A Fresh Start (Short Stories)

(Amazon UK link)

A couple of months ago a friend gave me the book ‘A Fresh Start’, telling me that she thought I would like it. It’s a slim volume, containing ten short stories. Apparently there’s an agency that produces very short books to try to encourage people to read more. Not a problem I have, but I wanted something quick that I could put down easily in between chapters, so a book of short stories seemed ideal.

The stories are by different authors, half of whom I’d heard of. I particularly like the novels by Louise Candlish, JoJo Moyes and Sophie Kinsella, so was looking forward to reading their contributions. I don’t think I’d read anything by Ian Rankin or Adele Parks, but I knew the names. I didn’t recognise any of the others, although they are all listed as 'bestselling authors'.

They are quite a mixed bunch of stories, as would be expected of ten different writers, but the overall theme of each relates, as the book title suggests, to some kind of fresh start. One, for instance, involves a married couple making a new commitment to each other. One involves a father and daughter becoming closer, one involves an unexpected inheritance. Two of them involve women determined to get their lives back after a stressful marriage, or discovery of infidelity; the methods used, however, are entirely different.

There’s no particular genre in which these stories fall, so there’s something for everyone. One of them is about a new police officer, for instance, the ’fresh start’ relating to her new career. They are mostly somewhat light-hearted, but there’s poignancy too. And they’re all very well-written, with believable characters even if some of the situations or plots are a tad unlikely.

There isn’t much (if any) bad language in these short stories, nor anything explicit, although there are some implications and innuendoes in some of them. They would be appropriate for anyone of about fifteen and upwards to read, as well as for adults looking for a short book to pass an hour or so. There are only about 110 pages in all - so it really was extremely quick.

The book says on the back that it was sold for a pound and I see that Amazon is still selling it for that small amount, so it’s the kind of thing that could easily be added to a book order (perhaps to bring the total cost up to the level needed for free postage). Indeed, I’m delighted to find this series of ‘quick reads’ in case I need to do that at some point in the future. No doubt books like this can also be found at charity shops, too.

Ideal for holiday reading, or in a busy period to allow brief escapism. More likely to appeal to women than men, but could be read by anyone.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's Book Reviews

Still Me (by JoJo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

I only started reading JoJo Moyes’ novels about nine years ago. I enjoyed some more than others, then in 2015 read the very powerful ‘Me Before You’, which I liked very much. I was delighted to learn that there was a sequel, and read ‘After You’ almost exactly a year ago. I was then surprised and even more pleased to discover that there was a third book about Louisa Clark, heroine of the first two books. ‘Still Me’ went on my wishlist as soon as it was out in paperback, and I was given it for my birthday in April.

I have just finished reading the book, and thought it excellent. It’s not necessary to have read the earlier books, but they certainly fill in a lot of the background. We meet Louisa at the start of chapter one as she is going through Immigration in an American airport. She’s rather tired, and a bit jet-lagged already, and finds herself talking to the official in uniform despite his lack of response. It’s a good ploy to give the bare bones of what we need to know from the previous books, and I thought it worked well.

Louisa is starting a new job, working as a personal assistant to a woman not much older than she is called Agnes. Agnes is Polish, and is the second wife of the extremely wealthy businessman Mr Gopnik. Louisa has this job due to the personal recommendation of Nathan, who was a friend of someone she used to work for, and who is Mr Gopnik’s personal trainer.

She is thrown right into a lifestyle she had barely dreamed of before. An army of ‘staff’ look after everything the Gopniks could possibly want. They own two floors of a very expensive apartment building, but barely know their neighbours. Mr Gopnik works long hours and expects his wife to be something of a ‘trophy’, appearing at charity balls and business dinners. She finds this stressful, because so many of the people she meets there were friends with his first wife.

Louisa seems to pick up what she’s supposed to do very quickly, although it’s far removed from what she is used to. Her natural style is bohemian, but suddenly she has to wear a uniform or other conventional outfits. The housekeeper doesn’t seem to like her much, and although Agnes offers a kind of friendship, their relationship is so unequal, with Louisa being a paid employee, that she feels quite lonely at times.

