I LOVE SHOES (PART 4...)

These Faith shoes were £19, reduced from £65 in the Debenhams sale.  I love the gorgeous diamante butterfly effect at the front.  Another of my favourite pairs!

I LOVE SHOES (PART 3...)

These pewter Roland Cartier beauties are one of my favourite pairs of shoes, and are currently being re-heeled.  They were either £31 or £37, reduced from £70 and, quite frankly, were not worth that.  Took forever to break in, initially made my toes bleed and seem to need to get them re-heeled after only a couple of wears.
Still, they do look lovely!

I LOVE SHOES (PART 2...)

I also own these Vivienne Westwood shoes (Lady Dragon pink heart, as connoisseurs will be aware!)

Saw them in the shops for £120 and thought, bugger that.  Kept my eyes peeled and found them on Ebay for £51 six months later.  Patience is the key!

I LOVE SHOES....

I don't just spend my time reading, writing and blogging...Oh no, I also love shoes (my friends are sure my middle name is Imelda!)

Had my eye on these Debenhams luminescent babies for a while, but wasn't gonna pay 40 quid for them, no bloody way, I like a bargain!

So when I saw them today, reduced to £11.85, I just had to have them- they spoke to me!

MORE INNOCENT TIMES by IMOGEN PARKER

MORE INNOCENT TIMES

BY IMOGEN PARKER

THE BLURB:-

Gemma is ready for a change of scene. Her self-imposed exile in America worked for a while, but now she's returning to England for a fresh start. A new job, new house, new life beckons; but there are old problems too, the same painful, raw problems she ran away from ten years ago.

Daisy stole Oliver from her. Her beloved sister just walked off with the love of her life. They never talked about it. They haven't talked about anything since.

This is the story of two pairs of sisters- Gemma and Daisy, their mother Estella and her sister Shirley. It tells of love and passion, jealousy and secrets, and follows a family mystery back to its origins in the 1950s- to more innocent times.

THE REALITY:-

It was nice for someone without a sister, like myself, to read this book and try to understand how this complex relationship works. It is enlightening to see how a lack of communication in any relationship can cause severe problems.

It is full of interesting, bohemian characters, but also maddening- you want to kill Estella (who kills herself) for her stupidity in the reasoning behind carrying out that very act. You also have to ask the question; what the hell do Gemma and Daisy see in Oliver? He doesn't seem that great to me- a bit of a pig at times would be closer to the truth.

The letters between Estella and Shirley offer a lovely highlight to the novel, as do Shirley's intimate conversations with Gemma, discussing her life in her seaside town.

Fast paced, lively and modern, with people and situations you can really believe in, this would be a lovely summer read.

GILLESPIE AND I by JANE HARRIS

GILLESPIE AND I

BY JANE HARRIS

THE BLURB:-

1933, London. Harriet Baxter decides to put straight, once and for all, the truth about her life and the fate of an artist called Ned Gillespie.

Decades earlier, Harriet arrives in Glasgow in time for the International Exhibition. A young art lover of independent means, Harriet becomes friend and champion to the up-and-coming painter Ned Gillespie. She is embraced by his extended, somewhat troubled family and soon becomes a fixture in their lives. But when tragedy strikes the Gillespies, Harriet's connection with them disintegrates into mystery, deception and potentially life-changing accusations.

THE REALITY:-

Wow! This was one huge tome. I was torn between finding it long-winded, yet gloriously detailed. I don't suppose you get one without the other.

Glasgow and its characters were brought magically to life, via our modern anti-heroine. She's unconventional in that she's independent, doesn't want to be married, and she does thoroughly modern things for a woman in 1888, such as (shock, horror!) smoke.

A totally unique concept; the Scottish “Not Proven” verdict is not something I have ever encountered before. Fans of Carry On films will love the salacious content and language, as domestic and prison situations are bought wickedly to life.

This book will madden you, and you can really sympathize with Harriet as she gets set up, and the impotence she feels at not being able to do an awful lot about it. The is she/ isn't she question of the identity of 1933 Harriet's maid will have you turning the pages to the very end.

A good read, not for the fainthearted!

THE SAVAGE GARDEN by MARK MILLS

THE SAVAGE GARDEN

BY MARK MILLS

THE BLURB:-

Behind a villa in the heart of Tuscany lies a Renaissance garden of enchanting beauty. Its grottos, pagan statues and classical inscriptions seem to have a secret life of their own- and a secret message, too, for those with eyes to read it.

Young scholar Adam Strickland is just such a person. Arriving in 1958, he finds the Docci family, their house and the unique garden as seductive as each other. But post-war Italy is still a strange, even dangerous, place and the Doccis have some dark skeletons hidden away in their past.

Before this mysterious and beautiful summer ends, Adam will uncover two stories of love, revenge and murder, separated by 400 years... but is another tragedy about to be added to the villa's cursed history?

THE REALITY:-

For me, it was good to read a book written by a male author, from the point of view of a man (for a change!) and great to see relationships and sex explored from the masculine perspective.

This was extremely well researched and was a lesson in itself- it made me want to look into mythology and the works of Dante myself. The character of Adam comes across as very learned, and the author certainly knows his subject.

The drawing at the beginning of the novel was a good touch and essential for making sense of the story; it could have been more detailed, though. The direct speech between Signora Docci and Maria was lovely, and added individuality to an already good read.

This was a classy take on a murder mystery, which was as much about life inside the villa and seeing the local sights as finding out what really went on 400 years ago, and more recently. This was like an adult version of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, which, as a child, I simply could not get enough of.  The concept of a hidden room (often featured in novels!) in the shape of a locked top floor naturally made you want to explore and find out what's secreted there.

The book reached a gentle climax, and you kind of knew what was coming, which was a shame.