Perhaps we are all broken

And so Richard & Judy are back again with their summer read; THE OUTCAST being the first in the series.

THE OUTCAST was described by another reviewer as being oppressive and claustrophobic - having now come to the end of the novel, I would have to agree. The themes behind this book are dense. In many ways, this book is dark, horrific even. The main character, Lewis Aldridge, is a young man who at the very beginning of the novel is released from prison. Throughout the rest of the book, the reader is able to go back to when he was a young boy growing up in the 1940s. At ten years of age, a moment of tragedy tears his small family apart and it is this tragedy which will have repercusssions for the rest of his life. Ultimately, it is why Lewis finds himself in prison years later.
The novel also moves forward to the time leading up to Lewis's criminal act, and beyond that to his release and how his family deal with this as well as the rest of the community.

While THE OUTCAST was well written, because of the style of Jones's writing, it makes the book incredibly dense and sometimes quite irritating. Her sentences are often short and feel confused - one minute she says a character is doing one thing and then suddenly they change their mind and do something else, even tnhough they are described as not being completely aware of that (or something similar). While this style suits the time during which Lewis is a young boy, Jones continues to use it throughout the book, making it feel a little immature at times. And because it is so repetitive it can become somewhat annoying.
However, having said that, there is no doubt in my mind that Jones has done a fantatsic job at describing the time she is writing in. She truly brings the 40s and the 50s to life. The way that she conjures up family life is honest and stark. The description of domestic abuse within one family is shocking not just because of the violence but also because of the way that it is accepted as part of family life. Lewis's trauma following the trauma is also expertly dealt with by Jones; it is this very thing which causes him to become the outcast of which the title speaks. To read about a child being treated in such a way is nothing more than horrendous and chilling.

Whilst I loved how Jones dealt with the issues of this book, I would not have chosen it as a holiday read. Because of the weight of the book, I feel it is too heavy for me as something to be turned to for a little light escape. Do not come to this book for light refreshment; prepare to be moved by it, challenged and shocked.

A Wonderful Read

I devoured this book in days..it is a thoroughly addictive page turner!

The momentum was compelling and the characters all so loveable (though Cassandra was probably my secret favourite). I read The House at Riverton last year and it's one of my fave books ever - The Forgotten Garden is an excellent second novel from this very talented author. This is a compelling and beautifully written family mystery and I will be recommending it to all my friends and colleagues.

Promises more than it delivers...

I was looking forward to reading this book as its had lots of great reviews. The plot/concept is excellent and original- eg. teenage girl (cynthia) wakes up the next day after a drunken row with her parents the night before to find her whole family has vanished. Their disappearances are never solved. Fast forward 25 years and after reconstructing the crime on a TV show which highlights cold cases, strange happenings begin to occur that lead her to believe that her family may actually still be alive....

The book begins very promisingly with lots of unanswered questions for the reader to grapple with and lots of potential suspects- including cynthia herself. The book is narrated by the girl's now husband and the author cleverly manages to manipulate the reader from thinking that maybe she is just going insane, to maybe she's guilty to maybe her family just decided to leave her....etc and a state of suspense is well crafted. However, I felt that after an excellent first half, the second half of the book descends into farce. The characters that emerge in the second half of the book seem hideously cliched and stereotyped to me- eg.cynthia's ex-boyfriend vince who has now turned into a bad boy gangster is written like some cheesy extra from goodfellas! Also, as the storyline progresses it becomes clear that alot of the characters have secretly murdered people in the past (cynthia certainly does have bad luck!!).

The ending which I won't spoil was a total let down and seemed to me like something out of a tacky made for TV movie. The main"baddie" in the book was badly written and reminded me of that French and Saunders pastiche of"whatever happened to baby Jane", because the character was so ridiculous and one dimensional. Most people aren't purely good or purely bad, they're a mixture of both and I felt that the book's characterisation was very one-dimensional at times. I also felt that it was difficult to identify with the main character of Cynthia because she doesn't really talk much about how she really feels about her family, she just kind of goes quiet or gets angry at her husband which as the story is told from his perspective I didn't really feel alot for her (maybe thats just me though).

