Sometimes I get sent books to review. Occasionally, I do an online questionnaire for a publisher, and get sent a book as a reward. This book is in the latter category. I'd never heard of Patrick Gale, but when the book arrived I thought it looked interesting.
'The whole day through' is the story of Laura. She is a young and somewhat promiscuous woman who gives up her independent lifestyle in Paris to look after her elderly mother. Her mother is physically frail, but mentally extremely astute - she was, in her youth, an eminent physicist. Laura's upbringing was unconventional, leaving her very relaxed in some senses, and highly stressed in others.
Laura bumps into Ben, an old flame, who is temporarily separated from his wife. Ben now lives with his brother, who has a mild form of Down Syndrome, and is gay.
The book is well written, although there were too many four-letter words for my tastes. It takes the form of a single day, beginning with a chapter entitled 'early morning tea', and progressing through the 'whole day' of the title. There are many flashbacks, memories and links that make it somewhat confusing.
Not that it matters. The plot weaves together well. Unfortunately, I didn't find the characters particularly appealing other than Laura's eccentric mother, who wasn't very believable but delightful all the same. There are some interesting issues covered - Ben works as a doctor in a clinic for people with STDs; some of the questions raised were thought-provoking, although I found rather too much sordid detail about what the job actually entailed.
It's not a long book - I read it in about three hours, on the way back to Cyprus from the UK. I don't suppose I'll read it again, but I don't regret having read it. At the back is an interview with the author, explaining more about the book.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 30th September 2009
Having read and enjoyed 'Teacher, Teacher' by Jack Sheffield, I was pleased to be able to borrow the first sequel too, a day later.
'Mister Teacher', again written in the style of so many popular books such as those by Herriot or Phinn, covers the second year of Jack Sheffield's life as fictional headmaster in the imaginary Ragley School, a small primary school set in a village in Yorkshire in the late 1970s.
It continues many of the threads started in the previous book, and introduces some new and interesting characters. As with the first book, there are some amusing parts, and some which are surprisingly emotional. The sub-plots are many, and mostly believable; the book is well-written on the whole.
However, I did find myself a little annoyed in a few places when incidents were described, or even emotions explained in situations where the narrator (who uses the first person) was not present. The editor should surely have picked that up; the section where Jack's 'young lady' Beth applies for a Head post in another school was one such section that I found distinctly irritating.
Overall, though, a very enjoyable read.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 29th September 2009
I'd never heard of Derryn Hinch, but apparently he's an Australian media personality. I happened to pick up his book about Scrabble at a relative's house, prior to a game. Since she wasn't going to read it, she said I could keep it.
'The Scrabble book', written in 1972, is basically a book of Scrabble strategy. It starts with the rules of the game (I skimmed that section). Then it goes on to explain such techniques as rack balancing (ie trying to ensure vowels and consonants are roughly equal), when to exchange tiles, how to use the blank most effectively, and so on.
I had already worked out some of the suggested strategies for myself - such as not opening up triple word scores, and playing the high-scoring letters on bonus tiles wherever possible. Repeated games, even online, with good players make it clear what works and what doesn't. I found this book it a very interesting read, nonetheless.
I don't play championship Scrabble, and probably never will. I'm not competitive enough, nor do I think sufficiently fast. But I do play sometimes in real life, and frequently on Facebook, and have learned in the past year just how important it is, not just to find good words but to use good placement. Often a shorter word with high letters, well-placed, can score considerably more than a longer word.
This volume is no longer in print. There are no doubt other books of this type, and many web pages devoted to the topic of Scrabble strategy. But I enjoyed reading it, and will probably refer to it again.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 28th September 2009
I didn't know anything much about Jack Sheffield, although I'd come across reviews of his books when I bought some for a relative a year or two ago. On holiday recently, I was able to borrow his first two novels, and enjoyed them very much.
'Teacher, Teacher' is written somewhat in the style of James Herriot or Gervase Phinn. It's a fictional account (almost certainly based heavily on personal experience) of a young headmaster in his first year at a small Yorkshire school in the late 1970s.
I thought it very well written, giving a great impression of what life was like in a village environment thirty years ago. There are some colourful characters in the book who seem believable, if a little caricatured, and some delightful children.
The book is written in the first person, as if it were about Jack Sheffield himself, with one or two very funny moments and others that are extremely moving. There's a low-key romance too, when Jack meets the attractive Beth Henderson.
Very enjoyable. Recommended to anyone who likes this style of book. Easy to pick up, easy to put down in between chapters.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 27th September 2009
Yet another book by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, who I've been reading for probably 35 years or more. Her books are undoubtedly intended for teens, but I enjoy them just as much - if not more - as an adult.
