To the manor born - book 2 (by Peter Spence)

(Amazon UK link)

About a month ago I read the first ‘To the manor born’ book by Peter Spence. It reminded me of how much I enjoyed the television series - one which we must remember to watch again soon, as we have the complete DVD set. Since I had the sequel to the book, simply called ‘To the manor born (book 2)’, I decided to read that over the past couple of days.

It’s essentially more of the same, continuing the ongoing feud between Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Richard deVere. Richard is now established in what was Audrey’s family home, while she still lives at the lodge. And alongside their feud is an ongoing but largely unacknowledged attraction. 

It’s not a long book. There are just 170 pages in paperback, with seven chapters. I think they were mostly versions of the episodes from series 2 of the television series.  However, the first chapter takes place over Christmas, and research informs me that this was the eighth (and final) episode of series 1. It’s quite amusing, as Audrey and her friend Marjorie attempt to make Nativity characters for the church, while Richard produces a somewhat garish commercial version.

The second chapter is less interesting, concerning rumours about locals who might appear on the New Year’s honours list. Apparently it’s quite late in series 2, but in the book it makes more sense to come directly after the chapter about Christmas. There are arguments about conservation and what changes might be acceptable in Richard’s land, but I skimmed some of that.

Chapter three is about pheasants, poaching and a rather smelly tramp who appears every year. He used to be looked after at the manor, but Richard sends him away so he ends up in Audrey’s kitchen. Her loyal butler and housekeeper Brabinger is less than impressed. There are some amusing conversations in this chapter, but I’m not keen on the idea of hunting. Anecdotes such as these make me realise just how far away this lifestyle is from anything I have ever known. 

Another chapter covers valuable china and vases, alongside the visit of an old school friend who is much slimmer and more attractive than Audrey and Marjorie remember. It’s quite amusing, and I suspect much funnier in the TV show where the humour would be more visual. 

The writing is good, and I found it all very readable, with some insights into the characters which might not be so obvious on the screen.  On the other hand, the actors on the show are excellent, and I recall facial expressions that reveal almost as much as verbal descriptions in the book.

I usually like books better than films or TV shows, but think this is one of the instances where I slightly prefer the TV show. I’m glad I’ve read these books, as they have been sitting on my shelves for at least a couple of years. I found them at a church book sale, so probably only paid a euro for both. I doubt if I’ll read them again, but think they were worth reading once. I liked the first one rather better than the second. I don’t think there’s a third book, to go with series 3 of the television show. 

The author of the books was also one of the scriptwriters for the TV show, which is probably why the book chapters feel so authentic - at least for someone like me who has seen the show in the past.

These books are long out of print and tend to be surprisingly pricey second-hand. But if you find them inexpensively at a charity shop or similar, they are amusing and make a quick, light read. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

The cactus stabbers (by Jeff Lucas)

(Amazon UK link)

I’ve collected quite a few books by Jeff Lucas over the years. He was originally British, but worked for many years as a pastor in an American church. He’s now retired. I like his writing very much. He includes anecdotes, many of which show up his faults and weaknesses. But he also includes thought-provoking comments and Bible teaching that’s relevant to 21st century readers.

I first read ‘The cactus stabbers’ in 2016. It’s a short book, and I couldn’t remember anything about it. In particular, I was slightly puzzled by the title, which leads to a bizarre and memorable image on the front cover of the book. So I decided to reread it over the past ten days or so.  I just read two or three chapters each morning, as there are always things to think about. 

The preface explains what the book is about. Jeff Lucas has travelled widely in his many years of ministry. He visited and spent time with people of many different countries, cultures and Christian denominations. He glosses lightly over some rather strange experiences he’s had, because this book is dedicated to a handful of some wonderful folk he was privileged to meet. None of them is famous, nor would they want to be. But each one shows a facet of God’s love, and inspired the author in different ways. 

