Theresa Smith's Blog, page 135
May 14, 2018
New Release Book Review: Someone Like You by Karly Lane
About the Book:
When bestselling author, twenty-nine year old Hayley Stevens, walked in on her husband, Paul, and her best friend in bed together, she knew her life would never be the same again.
One year later, Hayley stowed her last bag in her much-loved Audi Coupe and said goodbye to the city. She was excited to be heading west to Lochway, a small colonial village sitting on the beautiful Macdonald River. Wanting peace and quiet, Hayley had impulsively bought a cosy sandstone cottage there surrounded by lush rose gardens, with a small overseer’s cottage – ideal for a writer’s retreat.
What she didn’t expect was the almost immediate ‘gift’ of a very noisy donkey named Errol. Nor did Hayley expect to meet her handsome new neighbour, Luke Mason, when she was covered in mud trying to drag Errol out of Luke’s dam. The strange thing was though that Luke seemed very familiar to her.
As Hayley slowly gains acceptance into her small community and starts writing again she becomes almost afraid of the inexplicable visions she sees. What does it all mean? And why does Luke refuse to listen to her?
Written with warmth and humour, Someone Like You is an intriguing, funny and romantic story about past lives and new beginnings.
My Thoughts:
I adore Karly Lane’s novels. She’s one author who just hits the right note every time with every book. In her eleventh novel, Someone Like You, Karly brings to us a city girl to country woman tale, a love story crossing generations, and an age old mystery that is determined to resurface.
Hayley, our heroine in Someone Like You, is simply gorgeous. Escaping to the country for a quiet fresh start, within 24 hours she has adopted a very noisy donkey named Errol. This is followed by several more animals until she has a small menagerie, leading her to hire a local man who has been largely ostracised on account of his PTSD, to build some animal pens. She has a heart of gold and you just can’t help but fall in love with her. Luke, her neighbour, feels pretty much the same way, and from the moment he and Hayley lock eyes over a dam containing a stuck donkey, it’s pretty much love at first sight for the pair of them. Inexplicably so, because there is a spark between them that extends beyond the attraction they feel for each other, a spark that frightens both of them and is impossible to explain, much less accept. This paranormal element present in Someone Like You caught me by surprise but I enjoyed it immensely.
Within an authentic country setting, Karly’s trademark humour knits together a fabulous story about fresh beginnings and new love. A snapshot of Australia’s colonial history is interwoven throughout the narrative with both truth and sensitivity. A spotlight shines down onto some pertinent issues, such as PTSD in our young returning soldiers and displacement for farmers who have worked the land traditionally for decades. Karly’s novels are always full and rounded; reading one is like stepping into a new community for the duration and being welcomed in with open arms. I loved Someone Like You and highly recommend it to all readers for a heart warming read that will have you flipping the pages long into the night.
Thanks is extended to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of Someone Like You for review.
About the Author:
[image error]Karly Lane lives on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. Proud mum to four children and wife of one very patient mechanic, she is lucky enough to spend her day doing the two things she loves most – being a mum and writing stories set in beautiful rural Australia.
Her bestselling novels include North Star, Morgan’s Law, Bridie’s Choice, Poppy’s Dilemma, Gemma’s Bluff, Tallowood Bound, Second Chance Town, Third Time Lucky, If Wishes Were Horses and Six Ways to Sunday. Someone Like You is her eleventh novel.
[image error]
Someone Like You is published by Allen and Unwin. Paperback and eBook out now.
May 13, 2018
New Release Book Review: The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross
About the Book:
A richly magical retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, from the point of view of the Beast.
I am neither monster nor man – yet I am both.
I am the Beast.
I know why I was cursed; I know the legacy of evil I carry in my tainted blood. So how could she ever love me?
My Isabeau. She opened my eyes, my mind and my heart when I was struggling just to be human.
And now I might lose her forever.
My Thoughts:
I am a big fan of Beauty and the Beast. It’s hands down my favourite fairytale, always has been, so it was with much excitement that I bought this as soon as it was released and began reading it immediately, despite being in the middle of another novel.
The first thing you need to know upon reading this novel, is that it is not the Disney version retold by the beast. I had to get used to that because I spent the first 50 pages waiting for Lumiere to pop out and Mrs Pots to wheel in with some advice. This is a whole new version of the fairytale, told by the beast.
