Eve Koguce's Blog, page 20

Book review / The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy

The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“The Copper Beech” is the ninth Maeve Binchy book I’ve read so far. And now it shares the number one place with “The Glass Lake” on the list of my favourites.

Maeve Binchy writes about life in a way that makes you believe in miracles again. Not in the once-in-a-lifetime kind of miracles that happen mostly in movies, but in those simple, everyday coincidences and turns of events that transform the life of a person or a family into a wonderful journey.

At first glance, “The Copper Beech” is more a collection of short stories than a novel, each chapter telling a reader the life story of one of the characters. But as the narration progresses, there gradually emerges a panorama of a small Irish town, with joys and sorrows of its inhabitants, and with carefully guarded secrets.

In small towns like Shancarrig, everyone knows everything about their neighbours. But is it really so? Maeve Binchy masterfully shows how often people are prejudiced and short-sighted in their perception of others when the opinion is based solely on a person’s social standing and commonly accepted paths that person can take in life.

Why isn't a pretty, intelligent school teacher Madeline Ross married? Is it only because of the lack of candidates in a town like Shancarrig? Why has the daughter of a “big town” suddenly become subdued and stopped spending time with her friends? Why is the son of a local seamstress more often seen with letters and flowers but not girls?

To many, answers to these questions would seem obvious. In a way, it’s as if the small-town attitude from the previous century’s 50s-60s has transformed into today’s I-know-it-all position. But Maeve Binchy will surprise you, and that’s a part of her talent’s secret. She will make you cry and smile. She will make your heart flutter in the anticipation of a happy ending for her characters. Still, yet another facet of her genius is that not everyone in her stories runs blissfully into a sunset.

My next read by Maeve Binchy is “Scarlet Feather”. Some of its characters have appeared in the books I’ve read, so I’m even more excited to dive in.






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Book review / Only Sometimes by Felicia Blaedel

Only Sometimes by Felicia Blaedel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Only Sometimes” by Felicia Blaedel is an incredibly warm and intense story of two people in search of equilibrium among the turbulent sea of life. While it has all the elements of a true love story that will please romance readers, it also offers a deep insight into its characters’ personalities.

I liked Niko so much! The author has done a fantastic job creating a character who becomes a real person while you read. I could see Nikoline with her red hair and high heels as if this tall, self-confident woman was sitting across a table from me in a café on one of the summer days. I could see the freckles she takes pain to conceal and heard her laugh, with which she masterfully masks her feelings of insecurity and her pain.

I liked Noah too. But even more, I liked the way the author managed to portray how Niko saw a man she fell in love with. Not every woman would find him charming, but Niko did, and this is what true love is about. Not everyone sees love as two halves being a part of one whole. But it’s impossible to deny that a person who loves sees the object of his love differently from everyone else. And it’s not necessarily about seeing them through the rose-coloured glasses. When you love, you see what others don’t see.

The setting of the book is beautiful. I remembered my trips to Denmark and Sweden, and I thought that so much still remains unseen in these fascinating countries.

“Only Sometimes” is the third book of the Without Filter series, but just like the author says in the blurb, it can easily be read as a standalone novel. I haven’t read the first two books, but I didn’t feel confused about the storyline. On the contrary, references to characters’ pasts gave depth to the story.

There are steamy scenes in the book; they feel organic to the story of two young people who are falling in love. And that Niko and Noah are passionate not only about each other, but also about their studies, jobs, and preserving nature adds layers to this beautifully written new adult romance.





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Book review / City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I haven’t read “Eat, Pray, Love” by the author, and I haven’t done it mainly because, to be honest, I couldn’t get through the movie. The main character’s actions didn’t make any sense to me. The description of “City of Girls” intrigued me, though.

The story is “told” by a ninety-five-year-old woman. It has an autobiographical feel, and I am always charmed by that.

The setting is 1940s New York – for almost half of the book, at least – and it’s absolutely mermerising! I almost felt the beat of the city. I heard its music. The lights of Times Square were so real that it seemed they were twinkling and dancing right in front of my eyes.