Anyway, all in all a great premise for a book but its just not that well written and the story goes badly awry in the latter half. A good frivolous read for the hols perhaps...

The devil probably doesn't care a hoot

Much as I have enjoyed SFs other work this book was nothing but a plodding catalogue of Bond type sound bytes. The plot was laboured and prescriptive, the heroine as described sounded nearly as appealing as my old physics teacher. It wasn't until page 205 that things turgidly started to move. By that time I felt I had to finish reading it, but with hindsight should have given up at page 15 - the tone had been set by then

I dont really understand why this is a bestseller

I usually buy bestsellers and books with good Amazon reviews because I trust the majority's opinion. However, I honestly dont understand what's so amazing about 'The Book Thief'. I personally would not recommend this book.

What I liked about it is the beginning (which is quite rare) it seemed so unique and magical. I fell in love with the idea of Death being the narrator and couldnt wait to find out what Mr Grim Reaper had to say. But of all the stories Death could have told us, sadly he chose a pretty boring one. Actually I dont think it's the story itself was boring (because I guess the events of Nazi Germany are quite interesting, if that's the right word to describe them) I just dont think that this story needed all 554 pages it was given.
The story pretty much goes like this: Liesel woke up, she got out of bed, brushed her teeth, scratched her head, looked in the mirror...etc. Which I think is really unnecessary.

Overall, the beginning was good, the middle was incredibly boring and the end was predictable (partly because Death decided to tell us the ending right away, so you'll find out what happens at the end after reading the first 20 pages) The Book Thief is not a bad book, I actually think it's interestingly written, but it's not the kind of book you cant put down; it's the kind of book you have to force yourself to pick up again.

The perfect summer read.

I was lying on the beach last week at Lyme Regis reading Julia Gregson's East of the Sun. Total bliss.
I strongly recomend it for a summer escape.

a thousand splendid suns

having read Kite Runner I wasnt expecting, but was hoping for another brilliantly thought provoking emotional book- and thats what I got. Simply fantastic. I cried, I smiled, it made me think. You have to read this.

Literary Chick Lit

I have no patience for formulaic chick lit, so this was nice to read. It's light and doesn't try to be too clever, and doesn't patronise you either.

I'm passing this on to my mother, who loves chick lit.

I'm not sure about Keanu Reeves playing Chris, though, he's too pretty for it!

A Quiet Belief In Angels

GREAT BOOK. Don't take any notice of the negative reviews. Its a very unusual"crime" novel and beatifully written. Needs time to read properly but it does grip from the beginning and the macabre content is sufficiently offbeat to make it a real page turner. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who simply likes a good story.
Christine Smythe

What a disappointment !

I bought this book because of the wonderful review by so many people, but what a great disappointment it turned out! The characters are so flat like cut-out paper, the story is predictable, the plot is dull, the language is so poor, it must be some kind of brain-wash side-benefit this brings to the readers, or they would not say things that totally out of place. I tried so hard in three weeks to finish it, on and off, but never passed page 65. And even that was so miserable. You people should go see doctor. And while I am at it, you should read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, or The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. So you will open your eyes, and get an idea of great work of literature! But this is simply a put-down.

Outstanding

This is a terrific book: a dark, compelling gothic thriller that - like Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde - explores profound questions about what it is to be human. What really sets it apart from most historical fiction is the vivid, muscular prose, which perfectly evokes the atmosphere of early nineteenth-century London (and Australia) without ever sounding remotely like a pastiche, and gives the story of Gabriel Swift's descent into nightmare and (partial) reawakening an almost mythic power. Highly recommended!

