Rumour Has It by Jill Mansell

Amazon Description:

When newly single Tilly Cole impulsively quits her London job for a fresh start in the small town of Roxborough she finds she’s arrived in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue and rampant rivalry for the most desirable men. Tilly has no intention of joining in – she’s just happy with her new Girl Friday job. Then she meets Jack Lucas. Jack is irresistible… and he’s got his eye on Tilly. But there are shocking rumours about his wicked reputation. Tilly doesn’t want to be just another notch on anyone’s bedpost. But is she being mature and sensible – or is she running away from the love of her life?

This is the second Jill Mansell book I’ve read and I really enjoyed it. I found it an easy, girly read. The main character, Tilly, has moved to Roxborough where her best friend lives to get away from her ex-boyfriend. She is always running from relationships when she feels that they have turned sour. In this story she is running again, this time away from a man who has seemingly slept with all the other women in the village.

I liked this book. I found the story engaging and amusing. I wanted to know what happened in the end – although of course I could guess. There were storylines in the book which surprised me and kept me on my toes, which added to the enjoyment of the book. Although Tilly is the main character, Mansell has written in some excellent co-stars; such as Max, who Tilly lives with. I loved his dry sense of humour and just his presence in the book.

This is unashamedly chick-literature. This is a romance novel with all the right trimmings. It has a lovable cast, a great location and a fun storyline. There are some parts which arepredictable, some bits I didn’t believe, but that didn’t spoil the book for me. Mansell seems to be a good women’s author, and if you like this genre, you will like this book. Not the best I’ve read, but highly entertaining and worth reading.

8/10

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

Amazon description:

There’s a werewolf with the pre-lunar tension in Ankh-Morpork. And a dwarf with attitude and a golem who’s begun to think for itself. But for Commander Vimes, Head of Ankh-Morpork City Watch, that’s only the start…There’s treason in the air. A crime has happened. He’s not only got to find out whodunit, buthowdunit too. He’s not even sure what they dun. But soon as he knows what the questions are, he’s going to want some answers.

To be honest, this has been my least favourite Discworld novel. I actually found myself mildly disappointed with it. This is book number 19 in the Discworld series, and although enjoyable, not as humorous or engaging as the rest of the series.

This is is Watch novel and we follow Vimes as he leads the team, which includes a dwarf and a werewolf as they investigate a crime that has not been authorised by any of the city’s Guilds. We meetgolums that have created their own king, but the said creation has gone wild and is killing people. It is thinking for itself, which agolum should not do.

I usually enjoy Watch novels, but there was something lacking in this book. We are transported to the Discworld in Pratchett’s usual way; and this book contains some characters we are fond of, such as Corporal Carrot, but I felt it lacked the usual adventure and endless humour that theDiscworld books usually entail. There is so much potential for this book, I just didn’t feel it delivered the goods. I wasn’t really a fan of thegolum’s – they didn’t interest me much. And being such a key part of the story, I think this was the problem.

Although not a bad book, this is the worst one of the series so far.

6/10

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The story begins with Eleanor Vance, 32 years old and alone in the world following the death of her mother, Eleanor cannot cope with her selfish sister and brother in law who berate her at every turn. Eleanor thinks her life is improving when she is invited to Hill House by Dr John Montague, a doctor of Philosophy with an interest in the supernatural. Hill House already has a reputation of deaths and suicides and Dr Montague has rented Hill House for 3 months for an experiment, Eleanor is part of the experiment.

‘The Haunting of Hill House’ is not your typical haunted house story, it starts with friendships forming, then to paranoid, you see the slow decline of Eleanor’s mind, there is something in Hill House and only Eleanor can feel it.

The 1963 version of ‘The Haunting’ based on the book is closer to the book compared to the 1999 version of ‘The Haunting’, which was more violent.

An interesting read with plenty of atmosphere and tension.

