Cranberry Bluff (by Deborah Garner)

(Amazon UK link)

I don't think I've come across Deborah Garner's writing before. But in browsing my Kindle for some free books, I came across 'Cranberry Bluff'. The blurb sounded interesting, the reviews were mostly positive, so I downloaded it, and have just finished reading it. I had entirely forgotten what it was about when I started.

Molly is the main character. She's a quiet, likeable person who works in a small town in the United States, running a bed and breakfast inn. We meet her as she's preparing for some new guests and quickly learn that she's picky about who she accepts. She clearly has some kind of past; this is explained gradually through the course of the book. She has moved from an administrative job in Florida some months earlier, as she was being hounded by unpleasant notes that were making her feel quite scared.

The guests seem to be a mixed and unassuming group. There are the newly-weds Dan and Susie, a somewhat flamboyant middle-aged woman called Sadie who loves to shop, a quiet, obsessive-compulsive man called Charlie Miller, and a good looking relaxed guy called Bryce. Bryce arrives long after the expected check-in time, and is evidently something of a ladies' man, so Molly finds it hard to be polite to him at first....

As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that more than one of the guests is not what they seem to be. I found it a bit confusing and several circumstances seemed rather too much of a coincidence; so much so that it began to feel almost like a Wodehouse farce, without the satire or humour. I don't think it was supposed to be that way; it's crime fiction of a kind, without any real mystery to solve.

I had been suspicious already before some of the twists and turns were revealed. However one event towards the end was surprising - and also rather puzzling, as it made no sense of what the character concerned had been doing previously.

I don't know that I'd recommend this particularly. The characterisation is mostly good, if caricatured in places, and the basic plot, once unravelled, is nicely done. But some of the conversation is a bit stilted, some of it unnecessarily detailed, and I got rather bored of the descriptions of food, clothes, and repeated introspection on Molly's part.

Still, the ending is positive, with a nice light epilogue, and I did like the way that the book is entirely 'U' rated. There's no bad language, no intimate scenes, no violence. And there's a delightful bonus at the end: several delicious sounding recipes for foods which molly serves in the book, all of which include cranberries.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

An unforgivable secret (by JEB Spredemann)

(Amazon UK link)

I had never heard of JEB Spredeman, but every so often I browse Amazon for free Kindle books. This one was listed as Christian fiction and had reasonable reviews, so I downloaded ‘An unforgivable secret’ and decided to read it while travelling.

The book is set amongst the Amish community in the United States. The main character is Hannah, whom we first meet as a teenage girl of about seventeen. This is the period of life amongst the Amish when young people are given a lot of freedom as they explore ‘Englisch’ (non-Amish) life and culture. This helps them to decide whether or not they want to continue long-term in the Amish community.

Hannah doesn’t really like staying out late or mixing with ‘Englisch’ young men, but her younger sister Deborah is a bit wilder, and likes to meet her boyfriend Peter dressed in non-Amish clothes, at local cafes or the cinema. She can’t go alone, so often persuades Hannah to go with her. On one of these outings, Hannah discovers that her young man Christian has been seeing another girl, someone outside the Amish community. Their good friend Samuel is aware of this and is in love with Hannah too, so is torn about what to do. He doesn’t want Hannah to be hurt, but doesn’t want to cause conflict with his friend either.

Hannah and Christian argue, and she walks off alone… then the plot becomes a bit confusing as we see Samuel, a few days later, suddenly leaving the community and going to live with a relative in another State. He quickly settles down with a different girl, although there are hints that he told Hannah how he felt about her. But he doesn’t tell her - or anyone - why he is leaving, and she feels quite hurt.

Then the story fast forwards two or three years. Christian and Hannah are married, but having trouble conceiving a baby….

It only gradually becomes apparent that Hannah is harbouring a secret. Even with a few hints, I didn’t guess the full extent of it until it is revealed in rather a shocking scene, when Christian discovers it - and this leads to a lot of tension and some very heated arguments.

The ending chapters are a bit unpleasant with more than one shock, alongside threads of ongoing bitterness and anger, although one tragic event has a positive outcome. There’s a strong faith element to the book, inevitably perhaps; but it’s not just related to Amish culture and practice. Indeed, there’s very little about the Amish lifestyle, other than as it relates to teenagers. There are some quite clear messages about salvation, and faith in God, as well as the importance of forgiveness, of oneself as well as of others.

A significant contemporary ethical issue comes into focus for the later chapters. This is the main theme of the book, and is strong enough to be considered an agenda, although it’s dealt with sensitively. It’s not judgemental, but inevitably one-sided as the Amish (and general Christian) viewpoint is expressed through the characters concerned.

Characterisation of the main characters is fairly good, although I found it rather hard to believe in Hannah; she is so traditional, even naive at first, with strong principles, that her ‘secret’ seems unlikely. But perhaps she has to be this way, so it’s a surprise to the reader when revealed, and demonstrates how even the most faithful, religiously minded people can fall.

The minor characters are somewhat flat, and I didn’t always remember who was whom, but that wasn’t really a problem. The background appears to be authentic, although to my mind there are too many Amish words in Italics, mixed in with regular English. Perhaps that’s the way they speak, but it’s not particularly easy to read. Some of the conversations, even without Amish words, seem stilted, and in some cases unnecessary.

Still, overall it made a good light read. The ending is encouraging and positive. The book was free for my Kindle, and apparently there are others in the series; I don’t know if they are about the same characters, and I don’t feel any particularly inclination to read them. But on the whole I liked it.

The link above is to a paperback edition of this book, as the Kindle version is no longer free. 

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

The story of Doctor Dolittle (by Hugh Lofting - abridged)

(Amazon UK link)

As a child, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Hugh Lofting’s series of books about Doctor Dolittle, the man who could speak to animals. I had thought about reading the first book to my grandson last year, but the language was a bit old-fashioned and long-winded for a three-year-old. Visiting his family this year, I spotted ‘The Story of Doctor Dolittle’ on his shelves, and he asked me to read it to him.

I quickly discovered that this was an abridged, revised version intended for younger children. There are more pictures for one thing; line drawings, rather in the style of the original, but not the same. When I started to read, I recognised many of the characters although it’s probably at least twenty-five years since I read the originals.

The main plot is the same: Doctor Dolittle is a medical doctor who’s too kind-hearted to make much money. He loves animals more than people, and keeps adopting more and more of them. His sister Sarah keeps house for him but isn’t happy at increased mess and lack of finances. In general, it’s a great deal more politically correct than the original, too.

The doctor has a parrot, Polynesia, who converses fluently with him and one day introduces him to the idea of animals languages. The doctor takes notes enthusiastically and learns fast; he then decides to work as an animal doctor. He is very successful since he can talk to animals to find out what’s wrong; but he still doesn’t make much money. And Sarah moves out and most of his clients decide not to visit any more after he adopts a crocodile, even though it promises faithfully not to eat or even bite anyone.