I vaguely recalled that Louisa started a relationship with the paramedic Sam towards the end of ‘After You’, and also got back in touch with her parents and her sister Treena. So part of the story involves her trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with someone who is very busy and doesn’t like writing letters or emails. She also tries to stay in touch with her family, so there are occasional pieces of correspondence given, when they add to the story.

I don’t think it’s as powerful a book as ‘After You’. Louisa has come to terms, mostly, with the anguish and pain she suffered at the end of ‘Me Before You’, but she’s still trying to work out who she is, what she wants out of life, and what matters to her. As such, it’s a very engaging book. I liked her very much; she has integrity and loyalty, and a deep sense of compassion. I liked some of the minor characters, too: her friend Nathan, in particular, and the doorman Ashok.

I liked Sam a lot too. Their relationship goes through rather a roller-coaster of emotions, as they manage to see each other, then some disaster happens. It’s something of a theme in the book, and would be clichéd if it weren’t a relatively minor thread, alongside Louisa’s job.

I really didn’t like either of the Gopniks, however, nor Mr Gopnik’s snooty daughter Tabitha. And I distrusted the young man Josh, whom Louisa meets at an event, from the start. He looks like someone she once loved, but it becomes apparent all too quickly that he is ultra-ambitious and too smooth, and rather a womaniser. The blurb on the back of the book implies that Josh turns Louisa's world upside-down; I didn't want that to happen, so was relieved that he turns out to be of much less importance than I feared.

My other slight problem with the books is that I didn't find the New York lifestyle and experiences entirely authentic. Perhaps they are: but there are a few places where the writing doesn’t feel quite right. Maybe I’m being picky; it doesn’t matter to the storyline that the shops show Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving (something that never happened in my experience, when we lived in the US) but it jarred just a little. The whole ultra-wealthy businessman caricature felt a bit too pat, as well. I liked Louisa’s forays into ordinary life much better, when she joins protests to save a local library, for instance, or helps a lonely old lady with her dog.

There’s a revelation from Louisa’s sister which I could see coming several chapters in advance, but I didn’t see most of the twists and turns of the story, which is quite emotive at times. I read the final 120 pages or so at one sitting as I could barely put it down. The conclusion is entirely satisfying, albeit featuring another clichéd situation - but one painted with Louisa’s typical last-minute panic and things going wrong, leaving everything quite tense up to the end.

Overall I enjoyed this book very much. Louisa herself is so likeable that I could see things through her eyes. I would recommend 'Still Me' to anyone who likes women’s fiction. Ideally it should be read after ‘Me Before You’ and ‘After You’, but it could stand alone too.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's Book Reviews

After You (by Jojo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

Nearly three years ago I read the novel ‘Me Before You’ by Jojo Moyes. It was powerful, moving and thought-provoking, and I could hardly put it down. When it ended, I felt as if I wanted to know more about Louisa, the narrator. So I was delighted to learn that there was a sequel. I waited until it was available in paperback, and put it on my wishlist. I was given it for a recent birthday, and have just finished reading it.

Wow.

‘After You’ is a wonderful book. It has 400 pages, but I finished it in just a couple of days. It picks up Louisa’s story two years after the somewhat traumatic ending of ‘Me Before You’. She has been travelling in Europe, but at last decided that she needs to return to the UK.

A generous legacy means that she owns a flat near London, even if she hasn’t bothered to furnish it, or even unpack her clothes. She is estranged from her family, and doesn’t have any close friends. She’s taken a job serving in a bar at an airport, and she doesn’t much enjoy that either, but it earns her some money and she doesn’t have to think too much….

Then she has a very unpleasant accident, which has the positive result of getting back in touch with her parents and sister. Just as she’s starting to feel like herself again, at least physically, a stranger knocks at her door. 16-year-old Lily is the catalyst to an entire new way of looking at the world from just about every perspective….

The plot is tightly woven, covering a wide range of issues. Dealing with grief is at the forefront; Lou is still grieving the man she lost, as are his parents in their different ways. She joins a care group intended to help people express their feelings and find support, and in that discovers many other ways of gradually coming to terms with and - possibly - starting to move on from bereavement. There are some caricatures, inevitably; it’s the only way to keep track of the somewhat wide cast of characters. But Louisa is believable, as is a teenage boy she meets at the group, struggling after losing his mother.

