" A Gothic smash" Guardian
Brenda has come to Whitby to run a B&B in search of some peace and quiet. She and her best friend Effie like nothing better than going out for tea and keeping their eyes open for any of the mysterious goings-on in town.
And what with satanic beauty salons, more than illegal aliens, roving psychic investigators and the frankly terrifying owner of the Christmas Hotel there is no shortage of nefarious shenanigans to keep them interested.
But the oddest thing in Whitby may well be Brenda herself. With her terrible scars, her strange lack of a surname and the fact that she takes two different shoe sizes, Brenda should have known that people as, well unique as she is, just aren't destined for a quiet life.
I found Never The Bride a hugely entertaining read. Each chapter reads like a short story in itself, coming gloriously together in the final chapter to tie everything in. It is perhaps what would happen if Buffy the Vampire Slayer decided to run a B&B in Whitby in her retirement! There are many references to classic horror, Dracula, withcraft, Frankenstein and even War of the Worlds. It is given a contemporary feel by using for example a TV show on the supernatural, Manifest Yourself, with TV psychics.
It is soon made clear exactly who Brenda is, and what her secrets are. I would expect that ther will be a sequel, maybe more than one, as Brenda and Effie, at the book's close are far from finished with their Gothic adventures.
"Utterly original. I was totally charmed by Brenda's valient attemptes to create a little ordinary happiness and comfort out of the madness around her" The Times.
Sunday 20 May 2007
Saturday 19 May 2007
Fierce People - Dirk Wittenborn
"Both savage and funny" Sunday Telegraph.
Fifteen -year-old Finn Earl's mother, Liz, is a thirty-two-year-old masseuse with a taste for cocaine. When Liz's habit forces them to flee the city, they find protection under the wing of one of her clients, aging billionaire Mr Osbourne. In Vlyvalle, a golden playground for the super rich, Finn discovers a people who are stranger and more savage than any tribe in the National Geographic. Offered a new life and new friends he falls in love and grows up fast. But, on what should be the happiest night of his life, on an island in the middle of a private lake, naked and high with Osbourne's granddaughter, someone is watching him from the depths of the forest...and laughing.
I read this book in one day, I literally could not put it down! I bought it from a charity shop thinking the back cover looked interesting, but the synopsis (above) does in no way do it justice.
The firece people are a tribe, the Yanomamo studied by Finn's famous anthropologist father, whom he has never met. Wittenborn cleverly draws parallels between the rich in Vlyvalle and this savage tribe. "In the wilds of New Jersey I had found a tribe as strange, cruel and unlovable as the Yanomamo,"comments Finn.
However many of the characters are strangely likable, the village cop, Gates I liked from the start, as does Finn, when on the journey to their new home his mother, withdrawing from drugs, is ill in the car, "It wasn't the words, it was the way he folded up his cop jacket to make a pillow for her head".
I also liked Jilly, Maya, Osbourne and even Bryce, though it becomes increasingly difficult to know who to trust, who is lying and who is telling the truth. Despite the fact that these rich people buy everyone and everything they need, there are some really likable characters, especially Osbourne who I found an absolute delight.
The book gathers pace and is almost heartstoppingly suspenseful as the reader wonders what will become of Finn's love-life, and who has perpetrated the violent acts described.
The characters are so real that the novel reads like a film and I have since discovered that a film has been made starring Diane Lane as Liz.
The bond between Liz and Finn is incredibly moving and despite their differences they are each others most treasured person. I kept having to remind myself of Finn's age, 15 having his 16th birthday half way through the story, having a son of a similar age myself. It is difficult to remember that the trials and tribulations suffered by this age group can be every bit as devastating and difficult as those suffered by the "grown ups". "It's weird when you're sixteen years old and want to feel young again."
Do yourself a favour and read this book. It's superb.
"Powerful...blows away the hypocrisies of the American dream" Daily Mirror.
Fifteen -year-old Finn Earl's mother, Liz, is a thirty-two-year-old masseuse with a taste for cocaine. When Liz's habit forces them to flee the city, they find protection under the wing of one of her clients, aging billionaire Mr Osbourne. In Vlyvalle, a golden playground for the super rich, Finn discovers a people who are stranger and more savage than any tribe in the National Geographic. Offered a new life and new friends he falls in love and grows up fast. But, on what should be the happiest night of his life, on an island in the middle of a private lake, naked and high with Osbourne's granddaughter, someone is watching him from the depths of the forest...and laughing.
I read this book in one day, I literally could not put it down! I bought it from a charity shop thinking the back cover looked interesting, but the synopsis (above) does in no way do it justice.
The firece people are a tribe, the Yanomamo studied by Finn's famous anthropologist father, whom he has never met. Wittenborn cleverly draws parallels between the rich in Vlyvalle and this savage tribe. "In the wilds of New Jersey I had found a tribe as strange, cruel and unlovable as the Yanomamo,"comments Finn.
