Hannah Morgan-Lewis
A decent biography, I loved how the author described the empty lives of the Windsors and their utterly decadent lifestyle. Very interesting parts about the links to the Nazi party and some of the scandals that they were linked to. I thought the author gave a good sense of who they were, and this was highly readable. I liked the section at the end listing fiction and films/dramas about the pair. My only big criticism is that I would have liked the kindle edition to have contained some photos, particularly as there were some great descriptions of the clothes, jewels and interior design of the subjects.
I think the great strength of this thriller was the main character, who I thought was very true to life. I loved how the author portrayed him and his family relationships after the death of his sister, and I thought the book had a really strong plot too, going right to the heart of the establishment. The way Peston portrayed the thinly disguised Labour politicians of the 90s was entertaining too.
I read and advanced review copy on Pigeonhole and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is quite a sweet tale of two valets working belowstairs, one of whom is being blackmailed by the other's brother. I enjoyed the plot and thought that the writing was mostly well done, I liked the sub plot of William attending a potentially seditious book club and the reappearance of someone from Edwin's past added an extra dimension to the story. However, this is a book for people who are easily offended in that it's unlikely to make Grandma blush! Nice if you are after those classic literature vibes where a kiss and a fumble are exciting things, but not if you are looking for spicy passionate sex scenes.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The first half of this book I found to be promising historical fiction. The heroine is spirited and educated and I enjoyed the use of the archaic language, it felt authentic. If you are looking for something with a breakneck pace and a cast of thousands, this might be for you.
However, as the plot was so intense I found that the book sacrificed on the emotional intensity. Ruth goes through a variety of horrific events but they scarcely register before Ruth moves on to the next horrific event. What should be devastating flies by without much feeling. The villain of the piece is also unredeemably bad, and personally I prefer my villains with a bit of nuance! I was also not a fan of the ending, but that goes down to personal taste.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Needs serious time commitment, but extremely worth it. Brooks gives a wonderful flavour of the period particularly how women worked and lived. It's obvious that she did a great deal of research and that this was a labour of love.
The character of The Wife of Bath is really fleshed out with all her flaws, as is Chaucer himself. Eleanor has a busy life veering from fortune to being down on her luck but mostly handling it with grace and fortitude, and sometimes escaping for pilgrimages. She is surrounded by a cast of vividly drawn characters including her husbands, the ever loyal Alyson, servants and people she picks up along the way and brings into her household, mostly due to them being down on their luck. I loved the depiction of her unusual family dynamics and the moral dilemmas that they sometimes cause her. If I had one criticism it would be that I wasn't a fan of Eleanor foreshadowing things so frequently, but that was a matter of personal taste which didn't particularly spoil an excellently written entertaining book.
A melancholy gothic novel set in two time periods, following the life of one woman. Ivy remembers a tragic fire that happened in the local Manor House and her passion for the son of the owner, whilst she is mourning the loss of her son. There are a number of mysteries and secrets she gradually unravels. This is not a fast moving novel in terms of plot, but the writing is beautifully lyrical and gives a real sense of both periods, particularly how women dealt with the senseless loss of their children during and after the war. Ivy is a well drawn character and I thought having her narrate in the first person was a good choice, particularly in the way she comes to recognise that maybe she saw things in the wrong way as a young woman. The gothic elements are subtle, there are no ghosts and things that go bump in the night, it's more related to the mysterious foreboding house full of secrets.
Loved this utterly bonkers medieval short story translated from the original Latin. A tailor called Snowball has a few unfortunate ghostly encounters, including one with a green glowing dog! Jones really brings the story to life with some great descriptions.
Nicely illustrated and with some good historical background as well as the original Latin story with notes that Dan Jones has added showing the way that he translated it. Would make a nice Christmas present for someone who likes ghost stories and the medieval period.