Reviewed by:  Gyre

The Resurrectionist by James Bradley

Gabriel Swift lives in London in the 1820s, receiving tutorship from renowned Anatomist Edwin Poll.  Much of his job involves cleaning cadavers delivered from grave robbers, known as resurrectionists.  Edwin Poll then dissects the cadavers and teaches his students how they died, in order that they can learn his trade.  While there, Gabriel makes friends, especially Charles – Mr Poll’s colleague, and Robert, a fellow student (or ‘prentice’ as they are known).  However, due to the nature of the work, there are also a number of shady characters involved in this lifestyle – not least, Mr Tyne, who also lives in the same house as Gabriel, and Lucan – Mr Poll’s nemesis and the infamous leader of a gang of resurrectionists.

Gabriel finds himself drawn into both the worlds of his colleagues and friends, and that of Lucan, and when he makes an enemy of Mr Tyne and alienates those who may help him, it is to Lucan who he somewhat reluctantly turns.  From there, he becomes involved with some much darker and more dangerous characters, and his life becomes unstable.

I’m not sure what to make of this book.  I have read various negative reviews, but I actually did enjoy it.  Told from Gabriel’s point of view, I felt that we did get real insight into his character, and in particular his sense of isolation from those around him.  The chapters are generally very short (usually about three pages), and it makes for an interesting read.  I loved the middle part of the story, where Gabriel becomes involved with Lucan’s ‘work’ – there was a genuine atmospheric gloom pervading the narration, and there are several Dickensian villains, who made for some interesting reading.  It was during that point where I kept wanting to read “just a few more pages,” to see what happened.

The first part of the book was enjoyable, but I felt that there were too many unnecessary characters.  A number of Charles’s friends get involved in the story, and I felt that their part in the story would have been better if it had either been expanded upon to make them more rounded characters, or cut out completely – there was not much character development for them, and they served as a vehicle to move certain sections of the story forward.  I also found that Gabriel’s romance with Arabella, a local prostitute, added little to the story, although it did serve to heighten his disillusionment with his life and surroundings.

The final part of the story moves in a completely direction, and tells what happens 10 years after the events described in the first parts.  I liked the idea of this conclusion of sorts (although I’m not giving away any secrets), but the pace did slow down in this section and was not as compelling reading as the novel had been up until then.  This part would have been better as a short epilogue.

Some of the descriptions of the cadavers and the work of Mr Poll is described in great detail, and this may not appeal to more squeamish readers (although it did not bother me).

Overall, despite the criticism, I did enjoy this book.  The events moved along at a quick enough pace to hook me into Gabriel’s story.  I would certainly consider reading more by this author.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl in Nazi Germany, who having watched her family disintegrate, is fostered by the kindly Hans and Rosa Hubermann.  Liesel sees the atrocities committed in wartime, and sees the best and worst that humankind has to offer.  Hans is the father who takes care of her and teaches her to read – a gift that will be her salvation and the comfort of others.  Rosa is the coarse but warm hearted woman who fiercely protects her family.  During Liesel’s story, we meet a whole cast of characters – Max Vandenburg, the Jew who is hiding from the Nazis and just hoping to survive the war; Rudy Steiner, Leisel’s neighbour and best friend; Frau Holtzaphel, the Hubermann’s next door neighbour; and Adolf Hitler, who while never actually appearing as a character in the book, certainly looms over the whole story.

The book is narrated by Death himself, who is a surprisingly thoughtful and compassionate storyteller.

To put it bluntly, this book is fantastic.  It is apparently aimed at young adults, but I think this is a book that adults of any age would and should get a lot out of reading.  The story completely immersed me in wartime Germany and in particular, Lieisel’s world.  The characterisation by Markus Zusak is terrific.  Although there is a fairly large cast of characters, each and every one is beautifully drawn, and I felt as if I knew them personally.  They were utterly believable, and I cared about all of them.

The book held my attention through every page – I never once felt bored.  Death is an interesting, sometimes even amusing, and always thoughtful narrator – he reveals snippets of what happens to certain characters before the events actually occur, but despite this, when such things do actually happen, the impact is not lessened in the slightest.

As the vast majority of characters are German, the reader sees the war through the eyes of German citizens, and shows them as individuals rather than the collective nation which wartime Germany is often viewed as.

To sum up – occasionally, I come across a book which I want to tell all of my friends about.  I feel as though I want everyone I know to read it.  This is just such a book.  Very highly recommended indeed.

