THE ACCIDENTAL CALL GIRL by PORTIA DA COSTA

 THE ACCIDENTAL CALL GIRL

by

PORTIA DA COSTA

THE BLURB:

It's the ultimate fantasy:

When Lizzie meets an attractive older man in the bar of a hotel, he mistakes her for a high class call girl on the look-out for a wealthy client.

With a man she can't resist...

Lizzie finds herself following him to his hotel room for an unforgettable night where she learns the pleasure of submitting to the hands of a master. But what will happen when John discovers that Lizzie is far more than she seems...?

A sexy, thrilling erotic romance for every woman who has ever had a “Pretty Woman” fantasy.

THE REALITY:

Hmm... Well, if it's sex, sex and more sex that you want then this book certainly delivers! It's all happening almost from the first page and, to be honest, it did get a bit boring until some semblance of a story came through, at the point where John takes “Betty” away for the weekend (more than half way through the book). By that time we've already had a steady drip of what makes “Betty” (aka Lizzie- I have to say Betty suits her better!) tick, and I do like the fact that she's into olde-worlde glamour and makes a lot of her slightly alternative style clothing herself. I can relate to that. It's at this point we start to find out what makes John tick.

I did wonder if I'd be able to relate to the role of a female submissive, when I am certainly of the female dominant type! But it is interestingly explored in language that doesn't make you cringe, and it also shows that everybody has a level of dominance/ submissiveness within them- it's just a case of finding it, and this is explored. I did love the glamorous locations Betty was taken to, and the opulent dom/sub orgy they attended (very “Eyes Wide Shut,” and this film is referenced in the book!)

The add-on characters of Lizzie's housemates (and her cat) were interesting and Brent, in particular, was important to the storyline, but it's John's history that really interested me (titled, indeed!) I also liked how family relationships are explored in this novel, and I'm glad the book didn't end with “and reader she married him...” Rather, Lizzie and John come to their own arrangement, and there is another book in the series after this. Do I want to read it? Hell, yes!

Did I find the story sexually stimulating? Well, it wasn't boring, but no, I did not. Maybe it's that female submissive angle, or maybe it's the fact that I was reading this to gain some writing tips (I've already written my first erotic short story (featuring a dominant woman and her temporary slave, under a nom de plume). So stay tuned for my future efforts- although you won't know that they come from my pen! Like the author, sometimes you need to distance yourself from certain genres of work, lest it has a detrimental effect on the rest of your career. It's actually a shame that it has to be that way, but at the same time, an erotic and suggestive nom de plume is a hell of a lot of fun!

EATING THE ELEPHANT by ALICE WELLS

 EATING THE ELEPHANT

by

ALICE WELLS

THE BLURB:

A shocking and powerful story of a marriage torn apart by lies, bereavement and abuse.

Alice, a dedicated doctor and mother of two children, bravely tells the story of her marriage to a man hiding a terrible secret- one into which he has drawn their 4-year-old daughter, Grace. As the shocking truth about their family life unfolds at a heartstopping pace, Alice struggles to learn how to survive the impact and piece together her shattered world. The devastation of what Alice is forced to face when her life is hit by catastrophic pain, and the trauma of wondering if she overlooked the signs, is laid bare in a way that will stay with you for a long time to come.

How do you eat an elephant, one bite at a time?

THE REALITY:

I chose this from a reduced basket outside a part-new/ part-second-hand shop, for the princely sum of 50p, intrigued by its title and the fact that it's based on truth. I also bought it because a flick through led me to see the word Cairo (Alice and Mark meet there) and the novel I was reading at the time coincidentally featured a stay in Cairo. On opening the pages I found that it was a total memoir, which I believe is written under a pseudonym (and I can see why). The term “eating the elephant” relates to the elephant in the room: something huge which needs to be addressed. It didn't take me much of a read to realise that I was looking at a story about a woman who finds out her husband has been dealing with pornography online, and child porn- paedophilia- at that. Then he goes and smashes his car up and dies, which is believed by all to be an accident (although I'm not so sure about that).

This book clearly had something going for it, as I read it in a day but... After finding out what the story was about (and the fact that it's true makes it a million times worse) I felt soiled by the content, and didn't want it in my hands any longer than was necessary. Again, I sped through the content (but not so much that I didn't understand what was going on) but felt compelled to read it rather than put it down, and I think that's because this is something that we all need to know about- how these perverted people hide in plain sight. Mark comes alive on the pages as a person, and we have to acknowledge the fact that not everyone is “good” or “bad.” In fact, the average person will have elements of both aspects in their character, and this is sensitively approached. Here we see a woman with a very serious profession- that of a palliative care consultant- which does seem a depressing profession if ever there was one, but someone's got to do it. You also see how she's torn between two cultures, that of the USA and UK, and find out that her romance with Mark is far from ideal and, to me, it comes across as being that way right from the beginning. You do question why Alice married him, and also certain signs (such as Mark liking Alice's teenage figure, and hating her pregnant or post giving birth shape) pop up into her head and ours.