There’s a romantic interest, but it’s taken quite slowly and the inevitable - eventual - bedroom scenes are thankfully devoid of too much detail. There are some other sordid, sometimes shocking accounts - in particular one near the end, where the viewpoint temporarily switches to that of another character in a side chapter, and another during the climax of the book - but in the context of the story, they are necessary. The author is skilful in writing hints and generalities, painting a broad picture, rather than gory or otherwise unnecessary specifics.

Other themes are covered too; feminism and patriarchy are given a somewhat light-hearted caricatured place, but with a serious message. The importance of standing up for oneself is covered too, and the way that being honest about one’s mistakes can release people from immense stress and anxiety. The complexities of life for modern teenagers, and the dangers of hasty reactions are also touched upon.

But the author isn’t preaching; the main characters seem real, and the story is gripping. It was only after finishing that I realised just how many difficult issues were examined in the context of the plot.

There’s more bad language than I like, but it’s not inappropriate in the context of the book. I think this book could be of value to older teenagers as well as being an excellent read for adults; indeed, with today’s earlier maturing teens, perhaps some streetwise girls as young as thirteen or fourteen might find this book thought-provoking, although most of the characters are adults.

It’s not essential to have read ‘Me Before You’ before starting this novel, but I would recommend doing so. Despite the fact that it's nearly three years since I read it, I had no problem recalling the main plot and Lou herself. And having just checked for links... I'm thrilled to see that there is another sequel, which I will be putting on my wishlist next year when it's out in paperback.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's Book Reviews

Me Before You (by JoJo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

The writer JoJo Moyes is quite versatile. So much so that I never quite know what to expect when picking up one of her novels. I’ve enjoyed some of them very much; others less so, although the writing is consistently good, and the characters usually well-developed and interesting.

I was given ‘Me Before You’ for my birthday eighteen months ago but only picked it up to read a couple of days ago. It’s not a short novel - almost 500 pages - but I finished it in just a couple of days. One I’d read a few chapters it became difficult to put down; it’s a storyline that will stay with me for some time.

The main narrator is Lou (Louisa), who is twenty-six, and has just lost her comfortable job working at a café. She’s part of a close-knit family from what we used to call the working classes; her father struggles to make ends meet, and her mother is a full-time carer for Louisa’s grandfather as well as being a good cook, and extremely house-proud. Lou’s sister Katrina has a part-time job but also has a small son who needs to be cared for, so Lou’s income is vital for the family’s survival.

Then Lou is offered the job as carer/companion to a young man called Will in his early thirties who is confined to a wheelchair due to a serious accident which was described in the prologue to the book. Will is quadriplegic and someone else deals with his medical issues and intimate care; Lou is to keep an eye on him and try to take him out. She is unqualified and entirely inexperienced in working with the disabled, so I had to suspend reality slightly when she was offered a great salary and asked to start work a day after a rather unsatisfactory interview.

Most of the book is then about the relationship between the grumpy and rather depressed Will, and the unconventional Lou who dresses weirdly and is prone to speaking her mind. Will’s family is the other end of the social and financial spectrum; his parents are firmly in the upper classes; he used to be a wealthy businessman who enjoyed extreme sports and a series of attractive sloane type girlfriends. I’m not sure why quite such a contrast had to be drawn; nor why, since money is clearly no object, it takes Lou’s hesitant online research at the library to find a way for Will to use a computer.

However, dubious plot devices aside, it’s a well-written and highly thought-provoking story, that reminded me more than once of Jodi Picoult. It deals, in the latter half, with a very controversial subject in what seemed to me to be a realistic and sensitive way. I was disappointed in the ending; I would have preferred it to go differently, although there was an encouraging epilogue. But it certainly made me think through an issue that clearly isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.

Lou is a likeable young woman who adjusts well to her new and often difficult role. She gets over-emotional sometimes, and is reluctant to try anything beyond the confines of her home town; we fairly quickly learn about an unpleasant incident in her teens which made her fearful, yet I’m not sure I quite believed the ease with which she seemed to get over it once she had talked about it. She has a very annoying boyfriend called Patrick who seems to worship triathlons and running under extreme conditions; I didn’t entirely believe in him and am not sure why he was included, other than to provide a bit of conflict.

