Review :: The Tea Planter’s Wife

The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jefferies
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing this review copy.

Gwen is a young British woman who set sails for Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where she’s meeting her husband, a widower who’s family has owned a tea plantation for many years. She’s filled with trepidation but meets a kind Sri Lankan man who directs her to the nearest colonial hotel. Her husband eventually arrives and after a romantic rendevous they travel to the plantation and she immerses herself in the life of a colonial wife.

This novel, set in the interwar years, is filled with wonderful imagery of life in Ceylon. Parties, visits to local markets, the smells and sounds of Asia fill the senses but the author also refers to some of the very real difficulties facing the “native” population. Workers from India and native Sri Lankans work the tea plantations, living destitute lives, and there are undercurrents of political uncertainty and the potential for things to change in an instant.

Against this backdrop Gwen meets other Westerners, including her husband’s ex-lover, and his much younger sister who is a mixed up young woman, in love with the wrong person. Gwen’s cousin visits and she too falls for the charms of a Sri Lankan man, but again this relationship is frowned up.

After scene setting we move the the main story – there was from the outset a mystery about the dead wife and we are given snippets of information. When Gwen falls pregnant after a party and gives birth to twins her world falls apart, and without revealing spoilers, family history rears it’s head once again. She finds it a very difficult time, only consoled by the fact she has her precious son.

The resolution of the story is very interesting and the author provides notes in the back to explain a little how colonial life worked. This was a useful backdrop but best leaving until the book is read! Overall this was an enjoyable read and I’d read novels by the author again.

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Review :: Look Who’s Back

Read September 2015

Look Who’s Back by Timur Vermes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for this review copy.

I see this book is a top seller in Germany and I can appreciate why, now I’ve read it. It is a very good attempt to make sense of the past, although I’m sure there were many who did not find the content funny or something to be laughed at.

Hitler wakes up in Berlin after being in a deep sleep. It is the ‘real’ Hitler making sense of the modern world and still believing he has power and control. He realises he is no longer Führer but esteems to regain power. He is spotted in full uniform by a comedy show and, for the comedy show, spoof events and speeches are constructed, which Hitler believes to be true and his way to regain leadership. He believes the production company supports his ideology.

I didn’t get some of the German popular culture references but it didn’t detract from the story. I was amused by the ridiculing that took place, and found the overall story concept interesting and thought provoking, and the book well written, if uncomfortable reading at times.

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Review: Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye

Read May 2015

Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy. Really appreciated – as soon as I saw the book and read the blurb I was keen to read it.

The backdrop of the story is a devastating hurricane (I’d never heard of it but the ‘real’ story is told by the author in the final pages), and as you read references are made to the barometer changing, which indicates a storm is brewing. This also reflects the general mood of the time. Set in 1930s Florida at the time of racial tensions, this books tells the story of an attack on a white woman, and the assumption is that it is by a black man. It becomes clear that what was first thought might not be correct and I really liked how the story unfolded.

I studied American History at university and so was aware that during WW1 black and white men fought on the same battlefields. They fought in different troops but there was a new level of acceptance. What I probably was less aware of was what happened when the troops returned home. Along with the impending hurricane, there is also the backdrop of The Great Depression, which left most struggling. Many of the troops were unable to work (for mental or physical reasons) and were left homeless. As a consequence of demands made on Government, work parties were organised to build roads, railways etc. One such camp was set up in this fictional town on the Florida Keys. It was effectively a shanty town, with poor sanitation etc. The camp again saw troops mixing and getting on with the job in hand. But it caused issues within the towns, as witnessed in this novel.

I was surprised, as appeared to be the author, to hear that northern Florida experienced lynchings and killings of black men, and after the “crime” was committed Henry, the black man in question, absconded with Jimmy, a white young man, as “hostage,” to avoid such a fate. Henry fled north to be free, and it was interesting to see how Henry and Jimmy formed a close relationship, with Jimmy even getting Henry out of a difficult situation.

Mid-way through the book the hurricane began to take full effect. The writing is really descriptive and it must be such a scary experience. Pressures were put on the town shelter, and again there were racial tensions, and the black people fled to open train carriages to shelter. The sheer weight of wind and water meant the town shelter was destroyed and the community pulled together and had, in a way, to forget about colour, and concentrate on survival.

I enjoyed this book on a number of levels; it is very readable, and educational.

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Nora Webster

Read in March 2015

Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I saw this book was released I immediately added it to my To Be Read list. I loved Brooklyn where I discovered Toibin as an author, and when I read the synopsis for this I knew I wanted to read it.

This is a story of grief and motherhood, set in 1960s Ireland. Nora has lost her husband Maurice and she is left to bring up her 4 children; the younger two are still at home whereas the elder two are away at college or university in Dublin. One of the younger children has a stammer which only seems to have come since the death of his father, and the other young child seems withdrawn. The elder two live their lives, with one daughter increasingly drawn into politics as there are disturbances over the border in N. Ireland. I found this politics dialogue interesting as I wasn’t that aware of the impact of the troubles in N.Ireland on Eire.

It’s beautifully written, easy to read and has a lovely flow. And the book isn’t miserable, despite the subject matter. It is reflective, and Nora is portrayed as a feisty woman finding her way in the world, and finding a way for her children.

