Review ~ Last Dance in Havana by Rosanna Ley for the Quercus Summer Reading Group...

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to be part of the Quercus Summer Reading Group and to start off - here's the first book in the chosen selection of great summer reads.

#Quercus Summer

Quercus
May 201
#QuercusSummer

A bit of blurb...


Cuba, 1958. Elisa is only sixteen years old when she meets Duardo and she knows he's the love of her life from the moment they first dance the rumba together in downtown Havana. But Duardo is a rebel, determined to fight in Castro's army, and Elisa is forced to leave behind her homeland and rebuild her life in distant England. But how can she stop longing for the warmth of Havana, when the music of the rumba still calls to her?

England, 2012. Grace has a troubled relationship with her father, whom she blames for her beloved mother's untimely death. And this year more than ever she could do with a shoulderto cry on - Grace's career is in flux, she isn't sure she wants the baby her husband is so desperate to have and, worst of all, she's begun to develop feelings for their best friend Theo. Theo is a Cuban born magician but even he can't make Grace's problems disappear. Is the passion Grace feels for Theo enough to risk her family's happiness?

From bestselling author Rosanna Ley comes an exotic tale of love, family and friendship set between England and Cuba.

My thoughts...

First off, I love this cover and want to be in that square in Havana and be the girl in the red dress, and such is the emotional pull of the story that even before the book is opened you are taken into another world.

The story opens in Havana, 1957 and the lure of dancing the rumba entices fifteen year old Elisa to dance in the back street nightclub at La Cueva with the charismatic and enticing Duardo, who holds her in a close embrace as they dance to the passionate resonance of the rumba beat.

Moving forwards and backwards in time and swaying with  its own particular rumba beat, we journey beyond the troubled arena of 1950s Havana and move to Bristol in 2012, where we pick up the story of Elisa and of her connection to Grace, a troubled young woman who has more than her share of heartbreak.

I loved the whole premise of the story, the way it moved effortlessly between time frames and of the thread of passion which runs throughout the novel, drawing you into the dual story of Elisa and Duardo and of the love triangle between Grace, Robbie and Theo.

It's the sign of a good story, I suppose when you don't want it to end, and Last Dance in Havana is one of those books which, once started, is difficult to put down.  I found that I wanted to get back to the story at every opportunity, and when the story had ended, I was sad because I knew that I was having to say goodbye to characters who, over the space of a few hours, I had come to regard as friends.

I really hope that Last Dance in Havana is going to be one of those splendid summer novels which is lovingly packed away in hand luggage and is then taken on holiday.  It would be especially lovely if someone would take a copy back to Havana and maybe, sip a cocktail or two, and watch a couple like Elisa and Duardo dance their own very special rumba.

Best Read with....A dish of chicken with black beans and a delicious concoction of cold milk with chocolate and honey...

About the Author


Rosanna Ley has written numerous articles and stories for magazines. A long-time creative writing tutor, she now runs writing holidays and retreats in stunning locations in the UK and abroad. When she is not travelling, she lives in west Dorset by the sea.





Visit the author's website

Find on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @RosannaLey

Amazon UK

My thanks to Quercus for the opportunity to be part of this Summer Reading Group

Here's my photo of Last Dance in Havana whilst reading on a summery day in my garden

#QuercusSummer

Happy Summer Reading !

~***~

Review ~ The A-Z of Normal by Helen Barbour

Silverwood Books
2015

A bit of blurb

Clare Thorpe’s need for order and symmetry governs everything she owns – from tins and toiletries, to cushions and clothes. 

Yet she has always managed to hide the compulsions dominating her world. Until now. 

When long-distance boyfriend Tom proposes, her secret life begins to unravel. How can she share a future with the man she loves, if she can’t even share her space? 

And when the only way forward brings a threat greater than any compulsive behaviour, do they have a future together at all? 

A poignant and humorous story of love, family, secrets…and military precision

My Thoughts

Clare Thorpe's need for symmetry and order pretty much controls her life. Everything in her life has to be completely organised, be it tins and toiletries or clothes and cosmetics, all have to be arranged in exactly the right way, otherwise she starts to panic. She has become adept at disguising her OCD from everyonem but as she gets more involved with her boyfriend,Tom, it becomes almost impossible for Clare to hide her secret. 