One thing that really kept me compelled was the sheer coincidence of Mark dying on my birthday!!!!!  I found myself wound up by the sheer hoops Alice had to go through to transfer her skills from US training to UK practice- I know we are dealing with the serious profession of healthcare, but does it really have to be that difficult? I was also concerned as to whether Mark had got his daughter involved (he had) and whether she was “moving on” (she seemed to be). The writing moved along but a few paragraphs did come across as rather convoluted and confusing. I did enjoy the elephant references, and do hope that Alice managed to find happiness in real life, as her marriage was certainly doomed from the start.

This is a book that no one will want to read; but everyone should.

THE CHRISTMAS ROSE by DILLY COURT

THE CHRISTMAS ROSE

by

DILLY COURT

THE BLURB:

Standing on London's Royal Dock with the wind biting through her shawl, Rose Munday realises she's been abandoned by her sweetheart...

Rose had risked everything to get to London but, stumbling through the peasoup fog, she has nowhere to go, and no one to turn to.

Scared and alone, Rose steps straight into danger, only to be rescued by two women with even less to their names- a woman of the night and her young sidekick, Sparrow. Left with only a cluster of love letters and all hope of her sweetheart's return fading, Rose finds herself forging a new life with her unlikely companions.

But when a good deed turns sour, a dangerous enemy threatens to ruin them all. Will Rose be able to save her new friends and her future? If she can, a Christmas gift awaits that will change her life forever...

THE REALITY:

I actually started this book just before Christmas, but finished it a couple of months later. Like a soap opera, it was easy to pick up on the thread with only a little backtracking and re-reading after an absence. Rose was a lovely character, but I did find a bit of a cliché going on- it has been mentioned before that too many heroines have red hair and green eyes but, to be fair to the author, it wasn't something that was shoved down your throat.

This was a good study of London life in 1882, but not too detailed, and I think these “feel good” novels are meant to be that way. I did adore some of the characters; such as Rose's boss Eugene, and his sister, Cecilia. I also loved Sparrow, and it was easy to pick up on a lot of her experiences just by the way she came across, and also by the way she spoke and pronounced her words. I do think the bad characters in the book could have been explored in more depth though, and I'm thinking of Gilroy, Piggin and Regan. I'm always interested in what drives such miscreants, and eager to feel the full stench of their characters leap off the page, and it was a wasted opportunity as that didn't happen with this story (again, it's due to the “feel good” nature of the novel, and these reads do tend to skirt over reality a bit too much). It was heartwarming, however, to find that most of the people in this book were inherently good (I'm thinking of Cora, who helps Rose out even though she doesn't know her). Is that a reality? Do people like this really exist en masse in real life? Hmm, I'm not overly sure, but maybe that's just the cynic (or realist!) in me!

The Cairo sections were extreme fun, as was seeing Rose's relationship with Max developing- for the worse. It was easy to see that Rose was going to end up with (spoiler alert!) Eugene, and I can't say that I blame her- physically, his dashing, tall, musketeer looks were more appealing than Max's blondness. I did enjoy these chapters immensely, and found the way Rose seemed stuck between the working and the upper classes very subtly depicted. I also liked that Rose was a pioneer for her time, being a female journalist when women were, generally speaking, banned from having a career. She had to write under a pseudonym; much like Ellis Bell, Currer Bell, Acton Bell and Mary Ann Evans (that's Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, Anne Bronte and George Elliot to you!)

As with these novels, there is a huge element of convenience all round, especially with Eugene being rich and in love with Rose from day one. But I cant say that it soured the novel- just made it predictable. A nice read.

OUR FAIR LILY by ROSIE GOODWIN

 OUR FAIR LILY

by

ROSIE GOODWIN

THE BLURB:

Marrying for love was all well and good but it wasn't always enough...

Nuneaton 1875.

Lily Moon, the local miner's daughter, spends her days as a parlour maid for Lord and Lady Bellingham at Oakley Manor, and lives a happy life. But one day, everything changes when she becomes lady's maid to the Bellingham's daughter, Arabella, who is pregnant with an illegitimate child.

When Arabella suddenly disappears and Lily is left holding the baby, it is only Louis Belligham, the handsome son and heir of the estate, who shows an interest in the child. Soon a friendship forms between him and Lily. Or, perhaps more than a friendship if the village gossips are to be believed.

Could Lily dare to believe that she might be more than just a parlour maid?

THE REALITY:

Ah, the old “feel good” romance that I don't tend to go for! But I was given this as part of a bundle, and the historical aspect of the novel appealed. The proofreading was not without discrepancies- on page 59 Arabella's baby was referred to as Anastacia's baby (incidentally, Anastacia is a lovely name- Russian, I do believe...) And on page 328 there was a serious case of bad punctuation in a paragraph containing tautology, but I accept that proofreading is difficult- in my own writing I often come across things I've missed, despite reading and re-reading. Enough of the judgement! This book must have had something going for it as it didn't take me long to finish it.

