Heatstroke

Author: Hazel Barkworth

Publisher: Headline Review

Available: 27th May 2021 in Paperback, eBook and Audiobook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Headline for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

It is too hot to sleep. To work. To be questioned time and again by the police.

At the beginning of a stifling, sultry summer, everything shifts irrevocably when Lily doesn’t come home one afternoon.

Rachel is Lily’s teacher. Her daughter Mia is Lily’s best friend. The girls are fifteen – almost women, still children.

As Rachel becomes increasingly fixated on Lily’s absence, she finds herself breaking fragile trusts and confronting impossible choices she never thought she’d face.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this

My Thoughts:

Hazel’s book had been on my must-read radar for a while, so when I was offered the opportunity to read and review it, I jumped at the chance! Heatstroke is Hazel’s debut novel and oh my goodness it is a taut, tangled, tempestuous triumph of a read! If it isn’t on your must-read radar yet, it needs to be! The essence of the book has its roots in Crime fiction, yet it decimates the traditional expectations of the genre. Prepare to be ensnared in its pages!

This tense atmospheric story opens during a sultry, stifling hot summer, where the oppressive, relentless heat permeates the people and the pages of this book. 15 year old Lily is missing, she doesn’t arrive home after a sleepover at her best friend Mia’s home but according to Mia, Lily told her she was unwell and stayed at home! As an avid reader of crime novels this is where your assumptions start; has Lily be taken, who would take her, is she dead, is there a body? With these supercisions you embark on an internal debate, fuelled by a myriad of other questions about the supposed crime, which are limited by the assumptions you are led to make! But what if, Lily’s disappearance wasn’t forced but was a choice and was she alone in making it?! For me the subtle deviously clever misdirection, that your own assumptions lead to is utter genius! Hazel, I adore your dark, twisted devilishly creative mind, you are indeed the Mistress of Misdirection and it is magnificently done! So, my lovely bookophiles a word to the wise, do not skip merrily down the ‘I know’ assumption route, regarding what you think you know about the trajectory of this plot…I tell you now, you don’t know!

There is also the expectation that this story will evolve or revolve around Lily and her life and actions that lead to this point, but Hazel doesn’t choose her to direct us, instead it is the obsessive malignancy of Rachel’s perspectives who by tantalising increments feeds our journey. Rachel, mother of Mia (Lily’s best friend), a teacher (therefore under the auspices of societal structure, a trusted dedicated member) we assume will guide us truthfully to resolution! Ha, Rachel is one of the most monstrously marvellous characters ever created in modern fiction, she is the complete anthesis of an anti-heroine, her duplicitous, darkness subtly and sublimely dominates this novel. She controls what we are allowed to know and when, her resentment is palpable, her furious, fractious striving to maintain her identity against the tide of motherhood, her dissolution of expected boundaries and the quietly vicious manipulations of the bond between mother and daughter are eloquently drawn! Am I being overly cryptic about the details of the story, honestly, Yes, I am and offer no apology for doing so, you need to experience the revelations in this story for yourselves!

Hazel’s book is sublimely suspenseful, slick with desire and obsession and darkly decorated with torrid tension and masterfully malevolent misdirection and these element will entirely bewitch you as a reader, you will be enthralled and compelled to keep turning the pages of the story, desperate to know more. I found myself addicted and absorbed through the dark reaches of the night dying to have my need for resolution to be stated, I had to finish it and I have no doubt you will feel the same. So, if you are near a bookshop this bank holiday weekend, I recommend you hot foot it inside and beg them to sell you a copy, do not leave the shop without it!

Happy Reading Bookophiles…

About the Author:

HAZEL BARKWORTH grew up in Stirlingshire and North Yorkshire before studying English at Oxford. She then moved to London where she spent her days working as a cultural consultant, and her nights dancing in a pop band at glam rock clubs. Hazel is a graduate of both the Oxford University MSt in Creative Writing and the Curtis Brown Creative Novel-Writing course. She now works in Oxford, where she lives with her partner. HEATSTROKE is her first novel.

Please do have a read of some of the other reviews on this tour.

A Public Murder

Author: Antoinette Moses

Publisher: Black Crane Press

Available: Now in paperback and eBook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Antoinette Moses for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

Introducing DI Pam Gregory

A Public Murder

‘My mother was a very difficult person, Inspector, and not always a very nice one. I can think of any number of people who would want her dead.’

The shocking murder of the archaeologist, Stephanie Michaels in the new Leotakis Gallery in Cambridge is clearly going to be a troublesome high-profile investigation from the outset. But to track down the killer, DI Pam Gregory has to travel to the Greek island of Crete where she finds herself on a journey she never expected, one which will change her life for ever.

