Reviews
This page has reviews on books we have read and enjoyed, both fiction and non-fiction, and literary events.
This page has reviews on books we have read and enjoyed, both fiction and non-fiction, and literary events.
In The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett, we see human nature observed through the eyes of a confident storyteller. Weaving from past to present the story unfolds slowly telling how Danny and his sister, Maeve, came to the house and how their father’s second wife evicted them after their father’s death. It’s a tale of obsession, siblings, love and betrayal. An examination of the injustices that life often throws at us and how resilience and justice find a way through.
V2 by Robert Harris is a fascinating account of the V2 missile, its inception and use in Hitler’s last attempt to win the war. It blends fact with fiction in a skilful manner and the characters of Rudi Graf and Kay Caton-Walsh are well-rounded and credible characters in a story based in fact but embellished by fiction.
‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama is her absorbing, eloquent and highly acclaimed memoir. It has received great praise as a thoughtful and candid account of an extraordinary life, before and during eight years in the White House as First Lady of the United States.
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a mystery story about obsession, cruelty, love, abuse, identity and finding redemption that examines the darkness of human nature and the dangers of cults.
The Midnight Library is an engaging and unusual story in its narrative structure and in the way it combines philosophical discussion with humour and contemporary dialogue. An extraordinary book for extraordinary times it examines choices and how the main character, Nora Seed, could have had different lives if she had made different choices. It has been serialised for Radio Four and highly acclaimed as a Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction 2020.
Crime after Crime, with a foreword by Stephen Leather, is a collection of short stories from several different writers with crime at the centre of the tales. Each story is different in content and tone. Dark crimes with twists in the ending these tales are sure to keep the reader thinking.
Richard Osman’s debut crime novel is a whodunnit with many plot twists and a charm reminiscent of classic crime fiction. A retirement home is the unusual setting for this story. The residents work in parallel with the police to solve two murders.
A true love story set in the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is a moving story of bravery and endurance against the odds. Compelling, unforgettable and uplifting, the life of Lale Sololov is the story of a survivor.
Those Who Know is Alis Hawkins’ third novel in the historical crime series set in nineteenth century West Wales. The story concerns political hustings for Harry Probert-Lloyd to secure the coroner’s post, which he currently holds on a temporary basis, and an investigation into the death of a schoolteacher, Nicholas Rowland. Both events are, ultimately, integrally tied together, as the threads of the plot unfold.
Goby Koppel’s debut novel, Reparation, is a story with many different elements. It is a story of conflicting issues and the struggle to deal with love and loss. Justice is seen in the end, but it does not come with ease. Balancing the story of wartime Hungary and a crime in the Hasidic community this is an ambitious tale but told with proficiency.