As for Will, he is in my view the most complex and well-drawn character. Other people are quite caricatured, although it doesn’t much matter and made it easy enough to remember who was whom. I was sorry that Will didn’t narrate anything; the only section of the book seen from his point of view is the prologue. There are two or three places where minor characters suddenly narrate a chapter; that was confusing and I didn’t really see why, since the majority is told by Lou.

But still, despite these niggles, it’s a very good read. I finished the last couple of hundred pages almost in one sitting, eager to find out what would happen, and whether - as I suspected - Lou and Will would become good friends (and possibly more) after their initial antipathy.

Available in Kindle form as well as paperback - and I understand that a sequel has just been published. I look forward to reading it!

Review copyright 2015 Sue's Book Reviews

The one plus one (by Jojo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m never quite sure what to expect when I start a book by JoJo Moyes. She manages to write women’s fiction in quite a variety of genres, from historical fiction to stories set in Australia to one about training horses .. and also some set amongst more ordinary people in the UK. I like her style of writing, even though some of her books appeal more than others, so was pleased to be given this one for my birthday a few months ago.

‘The one plus one’ revolves initially around a single mother called Jess, who works both as a cleaner and in a bar simply to keep her head above water. Her ten-year-old daughter Tanzie is a very gifted mathematician who finds it hard to make friends. They also have Nicky living with them; Nicky is Tanzie’s teenage half-brother, but no blood relation to Jess at all. He dresses like a goth, complete with make-up, and regularly gets into fights with their highly unpleasant neighbours.

Tanzie’s maths teacher thinks she should be sent to a private school where she can be challenged. She’s offered a 90% scholarship, but it’s still way beyond the family’s means. Then it’s suggested that Tanzie could take part in a competition in Scotland; the only drawback being that they live on the South coast of England, don’t have a working car, and can’t possibly afford train or coach fares.

Into the mixture comes Ed, who has no idea what it means to struggle financially, but has made a stupid mistake and may lose everything. After some misunderstandings he finds himself offering to drive Jess and family to Scotland, although he doesn’t quite bargain for the large and sometimes smelly dog Norman…

Most of the story then takes place on the lengthy journey which takes considerably longer than it might be expected to. It’s cleverly done, each chapter focussing on one of these four, seeing life from their point of view and getting inside their heads. As they drive further north, Nicky finds himself relaxing, partly due to the influence of Ed as a very positive role model who understands how a teenage boy thinks; Tanzie becomes more stressed as she realises her entire future is at stake, and Jess wonders what on earth they’re doing, and why Ed is being so nice to them. Ed spends some time wondering exactly the same thing.

It’s a mostly light-hearted book, with some incidents and conversations that made me smile, although there’s a serious underlying theme, showing brilliantly the enormous gap between those who have always had plenty of money and those who don’t have enough, no matter how careful they are. It shows the loneliness of two children who are very different from each other, yet are both rejected by their peers.

The book is quite thought-provoking, bringing up several legal issues, showing how easy it is for even the most cautious or honest people to be tempted into wrongdoing, either for their own sanity or for the sake of their families. The book is mostly about families: the modern, complicated, blended style of family where it’s best to put aside prejudices and jealousies and see the best in each other.

There’s rather more bad language than I’m comfortable with, which was disappointing; I also felt that the ending was a little abrupt, leaving one or two threads a little too open. But despite these minor gripes, I thought this a moving and thoughtful novel, one which I could barely put down towards the end. Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2015 Sue's Book Reviews

The ship of brides (by JoJo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

I have enjoyed quite a few books by JoJo Moyes, a writer whom I only discovered about five years ago. Her novels encompass a variety of topics, often with a historical dimension, and are very well written. So I’ve started adding more of them to my wishlist. I received this one for my last birthday.

‘The ship of brides’ starts with an ambiguous and intriguing prologue, which didn’t make sense (indeed, I had quite forgotten about it) until nearer the end. This is followed by a scene full of action, set in 2002. A young British woman and her elderly grandmother are in India, doing some sight-seeing. The young woman is flouts convention and goes to visit a ship-yard full of discarded vessels; the old woman eventually follows her, and has an immense shock as she spots one of the rusting old ships...

The main part of the novel takes place in 1946, when a boatload of Australian brides are en route to the UK to be reunited with the husbands they married during the war. Although the characters are fictional, they are based on real people and the book is set around some actual historical events. At the start of each chapter is a brief quotation from letters or journals written by some of the people involved at the time. The author evidently did a great deal of research, and the general feel was of an authentic account.

