5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
How I discovered this book: It was a submission to Rosie Amber's Review Team, of which I am a member.
Every so often I find a real gem in the review team submission list, and this was one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed it; Liza Perrat is an excellent writer.
The story takes place in the early 1970s in a quiet town in New South Wales called Wollongong, and is narrated by eleven year old Tanya, who lives with her alcoholic but not unlikable father, Dobson, her disturbed mother, Eleanor, who has miscarried many children, and her grandmother, Nanna Purvis. It's sad, tragic and funny, all at the same time. Behind the story of every day life lurks the shadow of child abuse, madness and murder, but these are dealt with so cleverly that the book doesn't seem particularly dark. If you can imagine that.
Eleanor finally manages to carry a child to term and Tanya is sure their family life will improve, but events take several turns for the worse, and she has to deal with great uncertainty about her future. I wouldn't have thought I'd like a whole novel written from the point of view of such a young girl, but one reads so much between the lines as Tanya reveals more to the reader than she understands herself. Danger and intrigue is added by the appearance of the mysterious, seedy Uncle Blackie, the various nosy neighbours, the girls who tease Tanya for being fat, and her Italian friend Angela's are-they-drug-dealers-or-aren't-they family.
On the verge of adolescence, Tanya veers between excitement about becoming a woman, and comfort eating her way through her disintegrating family life. One question remains in her mind, and is still there at the end of the book, an epilogue that takes place forty years later.
The characterisation in this book is brilliant. Nanna Purvis is hilarious, a real old Aussie matriarch, and the atmosphere of the family's slightly backward way of life of 45 years ago is so well portrayed. I notice from the Author's Note that Liza Perrat lived in Wollongong, and there are many popular culture references to the time, including items of food that Ms Perrat must have eaten back then, but, unlike other books in which this occurs, I didn't find it contrived, or as if it was a deliberate strategy to press nostalgia buttons. It worked (I particularly liked Nanny Purvis and her Iced VoVos).
It's really, really good. You won't be disappointed.
5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
How I discovered this book: I used to talk to the author on Twitter because of our mutual interest in the Tudors. When she published her first book, The Bastard Princess, I read it and was blown away. This is the fifth she has published ~ she writes another series, about Anne Boleyn: Above All Others. She's become one of those authors whose books I now buy automatically, when they come out.
The heart is blind to all but its own desires. It is a subtle trickster, for it plants its seeds within the mind and lets them grow as though the thoughts it has created come from a place of reason and sense.
The third book in the Elizabeth of England Chronicles, this one covers the beginning of her reign, when she aims to dispel the sour taste left in the mouths of her people by the reign of her sister, Mary, to deal with the march of the prospective suitors, the pressure to marry, rivals to the throne, trouble with France and Scotland, opposition from the Church as she tries to find a happy medium between Protestant and Catholic for the Church of England ~ and when, of course, she is in love with the married Robert Dudley, and he with her.
Early in the book there is great description of her coronation, and demonstration of how she wanted so much to be a queen of the people. There is a beautiful scene that made me cry, in which she takes a bunch of herbs as a gift from an old woman; be prepared to dissolve into tears at location 2383!
As with the other books, Gemma Lawrence's voice made me feel as if Elizabeth could almost be speaking through her, so real does it seem. And, as before, the novel does not deal only with the story and her feelings, but her changing philosophies. I liked this observation about the religious fanaticism of Mary and others: Those unsure in their faith seem to have a need to make all others think as they do. They must impose their idea as the only idea. So right, not just in matters of religion.
I liked this, too: The past is a bad master, for it will hold us back when we should strike forth, it will paralyse us with terror when we should be bold enough to act.
...and: the man who wins in this life ... is the man who knows how to make the best of what is given.
This books gives much in depth consideration to why she chose not to marry. I know how well this author's work is researched; she was reading all she could about this period before she knew to what end it was leading, and it shows. Therefore, this is possibly the most accurate fictional account of the first Elizabeth you will read. So much has been written about the Queen and Robert Dudley, but I believe in Gemma Lawrence's version of the story, and most tragic I found it, too. I think that, had they been able to marry without the shadow of Amy Dudley's death, they would have brought great happiness to each other and the people, and been memorable rulers together, for many years.
I loved reading about Elizabeth's first summer progress, and seeing the lost England of long ago, before it was covered in concrete and tarmac. The detail in this book is great; it covers a period of only a couple of years, and I'd say it's a book for those who already have something of a passion for the Tudors, not readers who are looking for an entertaining piece of general historical fiction. It needs to be this detailed; I believe this is one of the best written-as-fiction accounts of the life of Elizabeth in existence.
5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
How I discovered this book: I'd read four of Crouch's novels, then tried a short story, Shining Rock, which I liked very much, so I thought I'd splash out £1.99 on this collection of his short stories.