However many of the characters are strangely likable, the village cop, Gates I liked from the start, as does Finn, when on the journey to their new home his mother, withdrawing from drugs, is ill in the car, "It wasn't the words, it was the way he folded up his cop jacket to make a pillow for her head".
I also liked Jilly, Maya, Osbourne and even Bryce, though it becomes increasingly difficult to know who to trust, who is lying and who is telling the truth. Despite the fact that these rich people buy everyone and everything they need, there are some really likable characters, especially Osbourne who I found an absolute delight.
The book gathers pace and is almost heartstoppingly suspenseful as the reader wonders what will become of Finn's love-life, and who has perpetrated the violent acts described.
The characters are so real that the novel reads like a film and I have since discovered that a film has been made starring Diane Lane as Liz.
The bond between Liz and Finn is incredibly moving and despite their differences they are each others most treasured person. I kept having to remind myself of Finn's age, 15 having his 16th birthday half way through the story, having a son of a similar age myself. It is difficult to remember that the trials and tribulations suffered by this age group can be every bit as devastating and difficult as those suffered by the "grown ups". "It's weird when you're sixteen years old and want to feel young again."
Do yourself a favour and read this book. It's superb.
"Powerful...blows away the hypocrisies of the American dream" Daily Mirror.
Thursday 17 May 2007
Little Face - Sophie Hannah
"High quality stuff" Literary Review.
Her husband David was supposed to be looking after their two-week-old daughter. But when Alice Fancourt walks into the nursery, her terrifying ordeal begins- for Alice insists the baby in the cot is a stranger she's never seen before.
With an increasingly hostile and menacing David swearing she must either be mad or lying, how can Alice make the polise believe her before it's too late.
A chilling psychological thriller about the lengths to which a mother will go to save her child, Little Face is impossible to put down; a stunning novel from a hugely talented author.
I very much enjoyed this novel. It is sinister, dark and keeps the reader guessing throughout. I had about five different theories as I was reading, each of which turned out to be wrong! The scenes of David's abuse of Alice were chilling and very realistic and gave me goosepimples. Vivienne is certainly a mother-in-law from hell, but a memorable character.
Sophie Hannah uses a clever style of writing, shifting perspectives between Hannah, Simon, the detective determined to believe her, and Charlie, his sergeant.
I confess to be slightly disappointed at the end, but in part this was due to the fact that I could not not have been more wrong!
"Her novels sparkle" Independent.
Her husband David was supposed to be looking after their two-week-old daughter. But when Alice Fancourt walks into the nursery, her terrifying ordeal begins- for Alice insists the baby in the cot is a stranger she's never seen before.
With an increasingly hostile and menacing David swearing she must either be mad or lying, how can Alice make the polise believe her before it's too late.
A chilling psychological thriller about the lengths to which a mother will go to save her child, Little Face is impossible to put down; a stunning novel from a hugely talented author.
I very much enjoyed this novel. It is sinister, dark and keeps the reader guessing throughout. I had about five different theories as I was reading, each of which turned out to be wrong! The scenes of David's abuse of Alice were chilling and very realistic and gave me goosepimples. Vivienne is certainly a mother-in-law from hell, but a memorable character.
Sophie Hannah uses a clever style of writing, shifting perspectives between Hannah, Simon, the detective determined to believe her, and Charlie, his sergeant.
I confess to be slightly disappointed at the end, but in part this was due to the fact that I could not not have been more wrong!
"Her novels sparkle" Independent.
Tuesday 15 May 2007
How The Light Gets In - M.J. Hyland
"Expect to be blown away" Guardian.
Lou Connor, a gifted unhappy sixteen year old, is desparate to escape her life of poverty in Sydney. When she is offered a place as an exchange student at a school in America it seems as if her dreams will be fulfilled...
How The Light Gets In is an acutley observed story of adolescence, shot through with spiky humour. In Lou Connor M.J. Hyland has created a larger than life heroine who captures the reader with her vivacity and vulnerability, from hopeful beginning to unexpected, haunting end.
I couldn't put this book down! I loved Lou from the first page, and so identified with her mixed up teenage angst, desparate to fit in, yet determined on the other hand to do her own thing. In this way, Lou creates her own problems, drinking to mask her fears and insecurities, and staying out late partying. Most of the adult characters disapprove of her, but she entrances the young males around her, many of which seem to fall in love with her. I seriously disliked her host parents, particularly Margaret, who seems uptight and self-satisfied, and has no idea how to relate to Lou.
M. J. Hyland has really captured the essence of teenage years, and Lou's bewilderment at how some girls ( like host sister Bridget) seem not to feel crippling insecurity and self-consciousness was familiar to me.
The only part I found slightly disappointing was the ending, which I found a little silly. However, in my opinion, the strength of the rest of the novel, lets Hyland get away with this.