One to read and keep to read again

I've never read any Rose Tremain books previously, but if generally she writes as well as she does in"The Road Home" I'd better start exploring her back catalogue. This is a rites of passage novel concerning Lev an eastern European migrant worker in Britain. It is somewhat depressing to note that anyone who was at all helpful to this near destitute man were themselves immigrants. It's the type of book you have to put down every second chapter or so, because you can see what is about to happen and you want to delay the tragic consequences as long as possible. I don't quite understand what makes a"great" book, but it seems churlish to offer just a"very good" in respect of The Road home, so providing you don't hold me too closely to account, I think I might just award it"great book" status. Very highly recommended!

anybody out there?

I know, that's the name of Ms. Keyes last (and brillant) novel. But really, this season has been something of a dud for this genre, hasn't it? Two of my favorite authors are Keyes and Jennifer Weiner. Both have always been successful with their unique, intelligent perspectives on women's stories. They have proven their talent for writing with depth and a balance of humor and serious subject matter. This time around, though, fans of Weiner's"Good In Bed" were offered"Certain Girls," which turned likeable, independent, heroine Cannie Shapiro into a fretting frau that grown women hope to never grow into- less of a mother than a"smother." I was really holding out for Keyes latest, and excited at losing myself in its nearly 700 pages- but it is really a mess. As other reviewers mentioned, the acknowledgement in the beginning spoils the secret of this"charming man" the novel revolves around, making the layers of plot and narration that cover the"big reveal" a waste of time, especially given how tedious the initial narrator, Lola, is. Reading over one hundred pages of a diary,"written" in memo-like broken sentences, when it seems unlikely that the character keeps a diary and we've all been Bridgit Jonesed to death? Tedious. I usually admire Keyes for her character development. With that said, it is unless Lola was a fool who couldn't determine difference in importance between distinct life events, she would constantly bring up the exact name of her hair color while going through what turns out to a be a real crises? For so very many pages, there is little character development that makes you care about the story, despite the sad fact of the subject matter. The absence of a great Weiner or Keyes read lead me to the fairly predicable Kinsella, who was unpredictably disappointing with"Remember Me?" (too simple, too silly, boring) and the abysmally cliche I-feel-bad-about-myself-for-reading-something-this-corny Jane Green. My advice? Check out the thank-you in the front of"This Charming," save yourself the book price and donate it to help the people she is trying to assist through her story. That, or volunteering the time it takes to wade through 700 pages, could really change the world. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Emily Giffin and Allison Pearson will come through now.....

Sand, sea, rustic old house........lovely.

What a lovely summer read this is - a real tonic; one to kick off your flip-flops to and relax with over a glass of wine. Lovely.

The story is centred around Nan, an eccentric 65 year old living in a beach house in Nantucket by herself. That summer she decides to rent out rooms and invite some laughter and joy back into the house. Here we meet Daff, Daniel and Michael who are all trying to get away from something. They bond over home cooked meals, chats on the veranda, and cycles along the beach and each one slowly starts to realise that there is more to life than the rat race they have come from. There are a few surprises thrown in too to keep us on our toes.

Jane Green has done it again - a lovely light breezy read and what is more perfect for the summer than reading about a big rustic old beach house overlooking the sea. You will breath a huge sigh of satisfaction at the end of this one. Enjoy.

Slow-paced, but funny and thematically well-developed.

Another year, another book in Steven Erikson's enormous Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Toll the Hounds is the eighth (of ten) novel in the series, but given that the final two books are one immense story split in half for length, it is also the penultimate chapter of this series.

The continent of Genabackis, two years (or so) after the war between the Pannion Domin and an alliance between the Tiste Andii under Anomander Rake, the mercenary companies under Caladan Brood and a Malazan army under Whiskeyjack and Dujek Onearm. In that war half a dozen major cities and the floating fortress of Moon's Spawn were destroyed, and the final Pannion refuge in the city of Coral was devastated and occupied by the Tiste Andii. The city is now cloaked in endless night and known as Black Coral. The shattered remnants of the Bridgeburners - Mallet, Spindle, Picker, Bluepearl, Blend and Antsy - have settled in Darujhistan to run a bar whilst a shadowy group of mages awaits the long-prophecised coming of a Tyrant who will conquer it. From the west Cutter, once a Daru thief named Crokus, is returning home with a motley crew of adventurers from across the world, whilst in the south of the continent three separate groups of travellers have arrived on missions of their own. In night-shrouded Coral, Anomander Rake broods and his sword, Dragnipur, drinker of souls, becomes restless...