'Eustacia goes to the Chalet School' is the sixth in the series. It features a rather snooty girl, daughter of an eminent professor. When he dies, she goes to live with an aunt but her rambunctious boy cousins can't cope with her. So her aunt decides to send her to the Chalet School on the recommendation of a friend. Eustacia is convinced she is vastly superior to most of the girls at the school, and feels that she ought to be able to break rules in order to suit her own convenience.
Naturally several conflicts ensue, and eventually there is high drama. There are other subplots in the book, as it goes through another term in Chalet School life; we meet old friends and new, and as ever the characters are believable and well-rounded.
Of course, it's decidedly 'colonial' era British, from the 1930s. And the views on education are those of a radical headmistress (which Brent-Dyer was) from that period; while she was no doubt espousing something quite different from normal schools, I do find myself slightly irritated when it's assumed that the best education must naturally happen in a school rather than at home.
Still, they're school stories and it's hardly surprising that this rather idealistic school is assumed to be one of the best sort. I found this book extremely moving in places; I last read 'Eustacia' six years previously and had quite forgotten most of it (other than the overall theme). Very enjoyable light reading, and all the better for now having a hardback version which contains the full text of the original, rather than the considerably abridged paperback version.
Not currently in print. The abridged Armada paperback version can often be found in charity shops, but the more recent reprint of the full paperback may be hard to find, or expensive.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 25th September 2009
It's not often I read several in a series one after the other. I usually like to read at least a few different books in between. But somehow Elinor M Brent-Dyer's writing draws me in, with her excellent characterisation and interesting plots. So, while I'm still away from home and have a newly-acquired collection of some of the hardbacks, I continued on to yet another in this series.
'Rivals of the Chalet School' is fifth in the lengthy series, which I first read in my teens. It's more than ten years since I last read this - perhaps nearer twenty - and I'd pretty much forgotten it.
I knew the overall plot was about another girls' school that opens at the other end of the lake, and the rivalry that develops between the two schools. However I had no recollection of why the girls initially disliked eachother. The many sub-plots seemed new to me, and as ever the characterisation is very good. There was even one chapter where I had more than a few tears in my eyes.
Much of the book seems dated, unsurprisingly, particularly the medical aspects of the story and the serious worries about diseases which we now treat as mild. The idea of 'delicate' children seems rather old-fashioned too. But the educational and medical methods were probably radically modern in the late 1920s when this was first written.
All in all, great nostalgic reading. Not currently in print in hardback, although facsimile editions have been produced. This can often be found in Armada paperback, which is better than nothing, but the full versions are considerably better in my view.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 23rd September 2009
I've been reading and re-reading books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer for nearly forty years now. They're an early example, I suppose of 'crossover' books - those that appeal to children or young teenagers and also to adults. These days they seem somewhat dated, but the people and situations still sparkle - a tribute to the author's talent.
Having recently acquired several of the early hardbacks in facsimile form, I couldn't resist re-reading them for the first time in over ten years. After thoroughly enjoying 'The School at the Chalet', and 'Jo of the Chalet School' it would have made sense for me to read the third in the series, 'The Princess at the Chalet School'.
However, although I do have a hardback version, it's at home in Cyprus. I did ponder waiting a couple of weeks until I'm back again.. but not for long. Instead I picked up the fourth in the series, 'The Head Girl of the Chalet School'.
In this book, Grizel Cochrane is made head girl of the Chalet School for two terms. The staff are not sure that she will cope, particularly when her temper makes her do something irresponsible shortly before she takes up her new role. But she's given another chance to mature, and it's probably the making of her.
So Grizel determines to succeed. Her two terms as head girl are enlivened by a revengeful prefect, a snow fight which turns nasty, various weddings, an abduction, a trip to Salzburg that has an unpleasant ending, and a surprising discovery.
It's all thoroughly enjoyable stuff. Great characterisation, interesting plotlines, and all the better to read in hardback! It's many years since I read this, even in the abridged paperback version, and I'd forgotten most of it.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 21st September 2009
I suppose I've always associated the Chalet School books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer with holidays of some sort. I started reading them in my early teenage years when we stayed with my grandparents in Scotland during the summer. I re-read them (the twenty or so she had, anyway) every year, and then more recently when staying with my parents in Birmingham I often dug out a few of these books to read.
Now, to my great delight, I've acquired my mother's full set of the books as she doesn't read them any more. These include many of the hardbacks from my grandmother's house, and some more recently published. And what a joy it is to re-read these early ones in the series in hardback form again. The paperbacks abridged them quite seriously, although I hadn't realised to quite what an extent they were shortened.
'Jo of the Chalet School' is the second in this lengthy series about a girls' boarding school in Austria, which starts with 'The School at the Chalet'. This book particularly features 13-year-old Joey Bettany, sister of the school Head. She makes new friends, becomes editor of the new school magazine, learns to ski, and even discovers what her future career is likely to be. She adopts Rufus, too, and little Robin Humphries joins the family.
