A Spool of Blue Thread - Families!

I am new to Anne Tyler, and wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, but it was recommended to me by my Mum and I'm very happy that she did. A Spool of Blue Thread is the tale of the Whitshank family and the house that they have lived in over several generations. We start with Red and Abby who are starting to struggle a little, and whose children - now with children of their own - rally round to give them support. Inevitably, and despite their best intentions, the old irritations and arguments that the children have been harbouring all their lives resurface. One son, Denny, is a particular source of tension - he never tells anyone what is going on in his life, and comes and goes at a moments leave. When tragedy hits the family, they make the tough decision to leave the house that was built by Red's father. We then go back in time to see how Abby and Red fell in love, which is quite a sweet tale. But then we go back a further generation to Red's parents and see how their story began. Pretty much all the action is centred around the family home which is definitely a character in its own right. This is a book full of emotion - with so many kinds of relationships on show that it is hard to imagine anyone not being able to relate to some of the characters. We witness the effect of things being left unsaid within a family and how hard it can be to realise that you've left it too late. There are heartbreaking moments, but there is humour too, and above all, there is an overwhelming feeling of people trying their best to do the right thing, and, especially with the older generation, to stick it out even when you feel like turning tail and heading for the hills. On the face of it, there may not seem to be much going on, but this is a story about how humans live and love in the world, and the bravery shown by those who, when faced with adversity, just get on with it. I will definitely be seeking more works by this author.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 465 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my Mum.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.

Barnaby Rudge - worth the effort!

Barnaby Rudge, by Charles Dickens is a book I knew nothing about except for the title. It is certainly not one of his better known books and is a little different to the other works of his that I have read. It is set against the backdrop of the Gordon Riots of 1780, an event I also knew nothing about. There are many characters, which is par for the course with Dickens, but they are all clearly drawn and I certainly didn't get as confused as I have done in previous works. The action centres around three families - the Haredales (Geoffrey and his niece Emma), the Chesters (Sir John and his son Edward) and the Vardens (locksmith Gabriel, his wife and his daughter Dolly). Their lives are intertwined by love, hatred and tragedy. Within the same orbit, lives Barnaby Rudge, a simple young man whose mother is desperate to protect him from the cruelty of the world. When a strange man calls on them, she flees in an effort to protect Barnaby, but nowhere is safe from this man, and this event marks the beginning of a downward spiral for Barnaby. Along with most of London, all our characters are engulfed by the wave of anti-Catholic feeling being promoted by Lord George Gordon and his followers. Barnaby is duped into joining the ensuing mob and is caught up in the resulting riots. There is so much going on in this book, but it is all expertly tied together - although it sometimes takes a little while to see how. There isn't as much comic relief here as there is in other works, with only Miggs - the servant of the Vardens - being the one truly silly character. The passages about the riots and especially the burning of Newgate prison are epic. And, as you would expect, there are some great characters who display every side of the human condition. It is serious and long, but I thought it was definitely worth the effort - although it might have helped that I read the audio edition narrated by the glorious Sean Barrett!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 800 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.86.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, mp3 CD, ebook.

The Girl With The Cat Tattoo - unusual take on a romance

In this unusual romantic novel by Theresa Weir, the narrator is a cat called Max. His mistress, Melody, was widowed two years ago when her cop husband was murdered in their own home. Max has become increasingly concerned about the way Melody is living - she has shut out almost all of her old friends, and has become a bit of a party girl, sometimes bringing home strange men for the night. Max decides to play matchmaker and heads out to find someone more suitable. He ends up in a night shelter and is drawn to a guy named Joe, who is helping out there by serving the food. Max brings the two together and romance blossoms. However, Joe is not what he seems and when he is shot one night, all of Melody's bottled up fears and traumas  that stem from her husband's murder rise to the surface again. Has Max made a big mistake, and will Joe and Melody find happiness? This is primarily a light book, easy to read and merrily skips along. There are some darker undercurrents too, which prevent it getting overly sweet. I did wonder where things were going at one point when Ellen DeGeneres made an unexpected appearance in the plot. That bothered me a little as I thought it was an unnecessary plot device and totally unbelievable ... then again ... this is a story about a match-making cat, so hey, I suppose you have to suspend your disbelief in quite a big way anyway! I actually liked Max, the cat, as a character and there were some funny touches that helped you get inside his head - I'm now more sure than ever that cats are always up to something! However, I wasn't as sure that the two main human characters were as well drawn, and some elements didn't ring true. For a quick, light read with an ending that you can be sure of, you could probably do a lot worse than The Girl With The Cat Tattoo. Not one I would heartily recommend, but as it was free, I can't really moan.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 166 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE.
Formats available: print, ebook.

