Debutantes (by Charlotte Bingham)

(Amazon UK link)

I have quite a few of Charlotte Bingham's novels on my shelves. I've very much enjoyed her more recent ones, although I've been less impressed with some of her earlier books. Still, I've picked most of them up very inexpensively at charity shops and thrift stores, and friends like to borrow them.

'Debutantes' is one of her earlier novels, and also one of the longest. At 700 pages in paperback, it's a long read. However, it's taken me over two weeks to get through it, which is considerably more than I had expected. Despite several glowing reviews on various book-selling sites, I wasn't very impressed, and had to keep picking it up deliberately to read another chapter, rather than finding myself drawn to it continually.

It's the story of three young ladies - debutantes - who are to make their first appearance at the London season, around 100 years ago. Apparently little had changed since the Regency period, another century earlier. Upper class girls were displayed in balls, presented at court in hugely expensive gowns, and hoped to catch rich - and preferably likeable - husbands.

The book is divided into four sections. The first three introduce the three girls, one at a time, in their homes, showing them in the months prior to their season in London.

The first section is a bit confusing, since it's primarily the story of a 'nouveau riche' couple and their daughter who buy a house from Lady Lanford, a rather unpleasant woman who was once the most beautiful girl in London, and who enjoys liaisons with many married men, including royalty. It's not until near the end of the first section that we're introduced to May, a stunningly beautiful girl brought up in a convent, who is to be launched into society.

The second and third sections introduce Portia and Emily, the other two debutantes. Unfortunately, I didn't find either of them memorable. One of them grows up with a bohemian and scatty aunt, and is fond of sailing; the other grows up in Ireland, and is fond of horses. They both seemed very flat, personality-wise, and although I only finished the book last night, I'd already forgotten which was which.

The final section is about the season itself, when these three girls are launched into society. There's a lot of social history that's fairly interesting, which goes into a lot more detail than - for instance - Georgette Heyer about the problems besetting these girls, such as the ridiculous nature of the court presentation. We also get a glimpse of the working classes of London, who apparently hung around just hoping for a sight of the various girls.

There's a fair bit of plot, which really could have been written in just the first and fourth section without any need for Portia and Emily. But since my preference is for character-based novels with strong emotion in places, I didn't find this particularly appealing as a novel.

I did finally make my way to the end, wondering what would happen - indeed, I gather there's a sequel to this, so if I happen to see it in a charity shop I may well buy it. But I wouldn't rate it above average.

Still, it could make good holiday reading, since it's easy enough to put down and is sufficiently light that it doesn't exercise many brain cells. It's not a bad book - just lacking characterisation.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 28th October 2008

Blue like Jazz (by Donald Miller)

(Amazon UK link)

It's not often that I read a non-fiction book which is a modern best-seller. I hadn't even heard of Donald Miller - this book was given to my husband, as was another by the same author, and there it sat on our shelves. But it was recommended by someone else, and I thought I'd give it a go.

'Blue like Jazz' has 'Nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality' as its subtitle, and it sounded good to me. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. It turned out to be the author's thoughts combined with a bit of autobiography, in roughly chronological order. He covers topics such as love, giving, the church, faith, romance and community, in a refreshing style without using any jargon at all.

It took me a few pages to get into the style of writing. The sentences are short, and casual in the extreme. He writes almost like a teenager at times, delving into his innermost thoughts as well as relating what happened to himself and various of his friends, and the conclusions they draw. Because there are so many anecdotes, it's very readable - and also surprisingly thought-provoking.

I can't say this is my favourite book of all time, nor that it struck me deeply (as did some of the books by, for instance, Philip Yancey, Brennan Manning or Adrian Plass). But I enjoyed it, reading a couple of chapters at a time, and I found it interesting reading such an honest account of someone's life, and searching, and spirituality.

Fundamentalists might disapprove: Miller writes about drinking and smoking and swearing as part of everyday life. But, for many, that's true. If we look at the kinds of people Jesus mixed with two thousand years ago, they're not so different.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who dislikes religious jargon, or who wonders whether all Christians are hypocrites, or simply wants a different kind of take on Christian topics.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 24th October 2008

The Bible Jesus Read (by Philip Yancey)

(Amazon UK link)

I have enjoyed Philip Yancey's writing for about ten years now, and have gradually collected almost all his books.

