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A Foreign Field - A True Story of Love and Betrayal in the Great War by Ben Macintyre |
In 1914, four British soldiers, trapped behind enemy lines, were sheltered by French villagers and lived in extraordinary conditions, including hiding in a cupboard for months. One became involved with a local girl who had a child. This poignant account avoids sentimentality and retains the journalistic quality you'd expect from a former Times parliamentary sketch writer. It evokes the horrors of the period, the people's day-to-day existence and the petty jealousies which led to betrayal.
(bwl 18 April 2003) |
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A Good War by Patrick Bishop |
This was a disappointment. Bishop was foreign correspondent of the Telegraph and is an accomplished author of military histories (Fighter Boys, 3 Para), so I expected great things of his highly-praised first novel. But while it accurately recreates a wartime atmosphere and depicts the precarious life of a pilot well, I found the story rather far-fetched and formulaic, and it just didn't win me over: I am still struggling to finish it as I write this review!
(bwl 49 January 2009) |
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A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby |
Four people meet on a roof top where they are going to commit suicide, but they make a pact to stay in touch while they reconsider their decision. The book employs an interesting but sometimes confusing four-way narrative. While some of the characters don't elicit much sympathy and at times the story drags a little, there are some amusing moments in what is a wry and ultimately uplifting comedy.
(bwl 36 September 2006) |
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A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier |
This is a lovely read. The heroine is from that generation of women whose lives were blighted by the First World War and who struggled to find a role in the aftermath. It explores embroidery, cathedral architecture, bellringing, the south of England and female relationships. But fundamentally it is the story of a woman who is lonely, loveless and trapped who finds salvation in unexpected ways. And it certainly demands a trip to Winchester Cathedral once lockdown is over.
(bwl 99 Winter 2021) |
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A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve |
A group of school friends reunite for a wedding after 26 years, and past loves, problems, tragedies and secrets surface. It's beautifully written, each character is brilliantly drawn, and the interweaving of the past is very well done. This is completely absorbing and at times heartbreaking: after a couple of weaker books, Shreve is right back on form.
(bwl 36 September 2006) |
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Baber's Apple by Michael Marr |
I have to declare an interest here as this is the first novel from a very good friend. That apart, this is an extraordinary book and a tour de force. It charts the amazing adventures of Baber as he grapples with women, an ageing and ailing grandmother, and apples. Sent to Kazakhstan by his employer, he becomes embroiled in terrorism, a criminal gang and an old VW van. Slightly over the top at times, it's great fun.
(bwl 36 September 2006) |
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Big Sky by Kate Atkinson |
I had eagerly anticipated this latest outing for Jackson Brodie - only to be disappointed. It's all about the trafficking of girls, child abuse and a Yewtree-type background, so it's not a particularly pleasant story. But also it has too many coincidences and over-drawn characters and somehow just doesn't work. Such a shame as previous Brodie books have been a great read.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
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Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido |
Having never read Trapido before, I feel I've uncovered a new seam of enjoyment. It focuses on a bookish but stylish eighteen-year-old escaping a stifling home life, and the influence on her of the bohemian, self-opinionated Goldmans. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, it's a kind of Brideshead Revisited meets I Capture the Castle, but more modern and raunchy. The ending demands a sequel - and apparently there is one, which I hope won't disappoint.
(bwl 37 December 2006) |
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Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris |
This is a great read and I couldn't put it down. Set in a northern boys' grammar school, it's a story of revenge, but you're not entirely sure who the perpetrator really is. The suspense is fantastic and the climax is gripping, but there are also elements of black comedy throughout to keep you smiling. And the Classics Master is a fantastic character. Thoroughly recommended.
(bwl 36 September 2006) |
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Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda |
This was quite simply an enchanting and brilliant book. It focuses on three misfits in Paris who come together and change each other's lives; it explores ageing, love, family and friendship against a background of food and art. The characters are so well drawn and completely believable. It's poignant, funny, heart-warming and thoroughly engaging. Highly recommended.
