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A House Unlocked by Penelope Lively |
The story of an Edwardian house and family where Penelope Lively's grandparents lived in what was then remote West Somerset and where she often visited as a child. Often told through mundane household objects which prompt memories, the radical changes, social, economic and in rural society are charted and described in fascinating detail and brought vividly to life. It is a thoughtful reflection of 20th century life, attitudes and perceptions.
(bwl 105 Summer 2022) |
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A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler |
Barnaby Gaitlin is an endearing loser, at odds with society and a misfit within his own successful, aspiring family. The gentle narrative spans a year in his life, his relationships with the diverse people around him and the effects they have upon one another.
Anne Tyler once again uses small everyday detail to bring alive the book and its characters in a thoroughly enjoyable manner.
(bwl 67 Winter 2013) |
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A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks |
Five diverse short stories set in the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp, a Victorian workhouse, a future time in Italy, nineteenth century rural France and the hippy US music scene in the 1970s. They are linked by a strong narrative and haunting characters as they try to make sense of their lives which have been shaped and determined by random events, while struggling to connect with those around them.
(bwl 72 Spring 2014) |
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A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute |
A retro choice for our book club which met with mixed reactions. It's the tale of a love story begun in wartime Malaya and moving to post war Queensland, a reunion and new lives. While the style is of its time I didn't find it dated and the narrative and descriptive passages still entertained. Certainly feel likely to re-read more novels by Neville Shute after a gap of many years.
(bwl 93 Summer 2019) |
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Annie Dunne by Sebastian Barry |
Set in rural 1950s Ireland over one summer where ageing Annie Dunne lives simply on a farm with her cousin Sarah. Her young nephew and niece are placed in their care for the summer, and their arrival together with the brooding presence of Billy Kerr threaten all she has and challenge all her beliefs. The writing, prose and description are beautiful, but it is Annie herself, a complex character who is unforgettable and with whom all your sympathies lie.
(bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
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Boy in the World by Niall Williams |
Standing at the altar waiting to be confirmed The Boy stares at the bishop, says No, and runs from the church in his small Irish village. Having that day discovered his father whom he never knew is not dead after all, he sets out to find him. Thus begins a journey across a Europe in the grip of terrorist attacks, the journey a metaphor for his passage from boyhood to maturity, questioning everything and finding his way through each experience and encounter.
(bwl 111 Winter 2024) |
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Clock Dance by Anne Tyler |
With her family grown, Willa"s life feels pointless and empty so she decides, on a whim, to cross the country to care for her son''s ex-girlfriend who has been shot. Never having met her or her young daughter she quickly becomes embroiled in their lives, while failing to understand the consequences of her actions. I'm a great fan of Anne Tyler but was disappointed. I couldn't empathise with Willa or believe in some of the characters, while the narrative felt disjointed.
(bwl 97 Summer 2020) |
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Cold Earth by Sarah Moss |
Six assorted people arrive in Greenland to excavate an ancient Norse settlement while already anxious about a spreading global pandemic (NB 1st published 2009 ). When graves are discovered unsettling mental images form and tensions begin to rise. When their internet and satellite phone fail panic spreads as they realise they are alone and isolated. Full of suspense, anthropology, archaeology, mysticism, haunting or hallucination, now freezing and starving - can they survive?
(bwl 102 Autumn 2021) |
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Consequences by Penelope Lively |
The book opens as they meet on a park bench in 1935 and is all about what happens next and over the next seventy years. Beautifully told and with delightful characters, it mirrors the changes in life and society during this time. The consequences of the title demonstrate how chance events have far reaching outcomes. For me the only criticism is in the ending - too convenient and improbable I'm afraid.
(bwl 72 Spring 2014) |
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Daughter by Jane Shemilt |
Wife, mother, doctor, juggling a busy life, until one night her teenage daughter goes missing. As her life unravels, Jenny discovers nothing was as she thought, certainties evaporate and layers of family secrets emerge. Cleverly told, alternately leading up to and following the disappearance, it's a tense page turner.
(bwl 76 Spring 2015) |
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Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey |
Confined to bed with a broken leg and exceedingly bored, policeman Alan Grant applies his forensic talents to solving the mystery of the princes in the Tower, and proving his increasing conviction that Richard III was innocent of their murder. Meticulously researched and written in a deceptively simple conversational style, I found the wealth of detail at times difficult to follow, but it could appeal to fans of the detective story or keen historians. An enjoyable, topical read.
(bwl 69 Summer 2013) |
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Family Album by Penelope Lively |
The six siblings growing up in Allersmead, a shabby, rambling Victorian pile, shared an apparently idyllic childhood with their earth mother, remote father and the au pair. Many years later and scattered throughout the world, as that time is reviewed through adult eyes and with adult voices a very different picture emerges, while revealing the subsequent diverse paths that their lives have taken. Beautifully told - I loved it.
(bwl 70 Autumn 2013) |
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God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam |
In one of her earliest novels Jane Gardam brings together an eclectic group of characters in a northern seaside town between the wars. Narrated by eight year old Margaret, daughter of a fanatically religious bank manager and subservient mother, she struggles to understand the adult world with its human frailties as she encounters new people and experiences. In a comedy of manners lives are deftly, if at times, improbably woven together, culminating with a dramatic flourish.
