No One You Know by Michelle Richmond

From Barnes and Noble

Michelle Richmond dazzled readers and critics alike with her luminous novel The Year of Fog. Now Richmond returns with an intensely emotional, multilayered family drama—a woman’s search for her sister’s killer that spirals into a journey of secrets, revelations, and damaged lives.

All her life Ellie Enderlin had been known as Lila’s sister. Until one day, without warning, the shape of their family changed forever. Twenty years ago, Lila, a top math student at Stanford, was murdered in a crime that was never solved. In the aftermath of her sister’s death, Ellie entrusted her most intimate feelings to a man who turned the story into a bestselling true crime book—a book that both devastated her family and identified one of Lila’s professors as the killer.

Decades later, two Americans meet in a remote village in Nicaragua. Ellie is now a professional coffee buyer, an inveterate traveler and incapable of trust. Peter is a ruined academic. And their meeting is not by chance. As rain beats down on the steaming rooftops of the village, Peter leaves Ellie with a gift—the notebook that Lila carried everywhere, a piece of evidence not found with her body. Stunned, Ellie will return home to San Francisco to explore the mysteries of Lila’s notebook, filled with mathematical equations, and begin a search that has been waiting for her all these years. It will lead her to a hundred-year-old mathematical puzzle, to a lover no one knew Lila had, to the motives and fate of the man who profited from their family’s anguish—and to the deepest secrets even sisters keep from each other. As she connects with people whose lives unknowingly swirled around her own, Ellie will confront a series of startling revelations—from the eloquent truths of numbers to confessions of love, pain and loss.

A novel about the stories and lies that strangers, lovers and families tell—and the secrets we keep even from ourselves—Michelle Richmond’s new novel is a work of astonishing depth and beauty, at once heartbreaking, provocative, and impossible to put down.

When her sister is murdered, Ellie thinks life will never be the same again. Especially since Lila was the “good” child. The one who excelled. But eventually Ellie’s heart began to heal and she made a life for herself as a coffee buyer. On one of her coffee trips she randomly runs into the person everyone thought was responsible for her sisters death – even though there was no concrete proof – and based info in a book that a “friend” of Lila & Ellie’s had written. While searching for the truth about her sister’s death Ellie finds out that not everyone is what they seem and not all the stories that they tell are the truth. While most of the math explanations (Lila was a math prodigy) can be confusing at times, the author does an excellent job of explaining them in “plain English”. And they all seem to have something to do with an aspect of the story that is being told. An emotional novel that grabs you from the start and keeps a hold of your heart until the truth is finally revealed. A

The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman

Katie Hickman’s “The Aviary Gate” is a story within a story. In present day Oxford Elizabeth Staveley, a graduate student, is looking through the Bodleian Library archives in search of material for her thesis on captivity narratives. She finds a fragment of a manuscript which describes a shipwreck and the unfortunate aftermath when the ship is boarded by Turkish pirates. The captain of the ship is murdered and several of the women are taken captive by the pirates, among them the captain’s daughter, Celia.

 

Elizabeth immediately feels a connection with Celia and wants to find out more of her story. At the same time her personal life is experiencing upheaval. The man she is in love with is a wandering womanizer and as much as Elizabeth would like to break away, she is having trouble severing her ties to him. On an impulse, she abruptly leaves her life in Oxford and flies to Istanbul, not knowing what she is looking for but anxious to do SOMETHING. She seizes on following Celia’s trail as a way to force change in her own life.

Woven in to Elizabeth’s story are segments of Celia’s life in 1599 Constantinople. She is bought for the Sultan’s harem, intended to be his next “favorite” concubine. The reader sees the secretive world of the Ottoman harem. The female population is full of political maneuvering and infighting and Celia struggles to learn the hierarchy and her place in it. They even have a silent language they use amongst themselves when speaking is prohibited. For Celia it is a prison full of confusing rules, conflicting gossip, drama and backstabbing. When she discovers that her fiancee is in Constantinople on an errand for Queen Elizabeth I, she dreams of a chance to see him again.

