I have a growing appreciation for Charlotte Bingham's books. I have found some of them rather trite, but have thoroughly enjoyed others. I'm impressed by the different styles she manages to write, and the depth of her historical research and understanding.
'Daughters of Eden', which I found in a charity shop in the UK, opens in the late 1930s.
Poppy, the plain, shy daughter of wealthy Americans, is unexpectedly engaged to be married to a peer in the UK. Poppy is not at all sure about this, but feels that anything is better than becoming an old maid. Or so she thinks, until the marriage takes place and it becomes clear that her husband despises her. He often ignores her, and meets with parties of men to discuss what appears to be treason.
Meanwhile, Marjorie is left at a very unpleasant boarding school by a mother who is not remotely interested in her. After eight years, she is adopted by her Aunt Hester, a dour widow who gradually thaws and becomes more lovable - and who also appears to have some kind of secret life.
Then we meet Kate, the highly academic daughter of Professor Maddox, who believes that education is wasted on women. Rather than allowing his daughter to go to Oxford, he sends her to a secretarial college.
These three young women, along with hundreds of others, are selected to work in Eden House, for undercover espionage as war is declared. The novel follows their lives, those of some young men in similar work, and also those they are seeking to unmask - declared Fascists in England who want to bring the government down and sign a treaty with Hitler.
This novel was exciting and fast-paced, and presumably accurate in many respects. It gave a fascinating insight into ordinary people doing undercover work during World War II which may well have been approximately how it happened, and I found it quite a page -turner. It's not a short novel (over 500 pages) but I finished it in two days.
On the other hand, I didn't find any of the characters very sympathetic: perhaps because too many of them were followed. I could keep track of who was whom, but didn't find myself caring much about any of them.
I'm glad I read it, but doubt if I'll be reading it again as my preference is generally for character-based novels where I care about what happens to them, rather than about the various subplots as such.
Still, recommended for anyone who likes this kind of book. It was well written and very readable.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 25th July 2008
Years ago, I read 'A Comedy of Clerical Errors' by Fred Secombe - who happens to be the younger brother of the late Sir Harry Secombe. He is an ordained minister in the Church of England, and his book was about some of his early days working in a parish. I read it before I started writing book reviews, and only remember it vaguely - but seem to recall it was fairly enjoyable and humorous.
So when I saw 'Mr Rural Dean' in a charity shop, I bought it immediately. At the start of this book, Fred is an established Vicar of Abergelly in the 1960s, happily married to Eleanor (the village doctor), with two young children. The book opens with a rehearsal of 'Pirates of Penzance'- Fred and his wife are apparently great fans of Gilbert and Sullivan, and started a society in their parish.
All goes well with the rehearsal, but Fred's churchwarden appears to be dallying with a 17-year-old member of the chorus, and deceiving his wife.
The book is a series of anecdotes of Fred's life in the next few months. A little like the better-known books by Gerald Durrell or Gervais Phinn, I assume they are basically true, perhaps with some names or facts slightly changed to protect people's privacy.
During the course of the book, the congregation try to raise money for a new church plant, the organist has a heart attack, Fred is asked to conduct a baptism for a bookie and his wife with 120 guests... and so on. Unfortunately, although there is a lot of potential, none of it is actually terribly exciting, and it isn't brilliantly written. There are no astute or wry observations, and the humour - such as it is - is more in the slapstick style which doesn't really appeal to me.
Moreover the conversations are long-winded and rather stilted, not helped by extreme formality which was, perhaps, typical of Wales forty or more years ago. Fred as Vicar seems to hold far too much authority - he disparages modern hymns, yells at the congregation when they are talking too loudly, yet kowtows to the local earl, and only allows other 'educated' people (such as teachers) to use his first name.
God is barely mentioned. The whole church appears to exist for the sake of tradition; evangelism in this book means 'getting people into church' - irrelevant of their standing in God's eyes - and none of the characters come across as more than two-dimensional.
