of trauma and accusation. It wouldn't be fair to say what issues are raised since they're so unexpected; suffice it to say I found myself re-thinking some views I had held, and as promised by the 'blurb', pondered the book for several days after I had finished it. The subjects covered were all even more controversial than I had expected. I shall definitely read this book again in a few years; it won't shock me the second time, but I don't think that will matter.

I would recommend it to anybody who has anything to do with education, social services or the police. Indeed I'd recommend this book to almost anyone, male or female. Having said that, it's probably not one for children or younger teenagers. Not that it's a difficult book, but some of the issues raised could potentially be seriously disturbing for those who are themselves still in school.

Just make sure you have several hours free when you start this book. Once you get half-way through, it becomes almost impossible to stop reading for any but the most urgent circumstances!

All in all, a very thought-provoking book.

Emily of New Moon (by Lucy Maud Montgomery)

(Amazon UK link)

The Canadian author LM Montgomery is, of course, best known for her classic book 'Anne of Green Gables' and its many sequels. But I've read that some people consider her lesser-known 'Emily' series to be better in some ways, so when I learned that it had been republished fairly recently (and inexpensively) I decided to get hold of the first book and see what it was like.

Emily, aged eleven, lives with her adored father and a rather bad-tempered housekeeper called Ellen. She has two beloved cats and is a highly imaginative child. As the book opens, Emily's father is dying of consumption and she has no idea what will happen to her. This book is set in Canada around a hundred years ago before consumption (TB) became curable with antibiotics, and also before children were expected to have much of a voice.

After he dies, several aunts and uncles from her mother's side of the family arrive, and discuss in rather impolite tones what they will do with Emily. They feel a definite responsibility towards her, although they cast her mother off when she married her father, but none of them find her particularly attractive. Poor Emily is not the kind of child they expect. She speaks her mind, she expects to be treated with respect and honesty, and she wants more than anything to be loved.

I did like Emily herself as a character. She is different from Anne in that she has had a happy early childhood rather than being in a series of orphanages. Emily's relatives are quite well-off, too, and can easily afford to keep her even though they don't particularly want her. Her imagination is more fanciful than Anne's, too. There's no need for her to long for a more interesting name, or for a family. Instead she imagines anthropomorphisms: the 'Wind Woman' who whistles and sighs around the house, for instance.

The overall plot of the book is similar to that of 'Anne of Green Gables'. Emily must adjust to her new relatives, and they must adjust to her. There are misunderstandings, clashes and confusion; there is also homesickness, badly hurt feelings and eventually a dawning of love and acceptance. But the undercurrents and subplots are quite different. Emily's first great friend of her own age is not a 'kindred spirit'; this is immediately clear to the reader, but not to poor Emily.

Moreover rather than two elderly guardians, she has three: strict Aunt Elizabeth, who never shows her feelings and expects instant obedience; loving Aunt Laura who sometimes compromises Emily's integrity by suggesting she do things behind Aunt Elizabeth's back; and poetic Cousin Jimmy who had an accident as a child and has never fully grown up in his mind.

Emily goes to school for the first time, makes various friends, gets to know neighbours, and - almost in passing - teaches her adult companions a great deal about honesty and respect. She has a strong moral code but is no goody-goody. She feels anger and bitterness, and often exaggerates her feelings which she takes out in writing letters to her dead father.

I didn't find the book flowed as well as 'Anne of Green Gables', partly due to the letters. Quite a few of them are given in full, complete with childish spelling mistakes in the earlier ones. This certainly means that Emily's personal perspective is made clear, but I felt it slightly jarred in places. However I've never really been keen on books with a large number of letters interspersed, and I don't find it easy reading misspelled words! So all credit to Lucy Maud Montgomery that I kept reading.

Overall I thought it was an enjoyable book with some moving sections and even a little suspense in places. It's intended for children of around age ten and upwards. While the main appeal is probably to girls, it's not exclusively so. My fifteen-year-old son who loves the 'Anne' series read this and very much liked it. It would make a good read-aloud, too, for children of almost any age. The language is a little old-fashioned, but no more so than most classic children's books of this era.

So while I don't think I'd rank it higher than 'Anne of Green Gables' in my affections, it's a close rival. Once I'd read this I was eager to get hold of the sequels, and will definitely be reading them again some time. Try it if you like children's books of this era, avoid it if you don't!

The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective (by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert)

(Amazon UK link)

I'd been interested in the Myers-Briggs personality typing system for some years. It's only recently, however,  started noticing online discussion about another system, known as the Enneagram. It's more controversial, in the Christian world. Whereas Myers-Briggs is accepted within most churches (and used in many), the Enneagram is considered by some to have occult roots.