Chapter one explains the mystery of the book. Lucas mentions how, in his early days as a new convert, his enthusiasm for the gospel was sometimes overwhelming. He tried to talk about his faith everywhere he went, and probably put a lot of people off. Then he meets a couple who are passionate about something they believe in… and he realises that sometimes it’s important to speak up for what we believe in.

The next two chapters are about camping, and the author’s negative experiences with tents. They don’t describe any specific individuals, and I’m not entirely sure why they were included in the book. But they’re quite amusing, and Jeff Lucas points out that his dislike of the open air and putting up tents is rather at odds with Biblical teaching.

Then we meet Isla. It’s a sobering chapter about a lovely lady who lived quite an adventurous life. But she has a terminal diagnosis, and the author visits her in the oncology ward. They know it’s likely the last time they will see each other on earth, and it’s both poignant and encouraging. 

There are 22 chapters in all. Many of them introduce other unassuming people who take just one small step in the right direction to promote peace and healing. Others are more general. Most are not particularly memorable, which is part of the point of the book: these are ordinary people. They live their lives not in extraordinary ways, but taking small actions as followers of Jesus that have a rippling impact on those around them. 

While I have already forgotten much of the detail, I hope that the underlying philosophies and examples are still in my subconscious, reminding me once again what it means to be part of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The writing is somewhat informal, with a relaxed, friendly style which I appreciate. If that appeals to you too, I would recommend this book.

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

Accomplice of love (by Titia Sutherland)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s a long time since I read the novels by Titia Sutherland, which I acquired close to twenty-five years ago. It’s a pity her books were out of print even then, as her writing was excellent. She wrote just six books in all, with interesting, believable characters and a style of expression that reminds me, on occasion, of Susan Howatch. 

It’s over twenty years since I read ‘Accomplice of love’. So, inevitably, I had forgotten everything about it. And it has a slightly unusual format. It begins with the announcement that Claudia died six months earlier. The narrator, an art gallery owner called Leo, says this while driving to stay for the weekend with Claudia’s husband Josh.  

Leo’s daughter Sophie is in the car; she’s 18, and a talented ballet dancer. Leo mentions that she is the most important person in his life, and he sometimes feels over-protective as he lost both Jane, his wife, and Claudia, his lover. He’s dreading this weekend, because he thinks Josh may have guessed that they were having an affair, and Josh is quite a temperamental person. But Josh is also his client; Josh’s artwork has hung and sold in Leo’s gallery, and Leo really doesn’t want to lose their relationship.

I mentioned that the format is unusual, because after a couple of chapters it begins on a flashback, describing Leo’s first visit to Josh’s studio in London. Leo’s wife is alive and well at the time, and when he meets Claudia, he doesn’t find her at particularly attractive; she seems pushy and changeable. He doesn’t want anything other than a professional relationship with Josh, but against his better judgement he and Jane become quite close. 

Claudia and Josh have an eleven-year-old son called Sam, whom I found delightful. His passion is animals, particularly those that need some healing or protection for a while, and he has quite a menagerie. Claudia also has an older teenage son called Marcus who loves to act, and wants to study drama professionally. Josh doesn’t much like Marcus, but then Josh is quite a jealous person, and wants Claudia all to himself.

The story then moves forward in the two time-frames, a couple of years apart. As Leo recalls the past, and the tragedy of losing his wife, he’s brought back to the present with the offer of a drink, or the insistence that he takes a walk. It could have been confusing, but it works very well. I’m not sure why the author let us know right at the beginning that both Jane and Claudia had died, as it means there’s no shock when these events happen in the flashback sections. But I assume it was deliberate.

It’s a character-based novel, so I was pleased that the characters are so three-dimensional. Leo is a quiet, likeable man despite his betrayal of his friend and client. Sophie is a strong person who reminds him very much of her mother. Josh is perhaps a stereotype of a passionate, changeable man who lives in the moment, but he’s also very insecure about his art. I didn’t much like Claudia, but did feel somewhat sorry for her.  