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

Amazon description:

When Doug Parker married Hailey – beautiful, smart and ten years older – he left his carefree Manhattan life behind to live with her and her teenage son, Russ, in the suburbs. Three years later, Hailey has been dead for a year, and Doug, a widower at 29, just wants to drown himself in self-pity and Jack Daniels. But his family has other ideas… Russ is furious with Doug for not adopting him after Hailey died, and has fallen in with a bad crowd. Claire, Doug’s irrepressible and pregnant twin sister, has just left her husband and moved in, uninvited, determined to turn his life around. Then there’s Debbie, their younger sister, engaged to Doug’s ex-best friend and maniacally determined to pull of the perfect wedding at any cost. Soon, Doug finds himself trying to forge a relationship with Russ, reconnecting with his own eccentric nuclear family, and reluctantly dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time-around dating scene. It isn’t long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control…

What an interesting concept for a book – focusing on the man after his wife has died, instead of the protagonist being a woman. For that reason, I wouldn’t call this chick-literature. The book focuses on Doug, whose wife was killed in a plane crash a year ago. The book explores how long one can “acceptably” grief for and the repercussions of death and moving on.

Considering the series nature of this book, there were entertaining parts and there were characters I liked. I did chuckle, and I did feel empathy. I liked Claire, Doug’s twin sister. She was so blunt and straight forward she made for entertaining reading.

My complaint with the book is simple: there was way too much bad language and more sex than was necessary. Normally I put books like that down, however I finished this book because regardless of these things, the story was good and I wanted to know how things would end. I think what made this book stand out was that it was written by a man, about a man’s grief when his wife dies. Despite the sex and language, this was an easy book to read, a good storyline to follow and it only took me a day to read it.

7/10

East of the Sun by Julia Gregson

Amazon description:

Autumn 1928. Three young women are on their way to India, each with a new life in mind. Rose, a beautiful but naïve bride-to-be, is anxious about leaving her family and marrying a man she hardly knows. Victoria, her bridesmaid couldn t be happier to get away from her overbearing mother, and is determined to find herself a husband. And Viva, their inexperienced chaperone, is in search of the India of her childhood, ghosts from the past and freedom. Each of them has their own reason for leaving their homeland but the hopes and secrets they carry can do little to prepare them for what lies ahead in India.

This is the first time I have come across Gregson, and to be honest I was disappointed. There were a few significant events, such as Rose marrying, the events on the ship with Guy Glover and the consequences of taking him to India, and the decision Tor makes….but between all these things the story was flat, and a bit boring. There was a lot of writing but it felt like nothing was really happening. I put down and picked up this book at least three times and by the time I had finished it, I was left empty.

I don’t think Gregson wrote characters I could like, or even care about. I really wasn’t overly bothered what happened to them. I don’t know what it is about her writing style, but it meant I felt no empathy for them, and by the end I was reading just to finish the book, not to find out what happened to any other them.

I don’t know how accurate the book was either, but I did find it odd coming across modern names such as Debenhams and Thomas Cook in a book set in the beginning of the century – that said, they might have been around, it just didn’t seem to fit with the story.

I wasn’t convinced overly by the storyline itself. Guy Glover’s character was very seedy and odd. What he said in the book didn’t seem realistic, and when Viva got kidknapped because of him I wasn’t convinced by her escape. The whole book seemed a bit like that. I found it long-winded and dull really – a complete let down.

4/10

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

Amazon description:

Becky’s life is blooming! She’s working at London’s newest fashion store The Look, house-hunting with husband Luke (her secret wish is a Shoe Room)…and she’s pregnant! She couldn’t be more overjoyed – especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness. Everything has got to be perfect for her baby: from the designer nursery…to the latest, coolest pram…to the celebrity, must-have obstetrician. But when the celebrity obstetrician turns out to be her husband Luke’s glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky’s perfect world starts to crumble. She’s shopping for two…but are there three in her marriage!

This is the final book in Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic Series, and it is just as good as the other books. Becky is a compulsive shopper, and this pregnancy has given her another reason to go out and spend a great big whack of cash. In regards to shopping, there were a few times I chuckled – like when Luke and Becky go pram shopping in a warehouse full of prams…scary to anyone!