So I was pleased to find this book by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert. Both these writers are Christians. Moreover, both of them clearly believe that the Enneagram has positive uses, and is even relevant within the church.

'The Enneagram: A Christian perspective' is exactly what its title implies. It's a very helpful explanation of the Enneagram system from a Christian viewpoint. It doesn't have the useful questionnaires that some of the other books do, but it has helpful descriptions of each of the nine types, particularly from the viewpoint of likely churchmanship, preferred styles of prayer and worship, and so on, as well as more general descriptions.

Perhaps it's a little heavy in places. I should think it would be hard to follow if someone knew nothing about the Enneagram in advance. But I would recommend this highly for anyone wanting to reconcile this fascinating personality system with Christian belief.

September (by Rosamunde Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

How I love Rosamunde Pilcher's writing! I re-read all her books periodically, knowing I'm going to love them all the more each time. Her characterisation is the best I have ever come across. She creates believable and lovable characters that get right under my skin.

'September' is one of her longer novels, although it's not a saga since it takes place in only about five months. Verena is organising a ball for her daughter Katie's 21st birthday in September. The story revolves around her friends who are invited, from May until the ball itself takes place.

There are so many wonderful people - delightful Vi, a worried and wise grandmother, for instance. Then there's the young American Virginia, who can't bear the thought of her son Henry going to boarding school at the age of eight. There's Alexa, falling in love in London.

Perhaps most significantly, there's the somewhat flaky Pandora, who ran away when she was eighteen, and - twenty years later - finally considers returning home. They are such realistic people, I felt as if I'd known them for years; re-reading the book feels like getting in touch with old friends.

This novel is one of my favourites. It's very moving in places, and there's a bit of suspense too, although I didn't notice it so much as I felt the first time I read it. The ending is bittersweet yet encouraging.

Highly recommended.

Note: there is also a made-for-TV film version of 'September' available on DVD; it sticks fairly close to the story, and is very well done.

Midnight champagne (by A Manette Ansay)

(Amazon UK link)

This isn't the kind of book I would normally read. The cover isn't particularly appealing, and the blurb on the back does not sound very interesting to me. I had never heard of A Manette Ansay. But I was given the book 'Midnight champagne', and of course it's a good idea to try new authors from time to time.

The plot is about a wedding. April and Caleb have only known each other for three months, and she isn't pregnant. Thus nobody can quite understand why they want to get married so quickly. They would like to have had a private ceremony, but April's parents insist that she should be married 'properly'. So she books into Great Lakes Chapel on the shores of Lake Michigan for a wedding on Valentine's Day. It's not a religious chapel, but some of April's Catholic relatives are so determined to make the wedding valid that they arrive early to decorate it with candles and a statue.

Nearby is the Hideaway Lodge, where some of the relatives have booked to stay for the night. This is a lodge with a history of murder, suicide and even ghosts. Other visitors are there, and for one couple a domestic quarrel ends in a rather dramatic way.

As the guests mingle, the book zooms in on various discussions, pinpointing different groups and showing their reactions to the wedding. There are disapproving relatives, puzzled friends, even an ex-fiancé of April's who is still rather angry at her having broken off their engagement. As the story unfolds we discover more of the reason, and see better why she has chosen to marry Caleb.

I found it a strange book. To my surprise, Amazon has it listed under 'horror/mystery', but there are no mysteries in the book, and it's so light-hearted that I didn't find it horrific either. The one tragedy is played down, the past is only skated upon lightly. Yes, there are ghosts, but they're all quite amicable. Serious discussions are contrasted with light humour and irony, and even a little slapstick comedy. My favourite sections involve a group of young teenagers who are too old to play with the younger children, but bored with sitting around gossipping. They discover a games room, and a beer keg...

There's a bit of mild suspense here and there. The snow keeps falling, the lights go out due to a power cut, and two children set out to visit a room where we know that a potentially dangerous man has gone. However they're dressed in borrowed fur coats that are far too big for them, and somehow this light-hearted vision meant that I didn't have any worries about them. It wasn't the kind of book that was upsetting or disturbing in any way, and I say that as someone who's quite squeamish and wouldn't normally touch anything in the 'horror' category.

Really the whole book seems like a series of brief images. I found myself thinking that this would have worked a great deal better on screen. If a film director had wanted a 'horror' angle, then I'm sure it could have been done with appropriate music, eerie lighting and longer focus on the times when people were approaching potential danger, rather than the brief sentence or two that suffice in the book.

All in all, I found the book left me unmoved. It wasn't bad - I didn't give up on it. I didn't dislike it in any way, but nor did I find it gripping. Inevitably for a wedding there were a large number of people involved, and while it didn't really matter what their various relationships were to the bride or groom, there wasn't time to become involved with any of them.

