The Humans - Odd but oh so good!

If you think you don't like science fiction as a genre, I challenge you to read The Humans, by Matt Haig is! Yes, its main protagonist is an alien, but what this book is really about what it is like to be a human. Professor Andrew Martin has just solved a mathematical problem that has the potential to change everything for humanity ... but an alien race fear what the consequences will be for themselves and the  galaxy if such a primitive species gets hold of this knowledge, so they send one of their own to eliminate the perceived threat. The "alien" takes the place of the Professor in bodily form, and, in his pursuit to track down and destroy anyone who has any knowledge of the solution, he starts to learn what it is to be human ... and where better to start than forming a relationship with the Martin family dog, named, appropriately enough, Newton. Torn between his mission and his first experience of "feelings", the would-be assassin turns protector of his "wife" and "son", who much prefer the changed Professor. This is such a funny, yet poignant book. The main character is wildly entertaining and it is a true fish-out-of-water story, with some great set pieces and witty dialogue. I cannot recommend this book highly enough if you want to learn about humanity and have some giggles along the way.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 302 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my my husband.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

A Most Wanted Man - though not by me!

Set in Hamburg, A Most Wanted Man, by John Le Carre features a Chechen Muslim immigrant called Issa, who finds refuge with a Turkish family. But all is not what it seems. He is wanted both in Sweden and in Russia and keeps protesting that he just wants to be left alone to live a simple life. But that is not possible when it seems he is set to inherit a large amount of cash from an illegal bank account. Tommy Bruce, the banker, and a human rights lawyer called Annabel Richter do all they can to come to his aid despite the machinations of British Intelligence, The Americans and washed up German Intelligence office, Gunther Bachman, who all want to use or get to Issa for their own purposes. I found this an irritating read and a little dull. Too much chat, not enough action and it was often unclear as to to what was going on. I think there were so many non-empathetic characters, each with a finger in the pie, that sometimes it was hard to follow. Definitely not one of his best and I was left a little disappointed. 

My STAR rating: THREE stars.

Length: 384 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Anatomy of Ghosts - more of a mystery than a ghost story

The Anatomy of Ghosts, by Andrew Taylor is a historic mystery set in the late 18th Century. At Jerusalem College in Cambridge, Frank Oldershaw is deeply disturbed one evening when he encounters the ghost of Sylvia Whichcote. Wanting to save her son's reputation, his mother, Lady Oldershaw, employs ghost sceptic and author, John Holdsworth, to investigate. But his arrival brings to light a deeply disturbing culture of abuse among the privileged elite where not everyone is who they appear to be. As his investigations continue, Holdsworth fears he is being haunted by the ghost of his own dead wife, as well as by Elinor, the very-much-alive wife of the Master. Full of dreamlike sequences and introspection, this is a well told murder mystery, rather than a ghost story, although a note of warning - there are some unsettling passages alluding to the terrible treatment of children and young women at the hands of people who believe they are above the law. I enjoyed the interplay between characters and I especially liked seeing Holdsworth being forced to rethink his beliefs and struggle with his past in order to see if he could, perhaps, deserve a better future. Very enjoyable, and the audio edition was well narrated by John Telfer.

My STAR rating: FOUR stars.

Length: 480 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.84.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

The Dutch House - Touchingly brilliant!

I am soooo far behind with updating this blog that I'm going to do a series of very short entries starting with The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett. Nominated for The Women's Prize 2022, this is the story of two siblings (Danny and Maeve) who grow up in the Dutch House - an amazing building that their father bought on a whim. They were a happy family until their mother, who had always hated the house, left them. Their father remarries a much younger woman who brings two daughters from her previous relationship into the mix. This is where things start to go wrong and when their father subsequently dies, the two siblings are pretty much forced out of their home with their money all tied up in trusts to pay for their education. Maeve (the older sibling) looks after Danny and the two become very close, visiting each other regularly and with Maeve doing the accounts of Danny's business. They swing by the Dutch House every few weeks and sit outside it, chatting, but never go in. Over the course of many years, relationships, illness and the unexpected return of their mother, the bond between the siblings never waivers, and their lives are always drawn back to the Dutch House. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, maybe partly because of the fine story telling of Tom Hanks who narrated the audio edition. The characters are ones I wanted to spend time with and the emotions were raw and believable. The writing was simply beautiful and it totally immerses the reader in the world of the book. This is my first introduction to Ann Patchett and I will certainly seek more from her.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 352 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.50.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Fishermen - deeply moving

Shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, The Fishermen, by Chigozie Obioma, is the story of four brothers living in a small town in Nigeria. When their father leaves home for work, the four boys start to skip school and go to the local river to fish, despite the river being forbidden territory. On one occasion, they encounter a madman who predicts that the oldest brother will be killed by one of his siblings. This affects the eldest brother enormously, and he starts to retreat into himself, isolating himself from the perceived danger of his once inseparable siblings. Despite everyone's efforts to dissuade him, he firmly believes that his destiny is set and that it is only a matter of time before the inevitable happens. What follows is a litany of tragedy for the family involving death, revenge, imprisonment and breakdowns, all of which is set against the backdrop of political upheaval in the country. Told from the point of view of nine-year-old Benjamin, this is a tour-de-force of story telling. Yes, there aren't many laughs, but it is gripping and has an almost fairy tale quality at times. The relationship between the four brothers is beautiful to begin with, but falls apart in a way that is desperately sad but also very relatable. The language is both dreamlike and childlike, and carries the reader along to inevitable ending. It's like a ride that you want to get off all the time you are on it, but once it's over, you can't wait to get back on board. Memorable for the writing, but also, in my case the expressive narration of Chukwudi Iwuji, I can heartily recommend the audio edition. NB: Tissues not included! 

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 304 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

The Garden of Angels - A Family Secret

The Garden of Angels, by David Hewson, is set in Venice and begins during the summer of 1999, where 15-year-old Nico is suspended from school for a week after he fails to come to the rescue of a Jewish classmate being attacked by bullies. He seeks solace with his beloved grandfather Paolo, who is dying. When Paolo presents him with a yellowing manuscript, and tells Nico that it's a history lesson that he must keep secret from his father, the teenager is intrigued. But as he starts to read, he sees Paolo's story unfold during the Nazi occupation of Venice in 1943, Nico begins to wonder if he ever really knew his grandfather at all. Part of the renowned weaving family of "House of Uccello", Paolo's parents are killed in a bombing raid and he is trying, with the only employee left, to complete the final order his father had obtained - even though it is from someone he despises. When he is approached to help hide a Jewish brother and sister, he agrees, but it is a decision that brings life-changing consequences. This is a powerful and moving story of family, love and desperation during a dark period in Italian history where survival of the body often went hand in hand with a battle for the soul. Filled with drama, twists and turns and, as time goes on, a sense of foreboding, this is a gripping thriller as well as a family drama. It is also thought provoking and brings a new (to me) perspective of life in Italy during the second world war. Beautifully narrated by Richard Armitage, I felt completely immersed in the lives of each character and didn't want the book to end. But, of course, it did! Highly recommended.

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 320 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Girl, Woman, Other - Stick With it!

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo won the Man Booker Prize (jointly with Margaret Atwood's The Testaments) in 2019. It is an unconventional novel, in that it has the feel of a series of short stories written in a poetical manner, each focusing on different characters. At first it's a bit of shock when you move on to the next story, as you are kind of left hanging! But then the more you read on, the more links you see between the various characters until finally, it is all brought together at the very end in what could possibly be seen as a conveniently neat bow. The book follows several generations of mainly black, British women, all navigating the challenges of family, love, loss and how that moulds their personal identity, in terms of race, sexuality and economic standing. There are so many characters that I don't feel able to outline them all. I struggled to get into this book, as I found it hard to relate to almost everyone and found myself having to really try hard to like any of them. However, as time went on, I did start to get into some kind of rhythm (and Hattie helped massively with that), and really wanted to know how things would turn out with all of the mothers, daughters, friends and creative partners featured. At times, some of the characters may be being used as political mouthpieces which led, in my opinion, to some unbelievable dialogue, but to hear such viewpoints in a novel is no bad thing. This book challenges preconceptions, and shines a light on the lives of people from a range of backgrounds and experiences that are not often visible in literature. I think it's definitely one that would split the audience, but I'm so pleased that, after a shaky start, I stuck with it.

My STAR thing: FOUR.

Length: 464 print pages.

Price I paid: Free, borrowed from library as an audiobook.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook