My Brilliant Friend - what am I missing?

Hailed as a modern masterpiece, I was really looking forward to getting my teeth into My Brilliant Friend, by Italian author, Elena Ferrante. This is part one of a set of four books, which follow the lives of two friends from Naples - Lila and Elena. This first "chapter" takes them from early childhood into their teens and is set not long after the end of the second World War. Lila is the fearless one, and incredibly smart - outdoing everyone at school. Elena is in thrall to this force of nature, and is almost overwhelmed by her when they become friends. Elena then spends almost all of her time trying to emulate her brilliant friend, especially at school - where Lila seems to pick up things really quickly, Elena has to study hard. As time passes, we see how the relationship between the two girls ebbs and flows, and how it is influenced by the large cast of other characters - their family, friends and, in some cases, their enemies in the local neighbourhood. It felt to me that there was almost a love/hate friendship, with Elena (who is the narrator) at turns fascinated by Lila, and the next moment, trying to outdo her. Is that what all friendships are like? When Lila seems to be ignoring her, Elena seems to grow and develop, but as soon as Lila clicks her fingers, Elena just cannot resist and falls back under her spell. Whilst there are some lovely images and moments created, overall, I found the writing style a little disjointed and bare for my personal taste. I found it hard to sympathise with the characters, and I always struggle with a book when this is the case. There didn't appear to be much love on show, and I found the atmosphere harsh and unforgiving, which was how many of the characters came across too. There is a seedy and threatening undercurrent, especially with regard to the treatment of the female characters, pervading every page. This creates a constant state of tension in the book, and I was never comfortable at any time. I feel like I have missed something in this book, as it is so well regarded. I just didn't feel it! A challenging read - most definitely. A journey that I want to continue - not so sure.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 336 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my local library.
Formats available: print, audio download, MP3 CD, ebook.

Fall of Giants - life, love and war

There are few books that really warrant the description of "epic", but I think I'm pretty safe in attaching this label to Fall of Giants, by Ken Follett, which is only part one of his Century Trilogy. Set against a backdrop of the events leading up to, during and immediately following World War One, the action starts in 1911 and the Coronation of George V. We find ourselves in the bosom of the Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family, the father of which is a strong man who stands up for the rights of his fellow workers against the aristocrats who own the mine (the Fitzherberts) and the businessmen who run it on their behalf. Lord Fitzherbert is married to a Russian Princess, but has a roving eye, and when it falls upon their housekeeper, Ethel Williams (daughter of the aforementioned coal miner), he seduces her. She falls pregnant and has to leave the village in disgrace, but agrees to keep quiet about the affair, negotiating a modest house for herself in London. Lady Maud Fitzherbert is not your typical society lady, who fights for women to get the right to vote. She forms a great friendship with Ethel while in London, and together they fight for the cause. Maud falls in love with Walter Von Ulrich, a spy in the German Embassy in London, which, as war looms, gets a little complicated. Into this mix, we also get a young American aide who is working for the US President, as well as two Russian brothers, whose plan to emigrate to America is interrupted by the war. All of these lives become linked in some way, both on a personal and a shared war experience. There is a lot going on and you definitely have to keep alert to each and every story. Most of the characters are really well fleshed out and have distinctive voices, although one or two are a bit on the predictable side. My favourites so far are Ethel and Lady Maud, who are such strong women that I would have liked to have met them! I have been sucked into their lives and loves and I am keen to find out how things turn out in the next book ... which is definitely a good sign. This could well have been a five star book, but I read the audio edition, narrated by John Lee, which was enjoyable except for the odd Welsh accents, which I found a little off-putting.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 864 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, CD-ROM, ebook.

Bad Luck and Trouble - hang on to your hats!