Having said all that, it was certainly readable... I kept going, and was mildly interested in some of the subplots. But it really wasn't very inspiring. Fred Secombe has apparently written several others in similar vein, but I doubt if I'll be reading them, unless I happen to spot them equally inexpensively in other charity shops. Nothing like as good as David Wilbourne's two excellent books of similar genre, in my view.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 24th July 2008<
Eighteen months ago, after reading some online reviews, I bought - and thoroughly enjoyed - Natalie Savona's 'The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies'. The author is a nutritionist who writes in a concise and interesting style. Although I shall probably never use 90% of the juice/smoothie recipes, I've been inspired to make fresh fruit juices and smoothies almost daily ever since.
So I thought it about time I bought another of her books, and decided to order 'Wonderfoods' from Amazon UK. My first surprise was that it looks very small. It's not even as tall as a standard paperback, although it's about the same width and depth. I was also a little disappointed to see that there were only two recipes per type of food.
However, I dipped into it over the next few weeks, and found I appreciated it more and more. The book is divided into nine main sections - for instance, energy, heart, age, mind - each focusing on foods that are known to help in some way. The majority of the foods described, unsurprisingly, are fruit and vegetables, seeds and nuts - foods known to be healthy in general. There are explanations of why each food is good, with full-page colour photographs, and then the two recipes use, as far as possible, not just the food being focused on but at least two or three others mentioned elsewhere in the book.
Some of the recipes sound excellent, although others require rather unusual ingredients that may not be available in Cyprus.
In a sense, there wasn't anything new: all the information can be found online, or in other books about health and nutrition. But it's a useful reference guide to inspire and encourage, and written with more of a human touch than many recipe books.
I did find myself wondering: is there such a thing as a 'wonderfood'? Or is it just a modern buzzword for healthy food? Maybe that's all they are. After all, no one food can work miracles or solve all health problems, particularly if someone's lifestyle is otherwise unhealthy!
Yet all the foods in this book are natural, and provide health benefits of some sort if eaten in conjunction with other good food. Most people would do well to eat more of them, while cutting down on convenience foods and high-fat desserts. Healthy food can taste very good, as shown in these recipes.
I was pleased that the author makes the point that we shouldn't get fanatical, or worry so much about our diet that we get ulcers. Moreover, she says, there's nothing wrong with the occasional pizza or even chocolate eclairs. But we will feel far better, and be more energetic and productive if the majority of what we eat is based on these so-called 'wonderfoods'.
All in all, highly recommended.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 22nd July 2008
Browsing in a charity shop in the UK during the summer, I spotted an interesting-looking book by Tim Pears. I remembered the name, and thought I had enjoyed the previous novel I had read by him, 'In Place of Fallen Leaves'. It wasn't until I got home and checked my review that I realised I didn't actually like it, and hadn't planned to read anything more by this author.
However, since I had bought 'Blenheim Orchard', albeit only for £1.99, I thought I might as well read it. And to start with, I was impressed.
Ezra and Sheena seem to have a happy marriage, and enjoy their family: 13-year-old Blaise, 11-year-old Hector, and their afterthought, the delightful three-year-old Louie. Blaise has some teenage stresses, and argues with her parents, but is basically a strong-minded, independent young lady, who loves her parents deeply. Hector is highly intelligent and geeky, but also - in his way - very loving.
Sheena is fiery and spirited: she runs her own business, and takes part in environmental protests, sometimes taking Blaise with her. And Ezra, who is the viewpoint character for much of the book, is delightful. He is laid-back, gentle, appreciative, and an excellent father. He takes his children's concerns seriously, and finds mutually satisfactory solutions to their problems.
Ezra has abandoned his life's work as an anthropologist to work in a bottled water company, so as to be near his family and to earn good money to support them. He has no resentment about this: no hankering to change. I really liked Ezra!
I also liked the early chapters of the book, which were written with observational skill to rival Anne Tyler (I suppose even the name Ezra is reminiscent of Tyler) although the book is planted firmly in the UK. Tim Pears describes the family minutely in everyday activities, with wry humour; the writing flowed well and I very much enjoyed it.