The animals in the household decide to keep house for him; Too-too the owl does the accounts, Dab-dab the duck does the cooking, Chee-chee the monkey does things that need hands. But it doesn’t really help, and they’re down to their last pennies when a tired swallow arrives, asking the doctor to travel to Africa because a serious illness is threatening the monkey population. So the doctor borrows a boat and sets off…

The abridgement was done well, in my view, making the story simpler for young children while not changing the essential plot. Even so I noticed the odd generalisations, and hints of the racism that was surprisingly blatant in the original. ‘Africa’ is considered a single country with different kingdoms, including the kingdom of the monkeys. The king and queen whom the doctor meets are both unkind and easily fooled.

There’s plenty of excitement to keep a four-year-old absorbed, asking for ‘one more chapter!’, and indeed I enjoyed reading it. In a few years’ time, if my grandson still wants books read aloud to him, I look forward to reading him the original series. But in the meantime I’m delighted he’s been introduced to the great Doctor in book form, and that he likes him so much. Film versions have been made, but the parts I’ve seen have deviated so far from the original as to be almost unrecognisable.

The originals aren’t often in print, but this book is a good compromise for a young child who enjoys chapter books. Recommended.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Sense and Sensibility (by Jane Austen)

(Amazon UK link)

It's a while since I've read any Jane Austen. Her classic character-based books are quite long-winded, not something to be read quickly. I have downloaded copies of them all onto my Kindle as well as having print editions. Since they're long out of print they are freely available at Project Gutenberg, and make a nice addition to my Kindle collection.

I last read 'Sense and Sensibility' in 2003, so decided it would be a good book to read while travelling, and staying with our family on a ship. I keep my Kindle in my bag, and it's ideal to pull out to read for odd moments when I'm not doing anything else. I knew the overview of the story. I remembered that there weren't too many characters, and it would be easy to pick up or put away at a moment's notice.

Sense and Sensibility features the Dashwood sisters Elinor and Marianne. The have a younger sister too, but her part in the book is so minimal that I'm not sure why she's there. Their widowed mother cares for them all deeply and is a likable, sensible woman, entirely unlike the better-known Mrs Bennett of Pride and Prejudice.

As the book opens, the family is staying with the girls' half-brother John. He likes them all well enough, but he has a selfish and manipulative wife called Fanny. There's some satirical - and rather sad - humour early in the book, typical of Jane Austen, as John debates what exactly his father meant when, on his deathbed, he asks his only son to look after his sisters. The conversation is almost reminiscent of that between God and Abraham towards the end of Genesis 18, in an entirely different context.

After some months, the Dashwood women are offered a cottage by a distant relative, and decide to move there. But before that happens, Elinor, the 'sensible' sister, has formed a deep friendship with Fanny's brother Edward, and has started to fall in love with him. Elinor is prudent and wise; she's artistically inclined, and also self-controlled in her outlook. Austen cleverly shows these traits in her actions and conversations, and I built up quite a nice image of a kind and responsible eldest daughter. While minor characters are caricatured, Elinor is, to me, very believable.

Marianne, by contrast, is full of what the author calls 'sensibility'. She's extremely emotional, and lets everyone know what she's feeling. She veers between wild delight and the depths of misery, and is inclined to take things personally. She, too, is a well-drawn character, if possibly a tad exaggerated. She is determined that a first love lasts forever, and that older people - by which she means anyone of about thirty and above - are incapable of any strong passions, or indeed of feeling anything much.

The characterisation is wonderful, in my view, and the conversations beautifully done. There's a lot of satire and irony, much that is obvious to the reader while not being spelled out, or understood by the characters. I love the way that Jane Austen managed to show how ridiculous some of her creations are, and what they're thinking, based on their behaviour and dialogue.

Inevitably, given the era, there's a lot of class consciousness, where breeding and elegance are considered (by some) to be more important than kindness and generosity. We also become aware of Elinor's inherent good manners which enable her to treat others with respect and friendliness even when they annoy her. Marianne's sensibility is mostly inward looking, or expressed to her family, but can make her take others in dislike and behave, if not deliberately rudely, with abruptness, or by avoiding them entirely.

As the book progresses, the two sisters' romantic lives follow remarkably similar patterns, so the contrast is clearly shown between their vastly different reactions. Towards the end, each learns a little of her sister's way of dealing with emotions and life in general, and becomes better-balanced as a result.

Definitely recommended to teenagers and adults who like this kind of slow-moving character-based women's fiction. The link above is to a print edition but as it's long out of copyright, it's easily available free in ebook form, or inexpensively from charity shops.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Anne of Green Gables (by L M Montgomery)

(Amazon UK link)

I wanted something light and undemanding for a lengthy flight, and odd moments waiting at the airport. Scrolling through my Kindle, I realised I had several of the classic teenage fiction books by LM Montgomery, including most of the 'Anne' series. I downloaded most of them free from Project Gutenberg. 

It's many years since I read any of those, so I decided to read the first of them, which is probably the best known, 'Anne of Green Gables'. This was made into a film some years ago; more recently, I gather, a TV series was made based on the characters in the book.

I last read ‘Anne of Green Gables’ in 2003. While I recalled the general outline of the novel, I had forgotten most of the detail. So I very much appreciated getting to know the crusty, house-proud Marilla and her shy brother Matthew again. When we meet them, they are hoping to adopt an orphan boy of about eleven to help Matthew in his farm work. Matthew is sixty and beginning to feel his age; he's had some trouble with his heart, and is not supposed to do any heavy work.

We also meet the warm-hearted but strongly opinionated Rachel Lynde, their nearest neighbour, who likes to keep an eye on everyone she sees. The opening sentence of the book, which takes up almost an entire page, is a delight in its gentle wry humour, explaining that even the rambling brook has to straighten out when it goes near Mrs Lynde.

Matthew sets out in his horse and buggy to the station, to meet the orphan boy, but when he arrives he finds a girl: the red-headed Anne. He can't leave her alone, so he collects her but doesn't dare mention that he wanted a boy. Anne chats to him the entire way home, artlessly and cheerfully, appreciating everything she sees around her, exercising her imagination in myriad ways, and expressing utter delight that she is to be adopted, and to live in such a beautiful place....

It's no spoiler to say that despite Marilla's reservations, they decide to keep Anne, and that she brings sunshine and happiness to their lives over the next few years. Anne makes some close friends and also a sworn enemy when one of the boys in her class insults her hair. Each chapter is an incident in itself, demonstrating Anne's imagination and often careless ways, as she gets distracted, or forgets what she was supposed to be doing. She has quite a knack of getting into trouble, mostly through no real fault of her own.