I bought 'The Bible Jesus read' some months ago but only got around to reading it a couple of weeks ago. It's not really the kind of book to read all in one sitting, but I enjoyed reading about half a chapter a day.

Yancey, in his usual clear style, looks briefly at some of the books of the Old Testament. He explains why he thinks it's important for Christians to read them, even though it's all too easy to neglect them in favour of the more exciting and inspiring New Testament. But the Old Testament was the entire Bible - or Scriptures - for Jesus and the early disciples, and that in itself means they're worth reading.

After a general introduction, there are five main chapters covering Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the prophets in general. Philip Yancey explains what his attitude used to be to each of these, and takes us briefly on his journey of discovery, and the reasons he now sees these books as useful and encouraging for all believers, even if they take a bit of extra work.

There's no deep theology, and I can't say I found any of this book particularly inspiring, although it did help me decide to read through some of the oft-neglected prophets. As always, Yancey's style is very readable; for anyone struggling to understand the relevance of Old Testament, I'd certainly recommend this relatively light book on the topic.

Published in 1999, still regularly in print in both the UK and USA. Note that there is also a participants' guide available, which can be used alongside the main book.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 13th October 2008

The Secret of Grey Walls (by Malcolm Saville)

(Amazon UK link)

I enjoyed Malcolm Saville's books from the time I was about ten. They genre is adventure, which isn't my favourite - but his skill is in characterisation. The lengthy 'Lone Pine' series mostly follow the same formula, but the people mature and develop, and their relationships with each other are very special.

I read them all in my teens, and again about twenty-three years ago. I used to read them one after another, and found by the end that I was so caught up in the Lone Pine world that I felt almost bereaved at the end. So this time I'm re-reading them gradually - no more than one a month, interspersed with various other novels I'm reading or re-reading.

'The Secret of Grey Walls' is the fourth in the Lone Pine series, and features not just the Shropshire Lone Piners, but Jon and Penny from Sussex, who were first introduced in the third in the series, 'The Gay Dolphin Adventure'. Jon and Penny travel up to Sussex to meet the rest of the club, staying at a guest house in the little village of Clun which is new to them all.

The plot involves sheep-stealing, and an old building called 'Grey Walls'. A few new characters appear, who return in later books: the suspicious Mr Cantor, who is treated to dose of the Morton twins, and the friendly sheep-farmer, Alan Denton. There are lots of minor excitements as the children try to discover what is happening to the sheep, as well as getting to know the local area - and what makes it interesting is the interactions between the various people.

My copy of the book is a second edition hardback, which seems a bit more dated than the somewhat abridged Armada paperback version. Not surprising, since it's set in the late 1940s, in a much more innocent age, made all the more innocent by the fictional idealism meaning that children were quite safe being out and about, except when they came across 'baddies' who were extremely bad, but never actually did them any harm, and were always caught in the end.

The line drawings in the book are also typical of the era, distinctly old-fashioned and a bit surprising in places. The story is set in the winter, with frequent references to how very cold the weather is, yet the twins always seem to appear in shorts and light sweaters.

The plot follows the same general Lone Pine adventure formula, but I enjoyed reading it anyway, in the past couple of days. It's not necessary to have read any of the earlier books in the series, but I think that doing so makes for better continuity and interest. Good light reading for older children, teens or adults.

Not currently in print, but new facsimile editions of these books are gradually being brought out, and it's often available second-hand.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 11th October 2008

Pistols for Two (by Georgette Heyer)

(Amazon UK link)

I do like Georgette Heyer's historical novels. I started reading them when I was about sixteen, over thirty years ago, and have been reading and re-reading them ever since.

I'm not entirely sure why I haven't re-read 'Pistols for Two' for about thirteen years, but was pleased to rectify the situation in the last few days. It's a book of short stories rather than a novel - as far as I know, it's Heyer's only published collection of short stories.

The first story is the one with the book title, featuring a girl desperate to stop a duel between a peer and her brother. It has lovely characterisation, and a clever plot. I could just about remember the mild twist - I have read the book at least for times before now, even though not for a long time - but enjoyed it thoroughly.

Other chapters feature arranged marriages, elopements, balls, mistaken identities, and even a gothic suspense story. None of them is more than about twenty pages long, yet each one introduces people who are immediately believable and sympathetic.

