book reviews

Something Might Happen - Julie Myerson

This is a very interesting book. Tess; best friend Lennie is murdered and this is the story of the effect this has on Tess, her family and her best friend’s husband Alex. All of their lives change. Don’t expect a murder mystery - this is not really concerned with the murder itself but the effect it has on the people close to the victim.

(Angelique)

The Magic Cottage - James Herbert

This sounds interesting. Couple find their dream cottage in the countryside, move in only to find weird things happening. I was disappointed in this book. Nothing much really happens apart from the weird hippies who live in a commune nearby turning up every now and then. Good idea for a story but didn’t really go anywhere.

(ManPatrick)

Secret Smile - Nicci French

A gripping read. Miranda has just dumped her boyfriend only to find that he is now going out with her sister. He is a truly creepy character who starts to turn the rest of her family against her. This is something I couldn’t quite believe - would the rest of her family really be that gullible? Even so, this book will keep you reading until the end.

(Sam45)

Getting a Life - Helen Simpson

A collection of short stories linked by the same characters. If you want to know how to write short stories read these. These stories are beautifully written and very funny. Stories about women and their lives and how they get what they want.

(Maria B)

The Devastating Boys - Elizabeth Taylor

Everyone who enjoys writing short stories should read something by this author. She is such a master of the short story and this collection of short stories shows her talent. Many of the stories have an underlying sometimes mocking, humour to them. Some are set abroad, many involve seemingly mundane ordinary people, but Taylor lets us see just how complex these characters really are. The creepy story The Fly Paper will stay with you a long time after reading and is genuinely disturbing I would recommend this book to any aspiring writer.

(Meg40)

The Go Between - L P Hartley

This book was made into a famous film starring Alan Bates and Julie Christie and most people probably know this film rather than the book. I picked it up at a secondhand sale expecting it to be dry and dated. What a surprise! It is a gripping read from the beginning when the narrator, Leo, now a man in his sixties, looks back over a long summer he spent in Norfolk just before the first world war. During this summer he acts as a go between for his friends older sister and the gardener who are secretly in love. Even if you have seen the film and already know what happens you will read to the end. A tragic and haunting story.

(ElaineR)

The Cage - Andrea Newman

Although written in 1965 I feel that this book has not dated too much and is still relevant today, Val is a clever girl who is hoping to go to University hen she gets pregnant. Under pressure to get married she has the baby and tries to settle down with her husband, Malcolm. A sense of loss fills her head with thoughts of what might have been and how different her future could have been. We are left with the feeling that she is fooling herself with her plans of one day running away to a better life. A sad book. (Peggy41)

Solace - Nicci Gerrard

A beautifully written book. The author is one half of the husband/ wife writing duo Nicci French but this is her own novel. It is about the breakdown of a marriage after a wife discovers her husbands affair. This is a common enough theme in books but struck a chord with me, possibly because I was going through a similar situation when I read it. The character Irenes responses and reactions are so true to life that I found it easy to identify with her, A book that helped me through a difficult time. (MellowD)

Cheating at Canasta - William Trevor

William Trevor is a famous Irish author who has written many collections of short stories. A lot of the stories in this book are about loneliness and dealing with grief and loss. I especially liked The Room and Old Flame where Trevor is writing about relationships and regret. Many of these stories are sad but will make you think. (Lisa)

The Blunderer - Patricia Highsmith

Vic is married to Melinda and puts up with her affairs, but only to a certain extent. Finally pushed over the edge, he is driven to murder. The people in the town divide into two camps. There are those who believe that accidents are happening, and those who are very suspicious of Vic. He, meanwhile retreats into a make believe world, becoming increasingly obsessed with the snails he keeps as pets. Patricia Highsmith always explores the dark side of human nature and she has created a complex character in Vic. (emmaD)

Deaf Sentence - David Lodge

What is it like to be going deaf? Desmond, who is the hero of this very funny book has to put up with constant confusion and misunderstandings. As well as the funny side of his condition, there are some very funny people in this book. Desmonds’ stubborn and frail father is someone who will stay in your mind long after you have finished the book. A sympathetic and sad book, but also very funny. (alec53)

The Birds and Other Stories - Daphne du Mourier

I found this book of short stories at a book sale and picked it up for 20p. What a find it proved to be. Once I started reading I couldn’t put this book down. I never realised that the Alfred Hitchcock film “The Birds” was based on the first story in this collection, which maintains its sense of panic and ever increasing danger. The Apple Tree is a creepy and sad story about love and grief with a terrifying ending. “Kiss me again, Stranger” is a mystery which will make you think.

(Dawn go-girl)

Digging to America - Anne Tyler

Was anyone else disappointed by this book? As a fan of Anne Tyler and someone who has read all of her books I found this one to be slow moving and uneventful. I felt as if the author had grown tired of it halfway through but felt obliged to finish it. The book tells the story of two baby girls from Korea who are adopted by two very different families from America. Each year the families celebrate the anniversary of Arrival Day and we see how their lives are changing. I did not care about any of the characters in this book and found them to be flat and uninteresting. If you are reading Anne Tyler for the first time choose one of her other books but not this one.

(Carol55)

Foreign Correspondence - Janet Davey

The writing in this book is poetic but the story and characters are so boring. The story drags on without anything really happening. Slyvie, the main character, is mourning the loss of her father who lived in London and missing his letters to her. She has a troubled marriage but seems to have little personality and drifts along aimlessly. I would not recommend this book as I soon became fed up with it. (JasminD)

Voices - Arnaldur Indridason

Detective Erlendur, the main character in this story is an interesting and complicated man with many family problems. The atmosphere of the hotel in Reyjavik where the doorman was found murdered, is brilliantly conveyed with the sense of claustrophobia and hidden secrets. The murdered doorman turns out to have once been a famous child singer and the story is sad, because of how his life turned out. Detective Erlendur stays at the hotel for much of the story where he is visited by his extremely difficult and problematic daughter an ex junkie who causes him endless worrying The Detectives’ assistants are all interesting and believable characters and this was a highly enjoyable read.

(Dermot)

About my Wife - Emily Perkins

A beautifully written book. The narrator, Tom, is telling the story of his marriage to

Ann and how she came to end up committing suicide. There is a sense of mystery through this book. Ann imagines a stalker is following her , she is convinced that rats are taking over her house. She gets pregnant and this seems to make things worse, she sits up all night talking to invisible people, she becomes obsessed with cleaning. Tom is deeply in love with her and perhaps this blinds him to her problems which he doesn’t want to admit to himself. As the story moves on the atmosphere turns darker and the reader wonders what Ann will do next. Will she harm her baby and husband? Her past is something of a mystery to Tom and she is evasive about her family. I was left with the feeling that Ann must have been suffering from a mental illness all the time, and that the stress of her pregnancy brought things to a head. I think this is the first book from this author and look forward to her next. (Margaret56)