Isabeau (the beauty in this story) has agreed to spend a year with the beast and this is what forms the basis of the story. Locked away together in a magic Chateaux, not much happens – for them, and unfortunately, for us. The story is simply too long and has too many instances of repetition and days that are the same, over and over. To break all this up, the beast has a magic mirror that shows him what’s going on with Isabeau’s sisters and father. The goings on with this family form a large chunk of the story, yet the one voice that we don’t hear from but perhaps really needed to for balance, was Isabeau herself. There were some instances where her behaviour was odd, seen only through the eyes of the beast, and we were left to either surmise what might have been going with Isabeau or to simply not warm to her.
This was a nice story with some great moments of emotional connection between Isabeau and the beast, but overall, it didn’t work for me. It was too long, and it held back too much. There was no emotional unleashing, no great waves of intensity; I just didn’t feel too much at all while reading it. I don’t like YA fiction all that much, I just feel as though I’m too old for it and it never seems to deliver enough for me. Perhaps that was part of the problem with this (it’s not you it’s me) and perhaps my anticipation was too high. Judge for yourself and if you end up loving it, please stop by and tell me why, I’d love to see what aspects I overlooked while reading.
About the Author:
[image error]Leife Shallcross lives at the foot of a mountain in Canberra, Australia, with her family and a small, scruffy creature that snores. She has a tendency to overindulge in reading fairy tales, then lie awake at night listening to trolls (or maybe possums) galloping over her tin roof. Ever since she can remember, she has been fascinated by stories about canny fairy godmothers, heroic goose girls and handsome princes disguised as bears. She is particularly inspired by those characters that tend to fall into the cracks of the usual tales. She is the author of several short stories, including Pretty Jennie Greenteeth, which won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Short Story. The Beast’s Heart is her first novel.
[image error]
The Beast’s Heart is published by Hachette Australia. Available as eBook, Paperback and Hardback now.
May 10, 2018
New Release Book Review: The Wasp and The Orchid by Danielle Clode
About the Book:
‘Have you met Mrs Edith Coleman? If not you must – I am sure you will like her – she’s just A1 and a splendid naturalist.’
In 1922, a 48-year-old housewife from Blackburn delivered her first paper, on native Australian orchids, to the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria. Over the next thirty years, Edith Coleman would write over 300 articles on Australian nature for newspapers, magazines and scientific journals. She would solve the mystery of orchid pollination that had bewildered even Darwin, earn the acclaim of international scientists and, in 1949, become the first woman to be awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion. She was ‘Australia’s greatest orchid expert’, ‘foremost of our women naturalists’, a woman who ‘needed no introduction’.
And yet, today, Edith Coleman has faded into obscurity. How did this remarkable woman, with no training or connections, achieve so much so late in life? And why, over the intervening years, have her achievements and her writing been forgotten?
Zoologist and award-winning writer Danielle Clode sets out to uncover Edith’s story, from her childhood in England to her unlikely success, sharing along the way Edith’s lyrical and incisive writing and her uncompromising passion for Australian nature and landscape.
My Thoughts:
What a wonderful book this is to include in my Australian Women Writers Challenge for this year – a book about a forgotten Australian woman writer! From an early encounter in her career with the work of Edith Coleman, scientist and writer Danielle Clode, hung on to a fascination with naturalist Edith Coleman. Who was she, and why had her work faded into obscurity? Almost twenty years later, Danielle has pieced together what little is known about Edith’s personal life, scoured the archives for her work, tracked down family members, visited past residences, and produced a remarkable book about a woman who solved a mystery of naturalism that confounded even Charles Darwin.
Part biographical, part speculation, and part social history, The Wasp and The Orchid is also the story of how Danielle pieced together the puzzle that was Edith Coleman’s life. The biographer has a strong presence within this account, and in many instances, she writes of herself within the context of Edith’s story and experiences. It’s a technique that allows the reader to feel as though they are on this journey with the biographer, a team uncovering facts and filling in gaps. Early on in the book, Danielle raises the question of Edith’s modern day obscurity:
“It is tempting to think that Edith has been forgotten because she was a woman, but it’s more complicated than that. She’s been forgotten because she was a scientist, and because she was an amateur. She’s been forgotten because she wrote for newspapers, magazines and academic journals, rather than books. She’s been forgotten because she was Australian, because she wasn’t Australian enough, and most of all because she was a nature writer.”
Much later, she offers this theory:
“Women’s voices are being lost when we anthologise, analyse and criticise the literature. In this case, it’s not a question of what’s written, but who we have chosen to hear.”
That makes a lot of sense to me and is something the Australian Women Writers Challenge seeks to redress.
