'All at sea' is a novella - a short novel - which I read in just three days. Had I had more time, I could probably have read it at one sitting. It's the story of three women on a cruise, and almost all takes place on board a luxury ship.
Lola, Paddy and Evie are three generations of women. Lola, Evie's grandmother, has always wanted to go on a cruise but is only now having the opportunity, since losing her husband. Her daughter Paddy is also widowed, and Paddy's daughter Evie, who must be in her twenties, is going through a very difficult and stressful time with her marriage; the cruise is partly to help her make some difficult decisions. There are hints that her husband is decidedly unpleasant to her.
The only person to be unsure about why she's there at all is Paddy... who doesn't actually like boats. We see quite a lot of the story from her viewpoint.
Lola isn't the sad old lady she might have been; despite orthopedic sandals she's young at heart, and determined to have fun. Evie has no plans to do anything other than make a decision, but then meets a young man whom she rather likes, although she really doesn't want a new relationship. As for Paddy, although she, too, has no intention of beginning a shipboard romance, she meets a charming man who seems to be a kindred spirit.
However, this novella is not just a simple romance. Not everything is as it seems. Who, for instance, is hiding behind the plants? How does Evie fall over, injuring herself and completely forgetting what happened? Why doesn't Paddy's new friend turn up to meet her when he promises to take her to the ball? Stranges of all, who wrote an unpleasant note to Evie's date, warning him off?
In such a short novella, there isn't room for much character development; nonetheless I found myself warming to the somewhat wicked Lola, and also to the stressed and rather naive Paddy. Evie seemed a bit less developed, and the subplots that involved her didn't hold any surprises: by the time the climax came, I had guessed what was going on. Lola, too, while providing some light humour, doesn't have a huge part to play - other than the fact that Paddy is there to look after her.
Still, I enjoyed the story. It's the kind of thing that could have been serialised in a women's magazine, perhaps: not the greatest of stories, but with some substance and a good flow. The writing is good, the conversation believable, and the story moves rapidly with a bit of suspense - but not too much - and a satisfactory ending. My only real gripe is that I would have liked it to be longer with more chance to get to know the characters.
Recommended if you want a quick, light read with a little more than a romance involved. It could only be found in Kindle form, and, while updating this review twelve years after reading it, I can't find it anywhere online. So perhaps it no longer exists.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 23rd November 2012
I've enjoyed, over the years, quite a few works by GK Chesterton. He is best known, of course for his 'Father Brown' mysteries, but was also something of a theologian in the early part of last century.
So I was pleased to find a copy of perhaps his most famous book of apologetics, 'Orthodoxy', available for Kindle. I don't remember now whether I downloaded it from Amazon or elsewhere; I started reading it several months ago, but have only really got into reading it properly in the last few weeks, and finally finished it yesterday.
This book contains a thoughtful and fascinating account of the author's move from agnosticism, in his teens, through to a profound faith in God, and subsequent adoption of the Christian faith. Chesterton describes his gradual search for meaning in life, first assuming a materialist perspective. He looks at objections to God posed by atheists, and gradually, in a consistently logical way, realises that they were all based on fallacy.
He does not describe a moment of conversion, which I can only assume was as reluctant as CS Lewis's some years later. But he describes moments of profound realisation; the 'aha' moments when circumstances and his understanding fell into place, and he could see that the truth had been in front of him all along; he simply had not recognised it.
I found this a very interesting read. Some of it was a bit long-winded, and of course it's over 100 years since it was first published, so it's not surprising that the style and some of the words seemed a bit dated. Still, there was much to ponder, which is partly why I found that a few pages at a time were sufficient. I found Chesterton's thought processes a bit convoluted in places, yet reassuring and often refreshing. Reading through his account, it became hard to imagine why anyone would not believe in the Christian God, if he or she truly considered the evidence with an open mind.
Chesterton wrote the book, apparently, to answer his critics and explain his spiritual quest. In doing so he produced an excellent apologetic for his beliefs, which is still in print as well as being available in more than one Kindle form.
Recommended to anyone who is happy with a somewhat lengthy - and, inevitably, dated - discussion of faith from a fully rational and logical standpoint.
Note: The Amazon link is to a paperback edition of this classic; Kindle editions are available, sometimes packaged with other of Chesterton's works, and generally much less expensive.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 20th November 2012
I have been enjoying reading the books by the late Maeve Binchy for many years now. I thought she had retired from writing a while ago, so was delighted to learn that more books were still being written. I put this one on my wishlist when it was available in paperback, and was very pleased to be given it for my birthday.