The plotting, as always with Heyer, is superb; with the short story format there's no time for several subplots, as happen in her novels, but there are still undercurrents, and minor characters who are more than just space-fillers.

All in all, very enjoyable. Recommended to anyone who likes this style, or who wants an introduction to Georgette Heyer's Regency style without the length and complexity of a novel. Still in print in the UK, and frequently available second-hand.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 9th October 2008

Johnny and the bomb (by Terry Pratchett)

(Amazon UK link)

I've been a fan of Terry Pratchett's books for many years now. I love the Bromeliad trilogy: 'Truckers', 'Diggers' and 'Wings'. I also like his lengthy Discworld series, including the ones intended for children. But for some reason I have never got around to reading any of the Johnny Maxwell trilogy. 

I knew they were intended for older children (or younger teenagers), like the Bromeliad series, and set in the real world - or roughly so. But it was only recently that I saw 'Johnny and the Bomb', third in the series, in a charity shop, and decided to buy it.

It's a strange kind of book, exploring Pratchett's oft-mentioned theories about the 'trousers of time', with each event triggering possible new worlds. A staggering thought in itself, let alone when confused by time travel that can change events in history.

Johnny and his friends find a strange supermarket trolley owned by the even stranger Mrs Tachyon. And they travel back to 1941, shortly before an air raid is due to destroy a street and several people in their town of Blackbury. Johnny happens to know a great deal about this, as he recently did some research for a history project on this topic. He has even read the local paper reporting the event.

Johnny's friends are a strange bunch: Kirsty, a very intelligent and rather stroppy girl who changes her name every so often; Yo-less, a quick-thinking young man of African origin, who never says 'yo', and is used to people getting the wrong idea about him; Wobbler, a large young man who likes to eat a lot and doesn't think fast; and BigMac, who also likes to eat a lot, and frequently finds himself in trouble with the police, whether or not he's done anything wrong.

These unlikely friends all travel to 1941; unfortunately they get separated, and something Wobbler does will have enormous repercussions on his future... unless, of course, they can manage to make yet more changes in what has happened.

Fast-moving, confusing, mildly amusing, mind-boggling... altogether this is entertaining, though not recommended to people who like novels to be realistic.

I didn't enjoy it as much as Pratchett's other books, but it was still a good light read; I shall have to look out for second-hand editions of the other two 'Johnny' books.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 6th October 2008

Other People's Children (by Joanna Trollope)

(Amazon UK link)

I've liked Joanna Trollope's writing style since I first came across one of her books, about ten or eleven years ago. Over the years I've gradually collected all her novels, and am now re-reading some of them.

I first read 'Other People's Children' in 2000, and thought it a moving, complex story. I'd completely forgotten the plot when I picked it up recently, and found it hard to put down once I'd started.

Josie marries Matthew at the start of the book; Josie's son Rufus is a sensitive child, and rather unsure about what's going on, now the stability of his life is shattered. Matthew has three children, who are rebellious and rude, and determined to make Josie hate them. To start with they live with their hysterical and obnoxious mother Nadia, who is determined to make them all suffer.

Rufus's father Tom is a nice man, and a good father. Rufus feels happier when he's staying with his father... except when his much older step-sister Dale is there. Dale is the daughter of Tom's first wife Pauline, who died when her children were young, and Dale has become selfish and demanding of attention from her father, and also her brother Lucas.

Tom falls in love with a client called Elizabeth, who is in many ways the ideal wife; she and Rufus become very fond of each other. Unfortunately, Dale is determined to dominate her father's affections...

There are a lot of people in this story, which makes it a bit confusing at times; however they're mostly well-rounded, and some of them (such as Rufus, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's elderly father) are very likeable. The difficulties and traumas of children in 'blended' families is explored from many angles, both from the perspective of the various children themselves, and that of the adults who suddenly find themselves having to care for other people's children.

There's quite a thought-provoking section near the end when Elizabeth's father talks about archetypal step-parents, and why so many in fiction are portrayed as wicked. There's also an underlying theme showing the pain caused to children, whether young like Rufus, or in their mid-twenties like Dale, when parents separate, or die, or re-marry.

At the same time, there's a feeling that it's important to let go of the past and move on, at whatever stage one is at.