I have to say, I did find the character of Lily a bit too good to be true, and would loved for her to have some discernable faults; even if only minor. I did also find the whole storyline nice but unbelievable. Would a lord of the manor really (spoiler alert, although to me it was obvious where the storyline was going!) marry someone who hailed from the working class, even if she had managed to better herself through sheer talent? And is the kind of good luck Lily was subjected to really realistic? Not in my experience it isn't, but maybe I'm just a cynic and a realist! Having said that, maybe it's good to immerse oneself in escapism every now and then. I found we had a good mix of characters in this book, and generally they appeared to be genuine, kind, forgiving and understanding people, especially for the time frame of 1875. I was brought up with parents who came across as being judgemental and censorious, and they were born much later, but that kind of attitude did pop up in the book in the shape of village gossips (and I have a personal loathing of that kind of small-town attitude).

I enjoyed reading about the rise of Lily and her move to London, although I did find the word “awe” used repeatedly and too much, and I liked the foil of her ex Robbie and his craziness, and her sister Bridget who had to lie in the bed she'd selfishly made. The accident down the mine was heartfelt and it was good to have the realities of life displayed on the page. I also found the way the writer depicted regional accents as general but considered, and this wasn't a bad touch. This was an okay read if you can suspend your disbelief (and really, isn't reading a novel about just that?

A CUCKOO IN CANDLE LANE by KITTY NEALE

 A CUCKOO IN CANDLE LANE

by

KITTY NEALE

THE BLURB:

She stepped into the narrow hall, eyes clouding when she saw her dad's coat hanging on the rack. Sick with disappointment, she crept upstairs to her room, clambered into bed, and curled into a tight ball under the thin blankets...

In 1953 Elsie and Bert Jones move to Candle Lane full of hope for the future. Although Elsie desperately misses their comfortable house in Wimbledon, she is determined to make a success of her new life.

They are a warm-hearted family, and Elsie soon makes friends with her less fortunate neighbour Ruth and her daughter Sally. But before long Elsie realises that all is not well in the house next door...

THE REALITY:

Another south-London-based book, when it didn't seem so long ago that I'd just read one. I'm from north of the Thames, so am a bit unfamiliar with life there; although I have ventured to those parts before (crikey, I'm making it sound like it's the other side of the world!) In fact, the other side of the world does feature, when Arthur (spoiler alert!) briefly emigrates to Australia but returns home when he suspects he's the father of Sally's baby...

Enough of the skipping ahead and, seeing where the book was going, I did kind of do that with a flick through, so settled down to finish the novel properly. I do like the way history (the Queen's coronation) and social history (the advent of post-war council housing) intertwines with this book, but then it wouldn't make sense for it to be written any other way. I do like the way community really mattered in those days, and it is something that's been sadly lost. I also liked the way there were lots of jobs available in those days- oh, to have that abundance of opportunity now!  Nowadays unemployment and underemployment are a massive problem, and this country is in a mess.  

Serious issues were tackled throughout this novel- from child abuse to wife beating, homosexuality and teenage pregnancy- and I did enjoy reading about the various characters, who were a well-rounded and engaging bunch. I also picked up on the love, and conflicting emotions, as some characters behaved in a way outside of society's dictates. What John and Lottie were up to was quite obvious, and at times I wanted to kick Sally- our leading lady- for her lack of realisation. I also wanted to kick her for not being open with Arthur at any time, when if she had, she might have found happiness earlier. Mind you, if she had, then there wouldn't have been as much of a story! The older characters of kind shopkeeper Sid and seen-it-all granny Sadie were probably the most warming. My parents would have sprang from that generation, but they did come across as more stiff-upper-lip and censurious, and less generous of heart towards others and their faults, so this book did touch a raw nerve.

For me, the best parts of the story were regarding Sally's psychic gift, and how she saw the world through her feelings and peoples auras. I'm glad she split up with (spoiler alert!) hypocrite John and found her happy ending in the shape of her Arthur. Heavens, given the descriptions of him, I quite fancied him myself! I love the way she called her “angel” baby Angela- I've used that exact reference in my novel, The Reject's Club, myself. This Kitty Neale offering is worth a go; the go and read my novel once you're done!

THE MAGIC COTTAGE by JAMES HERBERT

 THE MAGIC COTTAGE

by

JAMES HERBERT

THE BLURB:

We thought we'd found our haven, a cottage deep in the heart of the forest. Quaint charming, maybe a little run-down, but so peaceful.

The animals and birds couldn't have been more neighbourly. That was the first part of the Magic. Midge's painting and my music soared to new heights of creativity. That was another part of the Magic. But the cottage had an alternative side.

The Bad Magic.

What happened to us there was horrendous beyond belief. The miracles, the healings, the crazy sect who wanted our home for themselves, the hideous creatures that crawled from the nether regions, and the bats- oh God, the bats! Even now those terrible things seem impossible to me.

