Having discovered a new author whom I enjoy, I'm inclined to read my way through all their books and collect most of them. So as I recently discovered Libby Purves, as a novelist (she is better known as a journalist) I'm gradually acquiring her books.
'Continental Drift' features Philip, a middle-aged ex-MP, who is rather staid and unadventurous. His wife, Diana, works for the local radio station. She becomes friendly with the Rastafarian presenter, Henry, who is a single father.
Meanwhile in Poland (yes, this bit confused me slightly too!) twenty-two-year-old Eva embarks on a backpacking trek across Europe. She hopes to visit Manda, who is Philip and Diana's daughter.
This novel takes a while to get started, since each set of characters is introduced in context. It's not as hard-hitting (or shocking) as some of Libby Purves' other novels - but I enjoyed it once I felt I knew what was going on. Certainly it was well-written and very readable.
Recommended.
I like LM Montgomery's books for teenage girls, even if they do seem a bit dated now. The 'Anne of Green Gables' series
' series is, of course, by far the best known. But there are several other books by this author, which have been republished fairly recently, and inexpensively.
So we bought 'The Blue Castle'. My first surprise was that it's not about a teenager. Valency, the heroine of the book, is twenty-nine, although her lifestyle feels more like that of a ten-year-old of the times. She is totally submissive to her domineering mother and aunt. She's also the butt of all family jokes, has never been in love, and is already considered a plain 'old maid'.
Moreover, Valency is a timid kind of person. She's afraid of upsetting people, afraid of the future, and very afraid of some pains that she has recently been suffering in her chest. However she will not bring herself to mention them to her relatives.
Eventually she is worried enough that she plucks up the courage to visit the doctor in secret, and receives news that she has a terminal illness. Ironically, this actually pushes her out of her fear, now she has to face reality. She determines to enjoy what is likely to be the last year of her life.
So Valency speaks her mind to her family in strong terms, and makes several dramatic stands for freedom. The rest of the book follows the results - including explorations of romance, truth and integrity.
On the whole I thought it a pleasant book, with a few surprises along the way (although I had guessed many of them). A nice enough book for older teens and adults, though nothing special.
Recommended, in a low-key way, if you enjoy this author's style of writing. Since 'The blue castle' is out of copyright, there are many editions available, both in print and ebook form.
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How I love Rosamunde Pilcher's writing! So sad that she has now retired from writing, but what a wonderful legacy she has left us.
I think that of all her books (all of which I love), this is my favourite. I first read 'Winter Solstice' in 2001, and was more than ready to read it again. It's an excellent book to read in a warm room, on a few cold wet days in winter.
Elfrida, the heroine of the book, is sixty-three. She is an active ex-actress, who lives on her own in a small village. She is very fond of her good friend Oscar, and also has some relatives she cares for deeply, but she likes her independence too. She's very much a free spirit, and - as with all Pilcher's characters - extraordinarily likeable, even within the first few pages of the book.
Elfrida goes away for a while, then returns to find that life has taken a sudden and totally shocking turn for Oscar, which affects her too. As a result of this, she agrees to accompany him to Scotland.
Meanwhile, Elfrida's distant cousin Carrie (30) has just returned to the UK after the break-up of a love affair abroad. And Carrie's niece Lucy (14) is feeling entirely unwanted. Her divorced mother is going away for Christmas, her father's new wife doesn't really like her, and even her grandmother doesn't want her.
So Carrie comes to the rescue, and they both end up with Elfrida and Oscar... as do one or two other people who find themselves drawn together by a variety of circumstances.
Character-driven, very moving, and utterly brilliant.
Very highly recommended.
I have most of Georgette Heyer's many novels on my shelves, and re-read them all regularly. She is by far my favourite historical author. However there are one or two which I don't seem to read as often as the rest, and this is one of them.
'The Black Moth' features Sir Jack Carstairs, who was accused of cheating at cards many years before this book opens. After the accusation, he fled the country, which made even some of his friends suspect that he might be guilty.
Now, however, he has returned and has been living his life as a Robin Hood style highwayman. He learns that his father has died, and that his younger brother refuses to use his inheritance.
Set in 18th century England, this is a book of fights and chases, romance, and even some rather moving sections. There is a superb villain of the story, who is utterly cold-blooded, yet has a sense of humour.
Georgette Heyer is, as ever, excellent in characterisation despite this having been (apparently) the first book she ever published. Jack's brother is another wonderful character: utterly respectable, and totally dull.
There's a typical Heyer ending to the book, with all characters gathered together for a final climax, leading to a most satisfying conclusion.
Recommended.
(You can also read my longer review of 'The Black Moth' written about five years later)
Jan Karon is a very gentle writer, whose books I find relaxing and enjoyable. She writes about the fictional town of Mitford, in the USA, and the delightful clergyman Father Tim.
'Shepherds Abiding' is a pleasant book for anyone who has read and liked the other Mitford books. But it doesn't really stand well alone. It's very much a sequel, even a Christmas special, continuing the many subplots and day-to-day lives of the various residents of the village.
This book focuses on Father Tim discovering a new talent, which he is thrilled by, as he slowly restores a tatty old set of nativity figures. He is doing this as a surprise Christmas present for his wife Cynthia.
The book is gentle and enjoyable, without any great excitement. I do occasionally find the dialect of some of the villagers a bit difficult to read, but it's not a huge problem.
Only really recommended if you're already a Mitford fan - in which case this makes a pleasant addition to your bookshelves.