As the flashback sections reach the present, Leo braces himself for a difficult conversation with Josh. He is increasingly convinced that Josh must have found some letters he wrote to Claudia; as the weekend progresses he becomes more and more stressed until the eventual blowup which nearly ends in tragedy. 

There are a lot of side stories going on, which flesh out the characters and add to the flow of the story and make it even more interesting. I wasn’t all that keen on the way Sophie poses for Josh, or the question Leo asks which isn’t really answered until a few months later. But in context, it works. 

All in all, I enjoyed rereading this book very much; once I had started, I could hardly put it down. Definitely recommended if you like this kind of woman’s fiction. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

Prince Caspian (by CS Lewis)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m glad I decided to reread the Narnia series by CS Lewis. It was long overdue. Since I’m familiar with the books, I didn’t read them in publication order, which is recommended for the first time of reading. Instead, I’ve been reading them with Narnian chronology in mind. So I reread ‘The magician’s nephew’ in April, ‘The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe’ in May and ‘The horse and his boy’ in June. 

I’m very surprised to find that I hadn’t read the next book in the series, Prince Caspian, for at least twenty-eight years. This is the book that should be read second, if you haven’t previously read the series (or if you’re reading it aloud to a child). It starts with the four Pevensie children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. They are at a railway station, on their way back to their boarding schools after a holiday. It’s been a year since they returned from Narnia, and their experiences as kings and queens is becoming somewhat dreamlike. 

Then suddenly they all experience a sharp tug… and find themselves in a wood.  They quickly realise that they’re in Narnia. But even when they emerge from the trees, they’re not entirely sure where they are. And when they come across a ruined castle that seems somewhat familiar, they become very puzzled until they realise what’s going on. 

All they have to eat is two of the packed lunches they were taking to their schools, and a lot of apples. And then, as they’re exploring, they see a dwarf in a boat with two assassins. They manage to rescue him, and he starts to tell his story.

It’s hard to say much without giving spoilers. The dwarf’s story takes place over several chapters, and is told more as a flashback than a conversation (as the author explains) so that it fills in the story of what has been happening. Narnia was overrun by the men of Telmarine, some of whom were good, and some bad. And at present the heir to the throne - Prince Caspian - is in serious danger. It becomes clear that the four children have been called into Narnia to help him, but they have little idea what they can do…

I had somehow recalled this book as having a lot of battles in it, so was surprised to find that this really isn’t the case. Perhaps I was remembering the film version of Prince Caspian, which had a lot of fighting in it, most of which I found rather tedious. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the book, and was reading it for the sake of continuity and completion. But I liked it very much. 

There’s a strong sense of good vs evil, as in all the Narnia books. CS Lewis was a Christian, and while these books are not overtly Christian, there are many allegorical elements. Aslan the lion is a figure of Jesus, and the events from ‘The lion, the witch and the wardrobe’ are referred to more than once. But most of the story is about people - whether human, dwarfs, talking animals or other creatures of Narnia - and their choices. 

Caspian is good, and has always been interested in how Narnia used to be. His uncle, Miraz, who calls himself king, is power-hungry, violent and deceitful. Caspian has friends in his palace - first his old nurse, who has told him stories of old Narnia, and then his tutor, Captain Cornelius, who is more circumspect and only discusses these things in secret. Captain Cornelius saves Caspian’s life when he urges him to escape, and sends him off into the unknown. 

It’s not just about good and bad choices, although there are many. It’s also about faith and trust. Some of the dwarfs - including good ones - really don’t believe in Aslan, or in lions at all. And when Lucy sees Aslan and is sure she knows what he’s asking of her, her siblings have to decide whether or not to believe her. 

It’s a children’s book, so inevitably it ends in a positive way, even if the Pevensies end up back at the railway en route to their schools. But there is some violence in it, although nothing gratuitous, but it might be disturbing for a sensitive child. However, to those who like adventures, it’s an excellent story. It’s very well-written and makes a great sequel to ‘The lion, the witch and the wardrobe’. 

