Starting with the best:
Kate Atkinson
5*
I also read God in Ruins by the same author (4*). Ms Atkinson is the sort of writer that makes me think I should give up now. She is incredibly talented not least in her ability to skip back and for between time periods and not confuse her reader completely.
Both books have second world war backgrounds. The main character in God in Ruins is a fighter pilot and there is a lot of detail about the battles but it's primarily the story of his life. I'm finding I'm a lot more interested in history now I'm older and learning much.
The main character in Transcription is a young woman is recruited to work for MI5 primarily to transcribe recorded conversations but later becoming more involved in the fight against British Fascists. It's the ending that earn it its five stars from me. (Four star is very good while five star is exceptional.)
Celia Rees
4*
A new book I ordered because it sounded so good. And it is. A young woman is recruited to work in post-war Germany to supervise the re-building of the education system, but finds herself used by a number of different forces to locate a prominent Nazi scientist. One lot want him to be punished for the work he did; the other lot want to get him out of the country so he can work for them.
This book was a real education for me. I knew about concentration camps but not about the sort of experimentation that went on using Jews. It was so appalling - and unbelievable that our government - and the Americans and the Russians - wanted to use the skills of the evil scientists.
Sadly I didn't warm to the main character otherwise this would probably have had five stars. Some of the other women were great though.
Sandi Toksvig
4*
A story this time set in the Boer war and yet another history lesson for me. A young woman brought up with freedom in India is taken back to England to live with her stuffy aunt and uncle when her father dies. She longs to be able to do what she used to, and grans the opportunity to take her cousin's place when time comes for him to be recruited and sent to fight in South Africa.
The idea of a woman being able to fool people about her sex for as long as she did is a little unbelievable but again it's the horror of the history and the pointlessness of war that hits home.
The rest are all 3/4*, good for the type of book they are - and that's not a bad reflection.
Summer at the Art Cafe
Sue McDonagh
If you like motorbikes this is the one for you. Lots of details about taking the test but Ash is rather dishy so I'll excuse it.
The Authenticity Project
Clare Poole
Wasn't too keen at first but it really grew on me and it had the right ending.
Escape to the French Farmhouse
Jo Thomas
Everyone/thing is a bit too wonderful but at the moment, on a grey Welsh afternoon, it's what you need.
Murder Served Cold
Paula Williams
Springtime for Murder
Debbie Young
3 comments:
Some more to add to my never-ending "to read" list!
can't have too many, Debra.
There's nothing like a good murder to cheer you up of an afternoon!
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