Sunday, 6 October 2013

A Street Cat Named Bob - James Bowen

Official Blurb
When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet.

Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.

Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts.

A Street Cat Named Bob is a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it.

My Review
The story of one man, a remarkable cat and how they rescued each other.   An engrossing tale of life on the street, companionship and the uplifting effect of the latter.     A simple narrative is used for best effect and leaves the reader with a better understanding of what life is like for someone like James.   This is a lovely, heart-warming read.      
   

Wednesday, 25 September 2013

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd


Loved the story, loved the characters and loved the writing.  The hint of mystery adds to the enjoyment and keeps you coming back for more. It is a relaxing stroll through an absorbing narrative that leads to a satisfying conclusion and even throws in a little education about bees for good measure.  Not a gripping, fast paced novel but a page turner none the less.  Just discovered it was made into a movie starring Queen Latifa, must check it out.

 

The Light Between Oceans - M L Steadman

Amazon Blurb
Richard and Judy summer bookclub read 2013, Goodreads category winner, and longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2013, stunning story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who face a life-changing moral dilemma.
 
A boat washes up on the shore of a remote lighthouse keeper's island. It holds a dead man - and a crying baby. The only two islanders, Tom and his wife Izzy, are about to make a devastating decision.
They break the rules and follow their hearts. What happens next will break yours
 
 
 
My Review
An enjoyable, moving read. The narrative sympathetically unfolds from an unusual perspective, that of a couple who find a baby and decide to keep her.  The story unfolds at a gentle, heart tugging pace and makes it impossible not to care about their plight. The decisions made and the on-going consequences make riveting reading.  The moral dilemma makes for a good ‘book club’ choice.  Look forward to the movie.
 
     

Friday, 28 June 2013

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Amazon Blurb
When Harold Fry nips out one morning to post a letter, leaving his wife hoovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other. He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else's life.
'The odyssey of a simple man, original, subtle and touching'. - Claire Tomalin
'From the moment I met Harold Fry, I didn't want to leave him. Impossible to put down.' - Erica Wagner, The Times
 
It's been a while since my last review basically because I haven't finished a book since 'On Canaan's Side'. I have picked up a few but none kept me reading, mainily because I have been distracted by my latest hobby of papercrafting. This book was chosen by my book club to read and I didn't think I would like it......how wrong could I be.
 
I have awarded this book a well deserved 5 stars.  I knew from the first chapter that at last I had found a book that was going to hold my attention.  It was, I thought, an unlikely (pardon the pun) narrative to grab me but it was so cleverly written with subtle references to the past that I was intrigued to find out more.  It wasn't long before I 'cared' for Harold, his journey and the other major characters.  I was moved to tears on quite a few occasions one of which was in an airport lounge - hopefully no-one noticed. 
 
A lovely moving account of one man's journey both literally and emotionally with a heart breaking twist I never saw coming.  What a pleasure to read and I look forward to reading more of Rachel Joyce's work.
 
 
 
       
 
 
 

Sunday, 30 September 2012

On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry

Amazon Blurb

'As they used to say in Ireland, the devil only comes into good things.'

Narrated by Lilly Bere, On Canaan's Side opens as she mourns the loss of her grandson, Bill. The story then goes back to the moment she was forced to flee Dublin, at the end of the First World War, and follows her life through into the new world of America, a world filled with both hope and danger.
At once epic and intimate, Lilly's narrative unfurls as she tries to make sense of the sorrows and troubles of her life and of the people whose lives she has touched. Spanning nearly seven decades, it is a novel of memory, war, family-ties and love, which once again displays Sebastian Barry's exquisite prose and gift for storytelling.
 
MY REVIEW 
 
 
In a word - Exquisite
 
I was very busy over the summer months and although tried a few novels I couldn't concentrate and as a result dropped them less than half way through - hense no reviews since June. 
 
On Canaan's side however as per Jerry Maguire 'Had me in the first four lines'.  I can't praise this book enough, the writing is exquisite so much so that I found myself rereading sections just because it was so beautifully penned.  The storyline flowed with ease and even though it wasn't completely linear everything was revealed as and when it should have been. Sebastian Barry is an arresting author and I will certainly be reading more of his work.
 
           

Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Oooops - Under repair

Not knowing any better I have been clearing out my desk top and deleted a bunch of pictures not realising the photos in this blog are linked back to my computer, in my ignorance I assumed when they were uploaded to the blog and I no longer needed the originals .... doh!!!!!  I am systematically reinstating them hopefully it shouldn't take too long.



Friday, 22 June 2012

The Mesmerist - Barbara Ewing




This is one of my bargain books, I wasn't sure what to expect as I had never read Barbara Ewing before but for 33p it was worth a try.  I found it a bit slow reading at first as I couldn't really get interested in Hester and Kitty's story. However when Cordelia's story began to unfold the narrative became not just more interesting but moved at a much faster pace.

As the story was eventually intriging I'm glad I stuck with it.
 



Friday, 1 June 2012

The Catalyst (Balancer Prelude) - Chris Adonn

Enjoyable prelude to the next installment of the balancer chronicles which I realy look forward to reading. I would like to see James continue to make an appearance. 

My only problem was with a character name ie 'beloved'.  When reading I mentally changed his name to Paul and this worked for me.