Having said that, the book did open with a surprisingly erotic scene between Ezra and Sheena, albeit without excessive detail. It sets the scene for rather a lot of sex in the book. As the story progresses, we see under the surface of their marriage, into past problems, anger and infidelities, and we also see growing tension as they disagree about how to deal with Blaise.
The climax, near the end of the book, is shocking but not entirely unexpected; the ending is disturbing, but again unsurprising. However it left me feeling rather unhappy - there was so much potential for a more hopeful conclusion.
It was an interesting read, which I certainly liked more than the previous book I read by this author, but I doubt if I'll be reading this again.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 21st July 2008
I had never heard of Marti Olsen Laney, who is a researcher and psychotherapist. But I saw her book recommended, and - as a strongly Introverted person - thought it might be worth reading. So I bought it in the Summer, from Amazon UK (link on the left).
I found 'The Introvert Advantage' both encouraging and frustrating.
It was very good to see Introverts championed, particularly in an extraverted society such as the USA, where this book was written. There are some interesting sections in the book on brain pathways, plenty of anecdotes, and some pros and cons of introversion, which should encourage those who may have suffered in childhood. I don't personally know of Introverts who were hassled to be more sociable or outgoing - perhaps, growing up in the more introverted UK, it's less of a problem - but for anyone who feels that Introversion is abnormal, this book should be a great help.
The style is upbeat; the book was clearly well thought out, and well-written. There are some examples of possible Introvert problems given, with suggested solutions, alongside real-life anecdotes, which were always encouraging. There were also some strategies for dealing with the Extraverted world, and events such as parties; these all made a lot of sense, albeit not suggesting anything I did not already know. I particularly enjoyed the quirky quotations at the start of most sections.
On the other hand, the author seems to confuse Introversion, sometimes, with the Idealist (NF) temperament as described by David Keirsey in 'Please Understand Me'. She says that Introverts hate being playful and spontaneous: this is certainly true of some (including me), but absolutely not true for Artisan (SP) Introverts - those whose Myers-Briggs preferences are ISFP or ISTP.
She also talks about Introverts being imaginative; again, this is true of some, but not all. Some - eg Guardian (SJ) introverts, the ISFJs and ISTJs are pretty much grounded in reality, liking concrete language and facts, while some Extraverts - particularly the ENFP and ENFJ Idealist Extraverts, and also the ESFPs - are very imaginative indeed, and can forget about the outside world, or pressing but routine matters every bit as much as Idealist Introverts.
I thought the first half of the book was mostly excellent, truly dealing with the Introvert/Extravert differences on the whole. It explained clearly how Introverts need time to themselves to recharge, and how this is basically due to brain pathways which are different from those who recharge amongst other people and outside stimulation.
But then it got gradually fuller of Idealist content, and thus more unhelpful to the many who may be Introverts, but do not have the NF temperament: in other words, about 95% of them! I say that as someone with INFJ preferences: for me personally, most of the book was in fact relevant. But for Introverts with other temperaments, particularly those who are already struggling with their differences, it might be counter-productive to read much of the second half of the book.
It's a long book to cover this subject; perhaps the first half said all that needs to be said. Overall it was certainly interesting and very readable. I would certainly recommend it to any Extraverts who have difficulty understanding or accepting their Introverted colleagues and loved ones, but less enthusiastically to Introverts, particularly those who are not aware of the temperament/type models that define more than just two broad types of people.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 20th July 2008
In general, I love Georgette Heyer's books. I rank her as one of my favourite writers, and re-read her romantic historical fiction regularly. It's only in the past few years that I've also started reading her crime fiction, and was pleased to pick up a few of these, second-hand, from Abebooks during the summer.
'Duplicate Death' - as with all Heyer's crime fiction - is somewhat reminiscent of the Agatha Christie genre, set in a similar period with the same kind of people.