(bwl 69 Summer 2013) |
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Judgement Day by Penelope Lively |
Clare Paling is a newcomer to village life, where she discovers a diverse community, each with his or her own stories, worries and concerns. Initially a wry observer, she gradually becomes involved in their lives and activities but it takes a devastating event to make her reassess her own life. Told with compassion and understanding this absorbing narrative evokes a real and believable contemporary world.
(bwl 71 Winter 2014) |
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Life After Life by Kate Atkinson |
A 'groundhog day' novel in which the central character, Ursula, lives through many versions of her own life during the mid-twentieth century. Random chance and éjà-vu experiences can alter lives and history, but the book avoids the notion that we must learn from our mistakes in order to progress.
An intriguing and clever idea, developed with originality, makes for a satisfying read and my interest never flagged.
(bwl 69 Summer 2013) |
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Long Summer Day by R M Delderfield |
The first in the “Horseman “ trilogy, opening when Paul Craddock , on returning from the Boer war uses an inheritance to buy a remote Devon estate. Enchanted by the place he is determined to forge a new life and make a success as “Squire “ of Swallowfield. All who live there from tenants to gentry and professionals are brought vividly to life against the backdrop of the early twentieth century. A long but highly enjoyable read leaving me wanting to pursue the saga.
(bwl 110 Autumn 2023) |
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Love is Blind by William Boyd |
Another joy from William Boyd. Similar in style to Any Human Heart and Sweet Caress in as much as it follows lives, loves and losses across the continents. The characters come vividly to life while the storyline is full of suspense. An engrossing read.
(bwl 94 Autumn 2019) |
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Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood |
Eleven "chapters" which can be viewed as stand alone short stories or vignettes of a woman's life spanning childhood to old age. Sometimes first person, sometimes third person narration, not always told chronologically, make for an intriguing format which doesn't feel like a true novel but nevertheless flows easily. Well drawn family members anchor and link the chapters and have the effect of making the mundane events of life appear vivid.
(bwl 86 Autumn 2017) |
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Morgan's Passing by Anne Tyler |
This tells the story of the eponymous Morgan, an eccentric Walter Mitty character, his large and long suffering family and his obsessive relationship with a young couple which starts with a dramatic incident and ends in an unforeseen way. Told with her customary warmth and affection, this book is full of humour and poignancy, set amid the minutiae of everyday American life.
(bwl 64 Spring 2012) |
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Music and Silence by Rose Tremain |
Fiction woven deftly around fact when a young English musician arrives at the court of King Christian IV of Denmark. Told in the voices of the characters it is a tale of love, suspense, intrigue and betrayal. The narrative never flags blending sadness and hilarity in equal measure. A fascinating story which inspired in me further exploration of the life and times. My first but certainly not last Rose Tremain novel.
(bwl 90 Autumn 2018) |
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My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell |
I read this having enjoyed the recent TV adaptation. Completely delightful, it evokes an idyllic childhood on Corfu with Durrell's warm and loving family, an assortment of Greeks and of course his ever growing menagerie of animals, birds and reptiles. The descriptions of the island are beautiful and reminiscent of a lost era but told with great humour and affection. A gem.
(bwl 81 Summer 2016) |
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None of This is True by Lisa Jewell |
While celebrating their fortyfifth birthdays Alix and Josie meet and discover they are 'birthday twins', born on the same day in the same hospital. What follows is a cleverly constructed, dark psychological thriller where journalist Alix decides to tell Josie's story. But Josie has her own agenda, infiltrating and dominating every area of Alix's life, family and home. This is a compulsive page turner which you just know will not end well!
(bwl 110 Autumn 2023) |
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On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry |
Lost and mourning her grandson the elderly Lilly reviews her long life set against the background of events in Ireland and America from WW I until Iraq. The narrative unfolds at a measured pace, the prose beautiful, the characters compelling and the sense of place and time vividly depicted. Overcoming every hardship and loss Lilly is a survivor until the aftermath of war finally overwhelms her.
(bwl 92 Spring 2019) |
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Only Say the Word by Niall Williams |
This is the story of a boy growing up in County Clare who travels to America and returns to Ireland with a wife. But the heart of the book is about negotiating life, love, grief, loss and hope. The characters are vivid, the sense of time and place real and Williams’ writing is always beautiful, his Irish voice shining through, but for me I found this book too downbeat, sombre and dark. A personal view maybe.
(bwl 112 Spring 2024) |
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Passing On by Penelope Lively |
Edward and Helen are middle-aged siblings, still living at home; their narrow and uneventful lives dominated by their selfish and demanding mother. The book opens with her death, proceeds to what happens next to the brother and sister and how they react to their new freedom and her absence. They evoke equally pity, sympathy and exasperation, but the tale is told with sensitivity and compassion and has a clear sense of place and characterisation.