Yet they happened...

THE REALITY:

Compelling and dramatic blurb on the back of a book I'm reading for the third time around! The first time would have been in the late 1980s, when the story was serialised in my mother's Woman magazine, and the accompanying sketch of the enchanted cottage was just beautiful- I think it was the same as this one, which is by illustrator Julie Williams:-

I also love this illustration, which is in the flyleaf of the book:-

But (and this has happened before with me) I remember both as appearing transposed, with the round part and the steps to the right. Hmmm. That's just my mad head! The second reading was in the early 2000s when I re-read the book, and that time I was inspired, I think, after watching a TV programme with a roundhouse in it. This time I insisted on having a copy which featured the cottage illustration on the front (my previous book didn't) as this one is intended to be a bookcase stayer.

Enough of the history! Back to the story and this has artistic and relatable main characters; he a musician, she an illustrator- and brilliant add-on people such as down-to-earth, plain-speaking-yet-humerous musician Bob, and equally as straightforward butch lesbian Val. Mycroft was suitable creepy, Kinsella suitably fake and Sixsmythe- whose old-worlde name kind of relates to the quaint village atmosphere stressed throughout the novel- the epitome of a vicar. The links with magic (always an interest of mine) kept me compelled, as did the detailing of this lovely little cottage itself, and the way the good magic began to evolve in terms of strengthening Midge and Mike's relationship; and nurturing the local wildlife. It wasn't spelled out, but I guessed that our successful main couple were in their thirties, and quite modern (for the 1980s) in that they were just co-habiting and didn't seem to plan on getting married, despite their true love for one another. With mentions of crackly phone lines (there was no internet or mobile phones!), this is very much a novel of its time.

The bad magic was interesting, but maybe (and this is only a maybe) a tad too drawn out- some of the later chapters, where the couple visited Mycroft and he came to wreck havoc within the cottage could perhaps have been condensed (although I did like Mycroft's weird pyramid room...) I loved the twist in the tale when deceased Flora Chaldean, who owned the cottage before Mike and Midge, puts in an appearance and tells Mike (spoiler alert!) that it's he who has the magical powers rather than Midge, and I especially adored tame squirrel Rumbo and am (another spoiler alert) so glad that he returned back to life after being attacked by the bats (incidentally, I didn't find the bats initially scary in the same way that Mike did). I enjoyed the way drug use was explored, and certainly thought the way Midge's parents died was tackled with balance; although there was a purposeful amount of too-much-information that bordered on gore; but then I believe that that's this authors style, and indeed, this book is considered tame for James Herbert.

This is one atmospheric novel, very much worth a read and yes, I would certainly love to live in a cottage like this; only maybe one less remote and in a more urban setting.

MISSING PERSON by MARY JANE STAPLES

 MISSING PERSON

by

MARY JANE STAPLES

THE BLURB:

The house in Caulfield Place, off Browning Street in Walworth, was haunted, or at least that's what the street kids said. So when two men, a woman, and a parrot moved in, everyone was very interested, especially fourteen-year-old Cassie Ford, who was particularly fascinated by the parrot.

And it was just about this time that Mr Finch, Chinese Lady's husband, and Boots's stepfather, began to get mysterious telephone calls. Mr Finch had never told the rest of the Adams family- except for Boots- the secrets of his past, or what kind of work he did for the government, and he decided not to tell them about the slightly sinister telephone calls either.

It was when he took Chinese Lady on a summer's day jaunt in his Morris motorcar that things began to happen. For, in the Hog's Back Hotel, Chinese lady went to the cloakroom, and when she came back Mr Finch had vanished. It took all of Boots's ingenuity to discover what had happened, and Cassie's knowledge of the Caulfield Place parrot was to provide a vital clue in unravelling the mystery.

THE REALITY:

This novel was not that easy to get into, as it had too many characters flung at you at the start. But once you did it leapt along, and was one of those books that can be disregarded for a week or so, with a thread that's easy to pick up again. The study of accents is very good, but it bugged me that it was never explained how Chinese Lady got her nickname- after all, she wasn't even Chinese, and there's no reference to her looking Chinese! There are other books in the series, so perhaps it's all explained there. I also can't remember if it was mentioned how Boots got his nickname, but I just assumed it was to do with him having been in the army.

My favourite character had to be feisty Tilly, who came across as enterprising and attractive, yet kind, despite being no one's doormat. I did love the little girls whose father's house she lodged in, and their wayward mother- a faux Hungarian tightrope walker- made for good copy, too. I enjoyed the way speaking parrots became a theme throughout, and which did, by association, lead to the (spoiler alert!) downfall of Mrs. Harper. This period between the wars, and the life and times of those living in South London (of various classes) was looked at in detail, and the thing that struck me most about the writing was the sense of community. I'm not sure that exists any more; and in a way it's a shame. Don't get me wrong- I wouldn't want to live in the 1930s (especially knowing what we now know about Hitler and his ambitions) and find those days of yore very judgemental. It's just that along the way something a tad special seems to have been lost.

