Review - The Making of Us by Lisa Jewell

I've long been a fan of Lisa Jewell's books – ever since I picked up Ralph’s Party  way back in the day – and so far I've never been disappointed in the way her stories are written. Her ability to draw the reader into the plot from the very beginning is one of her trademarks. The Making of Us is another great read and tackles the sensitive issue of anonymity surrounding sperm donation. The story is warm and witty and yet underlines the ethical and moral dilemma facing those who rely on this method of reproduction. The characters are, as always, infused with such warmth and life that they never outshine each other, nor do they become blended into the wallpaper. I really cared about what happened to the characters and wanted there to be happy ending.

I'm not going to spoil the book by relaying the plot but if you are looking for a book that is strong on storytelling and rich in characterisation, then give this one a try. 

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a digital review copy.

Review - The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson

Book Blurb

This is Lancashire. This is Pendle. This is witch country.
A mysterious gathering of thirteen people is interrupted by local magistrate, Roger Nowell. Is this a witches' Sabbat?
Two notorious Lancashire witches are already in Lancaster Castle waiting trial. Why is the beautiful and wealthy Alice Nutter defending them? And why is she among the group of thirteen on Pendle Hill?
Elsewhere, a starved, abused child lurks. And a Jesuit priest and former Gunpowder plotter, recently returned from France, is widely rumoured to be heading for Lancashire. But who will offer him sanctuary? And how quickly can he be caught?
This is the reign of James I, a Protestant King with an obsession: to rid his realm of twin evils, witchcraft and Catholicism, at any price...

My Thoughts

Reminiscent of Robert Neil's "Mist Over Pendle" - The Daylight Gate seeks to add mischief and mayhem to the well know history surrounding the Lancashire Witches. Dark and dirty , the seamier side of life in the shadow of Pendle Hill is imagined in vivid detail and the lives of the unfortunate women castigated for witchcraft is explored in graphic and torturous detail.

Whilst the story pulls no punches and isn't for the faint hearted, I found that I was gripped from the beginning.

In this 400th anniversary year of The Pendle Witch Trial, this novella adds nothing new to the story but given the advantage of focusing the story on the horrible fascination of supposed witchcraft, it does suffuse the legend with a certain amount of grim horror. 

Friday Recommends...

The Sea Garden

by

Marcia Willett

Jess Penhaligon has just won a prestigious art award and as she accepts the prize from the artist’s widow she is unwittingly drawn into a story of family secrets. However, as the resonance of the past flutters down through the years, Jess begins to learn that life as she knew it is about to change forever. The heart of the story lies in a long buried family mystery which is gradually revealed as the story progresses, but also running alongside is the story of everyday family life which is described in such beautiful detail you feel as if you are actually there, sipping tea in the kitchen and watching as the birds fly low across the river Tamar. As always, with consummate skill, Marcia Willett manages to convey a perfect sense of time and place. She infuses such warmth into her characters that you are very quickly drawn into the story, and as ever the beautiful landscape around Devon and Cornwall is represented beautifully.

Without doubt The Sea Garden is a joy to read, the complications of family life, the long buried secrets of the past and the glorious way Marcia Willett has of portraying the heart and soul of a story, all combine to make this an engaging and rewarding read.

5*****

My thanks to Newbooks for a copy of this book to read and review.

If you enjoy books by Judith Lennox, Sarah Challis and Rosie Thomas then I think you would enjoy this one.

Wishlist Wednesday..

Gone Girl 

by

Gillian Flynn

Published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson
May 2012

Blurb from Goodreads.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

I've recently heard good reports of this book - it's supposed to be a real page turner of a thriller ....so I'm looking forward to getting my copy from the library in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, it deserves to have its place on my Wishlist Wednesday list.

Review - Havisham by Ronald Frame

In Havisham, Ronald Frame has taken inspiration from the Charles Dickens’s classic novel Great Expectations and has recreated the supposed life of the ill fated spinster Catherine Havisham. There has always been much speculation into the mystery of Satis House and the portrayal of Miss Havisham left in her decaying mansion surrounded by the ghost of her wedding paraphernalia presents an iconic image of English literature.

Catherine Havisham is such a fascinating character that any story that can shed light on her troubled personality is one to be embraced with great interest. Overall, I think that the author has done an admirable job in fleshing out her character and whilst there are no great surprises to found within the story, it does make for an interesting and enjoyable read. I thought that the story starts off rather slowly and needs to be read with great care and attention and then once Catherine grows up the story really starts to become a fascinating account of a life mismanaged by tragedy.

The Dickens purists may not agree that Miss Havisham’s story deserves to be told by anyone other than the great man himself, but as an enjoyable addition to the sub Dickens genre, Havisham works well.

4****

My thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for a copy of the book to read and review.

Remembrance 2012...

Lest We Forget




We lay a wreath of poppies
To remember those who died
A Garland of red ribbon
To show the tears we cried
For lost ones and for loved ones
For those who gave their all
In battles and in trenches
In graveyards large and small.


We lay a wreath of poppies
To remember those who died
A cluster of red petals
For those we left behind
A laurel of remembrance
A sorry vale of tears
For generations lost and gone
We remember through the years.

© J. A. Barton

In Our Family - We Remember

Private John Hopkins

The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

Died 24 January 1919

Driver Frederick Arkwright

Royal Army Service Corps

Died 1 February 1945

Buried Schoonselhof Cemetery 
Antwerp, Belgium

Friday Recommended..

From Goodreads...

A fond farewell to the many inanimate objects, cultural icons and general stuff around us that find themselves on the verge of extinction.

We've all heard of the list of endangered animals, but no one has ever pulled together a list of endangered inanimate objects.

Until now, that is.

Steve Stack has catalogued well over one hundred objects, traditions, cultural icons and, well, other stuff that is at risk of extinction.

Some of them have vanished already.

Cassette tapes, rotary dial phones, half-day closing, milk bottle deliveries, Concorde, handwritten letters, typewriters, countries that no longer exist, white dog poo…

…all these and many more are bid a fond farewell in this nostalgic, and sometimes irreverent, trip down memory lane.

I loved this book - it was laugh out loud funny and full of those bewildering memories that you hoped you'd forgotten but when prompted they all come tumbling back and time slips by in the blink of an eye.

At the time of writing it is a free Kindle download...on Amazon.co.uk

Get while you can !