"Still Life" is a novel that is best to read slowly, to savour every poetic word. The scenes in Tuscany make the reader experience the languid pace of"Still Life" is a novel that is best to read slowly, to savour every poetic word. The scenes in Tuscany make the reader experience the languid pace of a hot Tuscan summer.
It is a story about family - two men, a young girl, and a parrot. And no, they are not related by blood, but by affection. It is a story of conversational trees, and a parrot who does not mimic, but has meaningful discussions. Odd you think? Yes, but this just adds to the book's tender magic. It is also a novel of loss, love, kindness, friendship, kismet, serendipity, human resilience, and connections to both people and places. A novel that reinforces the notion that 'home' is more the people in it, than any one place. It is a tribute to the majestic and historic city of Florence.
The novel also spoke to the devastation of the 1966 flood in the city when the banks of the Arno overflowed.
When I read that the novelist Joanna Cannon wrote "Sarah Winman" is why I write", it affirmed why I love both these literary writers.
This is beautifully written fiction that tenderly warms the heart, while occasionally tearing it out of your chest. What more can you ask for?...more
Wow! If this is Helen Cooper's debut novel, I'm eager to see what she comes up with next. This is definitely a debut that does not read like one. PoliWow! If this is Helen Cooper's debut novel, I'm eager to see what she comes up with next. This is definitely a debut that does not read like one. Polished, well-plotted, and with believable characters, it presents as the work of a much more seasoned novelist.
Teeming with secrets, the inhabitants of this house in Kingston-Upon-Thames, have made many mistakes. Not malicious, but mistakes born from misunderstandings, guilt, and misguided, life-altering decisions.
With themes of deception, family secrets, sacrifice, and making disastrous choices, this novel is ingeniously plotted and alarmingly realistic.
Highly, highly, recommended to those readers who enjoy intelligently plotted domestic thrillers....more
Wonderful saga! This is my third Eve Chase novel and she never disappoints.
I've read and enjoyed Eve Chase's two previous novels, so it was with some Wonderful saga! This is my third Eve Chase novel and she never disappoints.
I've read and enjoyed Eve Chase's two previous novels, so it was with some excitement that I requested a copy of this, her third book. Once again, she features an old house and a dual time-line narrative, both elements that I enjoy.
With likable characters and an intriguing mystery created by dark family secrets, this novel has ascertained that the author is one who is an 'auto-read' for me.
This novel exemplifies the often disturbing fact that despite our good intentions, things sometimes have a way of turning bad. How we keep the tender, vulnerable bits of ourselves hidden deep inside instead of sharing them.
This novel has myriad threads that the author has successfully woven into an entertaining story. A story which I can confidently recommend to all readers who enjoy sagas teeming with family secrets. I truly enjoyed it....more
I thoroughly enjoyed making the acquaintance of Missy Carmichael. Probably because I am no longer a young woman, I could identify with her on a basic I thoroughly enjoyed making the acquaintance of Missy Carmichael. Probably because I am no longer a young woman, I could identify with her on a basic level.
She describes herself this way: "I thought about all the other things I was. A classicist, a librarian, occasionally a witch (and a bitch), a walker and a dancer, and - for now, at least - Bobby's owner."
She was an amalgam of all the years she had lived, and all the people who had come before her. She displayed all the wisdom, regret, insecurities, and loneliness that comes with ageing.
Anyone who has read and enjoyed such novels as "The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett", "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine", or other such works of 'UpLit' will surely find this novel heart-rending and entertaining in equal measure. A heart-warming, life-affirming novel of inter-generational friendships, and a must read for dog lovers of all ages.
I found D.S. Tyler a bit hard to warm up to at first, but once My complete review of "Firewatching" can be found on my blog: https://fictionophile.com
I found D.S. Tyler a bit hard to warm up to at first, but once I did there was no going back. He is withdrawn, a flawed and damaged loner, who just happens to be an extremely handsome, gay, police sergeant. The author has brought Tyler and his team to life vividly. The two elderly ladies were portrayed with empathy and understanding.
The evolving and complicated relationships amongst the team were a delight to read and I cannot wait to see how the personalities develop and coalesce in future books. I'm eager to read more about Tyler's intriguing backstory and how it has shaped the man he is now.
The pacing was nigh on perfect with the interruption of the narrative caused only by the insertion of blog posts by the 'Firestarter' - and these were essential to the plot. The entire story took place in just under a week which made for compelling reading.
