A novel in letters, the sole novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and completed and published posthumously by her relative, Annie Barrows. In tone, it’s very much like the letters between the Mitford sisters, and is by turns funny, delightful, tragic and touching. It follows protagonist Juliet, a writer, who receives a letter from a man …
Tag: book review
Happy Valley – Patrick White
Written when the author was just 27, this book about characters in small town Australia contains elements of stream of consciousness and experimental literature that made it famous at the time, and yet White would not allow it’s reprint in his life time. An excellent first time novel, something about the story and characters feels …
Vixen by Rosie Garland
I came across this book via a recommendation on Amazon, based on previous purchases of historical fiction, and I loved the cover, but this tale is not like regular historical fiction, really. It is set in Devon in the mid 1300's during a time of plague, and tells the story of three people: a woman …
The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
A delightful book of adult fairy tales, from the author of Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and set mostly in the same world, though involing different characters and timescales. I would suggest, for book lovers, to get it in hardback, because it is an illustrated book, and the paperback version does not do it justice. …
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Hard Times by Charles Dickens
As my more regular readers will be aware, this year I set myself the goal of reading all the novels of Charles Dickens novels that I had not already read. When Hard Times arrived, the third to last volume on the list, I was surprised by how thin it was, Dickens books tend to be …
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
A seven year old girl from Ireland lands on US soil in 1791 as an indentured servant. Taken to a plantation in Virginia, she is cared for by the owners illegitimate daughter by a slave girl, called Belle, and slowly builds a home and a life amongst the black slaves. But as she grows up, …
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Based on real characters, this book fictionalises the lives of Sarah Grimke, daughter of a plantation owner, and a slave in her household called Handful. Both women refuse to be put into the box prescribed them, and fight for the lives they believe they can and should live, in the process challenging society and finding …
Paper Towns by John Green
As I was reading this book, something about it just didn't feel right. I guess that high school was long enough ago for me that I think back on it with the rose coloured glasses of nostalgia, so from time to time, I kind of like a coming of age story. But what drew me …
The Valley of Amazement, by Amy Tan
After growing up in a famous house of courtesans, run by her mother, a young American-Chinese girl is kidnapped and her virginity put up for sale, changing the course of her life forever. This book by Amy Tan is about the life of the Shanghai courtesan at the turn of the century, about the nature …
Mile High, by Rebecca Chance
Oh my God, I've never read anything like this before. I grew up around book snobs, so I come to "trash" literature late in life, and this one was a gift from a friend. And actually, it wasn't that bad. It was quite fun. It revolves around several plot lines involving a luxury airlines first …
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