Fully Loaded is a collection of different lengths, from less than one page (yes, really) to a couple that are a good hour's read, and every one is very good indeed; I wonder if the shorter story may be absolutely Crouch's forte, because each one encapsulates all that is brilliant about his writing. My favorite novel of his is Abandon, and the very best in the Fully Loaded collection is an outtake from it, On The Good, Red Road, which is as stunningly good as the main story. My other favourites were The Meteorologist
(I enjoyed reading that Mr Crouch adores extreme weather, as I do - he
ought to try the frustration of living in boringly moderate England!),
about a lonely man who chases storms, Unconditional, which is about a father whose son is a killer, and I loved Serial, because I like reading about grisly murders and psychopaths. They're all great, though; there isn't one weak one.
Before each story is a short explanation of how it was born. Excellent book. Get it.
4.5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
How I discovered this book: Via an Amazon browse, looking throught 'Customers who bought this also bought' lists. The title appealed to me, and the red of the cover made it stand out. I'm rarely pulled in by review quotes, but the actual description of the book appealed. Available on Kindle Unlimited.
My review:
Now THIS is proper lad lit, not those soggy stories written by David Nicholls et al, and I'm sure that Danny, the anti-hero of this darkly humorous drama would agree. Danny's a hard drinking, sharp dressing and (most of all) chick pulling estate agent wheeler-dealer. Women are for conquest only, his world revolving around material acquisition, banter with the lads, football, the gym, and nights out in the sort of places that make me want to go and sit in a darkened room, alone, for the rest of my life. But Danny's world is changing, as his friends move on, and somehow the old life is losing its glister....
This book is so well written, I had to tear myself away from it to do things I had to do, but still read it over the space of about 20 hours. It has just the right amount of pathos and humour, it's realistic, current, and just flows. All the characters leap off the page at first meeting. When Danny's life starts to fall apart, I expected a predictable rock bottom followed by a learning curve, but I was pleasantly surprised. By the end of it, I was on his side (anything but the awful Sarah - dying to write more but don't want to go down the spoiler road!). I was glad it ended how it did ~ but I wanted to read more ... come on, Mr Webber, I'm sure it would run to a sequel....
The only slight downside for me was the psychological stuff about why Danny was the way he was; I found that too spelled out, too clear cut; I like to be left to make up my own mind. Aside from that, I think that sometimes men like Danny are like that simply because it's the way they're made. On the whole, though, it's a great story, well plotted, a cracking read, and I recommend it!
4.5 out of 5 stars
19th century historical fiction based on fact
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
This is an interesting and unusual novel that begins as a good, solid and readable story and gets better and better as it goes on. The Planter's Daughter tells the story of Sara Weldon, a girl from Ireland who leaves her family in the middle of the mid 19th century potato famine to stay with an unknown, well-to-do aunt in Ireland, before falling from favour and being transported to the other side of the world.
The first chapter is told from the point of view of Kitty, the kitchen maid at the aunt's house who finds Sara on the doorstep. This section of the book reminded me of those historical rags to riches (or riches to rags and back again) blockbusters that were so popular in the 1980s by people like Barbara Taylor Bradford, with the heroine to whom wrong is done, who vows revenge, while those who meet her are struck by not only her beauty (may or may not include tiny waist and head of auburn/raven tousled curls), but also the steely determination in her flashing emerald/sapphire eyes. However, I always liked this sub-sub-genre, so was happy to read on!
For the second part the story moves to Australia, and a new character's point of view ~ devoutly religious Grace, who lives on a dusty small-holding/forge in the rural area near Melborne with her stepsons and own children, and takes Sara in as a maid. Well written, well researched and highly readable, the only downside being this: I thought, "but I don't want to read about Grace's path to Australia, I want to read about Sara's."
I had it all wrong. This is where the novel really 'kicks in', if you like.
Half way through Grace I realised I was completely engrossed, and I began to appreciate the structure. Grace is fascinating, really quite horrible. She's pious, more than a little self-satisfied, unable to see any views but her own. She wears her religion like a badge, cloaking her selfishness in her delusion that she is showing others the path of righteousness. She thinks she loves Sara, but in fact she loves only the image of her that she has created to fill the gaps in her own life. During this chapter my inner rating hat added another star to my eventual review; it's really, really good.
Then we get to New Zealand, and Grenville, the magistrate who falls in love with Sara. Like Grace, he is obsessed with his own image of the girl, and this obsession brings only woe to everyone concerned. I loved this chapter; I felt that Jo Carroll really got into her stride with Grenville; her writing actually improves over the course of the book.
I very much like the showing of one character's story through the viewpoints of others, and Jo Carroll has executed this challenging format very well, though I did wish that there had been a little variation in the three chosen characters' feelings about Sara; all three adored her, longed to still her butterfly wings (sorry, getting a bit BTB saga, there), but didn't understand her at all. I didn't know if I did, either; I hadn't met her yet.