I look forward to reading her latest novel, Carry Me Down. Watch this space.
"Hyland excels at atmosphere...she brings the long-forgotten teenage sensation of drowning in life's uncomprehended complexities horribly alive" The Times.
Lou Connor, a gifted unhappy sixteen year old, is desparate to escape her life of poverty in Sydney. When she is offered a place as an exchange student at a school in America it seems as if her dreams will be fulfilled...
How The Light Gets In is an acutley observed story of adolescence, shot through with spiky humour. In Lou Connor M.J. Hyland has created a larger than life heroine who captures the reader with her vivacity and vulnerability, from hopeful beginning to unexpected, haunting end.
I couldn't put this book down! I loved Lou from the first page, and so identified with her mixed up teenage angst, desparate to fit in, yet determined on the other hand to do her own thing. In this way, Lou creates her own problems, drinking to mask her fears and insecurities, and staying out late partying. Most of the adult characters disapprove of her, but she entrances the young males around her, many of which seem to fall in love with her. I seriously disliked her host parents, particularly Margaret, who seems uptight and self-satisfied, and has no idea how to relate to Lou.
M. J. Hyland has really captured the essence of teenage years, and Lou's bewilderment at how some girls ( like host sister Bridget) seem not to feel crippling insecurity and self-consciousness was familiar to me.
The only part I found slightly disappointing was the ending, which I found a little silly. However, in my opinion, the strength of the rest of the novel, lets Hyland get away with this.
I look forward to reading her latest novel, Carry Me Down. Watch this space.
"Hyland excels at atmosphere...she brings the long-forgotten teenage sensation of drowning in life's uncomprehended complexities horribly alive" The Times.
The Book Of Lost Things - John Connolly
High in his attic bedroom, twelve year old David mourns the loss of his mother. He is angry and he is alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have started to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in the myths and fairytales so beloved to his dead mother he finds that the real world and the fantasy world have begun to meld. The Crooked Man has come, with his mocking smile and his enigmatic words: "Welcome, your majesty. All hail the new king."
And as war rages across Europe, David is violently propelled into a land that is both a construct of his imagination yet frighteningly real, a strange reflection of his own world composed of myths and stories, populated by wolves and worse-than-wolves, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book....
The Book of Lost Things.
I adored this novel. It is a truly modern fairy story, dark, frequently violent and very witty. The contemporary take on age-old favourite fairy tales makes for both amusing and interesting reading, including a fat unpleasant Snow White and her communist dwarf companions. By using famous fairy tales and giving them a modern sting in the tale, Connolly has created an exciting, macabre Brothers Grimm type story that takes the reader through a rollercaoster of emotions.
I loved the way John Connolly deals with the issues surrounding step-families and the rivalry, anger, and even hatred that children can feel at being thrown into a new family. I felt that this was hugely clever, especially considering the incidences of evil step parents in so many of our beloved fairy tales.
The novel is surely an adult read, its violence and references to matters of a sexual nature (including homosexuality and bestiality!) would make it unsuitable for younger readers, although for teenagers it would make a thrilling read. I'm sure my teenage son would love it (if he can ever be bovvered to read a book again!)
I loved David, and symapthised with him, especially at the start of the book, as he describes the rituals he believed may keep his mother alive, clearly a manifestaion of obssessive compulsive disorder (which Connolly himself suffered with as a teen).
The ending is very moving and I was sad to finish such a pure delight of a book!
And as war rages across Europe, David is violently propelled into a land that is both a construct of his imagination yet frighteningly real, a strange reflection of his own world composed of myths and stories, populated by wolves and worse-than-wolves, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book....
The Book of Lost Things.
I adored this novel. It is a truly modern fairy story, dark, frequently violent and very witty. The contemporary take on age-old favourite fairy tales makes for both amusing and interesting reading, including a fat unpleasant Snow White and her communist dwarf companions. By using famous fairy tales and giving them a modern sting in the tale, Connolly has created an exciting, macabre Brothers Grimm type story that takes the reader through a rollercaoster of emotions.
I loved the way John Connolly deals with the issues surrounding step-families and the rivalry, anger, and even hatred that children can feel at being thrown into a new family. I felt that this was hugely clever, especially considering the incidences of evil step parents in so many of our beloved fairy tales.
The novel is surely an adult read, its violence and references to matters of a sexual nature (including homosexuality and bestiality!) would make it unsuitable for younger readers, although for teenagers it would make a thrilling read. I'm sure my teenage son would love it (if he can ever be bovvered to read a book again!)
I loved David, and symapthised with him, especially at the start of the book, as he describes the rituals he believed may keep his mother alive, clearly a manifestaion of obssessive compulsive disorder (which Connolly himself suffered with as a teen).
The ending is very moving and I was sad to finish such a pure delight of a book!
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