The highlight of this book for me was the inclusion of Edith’s own writing. For a scientist, she was incredibly artful and her prose could almost be described as flowery (yes, I did just describe the writings of a naturalist as flowery!):
“It is a wonderful land – a land of striking contrasts. To those of us who have fallen under its spell it will stretch out invisible hands to draw us back to its blossoming wilderness – to follow again elusive trails across silvery plains; over white, dry beds of winding watercourses, over rock-strewn hills, painted in unbelievable colours, which only a few artists have dared to put on canvas – colours which must be seen to be believed, best of all, to enjoy again the colour and perfume of its vegetation, and to marvel again at its wonderful fertility.” – Magic rain carpets the ‘inland’: Many and brave are the flowers of inland – blooms of a ‘desert’ that is no desert. Edith Coleman, 1938.
I found Edith’s words utterly sublime. They evoked such a strong imagery and conveyed her love of the natural world so completely. You have the impression from her writing that she was a lovely woman, a gentle and appreciative soul with an inquisitive mind that was sharp as a tack. I can understand Danielle’s fascination with her.
Each new chapter of the book begins with a fictional narration based on some fact uncovered. I will admit that I enjoyed these passages above all in the book, with the exception of Edith’s own writing. I couldn’t help but ponder on how a fictional account based on fact might have been better than a biography. So little was known about Edith and Danielle speculates heavily on quite a lot of Edith’s life. It could be just my preference for fiction coming through, but these chapter starters were highly engaging and I think Danielle has a talent for story telling as much as for writing non-fiction. I kept imagining Edith’s story being brought to life in the tradition of The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Birdman’s Wife by Melissa Ashley.
Anyone with an interest in Australian women writers from the past will enjoy this book, as will nature enthusiasts. I will admit to being captivated by Edith’s discovery linking wasps with orchids. The book itself is a be-ribboned hardback beauty with extensive images throughout in both colour and black and white. It resembles a keepsake and would make a lovely gift to those who love gardens and reading.
Thanks is extended to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me with a copy of The Wasp and The Orchid for review.
About the Author:
[image error]
Danielle Clode is a zoologist and award-winning author. She has worked as a zookeeper and scientific interpreter, in exhibition design and academia, and spent many years as a technical editor and writing teacher. She has written seven books, including Voyages to the South Seas, which won the 2007 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Nonfiction.
[image error]
Hardback – ISBN: 9781760554286; Pages: 432; Price: $39.99
eBook – ISBN: 9781760559823; Price: $17.99 Pub Date: 27/03/2018
Category: Biography & True Stories / Biography: science, technology & medicine Biography & True Stories / Biography: general
Imprint: Picador Australia
May 9, 2018
Book Review: The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence by Alyssa Palombo
About the Book:
In 15th Century Italy, a girl as beautiful as Simonetta Cattaneo never wants for marriage proposals. When Marco Vespucci – a handsome young man, highly favoured by the Medici in Florence – asks for her hand, she eagerly accepts.
Even before her wedding is set, Simonetta is swept into a glittering circle of politicians, poets, artists and philosophers. The men of Florence – most notably the rakish Giuliano de’Medici – are enthralled with her beauty. That she is educated and an ardent reader of poetry makes her more desirable still. But it is her acquaintance with a young painter, Sandro Botticelli, which strikes her heart.
As Simonetta learns to navigate her marriage, her place in Florentine society, and the politics of beauty and desire, she and Botticelli develop a passionate intimacy, one that leads to her immortalisation in his masterpiece, The Birth of Venus.
Alyssa Palombo’s The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence captures the dangerous allure of the bond between artist and muse with candour and unforgettable passion.
My Thoughts:
The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence is a splendid novel of historical fiction, its story richly draped in the culture of the Renaissance and woven tightly with threads of passion and indulgence. It’s a most perfect study of life at the top in a changing social order, the constraints of being a woman of noble birth, and the curse that comes with possessing beauty that is revered by all.
Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci was a real woman in history. During her tragically short life she was regarded, in actual fact, as the most beautiful woman in Florence. So beautiful, that upon her death, thousands followed her funeral procession through the streets of Florence, her coffin left open so that all could gaze upon her famed beauty one last time. I agree with the author’s views on the morbidity of this. Yet this fanfare attached to her burial is reminiscent of the fanfare attached to her living days. She lived her life like a celebrity, known all through Florence, men crowding in front of her house in the hopes for a glimpse of her, people picking up her dropped gloves or hankies to keep as a favour, women copying her hairstyles and dresses; gossip about her was virulent. She moved to Florence when she was sixteen, to marry Marco Vespucci, a handsome young noble who promised her a culture infused existence in Florence, and she died there at around the age of twenty-two from consumption, a condition she had suffered from for years.