Sharpe's Waterloo - Not enough Sharpe!

It pains me to say this, but for the first time reading a Bernard Cornwell book, I have felt a little disappointed. Sharpe's Waterloo is number 20 in what has been a fabulous series of historical novels centred around an iconic, heroic character. Richard Sharpe, born in the gutter, has worked his way up the ranks in Wellington's army. He had thought his fighting days were over and was living peacefully in France with his new love and their child. All was going swimmingly until Napoleon escaped and mobilised the French once again. It's June in 1815, and Sharpe heads back to war, but this time, as part of the Prince of Orange's personal staff. Needless to say, Sharpe is not impressed by the impetuous young man and they are soon at loggerheads. As Napoleon's army crosses the border into Belgium, the British and Prussian armies are separated, and know that they face defeat unless they can make a final stand just outside a small place called Waterloo. The British must hold firm until the Prussians can rejoin them, but the odds are stacked against them. There is much to like about this latest sojourn for Sharpe, the description of the skirmishes and battles, full of rich detail are a grizzly delight. However, for me, there just wasn't enough Sharpe. There was stacks of action and incident, but featuring characters that I wasn't invested in. It felt like a novel about Waterloo, that happened to have a cameo of Richard Sharpe dropped into it to make it a "Sharpe" novel. Maybe it's just me, but to leave your best asset on the sidelines for much of the book left me a little flat. This penultimate (number 20) Sharpe book is definitely not one of the best. Hopefully the final book in this series will be a belter!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 435 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.49.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio cassette, unabridged audio download, CD-ROM, ebook.

Winter of the World - the saga continues ...

So, I have finished the second of the lengthy tomes I have been reading of late. Winter of the World, by Ken Follett is the second book in his Century of Giants trilogy. The action centres around the families we met in the first book, which was set around the first world war. It is now 1933 and Berlin is starting to feel the impact of the far right Nazi party who are slowly tightening their grip on governing the country, sweeping all opposition aside with increasingly brutal tactics. The Von Ulrich family are caught in the middle and are clinging onto the belief that liberal democracy will prevail, but inevitably are disappointed. Meanwhile, in Britain, Ethel Leckwith is now an MP and her son, Lloyd, wants to follow in the family business. On a trip to Berlin, he sees first hand what is happening and is more determined than ever to do what he can to halt the spread of facism. In Russia, Volodya Peshkov is now a grown man and is working his way up the ranks in the Red Army, believing that Communism is the only way forward. Meanwhile, American socialite Daisy Peshkov (half sister to Volodya, though unaware of this) sets her sights on becoming accepted into the upper echelons of America's elite class. However, following a major snub, she heads to the UK and meets both Lord-in-waiting Boy Fitzherbert and Lloyd (also half-brothers of each other) at Cambridge. She, of course, is determined to seduce Boy and the fairy tale wedding soon follows. However, not much time passes before she realises that whilst she may that title she craved, life with Boy is destined for misery, and maybe she picked the wrong brother! This really is another epic novel, with characters that you care about playing out their personal dramas against the backdrop of real events. We see the build up to and outbreak of war, the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the development of the atomic bomb. There is high drama, intermingled with quiet wit and gentle caresses. All aspects of life and death are here - no holds are barred and no one is safe from a grisly end. I was often surprised by the turn of events and while it may be a glorified soap opera ... all I can say is ... what a soap opera! My only gripe would be that I think it could have benefited from a little editing - I wasn't totally convinced that all the American scenes were necessary. However, I found it gripping, entertaining, informative, unflinching ... do you need any further encouragement to give this trilogy a try? Bring on book 3!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 928 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.20 (WHAT A BARGAIN!)
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, CD-ROM, ebook.