The Lilly Playhouse, a second-rate theatre, that hasn’t really seen better days in terms of the quality of its performance is a book character in its own right. The life behind the scenes is more bustling than on stage. And it adds to the overall state of never-ending drama and fervor when a British theatre diva comes to the crumbling Lilly Playhouse. Her arrival brings a fresh wave of creativity and glamour to the shabby but charming place. And now, it depends on every person involved in a production of a new play if the Playhouse will rise above its cheap vaudeville status, visited only by tired and not really enthusiastic about arts local clientele.

And then, there is the cause of my mixed feelings: the main character, Vivian.

I do like controversial characters. It doesn’t bother me when royalty is vain and egocentric. It doesn’t annoy me when book characters don’t make the choices in their lives that I would make. It doesn’t surprise me when serial killers are portrayed, well, like serial killers, rather than innocent lambs that have been spanked when they were little and that experience made them bitter and prone to violence, especially toward middle-aged women in grey skirts or pink tracksuits – whatever it was that their evil mothers had been wearing while spanking their kid who had done nothing wrong. I find it interesting to see the situations through different people’s eyes. But Vivian Morris did annoy me.

To me, she seemed just like Edna – that British theatre star – described her. Won’t leave any spoilers here. I’ll try to find my own words. No matter how the author – through Vivian’s lips – tried to explain her character to readers, at least for me, it hasn’t worked. The only steady impression I got from reading about her life philosophy is that everyone who made different choices in life than she did is unhappy and bored.

Vivian seemed so one-dimensional that it was impossible to feel sorry for her when she went through troubles, as well as feel joy when something in her life went well. And the fact that everyone Vivian meets outside the glamour circle looks like a sad caricature of a person, spoilt some of the otherwise exciting reading experience.




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Book review / Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley by Kelly Miller

Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley by Kelly Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Reading this book was like meeting dear friends after separation. I couldn’t stop smiling as a picture of Lizzy and Mr Darcy’s marital bliss unfolded on the pages. “Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley”, just like other books penned by Kelly Miller, will please Jane Austen’s fans, as well as those who love the regency romance setting.

Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam enjoy a perfect life in their vast and prosperous estate, Pemberley. I must confess that I’ve always tried to imagine the life of my favourite book characters after I read “the end”. And Kelly Miller doesn’t disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Pemberley’s inhabitants’ everyday routine.

The author portrays Mr Darcy as an excellent master, familiar with all the processes of running an estate. While Elizabeth is the one whom everyone attributes the changes for the better that happened to Darcy after his marriage.

Mr Darcy, no longer proud and prejudiced, is a loving husband, doting father, and respected master. It’s impossible to imagine that something can shake this bliss. And still, that’s exactly what happens when one day Darcy falls from his horse. An angel of death appears, and as hard as it is for an educated man like Fitzwilliam Darcy to believe it, he has no choice but to submit to his unique visitor’s request. It turns out that angels of death also need to have a vacation. And this particular specimen has chosen Pemberley as his holiday destination.

Fantasy elements – the angel of death and his special powers – make the story deeper, rather than spoil a beautifully created Jane Austen-style setting. They allow the author to explore the working of characters’ inner minds more, and that gives readers an opportunity to see into their pasts and futures. I found it charming and fascinating how the angel of death has changed people’s lives.

Well-written and elegant, this is yet another great book from Kelly Miller.






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Book review / "Will" by Will Smith

Will by Will Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is one of the best autobiographical books I have read so far. And I do love reading biographies and autobiographies. “Will” by Will Smith has the most important feature that makes an autobiography worth reading: sincerity.

I’m not saying that a person should lay out all of their transgressions, sins, and ugly things in front of readers. Even if stars decide to share the story of their lives, it doesn’t mean that they have some obligation to tell all the details. Writing a book isn’t the same as participating in a court trial. But there is absolutely no added value in reading an autobiography on the pages of which there isn’t a person who’s written it.

Will Smith is definitely on every page of this book. And his personality shines brightly from each word and between the lines.