The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence is a work of fiction based upon a real woman and a handful of facts known about her. I really enjoyed the author’s interpretation of Simonetta’s life and there are several events and circumstances included in this story that are grounded in fact, as per the author’s notes at the end of the novel. I absolutely love novels based upon the history of art and literature, particularly those that orbit around a real person whose work we still revere in the modern day, along with stories about the people that inspired these artists. They have become in recent times a favourite topic for me within the very large genre that is historical fiction. Alyssa Palombo writes so well, her descriptions of art so vivid and placed so authentically within their setting. I could see, in my mind, so clearly some of the artworks she described, and a quick search on Google confirmed just how close my imagination was in each instance. What a skill, to bring what is pictured to life so beautifully in words. The emotion infused into this story was divine, and I spent much of this novel reading it while on the verge of tears. There were just so many scenes of beauty and deep meaning. I really loved this story and I have already downloaded Alyssa’s first novel, as it sounds equally as wonderful as what this one turned out to be.
Simonetta certainly lived a life of luxury and cultural decadence. Her husband was wealthy and well respected, despite his young age, and handsome too. In the early years of their marriage, the two were quite in love, but sadly, not that much in love to withstand the trials of outside forces. Marco was more in love with Simonetta’s beauty and the doors that it opened for him, particularly the ones at the de Medici villa. As well as beautiful, Simonetta was educated and intelligent, so she fit right into the Florentine scene of poets, artists and philosophers. She was highly appreciated by Lorenzo de Medici, a man known through history as Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was a political genius who reigned as the de facto ruler of republican Florence, and was a true patron of the arts and of learning, cultivating the careers of many well known artists and writers. His younger brother, Giuliano, was obsessed with Simonetta from their first meeting. Despite being engaged, and later married, to his best friend, Giuliano openly flirted with and propositioned Simonetta endlessly, even going so far as to have a banner painted in her image by Botticelli for his jousting ceremony, where he openly declared his love for her in front of her husband and all of Florence by requesting her favour. The pressure this placed on the already strained marriage between Simonetta and Marco was profound.
To view beauty as a curse seems ironic, but Alyssa Palombo demonstrates this with such authenticity throughout Simonetta’s story. She is a young woman who has been objectified for her entire life.
“What is it about beauty, I wondered one day, squinting at a bit of embroidery, which makes men think they have the right to desire you? That beauty means you automatically agree, somehow, to be coveted, to be desired? That your beauty belongs to everyone?”
While Simonetta makes this reflection quite late in the novel, it’s a theme that recurs throughout. It’s no wonder she fell so deeply in love with Sandro Botticelli. I love this observation Simonetta makes upon their first meeting:
“He paused as he continued to contemplate my face, yet not with the avaricious desire with which men usually studied it; nor with the envious, calculating gaze of most women. Rather, he considered my face as though he would unlock its secrets; as though he would solve the puzzle of how I was so beautiful. ‘I should like to paint you,’ he said finally.”
Much later, when the two profess their love, Botticelli refutes Simonetta’s suggestion that he fell in love with her the moment he first saw her face.
“I could see that you are beautiful. But I did not love you until that day when I first asked you to pose for me, when we spoke of philosophy and the Church and learning.”
Theirs was a love of restraint, spread over many years, separated by class and circumstances out of their own control. A love, in truth, that was never meant to be. And yet it was, it prevailed, and it lasted well beyond Simonetta’s death. Two facts: Botticelli painted two incredible works with, it is widely believed, Simonetta as the subject — Portrait of a Lady and The Birth of Venus — after her death. Upon his own death, he was buried at her feet. His grave is open to the public, situated at the base of Simonetta’s grave. Muse or great love? To my mind, great love. In the 15th and 16th century, people were still deeply superstitious about the afterlife, and despite being educated and philosophical people, they were still Catholic, and when faced with death, that would have weighed in. To be buried together indicates to me a wish to be together in the afterlife, and Botticelli’s request that he lay prostrate at Simonetta’s feet, tells me that he loved her more than anything, a reverent love that endured their early parting and remained with him for the rest of his life. That’s my take on it anyway.
So clearly, I really loved this novel and have given it a lot of thought. The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence is such a fine historical novel, rich in atmosphere and passionately involving, it contains everything I want from an historical and more. I really can’t recommend it highly enough.
About the Author:
Alyssa Palombo is the author of The Violinist of Venice and The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence. She has published short fiction pieces in Black Lantern Magazine and The Great Lakes Review. She is a recent graduate of Canisius College with degrees in English and creative writing. A passionate music lover, she is a classically trained musician as well as a big fan of heavy metal. She lives in Buffalo, New York.
