The Last Bear - Roarsome!

The Last Bear, by Hannah Gold is the story of one girl's fight to save a polar bear who has been stranded on an island due to climate change. April lives with her father, who is a scientist, and both are struggling to connect with each other following the death of April's mother. So, when her father announces that he is going to a remote island in the Arctic to perform research on climate change for 6 months, and that April is going with him, she sees this as a chance to have an adventure while spending quality time with her father. However, when they get there, he is so busy that April spends most of each day by herself. When she's not doing her schoolwork, she decides to explore the island and discovers an injured polar bear. She gains its trust (it's a wonder what peanut butter can do!) and helps to heal it. The two become inseparable and April feels such joy in the company of this wild creature, who teaches her how to roar. But the bear is the only bear on the island, and April comes to realise that he has been alone for many years because, due to global warming, the sea ice that the polar bears would need to reach the island, is not there anymore. April is determined to rescue the bear and puts her own life at risk in order to do so - brave, but not entirely sensible. This is a heartwarming story of friendship and kindness set against the backdrop of the biggest crisis in our world today. Yes it's warm and fuzzy, BUT, it also a battle cry to humanity to get off its bottom and take action to help save our planet and all the vulnerable creatures who inhabit it. April is a feisty main character and Bear is a superb counterfoil - they make a great team. Yes, this is a children's book, and won the Blue Peter Book Awards in 2022, but it is a really good read for adults too. We might not all be in a position do what April did (and, quite frankly, nor should we be!), but we do need to act in whatever way we can to combat the very real and present danger of climate change.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 288 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook. 

A Question of Blood - Rebus is in trouble again!

A Question of Blood, by Ian Rankin (Sir Ian Rankin, no less) is book 14 of the Inspector Rebus series and opens with a shooting incident in a private school north of Edinburgh. Two students are killed, a third (the son of an MP) is injured and the apparent gunman takes his own life. The gunman is Lee Herdman, a former soldier who everyone assumes has been haunted by his past so much that it has resulted in this extreme act of violence. Solving this case is the main feature, but, as always, the story is set against the complicated backdrop that is Inspector John Rebus himself. He's drinking too much, he spends too much time alone and he's just come out of hospital with both hands in bandages within 24 hours of a house fire which killed a local criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan. So, his bosses are not best pleased with him and, yet again, he is suspended pending investigation. However, this doesn't prevent him from being roped in as a consultant on the school shooting case due to his military background. Something is niggling Rebus about Herdman - not least of which is why are two army investigators on the scene? And things get personal when Rebus realises that one of the victims is a relative. Now he's on a mission and he doesn't care who he offends or upsets as he strives to get to the bottom of things. As always, Ian Rankin gives the reader a lot of storylines - both big and small - that somehow all manage to come together. I like that Siobhan is getting more and more centre stage in these books, as she is a great foil for Rebus, and is a bit of a badass in her own right. I definitely think it helped that I had been reading this series in order, as there points where, without previous knowledge of the characters, things might not have made as much sense. Always enjoyable, although I'm not sure this one quite hit the heights of some of the others. Nevertheless, spending time with this curmudgeonly and deeply flawed policeman is a splendid way to while away the hours.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 480 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Lily: A Tale of Revenge - Brace yourselves.

Lily: A Tale of Revenge, by Rose Tremain is set in Victorian England and follows the life of Lily, a young woman haunted by her upbringing. Abandoned as a baby on a freezing cold night, she is rescued by a young policeman (Sam Trench) and taken to a Foundling Hospital. She is fostered out to a lovely family in the countryside, but after 6 years, she has to be returned to the Hospital (those are the rules) and she is heartbroken. The treatment of the children in the hospital is brutal, particularly from one of the nurses, and Lily and her best friend decide to try and escape. They almost make it, but are returned and things go from bad to worse. Finally, after years of maltreatment and devoid of any love, Lily is old enough to leave and find work with a wigmaker called Belle Prettywood, who becomes her friend. But when her urge to find her birth mother to find out why she was abandoned begins to overwhelm her, something snaps, and she sets out to take revenge upon one of the people who tormented her the most - the nurse. She happens to reconnect with Sam Trench, and she starts to feel that he may save her again, but the jeopardy is that when he finds out what she's done, she will end up at the end of a noose. Will Lily find freedom and will she ever be happy...? This is a book full of darkness, totally wrapped up in the grim atmosphere of unloving institutions whose treatment of the most vulnerable is shocking. Although heartbreaking in places, the author brings all the characters to life, and we especially root for Lily despite what she has done. There may not be many laughs, but there are the occasional bright spots where hope and love do shine through ... although on a personal note, not quite enough for me! Rose Tremain is a great storyteller, and her books are always worth trying, though, with its almost relentless despair, maybe this isn't the one for you if you are not quite feeling at your most robust! 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 279 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet - for the Bridgerton Generation?