My Thoughts

As a huge fan of crime fiction, I am always on the lookout for a new voice or character to be enthralled by, so on reading the description of Antoinette’s book, I knew I had to read it. This book is a mesmerising mixture of the Mediterranean, Murder and Minoans; and if like me you are a fan of writers like Elly Griffiths, then Antoinette’s novel is certainly the book for you. I loved it!

The bloody body of archaeologist Dr Stephanie Michaels, notorious public figure and discoverer of an exceptional historical find on her island home of Crete is discovered in a macabre scene in the soon to be opened new wing of the Cambridge Museum, with the word ‘Vendetta‘ etched in her blood on the floor! The renown of her discovery, the mysterious patronage of a Cretan billionaire and media coverage of Stephanie, makes this a very ‘Public Murder’ indeed. What becomes apparent very quickly is Dr Michaels is not all she seems and you cannot fail to wonder; what transgressions have led to her death! Is she a victim of circumstances, killed in a mafia style revenge or is there something much darker and more nefarious afoot? Stephanie’s public person is much regarded but her private visage is clearly tainted, if the opinions, stories and recollections of her family, friends and colleagues are to be believed! From the outset of the novel you find yourself inundated with questions, that need answers! Who is her mysterious benefactor; What is the nature of the vendetta, How is Dr Michaels involved and Who else could be in the crosshairs!! Can Pam and her team weed out the truth? Did you think, I was about to reveal all…never!…I don’t do spoilers, if you want to find out ‘who done it‘…you are going to have to buy this book and find out for yourselves as my lips are sealed!!!

DI Pam Gregory is our dedicated, determined and delightful protagonist, she is a fantastic character, who us over 40’s can relate to and identify with and with such a character I always find the essence of whom encourages my enjoyment of the story. I loved her tenacity, her professionalism, yes, she has flaws (but really who doesn’t) but you can’t fail to admire her gumption and dry humour. There is a modern day Marplesque quality to this story, which is incredibly engaging. I very much admired Antoinette’s extensive knowledge of classical history and her ability to weave historical fact into her fiction, coupled with the atmospheric scope, vibrancy and eloquence of her plot, the combination of elements is utterly compelling and ensures you just can’t stop reading. The deft, devious transactions of her cast and the subtle complexity of her clues keeps you on your crime solving toes..and just when you feel you’ve figured it all out…trust me you haven’t! I also loved the opportunity to vicariously visit, the magnificent island of Crete, where tranches of this tale are set, the hazy heat of the Mediterranean sounds like perfection on this grey May day although possibly without the addition of vengeful killer on the lose!

I have been completely engaged, excited, and enthralled by Pam’s machinations and I firmly believe you will be as well. So, if you are looking a gripping read this bank holiday weekend, then this addictive page turner is the perfect addition for your crime collection. I can’t wait for book 2 in the series, bravo Antoinette and please, please write faster because I really want to know what’s next for Pam and her cohort and I am desperate to read more and I have no doubt my fellow crime buffs will be too!

Happy Reading Bookophiles

About the Author:

Antoinette Moses a life

When I was young, your passport included your profession. I put writer. ‘Why writer?’     asked my then boyfriend, ‘You never write anything.’ ‘But I’m going to,’ I said.

I always knew I was going to be a writer. It just took a while to get going. I kept getting distracted by other things.

First distraction: Editing. Journalism

I had to earn my living and so I got jobs in journalism, publishing and as a staff writer for a photographic news agency. I also took time off to travel. That’s when I first lived in Greece which was on and off between 1973 and 1978.

Second distraction: Festivals.

I first helped run a festival in 1970. It was the Oxford Animation Festival, and it was a huge success. It ended with Yellow Submarine and the Beatles singing ‘You’re such a lovely audience’… I was hooked. Both on audiences and festivals.

When I came back to England in 1978, I re-founded the Cambridge Animation Festival, and was its director for six years. I also helped set up the Hiroshima Animation Festival, and worked for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. In 2013 co-founded the Festival for Literature for Young people (FLY) at the University of East Anglia (UEA). I was its producer until I retired in 2018.

Third distraction: Teaching:

I started writing fulltime in 1994 and had several books published. Then I began writing plays which led to my getting an MA in creative writing at UEA, followed by a PhD on verbatim theatre, and ten years teaching as a lecturer in Creative Writing and Literature.

And so we come to the writing:

My first published book was a guidebook to Athens, then I wrote a cookbook for dieters and then I wrote a number of short fictions for young people learning English. These were published mostly by Cambridge University Press and have won three Extensive Reading Awards; Jojo’s Story‘ was described by one critic as ‘a classic for all time’. Several became bestsellers. I’ve also published essays and stories.

I wrote my first play when I was 9. It was an adaptation of The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Graham and I performed it with my father at the family Christmas. (Poor family)

I’ve written a number of plays which have been produced in Norwich and Cambridge and Heidelberg, and have received rehearsed readings in Ipswich, London and Paris. A few have won prizes and awards.