(bwl 47 September 2008) |
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Labyrinth by Kate Mosse |
Set around Carcassonne, jumping back and forth across 800 years, it's the story of two women's parallel quests to protect three books holding the secret of the Grail. The medieval sections are tremendously atmospheric: you can really imagine Carcassonne before the tourists came. A rollicking good read, if you're prepared to accept some of the more mystical elements (and much better than the over-hyped Da Vinci Code, bwl 23) - I couldn't put it down.
(bwl 33 February 2006) |
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March by Geraldine Brooks |
If you read Little Women, this fills in what happened to the March girls' father while he was away fighting in the American Civil War. The storyline is a little far fetched in places but it's beautifully written. Its main strength lies in its vivid, accurate and shocking description of slavery - incredible to think it was only 150 years ago.
(bwl 44 February 2008) |
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Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout |
This is a lovely, gentle yet thought-provoking book. The third in the Lucy Barton trilogy, it looks at Lucy's life after the death of her second husband: in particular, her relationship with her first husband and their daughters. It's about ordinary people facing changes and challenges, it examines grief, and it explores how we are shaped by our childhood experiences. It is so engaging and just a wonderful read.
(bwl 104 Spring 2022) |
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Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout |
If you've read Olive Kitteridge then I would highly recommend this. It continues her story but also looks at other people whose lives are closely or just slightly connected with hers. It's all about ordinary situations and and ordinary lives and is a wonderful reflection on old age. It's poignant, uplifting and amusing in equal measure.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
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One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown |
This wonderful book covers the years from the formation of The Beatles to their break up, but it is so much more than the story of their rise and demise. It looks at their impact on others: not just those in their circle, but unconnected people who were inspired by their music. It also at times poses the question 'what if?'. As a devoted (but very young at the time!) Beatles fan, I loved this eye-opening view of the 60s and the legacy left by these four disparate but extraordinary boys from Liverpool.
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize 2020.
(bwl 101 Summer 2021) |
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Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood |
Atwood has once again created a terrifying and horrific world without stretching credibility too far. The people and animals who inhabit this world are strangely altered: the reader gradually understands what has happened and why. There are just enough touches of realism to contemplate the possibility of this actually happening. A gripping read - it could not be described as enjoyable - which will stay with you for a long time afterwards.
(bwl 28 February 2005) |
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Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann |
This is really two stories. One is the effect on a young man of his girlfriend's death in a bus crash in Ecuador (made all the more poignant by a recent similar event); the other is the heroic journey across Russia made by his Grandfather during World War I. Extraordinarily, both stories are based on real events in the author's family. Although it dragged in places, this was a moving exploration of grief.
(bwl 46 June 2008) |
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Resistance by Owen Sheers |
D-Day has failed, Germany invades the UK, women in a Welsh valley wake to find their husbands gone: all part of a plan to set up a resistance movement against the invaders. Their valley is then occupied by a troop of Germans, and the two groups become dependent on each other for survival. A great story which is well written and gives lots of food for thought, but spoilt by a weak ending.
(bwl 47 September 2008) |
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Sepulchre by Kate Mosse |
Another mystical tale centred around the Carcassonne area of France. It focuses on a young girl in the 1890s who flees Paris to a country estate in Rennes-les-Bains to escape her brother's violent enemy; a parallel story, set in 2007, focuses on an American researching a biography of Debussy who comes to the same place. While, like Labyrinth (bwl 33), the story is completely preposterous in places, for some reason I simply couldn't put it down.
(bwl 47 September 2008) |
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State of Wonder by Ann Patchett |
Patchett never disappoints. This is the story of a scientist who goes to the Amazon to investigate the mysterious death of a colleague who had been sent to find out what was happening with a research project into drugs which could change female fertility. It brings the wonders and dangers of the rainforest to life, as well as the tribes who live there, and we follow the scientist's own journey as in solving the mystery she gets sucked into the research project. A great read.