What really worked for me was the way that no character was superfluous to requirements, and the way the (spoiler alert!) kidnap plot unfolded in a very intriguing way. I would have liked to have learnt more about the “ghost” in the house and the murder didn't really get much of a mention. Now, a proper haunting would have made this book come really alive!

GHOST GIRL by LESLEY THOMSON

 GHOST GIRL

by

LESLEY THOMSON

THE BLURB:

A year after her father's death, the detective's daughter inherits a strange new case.

Terry Darnell was a detective with Hammersmith police. Now his daughter Stella has found a folder of photographs hidden in his cellar. Why did he take so many pictures of deserted London streets?

Stella is determined to find out.

One photo dates from 1966, to a day when a little girl, just ten years old, witnessed something that would haunt her forever. As Stella grows obsessed with uncovering the truth, the events of that day begin to haunt her too...

THE REALITY:

This was a bit of a nostalgia trip for me, as I used to live in Hammersmith, the area where the story is set. Weirdly, the author also has the same surname as the guy I was living with at the time, with even the same spelling. He and I remained friends after our break-up but he has now passed; and this was the time of the year when he suddenly died. I also might have an event to attend in Hammersmith soon. Okay, personally haunting/ linking facts aside, let's get on with reviewing this book, which I picked up at the free book exchange section at Southend Station.

Oh, but it all came back to me- the streets in the text were exactly where I played 20 years ago! I've blogged about my ol' home of Hammersmith before and will vlog about it soon; especially regarding down by the riverside and the bridge (Hammersmith Bridge is my favourite Thames bridge, and is one grand old lady...)

This was well-written and current to the culture of Hammersmith but (big spoiler alert!) I did manage to work out that Myra/ Mary/ Marion were the same person. I did (another spoiler alert!) mistakenly think she was the protagonist, and the person responsible for murdering the men involved with killing children in car accidents. It's a horrible theme for a book but this detective novel was written well, with characters who all seemed very realistic. Our main characters Stella and Jack were very different and very daring, and you kind of pick up on a man of two sides with Jack- on one hand he's a responsible train driver and on the other he's a tad whimsical, always looking for signs and has the ability to identify murderers- who he names hosts- or so he thinks. Is the fact that he broke into the house of a “host” realistic, though? Possibly not, but it was written in such a way to make it seem so, if you know what I mean.

The old man in the attic was downright creepy, and once you realise who he is he was none too pleasant in the early parts of the novel, either. But I did like his obsessional model of Hammersmith! This book trips along nicely, and it has certainly inspired me to read more crime novels by this author- the next is set in the same area- but it was the character of little Mary and her relationship with her little brother Michael that seemed the most touching and poignant for me, despite the fact that Mary's capable of doing weird things with angels in graveyards. I actually don't know nearby Ravenscourt Part very well, but I am tempted to venture there to see if the world's longest slide is a work of fiction or not, or at least have a nosey around underneath the railway line.  

I'm also glad spreadsheet tables were included as part of the novel, so you could keep a track of who died and when and how, otherwise the story could have ended up being messy to read. Give this a go- I did take a while to get into it, and therefore had to backtrack, but once I did it was unputdownable.

MRS DALLOWAY by VIRGINIA WOOLF

MRS DALLOWAY

by

VIRGINIA WOOLF

THE BLURB:

Clarissa Dalloway, a fashionable London hostess, is to give an important party. Through her thoughts on that day and through memories of the past, her character is gradually revealed. And so are the other personalities who have touched on her life. Their loves and hates, their tragedies and comedies, all are vividly, intimately- and quite uniquely- brought to life.

Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf's fourth novel, marked an important stage in her development as a writer. With this book she finally broke from the form of the traditional English novel, establishing herself as a writer of genius.

THE REALITY:

I have to say, I approached this novel with trepidation. It's the “stream of consciousness” style, you, see, which I can find skittish and trying. It's not a book you can relax with- indeed, it's almost as if you have to keep on reading and are compelled to turn the page to find out where the threads of anyone's thoughts are going. And that's why the book is a success; once I started it I found it as hard to put down as it was to pick up, namely because it would draw me in and then fascinate.

Literary fiction is about the characters more than the plot, and in that this genre can be lacking, so you have to learn to respect it for what it is; which is an in-depth study of the day, in the lives of a collection of people. For me, its highest achievement was the way it could draw the next character into the plot (or, lack of a plot) seamlessly. That's not an easy thing to do when you're immersed with one person's recollections and nuances, but Ms Woolf does it, and it works. Indeed, I've taken a bit of a lesson on how to write from this book!

There were contradictions in this book, such as when Mrs Dalloway's “virginity preserved through childbirth” was mentioned, until you realise that it's all metaphorical and a state of mind, rather than being. I also wonder how autobiographical this book is, as it mentions Clarissa's liking, romantically, for her own sex, which is something Virginia Woolf was also inclined to. The saddest characters for me were Septimus and Rezia. It would appear that (spoiler alert!) this war-damaged soul could not give his wife what she wanted, and his demise from shellshock to suicide was painfully documented.