And now it’s crime fiction.

And finally I’ve launched the first Pam Gregory novel, A Public Murder.

Please do read some of the other reviews available on this blog tour

Sew On The Go

Author: Mary Jane Baxter
Publisher: Unbound
Available: 27th May 2021 in Hardback

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Unbound for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

● Have you ever dreamed of quitting your job and setting off on the open road to pursue your creativity? In 2016, Mary Jane Baxter did exactly that.
● Sew on the Go is an inspiring road trip and a practical guide to crafting wherever you find yourself, and is packed with easy, step-by-step instructions for craft.
● From decorating your own budget conscious bolthole, to achievable projects including clothes and fashion accessories, beautiful gift ideas and child-friendly makes, this book is the ideal companion for those who dream of devoting more time to their craft.

In 2016, Mary Jane Baxter quit her job at the BBC, rented out her flat and headed for the hills. Her home for the next few months was an upcycled 1986 Bedford Bambi campervan with a top speed of 60mph. She raided skips for vintage wallpaper and scoured second-hand emporiums to source stylish vintage accessories, creating her own travelling craft studio, packed with everything necessary for crafting on the road. She then set off around Europe searching for inspiration, travelling from Belgium right down to the Cinque Terre in Italy then around France and up to Scotland.
Armed with her trusty hand-cranked Singer, she spent a summer sewing on the go. Like creatives the world over, she decided to see where her travels would lead her and returned with a head full of new projects. Fortunately, there’s no need for you to give up your job, wave goodbye to your family and rent out your house in order to reignite your own creativity; Mary Jane has done all the hard work for you. Sew on the Go is her guide to carving out more creative space in your life.

My Thoughts:

If you are in need of some crafty exploration and escapism, then Mary Jane’s glorious book will certainly satisfy your creative cravings, as it certainly did mine. On sighting the details for this book, it simply sang to my soul and having read it, it is now firmly imbedded there. My own crafty tendencies have been seriously subdued of late and in all honesty, I didn’t know why? I saw the opportunity to read and review Mary Jane’s book as a chance to ignite and inspire my creativity. I can extatically confirm that this wonderful book has done exactly that, it is a crafty cornucopia of joy and not to be missed.

This book may on the face of it seem like a craft project bible of sorts, which in parts it is but it is also so much much more than that. Within its pages are wonderful, beautiful projects that are delightfully and in step-by-step detail explained; with accessibility for levels of ability; to the descriptions what equipment and materials are required. There is literally a project for everyone from pin cushions to curtains. As I said, this book is so much more than a craft bible…it is more a craft manifesto and memoire, a personal, intimate exploration from its talented and intrepid author.

Mary Jane Baxter took the brave decision to leave her prestigious job within the hallowed confines of the BBC and embark on a crafty voyage of discovery, aided and abetted in her adventures by her trusty 1986 Bedford Campervan Bambi, bedecked in fabulous vintage wallpaper; drawing the attention of all who look upon her…fully kitted out so Mary Jane can/could Sew on the Go…they embarked on their European Craft Odyssey; which Mary Jane shares with us, in vivid and vibrant style and such recollections made me feel as if I too were a companion on this remarkable journey. The stunning scenery, the intoxicating, sights, sounds and smells, the aromatic tastes no detailed spared to pull you into the experiences Mary Jane has had. I was enthralled by the intimate nature of this book and thoroughly inspired by Mary Jane’s delicious determination to be immersed in the cultures she explored…I confess I am envious of her courage to change her life in such a way and the marvellous experiences, she had on this adventure; the wild swimming in France particularly struck a chord with me, as it is something I have always wanted to experience and I’m not brave enough to do such an epic voyage…well not yet…one day maybe!

Mary Jane’s book allowed this crafter to live vicariously through her words and actions; to appreciate her search for more; to experience more; to throw off the shackles of commercialism and our growing reliance and addiction to all things hi-tech. I admired her dreams for liberation from the expected norm. To explore her creativity, to travel, to appreciate freedom, to be inspired by the places she visited and let her adventures feed her creativity, to put aside fixed agendas and the constraints of the expected. To have the courage to say yes when no might be the easier option and to make new friendships.

Sew on the Go is imaginative, inspiring and insightful, Mary Jane’s love of vintage of upcycling/recycling of mending and meandering, taking time to create, to enjoy friendships seem to me to be crucial for living a fulfilled life, that chasing our aspirations, whatever they might be (the right job, home, partner, financial reward) might not be as important for our hearts and minds as the roaming we do en-route! A timely reminder I think to live the lives we have to the full rather than rushing through them merely to achieve!

