Jen's Book Blog

2021 Book #46 – The Deep Blue Between

Medium – Book

About the Book – After a murderous attack on their village, twins Husseina and Hassana are separated. They end up in completely different places – the Gold Coast of Africa and in Brazil, and they come to make new friends and forge new lives away from the shadows of each other and their former lives. However, they remain connected through shared dreams of the deep blue water. Although many years pass, in their own ways, they hunt for each other, feeling that their fates are drawing them back together again.

My Rating – 2.5/5

My Thoughts – This was one of those books that I really wanted to like. It was one that I got from the ‘Book Box Club’ and generally (although with some exceptions), I find that their books are ones that I enjoy and get through quite easily. However, I did find this book a bit of a slog. There were several things I liked about it. I’ve never read a book set at this time in Africa/Brazil that is focussed on women of colour. I really liked that and liked the way that the setting and characters were drawn – especially the ‘background’ characters, who were very life-like and intriguing. The settings really made you feel that you were in the place, with beautiful description and a real feeling of the historical era. I also really appreciated that this was a book written by a woman of colour – I don’t read enough of those, and would like to expand this.

But, I did find this a hard book to read. It was only 250 pages long, but took AGES. It falls into the ‘drama’ genre, I would say, which is not one I would usually read. It was quite slow-moving, and there wasn’t really much action until the last few pages of the book. I know that this is very much my opinion but this part of it wasn’t really to my taste. I found the main characters quite difficult to get behind – the one who went to Brazil (Vitoria/Husseina) was slightly more to my taste than Hassana. I can’t really put my finger on why I didn’t enjoy the characters – it’s a difficult one to put into words. In short – it’s not a book I would read again, but I don’t think my time was entirely wasted by reading it (does that make sense?)

2021 Book #45 – The Children of Jocasta

Medium – Book

About the Book – This story tells the tale of two different women, who are often overlooked in Greek history/myth. The first is Jocasta, the wife and (eek) mother of Oedipus, whose story is told in the third person. The second is Ismene, her daughter /grand-daughter, whose story is told in the first person. Jocasta is sold into marriage at the age of fifteen, marrying the king of Thebes and bearing a son, who is born dead. Ismene lives in the palace 10-20 years later, and in her first account we see her stabbed by an unknown assailant, ripping her sense of safety away from her viciously. We follow the two women through their stories, but the story told here doesn’t always follow the storyline of the myth.

My Rating – 4.5/5

My thoughts – I love anything set in Greek history/myth. I loved Mythos, Heroes and Troy by Stephen Fry, and the book Circe, which I read last year. Natalie Haynes writes in a similar way to Madeleine Miller, who wrote Circe, taking the well-known myth and picking out lesser characters before giving them a voice. Both of the main characters are excellent and have very different, but very clear voices of their own. They are both strong in their own ways, with Jocasta having more ‘queenly’ strength, whereas Ismene is more quietly strong, clever and intelligent. The supporting characters are great, especially Ismene’s brothers and sister, and Sophon, who acts as Jocasta’s friend and doctor, and Ismene’s tutor.

The storyline follows the Greek myth more or less, but the ending is different. The author manages to show more of a strength in Jocasta’s ending than the one traditionally given to her in myth. Ismene’s is also great in a different way – hopeful and inspiring. I’ve only docked half a point out of my own preferences – it is slightly gory in places and also it goes into quite some detail about a plague and lockdown. Bit of a sensitive topic at the moment! But otherwise, it is an excellent, well written book and I look forward to reading more by this author – I think I have two on my TBR pile!

2021 Book #44 – Moxie

Medium – Book

About the Book – Viv Carter is a student at an American High School. And she’s fed up. She’s fed up of the sexist comments from boys at the school, fed up of the school football team getting all the funding and attention, fed up of the teachers taking no notice, and fed up of the perpetuation of ‘Texas Womanhood’ that she gets fed from other girls at the school. One day, it all gets too much, and taking inspiration from her mother’s punk rock history, she decides to publish a zine, called Moxie. Moxie calls out the inequalities and aims to bring the girls in the school together. The fight is on for Viv and her friends, but soon Moxie is brought to the attention of the boys and the school administrators, who are determined to shut it down.