[image error]
The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence was published in 2017 by Pan Macmillan Australia.
May 8, 2018
Behind the Pen with Elizabeth Crocket
Today I give a warm welcome to Canadian author Elizabeth Crocket, joining me here on Behind the Pen with a few of her favourites. Over to you Elizabeth!
What is your favourite…and why…
Character from one of your books?
I have so many! I have written three women’s fiction novels, A Path to the Lake, The Smell of Roses and Full of Grace, and so it really is difficult to choose. But, if push comes to shove, I will choose Kate Browning from A Path to the Lake. She is relatable and despite her flaws, so likeable. But, I do have a thing for the character of Grace, one of the protagonists in Full of Grace, because of how she handles her cancer journey. Having experienced my own personal cancer journey, I know how challenging that can be. And since I’ve named the characters in two of my books, I’m adding Dolly from The Smell of Roses…a feisty old girl with attitude!
[image error]
Scene from one of your books?
In A Path to the Lake, Kate finds herself in a bistro with Frank, when another love interest, Tom, unexpectedly walks in! Even I couldn’t wait to see what she would do!
Movie of all time?
I’ll choose Love Actually. Just because I watch it every year during the holidays, and never tire of doing that, which is unusual for me. It is light-hearted and fun, and always gets me in the holiday spirit!
Book that you always keep a copy of and recommend to others?
I love Elizabeth Berg books, and have most of them I’m sure. Range of Motion was one that really moved me. In terms of recommendations though, I’ve probably recommended Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott the most, especially to aspiring writers. Great writing advice, and funny to boot.
[image error]
Fashion accessory that despite having plenty of, you still keep collecting?
If my husband ever loses me in the store, he knows he can find me in the shoe or boot department! Although I probably have enough rings, too…or can you have enough?
Drink that you enjoy every day?
Every day I have tea. And now and again I’ve been known to enjoy a glass of wine. For purely medicinal reasons, of course.
Treat you indulge in?
I love cinnamon and sugar on a toasted white bagel…mmm…when the cinnamon is blended with butter and all melting on top…excuse me while I go plug in the toaster.
Place to be?
In my backyard in the summer with all my family around, enjoying drinks and a barbecue. And if I can’t be doing that, it would be somewhere near the water on a bright, sunny day. Maybe on a path to the lake. (Get it, A Path to the Lake?)
Person you admire?
I’m going to be really corny here, but I admire my grown children. I love who they turned out to be. Good people with good hearts, who are both involved, loving parents to their own children. And my husband, for his patience and support through my cancer journey. On a larger scale, I admire any writer or poet who ascribes to T.S. Eliot’s quote, “The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink.”
Season of the year?
I love the colour of flowers and birds singing in spring…the hot sun and lazy days of summer…the colour of the leaves and crisp air in the fall…but, could we just take February off the calendar? Or maybe that’s just me…
About Elizabeth:
Sixth generation Canadian, Elizabeth was born in Toronto, Ontario.
Writing short stories and poetry from an early age, reading and writing have always been a prominent part of her life.
She obtained a diploma from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, in Addiction Education, and a certificate in Counselling Studies from the Counsellor Training Institute.
Elizabeth lives and writes in Burlington, where she spends as much time outdoors as she can, preferably near the water.
She is married with grown children, and has six grandchildren she loves to the moon and back.
Connect with Elizabeth at her website:
May 7, 2018
New Release Book Review: The Yellow Villa by Amanda Hampson
About the Book:
‘People come to France to reinvent themselves…’
Mia and Ben, an Australian couple in their early thirties, have relinquished one dream and embraced another, selling their Sydney flat and purchasing an old yellow house in the picturesque village of Cordes-sur-Ciel in South-West France.
They soon meet sophisticated neighbours Dominic and Susannah, a British couple in their sixties who welcome them warmly but whose own relationship is in crisis. Mia and Ben are immediately star-struck and impressed by their lavish hospitality. However, things with Dominic and Susannah are not what they first seem.
Gradually secrets begin to surface, revealing details of a scandal Dominic and Susannah had hoped to leave behind in London. Reeling from these revelations, Mia and Ben no longer trust their own instincts and the peaceful idyll of their French life begins to unravel. Can Dominic and Susannah escape each other, and can Ben and Mia they find their way back to each other and the dream they shared?
An intoxicating and hugely entertaining domestic drama by the bestselling author of The French Perfumer.
My Thoughts:
I absolutely devoured The Yellow Villa by Amanda Hampson. It’s the first novel of hers that I’ve read and I enjoyed her style so much. It veers from sharp wit to lyrical reflections and there is not a single wasted word along the way. Not a long novel, but wow, does a lot happen! I loved this about it, straight to the point and no messing around throughout. I used to adore long books, the longer the better, but of late I’m more about the instant gratification. I want to begin and end a book inside a day on my weekend, not have it stretch out over the working week. The length of The Yellow Villa was perfect for a Saturday spent relaxing with several cups of tea and the pages slipping by rapidly.
The Yellow Villa is a domestic drama that is very much driven by its four main characters. Ben and Mia are a young Australian couple who have bought ‘the yellow villa’ with no real plan other than to use it as a fresh start for their troubled marriage. I liked both of these characters but Mia definitely came off stronger. She wasn’t always likeable, but I felt her presence more than Ben, who was at times, incredibly naive and wishy washy. Together though, they worked really well. They just needed to get back on the same track.
Susannah and Dominic are much older than Ben and Mia and they’ve lived in France for a year, having fled England in the midst of a mysterious scandal. Susannah is determined to befriend the young couple, partially out of loneliness, and after meeting them for the first time, Dominic goes along with her. In his case, he sees in Ben a young man he can postulate to, and given Ben’s naivety, it all falls into place for the older couple.
Despite the narrative being very tight, it’s also extremely artful. I loved this passage from early on, where Mia is reflecting on her night walks around her new home:
“Over the last few days, the house explored in the dreaming hours has become more familiar to me. I feel a growing affection for the odd creaks and sighs and shifting shadows. The dawn breeze seems to slow and thread itself through the house as if enfolding us, and no longer buffeting against us.”
There’s just a wonderful infusion of atmosphere throughout the entire novel. The yellow villa has a bit of a history and I enjoyed learning of it. It’s not a major part of the story but its disclosure to Mia forms a springboard for better things down the track, a lovely example of connectivity between characters over time. I liked the conveyance of life as an expat as well, particularly the inferences around country of origin and how this determines your welcome from the French locals.
Dominic would have to be one of the most authentically despicable, misogynistic, self-centered waste of space human beings I have ever encountered on the page. What an absolutely brilliant character! His ego was insatiable and his reflections on himself as he wrote his memoirs were hysterical. Poor Susannah, for all her faults, I forgave them at once as soon Dominic’s true character was evident. No one would ever deserve to be stuck with someone such as him – his downfall was a perfect example of natural justice. There was a ‘fargo-esque’ quality to the happenings within Susannah’s and Dominic’s household. The pair and their goings on were outrageous and yet entirely plausible. I was heartened to witness Susannah’s character growth, particularly towards the end. She was a character I tucked into my heart early on in the novel.
“Now she is discovering that she can stare into that abyss and see beyond the darkness. There is a faint glow in the distance, and as she moves towards it she knows it will become brighter and expand around her and she will be comforted by it. She will step into the light on her own. It will be her light. And she is determined to walk towards it every day.”
Mia also grew immeasurably over the course of the novel. She discovered many things about herself and in the end, so did Ben. Her friendship with Susannah was admirable, her integrity and empathy weighing in at some difficult moments and I was so pleased with how she helped Susannah when she was at her most needy, despite feeling at odds about it. She read Dominic like a book right from the start which of course weighed in when making her decision to help Susannah. Where Ben was a bit of a fence sitter regarding Dominic, preferring to view him as eccentric and forgive him his faults, Mia was firmly unsettled by him right from the beginning, viewing him from an angle that was impossible for Ben: that of a dismissed woman. The superb characterisation employed by Amanda Hampson is a standout feature of this novel. Each chapter alternated between one of the four, balancing the story and maximising the entertainment value. The ending worked so well for me, for all four characters. I highly recommend The Yellow Villa, it’s a most enjoyable novel that will have you snickering throughout and occasionally swallowing a bitter pill.
Thanks is extended to Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a copy of The Yellow Villa for review.
About the Author:
[image error]
Amanda Hampson grew up in rural New Zealand. She spent her early twenties travelling, finally settling in Australia in 1979 where she now lives in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Writing professionally for more than 20 years she has had numerous articles and two non-fiction books published. ‘The Olive Sisters’ was her highly successful fiction debut.
[image error]
Trade Paperback – ISBN 9780143784296 April 30, 2018 Viking
EBook – ISBN 9780143784357 April 30, 2018 Penguin eBooks
May 6, 2018
New Release Book Review: Five Years From Now by Paige Toon
About the Book:
Vian and Nell are thrown together at the age of five when Vian’s mother and Nell’s father fall in love. At first wary of each other, they soon become the best of friends. But five years later, they are torn apart and Vian moves to the other side of the world.