(bwl 98 Autumn 2020) |
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The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood |
This is really three books in one: a woman's memories of her younger years with her sister; her life now as a frail old lady and the separate story of The Blind Assassin. They are interwoven, which can confuse, but despite that this is a moving story of two sisters, mental illness, thwarted love and the frustrations of old age. Aficionados of Atwood say it's not her best work but, as a newcomer, I loved it.
(bwl 13 April 2002) |
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The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson |
Focusing again on weird Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist, this is even better than the first in the Millennium trilogy - (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, bwl 54). As well as continuing themes from the first book, it introduces new but connected strands without seeming obvious or laboured, and sets things up nicely for installment three. It is brilliantly written and credit must go to the translator. But it's not for the faint hearted, so gird your loins for some violence.
(bwl 55 Winter 2010) |
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The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes |
I absolutely loved this book and so has everyone I've recommended it to. It's the story of an English woman in the 1930s who marries a man from Kentucky and moves there. She becomes involved with a travelling library along with a disparate group of local women. It's about their lives, female friendship, the strength of women when they support each other, and the power of reading.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer |
with Annie Barrows
An enchanting and captivating novel. It comprises a series of letters which gradually reveal what life was like in Guernsey during the Nazi occupation, while also telling the heart-warming ongoing story of members of the eponymous group. The characters are beautifully drawn, and it manages to combine humour, tragedy and a love story brilliantly. It made me laugh and cry, and I almost couldn't bear to finish it. How sad the author died before writing more.
(bwl 52 July 2009) |
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The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman |
A heartbreaking read which I would highly recommend. A lighthouse keeper and his wife are living on an island off the coast of Australia; they find a boat with a baby on board washed up on a beach. They then make a life-changing decision which will have serious repercussions for them all. It's beautifully written and captivating, and you really feel the emotions. Get out the hankies.
(bwl 71 Winter 2014) |
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The Lost Man by Jane Harper |
As with her other novels, this is set in the Australian outback. And it vividly conveys the sheer vastness of it, the blistering heat, and how families live incredibly remote and isolated lives in this harsh environment. While the main plot is about a mysterious death, it's also an exploration of family, domestic violence and grief. It's a real page turner and a gripping story.
(bwl 97 Summer 2020) |
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig |
This is a fascinating concept: an expanded 'Sliding Doors' story really. It looks at the decisions made in a woman's life and what might have happened if she'd taken a different path. It examines depression and what makes us truly happy. We are faced with so many choices in our lives: how do we know which one is right? It's a novel about regret and second chances. Thought-provoking.
(bwl 100 Spring 2021) |
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The Rain Before It Falls by Jonathan Coe |
I was completely enthralled by this. It takes the unusual form of a series of photographs described by Rosamund, who dies in chapter 1. As each photo is analysed in terrific detail, the story of little Imogen unfolds. It is a marvellous (and scary) exploration of the impact of mothers on daughters and connections between generations. It is extraordinary that a man could write such an insightful novel about women. I wept at the end.
(bwl 53 September 2009) |
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The Sight of You by Holly Miller |
A man has a terrible (and perhaps unbelievable) power of having dreams which predict what's going to happen to the people he loves. So he therefore decides not to get close to anyone. But a relationship develops and he has a terrifying predictive dream . . . Although the concept is incredible, this is well written - and anything which makes me cry (which it did) is worth a read.
(bwl 100 Spring 2021) |
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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller |
I'm not keen on Greek legends so approached this book with caution, and it was a wonderful read: moving, compelling and beautifully written. It tells the story of the awkward and sensitive Patroclus, his lonely childhood, and his relationship with Achilles, culminating in the Trojan War. An unusual but enchanting love story, it also brought the era to life and has inspired me to find out more.
