The Tennis Party (by Madeleine Wickham)

(Amazon UK link)

I came late to the ‘chick-lit’ style of light women’s fiction. I was happy to discover that while some of it is undoubtedly vulgar and fluffy, there are also some intelligent and humorous books of this genre, some of them surprisingly thought-provoking. I was particularly pleased to discover that Sophie Kinsella, best known for her ‘Shopaholic’ series, is an extremely good writer with clever plots, good characterisation (albeit caricatured), and some humour which, on occasion, makes me chuckle out loud.

In a charity shop a few months ago I spotted this book, which said that it was by Sophie Kinsella writing as Madeleine Wickham. It turns out that the latter is the author’s real name, and she chose the better-known pseudonym for her lighter, more amusing books. I picked ‘The Tennis Party’ up out of curiosity, and read it recently.

The story essentially takes place over a weekend in the summer. The wealthy entrepreneur Patrick and his not-so-upwardly mobile wife Caroline are hosting three couples for a sort of house party. Ostensibly they are having a tennis tournament, but it’s also clear that they want to show off their luxurious home and grounds. Patrick, who is always eager to make yet more money, has some ulterior motives too...

The guests are quite a mixed bunch. Charles is an old friend, but his new wife Cressida is something of an unknown quantity, and quite a snob. Don and his daughter Valerie are competitive and rather outspoken. And then there are Stephen and Annie, friends from their old neighbourhood, who live a much simpler life and struggle financially.

Patrick and Caroline have a horse-mad and rather bossy daughter Georgina, who is eleven. Stephen and Annie have two children: Nicola, who is a bit younger than Georgina, and who has a physical disability, and Toby her younger brother. Charles and Cressida have twins who are toddlers, and a nanny who looks after them.

The book is really about the ways these different people interact, and the characterisation is good, on the whole. I liked Stephen and Annie very much, and became quite fond of the two young girls, who are quite good friends. Caroline is likeable enough too, although she smokes and uses bad language regularly, but Patrick is smarmy, Don and Valerie extremely annoying, and Charles something of a jerk.

The tennis tournaments happen as planned and the children - organised by Georgina - stage a play. Charles’ ex-wife Ella appears, and adds a little spice to the scene, and there are many tensions, exacerbated by the closeness imposed on these rather different and somewhat prickly couples over the course of the weekend.

There’s really not much plot. It’s a study in relationships, infidelities, greed, manipulation... done in a fairly light-hearted way, but I kept wondering when the story was going to start. Most of the characters were not interesting enough for me to care what happened to them, and the lifestyle was so far removed from anything I’ve ever experienced that I couldn’t really empathise much with anyone. Having said that, the writing was good, the conversations believable, and the ending satisfying enough. I just wasn’t quite sure what the point of it all was.

I was also uncomfortable with the vast amount of bad language, and bored with the financial aspects. There are some intimate scenes too, which, while not very explicit, stray a little too far in that direction for my tastes.

All in all, I thought this rather average - in future I’ll stick to the books written under Sophie Kinsella rather than Madeleine Wickham.

'The Tennis Party' is available in Kindle form on both sites of the Atlantic, as well as paperback in the UK, and is often found second-hand.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 26th July 2013

The secret (by Beverly Lewis)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t think I’ve come across Beverly Lewis before. Apparently she’s quite a prolific writer in the American Christian fiction world with around 80 published books. I chose this particular one primarily because it was available free for my Kindle a while ago.

I’m not a huge fan of US-style Christian fiction in general, as it can be twee and/or over-religious. But some books in this genre can make interesting light reading, and some are quite moving. I noticed when I downloaded it that this was the first of a trilogy. This is often the reason for a free offer: the writer (or publisher) hopes that readers will want to buy the other two books after reading the first one. At least, I thought it was the first novel of a series...

‘The Secret’, listed as 'Seasons of Grace' part 1, is contemporary fiction set in the heart of an Amish community in the US. This confused me totally when I started reading as I assumed, at first, that it must be historical fiction. The family seem to spend their time baking and kneading by hand, going out early to milk cows, and taking out horses and buggies. They seemed to fit quite nicely into the 18th or 19th century. 

The odd dialect with old-fashioned style also fits though the occasional old German words thrown in are a bit annoying. Mention of a car, after a while, slightly jolted me; so I thought that perhaps it must be set in the early 20th century. I continued in this vein of thought until - after a few chapters - a completely different character called Heather is introduced, with sudden mention of computer and cell phone.