The author paints a lush and beautiful picture of the secluded world of the harem and the women who inhabit it. Present day Istanbul is also described well. She presents an interesting peep into how that world might have been. I love books that transport you to a place which you can never visit, and make it seem like you have been there. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading other titles by this author.

The Aviary Gate was released by Bloomsbury on May 27, 2008.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

First time Canadian author Andrew Davidson’s novel The Gargoyle is an intriguing, unexpected story. The narrator, who is never given a name, is an unapologetic drug addict and pornographer who admits that he has never known love. He is driving in a drug-induced haze when his car sails off of a cliff into the ravine below. He is severely burned and narrowly escapes death. As he lays in his hospital bed he plans his suicide in detail, believing that he could never live with what his body has become.

Marianne Engel, a temporary patient in the psychiatric ward, enters his room one day and speaks to him as if she knows him, though he has never seen her before. She claims that she was born in the year 1300 and that they had been married when they both lived in Medieval Germany. She is a sculptor of stone gargoyles and she says that the talent does not belong to her but that she is guided by God to produce her statues. Though the narrator thinks that she must be mentally ill, he is nevertheless drawn to her and to the stories that she tells him. They become close and when he is released from the hospital she takes him into her home. Unfortunately he continues his addictions, this time to morphine, and has a hard time letting go of his lifetime habits.

This book centers on the gradual redemption of the narrator’s soul and the fulfillment of Marianne Engel’s life purpose. The author weaves in references to and instances from Dante’s Inferno that illustrate the narrator’s hellish journey from his pre-accident immoral life to the ultimate decision that redeems him.

I found this book well written with vividly described scenes and interesting historical detail. The storyline was fascinating, though the ending stops short of answering all of the reader’s questions. It is among the most unique novels that I have ever read.

The Gargoyle is scheduled to be published on August 5, 2008 by Doubleday.

Worldwide Adventures in Love by Louise Wener

Blurb from the back of the book;

Mysterious and inviting, Jessie and Margaret are drawn to their reclusive neighbour’s house. It offers an escape from the dreary summer of 1977 and their fragile family life, into a world they can only dream about. When the house suddenly burns down at the same time as their mother moves out to live with her new boyfriend, and their father develops an unhealthy crush on a woman in their street, life seems bleak for the girls.

Escaping the claustrophobia of family life isn’t easy, until the story of an eccentric and beauthiful female explorer form the 1930’s unfolds in a series of letters. In these letters she tells stories of far flung places, secrets, doomed love and adventure.

 

 

What a delightful book to read! The author gets into the skin of Jessie a young teenager and writes the story wholly from her point of view. Growing up in the 1970’s Jessie and her younger sister Margaret are thrown in to the turmoil of separating parents. Alongside is the story of a neighbour Edith whom the girls get to know briefly before she dies in a house fire.

Since the author so masterfully writes from a child’s point of view, the reader is able to experience the rollercoaster of emotions that can devour you at Jessie’s tender age. The toe curling embarrassment of your parent’s behaviour, the love and hatred of friends and relatives and the dull familiarity of routine at home. Jessie muddles through this disruptive time looking for support from her sister who is suffering her own private turmoil. Interspersed with the sisters’ plight is the poignant story of Edith told by personal letters.

This book is well crafted. The story develops slowly and engrosses the reader to the point where you really care what happens to all of the main characters. I would definitely look for more to read by this writer.

 

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Published: 1814

Summary (taken from blurb):
Fanny Price has always felt like an outsider. She was adopted by her uncle as a child and now lives in luxury at Mansfield Park, but doesn’t fit in somehow. Shyer and much sweeter than the glamorous cousins she has grown up with, she feels she can only stand by and watch from the sidelines, never living her own life.

Fanny won’t admit – even to herself – who she really loves. Her uncle conducts the search for a husband as if it were a business deal, and when the time for Fanny to marry comes, will she be handed over on a handshake? Or will she have the strength to make her own mistakes – and finally find true happiness?