In case it isn’t obvious, I found that Mary Jane’s book was absolute perfection, part memoire, part travel log, part craft bible. I was and I am immersed and inspired and a tad jealous (in a good way) and I adored every page and project. This book is one of my favourite reads this year. I want everyone I know to read it. Now it is definitely time for me to embark on a new sewing project, I think…

Happy Reading & Crafting Bookophiles…

About the Author:

Mary Jane Baxter used to work as a BBC news correspondent and producer. In 2016, she set off on a crafting adventure across Europe in a mobile studio. She is the author of Chic on a Shoestring and The Modern Girl’s Guide to Hatmaking , and has presented on fashion and craft for the BBC, most notably bartering her sewing skills for board and lodging in a series of films for Newsnight. She lives in London and is available for interview, events, and to write pieces on commission. @maryjanemakes

Do read some of the other wonderful reviews on this blog tour

An Act of Love

Author: Carol Drinkwater

Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph

Available: 29th April 2021 in Paperback, eBook & Audiobook

Thank you to Chrissie Antoniou and Penguin Michael Joseph for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

France, 1943.

Forced to flee war ravaged Poland, Sara and her parents are offered refuge in a beautiful but dilapidated house in the French Alps. It seems the perfect hideaway, despite haunting traces of the previous occupants who left in haste.

But shadows soon fall over Sara’s blissful summer, and her blossoming romance with local villager Alain. As the Nazis close in, the family is forced to make a harrowing choice that could drive them apart forever, while Sara’s own bid for freedom risks several lives . . .

Will her family make it through the summer together?

And can she hold onto the love she has found with Alain?

By turns poignant and atmospheric, this is the compelling new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Carol Drinkwater about the power of first love and courage in our darkest hours.

My Thoughts:

I have been a huge fan of Carol’s Olive Tree series and have unashamedly devoured them but until now, I had not read any of her works of fiction and clearly if her latest book is anything to go by I have been missing out (which I shall be remedying shortly). An Act of Love is a sublime story; one filled with adventure and romance and imbued with pages of endless atmospheric tension. It is an utterly beguiling reading experience and one that I was so engaged in that I quite literally couldn’t put it down and I am certain you won’t be able to either!

Part of the reason I have loved Carol’s Olive Tree series so much is her undeniable talent for transporting her readers into the environment she is writing about and you feel as if you are actually in the stark, stunning beauty of the French Alps, the stunning scenery and evocative details of another time and place, the descriptions Carol creates have a cinematic quality to them. In this her latest novel, you have the seamless blend of fact and fiction that I personally relish in a historical novel. The pace and structure of the plotlines immerse themselves in your head and heart and the mini cliff hangers at the end of some of the chapters left me breathless with anticipation, the burgeoning tone of peril whose tendrils infuse the story add a further intoxicating dimension and you have no choice but to read on in order to quiet the clamour of tension the story provokes!

Sara and Alain’s story is scintillating and emotionally sensitive, their incredible characterisation made me believe they were living breathing people and not fictional constructs. I loved the character of Sara, she is the heroine you root for the moment you meet her and embark on her incredible journey, she is so tangibly human, funny, flawed, foolish with such immense courage and determination. I found myself crossing my fingers that she would have one of life’s happy endings but does she…as if I’m going to tell you that! You know that I am simply going to say, buy the book and find out (while I smile to myself…knowingly).

I was both moved and fascinated by the predominate theme of this story which revolves around the nature of identity and belonging and how these two elements are inextricably linked and how the sensations of isolation and longing colours those who have been displaced, whose  sense of belonging is destroyed by circumstances beyond their control (due to war, life changes, conflict) and the true impact of being displaced from their lives, their families, their homes, their countries, the poignancy of the idea of being an outsider is profound and powerful and topical despite this being a historic novel

The very title of this book ‘ An Act of Love’ absolutely depicts the nature and nuance of this story and I also see the book as a manifestation of an act of love from Carol to her readers because, it is such an engagingly epic story, with authentic emotional depths and it is page turningly addictive. Carol’s vibrant conjuring of a different place and time and the evocative cadence of her writing is transporting. I am bereft to have finished reading it, so all I can do now is encourage you to get hold of a copy soon.

Happy Reading Bookophiles.

About the Author:

Anglo-Irish actress Carol Drinkwater is perhaps still most familiar to audiences for her award-winning portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small. A popular and acclaimed author and filmmaker as well, Carol has published nineteen books for both the adult and young adult markets. She is currently at work on her twentieth title.

When she purchased a rundown property overlooking the Bay of Cannes in France, she discovered on the grounds sixty-eight, 400-year-old olive trees. Once the land was reclaimed and the olives pressed, Carol along with her French husband, Michel, became the producers of top-quality olive oil. Her series of memoirs, love stories, recounting her experiences on her farm (The Olive Farm, The Olive Season, The Olive Harvest and Return to the Olive Farm) have become international bestsellers. Carol’s fascination with the olive tree extended to a seventeenth-month, solo Mediterranean journey in search of the tree’s mythical secrets. The resulting travel books, The Olive Route and The Olive Tree, have inspired a five-part documentary films series entitled The Olive Route.