At that point I gave up for several weeks then returned to this book recently. I skimmed the first few chapters again as I had mostly forgotten what they were about. Knowing that the book was in fact contemporary, set in the Amish community of the US, meant that it made at least slightly more sense.

The main character is Grace, a young woman who is the viewpoint character for much of the book. Her parents are clearly troubled about something. Her father, Judah, is a strong silent type who finds it difficult to talk about feelings. Her mother Lettie is quite a contrast, and has been behaving rather oddly since the last barn-raising when she spent a long time chatting to a stranger. Grace herself isn’t quite sure what her future holds. There’s a young man who has been courting her, but she’s not entirely sure how she feels about him.

Then Grace’s mother runs away from home...

Meanwhile Heather, who is trying to finish a graduate degree, receives a shocking medical diagnosis. She decides that, rather than take conventional treatment, she will try some more traditional, alternative methods at least for a few months. She also decides to take a break, and books a room staying with an Amish family; the connection is that this family are good friends of Grace and her family.

So there’s quite a bit of potential for an interesting novel, following Heather in her search for healing, Lettie in her uncovering of her secret, and her family as they learn to deal without her for a while.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really work. For one thing, this isn’t a complete novel: I was very annoyed to find that it simply stopped after Lettie’s secret was - finally - revealed, without any resolution or conclusion. It’s not the first part of a series at all, it’s just one part of a book, misleadingly sold as if it were a novel in its own right. Even if I had found it exciting and moving, I would have found this practice so irritating that I would not have bothered with the other parts (unless they were also available free).

As it is, I had pretty much lost interest in all the characters by about half way through. Heather’s story is barely touched upon, and Grace is a shadowy, undeveloped person who really shouldn’t have been a major player. Her siblings - whose names I have already forgotten - were worse. Lettie is perhaps the most interesting character, yet I never quite worked out what her personality was: at some points she seems ultra-compliant and rather feeble, at other points strong and determined. Her escape, and the way it’s done, did not seem believable.

The author evidently knows a great deal about Amish culture; at first I found it quite interesting to read of their lifestyle and practices, but gradually realised that this novel was - in part - demonstrating how very controlling the culture is. I had previously thought the Amish were wise in their rejection of the modern materialistic culture of the US. In this book (assuming it’s realistic) they are shown as hypocritical and sometimes cruel. I found the Christian elements rather disturbing as they felt so out of place.

The way Lettie was treated by her parents is appalling; the idea of young people having to go through bizarre rituals of courting before a very short engagement left me shaking my head in bewilderment. Casual references to lack of electricity, ‘permission’ - eventually - to use running water and gas, and the hypocrisy of refusing to own cars or phones while being at liberty to use other people’s, left me feeling quite shocked - not to mention the hints about being banished or punished by church elders. I did not know much about the Amish before this book, but quite liked my vague ideas about a simpler, pleasanter lifestyle. Clearly that’s far from the case.

If the point of this novel was to let readers know, in a roundabout way, how negative the Amish culture is, then it succeeded. If it was to explore the lives of a few different women, then it didn’t work at all. There’s far too much introspective pondering, and viewpoint changes even within chapters which really weren’t at all helpful. I never managed to get inside anybody’s head or heart - and so felt untouched by the whole thing.

I suppose I would quite like to have known whether or not Heather received any kind of healing from her vacation and alternative treatments (I assume she probably did), and whether Lettie ever returned home... again, I would guess that she did. But it was only a passing feeling. I didn’t actually care about any of the characters sufficiently to wade through another couple of volumes of the same kind of thing.

Not recommended. Other reviews claim that this is nowhere near as good as the author's other books, but I don't think I will be looking out for anything else that she wrote. Available in print form or Kindle.

Review copyright Sue’s Book Reviews, 23rd July 2013

Pack up your Troubles (by Pam Weaver)

(Amazon UK link)

I know one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I think it’s inevitable to some degree. So when browsing the Bookbag shelves of books available for review, this one leapt out at me. I had not heard of Pam Weaver, but this was clearly a women’s fiction book, probably based in the middle of the 20th century, most likely featuring some young women during or in the aftermath of the war years.

That's pretty much what the book is about, so it was a good cover.