Part of the ending was bittersweet, and part was encouraging. I enjoyed it very much and will no doubt re-read again in another seven or eight years. Published in 1998, but still in print in both the UK and USA.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 4th October 2008

Love's Enduring Promise (by Janette Oke)

(Amazon UK link)

After reading a fast-paced book about high finance, power struggles and adultery, I thought I'd relax with something completely different. So I picked up a book by Janette Oke. I first came across this Canadian Christian writer about fifteen years ago on the recommendation of a friend. 

Janette Oke writes light historical romantic novels, with a low-key Christian emphasis. They're really intended to be for younger teenagers, or so it seems - the plots are straightforward, and the language relatively simple. But then I frequently enjoy books for teens!

'Love's enduring promise' is the second in the 'Love Comes Softly' series of eight novels, and is one I was given some months ago by a friend who was moving away. The first in the series ('Love Comes Softly') is probably the first book I ever read by Janette Oke; even fifteen years later I can roughly remember the plot. Marty and Clark are both pioneers, and both lose their spouses. Clark has a baby daughter, Missie, and needs a wife; Marty is destitute, and so agrees to look after Missie. They get married for the sake of convenience, and gradually fall in love.

I don't remember if I read any others in the series; certainly I had no memory of this one. It covers about fifteen years in Marty and Clark's life; from the time when Missie is nearly five until she is grown up. Marty and Clark have other children, and adopt two older girls. They take part in community activities, interact with their neighbours, and help to build a new schoolhouse where their children will be educated.

It doesn't sound very exciting, but somehow it's quite moving. There's such a long time-frame to a short novel (only just over 200 pages) that it's impossible to get to know any of the characters in any depth, but it all seems believable. The story is told mainly from Marty's viewpoint, although in the third person so we never really get inside her skin. But we do learn about her hopes and fears, her worries, and the way she deals with her grumbles and learns to be more contented.

The Christian input is pretty low-key; God is part of the family life, but there's no preaching or heavy gospel input. This is Christian fiction as it should be, in my view - following the lives of ordinary people who love God and want to live for him.

It's also a good piece of social history, for anyone not familiar with the times of the early pioneers in the USA, and I was surprised how hard it was to put down once I had started.

All in all, I'd recommend it for anyone wanting a light read requiring almost no thought. Published in 1980, but - perhaps surprisingly - still in print in both the UK and USA.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 2nd October 2008

The Rich are Different (by Susan Howatch)

(Amazon UK link)

It took me a while to become keen on Susan Howatch's writing. However, these days I count her as one of my favourite modern authors. She has a crisp, succinct style which introduces some remarkably well-rounded characters, each with his or her distinct personality. Her books often use multiple narrators, a technique which works brilliantly in unfolding different perspectives on the same situation.

I first read 'The Rich are Different' in 2000, and while I found it exciting and very well-written, I didn't consider it my kind of book. It's set in the early 20th century, in the world of high finance and business - and to be sure, that's not the kind of setting that usually appeals to me. So it's a tribute to the remarkable skills of this writer that I picked the book up to re-read a week ago, and despite its length (700 pages of small print) I have read at every available moment since, and finally finished it this evening.

Dinah, an ambitious but impoverished young woman, propositions Paul, a rich American banker, in the hope of saving her family property. We know they're going to get together - the opening sentence of the book tells us that she was looking for a millionaire and he was looking for a mistress. But that's just the start of this remarkably powerful novel which spans two continents and nearly twenty years.

The negative sides of ambition, lust and greed are themes throughout this novel, although there is no moralising as such. There are several very strong characters in addition to Dinah and Paul; in particular Paul's right-hand man Steve, and his great-nephew Cornelius. The first section of the book is told by Paul, the second by his wife Sylvia, and the third by Dinah. Steve, Cornelius and Dinah then narrate the final three sections of the book, drawing it to a surprising - yet somehow satisfying - conclusion.

Historically, the book begins in the years leading up to the Wall Street crash of 1929, in which most of the main characters are deeply involved. There are conspiracies and syndicates, there is fraud and theft as well as vast amounts of alcohol, and of course the inevitable and repeated adultery.

So it's really not my kind of book at all - and yet, re-reading it, I was just as gripped as I was the first time. I'd forgotten almost all the plot, and had also forgotten most of the characters. On the other hand, I did now appreciate the clever way the author has used the historical stories of Caesar and Mark Anthony as the basis of the relationship plotlines of this amazing novel.

Still in print in the UK, although rather highly priced at times; widely available second-hand.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 1st October 2008