(bwl 71 Winter 2014) |
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Perfect by Rachel Joyce |
I wasn't keen on Joyce's bestseller (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry bwl 71), too derivative and predictable. This one is different with well-drawn characters and, whilst very sad in places, is told with warmth and sympathy. In 1972 two seconds are to be added to time and for two small boys this leads to events which dramatically affect their lives. Alternating between then and now, after a slow start, the book gathers pace until the two narratives collide in a completely unforeseen way.
(bwl 73 Summer 2014) |
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Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan |
A short but profound book where every word counts beautifully conveying the community and life in rural Ireland. Set against the background of the Magdalen laundries, Bill Furlong, hard-working coal supplier, senses that all is not well in the local convent. His past - born illegitimate to a maidservant and brought up by her kindly Protestant employer - underscores the theme of humanity and charity versus the cruelty and control of the Catholic church. While the book ends on a hopeful note, we know many dark days were to follow.
(bwl 111 Winter 2024) |
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The Collected Stories by William Trevor |
A bumper treat of more than eighty short stories, each beautifully crafted and showcasing the range and breadth of the author's fertile imagination. Maybe not for reading straight through but a delight to return to from time to time to read a story or three when a "filler" is called for.
(bwl 94 Autumn 2019) |
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The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth by William Boyd |
Seven short and two longer stories. While not usually a fan of short stories they certainly have their place in the scheme of things. Very varied in content, they showcase Boyd's fertile imagination from suspense to comedy. As a self confessed devotee of the author's longer novels I found these a fun, quick read and imagine they would appeal to others who enjoy him.
(bwl 93 Summer 2019) |
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The Magic Apple Tree: A Country Year by Susan Hill |
A year in the life of Susan Hill and her family when they lived on the edge of the rural fens. The depiction of the countryside and seasons are beautifully and lovingly described, along with the characters and activities of the village community which follow a timeless pattern. However nearly forty years after publication the idyll seems a little too perfect and you wonder if this life in fact still exists.
(bwl 89 Summer 2018) |
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The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow |
Mary, the plain, insignificant middle sister here comes into her own. Initially following the original plot and characters to the point when Mr Bennet suddenly dies, Longbourn passes to the Collinses and we discover what happens next. There is a vivid sense of time and place and the author puts an alternative and interesting slant on to some of the original characters. Hopefully this should appeal to fans of Austen and Longbourn (bwl 98). Light and very enjoyable.
(bwl 100 Spring 2021) |
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The Stories by Jane Gardam |
Twenty eight surprisingly diverse short stories, many with a twist in the tail, told with her usual vivid and economic prose. The introduction describing how Jane Gardam became a writer is a fascinating tale in its own right. In two stories the characters from the Old Filth trilogy make a welcome return.
(bwl 81 Summer 2016) |
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The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory |
Kateryn Parr - a devout, intelligent scholar, unwillingly married to Henry VIII - walked a tightrope and survived. Being a first-person, fictionalised account much is open to interpretation, occasionally salacious, by the author, although Gregory's reputation is of solid research. The Tudor Court, the fear and intrigue surrounding Henry are well described and fascinating. It's an easy read and sparked my interest to read more about her, but may not suit those who enjoy their history in a "purer" form.
(bwl 82 Autumn 2016) |
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The Thief of Time by John Boyne |
Due to a quirk of nature Matthieu Zela is over 250 years old, the ageing process having been arrested in his 40s. Alternate chapters chronicle his life today and his previous experiences, ranging from the French revolution to 19th century Rome to Hollywood. His only enduring family is a series of nephews who all die young , a chain he is desperate to break. Sounds confusing? Not so but a cleverly structured page turner with a fitting ending.
(bwl 105 Summer 2022) |
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The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England:A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer |
As the title suggests this is a history book, written as a guidebook to a foreign country, which is actually 14th century England. It describes in great detail every aspect of daily life as experienced by society from the king to the peasant. Often surprising, always entertaining, it prepares the reader for what they would discover and how they would navigate and understand the land and its people.
(bwl 77 Summer 2015) |
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The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn |
A motherless waif, a feral childhood, running wild with her siblings by the sea on their Dorset estate, claiming a beached whale as their own, while their lives are those of stories, plays and theatre dreams. But the play acting becomes real in war time France when brother and sister enlist in the SOE. In post war Dorset all is changed and swept away apart from those theatrical dreams. A promising first novel and enjoyable holiday read which never flags.
(bwl 107 Winter 2023) |
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Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler |
Her reinterpretation of The Taming of the Shrew set in modern day Baltimore. While not a typical Anne Tyler, lacking her usual subtlety and quirky characters, and of course the outcome is never in doubt, it is nevertheless a quick, lighthearted and enjoyable read.
(bwl 85 Summer 2017) |
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Where my Heart Used to Beat by Sebastian Faulks |
Here Faulks returns to the horrors of two world wars and their tragic aftermath on the lives of those who were there. Unexpectedly contacted by a stranger, neurologist Dr.Robert Hendricks is forced to confront and make sense of his life. The narrative is strong, moving backwards and forwards in time, poignant and sad with themes of love and loss, set against reflections on the workings and frailty of the human mind.
(bwl 86 Autumn 2017) |
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