THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE by MAGGIE O' FARRELL

THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE

BY MAGGIE O'FARRELL

THE BLURB:-

Fresh out of university and in disgrace, Lexie Sinclair is waiting for life to begin. When the sophisticated Innes Kent turns up on her doorstep in rural Devon, she realises she can wait no longer, and leaves for London. There, Lexie carves out a new life for herself at the heart of bohemian 1950s Soho, with Innes by her side.

In the present, Ted and Elina no longer recognise their lives after the arrival of their first child. Elina, an artist, wonders if she will ever paint again, while Ted is disturbed by memories of his own childhood- memories that don't tally with his parents' version of events.

As Ted's search for answers gathers momentum, so a portrait is revealed of two women separated by fifty years, but linked by their passionate refusal to settle for ordinary lives.

THE REALITY:-

What a wonderful book! This is the second Maggie O' Farrell novel that I've read and, as with the first, I read it through in a couple of days. An interesting and easy read.

I'm always slightly uncertain about writing in the present tense but the author seems to make it work. I liked the way she played with scenes- she described a love scene backwards (very fascinating) and dropped hints regarding Lexie, our 1950s heroine, and her early demise (although Innes' death came as a total and unprecedented shock.)  Her descriptions of motherhood are detailed and so real that you can almost reach through the page and touch them and her storytelling really brought Lexie's London to life.

I like the way the two tales intertwine via the location of buildings- the place where Innes kept his offices is now, fifty years on, the coffee shop that Ted pops into most days- and how the place seems to keep an imprint of its previous occupants. I found the memory loss and deja vu suffered by Ted very atmospheric and also loved the way the author almost violently described the near-death experience Elina had whilst bringing her son into the world, and the after affects of that traumatic labour. I liked this unusual, foreign character, with her artistic bent and her alternative style of dressing. Put a story together that involves art, bohemian fashion, writing, London and unconventional, daring women and it's hard to go wrong with me.

I buy most of my books from charity shops. I will get a Kindle but, for me, nothing quite beats opening a real, living, breathing book. I bought this one from a Saint Francis' Hospice charity shop. I like to support them as they looked after my friend as she died her untimely death from ovarian cancer a couple of years ago. I always manage to find some good reads in this shop, some of them very current, such as Gone Girl, The Dress Thief (which I was about to order from Amazon) and my previous Maggie O' Farrell novel, The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox. I will make it my business to seek out more titles by this riveting author and learnt some lessons regarding writing from reading her work, which is always satisfying to do.

GONE GIRL by GILLIAN FLYNN

GONE GIRL

BY GILLIAN FLYNN

THE BLURB:-

Who are you? What have we one to each other?

These are the questions that Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.

So what did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?

THE REALITY:-

Wow, what a masterpiece! I can understand why this book became a best seller and am now looking forward to seeing the film- this is one superb thriller and gets five stars from me.

The detailed descriptions of the characters' psyches are really explored via the writing and your sympathy ends up swinging from person to person. To start with, you feel sorry for Nick but then end up hating him and ditto for Amy. I wish I hadn't allowed this book to fall open at a future page, and hence- SPOILER ALERT!- finding out that Amy was actually alive, but luckily it was near the end of part one, and it's in part two that her story is detailed.

The setting was almost ghostly in its desolation, with the bankrupt town and disused shopping mall eerily described. As the tale progresses, you end up trying to differentiate between what is truth and what is fiction, especially with regard to Amy's diary. I loved all of the minor and not so minor characters and was saddened and touched when Amy got ripped off whilst on the run. I also had no sympathy for Desi, who also had extreme “issues.” The novel certainly makes you explore a whole caveat of personal emotions. I loved the use of quizzes to help you understand Amy and also her diary descriptions of being the “cool girl.” The writer left no stone unturned with the thoroughness of continuity and the tying up of any loose ends (rather like Amy!) Both of their crime research is second to none!

I ended up hating both characters- they are absolutely revoltingly horrid and deserve each other. I know Nick should have kept it in his pants but I do wish that he could have “manned up and grown a pair” and stuck up to this vindictive cow at the end of the novel- either that or simply killed her. Whilst I understand her motive for her wanting to stitch him up (a woman scorned, and all that) she is still an evil cow and deserves to die for what she did.

 

RIMMEL MASCARAS...

I have been using Rimmel make-up since I was a teenager and don't really see the point in upgrading to more (sometimes ridiculously) expensive products that do exactly the same job.  I've tried some of the premium make-up brands and, like anything else, some of the products are better than the cheaper versions, some are the worse and some no different. 

I like sticking to what I know- here's why!

As it's advertised everywhere, I thought I'd give their new Super Curler mascara a go.  I'm not generally swayed by advertising at all, but was in a particularly jovial mood and thought I'd take advantage of Superdrug's "3 for the price of 2" on all Rimmel cosmetics.  Kate Moss advertises this and, despite looking a bit dodgy nowadays, has very nice green eyes (green eyes are the best!!!!)  The same applies to the other Kate (no, not Middleton!) I'm talking Katie Price.  Despite ruining her once pretty looks through extensive plastic surgery, her eyes remain beautiful.

