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 

C - Not For Me!

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2010, C, by Tom McCarthy, follows the life of Serge Carrefax, who we first meet as a child growing up in the grounds of a school run by his father who is trying to teach deaf mute children to speak. Serge is fascinated by radio waves and has a very close relationship with his sister, Sophie, whose interests lie in natural history, especially insects. But Sophie dies young, and Serge drifts through life, with us, the readers, observing what happens. He spends time in a sanatorium, becomes a pilot at the advent of the first world war, taking observational photos for the cause, during which he becomes a drug addict. Although he cleans up during his time as a prisoner of war, it doesn't take long for him to relapse in the London of the roaring twenties. And finally, we see him being sent to Egypt to help set up a worldwide network of communications. During each "episode", Serge has sexual encounters that never seem to please him overly. Mind you, nothing seems to please him. Reading what I've just written, this sounds like it has all the makings of a romp, but do not be fooled. Serge came over as a detached, cold character, disconnected with pretty much everyone and everything. This may be as a result of him losing his sister - which I was very disappointed about as Sophie engaged me much more than her brother. For such a relatively short book, at just over 300 pages, this took me an absolute age to read (around 2 months), which probably tells you something about how little I enjoyed it! I found the text dense and full of minute detail - only some of which made me sit up and take notice. I know other people who thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I'm afraid it left me cold, and quite glad when it came to an end. This could well be due to the frame of mind I was in when reading it, and I have no doubt missed the point of this book, which seemed to be about communication, but unfortunately for me, failed to do so in a meaningful, heartfelt way that would have allowed me to sympathise with the central character. Hey ho, you can't like everything!

My STAR rating: TWO.

Length: 320 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

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

On Animals - comforting words

On Animals by Pam Ayres is a book that flows over you like a big bowl of warm soup on a frosty winter's day. This collection of poems, plucked from the last five decades, brings together a range of Pam's work that displays her love of animals, both domestic and wild, in all shapes and sizes. Accompanied by some joyful illustrations, On Animals is funny, touching and down to earth, and is a book for anyone needing a hug. If you've ever heard Pam Ayres speak, you will hear her voice as you read her words - in fact it's extremely difficult not to attempt her distinctive burr should you be reading one of these beautiful poems out loud to someone (or indeed just to yourself!). If you don't think you are a fan of poetry, I urge you to dip into this book and you might just be pleasantly surprised. Full of old favourites as well as new works, many of the poems are accompanied by a short introduction about how that particular work came about, or what Pam was doing at the time. This helps to add context to the subject matter of some of the pieces as well as the language/sentiment used within them.  My personal favourite is "The Horse's Farewell to His Cowboy" - the last line never fails to amuse! A book that you can dip into and out of when you have a few minutes and you will always feel the better for it.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 216 print pages.

Price I paid: FREE, borrowed from my Mum.

Formats available: print.