Comments:
Another brilliant offering from Jane Austen, although I have to say that it’s probably my least favourite of the four I have read so far. I found all of the characters hard to sympathise with, although I did like Fanny. I can understand why people would think she is a weak character and dislike her because of it, but she reminds me quite a lot of myself, and I don’t necessarily see myself as weak – I can probably understand her motives and feelings a bit better.

As usual, Austen’s writing is beautifully lyrical throughout the book, and interspersed with subtle humour and irony. Another thing I keep forgetting with her books is that everything gets resolved in the last few pages, and they’re usually rapped up very quickly and with little dialogue. Sometimes it’s a little disappointing and you wish she would give as much time and care to the end of the book as she did to the rest.

Nevertheless, a brilliant read and highly recommended.

Rating: 8/10

Review by Kylie

A Lifetime Burning by Linda Gillard

Greedy for experience but determined to be good, Flora Dunbar spends a lifetime seeking love, trying to build a future out of the wreckage of her past – an eccentric childhood spent in the shadow of her musical twin, Rory; early marriage to Hugh, a clergyman twice her age; motherhood, which brings her Theo, the son she cannot love; middle-age, when she finds brief happiness in a scandalous affair with her nephew, Colin.

“If you asked my sister-in-law why she hated me, she’d say it was because I seduced her precious firstborn then tossed him onto the sizeable scrap-heap marked Flora’s ex-lovers. But she’d be lying. That isn’t why Grace hated me. Ask my brother Rory…”

I’m not entirely sure where to start with this book, or how to do it justice. It tells the story of the above mentioned Flora, but also of everyone around her.. how their lives interact, in ways both expected, and unexpected.

This is a book that will grab your attention from the very first page, and each chapter leaves you wanting to know more. Although it keeps you turning the pages, there were times when I had to put it down, and take a deep breath, before picking it back and getting absorbed again. There are issues explored here that aren’t easy to read, but they are handled in a way that means you can take that deep breath and carry on.

The various characters in this book are very well written, each one provoking a variety of emotions. They really do come alive, and won’t be easily forgotten, and I’m sure that many readers will have varying reactions to them.. which I feel is part of the power of this book.

This is not a light read, but one brimming with emotion. It does move around in time, but doesn’t in any way confuse – the journey all comes together at the end.

Linda is a new author to me this year, and she has jumped right up there into my list of favourites. As for this book, I believe it’s easily my favourite book of the year so far, and has gone onto my re-read pile, which not many achieve!

Highly recommended!

Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Date of Publication: 1998

Number of Pages: 456

Synopsis (from back cover): Journey to a time before King Arthur as Marion Zimmer Bradley brings the mesmerizing world of Avalon brilliantly to life in this spellbinding novel of epic grandeur – the story of three remarkable women who alter the fortunes of Roman Britain as they fight to reclaim the magic and traditions of a once-glorious past….

Caillean, the young priestess fated to become Lady of Avalon, who rescues and raises the orphaned Gawen – heir to a mystic and dangerous royal line…Dierna, who must use all her strength, wisdom, and love to guide Avalon through treacherous political waters and veil the island from a hostile world…Viviane, Lady of the Lake and keeper of the Grail, destined for true greatness as she prepares Avalon for the coming of a legendary king…

Review: This is the first book of the Avalon series that I have read, and I’m glad I started with it. Although there are events referred to that obviously occur in other books, it’s not done in a way that takes away from the story. This is the book that sets up the events in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s popular masterpiece, The Mists of Avalon, so I felt fortunate to be beginning here.

This is the first book I have thoroughly enjoyed in a long time, and it’s turned me into a devoted fan of this author. There are elements of several genres in this book: historical fiction, fantasy, and romance, making it appealing to many different kinds of readers. But what will really appeal to people is the superb story-telling and the realistic and complex characters. There are few characters, even among the leading Ladies of Avalon, who could be called wholly good or bad. Some make good decisions and some make such bad decisions that they adversely alter the course of history. The women portrayed are completely believable, with human foibles that all of us have, but at the same time they possess a power that infuses the story with magic. This is a book that celebrates womanhood in all its forms, from the innocent virgin to the croaking hag. If you’re a woman, you will find yourself somewhere in this book. And if you’re a man, well, there’s plenty of fighting going on to keep even you interested!