'Pack up your troubles' opens on VE Day. Connie and some friends are on their way to Trafalgar Square to celebrate. She meets some other girls, and gets chatting to Eva. They find themselves parted from the rest of their group, but have fun anyway, including playing in a fountain with some soldiers. Unfortunately, as they discover at the end of the day, they are from families who have sworn enmity and should not even have spoken to each other, let alone become friendly.

Connie has an unpleasant secret in her past, which is hinted at more than once. She is part of a close family, although her brother disappeared some years previously. She is also friendly with some gypsies. One of them starts helping out a local painter.. and later is accused of theft.

Meanwhile Connie starts training as a nurse. A young girl who works for her family receives some nasty anonymous letters. Two young men both decide that they very much like Connie... and a very unpleasant older man appears from time to time.

Yes, there are a lot of different story-lines, loosely related and interwoven. The plot jumped around quite a bit; I don’t know how many times I forgot one of the large cast of characters, and had to remind myself who it was. While I appreciated the positive slant given to the gypsies, their story didn’t really fit with the rest; it could easily have been missed out, as could the part about the family feud.

While Connie is the viewpoint character for most of the story, and likeable enough, I never entirely sympathised with her. I like to have my emotions caught when I read; I was a bit disappointed that this didn’t happen, even in one scene later in the book that should at least have brought a tear to my eye.

Still, the author has evidently done her research thoroughly. From a social history point of view, it’s interesting, and the writing flows well. The way the different subplots gradually converge is cleverly done, although the climax of the book seems a little over-dramatic.

At the end of the book are two short stories. Both were contemporary with mildly amusing twists, and I enjoyed them.

I'm not sure I'll read this again, nor will I be looking for other books by this author, but if you enjoy mid-20th century women's fiction and a complex set of subplots, then this is a pleasant enough read. Link above is to the Kindle version. 

My longer review of 'Pack up your troubles' can be found at the Bookbag site. 

By My Side (by Alice Peterson)

(Amazon UK link)

I've read a few books by Alice Peterson over the past five or six years, since being introduced to one of them by The Bookbag site. So it was the work of the moment to request this one when it appeared on the shelves a few weeks ago.

The author tends to focus on stories in which the protagonists have to come to terms with difficult situations including disabilities, which is something she is well equipped to do: she was struck with a debilitating disease in her late teens, destroying her hopes of being a world class tennis player. Her story is poignantly told in her autobiography, 'Another Alice'.

'By my side' is a novel about Cass, who is a medical student when we first meet her. She loves her work, and she also loves her boyfriend Sean - or thinks she does. Tired, hung over and rather distracted, she walks into the street without noticing a fast-moving lorry coming her way... and her life is forever changed.

It's a story of friendships, of coming to terms with a horrendous situation, and also a growing romance. Cass has wise and caring parents, who help her find a companion dog. Ticket has been trained to do all kinds of things that Cass is no longer able to do on her own, and his loyalty and love bring a spark back to her life. Slowly, with a lot of support, Cass not only finds a purpose in life, but starts to fall for the hunky ski instructor Charlie…

If I have a gripe it's that sometimes the book is a bit too educational. It was interesting to read about organisations whose purpose in life is to help those with disabilities, but I felt that there was just a bit too much factual information which added nothing to the story. There was also more than I was interested in about spinal  cord injuries.

Perhaps the ending is a tad too neat and tidy, but then I like threads to be tied up in a novel, and the way ahead at least somewhat clear.

Overall, I thought this a very enjoyable book. The writing is good, the sub-plots woven together well, and I related strongly to Cass. It's a thought-provoking story, and quite moving in places. While there is some fairly frank discussion about what Cass and others may or may not be able to do with their partners, there are - thankfully - no explicit bedroom scenes. While there's a little more bad language than I am comfortable with, it's mostly appropriate in context.

Recommended. Available in paperback in the UK, or in Kindle format on both sides of the Atlantic.

You can also read my slightly longer review of 'By my side' at the Bookbag site.

Too beautiful to dance (by Diana Appleyard)

(Amazon UK link)

I have no idea when I first heard of Diana Appleyard. Perhaps this book was a recommendation from a friend; perhaps it was simply an Amazon recommendation. I know it sat on my wishlist for quite some time. It’s not currently in print in paperback, so I was delighted to receive a copy - which appeared to be new - for my birthday.

‘Too beautiful to dance’ is about Sara, who is approaching fifty as the book begins. Indeed, the story starts with her husband Matt’s 50th birthday party. They have what appears to be the ideal marriage, with two beautiful and loving daughters just emerging from their teens. Matt and Sara are evidently still good friends and enjoy each other’s company... which makes the unexpected announcement from Matt’s drunken friend all the more shocking.