Carol has also been invited to work with UNESCO to help fund an Olive Heritage Trail around the Mediterranean with the dual goals of creating peace in the region and honouring the ancient heritage of the olive tree.

Please do read some of the other reviews on this tour.

The Queen of Romance

Author: Liz Jones

Publisher: Honno

Available: 18th March 2021 in paperback and eBook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Honno for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

The first biography of the bestselling author and journalist Marguerite Jervis Daughter of an officer of the Indian Medical Corps, Marguerite Florence Laura Jarvis (1886 – 1964) was born in Burma and became one of the most successful novelists of her time.

During the course of her 60-year career, Marguerite published over 150 books, with 11 novels adapted for film, including The Pleasure Garden (1925), the directorial debut of Alfred Hitchcock. In her heyday she sold hundreds of thousands of novels but is now largely forgotten; under numerous pseudonyms she wrote for newspapers, women’s magazines and the silent movie screen; she married one of Wales most controversial literary figures, Caradoc Evans. She also trained as an actress and was a theatrical impresario. Known variously as Mrs Caradoc Evans, Oliver Sandys, Countess Barcynska and many other pseudonyms, who was she really?

Liz Jones has dug deep beneath the tale told in Marguerite Jervis’s own somewhat romanticised memoir to reveal what made this driven and determined woman. And what turned her from a spoilt child of the English middle classes to a workaholic who could turn her hand to any literary endeavour and who became a runaway popular success during the most turbulent years of the 20th century.

This lively and compelling biography… lays bare the tragedy of a woman whose prodigious output and determination to live life to the full camouflaged repeated exploitation by the men in her life. Angela V. John, biographer and historian

My Thoughts:

It is my pleasure today to provide a review of the remarkable biography of Marguerite Evans (nee Jervis) whose real life was as complicated, fascinating, intriguing and impassioned as any romance novel she could have written. Liz Jones in-depth biography is enthralling and insightful, talk about a life well lived…but is there a happy ending within its pages!? Well you know I am going to say, you will have to buy a copy and find out won’t you!

Part of my love of biographies, especially ones about incredible women, are that they provide me with knowledge and inspiration and feed my compulsion to understand and be informed about how women have made their mark in this world and how their influences have and can impact our lives today. I admit it I am a historical voyeur and Liz Jones’ biography provided me with ample material to feed this glorious addiction.

Marguerite Evans is not a writer I had any knowledge of before reading Liz’s book, as confirmed bookophile with a uncontrolled habit of perusing second handbook shops, I cannot believe that I have never stumbled across the works of this prolific and commercially successful romance writer (I have no qualms about my love of romance novels, from every age and type). Marguerite was born in India; her father an Officer in the Indian Medical Corps a strict and severe man and her mother disinterested in parenting, this unsuspicious upbringing likely fuelled her acting aspirations and desire to live a different life (whether it was deemed appropriate or not). Married twice; firstly in 1911 to the Polish-born journalist Armiger Barczinsky known as Barclay with whom she had her son Nicholas and began writing and then in 1933 Marguerite married Caradoc Evans. During her lifetime Marguerite wrote and published over 150 books, under several pseudonyms; Oliver Sandys and Countess Barcynska and favoured creating spirited and tenacious heroines within authentic settings. Her work proved exceeding popular in the inter-war years, with working women. Yet as Liz points out despite her being such a commercial success with an avid fanbase. The genre of Marguerite’s writing and the gender of her readership did not herald recognition or accolade then or now in direct contrast to the literary controversy provoked by the works of Marguerite’s second husband Caradoc Evans whose grim depictions of rural life in Wales (My People and Capel Sion) earned him recognition and notoriety but certainly not popularity!

It does seem wildly unjust that such a creative talent like Marguerite’s has seemingly been relegated to obscurity merely because her gender and the romantic themes of her work. As it is abundantly clear from Liz’s vivid, well researched biography that Marguerite deserves recognition and plaudits for her accomplishments and that she was a literary pioneer, who defied social conventions and was exceptionally determined to succeed, when women of her class, were not expected to do more than make an advantageous match and breed! I have been completely engrossed in Liz’s revelations of Marguerite’s life, her experiences and her disastrous taste in men, with a proclivity to fall for domineering men and being unable to avoid the romantic pitfalls that her own heroines deftly avoid!

You cannot fail to admire the scope and depth Liz’s dedication to her subject and delightful writing style in which she reveals the elusive, vivid and intriguing woman Marguerite Evan’s was; from her exotic childhood in India to breaking convention and becoming an actress to her transition to becoming an author. Liz has written an insightful, edifying and eminently readable biography and one that I have found a joy to be immersed in. I think Marguerite would thoroughly approve and I highly recommend you add this remarkable read to your book collections.