I was going on holiday and couldn't take much luggage with me, so rather than print books, I loaded up my kindle with some more ebooks from the library. Now, as the library I am a member of has all the Jack Reacher books, I just could not resist downloading number 11 in the series, even though it's only a few weeks since my last hit of this big, burly hero! Bad Luck and Trouble, by Lee Child has an outstanding opening which features someone being thrown out of a helicopter over the Californian desert! Boom, you've got my attention!  It turns out that the poor soul ejected from the helicopter was one of Reacher's elite Special Investigators team from his army days. When another of the team manages to get in touch with Reacher, they soon discover that others from their old team are also missing. It turns out that his old buddies are in big trouble, and Reacher gets to work to find out what is going on and whether there is a target on all their backs. There is almost no let up in the action of this book and it is so engrossing that I found it hard to put down. It's nice to see Reacher at work as a true investigator with some of his old team, rather than him just relying on brute force. This made it a far more interesting read for me. There may not be too many surprises and there is the usual requisite amount of violence (it wouldn't be Reacher if there weren't a few broken heads along the way), however, this will not disappoint anyone looking for a thriller that races along at almost breakneck speed. Super!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 528 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library.
Formats available: print, audio download, mp3 CD, ebook.

The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson - darkly funny

I very nearly stopped reading this book after the first few pages. It begins with a bleak and violent scene and I thought, oh no, not for me. However, something made me persist, and I am so pleased that I did. Barney is a Glaswegian hairdresser who feels pretty much invisible. He is ignored by his wife, his co-workers and, worst of all, the customers in the barber shop where he works. Often, he is left twiddling his thumbs while a queue of people sit waiting for their hair to be cut by the two other barbers. All this is against the backdrop of a pervading sense of fear that has been created by the activities of a serial killer who has been evading the police for some time. But Barney's hum drum existence suddenly becomes uncharacteristically interesting when he accidentally kills one of the barbers, and instead of reporting the incident, he panics and tries to dispose of the body in the hope that the police will chalk it down as the next victim of the elusive multiple murderer. Things start to go out of control and he confides in his mother, who, to his great surprise seems to know a thing or two about making a body disappear. Barney's life becomes increasingly complicated, and little do those around him realise that they are becoming more and more likely to fall victim to this reluctant killer. Who knew that murder could be so funny? There are some great moments in this book and you cannot help but like Barney and sympathise for his ever-growing predicament. You know you shouldn't be rooting for him, but somehow you just cannot help it. Full of dark wit, great dialogue, believable characters and a fine dusting of farce, The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson, by Douglas Lindsay is a book that I found highly enjoyable. A great book to read while travelling or relaxing on holiday. And Barney's story doesn't end there, I have just found out that there are more books featuring Barney, so I may just have to indulge in some more darkness!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 181 print pages.
Price I paid: free (the ebook was on offer back in 2013 ... yes, it's taken me this long to get round to reading it)
Formats available: print, ebook.

The Soulkeepers - young adult fantasy

Fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the wreckage of a car with only a hazy memory of how he got there. With his mother missing, and his father already dead some years earlier, Jacob is packed off to stay with his only remaining relative, an uncle he didn't even know existed. Jacob struggles to settle in and lashes out at those around him. This results in him having to work for the beautiful, yet scary woman who lives across the road. It turns out that she is not what she seems, but then neither is Jacob, who discovers an ability to control water. The woman tells him he is a Soulkeeper, and his destiny is to protect human souls. She offers to help him find his mother, but only if he agrees to submit to her training regime. He agrees, but doesn't really believe half of what she says. Needless to say, things do not go terribly smoothly and he loses what little trust he had in those around him. This is a coming of age story with mystery, supernatural beings and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. The Soulkeepers is a bit of a page-turner, with some good set pieces, and I did warm to a few of the key players, however, I felt that it was a little on the superficial side and I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth to the characters, some of whom are very one dimensional and predictable. Maybe that will come in the remainder of the series (this is the first of a set of six by G.P. Ching). By no means an unpleasant way to spend a few hours, but it didn't grab me enough to make me really want to seek out the rest of the books. However, as I am not the target audience for this book (young adult), this may come as no surprise! Overall, a bit of light adventure that would make a good holiday read.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 312 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Formats available: print; audio download; ebook.