Recommended. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

Dreaming of flight (by Catherine Ryan Hyde)

(Amazon UK link)

I have liked all the books I’ve read so far by Catherine Ryan Hyde. So from time to time I put a couple more on my wishlist. I was given ‘Dreaming of flight’ for my birthday two years ago, but have a lot of books on my to-be-read shelf. So I’ve only just read it in the past few days.

What an excellent book it is, too. There are two main characters, and the chapters alternate between them. The first one we meet is Stewie. He’s eleven years old when we meet him in the first part of the book, which is labelled ‘late spring, early summer’. We quickly learn that he keeps hens, and sells eggs. He’s quite a perfectionist, and his eggs are always fresh. They are vastly superior to those bought in the supermarket.

When we meet him, he’s just knocked on the door of a house where he hasn’t previously been. It’s opened by a woman with a five-year-old daughter, who says she doesn’t want any eggs. Then she’s interrupted by a rather older woman, who says, somewhat abruptly, that she will have some. Stewie feels a strange sense of recognition; she’s a grandmother, and there’s something about her that reminds him of his own beloved grandmother, who died some months earlier. 

The older woman, Marilyn, is the other main protagonist. She’s a crusty kind of person who speaks her mind, although it’s also quickly clear that she has a secret in her past. She’s terrified that someone is going to come and arrest her; we don’t learn until much later in the book what crime she is supposed to have committed. She’s not related to the younger woman, but lives rent-free in exchange for babysitting while the mother is out at work. 

Unfortunately, Marilyn is getting a bit forgetful. Stewie recognises that as his grandmother had some dementia before she died. And Stewie is observant. He is also very caring, feeling everything much more deeply than most of those around him. He reads faces with ease, and dreads making anyone sad or angry. He also dislikes looks of compassion or pity. He hasn’t spoken much about the loss of his grandmother, which hit him deeply. Stewie was orphaned soon after he was born, and has been brought up by his sister Stacey. 

Stewie and Stacey have another brother, Hughie. Hughie is older than Stewie, and very bright. But he is physically disabled, so he walks with crutches. At the school they go to, Hughie is often verbally bullied. He tries to let it go over his head, but Stewie becomes passionately angry on his brother’s behalf. 

I found myself totally absorbed in these diverse people, living in a small town in the United States. It’s a character-based book, and I found all the main characters believable and three-dimensional. I loved the way that Stewie started to care for Marilyn, even if his family felt that he was taking too much responsibility on his young shoulders. And I also liked the way that he somehow gets through Marilyn’s defences, so much so that she wants to help him with some things he finds difficult. 

There are a lot of interesting topics touched upon in the book. I hadn’t thought about the hidden trauma that goes with being an orphan even when a child is too young to have any memory of his parents. Stewie starts seeing a psychologist who seems to be full of wisdom, even if he can’t actually solve any of Stewie’s issues. And it’s not that being a caring person is a bad thing; Stewie just hasn’t come to terms with the fact that he can’t solve everybody’s problems all the time. 

The book also looks at issues related to housing for the elderly, and who needs to make decisions when someone is unable to look after themselves safely. It’s not a straightforward question, and I thought there was an excellent balance shown between the elderly person’s rights and the opinions and wishes of family members and medical staff. 

And there’s quite a bit about keeping hens, too. Stewie’s hens used to belong to his grandmother, but some of them are getting old and he has to decide what to do. There’s also a brief scene where he tries to encourage one of the hens to fly, although he then realises that it would be cruel to enter her for a competition. His empathy extends to his hens, and he seems to know how they feel, and what their needs are. The title of the book can be seen in more than one way; Stewie dreams about his hen flying, but other characters also dream of flight in a more metaphorical way.

Once I had started, I could barely put this book down. It’s not that there’s much excitement or rapid action; the pace was perfect for my tastes, and Stewie totally got under my skin. The final chapter is perhaps a tad over the top, but from Stewie’s point of view, it more than fulfils something he has lacked all his life. 

Definitely recommended if you like this kind of character-driven women’s fiction.

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews