Review: The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall

Title: The Book of Summers
Author: Emylia Hall
Publisher: Headline Review
Rating: 5 stars

This is, without a doubt, my 'book of the month' for March. It was recommended to me by Lucy, who blogs over at The Unlikely Bookworm, and it had a lot of buzz surrounding it on Twitter at the time of publication, so I was quick to pick up a gorgeous hard-cover copy.

Here is the blurb, taken from Amazon:

Beth Lowe has been sent a parcel.
Inside is a letter informing her that her long-estranged mother has died, and a scrapbook Beth has never seen before. Entitled The Book of Summers, it's stuffed with photographs and mementos complied by her mother to record the seven glorious childhood summers Beth spent in rural Hungary.
It was a time when she trod the tightrope between separated parents and two very different countries; her bewitching but imperfect Hungarian mother and her gentle, reticent English father; the dazzling house of a Hungarian artist and an empty-feeling cottage in deepest Devon. And it was a time that came to the most brutal of ends the year Beth turned sixteen.
Since then, Beth hasn't allowed herself to think about those years of her childhood. But the arrival of The Book of Summers brings the past tumbling back into the present; as vivid, painful and vital as ever.

Split between contemporary London, and rural Hungary of years before, this is an atmospheric and evocative novel that takes you through Beth's childhood in a series of snapshot memories.

It is a story of love and loss, of secrets and lies. It is also a charming coming-of-age story, taking us through the seven summers Beth spent in Hungary as she moved from her childhood into her teens. We feel an intense longing, Beth's need to belong in this foreign country with her mother - and how out of place she feels at home with her father.

We are taken through the creation of Beth's adult (or at least teenage) identity, moving with her as she develops her sense of self. Behind all of this, in the heat of the Hungarian summers, lies a haze of lies that eventually prove devastating, and will threaten everything that Beth has come to know.

This is a fairly leisurely read, filled with lovingly-crafted characters, set against a stunningly vivid Hungarian background, and with a heartbreaking revelation that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

A fantastic debut novel from Emylia Hall, and one that I will be re-visiting time and again.

Review: A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse

Title: A Novel Bookstore
Author: Laurence Cosse
Publisher: Europa Editions
Rating: 4.5 stars

This is February's book of the month, without a doubt. And it couldn't be more different from 'The Daughter of Smoke and Bone'. Here's what Goodreads has to say:

Ivan, a one-time world traveler, and Francesca, a ravishing Italian heiress, are the owners of a bookstore that is anything but ordinary. Rebelling against the business of bestsellers and in search of an ideal place where their literary dreams can come true, Ivan and Francesca open a store where the passion for literature is given free reign. Tucked away in a corner of Paris, the store offers its clientele a selection of literary masterpieces chosen by a top-secret committee of likeminded literary connoisseurs. To their amazement, after only a few months, the little dream store proves a success. And that is precisely when their troubles begin. At first, both owners shrug off the anonymous threats that come their way and the venomous comments concerning their store circulating on the Internet, but when three members of the supposedly secret committee are attacked, they decide to call the police. One by one, the pieces of this puzzle fall ominously into place, as it becomes increasingly evident that Ivan and Francesca’s dreams will be answered with pettiness, envy and violence.

If you like books, you'll love this book.  Part celebration of books, part mystery, part love story... what more could anyone ask for.

Set in Paris, the two main characters (Ivan and Francesca) set up a bookstore specifically selling good books. Initially a great success, it becomes clear that not everyone in the city is as happy with their success. What starts with petty threats takes a decidedly more sinister turn when three members of their book selection committee are attacked.

The mystery which grips the reader at the start of the novel fades into the background at times, as the focus shifts to how the bookstore was set up, and elements of a love story creep in. At the end of the novel a separate narrative voice turns up, which is a distraction, and possibly one of the only things I didn't like about this book.