At the start of the historical section we meet four of the Australian brides before they set out: the rather snobby Avice, of wealthy family; the nurse Frances, who has seen some terrible injuries; the cheerful (and very pregnant) Margaret, and sixteen-year-old Jean.

These four very different women find themselves sharing a cabin on their voyage, which is not on a liner but on a converted warship. The captain really isn’t happy about having hundreds of women on board, and some of his staff are not entirely sure how to deal with lively young brides.

Different chapters are written from the different perspectives of some of the main characters, giving a good picture of what life would have been like for these courageous women who crossed the world to be with their husbands, some of them uncertain whether they would ever see their home and families again. Worse still, some of the husbands were still on active duty - and some didn’t want their Australian wives. So there was constant stress there, quite apart from the unusual circumstances of crossing the ocean in cramped quarters.

I found the book interesting - it’s a part of history I knew nothing about - but as a novel, this didn’t really work for me. It felt more like a series of anecdotes than a real plot, and I didn’t warm to any of the main characters other than, perhaps, Margaret. I had forgotten all about the opening scene - perhaps I was supposed to guess what the relevance of the main part of the book was, but in the event it was quite a surprise to return to 2002 at the end. It was a satisfying ending which made sense, but didn’t feel like part of the book.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction that’s more anecdotal than having a strong storyline. The writing is good, as I have come to expect from JoJo Moyes, and at times I could almost imagine the situations. But somehow this book didn’t grip me. Still, perhaps I'll feel differently if I re-read it in another ten years or so...

Available in both paperback and Kindle form.

Review copyright 2014 Sue's Book Reviews

The Horse Dancer (by Jojo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

I've read three or four books by Jojo Moyes and enjoyed them all. So I put a few more of them on my wishlist a few months ago, and was delighted to receive  this, and one or two others for my birthday.

I felt that 'The Horse Dancer' was a bit slow to get started. I'm not a horse-lover, and - unsurprisingly - a horse features quite strongly in the book. I admit I skimmed some of the horsey sections, but that wasn't a problem.

There are two stories at first, running alongside each other. One is of an almost-divorced couple who have to sort out their house and hope to do so amicably. Mac is a cheerful photographer, Natasha is quite an uptight lawyer. The other storyline features 14-year-old Sarah and her elderly grandfather who used to be a professional rider in France. Sarah adores her horse and works hard to learn the moves in 'Airs above the ground' - something I had not really heard of, other than when I read Mary Stewart's novel of that name some years ago.

Just as I was beginning to feel that I had the hang of both plotlines, and was getting to know the people, a crisis hits Sarah's life. She's quite a self-reliant person and determined to look after her beloved horse Boo - but eventually life (and social services) catch up with her. Sarah's path crosses Natasha's and the stories then start to intertwine.

As well as the overt themes of hard work and following one's dreams, this book covers contemporary topics such as fostering and adoption, theft and other petty crimes, teenage secrecy, the pain of ending a marriage, and the importance of parents and guardians listening to their children. These are clearly expressed without being soap boxes, and in some cases were quite thought-provoking.

The writing is excellent, the characterisation believable - at least, I found myself believing in the people while I read, and very much warming to Sarah. There were a couple of scenes where I was holding my breath in suspense, one or two moments when (unexpectedly) I almost chuckled aloud, and towards the end I had tears in my eyes more than once. I started this by reading just a chapter or two before going to sleep; by the time I was two-thirds of the way through, I could hardly bear to put it down.

Perhaps the ending is a little contrived, ending all the threads neatly in a happy-ever-after way; but by that stage I didn't mind at all. It's how I hoped it would end, and concluded everything in an ideal way. I do like it when novels finish positively.

Overall I thought this a wonderful book, and well worth persevering through the early chapters. Still in print in paperback in the UK, and also available in Kindle form.

Review copyright 2014 Sue's Book Reviews

Silver Bay (by Jojo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

I do like it when I discover a new author whose work I enjoy. Even better when I find that her books are all different, yet very appealing. This is my impression, so far, of Jojo Moyes, an English writer who has several published titles. I am slowly collecting them.