I received an advanced review copy for free from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Much like The Circle this is deliberately over exaggerated. I think part of the issue I found with it was that I didn't find the satire very funny and the whole thing seemed rather unworkable in real life. This could have done with some editing too, a great chunk in the middle completely abandoned the plot for ever more ludicrous schemes dreamt up by the protagonist and lapped up by her colleagues. It's undeniably clever, but I thought it lacked substance; it's just Dave repeatedly hitting you over the head with his ‘tech bad' hammer. Plus I absolutely hated the nod and a wink references to current events and even the film version of The Circle.
Another fantastically gripping book from Catherine Cooper, perfect for when you are looking for some escapism. Aura and Nick have moved to a giant French château that needs a great deal of renovation in order to get away from some unfortunate past misdeeds. But are the neighbours what they seem? The novel gradually reveals why they left England in the first place. This is full of unpleasant characters, twists and turns and massive great parties. Kept me reading. Thanks to Pigeonhole for the advanced review copy, I am leaving this review voluntarily.
It's obvious that a great deal of research went into writing this book and I loved the period details such as the details of the food they ate. I also appreciated the author's note explaining how she arrived at her conclusions and how she had departed from history. Good to see a book with mostly female characters and set in France too. It was fascinating finding out about the real royal family of France and to see Mary (Henry VIII of England's sister) in action in the French Court and her future husband, Charles Brandon.
I think however that maybe by let the reader know a little too much about the thought processes of the characters it meant that there weren't many surprises in the plot. Also, whilst the characters were well drawn, I wanted the villainous Louise to be something more than just a villain as it felt a little like most of the book was Claude reacting to another villainous scheme. Claude was more of a multifaceted character who grew as the story progressed, but I felt like Louise was a bit too much of a moustache twiddler and we could have had more about the motivations of a complex character. Still, I did think it had promise and will look out for the follow up.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Under the melodrama and the cheesy romantic interludes I felt like there was possibly a better book struggling to get out. There were occasions where the author did some nice descriptions of the emotions of the characters. Unfortunately, I found that these were brief glimpses marred by an irritating protagonist with an irritating husband and a weird murder mystery plot where she got far too involved with a client to the point of complete unprofessionalism. It was a shame as I felt like Jay could have been an interesting character if she didn't spend so much time mooning. I also got a bit annoyed by the descriptions of the murder victim and felt like it would have been a stronger book if she'd been less of a stereotype.
Capote and his ‘swans' make brilliant subjects for a biography and it's obvious that Leamer did his research. With multiple subjects, it was a difficult task weaving all the stories together and I thought the author did a good job. It was an entertaining (if somewhat tragic at times) biography with lots of gossipy bits. What I found a bit distasteful was the throwaway comments made about the weight of the women, commenting on them being fat or super slim. I think it's probably a generational thing in that Leamer is an older author, but I am listening to Deliberate Cruelty by Roseanne Montillo (about a woman involved with Capote who was accused of murder) at the same time and so far there I haven't found the same kind of weight references.
Very atmospheric and I loved the inclusion of real historical figures who added to the authenticity of the novel. The characters were also well-drawn, particularly Julia, Eve and Rolf. I just found that the plot was a bit slow at points, almost like it should have been a shorter book or the main plot point should have come earlier in the book. It was like the book built up to what should have been a pivotal moment and then ran out of steam and had to move swiftly on to cover the beginning of Nazi Germany at which point the author had to speed up or else the book would have been even more drawn out.
A fascinating and timely biography of a member of a Scottish landowning family who was assigned female at birth but lived life as a man and even had his birth certificate changed to reflect this. When he was forced to ‘prove' his gender in court to prevent his cousin from inheriting, this had implications that would affect trans people to this day.
Professor Playdon has obviously done a great deal of research about Ewan's life, despite the Hidden nature of the case which was kept intirely private behind court orders. There is also a wealth of history regarding how society's attitudes have changed towards LGTBQI+ people, I found it particularly fascinating how it was previously not that big a deal to change gender on your birth certificate, yet partially as a result of this case and through changing societal attitudes, this became an issue mainly to do with fear that the male priomogenitive line would survive and exclude anybody considered to be female. Ewan Forbes's treatment at the hands of the medical establishment he was a part of and by the courts is shockingly cruel at times, even how the tabloid newspapers reported on people who changed genders, yet Playdon shows the reader that the fight to live in dignity and privacy is far from over for many people.
