Review: the Ladies of the house by Molly McGrann

the Ladies of the house by Molly McGrann
Publisher: Picador
Release date: 26 March 2015
Rating: ***
Back cover blurb: On a hot July day, three elderly people are found dead in a dilapidated house in Primrose Hill. Reading the story in a newspaper as she prepares to leave the country, Marie Gillies has an unshakable feeling that she is somehow to blame. How did these three people come to live together, and how did they all die at once? The truth lies in a very different England, and in the secret world of the ladies of the house... 

 

the Ladies of the house from its outset, is an intriguing novel. The opening chapter setting the scene for mystery that follows. A mystery, I felt as a reader that was never entirely cleared up, and left me wondering if I had missed something along the way.

the Ladies of the house begins in the present day with the discovery of three bodies in a London house and Marie Gillies at an airport for the first time in her sheltered life learning of the deaths via a newspaper. She feels in some way responsible for those days, but why exactly is that?

Arthur Gillies, Marie's father was a wealthy man, who kept his true worth from his family until he died, and even then it is only revealed by an inexperienced bank clerk. It is made clear to the family that they must never again mention Arthur Gillies' fortune, and instead must consult with Mr Wye regarding any financial matter.

But what does all this have to do with the bodies in the house? Well, as the plot develops it becomes easy for us the reader to see exactly how Arthur made his fortune (and why he thought it might be a good idea to keep it from his family).

Sadly it is less clear why Marie feels somehow responsible for the deaths that she reads about. And I'm still not sure whether I misinterpreted the ending of the novel, whether I missed something, or indeed whether there was anything for me to miss!

the Ladies of the house I think is a book that some will love. Me, well I'm still not sure, but it certainly was 'different' to anything I've read previously.

the Ladies of the house is available from 26 March 2015. You can pre-order it now from Picador and Amazon online.

      Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes

The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
Publisher: Penguin Books UK (Michael Joseph)
Release date: 07 November 2014
Rating: ***

Back cover blurb: 'Okay, I'll write my introduction. 'Name: Stella Sweeney. Height: average. Recent life events: dramatic.' Stella Sweeney is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life with her husband Ryan and their two teenage kids in Dublin. She works with - or really for - her terrifyingly ambitious sister Karen in their beauty salon. Nothing to get excited about here. Nothing to make her particularly unhappy. Or happy... No-one would be interested in stealing her life. But then things started to happen... One day, Stella, attempting a good deed, causes a little car accident and faces down a bad tempered, handsome stranger. She hardly gives it much of a thought. But karma is hovering, and is about to take over, swoop in and change Stella's life for ever. For better or worse. Suddenly Stella has a life. A thrilling glamorous one. A life that other people might start to covet...

So here's the thing, I really like Marian Keyes and I've read many of her previous novels. However I'm really disappointed to say that this one just didn't do it for me. Maybe it's because I've recently been ill and my concentration levels might not be great, or maybe it just didn't have Marian's usual magic.

The Woman Who Stole My Life is a novel about, well just that, however although it is hinted at quite a lot through the novel, the actual 'stealing' doesn't happen until quite near the end, and maybe that's why I didn't love it. I felt like I was always waiting for something to happen.

In fact I even questioned at one point whether the title was an accurate one because although I could see what was going to happen, it didn't seem to come any closer to happening the further I read. Indeed, events could still have followed a similar pattern even without the help of the 'stealer' due to Stella's own personality and experiences.

Stella herself our main protagonist has undoubtedly been through a lot in her life, including the contraction of a rare disease. Upon her recovery Stella is given the opportunity to promote 'her' book of sayings etc that she communicated by blinking whilst unable to speak. The self-help book is set to be the next big thing and Stella swept up in everything moves to the States with her two children and her new boyfriend, leaving her ex-husband and family with mixed opinions about her future 'career'.

Stella is quickly integrated in a luxurious lifestyle that many would envy and begins work on her second novel to keep her publisher and publicist happy. Struggling to cope, she enlists the help of her new personal trainer Gilda, never believing that she would betray her....

Back in Dublin Stella begins to reflect on her past, and what might happen in her future, consequently the novel could get a little confusing for some, and does require a little concentration. Personally and sadly it wasn't really my cup of tea. I didn't feel particularly engaged with any of the characters and the story seemed to take a long time to get going, but this is only my opinion and I am sure there will be others who will love it.

The Woman Who Stole My Life is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

      Thank you to the publishers who approved my request in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Theft of Life by Imogen Robertson

Theft of Life by Imogen Robertson

Publisher: Headline Review

Release date: 22 May 2014

Rating: ***

Back cover blurb: London, 1785. When the body of a West Indies planter is found staked out in the grounds of St Paul's Cathedral, suspicion falls at once on a runaway slave. But the answer is not that simple. The planter's death brings tragedy for Francis Glass, a freed slave now working as a bookseller, and a painful reminder of the past for William Geddings, senior footman in the household of unconventional widow Harriet Westerman. Harriet is reluctant to confront the powerful world of the slave trade, but she and her friend, reclusive anatomist Gabriel Crowther, must face its shameful truths - and the fact that much of Britain's wealth is built on wilful destruction of human life. The secrets of London's slave owners reveal a network of alliances across the capital and while some people will risk everything to preserve their reputation, some acts can never be forgiven.

Theft of Life is the second work of historical fiction I've read this year that has featured slavery, but both reads have been very different.

I've never read anything by the author previously, and unfortunately I didn't enjoy the novel as much as I thought I would, I found the characters a little too much. There were too many of them, and they were not all that well defined.