Ninety percent of this novel was amazing. You are immersed in a world of books, surrounded by characters who really love books, with the streets of Paris as a glorious backdrop. It was only the very end of the novel that let it down a little, as though the author lost their way a little. There are too many unanswered questions, and even the love-story is unsatisfying in the end.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book, and it's one that I think about quite a lot even now, a couple of months after finishing it. If you've ever wanted to spend hours losing yourself in a really great bookstore... then perhaps this is the book for you.

Four-and-a-half stars.

Review: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (2011)
Rating: 5 stars

This was, without a doubt, my 'book of the month' from January. Here's the blurb, taken from Amazon:

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.
The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. 
When Brimstone called, she always came. 
In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.
Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

I've really got back in to the magical, fantasy type books over the last six months or so - other favourites include 'The Magicians' and 'The Magician King' by Lev Grossman, and 'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern, all of which I read last year.

But back to 'The Daughter of Smoke and Bone'. This book blew me away. That's the only way I can describe it. The main character, Karou, is one of my favourite characters that I've found in any book, ever.

So. In 'The Daughter of Smoke and Bone' we find a not-unfamiliar 'angels vs. demons'  (or chimaera, as they're called here) story. It focuses on a young woman - Karou - caught between two worlds. On the one hand, our world, complete with ex-boyfriend problems, art classes and friends. On the other, mysterious errands for Brimstone, the chimaera who raised her, who is the only family she's ever known.

But as well as a wonderful cast of characters, it was the worlds that blew me away. Taking that first step out of the real world and into elsewhere was truly magical, and each world was wonderfully imagined. Taylor's writing is vivid and evocative, and I was swept along from one world to the next, utterly captivated by this story.

I'm trying really hard not to post any spoilers here, so forgive me if I'm being vague. In short, this was one of the most exciting books I've read in a long time, with some really strong characters. The ending was fantastic - it's got me hooked. I can't wait for the next book in the series, which comes out later this year.

Five stars. You all should read it right now.

Reading in Review

Gosh. Welcome to May, everyone! A third of the year has been and gone, and it seems like as good a time as ever for me to take a quick look back at what I've read so far this year. If you've not already seen, I keep a list of (new) books I've read here. My goal for the year is 50 new books (not counting re-reads or things I don't finish).

Despite an awful April, when I only read two books, my year's total so far is 19. A pretty good start, but not as good as last year (or so my trusty notebook tells me). Between January and April last year I read 25 books, but that was also when I was taking a class on Shakespeare, so that includes seven of his plays.

Some general thoughts, then. This year has seen my love for Margaret Atwood's writing grow; I've read a couple of her novels this year and they've been some of my favourites. I also absolutely LOVED the HUNGER GAMES trilogy that I read at the beginning of March. And I was thrilled to read the conclusion of the EARTH'S CHILDREN series (The Land of Painted Caves) at the end of March. I read a handful of the Orange Prize longlisted books - favourites include THE SEAS and REPEAT IT TODAY WITH TEARS, which was so heart-wrenchingly beautiful (and disturbing) that it made me cry.

I was just trying to think of what has been my least favourite book I've read this year. I was underwhelmed by ANIMAL FARM, but I'm glad I read it because now I don't have to just pretend. Other than that, THE FIVE PEOPLE THAT YOU MEET IN HEAVEN didn't please me as much as the other books I've read. It was very different, and a great idea, but I didn't fall in love with it the way I've fallen in love with most of the other books on that list.

All in all, I'd say I've had a pretty good book-year so far. And all this talk about books is making me want to go and read something. I'm not sure what, though, because I'm running out of books. (Ha. That's a lie. But I'm running out of books I want to read.)

So I'm off to sit in front of my bookshelves for a while until I figure something out.

Ciao!

Review: The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel

Title: The Land of Painted Caves
Author: Jean M. Auel
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 2011
Rating: 3 stars



To start, here is a bit of information about the book, taken (again) from Goodreads.com:

The highly anticipated sixth book of Jean Auel's Earth's Children® series, THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES, is the culmination fans have been waiting for. Continuing the story of Ayla and Jondalar, Auel combines her brilliant narrative skills and appealing characters with a remarkable re-creation of the way life was lived more than 25,000 years ago. THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES is an exquisite achievement by one of the world's most beloved authors.