I've always found these far more interesting than the average school story for teenagers, even if they do seem a little dated in places. Brent-Dyer (who was herself a teacher) really gets into the characters in this volume, particularly that of Jo who appears in every one of the sixty-odd books.
I found the book relaxing to read, and even found tears in my eyes in a couple of particularly moving sections. And while I don't usually read several books by the same author in a row, I find that having started one Chalet School book, I want to read several more soon after.
Definitely recommended, if you like this kind of thing. Not in print currently, but can often be found inexpensively in charity shops. There was a newer hardback version was published by Chambers in 1988, and that is well worth getting hold of if you can, although it, too, is not now in print.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 19th September 2009
I don't remember when I first discovered Elinor M Brent-Dyer. I should think I was about ten or eleven; there were several of the earlier hardbacks at my grandmother's house. I know that by the time I was about thirteen I was regularly borrowing books from her lengthy Chalet School series from my school library.
As a young adult I started collecting some of them myself, although most were only available in rather abridged Armada paperback form. I've re-read most of them, sporadically, over the years.
Recently I've acquired the rest of the series, including a good number in hardback. So I decided to start over at the beginning and read the full version of 'The School at the Chalet'. It's the story of the orphaned Madge (aged 24) and her younger sister Joey (aged 12). Struggling financially, and unable to go to India where Madge's twin brother works, they decide to rent a chalet in Austria and start a small school.
It's set in the 1920s, when apparently it was a great deal less expensive to live in Europe than in the UK, and where young women could start schools and take on students without any prospectus or much experience. The Chalet School is run on what were, at the time, fairly radical principles - no doubt those of the author, who was herself a school Head - and seems like an attractive school.
Naturally it seems a bit dated now, particularly in the slang used by the British girls - 'topping' and 'ripping' being particularly popular. Some of the situations, too, seem rather caricatured. But the conversations are realistic, and the people feel alive and believable; it's the characterisation which pulls these books - and there are over 60 of them in all - out of the rut formed by an immense number of school stories written in the early part of the 20th century.
They experienced something of a revival in the 1970s and 80s when they were republished in the abbreviated paperback forms, and more recently hardback facsimile versions have also been published. 'The School at the Chalet' is often found in charity shops, mostly in paperback form, and makes a good light read for anyone who enjoys classic teenage fiction.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 17th September 2009
Over the years I've quite enjoyed some of the books about young men in a variety of jobs - in particular those by James Herriot and Gervase Phinn. But they're not the kinds of books I would go out and buy, or even place on my wishlist. I would probably never have come across Patrick Taylor at all if I hadn't been sent his most recent publication by The Bookbag site for review.
'An Irish country village' is actually a novel, rather than an embellished autobiographical account, although no doubt some of his anecdotes are based on real experiences. It's the story of Barry Laverty, a young GP in his first practise, under the somewhat irascible Fingal O'Reilly. He reminded me fairly strongly of Herriot's Siegfried Farnon.
So, the book covers medical incidents: from a child's cut finger to a difficult home birth; from conjunctivitis to emergencies requiring hospital treatment. It's set in a fictional Ulster village in the 1960s, when life was gentler, and villagers looked out for one another. There's low-key romantic tension in the book, due to the lively and ambitious Patricia. There's also an ongoing thread about a potential lawsuit, after one of Barry's patients dies.
I didn't find it particularly amusing or gripping. But it was a good book to pick up at odd moments to peruse, and I found myself often in sympathy with Barry as he learns the ropes and finds out that best practise in country medicine does not always fit with the academic theory.
My only criticism is that the conversations feel rather stilted and long-winded. There are some unnecessary bits of dialogue that add nothing to either plot or characterisation. There are also some irritating asides when we're told the meaning of some phrase or other, rather than gathering what it meant from context.
But all in all, I thought this a good light read. It's the sequel to 'An Irish Country Doctor', which I haven't read. It stands alone although it would probably be best to read them in order. There are a lot of different people in this book, and I expect it would have been easier to keep track of who was whom if I'd read the first book.
My longer review of 'An Irish Country Village' can be found at the Bookbag site.
While not, in general, a fan of adventure novels, I always liked Malcolm Saville's 'Lone Pine' series about a group of teenagers who solve mysteries and find excitement in Shropshire and elsewhere. As a teenager I collected almost all these books, and re-read them about twenty-five years ago. A few months ago I decided to read them again - interspersed with others.
'Saucers over the moor' is the eighth in the Lone Pine adventure series. I suppose I must have read it at least twice before, along with all the others, but - unlike most of the others - I didn't remember it at all. Possibly because it's not one of my favourites. There's very little character development in this book, for one thing. Coming, as it does, right after the enjoyable book 'The Neglected Mountain', it was a bit disappointing.