This book features Mrs Haddington, a wealthy widow, who hosts a duplicate Bridge party, and invites fifty guests. During the evening, one of the guests is murdered with some picture wire, and it seems that any of half a dozen people could have done the deed. Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard is called in, along with Inspector Grant. They attempt to unravel the mystery in the traditional style, interviewing various people and building up a clearer picture of what happened during the evening.
However, part-way through their investigations, another murder takes place, using the same method, which both shocks and surprises everyone.
It's a complex plot for a short novel, with a huge number of characters who are introduced in the early chapters. Unfortunately, most of them are not all that interesting. I don't think Georgette Heyer can produce a really flat or badly-written character, but the majority of them in this book simply aren't memorable at all - instead they feel like caricatures of a type of person rather than the believable, three-dimensional people who usually populate Heyer's novels.
Having said that, there is some enjoyable light badinage between Hemingway an the Scottish Grant, and there's a very low key romance between Tim Harte and Mrs Haddington's secretary. Unfortunately, the secretary has some rather unsavoury secrets in her past, which make her fearful.
However, Mrs Haddington herself is so selfish and cold that it was hard to feel anything for her; her daughter Cynthia is beautiful but heartless, and pretty much brainless too. Neither of them were at all appealing, and it was thus quite a struggle at times to feel any interest in the story. When the mystery is - inevitably - solved, it didn't feel particularly satisfying.
Having said all that, it's really not a bad book for a quick read, if you like this genre of crime fiction. I was perhaps expecting too much: it's nowhere near the standard of Georgette Heyer's others. But probably worth reading at least once. Still in print in the UK, over fifty years after publication, and widely available second-hand.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 19th July 2008
I've known of Selwyn Hughes for many years, as the founder and chief writer of the Christian devotional Bible-reading note series, 'Every Day with Jesus'. I found the notes inspiring and encouraging for three or four years, although I stopped getting them in about 2005. It was apparently in 2006 that Selwyn Hughes, then 77, died.
Occasionally something about Selwyn's personal life and circumstances would creep into his notes, and I found myself intrigued to know more about the man himself. I discovered that he had written an autobiography, but it was rather expensive; in the last couple of years, it has been out of print. But finally I decided to buy a second-hand edition from Abebooks, and read it over a period of about three weeks.
I found the early chapters interesting, as the author describes his childhood in a Welsh mining village, and his growing interest in God. I was surprised to learn that in his young adult life he went to Bible College and then became a well-known preacher and speaker, who travelled all over the world encouraging, teaching, and praying for revival. Certainly, a few of my question were answered as a I read the book and learned more about Selwyn Hughes, and the way his ministry grew and flourished beyond what anyone could have imagined, long before he started writing 'Every Day with Jesus'.
However, I was a bit disappointed to find that there was very little about his family as an adult. Certainly there are some significant mentions of his wife Enid, and his two sons, and other family members - but mostly in the context of marriage, illness or dying. Perhaps he wanted to protect their privacy.
The majority of the book is about Selwyn's ministry, and is full of names, places and facts. These are all important, of course, but I would have expected this kind of detail in a biography written by someone else about his life. Some of this was necessary, of course, in understanding how he grew as a person. But unfortunately, the catalogue of names and facts are of little interest to the general public.
Although there are a few rather endearing admissions of mistakes made, including extreme arrogance as a young man, there is very little about the author's personal growth beyond his teenage years. There isn't even very much about his struggles with cancer and bereavement - they are mentioned almost in passing, but with almost no description of his feelings, or what made him human as well as a great pioneer in the Christian world.
Overall, I thought the book worth reading - I did persevere to the end, although I admit to skimming a few passages here and there that described yet another evangelistic mission without any human interest stories. On the whole the book is well-written, as I expected, and the flow is good: mostly chronological, but not rigidly so. I just thought it a pity that it was basically unexciting reading, about what was evidently a very fulfilling and exciting life.