My Rating – 3.5/5

My Thoughts – I loved the premise of this book, but it fell a little short on the actual delivery of what was promised. The first part of the book was quite slow and took me ages to get through. It was kind of your average ‘girly’ high school book – all the cliques, our heroine fitting into the nice, quiet girl one; going along to football games. The part with the first issue of Moxie was good, and then the book got better, although it should be noted that it was really in the last 50-100 pages that the story got good. The ending was fabulous, and I am glad I persevered with reading as I was so close to giving up on it.

The characters were interesting – I really liked Viv and her punky, feminist ally boyfriend, Seth. The rest of the characters were OK – Claudia and Lucy, Viv’s friends, stand out as being sort of memorable, along with Viv’s mum. The nastier characters, such as the headmaster and his horrible football-playing son were well drawn, and they were definitely unlikeable. But really, I think the book was missing something – something which was seen in the last pages but not up to this point.

2021 Book #43 – A Quiet Life in the Country

Medium – Audiobook

About the Book – Lady Hardcastle and her maid and best friend, Flo Armstrong, decide to move to the country in order to get some peace and quiet. They move to a beautiful, friendly village near one of Lady Hardcastle’s friends and enjoy about a week of calm. The calm is broken, however, by the discovery of a corpse – the body of a young man in the cricket team found hanging in a tree. Lady Hardcastle and Flo decide to try and solve the murder, but are interrupted by another, unrelated one – the bludgeoning to death of a trumpet player at an engagement party. Lady Hardcastle and Flo must work together to try and catch the murderers, whilst trying to ensure their own safety.

My Rating – 5/5

My Thoughts – One of my favourite genres is ‘cosy crime’, or at least murder mysteries set in a different time. I like something with comedy, female heroes and a murderer who is not easily guessable. So this book ticked all the boxes for me. I loved the characters of Lady Hardcastle (Emily) and Flo – two women who despite class differences are best friends and spend (pretty much) every waking moment together. Emily is kind, funny and has no compunction about including her friend in any social gathering, Flo is wise-cracking, socially aware and an expert martial artist. The book contains enough hints to both of their past lives to make reading the series seem a no-brainer – how did Emily’s husband get murdered? How did Emily and Flo escape from China?

The plot for the book was great, and the actual murder mystery part of the book wasn’t easy to guess. The two murders were different enough that it didn’t seem like the murderer was pushing someone towards one viewpoint or another (serial killer vs. single murder). The author had also managed to capture English country life really well, with all of its intricacies, little niggles about the neighbours and social niceties. I would definitely recommend this book (the audiobook narrator was excellent as well) and will be looking out for the sequels!

2021 Book #42 – The Pursuit of Love

Medium – Audiobook

About the Book – Linda Radford is the beautiful, daring and romantic daughter of a peer living in 1920s, 1930s and 1940s England. ‘Pursuit of Love’ is the story of her life and loves, told from the point of view of her cousin, Fanny, who also narrated the audiobook I listened to last year, ‘Love in a Cold Climate’. The book charts Linda’s life from her early days on her father’s estate in England, through to her marriage to a conservative politician, then her marriage to a communist activist, and finally her love affair with a French intelligence man. Her life is full of drama and love, slightly opposite to Fanny’s, who is married to an Oxford Don and settles happily into a life of domestic bliss.

My Rating – 4.5/5

My Thoughts – The Pursuit of Love seems a very apposite book to be reading at the moment, mostly because it has recently been dramatised on the BBC with one of my favourite actresses, Lily James. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, but I am looking forward to seeing this book on the small screen! When talking to my husband about this book, I likened it to ‘Wodehouse with sex’, and I think that is a fairly good summation of the book. It is very funny, and set in the same time periods as Wodehouse, but focuses on a very dramatic woman, with no concealment of the fact that she is having a very nice time with a good range of men, although (apart from one) always men she is married to. There is a sadness to the book – until the end of her life, poor Linda never seems to truly understand happiness, with her first two marriages disintegrating and leaving her unhappy. And then the book does not end as you expect it to…

I really enjoy the characters of Fanny and Linda. Fanny is the much more strait-laced version of Fanny, but she is also extremely clever and holds her own against Linda, the clever men that are in her circle and her Oxford Don husband. She isn’t ‘just’ the archetypal young mother (so often seen in books of about this time). Linda is lovely – romantic, a dreamer and a complete free spirit. As the book progresses, you feel more and more sorry for her, as she becomes more and more disheartened with love and relationships. The story is semi-autobiographical, with Nancy Mitford taking the role of Linda, and her family taking some of the other roles (most recognizably, her parents), and the knowledge of this does show some sadness in Nancy’s life, as well as her wit and sparkle.

