The Book Boy (by Joanna Trollope)

I've mostly enjoyed Joanna Trollope's books very much, and thought I had all of them on my shelves. However I wasn't aware that she had also written some 'Quick Read' novellas; so I was pleased to spot one on a church bookstall recently.

'The Book Boy' is really very short - only 94 pages, with fairly large font. I read it in a couple of brief sittings. The main character is Alice, who is thirty-eight years old. Her husband Ed is rather controlling, and she has two teenagers: Craig and Becky, who are starting to treat her with contempt. Alice never criticises, never objects to anything they do, and just keeps cooking and cleaning, as well as working in her part-time job as a shop cleaner.

The reason Alice feels so inferior, unable to speak up for herself, is that she never learned to read. And she doesn't seem particularly motivated to do so.She has another secret, too: her family don't know that she has been saving a pound or two every week from her wages, which she keeps under a floorboard.

A bike-mad tattooed teenager befriends Craig, and Alice is warned that he spells trouble... but she thinks he's probably likeable under his outer appearance, and he manages to guess one of Alice's secrets... which is the catalyst for her deciding to take positive action.

It's a story of hope, ultimately, with fairly realistic characters and a good pace. There's not a whole lot of plot - there wouldn't be time for it - but it felt like a little insight into the kind of family that might be living anywhere in the suburbs of a town, with a friendly corner shop.

Not sure I'll read it again - at least, not regularly - but it was a pleasant, encouraging novella, even if the ending was slightly abrupter than I expected. Apparently it's no longer in print, but is the kind of book that might be found in charity shops or car boot sales.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 30th May 2012

Lady of Quality (by Georgette Heyer)

I first discovered Georgette Heyer's writing in my teens, after being given several of her historical novels by a relative who worked in a bookshop. Over the years, I have appreciated them more and more, and have collected, mostly from second-hand shops, almost everything she wrote. Her books are some of the most re-readable I have; when I sit down with a Heyer novel I know I'm going to enjoy it, and probably will find it hard to put down, no matter how many times I have previously read it. Her main genre is historical fiction, yet she wrote with such confidence and after such amazing research that the books feel almost as if they were written as contemporary fiction in the early 19th century.

The last time I read 'Lady of Quality' was back in 2005. I remembered it as one of my favourites, and thus well overdue for reading again. I finished it in about 24 hours, picking it up whenever I had a free moment. My memory had not failed me: I thoroughly enjoyed it, all over again.

Annis Wychwood is the heroine. She's a typical Heyer girl - confident, outspoken, with an ironic sense of humour, and very beautiful. She's older than most of them, though - at 29, in Regency times, she is considered 'on the shelf', having never been married. She has a rather pompous brother who has married a sweet but fluffy girl, and is determined to make a home for herself. She agrees to have a companion - an indigent relative, Maria, who provides some of the humour in the book by talking continually.

 Annis is on her way home after staying with her brother when she comes across a broken-down carriage containing two young people. Lucilla, who is only 17, is running away from her aunt's home to escape marriage to her childhood friend Ninian. And Ninian is helping her to do so.

Annis offers temporary refuge to Lucilla, which is accepted gratefully. But she lives in dread of her rude and arrogant uncle, Oliver Carleton, forcing her into a marriage she does not wish to make. Inevitably Annis is approached by Oliver, and sparks begin to fly...

This is wonderful stuff, classic Heyer. It's one of her later books, first published in 1972 when she was seventy, and shows, in my view, even better characterisation than some of the earlier novels. I found myself chuckling aloud two or three times, as well as inwardly in several places. My only slight regret is that the ending is a bit too sudden - we know what's going to happen, of course, but I would still have liked at least a page or two more.

Nonetheless, this still ranks as an excellent read, one which I look forward to again, already, in another few years. It's still in print in paperback on both sides of the Atlantic, and also now available on Kindle. It can usually be found fairly readily second-hand too, at least in the UK.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 29th May 2012

Heart and Soul (by Maeve Binchy)

I've enjoyed every Maeve Binchy novel I've read over the past fourteen years or so, and am trying to collect them all. So I was delighted when I discovered a hardback of hers which I had not read, in a bag which someone was getting rid of... although it then took me nearly a year to get around to reading it!

'Heart and Soul' is a warm, relationship-based novel that features a new heart clinic. Dr Clara Casey has taken on the task of getting it going in its first year, although she doesn't really want to. However, she is determined to run it in her own way - arranging the layout as she wants it, employing staff whom she likes, and doing everything primarily for the sake of recovering heart patients.

So she employs the young and gentle doctor Declan, two attractive nurses, Fiona and Barbara, and a dietician who runs demonstrations of healthy cooking. She also takes Ania, a Polish refugee, under her wing, finding her odd jobs to do, and quickly coming to rely on her.

The novel follows, in a loose kind of way, the various staff in the clinic and their families, and also some of the patients.  I quickly realised that some of the characters had appeared in previous novels such as 'Quentins' (a rather classy restaurant which features), 'Scarlet Feather', and Evening Class. It took me much longer to recognise people from a novel I read in 2006 - 'Nights of Rain and Stars', or the gentle Father Bryan Flynn, who is an important character in 'Whitethorn Woods'. I quite enjoyed re-acquainting myself with so many people from the past, but it would probably be rather confusing for anyone who had not read these books; not that the back stories need to be known, but there are rather a lot of minor characters, some of whom might seem unnecessary.

I love the writing, the way the people come alive, the growing friendships and relationships, and the often thought-provoking topics that come up - in particular the reasons why people marry (or don't marry) and what ingredients are needed for a long-term and satisfactory marriage.

The ending was positive and hopeful, and overall I enjoyed this book very much. Recommended to anyone who has read and liked other Maeve Binchy books, particularly if you wondered what became of some of the characters in the other books mentioned above. However, this probably isn't the best one to start with for someone who has not previously read any of Binchy's works.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 28th May 2012

Finding God in the Fast Lane (by Joyce Huggett)

I only have a handful of books by Joyce Huggett, a retired missionary who used to live in Cyprus. I don't read them very often, but when I do I find them thought-provoking and usually very encouraging.

It's six years since I first read 'Finding God in the Fast Lane', a book of reflections and thoughts based primarily on Brother Lawrence's classic book 'The Practice of the Presence of God' as well as some of his other writings. I had enjoyed it first time around, and found it quite inspiring, so I thought that - in the absence of any new Christian reading matter - I would try it again.

The premise of the book is that most people are rushing through life, fixing problems, serving other people, working, commuting, socialising, and so on... and find it very difficult to fit 'quiet times' into their schedules. This doesn't really apply to me; with my empty nest, and plenty of time to myself, I'm not one to rush about. I do manage at least half an hour first thing in the morning to be quiet, and reflect and read, and even sometimes to pray. And yet, even so, it's all too easy to get to the end of the day and realise that I've barely thought about God.

Re-reading, in the past few days, I was surprised at how inspiring and thought-provoking I found it. Particularly since I did read Brother Lawrence's classic a few years ago, but didn't find it all that helpful.  However,  Joyce Huggett makes some useful and practical suggestions for cultivating awareness of God's presence through the day, seeking a deeper relationship and offering all we are and do as worship to Him. I'm sure it will take a lifetime to reach the kind of level of commitment and awareness that she describes.

It's not a long book, but there's a great deal in it. Definitely recommended to Christians who care about their relationship with God and would like to see it closer and deeper. Long out of print, but inexpensive if you can find it second-hand.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 22nd May 2012

Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues (by Trisha Ashley)

I've read  few books by Trisha Ashley in the past few years, all courtesy of The Bookbag. On the whole I've enjoyed them - after initial doubts - so when I heard that another of her books was available for review, I was happy to take it.

'Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues' is narrated by thirty-something Tansy, who lives with her fiancé Justin. However, time is racing by and she is beginning to despair of ever getting married or having babies. Despite earning plenty of money, Justin insists that they cannot afford children. Then Tansy learns a shocking secret which pretty much destroys any feelings she has for him.. so she goes to live with her elderly and much-loved great aunt Nancy who is becoming quite frail. She makes exciting plans to turn her aunt's small shoe shop into a specialist wedding shoe shop.

Although the rather awful Justin can't quite believe that Tansy won't return to him, she finds  new man in her life - sort of. Unfortunately she starts off on a bad footing with her new neighbour Ivo, who - by a rather odd coincidence - is an old flame of hers. He has recently lost his wife and seems to be plunged into the depths of despair.

It took me a few days to get into this book - it moved slowly at first, and the style seemed a bit offputting. I ought to be used to that by now - I've said the same about all the others by this author.  And, again, by the time I was half-way through, I was hooked - despite mild irritation at an over-abundance of exclamation marks.  An added bonus is that this story references some characters from a previous book - Chocolate Wishes, although it's not necessary to have read that first. There are several story-lines - a Cinderella theme along with two step-sisters, a slightly literary theme involving Shakespeare, and some anecdotes from the past, courtesy of Great Aunt Nancy.

Overall, this was pleasant light reading, somewhere between a village saga and chick-lit, with (happily) no bad language and no explicit scenes.

You can also read my longer review of 'Chocolate Shoes and Wedding Blues' at the Bookbag site.

War of the Worlds (by Adrian Plass)

Adrian Plass is one of my all-time favourite Christian writers. In fact, he's in my top ten of all writers, Christian or otherwise. He has, as his site tagline states, a 'unique perspective on life'; he also has a wonderful way with words, and a great sense of humour combined with humility which sees him poking fun - even ridicule, at times - at himself, while somehow getting under our skin and enlarging on Christian truths that may otherwise be obfusticated.

So when I spotted his latest book 'War of the Worlds' on Amazon, I didn't even put it on my wishlist - I took some of my birthday money and ordered it immediately from the Book Depository (which offers free postage anywhere in Europe).  The subtitle is 'How to avoid leading a double life', and the blurb on the back says that Christians have a continual battle between their inner selves and and their outer faces, presented to others. I wasn't sure that I related to that, but looked forward to reading it anyway.

There were chapters on topics such as prayer, sacred cows, wasted weaknesses, unauthorised fire... and more. Good titles. Good topics. Most of them had a good sprinkling of Plass-like anecdotes about himself and his family, some of which brought a smile to my face. I love hearing about what he and his wife are doing, and feeling the warmth of their long marriage which shows through in a wonderful way.

There were also a few skits, several poems, and plenty of slightly random thoughts on the topics. And, I have to admit, I didn't find them as interesting as I expected. The writing is good, the skits mildly amusing, and the thoughts made sense at the time, but didn't leave me pondering them, and I'm not sure I can remember anything much from the book. I didn't understand the poems, but then I rarely do understand poems. So I didn't worry much about them.

And then I got to the last chapter, 'Coming Home'. It's just a story - presented with little introduction and no explanation.  And it's absolutely brilliant. I didn't see the ending coming (whatever you do, don't try and read that first...) and when I'd finished, I read it all over again to see where the clues were cleverly laid. It was worth reading the book for that story alone.

I still don't think I have a war going on inside me. At least, not this particular one.  Perhaps I'm blessed with particularly wonderful relatives and friends, who seem to like me as I am; of course I don't always talk about everything I'm thinking or feeling, but I don't THINK I deliberately hide things, and I certainly don't (as far as I know) put on a different face for anyone. The idea of wearing metaphorical masks was quite common in the 1980s when I was a young adult, but I never did really relate to it.  So unless I'm totally missing the point (or completely in denial) it didn't really make any points that were all that helpful.

But still. It's Adrian Plass. It's great to know a bit more about what he and his wife Bridget are doing currently, and I'm glad to have it on my shelves. But I'd recommend some of his other books above this one.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 16th May 2012

Ten Years On (by Alice Peterson)

It's only relatively recently that I discovered Alice Peterson, thanks to the Bookbag site who sent me one of her books about five years ago. I have read a couple of others since then and enjoyed them very much, so when I spotted that her latest novel was on the Bookbag shelves, I requested it at once.

I was not sorry! 'Ten Years On' is a wonderful book, which I could hardly put down.  It begins with a prologue showing Becca with her student friends at a New Year's Eve party. Afterwards, she and her boyfriend Ollie and their flatmate Joe hang out for a while, wondering what they might be doing in ten years' time...

We're then taken ten years ahead, to a funeral. A tragic accident has shattered Becca's life and she has no idea how to deal with it. She goes to live with her parents for a while, meets some old school-friends, and then attempts to resume communication with Joe, whom she had lost touch with.

It's a character-driven book, exploring themes of loss and grief, the rediscovery of love, family jealousies and ties across the generations. It also looks at the importance of following one's dreams. I found myself relating quite strongly to Becca as she starts to take charge of her life, trying to find out what she really wants to do.

The theme could have been rather morbid; but it's beautifully done, and a potentially odd supernatural element of the story feels surprisingly realistic - and even encouraging. My only slight complaint is the sheer number of characters - I found some of the school-friends rather flat and lost track of who they were; they didn't seem to add much to the story. However there were also some very likeable minor characters - the elderly Janet and the oddly-dressed Adam spring to mind. I rather liked  Becca's dad, too.

Definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys light women's fiction.

You can also read my longer review of 'Ten years on' at the Bookbag site.

The Education of Hyman Kaplan (by Leonard Q Ross)

Leonard Q Ross - or Leo Rosten - was a Polish-American Jew born near the beginning of the 20th century. I first read his three humorous books, which my parents had on their shelves, when I was in my teens.  I must have re-read a couple of times while still at home, and then once again about fifteen years ago.

So I was delighted when I discovered that 'The Education of Hyman Kaplan' (or H*y*m*a*n K*a*p*l*a*n, as he calls himself) had been reprinted recently and was available at the Book Depository. This book is about a (fictional) adult education class for foreigners wanting to learn English, set in the US in 1937.

The long-suffering and idealistic Mr Parkhill has a passion for teaching, and loves seeing his students (such as the shy Miss Mitnick) picking up the language well. He worries about the sighs and troubles of Mrs Moskowitz... but most of all is bewildered  - and sometimes amused - by the larger-than-life Mr Hyman Kaplan, who sits in the front row with a beaming smile, and never misses a class.

While other students are nervous, reluctant to read their assignments or write on the board, Mr Kaplan always rises to the occasion with great aplomb.  He is outgoing, confident - and usually wrong. However his mistakes are not just related to his own language, and are certainly not due to being unintelligent. Instead, he has his own kind of logic which he applies to English.. only to be amazed when it doesn't work.  Some of the students like him, others find him annoying... and Mr Parkhill really doesn't know what to do with him.

This book was written in the days before anyone thought of political correctness. I can imagine that some people might find this offensive; it pokes fun not just at the English language, but at the foibles of those attempting to learn it.  It's full of cultural stereotypes. But it's not meant to be offensive or demeaning. Mr Kaplan is a generous, hard-working man.  Moreover, the book is intended as a light-hearted romp, with some very amusing sections.

My only slight disappointment is that I found that I could remember clearly a lot of the funniest parts of the book. That meant that it didn't seem quite so hilarious as it did the first time I read it.. although I still chuckled a few times.

Recommended for anyone who doesn't mind cultural caricatures and stereotypes.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 12th May 2012