Alice Blackwell is America's First Lady, wife of the US President. But first, she was Alice Lindgren, a normal American girl. She grew up in the suburbs, with her parents, an only child, and her grandmother, an outspoken woman who loved to read. She experienced tragedy early, and went on to become a librarian at …
Ruby Lennox narrates this story of her life and her family. Funny, startling and often sad, she is the child of a woman who doesn't want kids, and a father who cheats. The book also slips backwards in time to take in the lives of her ancestors and the events that shaped their lives. The …
Continue reading Behind The Scenes At The Museum by Kate Atkinson
I love LOVE this book, and I love Amy Tan. And maybe this review is a bit of a cheat, because I've read this book before, but I was re-reading it this week and I enjoyed it all over again, and I haven't shared it with you guys before. Published back in 1989, it's Tan's …
At the opening of this story by best selling author Liane Moriarty, we are told that one parent has been killed at a primary school event. The book moves back to show events leading up to the murder, and all the secrets that are hidden behind the facade of suburban life. When 24 year old …
Poetry is a funny thing. It's kind of forced on us in school, and becomes something we love or hate, something that bores us to tears or moves us deeply. It's also something that, well, a lot of modern hipsters like to think they're poets, right? Poems are a lot like man-buns, lumberbeards, Mac laptops …
A more fun book this week than usual, a Victorian mystery/thriller about a girl who has inherited a criminal empire from her grandmother and must learn how to use her new power wisely. But as she is coming into her own, her long lost brother asks her to shelter a child, and she soon finds …
Continue reading Kitty Peck & The Child Of Ill Fortune by Kate Griffin
What I loved about this book was that although it is about the sexual escapades and search for love by a 24 year old girl, which would normally lend itself to the chick lit territory, this book is actually about trauma and recovery too. Phoebe is a bright, beautiful girl, whose dreams to become an …
Continue reading Book Review: Like A Closed Fist by E H Nolan.
I really enjoyed this unusual book, a Booker Prize winner back in 1984, which was recommended to me for my reading list this year. It tells the story of Kere, a woman who lives in a tower and has distanced herself from other people, especially her family. But she finds herself drawn out of herself, …
Published back in 1956, this novel broke the bounds of what was acceptable and became a runaway best seller. Previous to it's publication, books and films revolved around women being the objects of desire, rather than possessing any, and small town America was felt to be safe, sleep and benign. And then this book came …
If you've ever been to a small town, where everyone knows everyone and each house is full of old names and ancient history, this book should feel familiar. It's the story of a place, from its foundation to current day. Each chapter tells a different part of local history, and family names and traits flow …