The Land of Painted Caves is a book that I (and many other people all over the world) have been eagerly anticipating for several years. The Earth's Children series was started by Auel back in 1980; now, more than thirty years later, the series finally comes to an end.

As you can see from this blog entry, I have spent a long time in recent days and weeks thinking about/obsessing over how the series would end. As it turns out, I didn't really need to be that worried. The Land of Painted Caves is written with the same attention to, and depth of, detail that is found in the rest of the series, with the prehistoric landscape vividly brought to life. As for the plot, well... it was a nice ending, I suppose. Everything was resolved, and tied up into a neat little parcel. Of course, there were some tense moments and some exasperating moments, but no issues that hadn't arisen earlier in the series. The good characters were still good - almost painfully so - and the bad characters were still devious and ruthless and malicious. 

I don't know what I was expecting from this novel, and my three star rating isn't to say that I was disappointed. I wasn't. This novel made me happy and provided the right amount of closure to the story. But really, not a lot happened. There were no big dramatic twists (well, not really), and nothing that really moved me. However, as I've said, it was an enjoyable read, and was very well-written. And, of course, meticulously researched. 

All in all, though, it simply doesn't live up to the earlier books in the series. It ends the series with a kind of quiet dignity that is, I suppose, fitting after its long 30-year life, but it is definitely an ending with less of a bang, and more of a whimper.

Three stars: enjoyable and a pleasant ending to the series, but definitely not for you if you're looking for something action-packed and dramatic!

Review: Grace Williams Says it Loud by Emma Henderson

Title: Grace Williams Says it Loud
Author: Emma Henderson
Publisher: Sceptre, 2010
Rating: 3 stars

To begin, here is a synopsis of Grace Williams Says it Loud, taken from Goodreads.com:

This isn't an ordinary love story. But then Grace isn't an ordinary girl. 'Disgusting,' said the nurse. And when no more could be done, they put her away, aged eleven. On her first day at the Briar Mental Institute, Grace meets Daniel. He sees a different Grace: someone to share secrets and canoodle with, someone to fight for. Debonair Daniel, who can type with his feet, fills Grace's head with tales from Paris and the world beyond. This is Grace's story: her life, its betrayals and triumphs, disappointment and loss, the taste of freedom; roses, music and tiny scraps of paper. Most of all, it is about the love of a lifetime.

Grace Williams Says it Loud tells the story of Grace, physically disabled and “mentally deficient”, as they put it in the book. We follow her from infancy, to the Briar Mental Institute, to a home in Hounslow. She makes friends and enemies, she falls in love with the wonderfully charismatic Daniel (my favourite character in the book), and then she loses him. Twice. We are shown the story of this life through Grace’s eyes, though it is the voices of all the other characters which fill the pages. Grace herself manages to speak only a maximum of two words at a time; the novel allows her thoughts the expression that her body is incapable of providing. It is this contrast, between the richly observant, descriptive narrative, and Grace’s stunted speech and her treatment by the nurses at Briar, that makes for some of the most moving sections of the book.

When I started reading this novel, I honestly couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not. I read it in three sittings: in the first, I reached page 70; in the second, I got to around page 170; and in the third sitting I read right to the end. But what struck me most about this book was that, by the time I reached page 70, I still couldn’t decide whether or not I liked this book. I found its narrative style didn’t quite sit right with me. I still can’t work out why. But what I then realised, whilst I was still puzzling over whether or not I liked this book, was that either way, it had made a significant impression on me in those opening few chapters.

Even now I have finished Grace Williams Says it Loud, I still can’t say whether or not I liked it. It was compelling, yes, and moving, and beautiful, in a way. It’s not a story – or a character – that I am likely to forget in a hurry. But I don’t think I enjoyed reading it. All the way through, the narrative style didn’t seem quite right. Grace’s observations seemed over-done, especially in the opening scenes of the novel. And then again at the end.