If there had been a few of the less essential characters more clearly defined in the novel then I think I would have enjoyed it more.

The novel begins with William Geddings; Senior footman of society widow Harriet Westerman stumbling across the staked out body of a West Indies slave trader.

Usually, this kind of opening would have me hooked on a novel, but that wasn't the case here.

The plot that follows is interesting enough, with the reader being taken on a complex journey to figure out exactly who was behind the horrific crime, it just wasn't gripping enough for me.

The novel is part of a series by Robertson, the fifth to feature Gabriel Crowther and Harriet Westerman and I do wonder if I might have enjoyed it more if I had read any of the previous novels. It might have helped define those characters in my head, and made it a slightly easier read.

That said, Robertson handles the difficult subject matter sensitively and overall the novel was an enjoyable read. If you're a fan of historical fiction, or have read any of Robertson's previous novels, then you should definitely give it a go.

Theft of Life is available to buy online now and from all good book shops.




Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Girl from Station X: My Mother's Unknown Life by Elisa Segrave

The Girl from Station X: My Mother's Unknown Life
Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd; PB Reissue edition  
Release date: 15 March 2014
Rating: ***
Back cover blurb: When Elisa Segrave  uncovered a cache of wartime diaries written by her mother, she had no idea that she would be bought face to face with a character utterly different from the troubled woman who had become so reliant on her. Now, on the pages before her, Segrave encountered Anne Hamilton-Grace, a young woman who had grown up in immense privilege and luxury but who leapt at the first opportunity to join the war effort, first at Bletchley Park, then to Bomber Command and, finally, to a newly liberated Germany. In The Girl from Station X, Segrave recreates her mother's life both before and after the war. At once a vivid recreation of a dramatic era and a powerful portrait of a mother-daughter relationship, this is an original and affecting memoir about how Anne unwittingly found a way to link her life with her daughter's decades after they had given up trying to communicate.

 

I'd wanted to read this book for some time before it was very kindly sent to me by lovereading (in an exchange for an honest review of course). If I'm honest, it wasn't quite the book that I was expecting it to be, and I was a little disappointed.

Of course I knew it wasn't fiction, but I love reading about historical times, whether fictional or not and I was keen to discover more about Bletchey Park from someone who had actually worked there during the Second World War.

Unfortunately less than half of the book is dedicated to the 'wartime diaries' of Anne-Hamilton Grace, and it is much more focused on Elisa's troubled relationship with her Mother. We learn that the only reason she stumbles across the diaries is due to clearing the former family home as her Mother begins to suffer with dementia caused by Alcoholism (according to Elisa).

Through her diaries we follow Anne Hamilton-Grace from the age of Fifteen, through tales of a privileged upbringing, through the war, to meeting her husband and having her children, right up until her death. In the early stages of her diaries we see Anne as a privileged (perhaps spoilt) young girl with no real aspirations or ambitions. She loves to travel, and has the luxury of being able to do so due to her wealth.

Despite her status Anne is not afraid to get involved in the war effort and as WW2 breaks out signs up to the WRAF. For me these were the most interesting of Anne's diaries, during the War, and the main reason I wanted to read the book in the first place.

I do find that Elisa jumps forward and back quite a lot of the time with the diaries, which is a little annoying at times, but I suppose she is trying to get things across from her point of view even thought it is her mother's memoirs that she is writing.

The war time section of the book unfortunately seemed to disappear in a flash, and it was back to Elisa's ramblings again with little input from the Mother. I did find the book interesing, but I think perhaps a little more emphasis could have been placed on the actual diaries themselves rather than Elisa's opinions on every little thing, particularly when she has such a poor relationship with her mother.

Overall, the book was interesting, but I'm not sure I would have managed to get to the end without the wartime diaries.

The Girl from Station X: My Mother's Unknown Life is available from 15 March.

You can pre-order it now from Amazon

Review: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Publisher: Phoenix
Release Date: 17 September 2007

Rating: ***

Back Cover Blurb:

When Two little girls are abducted and killed in Missouri, reporter Camille Preaker is sent to her home town to investigate. Camille has been estranged from her neurotic mother for years. Now she finds herself installed in the family home, re-acquainting herself with her half-sister a precocious thirteen-year-old who holds a disquieting grip on the town. Working alongside the police, Camille tries to untangle the mystery of who killed these little girls and why. But there are deeper pyschological puzzles: why does Camille identify so stronger with the dead girls? And how is this connected to the death of her sister years earlier?

So I finally got around to reading Flynn's debut, four months after I read 'Gone Girl'. I almost wish I hadn't bothered. In my opinion it's not worth the hype. In fact the only reason it earned a three star review is because I really rate the ending and I didn't see it coming, it's the only thing that saved the novel for me.

Camille Preaker is the main character in the book, and I found her quite likeable and felt a little sorry for her. It's clear that she has had a messed up childhood with the death of her sister only making things worse. When she returns to her home town to report on the recent murders she is forced to move back in to her family home. The closer she becomes to her mother the more her suspicions are aroused about her family and the place that she was bought up.

I found Sharp Objects quite a slow book. It wasn't the type of crime novel that kept me gripped, although I expected it to be after reading Flynn's other two. Sadly I found it lacking something. I'm still not exactly sure what. The characters were well written enough, I just feel that the novel wasn't paced fast enough for the type of story it was trying to tell.

I found it a little predictable in places, and it really wasn't the page turner I hoped it would be. In fact the only reason I read to the end is because I wanted to know if my hunch about the culprit was right, and it very nearly was. Almost.

You can buy 'Sharp Objects' from Amazon online and all good book shops.