Initially, the book gets off to a bit of a slow start but once I had warmed to Clare's character and understood her foibles a little better I started to settle into the story. There were times, though, when I just wanted Clare to come clean with Tom rather than trying to hide her true self but then since I don't have this condition I can't really understand what it is like to be so controlled by something, or have the constant fear of discovery that Clare experiences on a daily basis.

Overall, this is a really insightful look at someone living with an obsessive compulsive disorder and the the author does a really good job of explaining how this condition controls Clare's life to the detriment of her happiness.

Best Read with... A glass of bubbly champagne and a box of chocolate truffles...

About the Author

Helen Barbour was born and brought up in Lichfield, Staffordshire, and now lives in North London. 

She began her working life as a journalist on the Express & Star evening newspaper in Wolverhampton, and has written for the lifestyle magazine, Complete Wellbeing, and for the mental health charities Mind and OCD Action. She blogs as The Reluctant Perfectionist about living with obsessive compulsive disorder, perfectionism and anxiety.

The A-Zof Normal is Helen's first novel.

Find the author on her website

Follow on Twitter @helenthewriter

My thanks to the author for sharing her novel with me.

~***~

Review ~ Crazy Over You by Carol Thomas

Matador
2015

A bit of blurb

Love can drive you crazy… in more ways than one!

When Abby met Simon, it was the start of something special, a love Abby believed would last a lifetime.

A wedding, two daughters and fifteen years later Abby’s world is falling apart. Having discovered Simon has had an affair her normally ordered mind is spiralling out of control. Crushed by the betrayal and shocked by her own reaction, she knows she needs to get herself together; she’s just not sure where to start.

With Simon on a mission to win her back and a close friend hiding a secret that could push her further over the edge, Abby finds strength and support where she least expects it. But as she attempts to gain control of her life and make decisions about her future, it may be more than the limits of Abby’s mind that are put to the test!

My Thoughts

Abby Turner is completely overwhelmed by her husband's infidelity, and often late at night, with only the internet for company, Abby becomes obsessed in trying to find out more about his affair. However, therein lies madness and Abby knows that before too long she really will need to get her life, and that of her daughters, back on track. But lurking in the wings is Simon, the estranged husband, who has his own problems to work through and who wants to win back Abby's love and trust.

What then follows is the story of how piece by jagged piece, Abby starts to rebuild her life and of how the pitfalls of relationships can very often overshadow what is valuable and important. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, the author writes with great insight and sympathy and manages to make what could have been a predictable story into something with slightly more of a realistic edge to it.

So, overall, Crazy Over You is a nice insightful look at the vagaries of modern life and shows that what's really important is being true to yourself and never compromising on the values that you hold dear.

Best Read with...a nice cup of tea and a caramel slice...

About the Author

Carol Thomas lives on the south-coast of England with her husband, four children and two lazy labradors. She has a passion for loitering in cafés, writing, reading and people watching.

Crazy Over You is her debut novel..

Find on her website

Visit on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @carol_thomas2

Amazon UK

My thanks to the author for sharing her novel with me.

~***~

Review ~ Mothers, Sisters and Other Lovers by Simone Mondesir

PublishNation
2016

A Bit of Blurb

Mother-daughter relationships can be difficult enough, but what would you do if your mother fell in love with a woman young enough to be your sister? 

That’s the dilemma facing dutiful daughter, Grace Hamilton, who risks her own relationship to go to Greece to rescue her mother, only to be caught up in a heady mix of sexual politics and village rivalries, richly spiced with ancient myth and some very contemporary “goddesses”. Seduced by the heat and languor of a Greek summer, Grace sheds her inhibitions and discovers the truth about herself as well as about the father she has never known.

My Thoughts

Mother, daughter relationships can be fraught with all sorts of emotions and for Grace Hamilton, the relationship she has with her mother is beset with difficulties. However, Grace is ever the dutiful daughter and when her mother needs help, she duly travels to Greece only to discover that her mother is in a new relationship with Lilith, a woman who is young enough to be Grace's sister, but who has a decidedly, prickly exterior.

What then follows is a look at relationships, not just between mother and daughter, but also between lovers, both male and female, and also between husband's and wives. It took me a little while to get comfortable with the way the story was progressing, but I think that the author does a good job in making both the place and the people feel realistic without it ever becoming too contrived. The story moves along at a good pace and there are interesting observations about life and love. Of course, the Greek setting adds a nice touch and makes this a good choice of story to take on a summer holiday.