About the Author:

Liz Jones writes drama and creative non-fiction, reviews, short stories and journalism ranging from Take a Break to New Welsh Review.

Along the way she has raised two daughters, tried to change the world, worked in a café-cum-bookshop, a housing association, in community development and lifelong learning.

She is now a Teaching Fellow at Aberystwyth University.

Please do read some of the other reviews on this blog tour

Because of You

Author: Dawn French

Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph

Available: 29 April 2021 in Paperback, eBook and audiobook

Thank you to Kealey Rigden at FMcM Associates and Penguin Michael Joseph for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED, LIFE-AFFIRMING AND MOVING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM NUMBER-ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND BRITAIN’S MOST LOVED WOMAN, DAWN FRENCH

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION AND A RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock . . . midnight.

The old millennium turns into the new.

In the same hospital, two very different women give birth to two very similar daughters.

Hope leaves with a beautiful baby girl.

Anna leaves with empty arms.

Seventeen years later, the gods who keep watch over broken-hearted mothers wreak mighty revenge, and the truth starts rolling, terrible and deep, toward them all.

The power of mother-love will be tested to its limits.

Perhaps beyond . . .

My Thoughts:

It is a universally accepted truth that Dawn French is an exceedingly funny lady, whose unmatched genius (in my completely unimportant opinion) lies in her portrayals of characters like Geraldine Granger in the Vicar of Dibley. This is Dawn’s 6th book and the 4th, I have read and her comedic, wildly irreverent and intoxicating writing style combined with a stunning and scintillating storyline cannot fail to captivate you. It is no surprise, given the emotional depth and scope of her latest book, that it has been long listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021.

Two women give birth, Anna/Hope they come from vastly different backgrounds and their only connection is becoming mothers on the same night in the same hospital, yet with the pain of birth, also comes tragedy the tendrils of which ensnare them both and a decision born of loss that has life changing ramifications on them both. This is a tale of motherhood; what it is to be a mum, the joys, the despair, the complications and contradictions of maternal love, the humour and humbleness of being a parent and the enormity of the emotional responsibility! Because of a mother’s love, this is a gift that nurtures and develops us to become who we are, regardless of the genetics; DNA connection does not a mother make! Am I being a bit hazy on the specifics of this story, yes of course, this storyline is peppered with subtle, clever little clues as to what will unfold and no, I’m not giving anything away! I will just highlight the fact, that with my gifted copy of the book, came a packet of tissues…I needed them, in fact you will probably need to bulk buy tissues yourself, to avoid making your copy of this book soggy and snotty! You’ve been warned!

 What I loved about Dawn’s latest book (and the others I’ve enjoyed) is her astute, insightful and keenly observant depictions of characters, the amusing and artful skill of creating and parodying her character’s flaws; DI Thrippletorn a stratospheric moron; whose inability not to mix up his clichés is hilariously monstrous, I refer you to his comment ‘a mother’s bondage relationship with her child’….do I need to elucidate further! I bet you’re laughing as much as I did!! Because of you is packed full of such hilarious gems and brings a welcome relief and balance to the poignant darkness of the plot.

This is a tale that will make you weep; with joy, with sadness, with celebration, with relief, with understanding and with adulation at Dawn’s ability to weave a tale of such emotional horror and authentic humour. It is a book that will keep you fixed on your sofa, surrounded by empty chocolate wrappers, frothy coffee stained mugs and still in 2 day old pjs because you cannot stop reading this book…buy a copy, buy supplies and enjoy.

Happy Reading Bookophiles

About the Author:

Dawn French has been making people laugh for thirty years. On purpose.

As a writer, comedian and actor, she has appeared in some of the

UK’s most long running, cherished and celebrated shows, including

French and Saunders, The Comic Strip Presents …, Murder Most Horrid,

The Vicar of Dibley, Jam and Jerusalem, Lark Rise to Candleford, and more

recently, Roger and Val Have Just Got In.

Please do read some of the other reviews on this blog tour

The End of Men

Author: Christina Sweeney-Baird

Publisher: Borough Press

Available: 29th April 2021 in Hardback, eBook and Audiobook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Borough Press for my beautiful gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

Glasgow, 2025. Dr Amanda Maclean is called to treat a patient with fl u-like symptoms. Within three hours he is dead.

This is how it begins. The unknown virus sweeps through the hospital with deadly speed.

The victims are all men. Dr Maclean raises the alarm. But by the time the authorities listen to her, the virus has spread to every corner of the world. Threatening families. Governments. Countries.

Deftly reimagining our world through a female lens, the novel explores the impact of the end of men on fertility, governance, politics, technology and more, while the careful and poignant portraits of love and relationships bind the science of this novel into something utterly human, and all too real.

My Thoughts

Having spent over half my professional career working in traditional patriarchal environments with Lawyers and Accountants, where the veneer of equality is adhered to; I have often wondered what our societal infrastructure would look like if equality was an actual reality and if a matriarchal society would be any different to what is accepted and familiar!  The moment I read the description and details for Christina’s debut novel; I craved the opportunity to read it as the context offered a viewpoint unchartered until now. Having devoured The Handmaid’s tale by M. Atwood (twice) and VOX by Christine Dalcher, both incredible novels certainly enrage the feminine sensibilities regarding female subjugation. So, I was curious to discover what the perspective might look like if the proverbial ‘Birkenstock or Stiletto’ was on the other foot, so to speak!! My biggest concern now, having read this book; is how on earth to impart my unmitigated admiration for this clever, controversial, complex and emotionally caustic story…well I can only try

Christina open’s her book in a unique way, the first pages you will read are her acknowledgements, that explain and explore her journey in creating this tale and what prompted and inspired her to write this powerful, prescient and often poignant story. It is only with the hindsight gained in reading her novel that you will fully appreciate her sibylline  talent; She mentions that her friends now refer to her as Cassandra; who was the trojan priestess of Apollo in Greek Mythology, whose curse was to utter true prophesies but to never be believed and trust me this uncanny moniker is eerily accurate especially when you consider, when Christina started writing her novel and when the world as we know it turned upside-down due to the Covid-19 pandemic!

Starting in Glasgow, men start to fall ill, flu like symptoms and a rising temperature until their bodies shut down and they die! The infection rate is rife, there is no age limit to the infected but this Plague (virus) only effects men; something in their genetic makeup makes them vulnerable. There is no cure, there is no vaccine, there is no way to stop the virus; the bureaucratic response to the early warnings of A&E Dr, Amanda, despite her medical knowledge and expertise, is to disregard her professional opinion, followed by dismissal of her concerns and denial of such a situation being real (the cynic within me, is not in the least surprised by this reaction!) Nor was I surprised by the dismissive reactions of the male dominated governing bodies around the world (when the infection rate and death toll increases alarmingly). See I said the prophetic nuances of this novel were disturbingly uncanny to our own reality of the Covid -19 pandemic!

The story is relayed to us from the varied perspectives of different women from around the globe, with their own aspirations on life, family, career and relationships; they are smart, savvy, emotional and could easily be anyone of us. Their voices are authentic and are completely relatable, you can see the facets of their personalities, their professionalism, their maternal instinct, their romantic resilience and their feminine steel and fortitude when faced with wave after wave of nearly inconceivable circumstances and yes I am being vague about the details, simply because you need to experience their journeys yourself and then you can be as awed and amazed as I have been…no spoilers here!

Christina has conjured such a clever, compelling and chillingly contextual novel, that certainly contains elements of the dystopian and essences of feminism but these are only parts of the story, just as important and just as vivid and vicious are the elements of love, of survival, of resilience and of re-birth. Throughout the book Christina’s protagonists face a myriad of moral dilemmas that I admit, in part fascinated and simultaneously amused me; mainly because, having worked with Lawyers for over 20 years, you become used to their propensity to examine everything from every angle and Christina clearly has this trait/gift and oh my goodness has she harnessed it in her writing. Her cast face a seemingly unstoppable wave of such dilemmas; what if your isolated large home is commandeered to provide a haven for boys; is it possible to support this need, while still protecting your own child (son) and what would you be prepared to do to keep him safe? Or If your partner/husband was infected and dying, would you stay with him, knowing he will die and knowing that by doing this, you could infect and kill your son? Or dilemmas that effect a broad scope of the population; could you countenance artificial intelligence or algorithms choosing suitable recipients for IVF in order to safeguard fertility and begin the task of repopulation? Could you/would you allow the removal of male children from their mothers; for them to be kept alive and raised in medical facilities until a cure is found…are any of these courses of action, you’d accept? I admit, my mind has been buzzing with these fictional constructs for several days (and I admit you probably wouldn’t like my choices) and I have no doubt you will be involved the same internal discussions…utter, genius Christina!

I am unequivocally intellectually exhausted and deliciously traumatised by the epic experience of reading this book, it is exceptional, eerily prophetic and eminently readable. This is an absolute MUST read and if you host a book group this needs to be top of your options list. I cannot encourage you more fervently to buy a copy today (and then cancel any and all plans)! And whatever Christine decides to write next, I will be reading it!

Happy Reading Bookophiles…

About the Author:

Christina was born in 1993 and grew up between London and Glasgow.

She studied Law at the University of Cambridge and graduated with a First in 2015.

Christina works as a Corporate Litigation lawyer in London. The End of Men is her first novel

Please do read some of the other reviews available on this tour

On Hampstead Heath

Author: Marika Cobbold

Publisher: Arcadia

Available: 15th April 2021 in Hardback, eBook and Audiobook

Thank you to Amber Choudhary and Midas PR for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

Thorn Marsh was raised in a house of whispers, of meaningful glances and half-finished sentences. Now she’s a journalist with a passion for truth, more devoted to her work at the London Journal than she ever was to her ex-husband.