2021 Book #41 – The Blackthorn Key

Medium – Book

About the Book – Christopher Rowe is an apprentice apothecary, working with the renowned and extremely kind Benedict Blackthorn. After being brought up in an orphanage, he is happy and content, and is looking forward to one day being an apothecary himself. His dreams are shattered as a spate of murders of apothecaries spread through the city, and one night, the worst happens – his own master is brutally murdered. Christopher and his friend Tom decide to try and find the murderer of Blackthorn, but soon Christopher must go on the run as he is suspected of murder.

My Rating – 3/5

My Thoughts – This is one of those books that I got from a charity shop many moons ago and was keen to read but didn’t have the motivation to do so. It is a typical children’s book – a bit of blood but nothing terrible, with some good (male) characters and a exciting story-line. It’s one of those books that could have passed as a modern ‘Boy’s Own’ book – the young lad facing down the baddies and winning. I liked the characters, especially Christopher and Benedict, the latter getting not enough ‘screen-time’ by far. Christopher was likable and sweet – a little two-dimensional but generally someone you would root for. The plot was quite fast-paced, and a little uninspiring, but not too bad.

My general feelings towards this book are that it is an interesting and well-written book, but that it wouldn’t necessarily be my choice to pick off the shelf. It’s a children’s book first and foremost, and (without wanting to sound stereotypical) perfect for boys (and girls!) who enjoy history and adventure. I am quite interested to find out what happens to Christopher next, but I can’t say that I will be rushing out to get the next ones in the series (especially as I have soooo many books to still get through). Overall, a pleasant read which I would recommend to my friends with children, but not one I would pick up again.

2021 Book #40 – Priestess of the White

Medium – Audiobook

About the Book – Auraya is a young woman who is picked to be one of the White – five humans who become immortal and serve as the sword and shield of the gods. They are imbued with magic, and given special properties, but Auraya is different – gifted with strong magic rivalling the gods themselves, as well as wisdom and inner strength. Auraya seeks to bring peace to her world, but as she learns more of the gods and of the people opposing them, she realises that not everything is as simple as she has always thought…

My Rating – 1.5/5

My Thoughts – So usually, I love a bit of fantasy. I’m all for strange worlds, female heroes and magic/swords etc. But this book, well it just dragged. I have heard that Trudi Canavan is a good writer, but I just didn’t enjoy this book. I found that the characters melded into one, the split POV for each chapter seemed to ‘chop’ at really odd places, and the main character (Auraya) just was a bit meh. She was a bit of a Mary-Sue – very lovely and kind and powerful, but didn’t seem all that relatable. The plot was OK, but very quickly just got a bit boring. I don’t know, maybe it’s me, but the reviews on Goodreads also seemed a bit mixed. I got through about five hours, but in the end I’ve moved onto something else!

2021 Book #39 – The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne

Medium – Book

About the Book – Scarlett McCain is an outlaw, making her own way in future Britain, a dystopian landscape full of dangerous creatures, eugenics and cannibalistic Zombie men. She is a bank robber who shoots first and asks questions later, stealing and killing as she goes through Britain. On one of her journeys, she meets Albert Browne, an apparently defenseless and stupid youth, who she rescues from a group of people who are chasing them (as well as some very interesting evolved beasts). She soon finds though, that Albert has his own dark and dangerous talents, and that despite her usually selfish motives, she feels the need to help the boy get to safety.

My Rating – 3.5/5

My Thoughts – This book came as part of a Book Box celebrating dystopian fiction. I have to admit that dystopia is not a usual choice for me – now that I am old enough to choose my own books to read I am much more in favour of books with a more historical or fantastical setting, rather than a book where everything has gone wrong! So this wasn’t a book I would usually have chosen – but I am glad to have read it. It had an interesting, engaging story line, imaginative settings and fascinating characters. I have to admit that it did not grip me the whole way through, and the last 50 or so pages I did not think were as good as the rest, but it was a solid, enjoyable read up to that point.

I really enjoyed the two main characters, with Scarlett being a fantastic female hero and Albert a really fun and interesting foil for her. The additional characters were well painted, except for the main antagonist, whose powers I don’t think were ever fully explored. The two supplementary ‘good’ characters, Joe and Ettie, were two of my favourites of the book, and I found myself rooting for them and hoping that they wouldn’t end up as casualties (and they will be in the next book). I know that the author is probably waiting for the next book, but I would have liked to know about Scarlet’s backstory a little more, so I am definitely going to read the next one when it is released.