I have read a novel before which alludes to a moon garden in the style of Virginia Woolf- a moon garden being a selection of flowers whose leaves and petals glisten under moonlight and which release fragrance after sundown. This novel hints towards that, and I did love the idea of cabbages with leaves “like rough bronze” reflected starkly from the ground. It kind of added to the semi-but-not-quite-romantic and ethereal and insubstantial (because of the multitude of musings) nature of this book. 

It's a short read and worth a go.

ALL DAY LONG by JOANNA BIGGS

 ALL DAY LONG

by

JOANNA BIGGS

A PORTRAIT OF BRITAIN AT WORK

THE BLURB:

What do people do all day? How does work affect our lives? And what happens when we don't work? From Westminster to the Outer Hebrides, Joanna Biggs travels the country to find out who we are through what we do.

THE REALITY:

This piece of non-fiction serves as learning material for something I'm really interested in. Unemployment always gets a mention in society, and underemployment has also become a big issue in the past 20 or so years. I'm also investigating whether underemployment and overeducation can actually be a blessing in disguise, as a failed career does have the potential to push an individual onto a different trajectory, possibly resulting in happiness- or not. It's my job, as I see it, to investigate this.

I have long recognised the fact that the hiring process nowadays is flawed to the state of being egregious- with many online applications simply falling into the ether. And don't get me started on processes such as unpaid internships (or modern slavery, as I prefer to call them...) But that's an investigation for a different day. Back to the book and I love that this gives an insight into what we do at work and how rewarding it is from an entirely unbiased perspective, and hats off to the author for doing that. I have strong opinions on employment in Britain and what it means today, but when I do write about it I will have to make sure that my passions come across as coming from the head and not the heart. I now fully understand what Gillie Bolton (she lectures on using writing as therapy) meant by “the writer's bleeding heart must be kept off the page.” Before I didn't, and insisted that the writer's bleeding heart must be kept on the page, as we connect via emotions. But, in fiction, the emotions must come from the character, not the writer. And, in non-fiction, whilst it's excellent that the piece is driven by the heart, it must be written from a head point of view. I'm so glad that this book gave me the chance to think and unpack my previous thoughts.

This book will make you understand the background to what drives some people and the hard work involved in real success. You also pick up the various motivations involved across the board, and everyone needs that motovational element, no matter what the job. But it will also make you very angry when you see how badly those employed in “lowly” work or the unemployed are treated. It's always fascinated me that stupid employers expect people to be “passionate” about the most shitty job. Why can't these daft clowns realise that in many jobs people are simply there to do the work, earn the money and go home? (Actually, in the notes at the end, it would seem that one employer has certainly learnt this...) My God, it would appear that the working world is full of bullies, and insecure bullies (in the future, let me be the one to speak out about them- this author certainly does, very subtly and cleverly).

It's the quite matter-of-fact yet humane approach to this book that makes it so interesting. It's a book that should feature on every school curriculum.

SLEEPWALKING by JULIE MYERSON

 SLEEPWALKING

by

JULIE MYERSON

THE BLURB:

As the back was covered with positive reviews from critics, I ambled over to Amazon for an explanatory blurb...

Susan finds her year-old marriage to her husband, Alistair, less than ideal. Just as she contemplates leaving him, she discovers she is pregnant with his child. As she grapples with this news she also learns of her estranged father's suicide. Until now, sleepwalking through life has allowed Susan to bury her wants and feelings and has protected her from dealing with conflict and hurt.

And then she meets Lenny. Instantly attracted to this gentle, seductive painter, yet knowing it could lead to crisis, Susan begins an affair with him in her eighth month of pregnancy.

THE REALITY:

It's the second time around for me with this one. It brings back memories of being a student (the first time around!) and living above an Irish pub in north London, circa 1996/97. The author, apparently, was a broadsheet journalist (call me cynical, but does having good connections equal good cover reviews?) and my ex-boyfriend liked her writings, so he bought this book. Me, I'm a chav and preferred to read the News of the World (although I did like the broadsheet weekend supplements). I'm not sure if my ex ever did read the book the whole way through, but he must have read something, as he likened Susan meeting Alistair at a time in her life when she needed to meet someone steady to me meeting him...

Enough of the reminiscing! This is an altogether strange tale, but it's one that touches me on a number of levels. In it you have the notion of ghosts and the dead contacting the living via dreams, and they're both things I've experienced, too. Also, Susan does eventually sort out her relationship with her father, and the baggage she carries around with regard to that out following her strange spiritual happenings, and I have to say that I've done the same with both of my parents.