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City of Hope (Ellis Island #2)

Read March 2015

City of Hope by Kate Kerrigan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the second novel in the Ellis Island trilogy and again I really enjoyed the developing story. I shall definitely be reading the final novel in the trilogy.

(view spoiler)[We left Ellie in Ireland at the end of the last book. She’d returned home when her father had died and had dedicated herself to setting up her varied businesses. She’d struggled to get used to the hardships that life in rural Ireland offered (compared to cosmopolitan, thriving, New York) but had managed to persuade her husband John to rebuild their old home, to build a new rural shop, and she’d investigated her money and skills in the town to own and manage a secretarial training school and hairdressers.

In the second book it opens describing her struggles to conceive and this desire for children is at the heart of the second novel. She seems happy enough at home in Ireland but it’s clear she still yearns for the luxuries life in America offered, and she keeps a flat above the secretarial school, which is nicely furnished and has a level of luxury she became used to. Paud has died when the story starts, and John unfortunately also dies which prompts her flight to New York. Ellie is grieving and wants a change. New York has changed. The crash of the Stock Markets has left people homeless and suffering from poverty. She rescued her money from the banks before the crash and whilst initially residing in a level of luxury, she becomes uncomfortable.

A chance meeting with a poverty stricken family and she knows she wants to dedicate her money and time to improving people’s lives. She buys dilapidated houses which she employs unemployed men to make good, and in doing so they live there rent free. Eventually there are three houses she owns. There are various twists in the story – for example the men being uncomfortable with her “owning” them – and the return of Charles – but I particularly liked the formation of the Women’s Co-operative. Very forward thinking.

Her desire for a child is met by the abandonment of a baby which is adopts as her own. At the end of the story we see her, after returning to Ireland to settle her business, setting off for pastures new. Reading ahead it appears she heads for the glamour of Hollywood… (hide spoiler)]

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The Book Thief

Read October 2014

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was OK but I didn’t cry as many reviewers appear to have and I didn’t think it was a piece of ground breaking literature which will become a classic. One the plus side it was interesting to see a WW2 story from the perspective of ordinary Germans. I suspect that if I didn’t know as much about WW2 it might have been a more educational read. To me it read like a YA, whether it was intended or not I’m not sure, so would appeal to a variety of age groups.

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The Unfortunates

Read in Nov 2011

The Unfortunates by Laurie Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Laurie Graham as an author – have read many of her books and found them very funny and this was no exception. This is a light-hearted review of the last century but the references to 1920s – -1930s I particularly liked. What I particularly liked was the way the book was written in what I assume is authentic language of the day.

I’ve got a bit of a thing for the 1920s – 1930s at the moment so this book was perfect for me. It told the story of a woman and her family who were Jewish, living in NYC. She was born pre-war, bit of a rebel, parents sort of practicised Judaism but were a bit lax (but later some members were much more dedicated). They are a wealthy family and so she enjoys the trappings of this wealth, travelling to Paris, the UK, becoming an aviatrix. References are made to various historical events including the sinking of the Titanic and WW1 / WW2 and effect it had on home front in NYC. The story then continued into the 1950s / 1960s / 1970s documenting the ups and downs in the life of the main character.

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Dissolution

Read in May 2012

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really wanting to Hilary Mantel’s lastest instalment of the Thomas Cromwell story – Bring Up the Bodies – but haven’t got round to buying it yet. But with that in mind I got drawn to the Shardlake Tudor crime / mystery novels by CJ Samson.

Dissolution is the first novel (of 5 so far) and was set in the time of the dissolution of the Tudor monasteries. Shardlake, the main character, is sent to investigate the murder of one of Thomas Cromwell’s men sent to dissolve the monasteries. The story is full of twists and turns and additional murders. What I particularly liked was how Sansom used his knowledge of the Tudor era to set the scenes, build up the tension, and to add detail to create a sense of fear.

I’m now reading Dark Fire which is the second novel in the series.

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The Book Thief

Read in Oct 2014

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was OK but I didn’t cry as many reviewers appear to have and I didn’t think it was a piece of ground breaking literature which will become a classic. One the plus side it was interesting to see a WW2 story from the perspective of ordinary Germans. I suspect that if I didn’t know as much about WW2 it might have been a more educational read. To me it read like a YA, whether it was intended or not I’m not sure, so would appeal to a variety of age groups.

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Ellis Island

Read in Feb 2015

Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I started this as a “bath book” – a book I could read but not really have to concentrate on too much, and it is that type of book but it was an enjoyable read all the same.

I liked the impression of rural Ireland we got, of the poverty that drove many away across the Atlantic like Ellie in this story. My family went the other way. I’ve visited Ellis Island in NYC and remember some of the stories of the immigrants who’d left their homelands for the glitz and glamour of America. The book kind of gave a back story.

Ellie and John are childhood sweethearts and when tragedy strikes Ellie seeks their fortune in NYC, first working as a maid and slowly bettering herself. I don’t know how accurate her rise out of poverty is compared to the reality but fiction allows an author to weave a story and add a few morals along the way.

I was pleased to hear the story doesn’t end here. I was aware there was a follow up but actually there’s a third book as well which is great to hear.

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