Permanent Rose (by Hilary McKay)

(Amazon UK link)

Not having any children at home any more, it's not often that I start reading children's books by authors I have not previously come across. A notable exception is Hilary McKay. I read her excellent 'Saffy's Angel' about the eccentric Casson family last August, following the recommendation of another blogger. I followed that by reading the sequel, 'Indigo's Star', a few months later.

Intrigued by the delightful Casson family I bought the third in the series, 'Permanent Rose' in January, and have just finished reading it. This volume is primarily about the youngest child, eight-year-old Rose, who is going through rather a difficult stage. She is upset that her good friend Tom, who returned to America in a hurry at the end of the second book, has not been in touch. She's also worried about her brother Indigo making friends with a reformed bully, and she's afraid that her big sister Caddy will break off her engagement to the lovely Michael. She misses her dad, too, who lives in London with his new girlfriend.

Rose is quite independent, and an excellent artist, but has some rather dubious ideas about right and wrong, which are challenged in this book by an unlikely source.

I suppose there's not much plot, really, but there are several inter-twining stories that weave around the family dynamics, alongside Rose's ongoing determination to see Tom again. The charm of this series is in the characters, who seem more believable all the time despite their eccentricities. Their chaotic household has none of the usual home comforts, but attracts an eclectic mixture of visitors.

I also like the positive underlying acceptance of children with physical disabilities (one of the closest family friends gets around in a wheelchair) and those who have learning problems (Rose struggles to read more than the simplest words, and Indigo's new friend is far from bright). There's humour, too; a gentle pervading lightness, and a few places where I almost chuckled out loud.

I was a little puzzled at one relatively minor situation in the book - that of Rose's father Bill having put all his children on his passport. This practice has not been allowed in the UK since 1998. The book was published in 2005 so it's theoretically possible that Rose's father could have done this shortly after she was born; however the implication is that she can remember him doing so. It will seem odd to today's children for whom this has never been an option, but will have to be taken in historical context.

The writing of this book is brisk and sympathetic. I'm enjoying reading this series in order, but 'Permanent Rose' stands alone so it's not necessary to have read anything else about the Casson family before this.

Definitely recommended to anyone over the age of about seven or eight, including parents.

Agatha Raisin and the vicious vet (by M C Beaton)

(Amazon UK link)

Apparently MC Beaton is the pseudonym for a prolific writer of historical romances, although I don't think I have previously come across her work. Indeed, I doubt if I would have done so but for glowing reviews which I have read in various places of the 'Agatha Raisin' series, supposedly about a modern Miss Marple. I imagine that the name Agatha was supposed to remind people of the originator of the light crime genre, and thus make the association.

So I was pleased to find a copy of 'Agatha Raisin and the vicious vet' inexpensively our local thrift store. I've just read it in a couple of days. It's not a long book (238 pages) and the text isn't small. However, the rapid reading does not mean that it was so gripping that I could scarcely put it down. Rather the reverse. It was because I wanted to get to the end so I could find something more interesting to read.

The protagonist, in my view, is nothing at all like the modern Miss Marple. Instead, she's an arrogant, predatory and eminently dislikable woman, who seems more eager to attract the attentions of a personable man - any man - than anything else. The plot rushes along with no character-building at all. So we have to believe that Agatha (and others - for the viewpoint switches constantly) change their minds for no apparent reasons, and behave in the oddest of ways.

There's a murder mystery in the book, although it was hard to feel much interest in it. A great deal of time is spent in attempting to investigate it, but even then, Agatha's motives are not to have a criminal put behind bars, nor even curiosity; she simply wants to spend more time with the chap who actually is interested in solving the crime. Even he isn't really all that keen; he just wants a distraction from the book he is trying to write.

There are lots of minor characters, most of them women; they were all unremarkable and almost impossible to tell apart. There's a (male) police officer, too, half Chinese, who is possibly the least dislikable person in the book. However, he is featured in an unpleasant (and entirely unnecessary) scene when his parents' lifestyle is caricatured and demeaned.

I thought Agatha Christie's characters were flat, but at least they are distinguishable from each other. And the Agatha Christie books are usually extremely well plotted, with false trails, careful summaries of events and motivation, and a final logical analysis of the case which makes it obvious who was the perpetrator of the crime in question.