'Silver Bay' is mostly set in Australia. It features Liza and her daughter Hannah who live with Liza’s Aunt Kathleen, at a small beach hotel. It’s popular with tourists - in a low-key kind of way - for observing whales and dolphins, although there’s a worrying tendency to attract noisy boats that scare away the marine life.

There’s some mystery about Liza’s past; she suffered immense heartbreak shortly before arriving at Kathleen’s, and we soon discover what that was about, although without details at first. But it doesn’t quite explain why Liza is so very protective about Hannah, not even allowing her to go out on the boats - although Hannah regularly does.

Then a smartly suited man from England arrives. Mike is uncomfortable at first, feeling out of place. He quickly makes friends with Hannah, and is quite attracted to Liza, but attracts some bad feeling, particularly when the locals discover just why he’s there...

‘Silver Bay’ is written from several different perspectives, a technique that works well, giving a bit of background to each of the main characters, letting us see inside their heads, and understanding something of their motivation. The characterisation is good; I found myself becoming quite fond of Hannah, and also Kathleen, although it was harder to be sympathetic with Liza despite the trauma she suffered in the past.

However, it took me quite some time to get into this book. Perhaps it’s that my ecological tendencies are mostly theoretical; while I don’t wish to see harm done to any creatures, I don’t actually have any interest at all in marine life boats, and a lot of the early part of the story was woven around these themes. Other parts of the story involved business ventures and attempts to manipulate investors... and I found those even less interesting.

And yet, slowly, I found myself drawn into the lives of this small community. As the businessman Mike found that he was starting to be accepted, so I found myself caring more about these people and their everyday lives. By the time I was about half way through, I was totally hooked. When there’s a major crisis scene, I was gripped, almost unable to put the book down. When we finally learn the details of Liza’s past, I had tears in my eyes. Even more so later on...

Jojo Moyes has a great writing style that drew me in, kept me reading, and made me believe in her story, even at the end when - if I’m entirely honest - reality felt a little suspended, leading to a most satisfactory conclusion. Things came together just a bit too tidily for reality, but by then I didn’t care. I like a happy ending, even if it doesn’t reflect typical real life.

All in all, I liked this very much... and immediately put a couple more of this author’s books on my wishlist.

Highly recommended.

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

Foreign Fruit (by Jojo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

I've previously read and enjoyed two novels by Jojo Moyes, so put a couple more on my wishlist. It took me nearly a year to start reading this one...

'Foreign Fruit' (which apparently is known as 'Windfallen' in the US, rather confusingly) is a two-part story. At the start, set I suppose in the 1950s, we meet Lottie, who was once an evacuee. She is now back with the Holden family for her teenage years. Mrs Holden is a bit overbearing, Dr Holden genial - and a little creepy - and two young children rather annoying. However, Celia is close to Lottie in age, and they are good friends.

Against the wishes of Celia's parents, the girls explore and become friendly with some 'bohemian' artists, rather scandalous people for the time, who live in a large house called Arcadia. Lottie learns to question some of her beliefs and values, but eventually their involvement is too much for the family and Celia is sent away. She returns with London gloss, engaged to a young man called Guy. And Lottie falls for him in a big way.

There's a vast number of characters in the book, or so it seemed to me. We meet, briefly, people in the village, visitors to Arcadia, and more. Celia's younger siblings seem almost irrelevant to the plot, and I never did get a grasp of who most of the other minor characters were. In a sense it didn't matter, but it made it rather hard to concentrate sometimes, as I kept wanting to flick back to find out who was whom.

I was just getting interested in the story, around half-way through the book, when it switched abruptly to a different set of characters, fifty years later. Now we meet Daisy, a single mother with a young baby, who agrees to take charge of renovating an old house. Unsurprisingly, it turns out to be an empty Arcadia. Not only does Daisy have to deal with her hormones, and her annoyance with her vanished partner; she has a grumpy boss who doesn't think she's up to the job, and some unpleasant objectors in the village who do not want to see Arcadia turned into a hotel.

I realised that there were going to be some connections with the people in the first half of the book; at least, I realised it logically. It felt as if I had somehow picked up a different book altogether - perhaps a sequel. I was so dazed by all the different names and people that I didn't spot the obvious connection until it was revealed quite a way through... and by that stage I'd almost forgotten what the first part of the story was about.