Small Wars - Promising start which wasn't sustained

Having previously read The Outcast, by the same author, I was looking forward to Small Wars by Sadie Jones. We are introduced to the two central characters, Hal Treherne and his wife, Clara, during they courtship. It is sweet and innocent, and we see a deep love for each other develop and grow into a solid relationship. However, most of the action in the book takes place a few years into the marriage. Now the parents of twin girls, Hal is posted to Cyprus, and his family join him shortly thereafter. The colony is not at peace, with guerrilla rebels fighting to rid themselves of the British and the Turks in a bid to be united with Greece. Now a Major, this is the first real action Hal has seen, and he is keen to "get stuck in", just like his father and grandfather had in  previous conflicts. However, things start to get messy, with innocents getting caught in the crossfire and no visible enemy prepared to do battle. Indiscipline in the ranks starts to become an issue, and Hal witnesses the worst that humanity has to offer. Clara notices a change in him, and when the gentle man she has loved turns into a harsh, ill tempered and absent husband, she is not sure what to do. As the situation becomes increasingly tense both outside and inside the marriage, Hal sends Clara and the children away for their own safety, but tragedy strikes. Can Hal's sense of honour and duty be reconciled with his conscience and will their marriage survive? This is a part of history that I know nothing about, so I found the snippets of information about Cyprus during this time (1950's) really interesting. The story was bowling along nicely and I was relating to the characters and enjoying their journey, but then, for me, it ran out of steam. I cannot quite put my finger on it. Things started to move very fast and I was somehow not convinced by the change in Hal and his subsequent actions. There were a good few characters who I thought were going to be fleshed out and be built on, but this did not happen. I felt that too many of them were there just to serve a particular plot point rather than them being completely integral to the story. By no means bad enough to make me never want to read another book by this author, however, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by the ending after what was a really promising first half.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 376 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.50 from a second hand stall.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Flame Bearer - Uhtred is back, and this time it's personal

Age is starting to catch up with Uhtred of Bebbanberg in this, his tenth outing, but do not fear, there is plenty of fight left in the old dog yet! In The Flame Bearer, the country is mostly at peace following the truce between with Queen Aethelflaed of Mercia, and Sigtryggr, Northumbria's Viking ruler (who also happens to be Uhtred's son-in-law). It seems that the time has finally come for Uhtred to head back to Bebbanberg and claim the birthright that was stolen from him by his treacherous uncle and which his cousin is now in possession of. However, as usual, things conspire to get in his way and it seems that he is not the only one with eyes on Bebbanberg and he needs to use all his guile to find a way to the fortress by sea, without tipping his hand as to his intentions. Can Uhtred combat the threat from the formidable Constantin of Scotland, Einar the White and indeed, the Saxons, whose actions threaten the existence of England's Kingdoms? Well, in what many are assuming to be the final outing for Uhtred it is great to have some kind of a resolution. I have always enjoyed spending time in the company of this rough and tough hero whose soft centre cannot help surfacing every so often, and The Flame Bearer allows me to indulge one more time. Bernard Cornwell creates characters that stay with you long after you have closed the covers, and Uhtred has to be one of his finest. But the bevy of excellent supporting cast in Uhtred's world bring a satisfying depth to the stories ... Finnan being my own personal favourite. As you would expect, the action sequences are fast-paced and urgent, and the dialogue sparkles. This book was a little shorter than previous outings and maybe that is a sign that Uhtred's story has indeed come to an end. I have really enjoyed this series and even if there are no more books to come, I've still got the TV series to get my Dane/Saxon fix (season 2 is currently being shown in the UK). Thanks Mr Cornwell, can't wait to see what you do next!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 304 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE, borrowed from local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio; ebook.