The Final Empire - a new world to explore!

In case regular readers may have thought I had fallen off the edge of the world ... do not fear, I am back! I have not been blogging for the last few weeks due to my reading two very long books, and I have finally finished one of them. The Final Empire is the start of the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson (originally a trilogy, but has been added to subsequently). This book is set in a world that has been terrorised for a thousand years by the divine Lord Ruler, who wields absolute power over two distinct peoples. There is the nobility, who have all the wealth, and the Skaa who are subservient to the nobility, and are their slaves. Some of the nobility have extraordinary powers and are called Mistborn. These people have the ability to utilise a range of metals to enhance their strength, hearing, etc - each metal having different properties. Into this unhappy and unhealthy world comes Kelsier - a man who is half-Skaa, half nobleman, and, most importantly, is a Mistborn. Originally a thief of extreme skill and notoriety, events have led him to try to lead a rebellion against the Lord Ruler and bring an end to the slavery of the Skaa. He comes across a young thief called Vin, he recognises a fellow Mistborn - something she is completely unaware of. He takes her under his wing and begins to train her and she becomes a vital part of his plan. The world the author has created is so detailed that you can almost feel, touch and taste it. The characters are flawed and damaged people, yet they have hope and humour and they really do get under your skin. There are some great set pieces where the Mistborn skills are really expanded upon and come into their own (I could visualise lots of lingering slow motion sequences in a film adaptation!) There are secrets, first loves, tragedy and despair ... and quite a hefty body count! There are surprises along the way as the story unfolds and takes you to places you were not expecting. I really enjoyed this book and became invested in the characters and their fates. If you haven't delved into fantasy before, this might be a good place to start as it is a rollocking good tale of good versus evil,, with lashings of derring do! Highly recommended. My only negative is that this is the beginning of another series for me ... and I still have so many others to finish ... what was I thinking?

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 669 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.

Silence - brutally thought provoking

Silence, by Shusaku Endo, follows the physical and spiritual journey of Father Sebastian Rodrigues, a Jesuit priest who sets sail for Japan in 1640. The first missionaries had initially received a warm welcome and Christian communities sprung up and flourished, however, for some years now, a new regime has brutally oppressed anyone found to be following this religion, and many priests have been murdered. Father Rodrigues is determined to provide help and support to the ever decreasing Christian population, as well as try to find out what has happened to a priest he once knew and admired, who, it is rumoured, has rejected his faith. Forced to hide and perform any duties in secret, he soon witnesses the reality of the dangerous situation he is now in. He tries to keep one step ahead of the authorities but is finally betrayed and captured. He awaits his martyrdom, which he has already prepared for. However, the authorities know it will be more effective in suppressing Christianity if they can get a priest to deny his faith, rather than martyr. So, they torture and kill faithful Japanese people in front of him, telling him that he can stop all of this from happening if he denies his God. This is a book of vivid imagery and deep emotion. The spiritual dilemma for the central character, as well as those around him is powerfully described, and it is very difficult for the reader to remain detached. Heartfelt prayers seem to be answered by silence, and Father Rodrigues wonders where God is in that silence. I found this very tough to read due to the subject matter. Light, it is not. It is definitely a book that makes you think and I am still mulling over it over a week later. It is a book I think I would read again as I find myself reflecting on many of the questions and feelings that it has raised. Not a book to enjoy maybe, but definitely a book that might help one to meditate on some of life's big questions. The version I read was ably narrated by David Holt.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 288 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.99.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio CD, unabridged audio download.