I found this a difficult one to rate as it's such a deeply introspective novel. Told totally in the voice of Lear's pretty much unnamed wife as she reminisces about her marriages and her family. As this is set in the convent where she has been banished to, there is not a great deal of plot even though this is set during a plague.
Overall, I thought it was a good idea and it did help illuminate the characters somewhat, particularly why Cordelia is so different to her sisters. However, it's not an easy read and I found myself forcing myself to finish it at times. I think what made it difficult was jumping around in time periods in a stream of consciousness way which suited the character, but not necessarily the reader. In short, I think I admired the writing rather than loved it as a book.
I found this a surprising, haunting novella which I think would benefit from reading again as it leaves tiny clues and reoccurring motifs to suggest what happened. The writing is lyrical and at the same time constrained, yet the author manages to convey the utter devastation that the murder caused the people left behind. Yes, it can be a difficult read at times due to the shifting narratives but I found it rewarding at the same time.
I absolutely loved this and definitely want to read more by this author. A very different kind of murder mystery, and ideal if you are not particularly into gore. It raises many philosophical questions about eugenics and in particular how people are affected after the pandemic, as it's set just after. I loved the sense of community that the author gave, and how human and fallible she made her characters. The plot was really gripping too.
I read this as an advanced review copy for free on Pigeonhole and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Makes me glad that I never fulfilled my dream of going on a cultural trip to Italy!
Beautiful descriptions of the ill fated trip where Ada, who is incredibly self absorbed and manipulative, attempts to cover up the death that she witnessed. Caring only about fitting in with her rich friends who often look down on her and realise that she's not quite their class. After the trip she continues to stalk them, continually believing that they owe her loyalty. The characters are for the most part pretty unpleasant with some twisted motives but I thought that this was a good thriller.
The author marketed this as a medical style mystery about what happens when a new contagious disease is identified in a small village during the late 60s. Poleaxe hits its victims with paralysis and sometimes death. Most of this is seen through the eyes of two doctors and a patient at a hospital who investigate the cause. This was written just before the covid pandemic, so the book has come about at the right time, but is more about the medical investigation than the consequences for those who have it, so I don't think it's likely to be upsetting.
Firstly, I want to make it clear that I read a proof edition of the novel (from Pigeonhole) so some of the issues may be cleared up. However, whilst I though that the book had some interesting ideas it was rather a let down for me in terms of plot and more specifically the depiction of Barbara, the patient. I didn't appreciate the descriptions of ‘firming breasts' and a ‘creamy body' and thought that the author was objectifying her, particularly with the way that she was portrayed as being young, naive and virginal.
The author was obviously very knowledgeable about the medical side of things, especially about how doctors were treated during the period, and whilst I think the book had potential, I think it needed an editor or a few more constructively critical readers to help the author improve it.
Why this book is drove me nuts:
Difficult to connect with characters. Laws on just seems too sappy and pathetic, Opie is an impulsive narcissist who just seems to be more obsessed with Lawson than in love with him. Opie really needed to grow up and stop putting his own needs first. I know they are supposed to be in a daddy relationship but Lawson doesn't seem to be getting that much out of it other than having some arm candy. Stop whining you want something like a Christmas tree and go get it yourself.
Lawson doesn't need to switch. Yes, it is possible in m/m for one partner not to bottom. I think the old ‘I never bottomed before but I'd do it for him', is rather overused, like Law is some virgin in a bodice ripper.
I apparently prefer daddy relationships where the sub partner actually has a job and a life but has a little time off to he taken care of, not one where the sub is pretty much useless and a complete child emotionally.
The lack of Opie's impulse control, violence towards people who he thinks have had a relationship with Law and complete lack of listening to Law should be red flags. Yes, he had a bad childhood, but it's not really addressed in that he doesn't show growth as a person or remorse. His behaviour is excused by others as the person he lashes out at ‘deserved it'.