A strong police procedural with themes of family secrets, arson, and perversion which reads more like the work of a seasoned and successful novelist, rather than the debut novel which it is.
The ending explained everything, though not quite in the way I expected - which is a good thing.
I was delighted to learn that this is the first in a new series of police procedurals, one which I intend to read more of. Highly, highly recommended. Brilliant debut!...more
The novel brought the raw emotions of the parents of sick children to the forefront. Also, very cleverly, it explored what might happen after the end.The novel brought the raw emotions of the parents of sick children to the forefront. Also, very cleverly, it explored what might happen after the end. The parents in this novel are devoted to each other and to their young son, Dylan, who is diagnosed with medulloblastoma. When, after surgery, he is deemed by the hospital to have such a poor quality of life that it would be better to let him go, the mother agrees. The little boy's father does not. This differing of opinions puts a mortal rift in their relationship and puts them in the public eye when their case goes to court.
"Turns out you can hate what someone's doing, yet still love them so much it hurts."
The book explores what happens to the family in the future if the hospital and the mother win the court case. Also, in alternate chapters, it explores what happens to the family if the father wins the court case.
I was riveted to the book for the first half - while Dylan was still alive. After the court case decision - after the end - the novel was not as compelling for me. That being said, it was very cleverly written and was very thought-provoking. "What If" is a question that we've all asked ourselves at one time or another. In this case, the 'what if' had much more serious ramifications that most personal dilemmas. This was an impossible decision to have to make. Hard to make, yet even harder to live with after making it. Second-guessing is not easy when the life of someone you love hangs in the balance.
The characters were fully fleshed out. In addition to the parents, Pip and Max Adams, I particularly liked the character of the doctor, Leila Khalili. The author made her seem like the kind of doctor I'd want for my children. She was hard-working, devoted, and empathetic. She was also fallible - as all physicians are... We learn a little of her work ethics, her home life with her visiting Iranian mother, also her loneliness.
The description and writing were top notch. The subject matter was such that some might have difficulty with it. Sadly Claire Mackintosh herself lost a child. I personally commend her courage to write this novel, turning her own experience into an eye opening read which must have brought her pain and hopefully was cathartic at the same time.
Exploring themes of hope, despair, grief, and regret, this novel will tug your heart-strings and make you think. It will cause you to realize just how fragile life is, and to hopefully cherish those you love whenever you get the opportunity. It shows how you must choose to put painful experiences behind you. How, though you'll never forget the person you've lost, there are other people and experiences ahead for you and you must grab them with both hands. You must choose to live again.
All I can say is WOW! My regard for literary fiction increases every time I read such a quality novel.
This is a novel about three people, two men andAll I can say is WOW! My regard for literary fiction increases every time I read such a quality novel.
This is a novel about three people, two men and one woman who have a bond that is stronger than most people will ever experience.
Dora Judd is a stifled woman. A housewife in the 1950s, she is under the thumb of a domineering husband. Her life holds little joy and is as colourless as the brown rooms of her home. When she wins a copy of Vincent Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' at a raffle, she guards the painting fiercely. It is her little bit of colour in a drab existence. When she gives birth to her son, Ellis, love and joy once again are a part of her life. She recognizes her son's artistic talent and encourages his efforts. When Dora passes away, his father demands he give up such a foolish pastime - so at sixteen years old he begins work as a panel beater at the Cowley car plant in Oxford. Hence Ellis Judd, our protagonist, is the 'Tin Man' of the title.
1963 We meet Michael our second protagonist as a motherless boy who is taken in by a caring woman named Mabel. At twelve years of age he meets Mabel and also Ellis for the first time. These two people will show him the exquisite nature of acceptance for the first time. Michael is gay. Since his mother died, his father has realized Michael's true nature and has shunned him from his affections.
Michael and Ellis are boyhood friends - and for a brief time during a trip to France, they are more than friends... Ellis is the love of Michael's life.
When Ellis introduces Michael to Annie, they love one another immediately. The trio share a friendship deep and true.
"I could never bring anyone into our three. I had no room to love anyone else."
Annie is the love of Ellis's life. Skip ahead in time and Ellis Judd is forty-five years old. His life's joy has vanished with the passing of his beloved wife, Annie. He has chosen to work the night shift at the plant since Annie's death as he cannot sleep at night anymore. They had thirteen loving years together. Now she is buried in the same cemetery as the author, C.S. Lewis.
"Her name on the stone still drew disbelief and sadness."
Winman is a storyteller with enviable prowess. She writes with deep compassion and empathy for all of her characters. Because of this, they become very real to the reader and their pain becomes your pain, their joy becomes your joy.