None of that applied in this book. There were no false clues or trails, no indication as to motivation (other than vague suggestions of money or blackmail), very little discussion of events, and no working by deduction. Since even the two characters involved were not actually all that enthusiastic about solving the crime, I had no interest in it at all. And in the end, the 'mystery' is solved by an unlikely and minor clue, not by any clever logic.

Having said all that, I did keep reading. The writing as such isn't bad, and there was never any point at which I considered abandoning it altogether. It reminded me more than anything else of the ongoing and unremarkable 'Turnham Malpas' saga by Rebecca Shaw, which have an oddly addictive nature to them despite being rather dull. And they're extremely popular, too.

I really don't recommend this book - but don't take my word for it. Perhaps there was some hidden humour or pathos in this book which I missed entirely. Plenty of other people like it very much... but I can't see myself reading any more in the series.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, February 2012

Tilly (by Frank Peretti)

(Amazon UK link)

It's many years since I first read books by Frank Peretti. I've re-read a few of them, and although they're not really my kind of genre - Christian thrillers, basically - the plots are good, and I found them quite thought-provoking. Peretti is not strong on characterisation, but in a fast-paced exiting novel that doesn't matter too much.

However, I had never come across his short novel 'Tilly' until I saw it on a friend's shelves while babysitting. I picked it up, and read it in an evening. It's a strange book. It's about someone who has managed to block out something terrible that she did nine years previously, and at last finds a way of moving forward with forgiveness. There's a twist towards the end that I was not expecting, but most if it is fairly predictable.

It's also about loneliness, and family life, and love... and in the hands of some authors, could have been extremely moving. Unfortunately, the characters are very flat, and there's almost no plot; the most important part of the book is a lengthy dream sequence.

There are odd plot inconsistencies too. At least, I hope they are inconsistencies. The blurb on the back makes it clear that this book takes a clear anti-abortion stance. I don't have a problem with that at all, but the circumstances in this book surround a healthy unborn baby, old enough to survive outside the womb, belonging to a happily married couple. No doctor is legally able to destroy a baby at this stage - or at any time unless there is a serious threat to the health of either the mother or the baby. And in this story, not only did it happen, but the doctor was attended by a Christian nurse.

I really don't know what age-group it would be suitable for. The length and reading level is approximately that of early chapter books, usually intended for children aged around 6-9.

But the content, obviously, is more suited to older teens and young adults - and even then, not entirely relevant since the bizarre situation makes no sense at all. In addition, the Christian content is quite strong, which is likely to be off-putting to those outside Christian circles.

Not a bad book, I suppose; it gives a message of sorts. But not one I expect to be reading again.

Not really recommended.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, February 2012

The school story (by Andrew Clements)

(Amazon UK link)

Despite the popularity of the teenage book 'Frindle', I had never read anything by the prolific American author Andrew Clements. But a good friend recommended - and lent me - this one, and I have very much enjoyed it. Perhaps I'll look out for other books by this author in future.

'The school story' is a wonderful children's novel, aimed at the 8-12 age-group. It's set in a school, but much of the action takes place elsewhere. Twelve-year-old Natalie has written a short novel, and her best friend Zoe is convinced it should be published. Natalie's mother is an editor working in a publishing house, but Natalie doesn't want her to be biased. So the girls enlist the help of their English teacher Ms Clayton. They invent pseudonyms for themselves, and work out how to get the book into Natalie's mother's hands.

The characterisation is excellent, contrasting the quiet Natalie who lacks confidence and the outgoing, sometimes pushy Zoe. It's this contrast which moves the story along, making it difficult to put down, even though some of the ideas the girls have seem rather far-fetched when I think about them now. I suppose it's educational in a low-key kind of way, covering as it does the processes required to get a book published, including legal contracts and publicity. There are are one or two less likeable, caricatured people. Natalie's mother's boss Letha springs to mind. While it isn't a humorous novel, there's a light-hearted feel to it which made me smile in places.

Part of the reason it's such a good book is that it's more than just the story of Natalie's novel. There are themes to be explored, such as office rivalry, and beginning to come to terms with the loss of a parent, as well as the importance of standing up for one's dreams.