I was in for a pleasant surprise.
In the last party we finally get to meet Sara: it's about her childhood in Ireland, life during 'the hunger', and her path to Belfast to get a ship to Liverpool. The last part, about this journey, was outstanding, and the highlight of the book; it made sense of the whole story. Sara was not a likeable girl at all, but seeing her as she began put it all into perspective, and I understood how clever the book is.
I had a few issues with style/format, but this is normal for a debut novel, and no one likes every single part of even their all-time favourites. The research that has gone into this novel is apparent without ever being intrusive. The idea comes from a true life story, and Sara's ending is shocking and surprising (don't read about the real life story first!); I was waiting for something more in line with yer typical historical saga, but it didn't happen - well, who needs predictability, after all? The Planter's Daughter is a 'slow burner' and so much more than the tale-of-love-determination-and-revenge-across-three-continents, Taylor Bradfordesque epic that I thought it was going to be at first. Read it. You'll be pleased you did.
5 GOLD stars
Zombie Apocalypse/Horror
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
What a belter of a book this was! I've reviewed part one of the series HERE, and part two HERE, loved them both but suspected this one might be even better, and it was. I believe it could be read as a stand alone, as any info needed from the other books is given, and this is a whole new adventure with many new characters.
The main character is Scott, who became friends with mountain man Gus in the first book ~ this follows his fortunes as he sets off for Halifax (Canada, not Yorkshire!) to seek out the evil Tenner, who massacred his friends. In 'Hellifax' Scott meets up with a new group, martial arts student and teacher Amy and Vick, and former cop Buckle, amongst others. The book's written partly from his POV and partly from that of psychopath Tenner ~ and, talking of psychopaths, we also meet the terrifying Norsemen, a group of road warriors who know no fear and have an alternative strategy when it comes to keeping themselves fed and alive.
Then there are the rats....
This is not a zombie apocalypse book for the faint of heart, and there are no nice little groups of survivalists. It's horror, from beginning to end. Absolutely gripping, I loved it from start to finish, one of the best books I've read this year. The story itself is multi-faceted and unpredictable with never a dull or safe moment, and the characterisation is terrific, too. There are a few editing 'glitches' but they're minor, and didn't spoil it at all. At the end there's an author's note saying that Blackmore was not sure if there would be a book 4, but happily there is. I am now going to start reading it. :)
5 out of 5 stars
Zombie Apocalypse/Horror
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
I loved the first book in this series, reviewed HERE, and this one was great, too - I read it all in one go.
Aside from the odd brief guest appearance, the book features only one character, Gus, a chronic alcoholic survivor of the zombie apocalypse, in Canada. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who can write a book featuring only one character and make it a real page turner is a pretty smart writer. This was gripping, and gathered pace as Gus discovers the mystery of the missing zombies (see book one) ~ I wasn't expecting that!
Keith Blackmore is one of those rare writers who manages to make intricate practical detail interesting to read, and he can do mounting terror and suspense with the best of them. I actually wasn't sure if the last invasion by the new foe at Gus's house on the hill was just the imagination of a drink addled and traumatised mind, or not ~ I've only just finished it, I think I need to go back and read the bit about 'what anyone would have seen if they'd been watching' again. But I liked the end very much... and am going to go straight on to read Hellifax, the third book in the series now.
If you love zombie apocalypse books and if you liked the film 'Castaway' that featured one man and his imaginary friend, you'll love this :)
5 out of 5 stars
Zombie apocalypse/serial killer/thriller
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
Well, I wanted a new zombie apocalypse series to get stuck into, and I saw this one mentioned in a review for one of The Walking Dead books (the reviewer thought the TWD book was rubbish and suggested Mountain Man as something much better). So I tried it, and loved it.
I wasn't sure at first, because the first few pages included much talk of bodily functions and too many sentences starting with 'He'; I thought it was going to be grisly realism for the sake of it and not very good writing, but within a few pages I changed my mind. The story is set in Canada and starts over two years after the zombie virus hit the world. Gus has found himself a house up a mountain which he has made safe, and got the scavenging for supplies thing down to an art. Only trouble is, he's got an alcohol problem (which he doesn't see as a problem) that needs constant feeding, and doesn't realise how much he's missed other people, until he saves someone who becomes his companion. Later, another new friend is not all she seems, and lurking in the background is a danger more sinister than the walking dead....
One of the things I love about this genre is reading about how the characters survive, on a day to day basis, and there's plenty of that, but also lots of thrilling and well-written human and zombie showdowns. It's quite a brutal sort of book, not for the faint-hearted, but the characterisation is great (I really liked Gus's friend Scott), and the characters' thoughts on their present situation versus the old world, versus just dying, are interesting. I read it over a period of a couple of days, definitely recommend it if you like this genre, and am looking forward to starting book two.