He begins his story with an uplifting episode from his childhood. His father passes on parental wisdom on him and his brother: a piece of wisdom that is to accompany Will during his whole life. I can easily imagine readers nodding contentedly at the end of the introductory chapter. And then – boom! – you are hit by a bombshell. That wise man, Will Smith’s father, who, as we were made to believe, laid the foundation for his son’s future success, turns out to be not a heroic father figure. Not heroic at all.

What I especially loved in this book is that the author labels neither people nor events. His narration is a picture, not a judgement. While you read, you can’t say who’s a good guy and who’s a bad one. And it buys you over. The truth is simple, and maybe that’s why it’s so difficult to believe it: people aren’t good or bad. We all are – people.

Will Smith hasn’t become a star in one day. He hasn’t become a star in something that he’d chosen to be his one and only true calling. He’s achieved everything he’d wanted to have because the most important thing for him wasn’t to become someone specific: an actor, a singer, or a businessman. The most important thing for him was to become a man he could respect.

Reading this book was a deeply emotional and compelling journey.





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Book review / A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When books outlive their author.

Maeve Binchy’s last novel “A Week in Winter” was published posthumously. And it didn’t surprise me that this book set a record for the most pre-orders ever for a book on Amazon. Readers’ love for this excellent storyteller is not only understandable but also absolutely justified.

Maeve Binchy writes about people. She doesn’t write to shock or to entertain. Her stories are like a mirror of life itself, with its glorious moments and happiness as well as bitter downfalls. Her characters seem real. You read and you can easily imagine meeting the owner of the most popular restaurant next time you’ll go out for a meal in a fashionable place.

“A Week in Winter” is a story about different people trying to find their true place in this world. The most diverse company of strangers meet in a new hotel in a remote Irish coastal town. The reasons why they ended up in this place outside the holiday season are vastly different but at the same time, curiously similar. They all are not happy. And they are desperately trying to find that anchor, which would tie them back to their dreams and hopes. Which would let them see that something bright is waiting for them in the future.

“A Week in Winter” is written in Maeve Binchy’s trademark style. Several seemingly unconnected stories get woven into a multi-layered blanket of what is called – life.

As it happens every time when I read one of this author’s books, I cried, and smiled, and felt elated. I went through the hardships and moments of happiness together with its characters.

I recommend this book to everyone who needs their faith in common miracles to be revived.





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Book review / Choices by T.R. Hamby

Choices by T. R. Hamby

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Choices” by T.R. Hamby is the story of Audrey who doesn’t fit into the conventional life pattern. That pattern that every woman is supposed to follow, and if she doesn’t, she gets to know what the declared broad-mindedness really means.

The truth is that although no one calls her offensive names, neither does she get a stigma burnt into her skin or a scarlet letter sewn onto her clothes, but still, everyone expects her to dream about certain things in life. Marriage, commitment, children. If she says that being unmarried and childless is her choice, she is labelled “desperate”.

The author manages to draw a vivid picture of Audrey’s life that is filled with a job that she loves, her friends that share her interests, yoga, and her cat (right, cats are another “true” sign of a “spinster”). It is absolutely obvious why Audrey is happy. Of course, she has her doubts and low moments, but it’s not like anyone irrespective of their marital status can skip that part, is it?
Audrey leads an active social life, and certainly, she meets a man she falls in love with. Her new relationship is bliss. But then, those around her again know better what she needs and what she should want.

The book made me think about many different things. The only right way to live your life is to follow your inner compass. “The society” will always disapprove no matter what choices you make. If you’re single, it’ll push you to enter a relationship. If you’re in a relationship, it’ll dictate you how fast or slow this relationship should progress. If you don’t have children, it’ll search for hidden faults or motives to make you “a villain”, but if you have “too many” children and suddenly your financial circumstances change, it’ll turn you into “an irresponsible person”.

I might not agree with the choice that Audrey has eventually made, but everyone’s experiences in life are different, and what could have turned into a disaster for one person, for someone else can be the best thing they could have done to be happy.









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Book review / Kellcey by Kacey Kells

Kellcey by Kacey Kells

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Kellcey” by Kacey Kells is a story that often is left untold.