Toll the Hounds takes us back to where the series began in Gardens of the Moon nine years ago, Darujhistan of the blue fires, and it is with a tremendous sense of nostalgia that reader is reunited with many favourite characters from that novel and Memories of Ice, not to mention a few more familiar faces as well (some of whom get spectacular entrances). This time around the novel is not as packed with dizzying revelations and huge battles as the previous three volumes in the series, but rather than take this opportunity to shave off a few hundred pages from the book, Erikson instead takes advantage of this to paint the city of Darujhistan in much greater depth and detail than any other city in the series, moving between numerous 'lesser' POVs among the common folk of the city and events both huge and mundane in their lives. As a result Toll the Hounds is much slower-paced than any other book in the series. To a certain extent this may invite the reader to groan, but Erikson compensates for the lack of incident with deeper characterisation and motivation than ever before.

Toll the Hounds is also the Malazan series' most thematically-developed and tightest novel, with notions of family, responsibility and the role of desire all coming in for examination. Unfortunately, Erikson hasn't lost or scaled back on his tendency to have ordinary commoners spouting out philosophical arguments like Proust, but this late in the day the average reader of this series will be prepared for it. To make up for this Toll the Hounds is the funniest book in the series by some margin and, oddly given his much greater presence in the prose style (Kruppe is recounting the narrative to two other characters, and most chapters in the book open and close with Kruppe's short commentary on the events), the divisive character of Kruppe is kept to the background and only comes to the fore in a few short, memorable scenes.

As usual, events build to a huge finale and whilst the scale of those events is not in the line of the vast battles in Reaper's Gale or Memories of Ice, the significance of these events is much greater, and the stakes are definitely raised higher as the final two volumes of the series approach. Excellent humour and some major deaths and some huge revelations make Toll the Hounds essential reading for fans of the series, and if Erikson fails to overcome his standard faults, at least he doesn't exasperate them or introduce new ones with one notable exception: the timeline, which has been very problematic on occasion, is completely shot to hell in this book with several characters appearing who are much older than they should be.

Toll the Hounds (****) is available now in the UK from Bantam Books. Tor will publish the US edition in September. Ian Cameron Esslemont's second Malazan novel, Return of the Crimson Guard, which sets several characters up for the events in this book, is published in August in the UK (no US date set as yet). The ninth novel in the series, Dust of Dreams, should be published in approximately one year's time.

Moist again ...

Terry Pratchett fails to disappoint yet again!

Following Moist von Lipwig's earlier adventure"Going Postal","Making Money" continues to track his decline into respectability, in spite of his best efforts to cheat, lie and defraud at any opportunity. And this is THE opportunity, when he inherits the job of Master of the Royal Mint - a job the literally makes money.

In this instalment we read in amazement as Moist tries to convince Ankh-Morpork that paper is worth the same as gold, surprise as Moist inherits the Chairman oh the Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork, and slight disgust as the Chariman then slobbers all over him. As you'd expect someone is out to kill him and, as you'd expect, it's still not the Patrician, although they want to be.

Pratchett at his best all over again and an essential addition to anyone's library.

ANOTHER GREAT READ

I PERSONALLY LOVED THIS BOOK FROM START TO FINISH, I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT THAT SHE INTRODUCED SOME NEW CHARACTERS. IVE NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN. IF YOU A JANET EVANOVICH/STEPHANIE PLUM FAN THEN YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS BOOK. ROLL ON NEXT YEAR FOR NO.15

Another Roy Grace corker!

This is another fantastic novel from renowned author, Peter James. I've followed Peter's career since Possession, which means I've been reading his books for approximately <gulp!> 20 years. And he just gets better and better...

