The eighth in the series already?! Fun, frivolous, London- based urban fantasy. Lots of geeky references (I’m sure as many went over my head as were thoroughly appreciated), and less geeky pop culture ones, too. Plenty of humour, and just enough about my favourite recurring characters to make me keen for the next one.
Although this book is not about women and education it will make you think about how far we have come. Two young girls, a house full of clocks and a mystery! Just don’t let the clocks stop! Set in Cambridge in 1905 two young girls struggle without mothers and distracted fathers in a house with a mystery. Helena’s father is employed by one of England’s wealthiest men, Mr Westcott, to look after a house full of clocks and he signed a contract to give up all their possessions if any of the clocks stopped, including her beloved parrot, Orbit. I felt chills as the mystery unfolded because Mr Westcott’s daughter wandered the house like a little ghost trying to get the attention of her father. Gradually the story skilfully unfolded into a mystery and a heart wrenching story of love and loss for both little girls and their fathers. I recommend it for avid readers 9 years+.
Beginning with the coronation of King Edward VII, and ending between the wars, this really is my perfect setting. Three upper middle class families live in a row; ten children sharing an idyllic childhood and wonderful friendship, until everything is changed by WWI. Is about the horrors of the Great War, for those who fought, and those at home, the changes it brought about in society, about love, family, and complicated people, in complicated times. It was not spoilt at all by my having read the sequel first.
Shipped off to a small country town, police officer Hirsch finds himself in the middle of murder and corruption. He doesn’t know who to trust. The police corruption is quite brutal and this is reflected in the style of writing. A great Australian crime story, very atmospheric, with plot twists to keep you reading and I would definitely not want to live in Tiverton!
I give up on books I dislike, and I did read this all the way through, but I confess I never really clicked with this. It’s magical, mythical, poetic, and lyrical, but confusing.
Four and a half stars for this stark, beautiful, and all too plausible work of climate fiction. Set in remote Tasmania, in the near future, scientists are brought together to resurrect long extinct species. Kate Larkin works on bringing the Neanderthals back to life, but when Eve is born, she finds herself questioning the project. It’s about humanity, trauma, connection, loss, fear for the future, and a glimmer of hope. Though it feels very real, it has a haunting, dream-like feel, and though I finished it some days ago, it is staying with me.
Set in England at the end of the first World War. Emily does not want to sit around home waiting for her mother to find her a husband so she enlists in the Women’s Land Army. This is a story of family, friendship, love found and lost, of women finding their place. The characters were interesting and relatable. I enjoyed the feeling of comradeship between the women and the care they showed each other. The ending let the story down – it all wrapped up too fast and too neat, but does have the happy ending that most people need to read.
Lazlo Strange is a war orphan, a dreamer, and a librarian (!) who has a passion for a lost city called Weep. When a hero and a band of warriors from the lost city appear, he has a chance to fulfil his dreams. The cover is beautiful, and so is the story, with a deeply imaginative world of books, scholars, gods, ghosts, warriors, lovers, and dreams.
One woman discovers her husband has not been where he said he was, and another that her husband might be guilty of something terrible. Set on an island, almost deserted for the winter, these women come together to find out what they don’t know about the men they love. This is a fast-paced novel, full of suspense, twists, and surprising revelations. It’s a very satisfying mystery, and an interesting look at how little we can know those close to us.
I really liked this book. You do need to read the blurb on back before you start it so you understand how the story is being told. As soon as I began, I felt I would really enjoy, as lots of laugh out loud moments, with an upbeat pace.
I would love to spend a night out on the town with the author because you can tell she is very funny, witty (in a British Bridget Jones kind of way), a great writer and her love of Young Adult and Children’s literature shines throughout the pages.
The story does become a bit heavier the further along you read but I liked Dido, the main character a lot and wanted to keep reading, willing her to make good choices as the story follows her from 6 years old into her thirties.
Ultimately this is a story of wanting to belong and be loved. Set amidst a backdrop of the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s (a great trip down memory lane for my generation). It is about Dido and her mother Edie, who move from London to an inherited house in suburban Essex. The family next door are exactly the kind of family Dido dreams of: Normal. Dido wants to be normal more than anything else but it is the very thing Edie can never be.
I have read mixed reviews, some not happy with the plot, some feeling it a bit contrived, some disliking certain characters, some loving them, so clearly, this book is not for everyone but definitely for me.
rrlreads 