So: it was touching and beautifully done, in its own way, but not quite to my taste. Grace Williams Says it Loud was a good read, but not a book that I was able to lose myself in completely.

Review: The Swimmer by Roma Tearne

Title: The Swimmer
Author: Roma Tearne
Publisher: HarperPress, 2010
Rating: 4 stars

It’s been a little while since I’ve written a review of any books, so to get me started, here is a synopsis of the novel, taken from Goodreads.com:

A gripping, captivating novel about love, loss and what home really means.  

Ben is a young illegal immigrant from Sri Lanka who has arrived in Norfolk via Moscow. Awaiting a decision from the Home Office on his asylum application, he is discovered by Ria as he takes a daily swim in the river close to her house. He is twenty years her junior and theirs is an unconventional but deeply moving romance, defying both boundaries and cultures – and the xenophobic residents of Orford. That is, until tragedy occurs.

Forty-three year old Ria is used to being alone. As a child, her life changed forever with the death of her beloved father and since then, she has struggled to find love. That is, until she discovers the swimmer.

The Swimmer is an incredibly moving story told through three different voices, each section of the novel still centring around (as the title suggests) the swimmer – Ben. A Sri Lankan doctor seeking asylum, Ben finds himself stranded in rural Suffolk when his money runs out and he is unable to reach London. He begins working illegally whilst waiting to hear back from the Home Office, and meets Ria as he struggles to survive, stealing food from her kitchen and swimming in the river close to her house to keep clean. It is an unlikely friendship between them which soon blossoms into romance, and still they await the decision from an impotent Home Office with regards to Ben’s asylum application.

This beautiful relationship is painted against a backdrop of barely-concealed racism in the Suffolk village of Orford. While the whispers of terrorism and news reports of ritually slaughtered animals fail to make an impression on Ria, we see the village closing in on itself, leaving Ben stranded on the outside. And then the sounds of gunshots ring out and their tragic repercussions echo through the rest of the novel.

Through the voices of a lover, a mother, and a daughter, the novel personalises the asylum process and the tragedy of loss and dislocation that is at the heart of this book. The three distinct voices of three very different women work to bring together the political and the personal, encouraging us to understand the predicament faced by so many refugees in this day and age. Writing at a time when immigration is a key issue in British politics, this novel sensitively gives us a glimpse at ‘the other side’ of the debate. For Ben and his mother Anula, Britain is a source of hope in their war-torn home country, a chance for a better, safer life. What we are shown in this novel is just how easy it is to put your hope in the wrong thing.

The Swimmer moved me to tears more than once – something I always consider to be the mark of a good book. Tearne’s writing is beautiful in the precision with which she depicts her characters and their world. The tensions between the characters are beautifully managed and conveyed; for me, it is Anula's section of the novel, filled with her undirected rage and her unarticulated hatred of Ria, which is most striking. This beautiful, heartfelt novel is Tearne's fourth, but my first look at her writing. I'll definitely be taking a look at some of her earlier works - this is a wonderful, touching work of fiction that I enjoyed immensely. Highly recommended.

Reviews

I've done a little bit of book reviewing in the past. Last year I was contacted by Graham at Literature Scotland and he asked me to review a couple of titles for him. It was good, I enjoyed it, but sadly haven't had the chance to do any more for him since.

My first review was of 'At the Loch of the Green Corrie' by Andrew Greig (Quercus, April 2010). My review can be found at the Osprey Journal's website, here.

My second review, also published in Osprey Journal as part of the Literature Scotland group, was of Kenneth Steven's short story collection, 'The Ice and Other Stories' (Argyll Publishing, April 2010). You can find my review of Steven's collection here.

I found that I quite enjoyed reviewing books. Even better because I was getting paid to write these, and I was being sent a free copy of the books. Now I'm not so lucky, but I want to carry on reviewing books I particularly enjoy. They might not be super-current ones, but you never know. I've read a lot recently that I want to share, so watch this space...!