I had, of course, recalled the dramatic climax to the book in the penultimate chapter. But I had forgotten the very moving sections that follow. It’s a book with a lot of emotion; as we see Anne’s maturing, and her effect on so many other people in the neighbourhood. Her careless, accident-prone nature and tendency to hold grudges ensure that she is not a ‘too good to be true’ heroine, but a sensitive, imaginative flesh-and-blood girl.

I loved the book as much as I did when I first read it. It was intended for young teenagers, but could be enjoyed by fluent readers of about eight or nine and older, as well as adults looking for a bit of nostalgia. It makes a great read-aloud too for those wanting to introduce their children to some of the classics.

Highly recommended. Though long out of copyright (and thus available free in e-book form) 'Anne of Green Gables' remains constantly in print in paperback, in many different versions. It's often found second-hand too.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

The white feather (by PG Wodehouse)

(Amazon UK link)

I have long been a fan of PG Wodehouse, best known for his satirical novels about the upper-class Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves. It’s only since having a Kindle, however, that I have discovered that Wodehouse wrote many other books in addition to the Jeeves and Blandings Castle series with which I was familiar. I have downloaded several from Project Gutenberg, and tend to read one each time we travel.

On a recent flight, I decided to read ‘The white feather’. I had no clue what it was about; the advantage of an ebook is that there’s no ‘blurb on the back’ to encourage or discourage me from opening it. Had I known this was about a boy in a boarding school who decided to take up boxing, I would probably have moved on and never tried it. This would have been a pity, as it was, on the whole, an enjoyable book.

It opens with discussion of sports, in jargon which made little sense to me, but I got the general gist: sports used to be done well at the school but several talented students have left. The current sports captain is rather depressed as the school is losing its matches, and doesn’t seem to have more than a handful of good players.

We then switch to focussing on Sheen, a studious boy who is not particularly keen on sports, other than ‘fives’, a game I had not previously heard of. Quick research tells me it’s a game played in public schools with a hard ball being hit by a gloved hand. He’s not particularly popular, but is beginning to make one or two casual friends when an incident happens which brands him a coward by the rest of the school - and leads to his being ignored (‘cut’) by almost everyone.

Another chance incident leads to Sheen meeting a former boxing champion who agrees to give him some lessons. The eventual outcome of the book is then somewhat predictable, with a few Wodehouse style twists and turns along the way. It’s not a humorous book; in many ways it’s quite depressing, although I hope that today’s public schools are less unpleasant places than they were a hundred or so years ago. But Sheen is an interesting character, and his gradual development and determination made it worth reading, even though his lifestyle is so far removed from anything I have ever experienced.

Unlike the better-known Wodehouse works, this does not stay continually in print in paperback form, although there are a couple of Kindle editions. But since it can be downloaded free from Project Gutenberg, I would recommend that option.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Big girls don't cry (by Sally Quilford)

(Amazon UK link)

I have quite a few Sally Quilford books on my Kindle. I have downloaded them over the years, usually when she offers books free. They are not particularly long - more novella length than novel - and ideal reading for a flight. So, on a recent journey, I scrolled through my collection and found ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, third in the Bobby Blandford series.

I had read the first two in the series, The Last Dance and The Runaway and liked them very much. I recalled the young, enthusiastic Bobby, a policewoman in the early 1960s when this profession was mainly dominated by men and when sexism was rife. This is Bobby’s third year in the Stoney End Force, and she has made some friends, but is still treated with suspicion and contempt by others in the force.

This story begins when Bobby and a colleague are called out to a minor break-in at the house of two middle-aged women. They’re a bit confused about what has happened, and nothing appears to have been stolen. So when they receive another call, to the scene of a bank robbery, they race off immediately. Great excitement ensues as this is a small village and crime is usually limited to the breaking of a window.

The bank staff describe what happened when four men wearing silly masks threatened them, gave the bank manager a nasty injury, and stole all the cash intended for the local factory payroll. Bobby decides to investigate some bank robberies of the past, convinced there is a connection.

This book is not just a crime story, however. Sally Quilford is skilled in characterisation, and relationships of varying kinds are as important as the plot. Bobby, who has been going out with the local doctor for two years, is having trouble with her love life. He keeps upsetting her, and their relationship doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Is he too busy, or becoming indifferent, or does he want their relationship to end? And what should she do about the attentions of a visiting Scotland Yard policeman?

Then there’s stress with Bobby’s older brother Tom, who also works for Scotland Yard. She has always idolised him, but he seems very stressed, and is behaving towards locals in ways that shock her. Has he changed, or was he always this way? Can she trust him…?

I was quickly caught up in the story, which has some shocks but nothing too gory; I had guessed part of the outcome and was already suspicious about one person who turned out to be a bad guy. But there were parts I didn’t expect too. The writing is crisp, the conversation believable, and I enjoyed spending a couple of hours with Bobby, who is a delightful creation - full of enthusiasm and integrity, but somewhat accident-prone and inclined to take everything personally.

Definitely recommended if you enjoy light crime fiction of this genre. Only available in Kindle form.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Beyond the Vicarage (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

Noel Streatfeild is best known for her children’s fiction, often featuring talented dancers or musicians. But she also wrote three fictionalised autobiographical books. I read ‘A Vicarage Family’ a few years ago, and liked it very much. I haven’t been able to find its first sequel, but have had the third in the series, ‘Beyond the Vicarage’ for some years. I must have picked it up at a charity shop at some point. So I decided, at last, to read it.

As with the first ‘Vicarage’ book, the author uses the third person rather than the first person. The main character is Victoria Strangeways, but Noel Streatfeild makes no secret of the fact that it is herself. However she states that her siblings are somewhat fictionalised, although all incidents are based on factual memories.

This volume begins at the point where Victoria is finishing her career as an actress, returning from a lengthy international tour. She is finding a strong urge to write, but first she takes a break, staying with her brother Dick in Thailand (or Siam, as it was known then).

The book is more a series of vignettes and observations rather than a chronological account of the author’s life. But it’s very readable, and I thought if flowed well. There are mildly humorous anecdotes here and there, and turns of phrase which I recognised from some of her children’s books.

There’s a lot of fascinating detail about the periods while Victoria is writing, too. I hadn’t realised that Noel Streatfeild began her writing career with three books for adults. She was persuaded, somewhat against her better judgement, to write a children’s book and was astonished when ‘Ballet Shoes’ was a runaway success. There are insights into the motivation and background of several of her books that I have enjoyed reading.

Much of the book takes place during the second World War, when Victoria works tirelessly in one of the women’s voluntary aid organisations. There are stark details about many of her experiences, demonstrating all too clearly the horrors and fears of ordinary people in London, going through the Blitz. Rationing is taken for granted, and everyone realises that their homes and possessions could be taken away from them at any point.

