THE WEIGHT OF SNOW AND REGRET by Elizabeth Gauffreau

 4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Various book blogs, including Sally Cronin

In a Nutshell: Human drama and cultural changes, fiction based on fact, 1960s

I was attracted to this book because I just loved the title, which I find poetic and rather beautiful.

The story centres around Sheldon Poor Farm in Vermont, which did actually exist, as I read about in the author's notes in the back.  Hazel and her husband Paul run the farm in rural Vermont; here, they take in those who might otherwise have had nowhere else to go, aside from possibly a mental institution.  It has existed in several incarnations for some decades, but in 1968 it faces closure.

The book opens with the arrival of the Claire, who is clearly in the throes of a mental breakdown of sorts, which has been taking place for some time.  Hazel takes the uncommunicative mystery woman under her wing.

The first half of the book alternates between the points of view of Hazel and Claire, as we learned what happened to the latter to bring her to this point in her life.  Later, we travel back to 1927 to learn about the heartbreaking story of Hazel's childhood, and how she recovers from disaster after disaster, loss after loss.

The story is so well structured; the author provides background just at the right point, setting up the intrigue and allowing the different elements and timeframes to weave together perfectly.  I was so aware of the difference between Claire and Hazel's lives; Claire knew all about the changing culture of 1967 and 68, whereas in Sheldon Poor Farm life ticked by as it always had done, aside from when the residents were allowed to watch television and see some of the horrors taking place in the world, such as the murders of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy.

Lovely book.  I definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE REAL STAGES OF GRIEF: A Journey Through Loss by D G Kaye @pokercubster

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I read about it on Sally Cronin's blog

In a Nutshell: A personal account of grief after the loss of a spouse

D G Kaye lost her beloved husband to cancer in spring 2021, and she has written here about much that she has been through during his illness and since.

The blurb says 'I write not only for those who are grieving, but also for the ones who walk beside them—for the friends, family, and witnesses to heartbreak—so they might understand, even a little, what it means to live with loss', and she's achieved that in spades - DG is so open about her emotions that it made me want to go round and hold her hand.  Could be that I found it so because it's something anyone who has a long and happy marriage dreads, especially as we get older; I could feel her pain all the way through it - and I felt angry on her behalf, too, about how the situation was exacerbated by the 'Covid' fiasco.

The book is divided into many short chapters, delving into so many aspects of loss - emotional, practical, health, social, keeping yourself safe, the zigzagging between coping and not coping, distraction mechanisms, dangers and acceptance of sorts.  Her writing is so honest and I can see how much thought has gone into the structure.  It's not a long book, and is very easy to read.

I hope it helped DG to write this, in some way - if nothing else, she should be assured that this is bound to help others, if it hasn't already.  Buy it for anyone who is going through this, read it yourself if someone close to you is suffering.  

The Secret Life of Jasper Scragg by Charlotte French #RBRT

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Quirky Aussie domestic drama

Poor Jasper Scragg doesn't have a very good opinion of himself, and the fall-out from his impulsive decisions makes him feel a heck of a lot worse.  Capable wife Zoe, who he adores, is dealing with her own inability to carry a child, and they hope their move to the small town of Woolloolobah will give them a fresh start, especially as Zoe's best friend Sabine and her husband Ned live there.  Sabine and Ned have a large family, and a close relationship with the children gives Zoe and Jasper some comfort in their childlessness, at the same time as, sometimes, twisting the knife.

Jasper has a secret to contend with - three months before the move, he was unfaithful to Zoe.  Just once, a drunken mistake, but it's coming back to haunt him.

I very much liked the tone in which this was written; I'd been dreading that it might be self-consciously 'humorous', which could have been ghastly, but it wasn't at all.  There is a certain dark humour to some aspects, including the characterisation, which really worked, but it is, essentially, a straight domestic drama.  

The story kept me interested all the way through, though I was not too sure I liked any of the characters very much.  Zoe seemed like a cold fish (though one had to understand all that she went through), Jasper needed a good shake (though we later find out more about his upbringing, which explains a lot), Sabine and Ned irritated me in small ways, though I rather liked the younger Yasmin - any bad decisions could be put down to the self-obsession and craziness of youth.  I came to the conclusion that my feelings towards the characters showed how real they were, in all their positive and negative traits.

At times I felt it could have been chopped down a little and given a bit more 'oomph', but basically it's a solid family drama that I'm happy to recommend.

A SONG OF SIXPENCE by Judith Arnopp @JudithArnopp

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: from the back catalogue of one of my favourite authors.