While I loved the supernatural and medical/scientific thrillers he's really found his niche in the crime fiction market. Unlike some writers I've read, Peter knows his books' locales - especially Brighton and Hove - inside out. He writes with conviction and knowledge about every twisting lane, every seedy or upper-class street, the beachfront, the people who live there. It lends his work that all-important sense of the reality. Until recently (when I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the publishers' launch on Brighton pavilion) I'd never visited Brighton. But it didn't matter because one of the many things Mr James excels at is evoking his surroundings, seedy or otherwise.

Not that he restricts himself to Brighton, you understand. DMF contains several well managed multiple storylines, one of which takes place on 9/11 (and the days directly thereafter). Timeline jumps are notoriously difficult to pull off, but James does so with consummate ease, such that I didn't mind the jumping from a tense moment involving a imminent torture to the aftermath of 9/11 and the protagonist of that plotline; or to Australia, where a different strand of the investigation is vigorously pursued. I loved the trip to Munich to search for his missing partner in Not Dead Enough, but James has taken it several steps further this time by including multiple locations and timelines ... and successfully retaining our interest.

The short, punchy chapters certainly help move things along. The believable dialogue and amusing exchanges between the main characters, especially Grace and Branson/Vosper/Pewe etc. all add to the book's effectiveness. I'd also echo other readers' comments about the ever interesting Potting. I really hope he's in all future Grace novels - we all know someone like him!

This is such a clever, ambitious book. I know that many readers read crime books and thrillers for the plot, but for me that's never been the most important element. I have to be convinced by the characters and their motivations; actually, I have to like them; think of them as real people, not ciphers. Not only does James deliver on this front, but he continues to develop his characters as the series continues. Also, with Peter's books I always get that feeling that I'm `in the story'; that the pages have effectively disappeared. James provides this and much more besides. The insanely ingenious plotlines and numerous twists and turns are the icing on the cake of any already enviable literary feast.

So why should you buy this book? Because it's clever and smart, with convincing dialogue and brilliant character observations? Because of the multiple plots and hard-to-guess twists? The fast pace and detailed observations? The technical, well researched details and sense of realism? Well, all these things, of course, and many more besides. Mostly I read his books because I love his writing: full stop.

And now we have to wait another year and I'm already missing Grace and co. And that last line! Talk about cliff-hangers...

Not The Best

After reading all of Katie Ffordes book except Going Dutch I was really looking forward to Wedding Season and I could'nt wait to finish it, unfortunatly for all of the wrong reasons. The 3 main women of the story are all flat and I could not connect with any of them, they all seemed too good to be true to turn their hands to every little emergency that popped up. The"love stories" were sign posted a mile off and were boring and predictable and everything just seemed too convinient and happened far too easily. Too much detail about the wedding and not enough detail of the people and places. Very dissapointed.

An Entertaining, Spell-Binding Tale

Although the title refers to May, the daughter, this story is very much the story of both mother and daughter. It begins with Ida as a teenager, meeting and falling for Errol.. a love that never leaves her.

I initially had reservations about using a real famous person in a fiction book, but it does work. Errol is obviously important, and I did find myself looking him up, to see how realistic his character was, but he's not a central character, and this helps. Once past the initial part of the story, there is so much more to keep you interested.

Whilst reading, the book seems to move at a fairly comfortable pace, but at the same time, I often found myself wanting `just one more chapter'. I carried this one around, just so I could dip into in my spare minutes. It's the type of book that you get caught up in before you realise it's happened.

The majority of the story is set in Jamaica, during a period of unrest - the history is quietly presented.. enough to give an insight, without distracting from the real story.

It also deals with racism from a slightly different angle.. because of May's mixed background, she never feels completely accepted, as she feels neither `coloured' or white. This leads to May feeling an outsider.. a feeling I'm sure many feel at some point at their lives.

This is an entertaining, spell-binding tale, which would make a perfect holiday read.