(Note that this book has been revised and expanded since I read it, so perhaps some of my comments no longer apply)
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 18th July 2008
I have very much enjoyed all the novels by Mary Sheepshanks, whom I discovered some years ago. So I was delighted to find that she is now writing as Mary Nickson, and has produced two more books in the past few years. This one, alas, is now out of print but I was able to buy it inexpensively from Abebooks.
'The Venetian House' is a wonderful book! It starts with a prologue: Victoria, her cousin Guy and his schoolfriend Richard are all on holiday in Corfu. Victoria adores her wild cousin Guy, and is very fond of the more stable Richard.
Then the book moves forward many years, to a time when Victoria has been married to Richard for eight years; they have a son, Jake, who is six. Richard has been a devoted and reliable husband, even if he somewhat lacks Guy's sparkle, but he is unaccountably depressed when Guy gets married in secret. It makes Victoria wonder if he has been having an affair with Guy's new wife...
Then a horrific accident happens, which change everyone's lives dramatically. Even worse, several people wonder if it was in fact an accident. For various reasons, Victoria and Jake go to Corfu for a break, to stay with her elderly grandmother.
Meanwhile, Patrick, a writer/photographer, is having a difficult time in his marriage to the insecure, temperamental Rachel. She has always been rather cold to their two teenagers, Sam and Sophie, but is passionately attached to their unplanned third child, Posy, who is fast becoming a spoiled brat.
Moreover, Rachel is far too strongly influenced by her dubious therapist Bronwen. Patrick asks her to go to Corfu with him, but she refuses - so he takes Sam and Sophie, with a commission to write about The Venetian House, which is the home of Victoria's grandmother.
The two families find themselves very attracted to each other, and an incredible coincidence is discovered... I tend to be a bit suspicious of coincidences in novels, but I was so caught up in this one that I could see it coming, and even believe in it. it certainly didn't spoil the story in any way.
Wonderful writing, excellent characterisation, right from the elderly grandmother down to six-year-old Jake, all trying to come to terms with past pain and problems, all with hope and faith for the future. Moving in places - enough so that tears came to my eyes more than once - and I found it almost impossible to put down.
Highly recommended.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 16th July 2008
The writer Patricia Gaffney is American, and I had not heard of her until I read - and enjoyed - her novel 'The Saving Graces' nearly a year ago. However, I remembered the name, so when I saw another of her books being sold inexpensively by a local library in the UK, I bought it at once.
'The Goodbye Summer' mainly features Caddie, a caring young woman whose mother died when she was only nine. She was brought up by Nana, her eccentric and artistic grandmother. Now Caddie is 32, and looking after the increasingly frail Nana.
When Nana breaks her leg, she insists on going to stay in a care home for the elderly, to recuperate. She also wants Caddie to have a life of her own, even though Caddie is basically quite content living with her.
Caddie is an unassuming music teacher, and finds it very difficult to break out of her rut; however, over the next couple of months, she makes a new close friend, and begins to fall in love. She also becomes very fond of the other residents in the care home.
Much of the story looks at the past, and the need to find healing and forgiveness for perceived hurts, neglect, or parents dying young. Caddie feels herself to be a child sometimes, yet with her students she is wise beyond her years. As she reaches out to others around her, she begins to come to terms with her own fears and hurts.
There are some sad moments, though none that actually moved me to tears. There's also a lot of warmth in this novel, which I read more-or-less straight through in one day.
I thought it was great holiday reading, with likeable people. Caddie in particular is very believable, and the book is all told from her point of view. Recommended, although it may be hard to find in the UK.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 14th July 2008
I've been reading Joanne Harris's books for a few years, now. I very much enjoyed her three food-related novels, set mainly in villages in France. I've been slightly concerned at the increasingly occult feel to some of her more recent books, but she is such a good writer that I've continued reading, and was pleased to be given this one as a present recently.
'The lollipop ahoes' is actually a sequel to Harris's first and best-known novel 'Chocolat'. Vianne Rocher, who is now known as Yanne Charbonneau, owns a small chocolaterie in a suburb of Paris. However, it's rather run-down, and not very successful. Her daughter Anouk - now known as Annie - is eleven, and she has another daughter, three-year-old Rosette. Rosette does not speak at all, although she communicates well in sign language.