Rating: 10/10

Reviewed by Sarah

The Memory Keepers Daughter – Kim Edwards

It should have been an ordinary birth, the start of an ordinary happy family. But the night Dr David Henry delivers his wife’s twins is a night that will haunt five lives forever.

For though David’s son is a healthy boy, his daughter has Downs Syndrome. And, in a shocking act of betrayal whose consequences only time will reveal, he tells his wife their daughter died while secretly entrusting her care to a nurse.

As grief quietly tears apart Davd’s family, so a little girl must make her own way in the world the best she can.

My thoughts:

I have had to give this review a lot of thought as this book deserves the very best. This is a very moving story which is I think tragic yet not depressing. Phoebe, the daughter is such a beautiful character who I found inspiring and was written in such a way that the innocence of Downs Syndrome was made very believable in this book.

Each of the characters had their own traits both good and bad and you couldn’t help but feel sorrow for the unfairness of their lives. I was pulled in from page one and would highly recommend this book and give it a 10/10.

The Stepmother by Carrie Adams

Blurb from Amazon;

Two women are vying for position in one man’s life. Their greatest fear is each other. But there’s no point taking sides because, as they are about to find out, there are just too many. The Ex: She managed to keep her divorce amicable by burying past hurts. It cost her dear, but it’s worth it to see her three daughters so happy. Now everything is going to change. Jimmy wants to remarry. Bea worries about how the girls are going to feel having to share their father. But it’s not the children’s reaction that shocks her- it’s hers. The Girlfriend: The only thing she’s done wrong is fall in love with a man she can’t call her own. His daughters come first. No matter what. Try as she might, she can’t seem to get them to like her. She doesn’t understand. The divorce wasn’t her fault. Jimmy swears it was no one’s fault, some relationships just break down. But if that’s the case, how secure is hers?

This book is written from two perspectives. A mother of three girls, Bea, and Tessa, the ‘Stepmother’. It is a story of modern family life warts and all. Both women are deeply in love with the same man, James who ultimately has to choose between them.
Initially you are plunged into the everdyay turmoil of Bea’s life with her children and small snippets are given as to what happened to the marriage of Jim and Bea which ended ultimately in divorce. We are then introduced to delightful Tessa who tries her absolute best to learn how to deal with other people’s children full on. The author helps us to really see how difficult it can be to step into life with a man who has a ready made family.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is well written, interesting with plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. I was completely divided as to whom I thought James should end up with. Bea or Tessa?  The suspense continues right to the end. Recommended for all those who are considering taking on the role of Stepmother!

The Ingenious Edgar Jones by Elizabeth Garner

In nineteenth-century Oxford, an extraordinary child is born – Edgar Jones, a porter’s son with a magical talent. Though his father cannot see beyond his academic slowness, his abilities as a metalworker and designer are quickly noticed, and become a source of tension within the family. When Edgar comes to the attention of a maverick professor at work on a museum of the natural sciences, Edgar is at once plucked from obscurity and plunged into the heart of a debate which threatens to tear apart the university. Edgar’s position is a dangerous one – will he be able to control the rebellious spirit that fires his inventiveness, but threatens to ruin him, and to break up his family once and for all?

It’s actually quite hard to capture this book within a ‘blurb’, as it has a style all of it’s own. It’s set in a world where The University is everything.. a world of learning that is in control of Oxford, and is looked up to by all. In awe of all the University stands for is Edgar’s father, and to him, a successful, loveable son is one with academic ability, which Edgar lacks.

One thing that Edgar does have is a fierce determination, and without the appropriate guidance from his parents, this often pushes him towards trouble. He looks up to certain people, and when they fail him, you can feel the way it hurts him.

The book has the feel of a dark, grown up fairytale. At the beginning the style does feel a little difficult, but I soon settled into it, and it became a story I couldn’t wait to get back to.  The characters are well written and memorable, and I couldn’t help but love some, and dislike others. This is an unusual book that will stay with me for some time.