(bwl 67 Winter 2013) |
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The Testaments by Margaret Atwood |
I was so looking forward to this but I have to admit it didn't live up to expectations. It looks at what happens after The Handmaid's Tale finishes, and I didn't buy in to the basic tenet regarding a significant revelation about a major character. But it's an interesting story, beautifully written, and it ties up loose ends.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
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The Visible World by Mark Slouka |
This vividly recreates Czechoslovakia during the German occupation and examines its ramifications over the next 30 years as those who experienced its horrors try to rebuild their lives. The centrepiece is the plot to assassinate Heydrich by partisans and a related tragic love story. The plot jumps across the decades, from Czechoslovakia to New York, and tracks a son's quest to understand his parents. It's a tremendously moving and atmospheric book, and is highly recommended.
(bwl 46 June 2008) |
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The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies |
This was disappointing and never got going. It centres on a Welsh girl in the Second World War who crosses paths with drunken British soldiers and a German POW. There was another (very peripheral) storyline about Rudolf Hess and a German refugee interviewing him for British intelligence, but it was hard to see the relevance. Predictable in places, unbelievable in others, it was all a bit of a drag - I struggled to keep going.
(bwl 46 June 2008) |
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The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale |
I normally love Patrick Gale, but this was a little disappointing. Ben and Laura, lovers at University, meet up years later when their lives are simply too complicated to allow them any space. It jumps around in time and alternates between the two characters, adding in complications and problems. I found it frustrating and thought the ending rather weak. But it's a short book, so I didn't feel I'd wasted too much of my time.
(bwl 53 September 2009) |
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This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell |
This is a captivating novel which jumps decades and has multiple storylines which all come together eventually. It's the story of one rather complicated family, the ties that bind them together and the decisions and events which tear them apart; it also explores whether it's better to run from your past or face up to it. The characters are brilliantly drawn, it's beautifully written and it's as good as anything else from O'Farrell. Highly recommended.
(bwl 83 Winter 2017) |
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Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult |
I'd been avoiding Picoult for some reason, but picked this up. It's OK, if too long. It's not possible to describe the plot without spoiling it, but it focuses on three childhood friends and their on-going relationships. There are graphic descriptions of US prison life (is it really this bad?), and the way a central character changes while incarcerated is rather unbelievable. But it's a good story. Read it when you've nothing else to do.
(bwl 53 September 2009) |
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When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson |
Jackson Brodie is back, but plays a smaller role this time. The opening is dramatic and shocking; then the story jumps around but keeps you turning the page. There are too many sub-plots and coincidences, and not everything is resolved, but this is a good read as long as you ignore those coincidences and can cope with the frantic pace.
(bwl 51 May 2009) |
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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens |
This is a heartbreaking tale of a little girl growing up alone in the swamps of North Carolina, but it's also a story of murder, prejudice, nature, love and family. It may be a little far-fetched at times but it's captivating, beautifully written, and the characters are vivid and real. The author is a wildlife scientist and it really shows through her descriptions of the natural world around little Kya. A lovely read.
(bwl 97 Summer 2020) |
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Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple |
A witty book which may appeal more to Americans - and to anyone who dislikes Microsoft. It's about an architect, her computer-genius husband, their clever but fragile daughter and their life in Seattle which sounds almost dystopian. Told from different viewpoints in an epistolary style, it's a good read if a little far-fetched and packs too many hobby horses into one story.
(bwl 71 Winter 2014) |
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Wine and War by Don and Petie Kladstrup |
After France fell in 1940, the German occupiers set out to plunder one of France's most precious assets: wine. The French vignerons were determined to stop them or to ensure they only took mediocre wines. This fascinating account explores those years of occupation, with first-hand accounts of some ingenious and courageous plots to protect wine cellars - and the dreadful punishments exacted on anyone caught. If you like France, wine and history, it's compulsive reading.
(bwl 18 April 2003) |
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