Into their lives breezes Zozie, an outgoing and vibrant young woman, who is very taken with Anouk. However, the reader already knows from the prologue that Zozie is not who she says she is; she is a collector of identities. She goes cold-bloodedly through life collecting information about people who have died, taking on both their characters and their bank accounts for a while, before moving on. She is clearly a dangerous person, although this is not at all obvious to those who meet her. Zozie is, above all things, an excellent actress.
The story is told from three first-person perspectives: Zozie, Vianne and Anouk, in different sections. It works extremely well, seeing events from their very different viewpoints.
This novel has much more of a strongly occult thread than the previous novels, although not quite sufficient to make me stop reading. Vianne and Anouk have given up their incantations and tarot readings, although they remain afraid of unknown forces who may catch up with them, and of invoking wrath and negative karma.
However, Zozie, similarly gifted, has no such qualms. She determines, moreover, to draw Anouk into her web, starting by encouraging her to take revenge on some unpleasant classmates in her school, and then building voodoo dolls to change her environment.
As the book progresses, it becomes a clear battle of good against evil, increasingly dark in places. Anouk is torn between her mother and Zozie; at the same time Vianne is torn between the wealthy but dull man - her landlord - who wants to marry her, and Roux, whom she once loved with passion.
'The Lollipop Shoes' is full of symbolism and stories, and very well written. I was pleased that the ending was more reassuring than it could have been, with a good low-key message about the importance of standing up to bullies, making the most of oneself, and also avoiding any occultic influences.
All in all, I enjoyed it.
NB - this book is known as 'The Girl with No Shadow' in the USA.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 13th July 2007
I started reading books by Joanna Trollope about ten years ago, initially borrowing them from other people. Since then I've collected almost all of them, and have started re-reading. Then I found that I was missing one of her novels.
I was very pleased, therefore, to find 'A Passionate Man' in a charity shop in the UK, during a recent visit.
The main character is Archie, a well-respected doctor, who is happily married to Liza. They have three young children. Their only real worry is that their nine-year-old son Thomas has just started boarding school, and is clearly not happy there.
Archie is extremely close to his father, Andrew. Liza sometimes finds this frustrating, as if they haven't really let go of each other. It's Andrew who is particularly keen for his grandson to be in boarding school, and somehow they find it impossible to refuse.
Then Andrew falls in love with the widowed Marina, a wealthy and glamorous American. All the family find her surprisingly charming... except for Archie.
Meanwhile, a young teacher at the school where Liza works develops a serious crush on her. Also, a neighbouring farmer decides to sell some land, creating hot controversy in the village. Archie and Liza find themselves drawing further and further apart, although neither is entirely sure why.
The book is very well-written, with an excellent picture of English village life in the late 20th century, and great observations of the stresses and tensions that can arise in even the happiest of families.
I'm pretty sure I read this about nine or ten years ago, but had totally forgotten the plot - even a couple of entirely unexpected events that trigger further unhappiness and heart-searching from all the people involved, before Archie and Liza can pick up the pieces of their lives and move on to a rather different future.
Emotional in places, amusing in others - Archie and Liza's youngest child, Imogen, is a delightful caricature of a rather spoiled three-year-old - and somewhat thought-provoking.
Recommended. Still in print, eighteen years after publication.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 11th July 2008.
I like Anne Tyler's novels. Oddly enough, I didn't when I was first introduced to them, in my thirties. But now, some years later, I find them increasingly enjoyable. I had this one on my wishlist for a while, then managed to find it recently in a charity shop in the UK.
'Back when we were grownups' is Tyler at her best, in my opinion. It's about Rebecca, who is 53, and works as a party organiser in the USA. She also looks after her late husband's 99-year-old uncle, Poppy. She was widowed at a young age, but brought up three step-daughters and one daughter of her own.