I enjoyed reading Mothers, Sisters and Other Lovers, and particularly liked the Greek landscape and seeing how the story eventually played out, kept me entertained.

Best Read with....A Greek salad, rich with feta and an indulgent bottle of local, white wine...

About the Author

Website

Amazon UK

My thanks to the author for sharing her novel with me.

~***~

Review ~ Death in Profile by Guy Fraser-Sampson

Urbane Publications
2016

When a woman's body is found in a quiet area of Hampstead, the investigative team suspect that it is the work of the serial killer they have been chasing for the last couple of years. The killer's modus operandi seems to be identical, and yet, the anomalies which appear in the investigation seem to provoke more questions than they do answers. Desperate for a result, a profiler is brought into the team to add another perspective, and suddenly, buoyed on  a wave of enthusiasm, the case seems to take off and before long is ready to reveal its secrets.

What then follows is a crime procedural story with a rather unusual twist, in that parts of the novel hark back to the golden age of detectives stories, with the author very much in tune with the work of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, and Marjory Allingham.  The sharply observed elements of classic detective stories adds a quirky twist and I found myself discovering some hidden gems hidden away in the narrative which were so reminiscent of the old classic detectives.

I enjoyed getting to know the police team, and found the complicated dynamics between the different characters interesting. They seem an odd bunch of people to be thrown together but yet when the chips are down they all seem to be able to pull together, with the exception of an old school copper who seems determined to do things his way. The main premise of the plot seems a little fanciful, at times, but I think this is entirely appropriate given the style of writing and its particular genre of old fashioned cosy crime.

The author has an interesting writing style, drawing the reader into the story with gentle humour and a wry wit which makes a refreshing change. Death in Profile is the first title in a proposed new cosy crime series and I look forward to reading more in the Hampstead Murders series.

Best Read with …. A pint of London Pride and a chicken pie …

About the Author

Guy Fraser Sampson is an established writer best known for his Mapp and Lucia novels which have been featured on BBC radio and optioned by BBC television. This is his debut work of detective fiction and the first in the Hampstead Murders series.







Follow on Twitter @GuyFSAuthor

Amazon UK

My thanks to the author for sharing his novel with me.

~***~

The author in my spotlight is ... James Wilson

Alma Books
May 2016

A bit of blurb...

A powerful novel of friendship, rebellion and betrayal...

England, 1950s. While out playing in the woods, ten-year-old Mark meets a man living in an old railway carriage. Despite his wild appearance, the stranger, who introduces himself as Aubrey Hillyard, is captivating – an irreverent outsider who is shunned by Mark’s fellow villagers, and a writer to boot. Aubrey encourages Mark to tell stories about his own make-believe world, and in return he informs the boy about a novel he is writing – a work of ominous science fiction.

As the meddling villagers plot to drive Aubrey out, Mark finds himself caught between two worlds – yet convinced that he must help Aubrey prevail at any cost.

James ~ welcome to Jaffareadstoo and thank you for answering my questions about your novel,  The Summer of Broken Stories...

What inspired you to write The Summer of Broken Stories?

The popular view of Britain in the 1950s sees it as a dull, grey, conformist place – little more, really, than a kind of monochrome prelude to the psychedelic explosion of the 1960s. But I was a child then, and that’s not how I remember the period at all. And I wanted to capture something of what it actually felt like – or at least, what it felt like to me, growing up then.

But the world I was trying to recreate wasn’t just some kind of lost idyll. Beneath the superficial calm there was an underbelly of anxiety – expressed in comics, or on TV, or in the work of novelists like John Wyndham. And what struck me, looking back, was that – for all that in many ways that world feels remote now – the sense of unease you find in these stories still links it, in unexpected ways, with the world we live in today, the stories we tell ourselves now, more than fifty years later. And it was this that gave me the second strand of The Summer of Broken Stories.

Without giving too much away – what can you tell us about the story?

It’s narrated from the point of view of ten-year-old Mark, who – while he’s out with his dog one day – finds a strange man called Aubrey Hillyard living in a disused railway carriage in the woods. Hillyard is writing a science fiction novel about a sinister entity called The Brain, and does a deal with the boy: he’ll tell Mark about The Brain, if Mark will tell him stories about the fictional world of his model railway, Peveril on the Swift. This seemingly innocent encounter ultimately changes the whole course of Mark’s life. 

The Summer of Broken Stories is a story about friendship and betrayal – in your research for the novel, did you discover anything which surprised you? 