Enough of being whimsical! This book is really about relationships, and doing what you have to do (or feel you should be doing) and the most heartbreaking relationship depicted here was the one cold mother Queenie had with her sad little son. It is truly wrenching watching him suffer and it brought a tear or a-hundred to my eye. These two characters come across as the strongest and it's noted in the reviews how it's so intriguing watching abuse being passed down from generation to generation. Susan's pregnancy and delight in her little son Jack come across clearly, as does her need to do anything for him. But one unsettling (amongst others) thing about this story was the way a woman who's only weeks away from giving birth embarks on an extra marital affair. It's something I've not come across in a story (before or since) and I kind of get why it happens- in terms of emotions- and I think the sexual descriptions throughout the book are candidly written and clearly depict feelings as well as physical acts.  On a final note, I found the sleepwalking chapter quotes added to the writing in a very interesting way.

This is an unnerving book that will get beneath your skin. Thank you, Wayne, for introducing me to it.

THE BELL JAR by SYLVIA PLATH

 THE BELL JAR

by

SYLVIA PLATH

THE BLURB:

“A girl lives in an out-of-the-way town for nineteen years, so poor she can't afford a magazine and then she gets a scholarship to college and wins a prize here and there and ends up steering New York like her own private car. Only I wasn't steering anything. Not even myself.”

Working in New York one hot summer, Esther Greenwood is on the brink of her future. Yet she is also on the edge of a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal. In this vivid and unforgettable novel about the struggles of growing up, Esther's world shines through: the wide-eyed country girls, her crazed men-friends, hot dinner dances and nights in New York, and a slow slide into breakdown.

THE REALITY:

My good God- this novel is compelling and then some. On a lighter note, I like that Esther decides to name the heroine of her novel Elaine (although she puts the idea of writing a novel off) and writes a line and notes that she's probably read it somewhere else before. I've felt like that and I think all writers have felt like that- because we are readers, too, and sometimes prose sticks in the subconscious if not the conscious. Back to the book and this slow descent into a breakdown is so, so personal (and I believe more-then-partially autobiographical.)

Sylvia Plath uses the shape of a bell jar for an analogy of being trapped inside her mental illness, and its use is very clever and atmospheric. In fact, this whole book is very clever, with a range of similies and metaphors. I especially like the style of writing as Esther (very quickly, or so it seemed) began the initial stages of losing her mind. The reason? Her first real let down: being refused a place on a writing course (I think the novel specifies that she's 20, but don't quote me on that). A previously prodigiously intelligent, excellent student, it comes as a tremendous blow to her. This is based on real life, and it's weird the way that some people can handle let-downs and some can't. If a person has a tendency towards instability, though, they can well end up forming the latter part of that equation.

My favourite parts were Esther's time in new York- where the city, fashions, customs and etiquette of that time (I believe it's the 1950s) come alive and also her relationships with both Buddy and Irwin. Her time in a mental asylum, and her reactions to her treatment (especially electroconvulsive therapy) are brutally tackled with a sensitive hand that seemingly wavers into madness itself. Plath is certainly good at getting you to feel the exact emotions of the main character, and I especially loved the interesting and bloody one-in-a-million loss-of-virginity scene.  I like the way this book doesn't shy away from the gruesome, the animal and the personal, and both giving birth and the viewing of cadavers are depicted.

Regarded as a great, read this and keep it on your bookshelf- I certainly will.

COLD COLD BONES by KATHY REICHS

COLD COLD BONES

by

KATHY REICHS

THE BLURB:

An eye...

It all starts when Dr Temperance Brennan finds a box on her porch. Inside is a fresh human eyeball with GPS coordinates etched into it. They lead her to a macabre discovery in a Benedictine Monastery, and soon after she discovers a mummified corpse in a state park.

...for an eye

There seems to be no pattern to these killings, except that each mimics a case connected to something a younger Tempe experienced, or barely escaped. Someone is targeting her, and she needs to figure out why before they strike again.

And then her daughter Katy disappears.

Someone is playing a dangerous game with Tempe. And they won't stop until they have taken everything from her...

THE REALITY:

I've actually read every single one of Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan novels, after my ex-boyfriend presented Deja Dead (which he'd found on the side in a betting shop) to me in 1998. I was hooked after that (although nothing beats her first novel) and couldn't resist the urge to find myself on Tempe's next adventure. From an erudite point of view I'm committed to a lifetime of constant learning, so it's great to be able to learn about forensic anthropology- Tempe's profession. Also I love hearing about her life with Detective Andrew Ryan, so I'm glad he put in a very large appearance in this book.

Okay. I have to say (SPOILER ALERT!) that I worked out that the perpetrator was a woman after she'd hung the sunflower pendant on Tempe's door. It didn't take much to then deduce who exactly it was. Perhaps it was the way that particular detective's height was made a key feature of her appearance early on? I'm glad we had a female perp, and I'm glad that she was also a cop. Not all cops are whiter-than-white, so it's good that that aspect of life within the police force was depicted. I'm also glad that Tempe's daughter was a part of this story, and that she was described as a real person, with real foibles and issues. When Katy has been referenced in previous books in the series she does come across as a bit too perfect, so I'm pleased that that aspect of her personality has been lost.