In a Nutshell: the story of Elizabeth of York and Perkin Warbeck

Having recently read Judith Arnopp's latest book, about Margaret of Anjou (review HERE), I was still in Wars of the Roses headspace, and had to read more.  This starts a little while before Elizabeth of York (daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville) marries Henry VII as a result of his victory in battle over Richard III.  Running alongside Elizabeth's trials, hopes, fears and joys as Henry's queen is the story of Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be her brother Richard, one of the two princes in the tower whose fate remains a mystery to this day.

This book made me think of Phillippa Gregory's book The White Queen, in that Ms Arnopp has chosen the storyline that Perkin Warbeck actually was Richard; I liked this.  Her version is absolutely feasible, and ditto what happened to Prince Edward.  In fact, not just feasible but likely.

I liked Elizabeth, I wanted to like Henry, and was pleased when they found happiness.  Most interesting, also, was how Henry VIII the child was portrayed, and the differing personalities of his surviving sisters.  The Mary of this book absolutely would have run off and married Henry Cavill, no problem!

Loved it.  Every word.

BEELITZ-HEILSTÄTTEN: Where Ghosts Never Die by Marina Osipova @marosikok #RBRT

 4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Timeslip terror, Pandora's Box opened...

A most interesting and unusual book.  Obsessed with seeing the place of her birth, a ghostly, derelict German military hospital near Berlin, Marion has no idea what will happen to her once she is inside, and what she will uncover, later.

I loved the timeslip element of this story, with Marion travelling back in time to the First World War, and finding herself working at the hospital as a nurse, tending to the injured men.  One in particular sends shivers of repulsion through her, though she doesn't know why; I liked how Ms Osipova endowed her with vague recollections about her life before, frustrating to her.  She knows something about various people, various elements of her life, but not what those 'somethings' are.  In the case of this patient, we know who he is, but Marion does not.

There are other truths to uncover about her present day life, as age-old documents are unearthed and she seeks the horrifying truth about the handsome young doctor she fell in love with during her dip back into the past, before the mind virus of Nazi Germany infected so many previously sane people.

This book is gripping, masterfully atmospheric, and unpredictable throughout - I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I read a review of it on Debby Kaye's blog, HERE

Blurb from Amazon

Adrift in a raft after a terrible shipwreck, ten strangers try to survive while they wait for rescue.

After three days, short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves.

They pull him on board - and the survivor claims he can save them.

But should they put their trust in him?

Will any of them see home again?

And why did the ship really sink?

Here's me adding to the 30K reviews for this book!  I read it over a period of 2days, unputdownable as it is.  Thanks, Debby, for bringing it to my attention!

The book alternates between three scenarios: 'Sea', which is what happens on the boat, 'Land', which involves the hows and the whys of the devastating explosion of billionaire Jason Lambert yacht, on which many similarly wealthy and influential people were partying, and Inspector Jarty LeFleur's investigation, while 'News' covers what the people are told in the media.

The stranger calls himself the Lord, but says he will save them only when all present on the boat believe in him.  Scenarios take place that make the non-believers more sceptical than they were at first, though if you have Christian belief they may make you nod sagely!  Benji, the survivor who narrates the chapters that take place on the lifeboat, is disbelieving at first, though his thoughts change.

The spiritual aspect aside, the story of what the survivors went through on the boat is most interesting to read about.

The ending is left open, which I found a tiny bit disappointing, but that's just a personal opinion.  I wonder if it will be enjoyed more by those who believe in God; I think if I was an atheist I might not have liked it so much.

It's a strange book.  Strange good, that is.

Dark Presence by John Turiano

 3.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Mind control, stalking and murder

Kimbra has not had an easy life, and in her job as a psychometrist administering neuropsychological and psychological tests on volunteers for a company called Quantum Thunder, it only gets more confusing.

We're provided with a fair bit of backstory on Kimbra, which is good, as one needs to know why and how she got to the point in her life when the book begins, with the murder of her former best friend is murdered.  Suspects abound; I changed my mind several times!

A new Quantum Thunder drug is being tested, to determine and influence the minds of those perceived as having psychic or telepathic abilities.  Kimbra decides to take it, which is when her life becomes even more frightening and confusing.

It's a good story and the writing jogs along nicely, making it a pleasantly 'easy read'.  I never really 'felt' Kimbra, though; the details are all there, but, as I often find with male writers, the male characters seemed more real than the female ones.  But that was okay.  She worked, for the plot.

I do have one negative comment, I'm afraid; the book needs a better edit/proofread as there are many, many run-on sentences (comma splices), and the punctuation is a bit off in places.  Aside from that, though, I enjoyed this story.