When the newspaper is bought by media giant The Goring Group, who value sales figures over fact-checking, Thorn openly questions their methods, and promptly finds herself moved from the news desk to the midweek supplement, reporting heart-warming stories for their new segment, The Bright Side, a job to which she is spectacularly unsuited.

On a final warning and with no heart-warming news in sight, a desperate Thorn fabricates a good-news story of her own. The story, centred on an angelic apparition on Hampstead Heath, goes viral. Caught between her principles and her ambitions, Thorn goes in search of the truth behind her creation, only to find the answers locked away in the unconscious mind of a stranger.

Marika Cobbold returns with her eighth novel, On Hampstead Heath. Sharp, poignant, and infused with dark humour, On Hampstead Heath is an homage to storytelling and to truth; to the tales we tell ourselves, and the stories that save us.

My Thoughts:

From my first experience of reading Guppies for Tea and Shooting Butterflies, I fell in love with Marika’s stories and sublime writing and so it fills me with joy to have the pleasure and opportunity to review her latest book. Which from the first line had me hooked, Marika’s familiar, charged beautifully constructed, implication filled sentences that embed themselves in your mind and pull you into the first chapter and Thorn’s story. A story tinged with a pervading sense of melancholy, a tint of expectation and a taste of regret and by the time you’ve read the shocking last line of the first chapter; you know as a reader that you cannot stop reading this book, that is until you’ve finished it and I didn’t want to finish it because it was so gloriously engaging and utterly brilliant!

Marika is the master of word alchemy; a gifted wordsmith and her observational articulation of the nuances of life are the perfect blend of poignance and razor sharp wit. I refer you to her beige man description; one who is constantly underfoot, five places at once…the sublime accuracy and humour in describing  a management consultant type is utterly marvellous and the whole book is packed with such pithy observances and they make you laugh and I am still smiling about them now! And she has armed me with simply the best response to the over used mantra that change is difficult...her response via Thorn is utter genius and will stay in my mind forever!

Marika’s eminent style in storytelling, is made more powerful by her fantastic character constructs; Thorn Marsh is her protagonist in On Hampstead Heath; she is a journalist, passionately engaged in seeking the truth for her readers; her dedication to this lifelong task has cost her personally and has partial responsibility for the end of her marriage to Nick but it hasn’t ended their connection to each other or their friendship (a refreshing take on marriage failure and a rather endearing one). Thorn’s dedication, joy and satisfaction and professionalism in writing and editing the news is deemed outmoded, her scruples a hinderance to her job security and professional success. Thorn’s failure to adhere to her new management cabals idea of news reporting, where clickbait and scandal are the tacky traits of the new order! She is side lined and relegated to a trivial reporting role seeped in mindless mindfulness, where all that is fake, fluffy and foul are crucial features…Thorn is simultaneously bereft and enraged by the turn of events and gin filled evening with Nick leads to her doing a completely unintentional volt face in terms of her reporting, style, stance and ethics…Her successful ‘Angel on the Heath’ story will change her life in unexpected ways and yet it is fake news, a drunken fabrication and where does this confluence of events take Thorn and us…ah well dear bookophile, that is for me to know and you to read the story and find out!

For me the core of this story revolves around the improbability, impossibility and often impractical nature of truth and how it’s tendrils ensnare Thorn’s life and nurture her contradictory facets and we observe the intellectual and emotional results through Marika’s superb syntax and insightful prose. I loved the subtle topical nature of this story and how Marika’s embeds societal issues into the journey of her story and Thorn’s world; the ever present cult of selfishness and entitlement; the dumbing down of the written word for commercial purposes and the demise of honesty in pursuit of news. The corralling of truth and ethics preferring to focus on the likes/clicks of social media and the dark side of disinformation all related in a punchy and intelligent way. I adored Thorn, she is complex, compelling and contradictory and I think most women will relate to her and probably see a bit of themselves in her character, I know I do.

Marika’s latest book may be small at only 244 pages long but what a compelling, mysterious, marvellous journey they take us on. I have no shame in vigorously encouraging and entreating you all to buy it immediately and read it soon…for me, it is a triumph!

Happy Reading Bookophiles

About the Author:

Marika Cobbold was born in Sweden and is the author of the previous novels: Guppies for Tea, selected for the WH Smith First Novels Promotion and shortlisted for the Sunday Express Book of the Year Award; The Purveyor of Enchantment; A Rival Creation; Frozen Music, Shooting Butterflies and, Aphrodite’s Workshop for Reluctant Lovers. Marika Cobbold lives in London.

Please do read some of the other reviews on the is blog tour.