Fast-forward five more years to when Vian comes to visit, and Nell discovers that the boy she once knew is now ‘Van’ – a wild and carefree teenager. Chemistry crackles, but once again, they’re separated.
For the next two decades, Nell and Van meet every five years, but life and circumstance always intervene. Will they ever find true happiness? And will it be together?
My Thoughts:
‘One day, maybe five years from now, you’ll look back and understand why this happened…’
This little quote I’ve picked to open with, which also heads the blurb on the back of the book, underpins everything that happens within this novel. It’s a terrific concept, inspired by words the author’s own father used to say to her. I love how Paige Toon has taken some sage advice and turned it into a bittersweet foundation for a story.
Five Years From Now is told from the perspective of Nell, but such is the talent of Paige Toon that we get plenty of opportunities to get a full view on what’s going on with Vian along the way. The novel is broken up into five year intervals from five to forty, yet again, events from the intervening years are seamlessly woven into the narrative. I’m so impressed with Paige Toon as an author and so very unimpressed with the fact that it’s taken this long for me to discover her! Has the universe conspired in some practical joke against me? She has eleven previous titles for adults – how on earth did I miss her? If you’re a fan of her work, please feel free to recommend some favourites to point me in the right direction on where to start with her backlist.
I loved the Cornwall setting of this novel. Cornwall has long been on my wishlist to visit so I always enjoy discovering novels that are set there. There was a quaint atmosphere to this novel which reinforced the beauty of Cornwall as different characters returned over the years, relocated from other places, and sometimes stayed and never left. The years Nell and Vian spent as children in the Cornish countryside were idyllic, providing a time for them both to look back on as ‘before everything changed.’
Relationships drive this novel, not only the one between Nell and Vian, but with those around them as well. Nell and her father had a wonderful bond that ebbed and flowed over the years: adoring young daughter, rebellious teen, appreciative young adult, mutual dependence and affection as contemporaries, and then sadly, role reversal as Nell had to step into the shoes of the carer. I was particularly fond of Ruth and I think Paige Toon represented the role of a step-parent in such a positive light, not only between Nell and Ruth but later on between other characters too, which was a refreshingly enjoyable change to most novels that delve into that area.
There’s a little bit of serendipity infused into this novel that becomes apparent on more than one occasion. This threads with a truthful portrayal of life, particularly the notion that sometimes there really is no right place at the right time no matter how much we want there to be.
“Sometimes two people are meant to be together. Sometimes they’re not.”
It’s not all about love in Five Years From Now. It’s also about obligation and circumstance and who you need to love more at that point in time. Nell and Vian are a terrific pair of characters and their story was a rollercoaster ride for my emotions but I loved every single second of it. I was more than happy with the ending; the hopeful, bittersweet, tinged with nostalgia outlook appealed to me greatly and I felt this lifting as I finished, a kind of rare feeling I get when I’ve read a novel that I know will stay with me for the long haul. My edition of Five Years From Now is destined to become well thumbed as I return to it over and over.
Thanks is extended to Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a copy of Five Years From Now for review. A special thanks to Publicity Officer Emily Cook for the beautiful way Five Years From Now was presented to reviewers.
About the Author:
[image error]Paige Toon grew up between England, Australia and America and has been writing books set in sun-drenched locations around the world since 2007. She has released eleven fiction novels and a three-part spin off series for young adults.
In 2014, Paige set up a club, The Hidden Paige, in order to share free short stories and extra content with her readers. Sign up at paigetoon.com or visit her website to find out more about the author and her characters.
[image error]
Trade Paperback – ISBN: 9780143791881 April 30, 2018 Michael Joseph
EBook – ISBN 9781760144340 April 30, 2018 Penguin eBooks
May 5, 2018
Sunday Spotlight with Christine Wells — Australian Women Writers Challenge Blog
As a follow up to my Behind the Pen chat on Wednesday with Christine Wells, I thought I’d share with you this more indepth interview we did for the Australian Women Writers Challenge. A signed copy of The Juliet Code is still up for grabs so enter on either blog for your chance to win!
Today I warmly welcome Christine Wells to Sunday Spotlight, here to talk about writing, reading, and her latest historical fiction release, The Juliet Code. When did you start writing and what was the catalyst? I always loved creative writing at school but the demands of study and a legal career took me away from…
via Sunday Spotlight with Christine Wells — Australian Women Writers Challenge Blog
May 4, 2018
Bingo! The Pharmacist’s Wife by Vanessa Tait
It’s bingo Saturday once again – that rolled around fast! The square I’ve filled for this entry is:
A book set more than 100 years ago
[image error]
The Pharmacist’s Wife is set during the Victorian era in Edinburgh and is a tale of addiction, vengeance and self-discovery.