2021 Book #38 – Remarkable People

Medium – Book

About the Book – Dan Walker, the journalist and broadcaster who works on BBC Breakfast, was apparently asked to write his memoirs for publication. He realised (as I wish others did!) that whilst his life has been interesting, there are others who he has worked with and interviewed who have had more fascinating lives. And so, this book came into being. Dan picked a number of people, or groups of people, to tell the stories of – people who are remarkable for their own reasons. They include two women who lost children (at different ages), the policeman who apologised for the metropolitan police, Tony who got a flypast in Sheffield for some downed airmen and Terrence the lonely Age Concern volunteer, among many others. Dan Walker tells his own story, but it very much takes the back seat to the stories of the other men and women in this book.

My Rating – 4/5

My Thoughts – In the UK, we have these Awards called ‘The Pride of Britain Awards’. They are awarded to people who have saved lives, raised money or just been really good citizens, and I watch them every year. Often in floods of tears! This book is very much like that, with Dan Walker talking through the ten groups of people who have made the most impression on him over his years of working in broadcasting. The stories include a little of his own life, and most markedly, his Christianity, but mostly the focus is on the remarkable people that he dedicates each chapter to. The stories are sympathetic and uplifting, the perfect antidote to the doom, gloom and anxiety of the media.

My favourite chapters were:

Tony Foulds – he met Dan Walker whilst Dan was dog-walking one day and Tony was tending a war memorial. The memorial was to a group of American Airmen. In the middle of WW2, Tony and his friends were playing on a playing field when an American plane, which had been badly damaged in a bombing raid tried to land on the the field that they were playing on. The airmen realised that they would hit the children and local houses if they landed, and so didn’t land, meaning that they crashed into a local hillside, killing all the airmen. Tony and Dan managed to get a full-on flypast and organise a massive event in memory of those airmen.
Figen Murray – the mother of Martyn Hett, who died in the Manchester Bombing. She has refused to be drawn into hatred for the men who killed her son, instead choosing to forgive them and build her son’s memory in love. She now campaigns for Martyn’s Law, which would require public events to improve security.
The medics and care staff working during the Covid pandemic – I have (as yet, touch wood) been relatively untouched by Covid, seeing as my day-job is mostly online or only fleetingly in person, and I have not had Covid yet. I realise how lucky I am, and that this isn’t the same for everyone. But my admiration is unbounded for those people who have gone to work in hospitals, care homes, surgeries and other medical establishments throughout the pandemic to keep people healthy. This chapter is a striking tribute to them.

A great book – but don’t read in public as it will make you cry!

2021 Book #37 – The Women who Spied for Britain

Medium – Book

About the Book – The author briefly discusses the lives of some of the most famous female spies of WW2 – women like Christine Granville, Odette Sansom, Violette Szabo and Noor Inyat Khan. The women are taken individually, and their lives discussed – from their births, to their education and childhood, relationships, their recruitment to the SEO (Special Operations Executive), their war years and how their story ended. Their stories are remarkable and often extremely sad, with some women losing their lives in concentration camps or not living particularly long after the war ended. There is even the story of one of the ‘double agent’ spies, Mathilde Carre, who ended up betraying the British and working for the Germans.

My Rating – 5/5

My Thoughts – If you want a short, easily readable and inspiring history book about WW2, look no further than this one, by Robyn Walker. The stories of each woman are interesting and well researched, with each one being quite short but providing a good understanding of the women, what they were like, and how they worked. The women were, without doubt, extremely brave, and even the slightly dubious figure of Mathilde Carre is shown in a slightly sympathetic light, at least at the beginning of her work for the SOE. The women’s stories often ended rather sadly, with sixteen of the forty-one spies not surviving the second world war. Only nine or so of the women are actually mentioned in this book, but I would love to hear more about the other women who served.

The book has a lovely selection of photographs and each woman is dealt with respectfully and in a compassionate way. My favourite section was that of Sonia Butt, the youngest SOE operative in WW2. She married a fellow SOE agent just before embarking on her first mission, but went anyway, and then proceeded to live in France for a number of months acting as a courier, before meeting up with Allied troops as they liberated France. But really, all the women showed astonishing bravery, and I would love to know more about them. This little book acts as a great primer.