This was okay, but nothing to get your knickers in a twist about- it did the job, the curved brush was neither a help or a hindrance, but it did make my lashes look a bit twisted and spidery.  I'm gonna be sticking to Rimmel's Extreme Volume mascara in black, like I have been doing for AEONS.  With no fancy brush gimmicks, it does what it says on the tin.

Whenever I get to the till at Superdrug, they always try and plug Scandaleyes Mascara- they reckon it's their best seller and are always surprised when I tell them that I don't like this one.  The brush is way too fat and it's like trying to put your mascara on using a hairbrush!

SOMEONE LIKE YOU by CATHY KELLY

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

BY CATHY KELLY

THE BLURB:-

Emma, Leonie and Hannah all want just one thing in life- and then they'll be truly happy.

For just-married Emma, happiness means escaping the control of her domineering father and conceiving a much longed for child with her beloved husband.

For Leonie, divorced mother of three teenagers, it means finding the true love that was missing from her ten-year marriage.

And for Hannah, striking out alone after the man she loved abandoned her, happiness means independence and security- something she doesn't think any man can provide.

But sometimes when you wish with all your heart for a dream to come true, you rick destroying the happiness within your reach.

THE REALITY:-

This chick lit is certainly teaching me something and one of those things is that the men in this particular novel seem to be more in touch with their emotions than I am. Take Emma's Pete, for example, when trying to explain her father's bullying to her: he knows that Jimmy picks on his daughter so that it makes her doubt whether her opinions and feelings are valid, and once that doubt creeps in (as if often does) he can dictate and replace her feelings with whatever he wants them to be, and therefore control her. I'm not a woman who's clued up about feelings and psycho-babble, so it's nice to have things explained to me in black and white (even though I get the jist, it's not something that comes naturally.)

There were certain referenced things I needed to look up. I did not understand the Mr. De Mille bit until I googled him and did wonder what on earth a Saluki woman was (apparently some kind of dog.) I fear that I'm not on the same wavelength as these chick lit writers. Or rather I'm glad. I've never been one for the Loose Women-esque all-girls-together-sitting-and-moaning-about-men sessions. I've always called these sorts of women whingeing harpies.

This book was very long (nearly 700 pages) for a light, bright and trite story, although I did like many of the characters and didn't find it too much like hard work. I admired the way serious issues such as bullying, infertility and Alzheimer's reared their all too realistic heads and was glad that all three of the main characters got some kind of happy ending. I also loved the descriptive and atmospheric descriptions of Egypt, where the three women meet.

My book, The Reject's Club is also long and centres around the friendship between three women, but I think it's much too meaty to be classed as chick lit and has a certain noir quality. Did I enjoy this read? It was okay but nothing spectacular. Would I read Cathy Kelly again? Yes, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do so. 

BLACK FOIL PRINT DRESS...

This is my latest Quiz Clothing acquisition...

It's very glam and lovely, with a silver foil print and sequins on the bodice and a floaty, dippy hem.  Perfect for Christmas parties (or any other party, come to that!)  Quiz Clothing is my favourite brand.  This was only £21 and was a Black Friday deal.

I think I might add a small mesh frill to the hem though, to lengthen the skirt without making it frumpy.  I'm not sure I want to wear a pussy pelmet and I'm not skinny like the model.  I also like to be individual and you can bet your bottom dollar that no-one else will think of doing the same.

BLINGING UP THE BORING...

1) Take one Hobbs maxi dress which is beautifully cut but a tad...boring...

2) Shorten it (because I am a titch!)

3) Bling it up, with pink and purple jewels and heart shaped buttons...

And voila!

I wasn't sure about the colour of this one- to me, navy is an old lady's colour, although this french navy is a tad more elegant.  I also pull down the straps to make it off-the-shoulder and s-e-x-y...

Also, this was in the eveningwear range and to me this is the kind of thing you might wear for a nice daytime meal out or on holiday (including to the beach!)

Having said that, I don't really wear this dress so it might end up becoming a top.  We shall see...

Six months later...an update...

I did it!  I turned it into a sex-goddess-supreme, off-the-shoulder top.

Dig the heart-shaped buttons. xxxx

THE REJECT'S CLUB by ELAINE ROCKETT...

I have now re-published The Reject's Club as a tome (full version as opposed to serialization) for those of you who (like myself) prefer tomes.

This is the Kindle version

This is the paperback version.

Note that it's going to still be available as a series.

I am also marketing my work via Wattpad, which allows me to post my novel chapter by chapter, for readers to view.  

Here is the link:-  https://www.wattpad.com/184007509-the-reject%27s-club

I won't be uploading loads of chapters, though- to read the lot you will have to buy my novel.  A girl's gotta make a living somehow!

Agents and publishers take note- I am here and I'm not going away.
I've got about twenty or so more agents to send my work to, in the hope of proper publication.

Once I've done that I'll begin my second novel properly.  So far I've made notes and completed some research but I put this work hold whilst trying to get The Reject's Club "out there."  I just thought it was better to concentrate on one project at a time and give it my all.