There are other elements to this book, and series however. There is love, friendship – and in this book, jealousy and panic. Becky is a vain, self-obsessed women but I did feel sorry for as she went up against Luke’s ex-girlfriend. This is something I like about Kinsella’s writing – I feel empathy even when the characters are self-centred. I did like other characters – her mum is completely irrational, which is fun to read, and her friend Suze is just a gem.

This is pure female fiction. It is unashamedly girly. It is an easy, quick read. Fairly predictable and unrealistic – but that adds to the magic that is The Shopaholic Series. I have absolutely loved this series. It is engaging and gripping, light-hearted and fun. I’m sad that this is the end of the books, I’d love more. If you like chick-lit, this book is for you.

9/10

Anagrams by Lorrie Moore

Night club singer Benna Carpenter lives in a flat across the hall from Gerard Maines.  Gerard is in love with Benna and suffers when he hears her bring other men home at night.  Or Benna is an aerobics teacher who was Gerard’s lover for nineteen months.  Or Benna and Gerard live together in a house and hold a yard sale with Benna’s friend Eleanor.  Or Benna is a poetry teacher dating a mature student, whose best friend is Gerard, a pianist who aspires to be an opera singer…

There are a few things we know about Benna.  She is delightfully clever and witty, and makes some wonderful plays on words (“All the world’s a stage we’re going through” being my favourite example).  Gerard is her best friend, whatever other form their relationship takes.

With Benna as narrator, this book weaves in and out of her real life and her fictional life, until the reader is no longer sure which is which.  But when reality suddenly bursts through with a vengeace, the safety net that Benna has built for herself with her fantasies, suddenly snaps.  It is an unusual narrative, and one which took some getting used to – however, it was well worth the effort, as eventually the words flowed freely and I felt able to immerse myself in whatever world Benna was inhabiting at the time.

Despite the fact that so much of this novel blurs the lines between fiction and reality, Benna is an extremely well rounded character, and I found it easy to believe in her.  It is clear that she feels that something is lacking in her life, and doesn’t know how to find out what it is, or how to do anything about it.  Instead, she invents alternative realities which are all too easy for her to retreat into.

I don’t want to say much more about the plot of this book, because I feel that to give too much away would be to do a great injustice to anyone planning to read it.  I will say though that I thought it was a thought provoking book with a heroine who – ironically because of the fiction she creates for herself – was very believable.

The writing flows easily and I found constantly myself thinking “I’ll just read a few more pages.”  It’s a quick and easy read, but certainly not lightweight.  Highly recommended.

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs

Amazon description:

The ingredients: Why can’t Gus find time to organise her own birthday party? Because shes too busy sorting out the problems of her friends and family; it seems everyone is facing a career challenge or a romantic dilemma.

The recipe: A series of Sunday suppers (televised, of course) that show real people making real food. And over delicious dishes, relaxed chat and a few bottles of wine, her guests find they have nourished their souls as well as tempting their tastebuds.

Comfort food. A celebration of life itself.

This is the third book by Kate Jacobs that I have read. It is different from her other two pieces: The Friday Night Knitting Club and Knit Two, but just as enjoyable. This is female fiction at a high standard. Instead of focussing on knitting, Jacobs takes us on a journey of food and life in the media.

The book is full of heartache, determination and recipes. Gus finds herself in competition for TV ratings with Miss Spain, and when they are forced to work together pandemonium breaks out. There are heart-wrenching moments in this book, but also some entertaining ones; for example I thought Gary and the team-building weekend was hilarious.

I enjoyed reading this book. I like Jacobs style – she draws you in and holds your attention. There were times when the story could be predicted but it was entertaining all the same. I have found that her novels are not quick-reads but well worth taking the time over. She writes some great characters, and instead of having them just on the side-lines she has chapters dedicated to them. I think Hannah, Gus’ neighbour was my favourite character. I loved that she always had a constant supply of junk food with her – my kinda gal!

I enjoyed reading this book, it was time well spent. As ever, Jacobs wrote an entertaining story that I really enjoyed.

9/10