"Tin Man" is a book about acceptance, loneliness, heartbreak, grief and loss. A novel of true love and the myriad forms that it comes in...
Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from G.P. Putnam's Sons via Edelweiss. This is my honest review of an exemplary novel....more
This novel was about sibling relationships, a subject that is always fascinating to me as an only child. Also, the old Fanny Farme3.5 stars rounded up
This novel was about sibling relationships, a subject that is always fascinating to me as an only child. Also, the old Fanny Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook resonated with me. My own mother swore by this book. At present I have three different Fanny Farmer cookbooks, all different vintages.
This is essentially a novel about family. About the complicated relationships we sometimes have with the people we love the most. The book deals with love, loss, sacrifice, guilt, and regret.
I enjoyed getting to know the Blaire family, warts and all. They were depicted in a very authentic way. The novel was a 'snapshot' of their family life. Recommended!
In a word TENSE. That clenched, panicky feeling kept me turning pages rapidly. Women everywhere have known that feeling. Walking alone, then you hear In a word TENSE. That clenched, panicky feeling kept me turning pages rapidly. Women everywhere have known that feeling. Walking alone, then you hear footsteps behind you. You are just not thinking rationally due to fear and anxiety.
Our protagonist, Joanna lashes out in her fear and what follows is a dire moral quandary. Should she call an ambulance? Or, should she walk away?
The author brilliantly explores both choices - dividing this novel into chapters labelled 'Reveal' and 'Conceal'. It evokes a feeling of 'between a rock and a hard place', because either way Joanna decides, she cannot really cope with her decision... Although I liked the alternate chapters format in some ways, it was also a bit off-putting at times. I was just getting into the story, when OH NO! now we're exploring the other scenario.
Joanna herself was a young woman that I empathized with, but yet couldn't really warm to. She seemed very immature for her thirty years, but they say thirty is the new twenty... She was prone to procrastination and unreliability.
This novel covers themes of guilt, atonement, secrets, and moral dilemmas. It explores the fact that one decision, one quick moment in time, can change your entire life.
There have been several books written lately that feature characters who were abducted, or born into abduction. "The Marsh King's Daughter" stands apaThere have been several books written lately that feature characters who were abducted, or born into abduction. "The Marsh King's Daughter" stands apart from the others. It was skillfully written with a unique slant on the trope.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading of Helena's early history and her convoluted affections for the man who fathered her. For the first twelve years of her life, Helena lived in primitive isolation without electricity or running water. Conflicted, deprived, abused, she well may have been, but she was also intelligent, skilled, and a true survivor. For the most part, I rooted for Helena throughout the novel. The only thing I disliked about her was her childhood distorted views of her mother - a woman who she seems to have no respect or affection for. With this dysfunctional family dynamic, I understood why she felt that way, but didn't condone it. As she matured, her thinking about her mother evolved.
While reading, I learned a little about the native Ojibwe legends, way of life, and the expert skills they developed for living off the land with none of the conveniences we have come to expect. It was fascinating.
Jacob Holbrook, Helena's father was a cruel man. A narcissistic sociopath with no moral compass. He was also a man who was a talented artist and expertly skilled trapper, hunter, and woodsman who truly understood sustainability.
Interspersed throughout the narrative were snippets from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Marsh King's Daughter".
This novel was a skillful blend of psychological thriller and action/adventure story. It spoke to the topics of nature vs. nurture, and dealt with a strong young woman whose life seemed filled to the brim with difficult, if not impossible choices to make.
I look forward to reading more by this talented author....more
John Augustus Murphy is a sad, cynical, and empty man. His life has been riddled by loss. He has lost his faith in God and his trust in people. He hasJohn Augustus Murphy is a sad, cynical, and empty man. His life has been riddled by loss. He has lost his faith in God and his trust in people. He has also lost his career as a cop with the Suffolk County Police, his marriage, his house, but most of all, where it hurts, the sudden and senseless death of his beloved twenty-year-old son.
“I lost my faith a long time before losing my son, and his death proved me right.”
He lives his life on automatic pilot, existing rather than living – and grieving. In the two years following his son’s death, Gus has been driving the courtesy van for a small airport hotel. He lives at the hotel and works as the hotel detective, he also sometimes works security when they are busy.