I think this would be excellent for the intended age-range - the 'middle grades' of the USA, or upper primary school and early secondary in the UK. It might also be enjoyed by teenagers interested in the publication process, if they could get past the fairly large font. I expect most parents would enjoy it too, as there's sufficient in it to appeal to a wide range of people, so it could make a good book to read aloud.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys children's books. Unfortunately it's not currently in print in the UK, although it's available second hand or on Kindle.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 15th February 2012

Between a mother and her child (by Elizabeth Noble)

(Amazon UK link)

I hadn't previously come across Elizabeth Noble, but her book was available for review from The Bookbag, and looked as if it could be interesting. I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to read about a family struck by tragedy, as the blurb describes it, but I hoped it would be positive.

'Between a mother and her child' is a long book. I was relieved to find that the tragedy has already taken place before the story opens, and a little surprised that it isn't even referred to directly until several chapters into the book. It would have made more powerful reading had I not known what had caused the family to break up.

For this is a book about a shattered family who deal with grief in various ways. Bill, the father, has moved out, and has a new girlfriend. Maggie, his wife, is trying to hold together a household containing the morose and uncommunicative Aly, who is about to take her A-levels, and Stan, who has some minor special needs. Maggie's sister comes to visit; she suggests following up an advert from an older woman - Kate - who wants a family to look after. Kate turns out to be quite a catalyst...

First the good points: I liked Aly very much, and was quite taken with Kate, too. Stan was rather unnecessary to the plot, but likeable enough. The subplots weave together nicely, and the ending is hopeful. The front of the book informs me that it's 'impossible to finish without tears streaming down your face'; I did not find this to be true, although I have to admit to a few pricklings of my eyeballs and a slight lump in my throat at one or two places.

However, I really couldn't feel anything for Maggie or Bill, and much of the story is from Maggie's perspective. There are regular switches of character, which came so regularly (and sometimes rapidly) that it was hard to feel much empathy; instead I felt as if I were watching from a distance rather than being drawn into the family.

My other problem with the book is that there's too much detail about everyone's emotional state and inner thoughts, many of them already obvious from dialogue or events. This meant that the middle part drags somewhat. It took me over two weeks to read it; it was pleasant enough, but all too easy to put down and forget about after a chapter or two in the evening.

I suppose it would make good holiday reading - it's the kind of book to buy at the airport, and then leave with someone else. Recommended in a low-key kind of way, if you don't object to rather a lot of introspection.

You can also read my slightly longer review of 'Between a Mother and her Child' on the Bookbag site.

Lucas on Life (by Jeff Lucas)

(Amazon UK link)

It was only relatively recently that a friend introduced me to the excellent Christian writer Jeff Lucas. He's a British pastor who lives in the USA, and travels extensively as a speaker known for his humour.

'Lucas on Life' claims, on the front cover, to be 'packed full of laughter, tears and outrageous grace'. Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but still, this book contains some great stuff. It's a collection of short anecdotes and stories from Jeff's experiences in life, including some of his speaking assignments, loosely gathered into categories such as 'growing', 'relationships', 'faith', and more. I'm not sure that these were particularly cohesive as categories, but I suppose it was as good a way as any of organising his thoughts.

As I've come to expect with this author, there's a lot of low-key humour and some satire in these stories. There's also some gentle fun poked at various extremes within Christianity and the church in general. There was, in addition, much that was surprisingly thought-provoking. Sometimes there's a little twist at the end of a story, where Jeff realises he's pointing the finger back at himself - regularly I had to pause to consider the relevance to myself.

It's not a book to read at one sitting; each small section of two or three pages is complete in itself, and I preferred to read just one or two sections per day over six weeks or so. That gave me a gentle, lightly humorous start to the day and some ideas to ponder - not that any of them has made a huge difference to me, but I hope some of the thoughts have gone into my subconscious.

This book is probably not of much interest to anyone outside church circles entirely; and it's definitely not to be read by those who don't understand satire.

But I would recommend it very highly to ordinary people who love Jesus and who sometimes wish that the church - in the broadest understanding of the word - wouldn't take itself quite so seriously.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 12th February 2012