The Pharmacist’s Wife is exactly my type of novel. Historical fiction set in the Victorian era with a creepy gothic undertone orbiting around an horrific abuse of power. All it was missing was the mental asylum, but the threat of it was there, so ticks all round! This story put me in mind of one of my all time favourite television series, Penny Dreadful, and it was thrilling to read a novel that harnessed that vibe so thoroughly.
It was a frightening read, much in the way stories of the past can be, that reflection upon society and the horrors that were commonplace within a given era. I loved this novel and highly recommend it.
This year I’m playing book bingo with Mrs B’s Book Reviews. On the first and third Saturday of each month, we’ll post our latest entry. We’re not telling each other in advance what we’re currently reading or what square we’ll be filling next; any coincidences are exactly that – and just add to the fun!
Follow our card below if you’d like to join in, and please let us know if you do so we can check out what you’re reading.
Now I’m off to check out what square Mrs B has marked off for this round. See you over there!
[image error]
May 3, 2018
Book Review: Still Me by Jojo Moyes
About the Book:
The third Lou Clark novel by Jojo Moyes, following the number one international bestsellers Me Before You and After You.
Lou Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She is hurled into the world of the super-rich Gopniks: Leonard and his much younger second wife, Agnes, and a never-ending array of household staff and hangers-on. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her job and New York life within this privileged world.
Before she knows what’s happening, Lou is mixing in New York high society, where she meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past.
In Still Me, as Lou tries to keep the two sides of her world together, she finds herself carrying secrets – not all her own – that cause a catastrophic change in her circumstances. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places?
[image error]
My Thoughts:
I wonder, when Jojo Moyes first created Louisa Clark in Me Before You, if she had any idea just how larger than life this character would become. Even after three books, I still feel as though Louisa has plenty to offer and I’d happily pick up a fourth book about her. I enjoyed Still Me slightly more than After You. In After You, Louisa was very much still finding her feet after the loss of Will and now, since reading Still Me, I feel as though After You was a bit of a bridge connecting the Lou from Me Before You with the Lou in Still Me. They really are a lovely set of books, so heartfelt and entertaining.
In Still Me, Lou is in New York, trying her hardest to ‘say yes’ to as many things as possible in a bid at following Will’s advice to ‘live boldly’. And live boldly she does, although not necessarily always in the way she might have preferred. This was a wonderful story, filled with all of the things we love about Lou, combined with a New York atmosphere that was so richly detailed, I could envisage it perfectly. I’ve always wanted to go to New York and I feel as though I had a little taster while reading Still Me, that’s how well demonstrated the setting was by Jojo Moyes. And if like me, you really love Lou’s family, don’t be concerned about the distance between New York and London. They’re still there, proud as punch of Lou and ready to regale her via email, letters, phone calls and visits, with tales on all she’s missing from home.
There are plenty of highs and lows for Lou in Still Me, as well as some really lovely reminiscing about Will. Ambulance Sam features strongly, but I don’t want to spoil any of that for you, so suffice to say, he’s there and a lot goes on between him and Lou along the way. As always seems to be the case with Lou, people take advantage of her kindness, but the flip side to this is those who see her for who she really is and help her along the way. Just like when she met Will, Lou forges a relationship with another lonely soul in Still Me, and through kindness, she changes that person’s life, along with her own, entirely for the better.
As is usual with Jojo Moyes, I found myself crying on one page only to be laughing through my tears on the next. The British humour is as prevalent as always and the authenticity of Lou, the most perfectly imperfect woman to ever grace the page, remains intact. All the stars for Still Me and I truly hope we can continue to follow Lou for many books to come.
“There are so many versions of ourselves we can choose to be. Once, my life was destined to be measured out in the most ordinary of steps. I learnt differently from a man who refused to accept the version of himself he’d been left with, and an old lady who saw, conversely, that she could transform herself, right up to a point when many people would have said there was nothing left to be done.
I had a choice. I was Louisa Clark from New York or Louisa Clark from Stortfold. Or there might be a whole other Louisa I hadn’t yet met. The key was making sure that anyone you allowed to walk beside you didn’t get to decide which you you were, and pin you down like a butterfly in a case. The key was to know that you could always somehow find a way to reinvent yourself again.”
Still Me is published by Penguin Random House Australia.
About the Author:
[image error]
Jojo Moyes was raised in London. She writes for the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Red and Woman & Home. She’s married to Charles Arthur, technology editor of The Guardian. They live with their three children on a farm in Essex, England.
https://www.jojomoyes.com
