book reviews

Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The blurb: In Mountfern, life meanders as slowly as the river running through it. But when Patrick O’Neill arrives from the States with grand plans to turn the ruins of Fernscourt into Ireland’s finest hotel, ripples begin to appear on the surface calm of this backwater.

My review: I’ve never managed to finish a Maeve Binchy book as I find her writing tedious. It’s a shame, because I believe I would enjoy the stories if they were written in a … well, faster writing style.

As I often enjoy the audio version of a book I find difficult to read, I thought I’d try out this book when I saw it in my local library.

And it was great. However, I believe it was an abridged version that was dramatised by the BBC. I have no idea how much was cut, but what was left in was perfect. The story moved swiftly from one view point/scene to another. It was never boring and gave just enough details so that I understood exactly what was happening.

Again, I can’t recommend the books, but the dramatisation was brilliant.

Shadowseer: London by Morgan Rice

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: Shadowseer: London (Book One) tells the story of Kaia, 17, an orphan coming of age in the Victorian London of the 1850s. Kaia yearns to escape her horrific orphanage, to discover who her parents were, and to understand why she can sense shadows when others cannot. Yet the streets of London are as brutal as the orphanage, and for Kaia, there is no easy way out.

When Kaia, arrested, faces an even worse punishment, Detective Pinsley, 45, notices a strange marking on her arm and thinks she might be the key in solving a peculiar, mysterious case. Bodies are turning up dead in London, and Pinsley wonders whether it’s the work of a deranged serial killer, or of something….else. The methods of murder seem impossible, as does the murderer’s ability to escape death.

Kaia is given a choice: help solve the case, or be shipped off to Bedlam, the notorious insane asylum.

Unlikely partners, each mistrusting the other, Kaia and Pinsley embark to scour the dark corners and cobblestone streets of 19th century London in search of clues.

Yet what they find may shock and horrify even them.

My review: I was looking for another audiobook to listen to and this one was offered to me at a discounted price. I liked the blurb and the cover gave off a certain dark feel about it, so I decided to purchase it.

I haven’t regretted that decision.

The story is set in Victorian England. The setting was enough to allow me to feel that’s where I was while walking on my treadmill. It felt a little like I was actually walking the dirty streets. It was a bit eerie, to be honest.

Inspector Pinsley and Kaia make an unlikely team, but they fit well together for this murder mystery.

The inspector’s boss is looking for a reason to get rid of him, and Kaia has run away from an orphanage the day before she was going to be handed over to a male benefactor. A murder in a locked room at Bedlam brings the pair together. The inspector knows that the mark on Kaia’s arm associates her to the murder. And Kaia wants to find out why the dead woman has the same birthmark as her.

The storyline progresses smoothly along, giving little hints along the way. I felt the author captures the characters and the settings quite well. When we learn what is really happening, it’s not surprising, but continues to be written in a captivating manner.

I liked the characters and wanted to know what would happen to them. I enjoyed the telling of the story by the narrator, who had the perfect voice for this particular book. He was easy to listen to.

In fact, I enjoyed listening to this book so much that I instantly looked for Book 2 and was pleased to find the audiobook at a reasonable price and purchased it too.

Recommended.

Penguin Bloom by Cameron Bloom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: Penguin Bloom is an extraordinary true story full of hope and courage, featuring Cameron Bloom’s exceptional photographs and a captivating narrative by New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive.

Penguin the Magpie is a global social media sensation. People the world over have fallen in love with the stunning and deeply personal images of this rescued bird and her human family. But there is far more to Penguin’s story than meets the eye. It begins with a shocking accident, in which Cameron’s wife, Sam, suffers a near fatal fall that leaves her paralysed and deeply depressed.

Into their lives comes Penguin, an injured magpie chick abandoned after she fell from her nest. Penguin’s rescue and the incredible joy and strength she gives Sam and all those who helped her survive demonstrates that, however bleak things seem, compassion, friendship and support can come from unexpected quarters, ensuring there are always better days ahead. This plucky little magpie reminds us all that, no matter how lost, fragile or damaged we feel, accepting the love of others and loving them in return will help to make us whole.

My review: I believe the book has photos, which in my opinion would cement this story into the reader’s mind quite firmly. However, I listened to the audiobook, so naturally I did not see the photos, but the words alone were magical.