As I said, I – just! – remember the 1950s, so it required less research than my other books, all of which are set in earlier periods. The biggest surprise, I think, was to realize just how much freedom children had then, compared with their modern counterparts. One of the characters in the book – an elderly woman who, during “tea”, plies Mark with home-made country wine – is closely modelled on someone who treated the ten-year-old me in exactly the same way. Today, I imagine, she might well be had up for supplying alcohol to a child.

Have you always wanted to write and how did you get started?

I first wanted to be a writer when I was five. If someone had told me then how long I would have to wait to see my first book in print, I’d have been devastated! I started with non-fiction, and then – by a slightly circuitous route – made my way back to my first love, the novel. 

What do you hope young readers will take away from this book?

Although it’s narrated from a child’s perspective, The Summer of Broken Stories isn’t intended specifically for young people. I hope – as I do with all my novels – that it takes readers into an unfamiliar world, and shows them there something that they recognize, from their own experience, to be true.

Can you share with us anything about your next writing project?

It’s set in the 1960s – so, chronologically, a sort of extension of The Summer of Broken Stories. But the similarity ends there: the new book is told from a number of different points of view, and centres on the life of a young singer who disappeared mysteriously in 1970. I don’t want to say a lot more at this stage – except that I’m very excited about it!

About the author





Visit the author's Website

Follow on Twitter @jcwilsonauthor

Huge thanks to James for spending time with us today and also to Thomas at Alma Books for his help with this interview. 



~***~

Sunday WW1 Remembered...

I take great pleasure in including a feature about a rather special booklet of poems which came to my attention thanks to the lovely Ana, who, knowing of my interest in WW1 poetry, sent this anthology of war poems.

Candlestick Press
16 June 2016
£4:95

The poetry of WW1 has been a constant reminder of this conflict which started over 100 years ago and yet, we must not forget that conflict still exists all around the world and that even today poetry continues to give a voice and raises our awareness that suffering, horror and loss is a daily battle and not just confined to the pages of history.

Candlestick Press have produced this anthology of ten poems in a beautifully presented pamphlet which can be sent through the post, in lieu of a greetings card, or simply just because it looks so wonderful and says so much  - it even comes with its own book-mark and envelope.

With a written introduction by Andrew Motion, here are the poems he has selected :

From Memorial ~ Alice Oswald

The Fly ~ Miroslav Holub ( 1923-1998)

The Artillery Man's Vision ~ Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

The Send-Off ~ Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

Lament of the Frontier Guard ~ Li Bai (705-762) Translated from the Chinese by Ezra Pound

That Shit Shute ~ Anonymous

Vergissmeinnicht ~ Keith Douglas (1920-1944)

I Remember ~Stevie Smith (1902-1971)

Facing It ~ Yusef Komunyakaa 

The Gardener ~ Andrew Motion  In  Memory of Lieutenant Mark Evison

It's really difficult top pick a favourite poem, as all ten really pack a punch and express so forcibly the full impact of war. They are not confined to an particular era and, indeed range from ancient history to the present day, however, I have a special fondness for the WW1 poetry of Wilfred Owen and The Send-Off with it's poignant reminder that the soldiers of the Great War, initially, went to the conflict with a song in their hearts,

"..Down the close, darkening lanes they sang their way
To the siding-shed..."

but whose silent return reminds us, realistically, that so few of these young men ever made it home.

"A few, a few, too few for drums and yells
May creep back, silent, to still village wells..."

About the Publishers

Candlestick Press is a small, independent press publishing sumptuously produced poetry pamphlets that serve as a wonderful alternative to a greetings card, with matching envelopes and bookmarks left blank for your message. Their subjects include Cricket, London, Lesbian and Gay, Revenge, Babies and Fathers. Candlestick Press pamphlets are stocked by chain and independent bookshops, galleries and garden centres nationwide and available to order online.

There's even one for Jaffa , all about Cats !!

For more information and to see the other poetry pamphlets available, please go to the publishers Website for more details.

Find Candlestick Press on Twitter @PoetryCandle

I really love this idea of presenting poetry in an easily accessible format so that people can share a love of verse with family and friends and what could be nicer than to receive something so beautiful in the post.

My thanks to Ana at Sarah Harrison pr for sending to me this copy of Ten War Poems to review, and of course, to Candlestick Press for their commitment to making poetry easily accessible for all.

~***~