Rebecca seems to enjoy having relatives trooping in and out of her house, and also babysitting her various grandchildren. Then one day, she suddenly starts to wonder what happened to her quiet, shy, teenage self, who was engaged to the geeky Will. This was before she fell in love with Joe, dropped out of college, abandoned Will, and adopted a much more extraverted and enthusiastic persona than she had previously. What, she wonders, would her life have been like if she had continued with her degree course, and married Will?
Caught up in these concerns, Rebecca is distracted, and tries to get in touch with people from her past. But alongside her thoughts and dreams, the present keeps intruding.
This book is typical Tyler; perhaps too slow-moving for some, and without a great deal of plot, but delightfully done. There's a lot of introspection, brilliant (if slightly caricatured) characterisation, and wry observations about everyday life. Her style is easy to read, yet surprisingly thought-provoking; I found that the people seemed real in my mind, and I thought about them at odd moments even when I wasn't reading. Some of the people are a bit shadowy and undeveloped, but others seem very clear.
In the early chapters of the book, there are a huge number of people introduced, which I found rather confusing. But they soon fell into place, mostly believable, with some inevitably having more major roles than others. The ending of the book was satisfying, as Rebecca finally works out what really matters to her, and why she is feeling so morose. She also finds a role for the future. I found it encouraging and certainly expect to read this again in a few years.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 10th July 2008
I knew nothing about Mark Haddon, other than that he's the author of this book; apparently he's been a children's writer for a while, but this was his first novel intended for the teenage market. I've seen it reviewed positively many times; it seems to be one of the cross-over books that appeals to adults as well as teens. But somehow I had resisted buying it.. until I found it second-hand on a recent visit to the UK.
'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' is an award-winning novel, written from the perspective of fifteen-year-old Christopher a lad with Asperger's Syndrome (a condition on the autistic spectrum). He is a brilliant mathematician, and incredibly observant with an almost photographic memory for detail. Yet at the same time he is terrified of new situations, and is totally unable to read expressions on people's faces, or to understand metaphors.
Christopher attends a special school, and lives with his father, who is mostly very patient with him.
The story opens one night when Christopher discovers a neighbour's dog, who is dead - with a garden fork through its body. He likes mystery stories, and decides to do some detecting, to see if he can discover who did the deed. He is logical and methodical, but very bad at talking to people he doesn't know.
In the course of this relatively short novel, Christopher discovers some astonishing things, and makes some very courageous steps towards more independent living. The author takes us right into the brain of a high-functioning autistic person, showing how he perceives new situations.
We also see the techniques Christopher has been taught for coping, and his own thought processes as he learns to deal with new places and circumstances.
The writing is excellent. I could hardly put the book down. My only slight reservation is that there's more bad language than I like - but it wasn't inappropriate or excessive.
All in all, highly recommended.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 7th July 2008.
I hadn't come across Amanda Brookfield, but someone recommended her novels to me, and lent me this particular book. I had not realised that it's actually a sequel (to 'Relative Love') - but it didn't matter, as 'The Simple Rules of Love' is complete in itself. Moreover, there aren't any annoying flashbacks, and when prior events are referred to, they seem natural to mention.
This is a family saga, about the Harrisons. They are all introduced in the first chapter, which I found rather confusing - no doubt it would have been less so if I had read the previous novel first. However I soon sorted everyone out in my mind. There are four siblings with two wives and a fiancé, and seven children - mostly in their late teens.
Charles and Serena own Ashley House, but are going through a stressful patch as their children are growing up and away from them. Peter and Helen seem to have a perfect life together, but their are hidden flaws that surface right after Peter has a back injury, and visits a physiotherapist. Elizabeth's son is growing up and having doubts about himself; and Cassie, the youngest of the four siblings, is engaged to a crime writer, whom she finds increasingly demanding and possessive.
There are a few sordid moments early in the book, which nearly put me off altogether; there is also rather more bad language than I am comfortable with. However, as I continued to read I found myself feeling more and more involved with the various people and their lives.