Such a tragic story, yet inspiration and love shone through. The husband and father of the Bloom family wrote about their worst nightmare, sharing the details of his wife’s terrible accident and what followed. My heart went out to her, and to the rest of the family. And my heart swelled when Penguin came into their lives to help and be helped. It’s a marvelous story, but I wish they didn’t have to experience any of it.

I cannot know what Sam went through, and continues to experience. But this book shows that even in the worst circumstances, love and light and sheer will power can improve the situation. Truly, I’m lost for words and can only say that the book is worth your time. Be prepared for tears, and that warm fuzzy feeling you get when love conquers all.

Highly recommended.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike

And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls’ bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley’s younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone — or something — starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects . . . Harry Potter himself?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: ‘Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go.’ When the Knight Bus crashes through the darkness and screeches to a halt in front of him, it’s the start of another far from ordinary year at Hogwarts for Harry Potter. Sirius Black, escaped mass-murderer and follower of Lord Voldemort, is on the run – and they say he is coming after Harry. In his first ever Divination class, Professor Trelawney sees an omen of death in Harry’s tea leaves … But perhaps most terrifying of all are the Dementors patrolling the school grounds, with their soul-sucking kiss.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5of 5 stars

The blurb: Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected…

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys’ house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce one-to-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can’t quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys’ of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks’ time? Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine…

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing – if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him?

My review: I read the Harry Potter series many moons ago. I’ve seen the movies umpteen times. So why go back to Hogwarts again, after all these years? My response is, why not?

I’ve read, and I’ve watched the series. Now I intend to listen to it. At the risk of sounding tedious, I was looking for an audiobook from my local elibrary and couldn’t find anything that appealed to me. Then Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone magically appeared, and I made my decision.

I won’t tell you what the story is about, as I’m sure you already know. If you don’t, then I’d like to ask what deserted island have you been living on over the last two or so decades? Anyway, what I will tell you is that the movies pushed the details in the books to one side and I was amazed to discover all those little details that I had forgotten.

Stephen Fry reads the version I listened to. He was excellent—top marks to Stephen.

I’m enjoying revisiting the world of Harry Potter. Recommended.

Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The blurb: Midsummer Eve 1670. Two unexpected visitors arrive at a shabby warehouse on the south side of the River Thames. The first is a wealthy man hoping to find the lover he deserted twenty-one years before. James Avery has everything to offer, including the favour of the newly restored King Charles II, and he believes that the warehouse’s poor owner Alinor has the one thing his money cannot buy—his son and heir.

The second visitor is a beautiful widow from Venice in deepest mourning. She claims Alinor as her mother-in-law and has come to tell Alinor that her son Rob has drowned in the dark tides of the Venice lagoon.

Alinor writes to her brother Ned, newly arrived in faraway New England and trying to make a life between the worlds of the English newcomers and the American Indians as they move toward inevitable war. Alinor tells him that she knows—without doubt—that her son is alive and the widow is an imposter.

Set in the poverty and glamour of Restoration London, in the golden streets of Venice, and on the tensely contested frontier of early America, this is a novel of greed and desire: for love, for wealth, for a child, and for home.

My review: Dark Tides is book 2 in The Fairmile series. It commences 21 years after Tidelands finishes.

As a Philippa Gregory fan, I’m conflicted writing this review. I loved and enjoyed the book, but feel disappointed by it too. Is that even possible? I’ve given four stars because I feel the book could have been better.

Two decades after fleeing their home in Tidelands, Alinor and Alys are doing reasonably well living beside the Thames River in a London that is recovering from the dark days before the execution of King Charles I. Now ruled by King Charles II, the city is being restored and politics is less noticeable in this second book.

The first disappointment was that Ned, Alinor’s brother, had left England to make a new life for himself in frontier America; beside a river, operating the ferry. He is still a ferryman. But that part isn’t the disappointment. This second thread in the book felt displaced. It could have been totally discarded and would not have made a bit of difference to the storyline of Dark Tides. I find myself wondering if this thread is in preparation for a third book?

Back in London, we have a new character enter the story–Livia, Rob’s widow. I was horrified to learn that Rob would not be in the book. And although the author wrote Livia’s part extremely well, I didn’t like her from the start. And that statement is amusing because it was obvious from the start that Livia could not be trusted.

Life was no longer dark and depressing for Alinor and Alyse, but they still lived a hard, but respectable life. They made ends meet. They were as comfortable as they could be given the circumstances, i.e. women with no husbands. And by inviting Livia into their home, they brought lies, deceit, suspicion and heartache into their lives again.