Moreover, although most of the books seem a bit unlikely, this adventure feels totally unbelievable, with secret service agents, flying saucers, and spies. As ever, the children are brave and resourceful, overcoming kidnappings, fights and imprisonment without any serious harm - something that would not be encouraged in children's literature today!
Worth reading as part of the series, I suppose, but it could easily be missed out altogether.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 11th September 2009
I had never heard of either Gill Hines or Alison Baverstock. Nor is this a book I would have bought, since my two sons are now in their early 20s. But I've always liked parenting books, so when I saw it on the shelves for review of 'The Bookbag' site, I thought it would be interesting to read. I did wonder if it would be along similar lines to Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's 'Raising your Spirited Child', which I read about nine years ago, and thought excellent.
However, the 'bright and challenging' children described in this book are defined as being 'smart, sassy and sparky, with just a hint of precociousness.' This is rather different from the dreamy, perceptive and rather disorganised 'spirited' one.
A bright and challenging child tends to live in the moment, self-aware and verbal, able to argue well, frequently wearing his parents down. Modern recommended parenting methods are not necessarily helpful with this kind of child.
Problems arise since bright and challenging children are often unable to consider long-term consequences of their actions. As teenagers, they are more likely than most to experiment with dangerous or anti-social behaviours. They usually like being the centre of attention, and are more interested in present feelings and desires than any thought of the future.
The book is very well-written, full of anecdotes about bright and challenging children, with advice about what to do, and what not to do. There are questionnaires, places for parents to pause and think about certain aspects of parenting, and some excellent suggestions in the later chapters for preparing their children for the temptations of the teenage years.
It's intended for parent of children from eight to twelve, and most of the suggestions and recommendations are appropriate for this age-range. However, some children are clearly bright and challenging from a much younger age, and some teenagers are the despair of their parents due to consistently negative behaviour of the sort described in this book. So I feel it would be appropriate for parents of any age children who are finding it hard to deal with them.
Very highly recommended.
You can also read my slightly longer review of 'It's Not Fair' on the Bookbag site.
I like reading children's fiction, from time to time, and have always enjoyed Noel Streatfeild's novels. I happened to be sorting out some books on my shelves when I came across this one, and picked it up to see how it started. Before long I was hooked...
I first read 'The Circus is Coming', more recently re-titled as 'Circus Shoes', in 2000. But I'd pretty much forgotten it. It's the story of Peter and Santa, an orphaned brother and sister who live with their rather strict and snobbish aunt. It's set, I suppose, in the middle of the 20th century.
When the aunt dies, it looks as though the children may have to be sent to ophanages. So they decide to go and find their uncle Gus, the black sheep of the family. What they hadn't realised is that he's an artiste in a circus. It all seems a bit unlikely, somehow. Would children really have been brought up in such extreme circumstances, ignorant of not just their uncle, but of their parents and grandparents? Would their local tutors and friends have been entirely unaware of any other family? I doubt it, somehow.
Still, it makes for a good start to the story. I was, however, unimpressed that Streatfeild felt that being educated at home was a bad idea, and that any children would be better off in school.
The book is basically about Peter and Santa learning to put aside some of their snooty ideas, and becoming friendly with the circus folk. Some of it seems very old-fashioned, but on the whole it's an enjoyable read. The characterisation isn't as good as in many others by this author, and - a little to my surprise - I found I was copmaring it rather unfavourably with Enid Blyton's circus series, which begins with 'Mr Galliano's Circus'. In general, I feel that Noel Streatfeild was a considerably better writer than Enid Blyton. But somehow Blyton's circus characters seem a lot more alive.
As with so many of Streatfeild's novels, the ending of 'The Circus is Coming' is satisfying, albeit predictable, but also happens rather abruptly with a big climax in the last few pages, then a resolution - and no more.
Not bad for a low-key read over a day or two, but not my favourite Noel Streatfeild by a long way.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 3rd September 2009
I first came across Rachel Hore when I was recommended some of her books by Amazon. I liked what I read about them in the reviews, and put a couple on my wishlist. I very much enjoyed the first one I read - 'The dream house' - and looked forward to getting into another.
'The memory garden' is well-written, relaxing and enjoyable, although it took me well over a week to get through it. The main story features a young and rather stressed woman called Mel. She goes to Cornwall, in the hope of a retreat from the current overwhelming nature of her life, taking a sabbatical from work to write a book about local artists. She finds herself intrigued by some pictures she finds there. She is also very interested in Patrick, the owner of the place she is temporarily renting.
Past and present intertwine, as we learn about the young woman who did the paintings, and gradually Mel puts the story together. There's also, naturally, a low-key romance which takes many twists and turns.
I didn't find the book particularly memorable; nor did I find it totally irresistible, and sometimes found I had to back-track to see what I'd read the previous evening. Still, overall I found it gentle and heartwarming, with a satisfying conclusion. Recommended.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 1st September 2009