It felt like reading a diary. And this narrative style made the story even more heartbreaking.
Kacey Kells tells about her almost perfect “before” life with the ingenuousness of youth. Her thoughts are so pure that you feel helpless fury that this purity was taken away from her. A tragedy has changed her family’s life, and if that alone wasn’t enough, she had to face the most unimaginable cruelty that almost shattered her, making her lose self-confidence and faith in people.

An unexpected “side effect” from reading this book is that now I want to visit Canada. The author describes her homeland with the deepest love and in bright, appealing colours. I felt acutely how difficult it was for her to leave it. It was like leaving a part of your heart behind.

Reading the book also gave me a chance to relive my impressions of London, the city that stunned me when I came there for the first time and that became almost like the second home to me after I spent a lot of time wandering its crowded ancient streets.

While issues of gender equality and women’s rights can be viewed from different perspectives, there is only one way to look at abuse. Those who haven’t experienced it or haven’t met victims of it, don’t realise the depth of its devastating effect.

“Kellcey” is a story that won’t leave anyone indifferent.






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Book review / Happy to Have Nothing by Stuart Hobrow

Happy to Have Nothing by Stuart Hobrow

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


They say that hardships make us stronger. After losing her mother, Mel would laugh in your face if you tried to comfort her with these words of general wisdom. The truth is that every person deals with hardships and grief in their own way, and not always even those who love us can find the right words to help us.

“Happy to Have Nothing” by Stuart Hobrow follows the lives of Mel, Ali, and Rob, as they go through their adolescent years, and then the story makes a leap, and we meet adult Melanie, Alison, and Robert.

When they are teenagers, the situations the characters face don’t solely revolve around traditional school drama. Their friendship progresses, and it promises to blossom into a strong bond between them, such as people carry through their whole life. But as it often happens, life has other plans for them.

“Happy to Have Nothing” by Stuart Hobrow is a story that won’t leave readers indifferent. Everyone will find something to think about after they turn the last page. Not every character is likable, and that’s one of the many things that I liked about this book. You have to dig deep to understand why they act the way they do – not like superheroes, but as real people.

The book threw me into the reflections about my own life experiences. What gives us strength not to step on the path of self-destruction if life doesn’t treat us kindly? Why do some people, after they went through a traumatising experience, want others to feel the same while others realise the value of kindness?

“Happy to Have Nothing” is a book that makes those who are reading it, think, smile, maybe shed a tear or two. It affects you in the same ways like life itself. And like life, it surprises us, just when we think that we’ve seen it all and nothing can make us believe in miracles again.

Almost always the reason why people hurt each other is that they are in pain. And it’s the easiest thing to write them off as bad or worthless. “Happy to Have Nothing” unfolds all the many facets of where our experiences lead us and how important it is to grab the opportunities life throws at us.





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Book review / The Complexities of Love by M.A. Quigley

The Complexities of Love by M.A. Quigley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Is there a thing more torturing for a human being than a lack of feeling of belonging? That’s what Mark has to grow up and live with.

The real tumult of emotions boils inside Mark while he’s growing up, and it doesn’t quieten when he enters adulthood. He can’t find a place for himself, either in the outside world or within himself. Since he was a child, he knew that he was different. And it wasn’t an easy realisation to make.

Every aspect of Mark’s life – his school days, his work afterward, the relationships with his parents and sister – is marred by the knowledge that society wouldn’t accept him. M.A. Quigley has done a remarkable job depicting the life void of… life. I felt so sad, reading and almost living through the gloomy days with Mark. I could feel how his existence seemed colourless and useless to him.

Mark’s relationship with Dave is full of unspoken words and the pain they hide from each other. They are so full of burdens and problems the condemning society imposes on them that they can’t afford to think much about what they feel towards each other and how to proceed with their relationship.

I’ve found some moments in the book a little unsettling, and those scenes sent my mind in a slightly different direction from the torments of the main character. But there is nothing in this world that is pure through and through. There’ll always be something that we won’t be able to accept. The most important thing, as I see it, is to grant everyone equal rights to be happy within their own projection of what happiness consists of.

“The Complexities of Love” by M.A. Quigley is a multi-layered coming-of-age story. It is full of emotions, and it will definitely leave readers thinking about the complexities of life and love after they turn the last page and read “the end”.





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