However the book doesn’t begin with this. Instead it opens with Sara at her cottage in Cornwall, where her good friend Catherine is staying. We quickly learn that Matt had admitted to infidelity and that Sara is, very slowly and painfully, making a new life for herself. Catherine evidently didn’t much like Matt and thought, in retrospect, that they should have split up a long time ago. But Sara was comfortable, contented - on the whole - and saw no reason to doubt her husband.

The book continues using different time frames, zipping between past and present, sometimes missing out quite big chunks of time that are not relevant to the story. It could have been quite confusing: there are no dates given, no real references to pin the different sections onto. But somehow it works. Once or twice I felt a slight sense of dislocation, but context quickly told me where the narrative took place, and what kind of period it was referring to. 

We see snippets of the apparently happy home life that Matt and Sara shared, but there are also hints of problems. Lottie, the younger daughter, who goes to live witn Sara, felt that her father never really liked her as much as he liked her sister Emily.

As a tale of growing independence for Sara, of discovery of herself as a valid and beautiful person, it works extremely well. The writing is evocative, the people believable. Sara makes a new friend, Helen, who brings some realism and also light-heartedness into the story. The various young men she meets add some glamour and sparkle, even though more than once I found myself confusing the similar names of Ricky (an attractive surfer in his 30s who works as a waiter) and Nick, who works for an environmental agency.

But there are some rather odd plot threads which, to my mind, jar with the main, more gentle story. Emily becomes very worried about her father. The tension is built well as Sara waits to find out what the problem might be; but when it’s finally revealed, it is so bizarre as to be unbelievable. Sara decides she must take action, but that too does not seem real; and then it’s never really resolved. The book ends quite abruptly, with no hint as to what the future might hold, or what has happened to Matt’s new love interest.

Overall I enjoyed this book very much. The ending let it down, as did the strange nature of Matt’s problem, but the writing is good and the story as a whole thought-provoking and enjoyable.

Recommended, on the whole.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 7th July 2013

Seriously Funny 2 (by Adrian Plass and Jeff Lucas)

(Amazon UK link)

I thoroughly enjoyed the book ‘Seriously Funny’, by humorous writers Adrian Plass and Jeff Lucas, so when I spotted that they had, at last, written a sequel, it was the work of a moment to put it on my wishlist. I received it for my birthday earlier in the year, and have just finished reading it.

While ‘Seriously Funny 2’ is hardly the most original title; the subtitle explains it a bit better: ‘More musings between two good friends on life, love and God’. That’s exactly what it is. Published as a series of letters between the two men - Plass in the UK, Lucas in the US - this book explores some of their thoughts on topics as diverse as depression, divine healings (or not), pretending to be holier than one really is, and working with unusual people. And a whole lot more.

There are regular forays into the Bible, with light and often humorous interpretations or explanations about things that are not always easy to understand. There are countless anecdotes from both Plass and Lucas; I assume they are at least based on truth, even though I’m pretty sure that this book is not in fact an exact replica of a series of correspondence, unless they wrote the letters with the express purpose of publishing them. Even then, I would imagine there’s some editing that took place.

Both these writers have a way of tackling a subject with self-deprecating stories, a tinge of ironic humour, and then - pow! - they get right to the core, expressing something in a new way, or perhaps, if not new, then a way that I needed to hear. Some of the letters were just mildly amusing, others thought-provoking, and some just made me heave a huge sigh of relief that I’m really quite normal. Or, at least, I’m in good company. Normality is vastly over-rated.

This is really written for Christians; but not so much for those who are quite certain where they stand, thank-you-very-much, or for those who know without a shadow of doubt what the Bible means, and how God heals (or indeed that he stopped healing a couple of thousand years ago). Or maybe it is written for them; perhaps it would be good for fundamentalists and cessationists and Calvinists and all those who are 100% committed to a particular part of Christianity to take a wider look at the reality of God’s love for mankind. And, in particular, for Adrian Plass and Jeff Lucas.

But for the ordinary, run-of-the-mill follower of Jesus, who often gets things wrong, and isn’t entirely sure what life is about, and regularly fails God, and finds church services mostly rather dull... this book is, to coin an over-used cliché a breath of fresh air. Or, at any rate, of slightly salty air that blows in from the sea and clears the brain.

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 6th July 2013