When one of the criminals he once arrested comes to the hotel to see him, his life is irrevocably changed. The man tells him about the loss of his own son, another criminal. Only this man’s son was brutally murdered and the police don’t seem to be interested in putting anyone away for the crime. Their attitude seems to be ‘let the trash take care of itself’. This man, Tommy Delcamino, had always found Gus to be a ‘fair’ cop who treated him with human respect. So now, he wants Gus to investigate his son’s murder.
Gus is more than reluctant to get involved, but when Tommy Delcamino is brutally murdered, AND Gus’s premises are searched, he deems that this is now ‘personal’, and much to his own jeopardy, he investigates.
Gus has to visit some dangerous places and talk to some dangerous people to investigate the Delcamino’s deaths.
“…but if you want to learn about bottom feeders you don’t speak to the angels”.
What he learns leads to his losing faith in the very police department he once worked for and makes him reassess his own friendships.
The Long Island setting is well depicted, and it is obvious that the author is very well acquainted with the area – this is where he lives after all. The writing is astute and for the most part somber. This is essentially a ‘hard-boiled’ detective novel with a ‘noir’ feel. I think it will be enjoyed by those who enjoy this genre and follow the television shows “Ray Donovan”, “Bosch”, and the like. I think men will appreciate it more than woman, though anyone who enjoys the works of Lee Child, Michael Connelly, or Dennis Lehane will likely appreciate his work.
I enjoyed “Where it hurts“, but I didn’t love it. What I did love was the author’s writing. He has a knack for cutting to the heart of the matter with a clever turn of phrase.
“Where it hurts” is the first novel in the author’s Gus Murphy series. The second Gus Murphy novel, “What you break” is due to be published in February 2017.
My rating: 3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads....more
A novel of family secrets that will please bibliophiles and history buffs alike.
First we meet Roberta, in her early thirties, who works at “The Old anA novel of family secrets that will please bibliophiles and history buffs alike.
First we meet Roberta, in her early thirties, who works at “The Old and New”, a bookshop who struggles to make a profit. She was hired by the owner, Philip to aid him in the shop. Roberta lives alone with her cat, and has little in the way of a social life. Her mother left the family when Roberta was small and she was brought up by her father (now terminally ill) and her grandmother. She collects letters and other objects that she finds in the used books that they sell. She stores these treasures in a suitcase that once belonged to her dear Babunia, her grandmother. One of the letters she finds was written by her grandfather and its cryptic message begets a family mystery which Roberta tries to solve. This presents quite a challenge, as she doesn’t want to upset her dying father or her grandmother who is now 110 years old and living in a nursing home.
For the most part a historical novel, “Mrs. Sinclair’s suitcase” has two protagonists in two different time periods – a grandmother’s story and a granddaughter’s story. This dual narrative device works particularly well with a family saga such as this one.
I liked the grandmother’s story the best. Originally from Oxford, Dorothy married on her 34th birthday to escape a domineering mother. Her mother highly disapproved of her husband, Albert, deeming him ‘beneath her’. By 1940 Dorothy Sinclair was a married woman living in Lincolnshire. Dorothy’s escape to a new life hadn’t turned out as she had hoped. She longed for a child and was repeatedly disappointed with miscarriage after miscarriage. Then with her sixth pregnancy, Dorothy carried the baby to term and worked arduously to sew a layette for her little miracle. She stored these baby clothes in a suitcase under her bed. Alas, baby Sidney was born with the cord tight around his neck… After the stillbirth of their son – Albert absconded the family home to ‘join up’ leaving Dorothy to take in ‘land girls‘ and copious amounts of laundry. Her tedious existence is forever changed when one day a hurricane crashes in a field near her home. She heard the noise of the impending crash and ran out to the field – thinking she had nothing else to live for…. The poor pilot died – but villagers and the nearby air force base thought her courageous for trying to ‘save’ the pilot. Dorothy knew better.
The next day Jan Pietrykowski, a Polish air squadron leader came to her cottage to thank her. An immediate and reciprocal attraction ensured that Dorothy at last had fallen in love. Jan made her feel complete at last. Sadly he had to fly his fighter plane in the war, and was gone for many, many months. His letters she stored in the suitcase with her baby son’s unused layette.
Events transpired that forced Dorothy to make a decision that tested the very fiber of her being, an ethical dilemma, that would be a very difficult and life changing choice for her.
Filled with delightful imagery, “Mrs. Sinclair’s suitcase” is a novel about loneliness, love, sacrifice, aging, and the hardships of war. Written with empathy for the plight of both protagonists, Louise Walters’ debut novel is one not to be missed!
Fictionophile
>
Books:
g-p-putnam-s-sons
(20)
Loading...