'Minding Frankie' is, basically, about a community of people who look after a small baby. It covers the first year of her life. Frankie is born to Stella, a terminally ill single mother, who leaves her to Noel. Noel barely remembers the one time they went out, and is in rather a mess. Living with his very religious parents, he has a dead-end job and is also an alcoholic. But somehow he is persuaded to take responsibility for the newborn baby, and although he's extremely nervous at first, it proves to be a turning-point in his life.
This novel is set in the delightfully warm community which includes several characters who appeared in other novels by this author. For instance, we meet, again, Doctor Declan and his wife Fiona - from 'Heart and soul' - who also have a new baby; we also become reacquainted with the delightful Muttie and Lizzie, now getting old and frail, and their adopted grandchildren, the bright and breezy Maud and Simon, who were first introduced as neglected children in 'Scarlet Feather'. Then Father Brian Flynn, an important character from 'Whitethorn Woods', is significant in many ways in this novel.
There are some new characters too; at least, if they've appeared elsewhere I didn't remember them. Perhaps the most significant is Lisa, who falls in love with a most inappropriate playboy cook, but finds herself spending a lot of time with Frankie. Lisa has a sister, Kate, who is a hairdresser and is given an assignment to cut Stella's hair when she's in hospital at the start of the book. Then there's Emily. Emily is technically Noel's cousin although she's rather older than he is, and usually lives in Australia. She comes to visit, and finds herself falling in love, not just with her relatives, but with all their friends and neighbours too.
It's the story of how a small community comes together to raise a child, in the face of opposition from social services, and great temptations for Noel to return to his former life. It's the story, too, about how Emily, with her determination and new ideas, manages to transform people's ideas, and eventually their lives. It's a story about courage, and love, and the way that even the most unusual relationships can work, when people take each other's concerns seriously.
There's not a great deal of plot, and it's not the kind of book to read in one sitting. I'm a little shocked to find that it took me nearly three weeks to finish this, but I very much enjoyed it. Definitely recommended, although it might be easier to understand if you've previously read at least a few of Binchy's other recent novels.
Note that the link above is to the paperback versions of 'Minding Frankie', but it's also available in Kindle form.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 18th November 2012
It seems amazing to me that, only 18 months ago now, I had never heard of Hilary McKay. I now have several of her books on my shelves. They are intended for older children and teenagers, but are the kind of books that can be read and enjoyed just as much by adults wanting something light and relaxing.
I was very pleased to find 'The exiles in love' in a thrift store, and have just finished reading. It's the third novel in the trilogy about the Conroy girls: Ruth, Naomi, Rachel and Phoebe. The first in the series is simply called 'The exiles', and the middle one is 'The exiles at home'. It's not necessary to have read either of these first, but it would help to do so, setting the scene and introducing the entire family including the redoubtable 'Big Grandma'.
This book is a little different from the others, told primarily in flashback form. At the start of each chapter there are snippets of conversation, evidently from the point of view of the girls when they are adults. They reminisce about the summer when they developed the 'family failing' of falling in love with unsuitable people. Often with several at once.
The story takes us through several crushes on Ruth's behalf, starting with a bus driver. There's also a strange new English teacher at their school (who reminded me, somehow of Gilderoy Lockhart in the film version of 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'). Then around half way through the book we meet the handsome and charming Philippe, the French grandson of an old friend of Big Grandma's. He comes to stay and rather revolutionises their chaotic household with offers of doing chores, and general politeness and helpfulness.
The last few chapters feature a stay in France which is theoretically to cure the older girls of the family failing. There are some odd goings on although I guessed what most of them referred to. The later reminiscences continue at the top of each chapter, and by the last couple of them, it becomes clear what the 'current day' event is going to be.
I liked the structure once I became used to it, and I enjoyed reading this short book that tied up a lot of ends in the series, and made a good finale to the trilogy. It's more appropriate for young teenagers than little girls, as - unsurprisingly - it features lots of falling in love, albeit in a totally non-physical and over-dramatic way. I doubt if this would appeal to boys at all since the four main characters are all female.
There's some gentle humour, often involving caricatured characters, and a bit more insight into the lives of this delightful family. The writing is great, and although it took me a few days to read, in just ten minutes or so at a time, it's not a long book - less than 200 pages - and could be read by a fast reader in a couple of hours.
Definitely recommended if you've read the other two in the series; if you haven't, it would probably seem a bit disjointed, so I'd recommend starting with one of the others. First published in 1996 but still in print.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 1st November 2012