As a piece of social history, this is very readable, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to know some personal background to the war. It’s also interesting to those of us who have loved Streatfeild’s children’s books since childhood. Yet taken as a whole, I didn’t feel it was all that special. It’s a tad too rambling, and ends somewhat abruptly with the author feeling that middle age has set in; she has lost family, friends and many years due to the war.

I don’t think I missed anything by not having read the second book, as this one stands alone. Recommended (if you can find it) if you’re interested in war-years biographical accounts, or if you’re a fan of Streatfield’s books. Not in print, but sometimes available second-hand.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Under Gemini (by Rosamunde Pilcher)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m very much enjoying re-reading my books by Rosamunde Pilcher (interspersed with others). Although I list 64 favourite authors at the side of this blog, with links to books I have read and reviewed by them, Rosamunde Pilcher would rank amongst my top ten. Before she retired she wrote short stories, medium length novels and lengthy sagas, and I have loved them all.

I last read ‘Under Gemini’ in 2004, but had almost entirely forgotten what it was about, other than identical twins who meet as adults, unaware until that point that the other existed. So I was slightly surprised that the first chapter was about a middle-aged woman called Isobel, who kept house for her wealthy but poorly mother, known to all as Tuppy. Tuppy has just got over a nasty bout of pneumonia, and although she seems to be recovering, she’s 77 and taking a while to get better. Hugh, the family doctor, seems to be concerned and Isobel assumes that the outlook is dire.

Tuppy’s greatest wish is to see her grandson Antony and his fiancée Rose. Tuppy and her household are in the highlands of Scotland, and Antony works in Edinburgh. But Rose - we gather - has been in the United States with her mother, and although Antony thinks she’s back in London, she’s remarkably difficult to contact.

The second chapter then switches to a beach in Cornwall. Flora has just been swimming with her father and is feeling sad that she is soon to move to London. He would love her to stay longer, but she needs to move on with her life, to find a job and to live independently. So she says her farewells and travels up to London; only then to we learn that the offer of temporary accommodation from a friend has fallen through. She has no idea what she will do…

The unexpected meeting, mentioned in the blurb on the back, happens soon afterwards with quick recognition, and rather mixed feelings. An unlikely coincidence, but I don't have a problem with that. And then one of the pair flies to Greece… leaving her twin to agree to what seems like an innocent (if somewhat outrageous) deception, for the sake of Tuppy, who is assumed to be dying.

Most of the book takes place in Tuppy’s home, with quite a cast of characters, both family and staff, as well as some local friends. Pilcher has such a gift of characterisation that I had no problem remember who was whom - indeed, any slight confusion might have been deliberate, as Flora herself is a tad bewildered, pretending to be someone she has only met once. As she soon learns, she and her twin are very different in character.

I may have recalled some of the events subconsciously; or it may have been clever writing that meant I was very wary on Flora’s behalf when she went on a supposedly innocent dinner date. Yet I had forgotten all the details and the outcome. I had an inkling of who she would end up falling for - but that may have been because it followed the classic romantic device of an initial clash. It really didn’t matter. I was drawn into the storyline and the people, and could scarcely put the book down.

First published in 1976, the novel feels like a product of that era, set firmly in the upper middle classes. All the main characters are friendly towards the staff, eating with them at times, helping them when asked. Yet there’s very much a sense of separation and entitlement. Tuppy can ‘organise’ a party by employing people to cook, and expecting her housekeeper and his husband to manage the rooms and furniture. Boarding school was the norm for children of about eight and upwards. It’s not a world I’m part of, but like Georgette Heyer’s regency romances, it transports me to a different way of life, in a different era, albeit only forty years ago.

I wish I knew how the author manages, with just a few words, to create such distinct and three-dimensional people. Even the minor ones, if a tad typecast, are not caricatured. The nurse, with a face like a horse, is nonetheless kind-hearted, excellent in the sick room, and shows an unexpected talent at sewing.

Seven-year-old Jason is a typically enthusiastic boy who loves outdoor activities and is devoted to his uncle Antony, but he’s also quite sensitive and quick on the uptake. Flora is a wonderful character, full of doubts and confusions, but basically extremely likeable. And Tuppy is autocratic and controlling - but also lovable and full of nostalgia.

There were places where I smiled, and felt warmed. There were more than a couple of scenes which brought a few tears to my eyes. And when I finally put the book down, after an all-too-short concluding chapter, I felt a tinge of regret that I had to say goodbye to these delightful people until - in another ten years or so - I pick it up to read again.

Very highly recommended to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Eight Cousins (by Louisa M Alcott)

(Amazon UK link)

Having recently re-read Louisa M Alcott’s classic series that begins with ‘Little Women’, I decided to re-read some of her other books too. I last read ‘Eight Cousins’ shortly after I acquired it back in 2009, and that was the first time in probably thirty years. I vaguely remembered that it was about a girl called Rose who had seven male cousins, but nothing much else.

As with others by this author, the book was written as contemporary fiction in the late 19th century. It’s set in small town USA, somewhere near a beach but the exact location doesn’t much matter. We meet Rose, aged thirteen and recently orphaned, after an experimental period living with her two great aunts who have the unlikely sounding names of Peace and Plenty. She has been away at school but didn’t like it at all.

What’s slightly mystifying is that she has not yet met her seven cousins, and is convinced she doesn’t like boys at all. Yet once she has met them, and decided they’re not so bad after all, she spends almost all her time with one or more of them as they all live nearby. In addition to the great aunts, Rose has four aunts. Jessie is her favourite; her husband is at sea, and she has four sons: Archie, who is sixteen, and three younger boys.

Then there’s Aunt Jane, who is quite strict although married to the friendly Uncle Mac. They have two sons: the bookworm, another Mac, and the dandy Steve. Aunt Clara is keen on fashion, and has one son, Charlie. Then there’s Myra, who is convinced Rose (and everyone else) is fading away, and wants them to take pills and potions and lie indoors. Myra is widowed and lost her only daughter some years ago.

All the aunts have different ideas about what should happen to Rose, and how she should be brought up. But she has been left to the guardianship of Alec, her late father’s brother. Rose meets Alec for the first time shortly after the book begins, and he proposes a year’s ‘experiment’ whereby he encourages her towards outdoor pursuits, nourishing food (without any of Myra’s medications) and a low-key relaxed (if formal, at times) education at home.

It’s clear that the author is on her hobby-horse with this book, which would have been quite radical in its day. Alec, who is a doctor, is very outspoken against some of the fads of the era, particularly corsets. And, naturally enough, Rose benefits strongly from his advice.