I do think the scene where they find Kramden and Olivia a bit too drawn out, whilst at the same time being glad that (spoiler alert!) the little girl was safe, and that Kramden- who'd had a tough time of it, what with being disfigured following service- was just a very strange saddo rather than a seriously dangerous man. The final showdown between Tempe and Henry was a bit too far-fetched but, at the same time certainly possible, and enthralling enough to keep me turning the pages; racing to the end.  I couldn't remember the guy Henry was upset about from previous novels in the series, though.  Perhaps that was the point?  What's important to some people can mean little to another person.

All in all a good read.

THE BONE CODE by KATHY REICHS

 THE BONE CODE

by

KATHY REICHS

THE BLURB:

A hurricane hits the Carolinas, uncovering two bodies.

They are found in a container, wrapped in plastic sheeting, bound with electrical wire- and they bear a disturbing resemblance to a case that has haunted Temperance Brennan for fifteen years.

Meanwhile, panic erupt when a rare flesh-eating bacterium is discovered that affects people who have a genetic mutation.

With unrest growing, time is running out for Tempe. When her search for the truth reveals that both the murders and the disease outbreak are linked, she realises that someone will do whatever it takes to stop her from getting answers.

THE REALITY:

The thing I loved most about this novel is the fact that her romance with Andrew Ryan gets a big mention. I always like for him to be involved! It humanises the character of Tempe and adds a bit of humour and backdrop to her life. This novel is set in both of her home towns; Montreal and South Carolina. I tend to enjoy the Montreal books a bit more, and I think that's because Reichs' first- and best- novel was set there. I also enjoy reading about the add-on character of sharp and surly detective Claudel, who is situated there.

This was a novel I read in fits and starts, which is not always a good idea with crime novels as I feel you need to go with the flow to really get into them. So, a bit of backtracking did take place from time to time. As stories go, it was easy to pick up, despite the esoteric terminology used.

I didn't really get the reason for Polly Beacroft's story, which was an add-on storyline, and it didn't appear to be resolved in any way. It didn't seem to add anything to the book. I did enjoy this novel, though, and found all of the characters very interesting and described in a very human and relatable fashion. I've read all of the Temperance Brennan books to date, and whilst this was not the best it certainly wasn't the worst.

The build up to the dramatic ending was good, and I enjoyed the way the perpetrator tried to (spoiler alert!) kill Tempe by attempting to drown her and make it look like an accident. I also liked that Birdie- Tempe's cat- got his own little acting part! Give this a read- it's worth a go.

HOLD THE DREAM by BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

 HOLD THE DREAM

by

BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

THE BLURB:

Emma Harte was the heroine of Barbara Taylor Bradford's multi-million copy bestseller

A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE

Now she is eighty years old and ready to hand over the reins of the vast business empire she has created.

To her favourite grandchild, Paula McGill Fairley, Emma bequeaths her mighty retailing empire with these heartfelt words: “I charge you to hold my dream.”

HOLD THE DREAM

is the glorious sequel to the story of Emma Harte. A towering international success, this is the powerfully moving story of one woman's determination to “hold the dream” which was entrusted to her- and in so doing so find the happiness and passion which is her legacy.

THE REALITY:

I have seen this book reviewed- and we're talking back in 1985 when it was first released!- with the opinion that this is nowhere near in the same league as A Woman of Substance. That was a mighty family saga, spacing over a period of 65 years and this takes in only two years yet, at over 800 pages, is quite a tome. It's the second time around for me with this book and, although it kept me entertained, I do get where that reviewer was coming from (by the way, I was 13/14 at the time, and the review was in teenage girls' magazine MIZZ. Does that even exist any more?)

A Woman of Substance is my favourite novel ever, and I've reviewed it here:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2020/08/a-woman-of-substance-by-barbara-taylor.html

The TV mini-series first brought it to my attention, and actually moved me to tears! I have seen the TV mini-series to Hold The Dream as well. I suppose, like the book, it was entertaining but not in the same league as its predecessor.

This book did have the odd typo and misuse/ misspelling of words (schadenfreude? You betcha!)😉 To me the biggest disappointment was the lack of information about the Fairley family. I would have loved for Emma's original antagonists to come into play more. I also didn't quite get that the first novel was built around the notion of Paula, Emma's favourite granddaughter, falling in love with a forbidden Fairley. So why now have her fall out of love with him? It kind of grated.

I suppose you had to have the trouble with Edwina's family in Ireland and the death of her daughter-in-law to give the story a bit of bumph and fill it out but that was all that it was- bumph. I am glad that Edwina made up with her mother, though. Again, I would have loved to have Edwina exploring her Fairley bloodline in detail. That would have made for a fascinating storyline.

Unfortunately I wasn't writing the book! If you've read A Woman of Substance maybe think about giving Hold The Dream a miss. It would have been better to leave this series at the first book, methinks.