It probably didn't help that I've been reading 'Foreign Fruit' over the past three weeks, just a chapter or two each night. Not feeling involved with it, I didn't feel any inclination to keep reading, or to pick it up during the daytime. However, I finally finished the last hundred or so pages yesterday. Reading in one block, I found it did make more sense. The intertwining of past and present works well, the writing is good, sometimes evocative, and the ending is encouraging. However there was then a brief epilogue which left me confused once more; perhaps it was too subtle.

On the whole I liked the book, but never felt really involved with any of the characters. I didn't find myself particularly moved by any of it, but perhaps it would have worked better if I had read it in a shorter space of time.

Recommended in a low-key kind of way; it would make good holiday reading as it's easy to put down, doesn't require much brain-power (other than trying to work out who is who) and has a satisfactory conclusion.

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

The Peacock Emporium (by Jojo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

It was nearly a year ago when I first came across Jojo Moyes, and her book 'Night Music' which I very much enjoyed. So I determined to get hold of some more of her novels.

I received 'The Peacock Emporium' for my birthday last year, but it's taken me this long to start reading it as my 'to-read' shelf has been so crowded. But finally I started it, about three weeks ago. Yes, it took me this long to finish it, mostly reading a chapter or two before I went to sleep.

The book opens in 2001 when a midwife in Buenos Aires involved is in a delivery which leaves a bittersweet taste at the end. The next chapter goes back almost forty years, when a young woman called Vivi is going to a dance with her friend Douglas. That confused me so much that I wondered if I was reading the same book at first!

Vivi's story continues for a few chapters, as we get to know Douglas and his family rather better, and although I was vaguely wondering about the relevance of the first section, I pretty much forgot about it.

Then a new section starts, which takes us back to 2001, and a young woman called Suzanna Peacock who is feeling frustrated in life in general. She plans to open a shop - the Peacock Emporium of the book's title. It soon becomes apparent what connection Suzanna has with Vivi, although there's a lot of back story which is only gradually filled in, but I was in the dark about the midwife in Buenos Aires for quite some time.

Reading just a chapter or two at night, I found the book muddling, as I wondered how on earth these diverse threads would meld together. It didn't inspire me to keep reading, or to pick it up in the daytime. But gradually, almost imperceptibly, I found myself drawn more and more into the story, which is full of believable, and mostly likeable people.

There are a few caricatured minor characters too, but that's not a bad thing; there's a sad and horrific incident part-way through the book so it was a good thing to have a few lighter and somewhat amusing incidents involving lesser characters.

I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first, but by the end could barely put it down. The writing is crisp and very readable; the story cleverly bound together, even if the viewpoint and decade switches are sometimes a little confusing. The filling in of the past works extremely well, leaving most ends neatly tied without excessive detail or explanation.

All in all, I'd recommend it.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 7th February 2010

Night Music (by Jojo Moyes)

(Amazon UK link)

I'd never heard of Jojo Moyes, although she has apparently written seven novels. I came across her when I was sent one of her novels by The Bookbag for review. The cover looked appealing, and the blurb on the back sounded like my kind of book.

'Night Music' is the story of obsessions. Matt is obsessed with the old and decrepit Spanish House. He coerces his wife Laura into pandering to the elderly Mr Pottisworth, assuming they will inherit it when he dies.

However, a distant relative turns out to be the heir. Isabel is an impractical musician, obsessed with her violin, and recently widowed. She has two delightful children: Kitty, who is fifteen and takes on far too much responsibility, and Thierry, who has withdrawn into his own world and not spoken since he lost his father in a car accident.

Most of the novel happens after Isabel and her children sell their London home and move to Spanish House. Matt takes on the renovations, clearly intending to over-charge Isabel and do work that's unnecessary, and I did find her naivety a bit frustrating at times. But she's a likeable character underneath her flakiness, and I found her children delightful.

There are caricatured minor characters, but that's not a problem. The ending of the book was over-dramatic, although perhaps I should have been able to guess what was coming, and the ending a bit on the tidy side. Nevertheless, the majority of the book was believable and enjoyable, well-written with more depth than I had expected.

All in all, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys women's fiction. I shall be looking out for more of Jojo Moyes' novels in future.

You can also read my longer review of 'Night Music' at The Bookbag site.