Each chapter outlines a different incident in Rose’s life, mostly involving her cousins, although she also befriends Phebe, the kitchen maid. The author is also quite outspoken against the injustices of poverty, and Phebe’s lack of education; while still seeing quite a distinct difference between the gentry and servant classes. Even then a moral is drawn as Phebe is thankful for all she has, while Rose tends to get bored, and complains about what she doesn’t have.

There’s a great deal of inherent sexism too, alongside the author’s attempts to show that Rose is every bit as intelligent and courageous as the boys, if not more so at times. We see her making a big sacrifice in one chapter, and several small ones when her cousins fall into scrapes, or are sick in any way. We also see her gentle influence on her cousins and the households where she lives or stays. Rose is almost too good to be true, but is so full of genuine doubts and questions, and so loving that she is quite an endearing character.

Inevitably the style of writing is old-fashioned, along with some of the principles and values; yet it remains an enjoyable book, interesting from the social history point of view, and in better understanding the attitudes of the times. The aunts are all slightly charactured, other than Jessie, but that doesn’t matter; despite their foibles, each one has her endearing side, and they all genuinely care about Rose.

Originally written for teenagers, this would probably appeal to children (mostly girls) over the age of about eight or nine who are fluently reading. It would make a good bedtime read-aloud book too, as each chapter is complete in itself. Many teens would find it too date or moralistic, but there are some good principles involved, and I love the way that family ties and loyalties are seen as supreme. I skimmed a few descriptive sections here and there, but on the whole liked it very much. There were one or two places which I found very moving.

There’s not all that much story; it’s mostly incidents over the course of Alec’s experimental year, but Louisa M Alcott does that kind of thing well, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes her style of writing, or books of this era.

Regularly republished in paperback, often found second-hand, and available in Kindle and other e-book form too.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

The house of new beginnings (by Lucy Diamond)

(Amazon UK link)

I have liked the books I’ve read by Lucy Diamond so far. In a bid to acquire more modern women’s fiction, I put a couple more of her books on my wishlist last year. I was given ‘The house of new beginnings’ for Christmas, and have just finished reading it.

The novel is about several diverse women who all happen to live in the same block of flats in Brighton. The first one we meet is Georgie, who has just arrived and is waiting for her boyfriend. They come from Yorkshire, but he has been given a six-month contract to work in Brighton, and she has decided to come too. She seems to take their relationship rather more seriously than he does, and is quite excited about the thought of getting to know a new town.

Next we meet Rosa, working as sous chef for a grumpy boss in a local hotel. It quickly becomes clear that she gave up a much more glamorous job due to relationship stresses, and her story unfolds gradually through the course of the book. Rosa is clearly a very good cook, and loves to bake cakes and other goodies for friends… but her current job involves chopping onions and being shouted at, so is not very inspiring. As Rosa returns to the flat one afternoon, she sees another resident, Jo, being taken out by ambulance. She agrees to keep an eye on Jo’s teenage daughter Bea.

Then there’s Charlotte, who we met briefly in a slightly cryptic prologue that didn’t really add much to the book. Charlotte is grieving the loss of her baby daughter; again, we don’t learn much about this until later in the book. Charlotte works in an estate agent’s office, where she tries to maintain a low profile. She’s not particularly enamoured with her work or her colleagues, but is evidently good at what she does.

Finally there’s Margot, an elegant and elderly Frenchwoman who lives on the top floor. Unlike the younger women, she has lived in this flat for a long time. She’s had quite a past, too, and is extremely sociable.

Gradually, through varying circumstances, these women get to know each other and to develop tentative friendships. There are some potential romances, mostly fairly low-key, which all develop in satisfactory ways, and I quite liked the scenes involving the teenage Bea. She’s extremely moody at first, worried about her mother and very angry with her absent father. But Rosa, helped by her baking, manages to break through some of her teenage angst.

So - overall, an interesting storyline, and a positive outcome. I wish there hadn’t been so much bad language and ‘adult’ activity mentioned (though the author does, at least, avoid any intimate details). But my biggest struggle with the book is that Rosa, Jo, Charlotte and Georgie all seem remarkably similar in personality. They have different backgrounds, and different abilities, but their conversational styles and general behaviours are difficult to distinguish.

Margot, being older and French, is more typecast, and rarely leaves her flat anyway. But if I picked up the book when I was tired, and started reading a chapter about one of the four younger women, I sometimes had to go back to an earlier chapter to remind me which one it was about. They laugh at the same things, have the same ethics and morals, and pretty much the same personalities, though Georgie is more extraverted than the others. I didn’t feel a strong attachment to any of them, so although I was interested in how the various subplots developed, I didn’t feel any particular empathy with any of the characters, other than perhaps Bea.

Still, it was a pleasant light read, recommended in a low-key way to anyone who likes modern women’s fiction (sometimes called 'chick-lit'). It could be good to take on holiday or read at the beach.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Finding Church (by Wayne Jacobsen)

(Amazon UK link)

I have kept an eye out for books by Wayne Jacobsen since reading, many years ago, the book ‘So you don’t want to go to church anymore?’. That book, a fictionalised account of people becoming unhappy with their structured mega-church and discovering a more relational way of following Jesus, was quite a landmark in the lives of many.

I have appreciated a couple of other books by this author, and have just finished reading ‘Finding Church’, which has the subtitle ‘What if there really is something more?’ I haven’t been following Wayne Jacobens’s blog or Facebook page and wondered if it was going to be a book encouraging people to re-join established congregations. There are many books which do that, agreeing that the institutional church is far from perfect, but citing many advantages or benefits to belonging to a local congregation.

However, this book does not do that. Not that the author is anti-church in any way, and he acknowledges that in many cases a church congregation can provide a good environment for many people, either for short periods or long-term. New believers can be taught basics, and make some useful friendships through a local congregation. People can explore and use their gifts, and many Christians enjoy singing as a way of worshipping God, something which is easier to do in a group than on one’s own.

Nevertheless, there are thousands of people who have become dissatisfied with local congregations for a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes these reasons may be critical or negative, with or without validity. Many local church groups become rule-bound, requiring Sunday morning attendance in order to be ‘part’ of the local expression of the body. They usually follow a set format, whether formal liturgy or a ‘worship time’ and ‘teaching time’, with little room for individuality. This suits some people, but we are all different - and when a congregation is made up of all ages, many nationalities, and many educational and cultural levels, it’s impossible for any talk or style of music to be relevant to everyone.

In many cases, people leave their local church congregations because they feel that there should be something different. They long for ways of connecting with others that don’t rely on sitting in rows on a Sunday morning. This book is, in a nutshell, about finding the Church - by which the author means the Body of Christ worldwide - by following Jesus directly, being open to the leading of the Spirit, and forming friendships with those around us.