April should perhaps have been the main character, but although we learn quite a lot about her, there's very little directly from her point of view. None of the characters are memorable, none of the book was particularly thought-provoking, and I got to the end without really knowing what the plot was.

The blurb on the back includes a review by the New York Times, which says, 'Ansay weaves in and out of the sundry dramas with grace, warmth and a good deal of humour'. I think that sums it up reasonably well. It's a pleasant enough way to pass a few hours; it's only a little over 200 pages. It's not a difficult style. At times I was reminded of Anne Tyler, but there isn't any of the depth or astute observation that I expect from Tyler.

Not one I'm likely to read again. 

The Heartbreaker (by Susan Howatch)

(Amazon UK link)

At last, the new novel by Susan Howatch, much awaited by her fans, was published in paperback! I re-read the entire series - Starbridge and St Benet's - in advance, to remind myself of the plots and people, before finally embarking on the new book.

'The Heartbreaker' is quite a shocking book. It's very different from the more staid Starbridge series about Church of England clergymen in the early and mid 20th centuries. There are some characters from earlier novels who appear in this, but the main protagonist is a newcomer: Gavin. Moreover, he's not a cook (like Alice from A Question of Integrity) or even a business expert (like Carter in The High Flyer). No, Gavin is - of all things - a male prostitute.

I didn't think I was going to like this book very much. I knew who Gavin was because I'm on a mailing list for people who enjoy Susan Howatch's books, and although I had avoided reading any spoiler discussions before I read 'The Heartbreaker', I couldn't help knowing the subject matter. I also knew that several people considered it a distinctly unpleasant story.

But I do like this author's writing, so I couldn't resist reading this, at least once.

The novel begins in the voice of Carta Graham, who was the main character in 'The High Flyer' (second book of the trilogy). She has suffered considerable trauma, and is currently taking a break from her career as a lawyer, working instead at the St Benet's healing centre as a fund-raiser. The book opens as she meets an old friend to discuss fund-raising strategy, and learns some unexpected secrets about his private life.

The next section is written from the perspective of Gavin, the 'heartbreaker' of the title. He seems a most unpleasant person to start with. He is convinced that everyone - male and female - will find him irresistibly attractive. He judges people almost entirely on their looks and sex appeal. It doesn't seem to occur to him that anyone could think beyond the bedroom, nor that anyone could find him unattractive in any way.

The book then continues, alternating these two first-person viewpoints. It's cleverly written with distinct styles for each (typical of Susan Howatch), showing the different viewpoints of events as the plot unfolds.

I have to say, though, I wasn't very impressed with the first part of the book. If it had been any other author, I would probably have given up about a third of the way through.

But as the plot develops, we slowly learn more about Gavin. He has terrible self-esteem, and a deep fear of his employer and her friends. It seems at first as if he could easily escape - and yet the ties that bind him to his job are far deeper than we first realise. One of this author's gifts is the ability to make the reader sympathetic to even the most unlikeable of people.

On the negative side, there's a lot of sleaze. Although the sex isn't explicit, it's referred to frequently with sufficient hints that my stomach turned a few times at some of the things he was expected to do. I wondered why it was necessary to show quite so many incidents; however, by the time I finished the book I thought it probably was the right amount. If anything, it was probably down-played on reality.

Inevitably Gavin eventually makes a bid for freedom under traumatic circumstances, making the book suspenseful and very exciting in places. I'm not one for thrillers in general - Agatha Christie is about my limit - but this managed to sustain my interest increasingly, without keeping me awake half the night with bad dreams. The suspense never lasted too long, and some real horrors that were uncovered were fairly lightly touched upon.

There's a good vs evil thread, and perhaps a more overt Christian message than is found in the other books in this trilogy. Not all the 'good' guys are Christians - or indeed heterosexuals - and there are some very shady characters with church backgrounds. The clergymen at St Benet's offer healing to everyone, freedom from whatever binds them, and a promise of help at whatever level is required. Integrity is one of the main values of the St Benet's centre: whatever one might think of prostitution, it's clear that Gavin's personality is so fragmented, and his lifestyle so distasteful to him, that he isn't free to be himself at any level.

It's a strong book with a lot to think about, and I'll probably read it again in a few years, but I wouldn't recommend it unreservedly. My stomach isn't particularly strong, and I coped with not just the sex references (mostly homosexual) but some clear hints of worse. All credit to Susan Howatch for keeping me reading!

If you enjoy thrillers, or are interested - for whatever reason - in either Christian healing or prostitution, then this book is well worth reading. It's extremely well-written. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, but in my view is best read as the third of the trilogy.