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet is by Colleen McCullough, and takes the much loved characters brought to life by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice, and places them in a new story set 20 years after its conclusion. So, what's happened to all those Bennet sisters? Well, Jane is happily married with a large family; Lizzy and Mr Darcy are a power couple, but the spark has gone out of their marriage; Lydia still has a terrible reputation; Kitty is a popular addition to the London social scene; and Mary ... well, Mary has been quietly taking care of their ailing mother, while voraciously reading anything she can get her hands on. When Mrs Bennet dies, Mary revels in her new-found freedom and, lead by all the knowledge she has gained, intends to write a book about the plight of the poor. She decides that she will visit and interview a whole host of poverty stricken people to help her achieve this. However, Mr Darcy does not approve - fearing she will embarrass his political ambitions. Added to this, Lydia's husband dies and in her addled, grief-stricken state, she blames Darcy and is prepared to bad mouth him to the whole world.   Darcy won't stand for either of these Bennet sisters from ruining his chance of becoming Prime Minister, so tries to bring both women "back in line" with the help of his most trusted, yet sinister friend. So far, so kind of Austen. However, from this point on, things get strange ... on her way to find people to interview, Mary is robbed, kind of rescued, but then abducted by a deranged "holy" man and held prisoner. There's also a string of murders, drugs and dark dealings that are relayed in graphic detail. Oh, and there is also a rumbling romance brewing between Mary and a journalist. All very strange, and while it makes you sit up and take notice, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. If you love the style of Jane Austen, then this may not be the book for you. Much steamier, as well as including some bizarre bits of plot that felt incredibly unbelievable. Maybe I should have anticipated this from the author, who is best known for her controversial book, The Thorn Birds. However, as a bit of fun and fluff, and for those who are partial to a bit of Bridgerton, it's good to go ... Maybe!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 467 print pages.

Price I paid: £0.50 (from a charity shop)

Formats available: print, unabridged audio CD, ebook. 

 

Mr Mercedes - great story telling!

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King is a disturbing crime novel told by an absolute master. The book opens with a group of people gathering in the early hours of one morning to try and secure a job. But just when we start to get to know a few of them ... WHAM ... a car ploughs into the crowd, killing eight people before driving off. The vehicle was found abandoned close by, but the perpetrator was never caught and was forever known as "Mr Mercedes" because of the vehicle he had been driving. The action moves forward in time to focus on Bill Hodges, the now retired cop who is tormented by this case, which he had failed to solve. He receives a letter from someone claiming to be the elusive Mr Mercedes and this triggers his investigative nature once again and sets him on a collision course with the incredibly chilling Brady Hartsfield, who wasn't lying when he sent that letter to Hodges and is preparing to kill again. Thus begins a bit of a cat and mouse chase as the two dance around each other - sometimes closer, sometimes further apart. Hartsfield is a deeply disturbed individual whose camouflage amongst society is his banality, but who is hiding a dreadful homelife with his mother. At times you may feel a little sympathy for him, but never for long. Hodges has his own issues, but now he's got the bit between his teeth, nothing is going to stop him finding justice for Mr Mercedes' victims. This is a real page turner, with fantastic characters and plenty of twists and turns and a climax which is exceptionally cinematic - a classic race against time to prevent massive loss of life. At times shocking ... Mr King doesn't hold back from killing off characters that you have grown to love ... but always thrilling, I only took a mark off because I didn't quite feel that the intimate details of Hartsfield's twisted relationship with his mother was necessary. Apart from that, masterful story telling. After I'd read this, I discovered that it is the first of a trilogy featuring Bill Hodges, so I may well have to plunge back into this world again at some point!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 432 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook. 

Odd and the Frost Giants - a new Norse myth!

Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman is the story of Odd, a 12 year old boy whose father was killed on a Viking expedition, and whose foot was crushed by a falling tree. After his mother remarries, he feels more and more like an outsider, so Odd decides to go into the woods to live in his fathers cabin - even though it's still winter ... a winter that shows no sign of ending. On the way there, he rescues a distressed bear, and the two are then joined by a fox. When these two animals start speaking, and meet up with an eagle with the same power, Odd feels like his luck is changing. It turns out that the three creatures are Norse gods (Thor, Loki and Odin) who have been trapped in animal form by the Frost Giant who is determined to make winter last for ever. Odd now has the chance to become a most unlikely hero and help restore the gods to their rightful place and save the world from endless cold. What a delight this book is - it is short, but it's a great read, taking you into another world and showing it through the eyes of a young boy who can hold his own against the gods! Fabulous characterisation and spiky dialogue (as you would expect from Gaiman), that definitely takes you into another world. It's very short, and if you chose to read the audio edition narrated by the author, you may find yourself entering an almost a dreamlike state. I would have preferred a few more twists and turns, but for anyone looking for a quick read full of feeling, then this could be the book for you.

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 144 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00

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

The Marriage Portrait - an imagined life

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell is inspired by a young woman from the 16th Century - Lucrezia di Cosimo de Medici, who died shortly after her marriage to Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, aged just sixteen. We know this from the beginning so there really aren't many spoilers here. But we do see how Lucrezia gets to this point. We follow her childhood, where she was much more interested in her father's menagerie and spent more time with the servants in the kitchen than becoming a "lady" like her sisters. Lucrezia hadn't even thought about marriage, but then her elder sister, who had been promised to Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, suddenly died. Alfonso, keen that the link between these two powerful families would still happen, offers to take on Lucrezia instead, and she is prepared for the wedding. She enters into the marriage with some romantic notions, after all, Alfonso was very handsome, but as nobody really explained to her the full ramifications of what being a wife would really mean, her wedding night was a bit of a painful shock. This is no love match. Although Alfonso barely speaks to her, he visits her every night, desperate for her to produce an heir, which is all he really wants. So when one doesn't appear, his behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and when Alfonso takes her to a remote country villa, far away from her family, she begins to suspect that he is planning to kill her, so that he would be free to marry again... This is a very well written story full of character, action and emotion in a period setting. However, it is not always an easy read, as it vividly details the treatment of women at this time (1561), who are commodities to be bartered and discarded at the whim of men. I found the total lack of empathy for females appalling. Indeed, few of the male characters come out of this book with much to merit them. Lucrezia is full of vim and vigour and the reader totally roots for her to somehow escape what appears to be her destiny. There is a portrait of this young woman which has been the inspiration for stories and poems, and now this book. What really happened to Lucrezia may never be known, but it doesn't stop us wondering!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 448 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.