The author mentions that the house church movement, and home groups within larger congregations, can be useful ways of connecting and forming stronger relationships than is possible in a once-a-week congregational setting. But he notes with sadness that they, too, often become rule-bound and institutionalised, perhaps expecting too high a degree of accountability, or extensive funding, or formulating rules which are seen as more important than loving God and our neighbours.

The writing is well-organised, carefully structured, and refers regularly to Scripture in context. The author shares some of his own experiences, both positive and negative, and his gradual acceptance of the idea that it’s fine not to belong to any local congregation. He examines many objections, including a chapter with specific questions and some answers, and he also sets out what he proposes - and is beginning to find in his own life and ministry.

Jacobsen is very keen not to be prescriptive. To produce a set of strict guidelines or objectives would create yet another rule-bound movement that would miss the point entirely. So he lays out his arguments, in the early part of the book, focussing on what he calls the ‘new creation’, where we are not bound by the laws or structures which were in place before Jesus.

He also suggests some principles, or values, to encourage people to move forward. So, for instance, there is a chapter called ‘Order without Control’, and another on ‘Authority without Hierarchy’. They form very general guidelines explaining how these Biblical precepts can be kept, without deteriorating into man-made requirements.

Personally, I found this book extremely encouraging. Much of what the author said resonated strongly with me - perhaps because I’ve been asking questions of this nature for some years. I have to admit I found some sections of the book a tad dry, perhaps too obvious; yet he had to write in a lot of detail to cover as many possible objections as he could. Others might disagree strongly with the principles in the book, and that’s okay; we’re all at different stages.

I hope it will, at least, help others to understand how it’s possible to be a follower of Jesus without belonging to any specific congregation. I hope it might also help those within traditional or modern church settings, who want something more, to see ways of reaching out into the community, and of building loving relationships with other believers during the week.

I recommend this very highly to anyone interested in these issues. Available fairly inexpensively for the Kindle as well as in paperback form.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

The Moon by Night (by Madeleine L'Engle)

(Amazon UK link)

A couple of years ago I decided to re-read through the works of several authors whose books I have enjoyed, in a somewhat structured way. I realised that although I had very much liked the few books I had previously read by Madeleine L’Engle, there were a surprising number which I had never read. 

Our collection was somewhat eclectic, and my adult son removed the ones that were his. But I’ve managed to acquire most of the ones we were missing, from charity and thrift shops.

‘The Moon by Night’ is the second book in the Austin family series intended for young teenagers. I read ‘Meet the Austins’ almost exactly a year ago, and then made the chronological mistake of reading ‘The Young Unicorns’ earlier this year, not realising that it was the third in the series. Not that it particularly matters. Even ardent fans of L’Engle’s writing do not always agree on the best order to read the books, and each one stands alone anyway.

‘The Moon by Night’, as with the first novel, is narrated by Vicky Austin. She’s almost fifteen when this book opens, and thinking about the future. We don’t know, at first, why she is so concerned and what is going to change. But we quickly learn that her uncle is getting married to her mother’s best friend. Vicky has been dreaming by the sea and is almost late for the wedding…

The bulk of the book, however, features the family travelling around the US and parts of Canada on a lengthy camping holiday. Vicky has an older brother, John, who is soon to go to university. Her younger sister Suzy is determined to be a doctor, and they also have a much younger brother, Rob. There’s a fair amount of family interaction, with minor squabbles here and there, and a lot of love from the parents who, on the whole, are quite relaxed.

Two young men are introduced in the book, both of them interested in Vicky, and very different in personalities. Vicky herself learns a lot about herself and what matters to her over the course of the book, and that’s really the main theme. There are many incidents at different campgrounds including interactions with pleasant (and unpleasant) people, as well as close encounters with a variety of wild-life.

Some parts of the book felt to me like a brief travel guide. Vicky describes the landscapes of the different states they pass through, in some detail. This was interesting at first, but by about half-way through I started skimming or even skipping the car journeys, unless there was some conversation. The author was clearly familiar with the identifying features of each state, some of which rang true (we lived in the US for a couple of years and did some travelling camping ourselves a couple of times) so I assume it was all accurate.

But although Vicky occasionally stops short and says that anyone wanting to know more can read a travel book, I still found a tad too much detail about the geography of the US, and rather a lot, here and there, about natural history too. The author also gently demonstrates her anti-war agenda and her horror at what white Europeans did to the original Americans; I don’t have any problem with that, in theory, as I agree with her. But it felt a bit odd to be mentioned so many times in a novel.

I didn’t dislike it; I think it could make a very good read-aloud for children interested in American geography and landscapes, perhaps tracing the journey on a map. But equally it felt as if the informative side of the book was there to fill out a somewhat limited storyline.

Certainly worth reading by fans of Madeleine L’Engle. It makes a good sequel to ‘Meet the Austins’, as well as introducing a significant and intriguing character who reappears in some subsequent books (not just Austin ones). It also, for those who like continuity, covers the gap between the Austin family living in a very small town in the first book, and a flat in New York in the third book.

As with all L'Engle's books there's an underlying Christian theme, but it's quite low-key and not at all preachy. Vicky herself is not entirely sure about her faith but is quick to defend those who are.

My edition is a British one, in which some American words have been changed ('petrol' for 'gas', for instance) but others, such as 'station wagon', have not. I'm not sure why publishers bother to make this kind of change, as most British children are familiar with American words - but it wasn't too intrusive and I didn't really notice until well over half-way through.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Among Friends (by Alexandra Raife)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m very much enjoying re-reading Alexandra Raife’s novels, which I first read fifteen or more years ago. The one I have just finished is ‘Among Friends’. It’s about a woman called Louise, who is in her early thirties and trying to move forward after a devastating bereavement, two years earlier.

Louise decides that as her main experience in life involves caring for families, and (recently) for an elderly lady, she will join an agency that places short-term staff in service jobs. However, due to her personal background, she does not want to look after children, or even have any children in households where she’s placed.

This novel is the fifth in the author’s ‘Perthshire’ cycle, and, as with so many of her books, picks up on characters who featured in earlier novels. Cass, who was the main protagonist in ‘The Wedding Gift’, is the head and driving force of the employment agency whom Louise joins. Cass finds herself quite drawn to Louise, realising she’s a strong and very able person, but it takes awhile for her to learn exactly what happened in her past.

We follow Louise through her first four assignments: working for two decidedly cantankerous people, interspersed with much pleasanter environments. I’m not entirely sure what the purpose is for her stay with Aidan, a former actor who is very gregarous and touchy-feely, and whose sister Erica lives the life of a traveller, in a caravan.

However, her other more enjoyable assignment, at a house called Fallan, is the focus of much of the story as it progresses. Here she meets the disorganised (and promiscuous) Abby, the hard-working and often grumpy owner Hugh, and revolutionises the unhygienically dirty and disorganised kitchen area which has seen a series of unsatisfactory cooks. Hugh travels widely for his work, but brings parties back to Fallan either for business or for shooting game on his property. When he entertains, he needs extensive and high quality food, and Louise’s main role is to provide both day-to-day meals and provisions for the freezer.