The book charts a year, featuring each of the main characters in turn. It's a year of changes, which (as the blurb on the back mentions) include an unplanned pregnancy and an adulterous affair, as well as a wonderful family holiday.
The older teenagers in the book mature, and their parents eventually find they can let go and develop more equal relationships. As a parent of sons who have recently left home, I could empathise strongly with characters going through the same kind of thing.
The writing style is very good; it drew me into the family in a surprising way, and I'm glad I continued. It was hard to put down by the time I was half way through. Definitely recommended. I shall look out for more by this author now!
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 6th July 2008. All rights reserved.
I've so enjoyed Georgette Heyer's historical romance books over the years, and have recently started reading her crime fiction too. I was able to buy a few more inexpensively from Abebooks this summer - many of them are now out of print, although recently some are being republished in the UK.
'A Blunt Instrument' features Ernest Fletcher as the victim. He is found dead in the opening chapters, his head bashed in by some unknown blunt instrument. It all seems very surprising at first: Ernie was apparently very popular, particularly with women. However it emerges that he had several visitors in the evening leading up to his demise, and it becomes apparent that he was, perhaps, not such a likeable man as he appeared on the surface.
There are some delightful characters in this exciting story. There's Ernie's vague but highly intelligent Nephew, Neville. There's the monocled and forthright crime writer, Sally, and her flirty (but scared) sister Helen. Then there's a Scripture-spouting policeman and Ernie's butler, who is a fellow member of his slightly strange church.
Inspector Hannasyde, who is in charge of the case, is a friendly person with a dry sense of humour, who is usually a step ahead of everyone else. To complicate the case, some false evidence is produced at times as people try, foolishly, to protect their loved ones. But gradually a case emerges where - it appears - there simply isn't any way in which the crime could possibly have happened.
I did actually guess 'whodunit' fairly early in the book, although I wasn't entirely certain if I was right until the end: it seemed too obvious to me, although having spoken to someone else who read the book, it's not obvious to everyone. Perhaps I've read too many Agatha Christie books, and am beginning to understand the mind of a crime writer of this genre!
Anyway, having a pretty good idea of the villain made the book all the more enjoyable in a way, looking out for clues and red herrings, and wondering if I would be proved wrong in the final chapter.
Fast-paced and very well written. I could hardly put this down once I had started. Recommended to anyone who likes light crime fiction from the mid 20th century.
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 3rd July 2008. All rights reserved.
I came across Kathleen Rowntree almost by chance some years back, and liked the book I read so much that I asked for others as presents, and picked up still more second-hand.
However, it's taken me this long to get hold of 'Brief shining', which has been on my wishlist for some years. It's out of print, and not all that easy to find; but on my recent trip to the UK I delighted to be able to find a copy in good condition, and at excellent value from the online used bookstore Abebooks UK.
The book is about Sally, who is eight years old as the story opens. She's a loving, dreamy and perceptive child who loves visiting her grandparents' farm in the Summer. She has a younger sister, Anne, who is much more of a tomboy: she is practical and down-to-earth. Most of the time, the two are good friends.
Their father is old-fashioned and rigidly moralistic, their mother is a busy, bustling and vibrant headmistress at a local school. Their grandmother floats through life ignoring most of what goes on around her; they also have three strange great-aunts, and a likeable Uncle, Jim.
We see these adults partly through Sally's eyes, and partly through the author's own comments as Sally grows up, understanding intuitively what most children miss. At thirteen, she finds the magic of childhood slipping away much too rapidly.
The novel is character-based, with not much plot as such. The main characters were very well-rounded and believable, and the minor ones were mildly amusing caricatures. As Sally matures, she becomes increasingly aware of the tensions between her parents; she never fully resolves the stresses, although by the end of the book she is grown up. Even then she sees the world primarily as a poet and artist, caring little about success or money, or what anybody else thinks.
Overall, I enjoyed 'Brief shining', as a glimpse of an extended family over perhaps 15 years. Recommended, if you can get hold of it!
Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 1st July 2008.