Thing is, and here’s another disappointment, Alinor played a minor part in this book. Alyse had a larger part, but not large enough. The main character in this book, in my opinion, was Livia. The same story could have been written using Alinor and Alyse as the main characters. Yes, it would have been from a different point of view, but that would have been acceptable and preferable, I believe.

As I said, I enjoyed the book, but would have enjoyed it immensely if the main character position remained with Alinor. I hope there is a third book planned, and I hope we return to Alinor’s viewpoint to round off her life and that of her family.

Still highly recommended.

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The blurb: 14th February 1900. St Valentine’s Day in rural Australia. Nineteen girls and their two school-mistresses from exclusive Appleyard College leave for a picnic at the brooding, hanging rock. Some of the group fail to return. Murder? Accident? Supernatural happenings?
What is the explanation for these bizarre disappearances?

My review: I watched the movie in the 1980s and was captivated by the mysterious music and scenes. When I saw the audiobook in my local library, I was quick to grab it. There are always big differences between books and movies, in my opinion. But while the movie version of Picnic at Hanging Rock dropped the side themes, it stayed true to the book for the most part.

The book (or audiobook, in this case) had that same mysterious feel about it. It’s difficult to explain because the story is a mystery, so it should be mysterious. But that’s not what I mean. There’s a feeling, a strange eeriness, a haunting feeling that radiates from the pages. It’s in the flow of words, in the movements of the characters, in every chapter, on every page.

The author describes everything, even the ants scurrying to safety. I usually don’t like this amount of description, however Picnic at Hanging Rock is built around the descriptions and feelings of the location and characters. That’s what made it a success, I believe.

During the telling of the story, we get a good indication how strict the rules were and we get a taste of “class” in 1900. Here’s another story that shows us how lucky we are now and hard it would have been then.

The characters are whimsical and laid back to begin with, but as the story progresses we see the darker side of the characters coming out. What happened to the missing girls and their teacher? Who was involved? They storyline shows how the trauma from what happened on that fateful day can change people, changing their lives forever.

I enjoyed the movie and I enjoyed the book. Again, I believe the book is better as those side themes give a deeper telling and if you allow yourself to be swept away, you’ll find yourself totally engrossed in the mystery of Hanging Rock.

Recommended.

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: England 1648. A dangerous time for a woman to be different . . .

Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, and England is in the grip of civil war between renegade King and rebellious Parliament.  The struggle reaches every corner of the kingdom, even to the remote Tidelands – the marshy landscape of the south coast. 

Alinor, a descendant of wise women, crushed by poverty and superstition, waits in the graveyard under the full moon for a ghost who will declare her free from her abusive husband.  Instead she meets James, a young man on the run, and shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marsh, not knowing that she is leading disaster into the heart of her life.

Suspected of possessing dark secrets in superstitious times, Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her out from her neighbours. This is the time of witch-mania, and Alinor, a woman without a husband, skilled with herbs, suddenly enriched, arouses envy in her rivals and fear among the villagers, who are ready to take lethal action into their own hands.

My review: Tidelands is the first book in a new series, The Fairmile. As Philippa Gregory is one of my favourite authors, I grabbed the audiobook when I saw it on special.

At first, I found the book to be quite dark and depressing and, in all honesty, I thought this might be the first book by this author that I would be marking as “unfinished” or giving just one star to in a review.

However, I’m glad I kept going as the dark and depressing feel was actually part of the storyline. It seriously showed how bad the main character’s life was. Remembering the book is set in 1648 when life would have been difficult for the poor and underprivileged, and if you were a woman, if was even worse so I gulped and rethought any fanciful wish to live in the period.

Once the setting was truly set and Alinor’s storyline became clear, I was captivated and could hardly wait to continue reading (or in my case, listening) at every opportunity.

Yes, there is a political thread, but it is not overbearing. The politics are required to set the mood, but the characters actions, reactions, and dire need are always the main focus of the book. Alinor, Alys and Rob and wonderful characters and we are taken on a journey where a single decision can change the course of all their lives. And they all make decisions that effect all of them, without the knowledge of other decisions being made around them.

The story is full of love, romance, desperation, rumours, suspicion, secrets, fear, judgement, and superstition. The emotions twist and turn along the way for all of them, for different reasons. But they all want one thing in the end, to feel secure and happy.

Philippa Gregory did it again. She wrote a book that is captivating, meaningful and paints a true picture of what it would have been like living in 1648. I loved this book.

Highly recommended.