It’s a journey of discovery for Louise, as she works through her limitations, and leaves her mark on almost everyone she meets. She’s a talented, loyal and honest person who seems to have few faults; she is, however, held back by the deep grief of her bereavements. In the course of the book she gradually faces some of her fears, ventures into new territory and takes on roles and challenges which she would not have thought possible.

Unusually for Raife’s books, there isn’t a romance as such; there are hints that there might be, but the ending leaves everything open. Louise begins to find some healing, and ways to move forwards, and I found it all very encouraging. In places it’s quite moving, and although it’s perhaps a tad slow to get going, I had entirely forgotten the plot and found it difficult to put down by the time I was half-way through.

‘Among Friends’ stands alone, but is all the more enjoyable for having read earlier books by this author. Other than Cass and her husband, few earlier characters are mentioned by name, and none have any significant part to play. But I like the feeling of returning to a familiar environment, and knowing that everyone I cared about in earlier novels is continuing their lives in satisfactory ways.

Definitely recommended. Not currently in print, but available in Kindle form and sometimes found second-hand in paperback.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Henrietta's house (by Elizabeth Goudge)

(Amazon UK link)

Having recently read my newly-acquired ‘Sister of the Angels’ by Elizabeth Goudge, I wanted to re-read ‘Henrietta’s house’, which was written later and is related, though not a sequel. It's at least twenty years since I first came across it and read it, and I'd totally forgotten what it was about.

It doesn’t refer to any of the events in the earlier book, but has some of the same characters, though, strangely, they are slightly younger. The main one is ten-year-old Henrietta who lives with her grandparents. We meet her in this book as she is waiting eagerly for her adopted brother Hugh Anthony to return from his first term at boarding school.

Grandfather is a minister, a deeply religious and delightful elderly man, and the family live in the Cathedral Close of the fictional city of Torminster. Hugh Anthony is about to have his tenth birthday, and decides that he would like a picnic, some distance from home, where all his guests (other than Henrietta) are adults. He has had enough of boys at his school.

The main part of the book is about the different journeys that the various party guests take en route to the picnic; most of them don’t arrive at their destination, but have unexpected and varied adventures along the way. Elizabeth Goudge doesn’t exactly write fantasy; it’s more whimsical than that, set very much in the real world but with a decided element of a fairy-tale.

So there are adventures in an underground cave, a bower of leaves for a loving couple, and most of all, an unexpected treat for Henrietta. One could almost assume that the carriages were supposed to go astray; the horses, it seems know better than the people driving.

There’s not a great deal of plot, other than Henrietta making a delightful discovery, something that feels a tad unbalanced since it’s Hugh Anthony’s birthday rather than hers. However he doesn’t seem to mind, and is very pleased with all the food he gets to eat, as well as his exciting adventures.

The book is steeped in cathedral culture and history; this was written in 1945 but set early in the 20th century. There’s a gentle Christian theme throughout, as occurs in most of Goudge’s books, but she doesn’t preach or push her beliefs on her readers.

It’s perhaps too long winded, with extensive description and very little plot to be of much interest to today’s children, other than voracious and eclectic readers of perhaps nine to twelve or thirteen. But for adults hankering after a simpler era, and willing to suspend reality for a while, it’s a pleasant story.

Not currently in print, but sometimes available second-hand. 

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Appointment with death (by Agatha Christie)

(Amazon UK link)

I try to vary the genres of books when I’m reading, and currently am cycling through around ten fiction authors, one of whom is Agatha Christie. We have an extensive collection of her books - over forty of them - some of which belong to one of my sons. I am trying to work my way through the ones I haven’t yet read, and yesterday picked up ‘Appointment with death’.

The novel is set entirely in the Middle East, featuring a group of holiday-makers. The main character is Sarah King, who has recently qualified as a doctor. However the most significant - and interesting - people are a family of adults, the Boyntons. Mrs Boynton is overweight, clearly not in the best of health, and extremely controlling. It’s never made quite clear what she does to ensure compliance from her daughter and step-family, but they all seem to live entirely under her thumb.

Lennox Boynton, who must be around thirty, is married to Nadine but seems to have lost the will to live - certainly he has no energy to defy his mother, or to move out of the family home. Raymond is next; in his mid-twenties, he makes an unfortunate remark at the start of the book, which comes back to haunt him. He’s quite close to his sister Carol, who is also extremely stressed. Essentially they are captives to their mother’s every whim; she has an almost hypnotic control over them.

Then there’s Ginevra - Jinny - who is in her late teens, and seems to be quite unstable, continually wringing her hands or tearing things to pieces. She is Mrs Boynton’s daughter, but is treated just as badly as her step-siblings.

Agatha Christie was better at plotting than characterisation, but in this, which is a psychological thriller as much as a mystery, she has created some intriguing personalities. There are others involved - a doctor, a society lady, a friend of the Boynton family, and a few more, none of whom stand out particularly. But in the really horrible character of Mrs Boynton, she created someone unpleasantly memorable. It was inevitable, of course, that this vile person would meet her end - it’s even mentioned on the back of the book.

So the first part of the book is a build-up to Mrs Boynton’s demise, where the author cleverly lays a whole host of clues, making it entirely possible that any - or all - of the characters could have committed the deed. The famous detective Hercule Poirot just happens to be nearby and is called in to advise; he interviews each of the important members of the group, and draws up notes. He even produces a list of significant points that might otherwise be overlooked.

Naturally, Poirot solves the crime, with a complex explanation that begins by eliminating everyone else. In most of Agatha Christie’s books, I feel like kicking myself if I haven’t worked out ‘whodunit’ by the last chapter or two. But in this one, I’m not sure I could have worked it out, although I can see that there are hints along the way. I had already worked out some of the solution - which parts of the stories told in the interviews were lies, for instance - but not the perpetrator.

The story is easy enough to read, and there’s no gore or overt violence; Christie was good at having her bodies off-stage, and in this book the method is not one to cause stomachs to churn anyway. But it’s quite a tense story; the control exercised by Mrs Boynton, and the psychological explanations (by an expert) quite chilling at times.

Inevitably there are descriptions or comments that could be constituted racist by today’s understanding, but that kind of thing has to be accepted when reading this era of fiction. I don’t know how accurate the descriptions of places are, but they felt realistic enough to me. Overall I liked the book, and it could make a good starting point for anyone who isn’t familiar with Agatha Christie, or the mid-20th century light crime genre which she popularised.