The snow rescue scene was cheesy as hell. Followed by hypothermia recovery sex. Because cock is a well known medication for hypothermia.
They don't seem to have a relationship based on anything other than lust and mutual obsession.
I found the part where opie insisted on going to Law's father's house then swimming in the nude and having really loud sex with him really cringe. Homophobic father or not I thought it was quite disrespectful and harmed Law's relationship with his father.
I think that part of the daddy relationship that resonate with me tare the ones where there is emotional growth and the daddy helps the sub to be the best person they can. I didn't think that this book really explored that.
I loved Amanda's first book, The Wayward Girls, so I was really looking forward to this, and it didn't dissapoint! She has a real talent for creating beautifully written, sympathetic and realistic adolescent girl characters (though I would stress that this is not YA fiction, it is more of a modern ghost story).
The novel mainly explores the difficult relationship between Nell and her 12 year old stepdaughter, but also covers the mother daughter relationships of a few other inhabitants of the village where they are staying. Nell and her husband are renting a mysterious house in the village where Nell once lived, partly as a holiday and partly as Maude, the stepdaughter has had to leave school for an unknown reason. Mason creates a great ominous atmosphere with just the right amount of spooky goings on, especially when the family discovers the hiding place of the title. When the husband leaves for work reasons and they are left alone, the tension of staying in the house, their relationship and Nell's longing for a child of her own come to the forefront.
This is a really different kind of ghost story, and if you are looking for something spooky but also sensitivily written and absorbing I highly recommend it.
I won't forget this brilliant novel in a hurry. Beautiful written, it tells the stories of Santi and Thora who keep meeting in different lifetimes in Cologne, at different ages and with different relationships to each other. The plot is gripping and the author skillfully releases hints of what's happening all the way through, though it is not easy to guess what's happening. The magic of the book though comes through the beautiful way she writes about the characters and their relationships and how they change over time. This is a deeply philosophical novel that certainly makes you think, but without being overtly complicated or inaccessible. It crosses genres and is totally different, and I hope it wins the awards it deserves.
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I thought the descriptive writing in this was really good, the characters were well drawn but ultimately I was disappointed by the issues with the pace and the emotional impact of parts of the plot on the characters and the readers. I found this was a very slow burn with what should have been some quite emotional events packed into the end in a way that felt rushed to me. I wasn't that convinced by the conclusion either, and felt that maybe I would have preferred the author to be braver.
Not a genre I would usually go for as I am a little bit put off by violence, but I found this police procedural entertaining if requiring a suspension of disbelief about the actions of some of the characters! Despite this being the third book in the series I had little trouble picking up the plot and the characters.
Ash Henderson is an ex detective inspector who is called to help investigate murders along with police colleagues. The plot centres around an investigation where the house is falling into the sea where the bodies are buried. I found the plot gripping, with some very exciting moments of peril for the main characters. Aside from that, it had a lot of dark humour in it, though the author resisted peppering it with the f word! However, I wouldn't describe this as one for the squeamish. There's torture and child murder and some moments of violence that are pretty horrific. Ash gets away with all sorts of things too, and seems to manage seemingly superheroic feats of strength, but I get that whilst the author was going for gritty, it also needed the sense of someone able to avenge the victims without too much of a fear of retribution from authorities. I liked the way the author portrayed the other characters too, from the police to the ex cons and villains.
I absolutely loved this book. Very well researched, written in a totally accessible style and incredibly optimistic. Bregman's theory is that as a species we are programmed to be sociable and to assist each other rather than to be at war and hate each other. Along the way he disproves some classic social experiments and theories including the Stanford experiment where students pretending to be guards were sadistic to prisoners and the famous Yale experiment where people administered shocks to lab assistants getting quiz questions wrong. Absolutely fascinating and very well argued, Bregman can sometimes come across as a little bit naive, but this is a great antidote to the pessimism in the news.