'Appointment with death', as with others by this author, is regularly re-printed, and can also be found fairly easily second-hand.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Challenge for the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s an extremely long time since I last read through the ending few books in Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s lengthy Chalet School series. For years I had only a few of the books, and would dip into favourites when staying with my mother, who owned the complete set. Now I have her collection, and am slowly reading my way through, interspersed with many other books. A couple of days ago I picked up ‘Challenge for the Chalet School’, labelled 59 in the Armada series (55 in the original hardback order).

I understand that the final nine books were not abridged at all in the Armada editions. So my paperback is a full version. I could recall nothing about this book, but was looking forward to it, having very much enjoyed ‘Summer Term at the Chalet School’ a few weeks ago.

The book opens with a slightly different plot device: Miss Annersley, the much-loved school Head, is taking a term away from the school to inspect other schools around Europe. This is quite an honour for her, and potentially useful too, as she learns about the pros and cons of other styles of teaching. We learn this as she is explaining to the Maynard triplets what she’s going to be doing, and that she trusts them to set a great example to the girls. Len is Head Girl, and has a strong, positive influence in the whole school.

Nancy Wilmot is given the position of acting head for three months, and there’s the potential for quite an interesting story here, but unfortunately, in my view, not enough of the book takes place in the staffroom. Instead, the first part of the book features Evelyn Ross, a girl of sixteen who joins the school reluctantly as her mother is very ill with TB and being treated at the nearby sanatorium. Evelyn is determined to hate the school, but gradually becomes drawn into the ethos and principles, and makes friends.

There are a few conflicts mentioned, but there’s a great deal of detail about exactly what Evelyn sees and does, going through her early days as a new girl. I can’t imagine anyone would pick this book up as an introduction to the Chalet School series - although all the books stand alone to some extent, they build on the characters introduced and developed in earlier books. But anyone familiar with the series would already know about how the dining room system works, and the giving out of books at the start of term, and of course the various walks and rambles.

I suspect that the author was getting a bit tired of the Chalet School by the time she wrote this one which was first published in 1966. It seems to have more than the usual number of unresolved hints: for instance, Jane Carew shows friendship to Evelyn due to sympathising with her mother’s illness, and the author hints of trouble to come when Evelyn assumes a greater level of friendship than is in Jane’s mind. But nothing comes of that. There’s also the potential for a nice side story when Evelyn realises that the friendly looking lady with black hair is not just the wife of her mother’s doctor, but mother of the triplets, and neighbour to the school. Yet that isn’t covered either.

There’s also a lack of continuity in that Evelyn’s story is pretty much dropped around half-way through, and instead the storyline picks up with Jocelyn, another new girl, who is extremely mischievous and likes to take risks, although she’s also absolutely truthful. Jocelyn feels like a repeat of some earlier characters in the series, and is (in my opinion) nowhere near as interesting as Evelyn, but perhaps the author felt that the book needed livening up a bit. And certainly there are some wilder anecdotes and subplots towards the end, which (as it’s the Christmas term) involves a blow-by-blow account of the Nativity play.

Brent-Dyer created a world which drew thousands in, and despite all the niggles mentioned above, her tremendous gift of characterisation keeps the Chalet School alive in the hearts of many. It’s over eight years since I started this read-through of the series… and I shall probably start over again in another year or two. The people stay in my thoughts, I chat about them with like-minded friends, and am on related Facebook groups. Although this book didn’t grab me, and I wouldn’t particularly recommend it to anyone unfamiliar with the series, it’s another few scenes in the lives of folk who feel like absent friends.

'Challenge for the Chalet School' isn't currently in print, although it was re-published in recent years in a 'Girls Gone By' edition. Not too difficult to find second-hand in both this and the Armada version. Suitable for fluent readers (mostly girls) aged about ten and older, who like school stories, as well as those of us who remember them with nostalgia from our childhood.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Devil's Cub (by Georgette Heyer)

(Amazon UK link)

I have loved Georgette Heyer’s historical fiction since my aunt gave me half a dozen or so of her books in my mid teens. Over the years I have collected almost the entire set, mostly from charity shops, but I’m delighted to see that they have all been reprinted, and are more widely available nowadays. I re-read most of them every nine or ten years, and the most recent one I picked up was ‘Devil’s Cub’.

This book isn’t particularly pleasant in the first couple of chapters. We meet the wild Lord Vidal, only son of his Grace the Duke of Avon and his wife Leonie, who were the main characters in Heyer’s earlier novel ‘These Old Shades’. Vidal is both violent and promiscuous, an unlikely figure for the hero of a romance. Yet Heyer’s skill in characterisation enabled her to create an apparently evil young man who, by the end, is surprisingly likeable.

There are a lot of characters in the early chapters, and I found their relationships somewhat confusing at first. However that didn’t much matter, as it gradually becomes clear who the main ones are. Sophia is a very beautiful and flirtatious girl in her late teens, who has captured Vidal’s attention. To date he has kept his women to working ladies of the stage (as respectable men of the 18th century apparently did).

But Sophia, although rather vulgar in attitude, is the granddaughter of a gentleman. Even Vidal’s broad-minded parents draw the line at him ‘ruining’ the reputation of a young lady. But Sophia is foolish and mercenary, and thinks she can force Vidal into marrying her. Her mother is equally grasping. But Sophia has an older sister, Mary, who is not as pretty or engaging, but full of common sense, with a dry sense of humour.

I very much liked Mary. She’s courageous, truthful, principled, and also very affectionate. And she determines to save her sister from the lures of Vidal… by doing something remarkably stupid, which could well have led to her own ruin. Indeed, for a while it seems as if it must…

It’s a fast-paced story, one I could barely put down once I’d started. I didn’t much like the violence of the early chapters, or the extreme gambling and drinking, but I wasn’t supposed to. They set the scene for Vidal’s escape to France - where apparently it was acceptable for criminals to hide out for a while.

I haven’t read this book as many times as I’ve read some of Heyer’s better-known books. It's over thirteen years since I last read Devil's Cub. Although I vaguely recalled the conclusion of the book, I had quite forgotten how the plot moved in its direction. I appreciated the humour of several situations, and the repartee between Vidal and Mary when they are travelling together. For both, despite being somewhat unprepossessing at first sight, are very interesting characters whom I liked very much by the end.

I also loved the final chapters; rather than everyone gathering together for the denouement, as so often happens in Heyer’s books, Mary is persuaded to tell her story to an unknown older friend… I had guessed immediately who this person was, as I’m sure I was supposed to, and this makes the conversation quite humorous.

It’s not my favourite of Heyer’s novels, but I still liked it very much. Recommended to anyone who enjoys historical romances with a bit of a bite, and who doesn’t mind the authentic 18th century language and a bit of unpleasantness (and many innuendos) in the earlier chapters. Not that I was really aware of that kind of thing as a teenager - and with the archaic language, it's not always immediately obvious what is meant.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews