#BookReview ‘Murder in the Snow’ by @BrightVerity #cosymystery #crime

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Christmas is coming to Henley Hall and Lady Eleanor Swift is hosting a party for the entire village. Gifts, food and drink, games and a cross-country fun run around the grounds of the Hall. When one runner fails to finish the course, Eleanor’s Christmas turns into another detective adventure. Murder in the Snow by Verity Bright is fourth in this fun atmospheric series. Verity BrightWhen Conrad Canning, coalman to the Hall, dies at the snowy finish line, Eleanor suspects foul play but Detective Chief Inspector Seldon believes it was a heart attack. Until traces of digitalis are discovered. This has uncomfortable connotations for Eleanor and her loyal butler Clifford as it mirrors the unexplained death of Eleanor’s Uncle Byron. Each book features the core characters with the addition of new faces for each murder mystery, but which will be suspects, witnesses, victim and villain. Some resentments are not forgotten with the passage of time, but burn brighter.
The food is sumptuous, as are the homemade alcohol beverages. But this time, both are examined for evidence of cause of death. As Christmas approaches New Year, the beautiful house is covered in snow and the village is cut off from the outside. Clifford deems it dangerous to drive the Rolls along the country lanes having previously ended up in a ditch, and Seldon is stranded in a pub. In pursuit of more evidence, Eleanor and Clifford set off across country wearing snow shoes.
The continuation of Eleanor’s romantic entanglements continues slowly in this story, one step at a time, glances are exchanged and there is some gentle teasing. Like the truth about Uncle Byron, Eleanor’s pursuit of love is a subject developed a little further in each book. I also love the asides about Eleanor’s previous life, exploring routes for travel companies in exotic countries, travelling alone and having all sorts of adventures. Such as her wonderful reply to a retired seaman who caustically refers to what he assumes is Eleanor’s sheltered and privileged life, ‘Ever been halfway over a mountain range with the snow and night closing in, with no prospect of food or shelter and not another human being within a hundred square miles?’
I whizz through these books. They’re such a relaxing read, a great escape from the world outside and a glimpse into the glamorous country house life in the 1920s. With murder thrown in.

Read my reviews of other books in the Lady Eleanor Swift series:-
A VERY ENGLISH MURDER #1LADYELEANORSWIFT
DEATH AT THE DANCE #2LADYELEANORSWIFT
A WITNESS TO MURDER #3LADYELEANORSWIFT
MYSTERY BY THE SEA #5LADYELEANORSWIFT
MURDER AT THE FAIR #6LADYELEANORSWIFT
A LESSON IN MURDER #7LADYELEANORSWIFT
DEATH ON A WINTER’S DAY #8LADYELEANORSWIFT

If you like this, try:-
‘Fortune Favours the Dead’ by Stephen Spotswood #1Pentecost&Parker
‘Or The Bull Kills You’ by Jason Webster #1MaxCamara
‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ by Stuart Turton

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER IN THE SNOW by @BrightVerity https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-701 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Tracy Chevalier

Great Opening Paragraph 135… ‘I Capture the Castle’ #amreading #FirstPara

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“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. That is, my feet are in it; the rest of me is on the draining-board, which I have padded with our dog’s blanket and the tea-cosy. I can’t say that I am really comfortable, and there is a depressing smell of carbolic soap, but this is the only part of the kitchen where there is any daylight left. And I have found that sitting in a place where you have never sat before can be inspiring – I wrote my very best poem while sitting on the hen-house. Though even that isn’t a very good poem. I have decided my poetry is so bad that I mustn’t write any more of it.” Dodie SmithFrom ‘I Capture the Castle’ by Dodie Smith

Try one of these #FirstParas & discover a new author:-
‘A Month in the Country’ by JL Carr 
‘The Guest Cat’ by Takashi Hiraide 
‘Jamrach’s Menagerie’ by Carol Birch 

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#Books #FirstPara I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-79F via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘Restless Dolly Maunder’ by Kate Grenville #historical

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Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville tells the life story of a poor white girl who wants to be a teacher in late 19th century Australia. Dolly Maunder must gain her father’s approval to take the pupil teacher test and is determined to ask though she knows he will refuse. This beginning sums up the story of Dolly’s life which Grenville recounts until her end in 1945. Kate GrenvilleA melding of fiction with family history, memoir and feminist study, we follow the restless heroine who always wants more. At the beginning I was sympathetic with Dolly’s lot, cornered into marriage, her dreams crushed, taken to live on a windswept isolated farm. This is a portrayal of a woman who rubs against her parents, their narrow expectations, the drudgery and lack of emotion and who as a parent herself struggles with the same constraints. But when life improves and there is money, Dolly still struggles to connect with those around her.
This constant searching for something new is a classic case of grass being greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes Dolly’s plans work out financially for the family but sometimes end in struggle and hardship. And each time her three children are uprooted, taken somewhere unfamiliar where they must start again.
Dolly was born too early, struggling for her right to be a woman in a man’s world where every legal document must be signed by a man. From farm to shop to hotel and bar, Dolly and husband Bert Russell move on as the 20th century passes from the Great War and Great Depression to the approach of the Second World war. She is a tough woman living in tough times, unwilling to reshape her ambitions and accept the good of what she has achieved, unable to soften herself to allow others to love her.
At the end of the novel the position of women in society is contextualised, viewed across three generations comparing Dolly’s life with that of her mother and her own daughter Nancy. ‘She thought of all the women she’d ever known, and all their mothers before them, and the mothers before those mothers, locked in a place where they couldn’t move.’ Dolly’s own generation, she decides, is like a hinge allowing a door to be opened, slowly at first, painful inch by painful inch, for the women who follow.
A linear story which I read quite quickly, at times admiring Dolly’s determination and sheer strength of will, but struggling with her inability to connect emotionally with anyone around her. Don’t miss the Author’s Note at the end which adds context to the story.
A sad, depressing story.

Read my review of A ROOM MADE OF LEAVES, also by Kate Grenville

If you like this, try:-
‘Barkskins’ by Annie Proulx
‘At the Edge of the Orchard’ by Tracy Chevalier
‘My Name is Yip’ by Paddy Crewe

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview RESTLESS DOLLY MAUNDER by Kate Grenville https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7wJ via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Verity Bright

#BookReview ‘Inheritance’ by Nora Roberts #contemporary #gothic #suspense

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I’m a newcomer to Nora Roberts and didn’t know what to expect from Inheritance, first in her Lost Bride trilogy. This amazing, page-turning, gothic slash romance slash suspense story had me grabbing every spare minute to read another couple of pages. I’m a Nora Roberts convert, are all her books like this? Nora RobertsInheritance ticks all the gothic romance boxes. An unexpected inheritance. A haunted house. A conflicted heroine who faces challenges in her life. Ghosts with personality. And a handsome hero. Sonya MacTavish’s wedding plans take a U-turn thanks to her cheating fiancé, so when she discovers the hidden truth of her father’s birth and has an opportunity to change her life, she grabs it. Sonya inherits not only a mansion but the money to run it and a support network of local lawyers and tradespeople.
Surprising herself by loving the lonely seafront mansion and the small town nearby, city girl Sonya soon hears bumps in the night – and the day – and discovers Lost Bride mansion (its nickname locally) has other residents besides herself. Sonya, who prefers to call a spade a spade and refuses to be intimidated by the unknown, gets herself a rescue dog, learns to cook pot roast and wins new clients for her freelance graphic design business. There are new family members to meet, her lawyer and his relatives, the man who cuts logs and sweeps snow from the drive and a chef in town who shares her recipes.
Sonya loves her new life and refuses to be cowed by the slamming doors and weeping in the night, a decision which means she must confront the ghosts and solve a mystery to lift the curse.
A bit silly in places, funny, heartwarming and spine tingly. Loved it. And what a great ending, beware, it’s a cliffhanger. Bring on number two, The Mirror.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK AT AMAZON

If you like this, try:-
‘A Sudden Light’ by Garth Stein
‘The Bear’ by Claire Cameron
‘The Invitation’ by Lucy Foley

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview INHERITANCE by Nora Roberts https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7ws via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Kate Grenville

#BookReview ‘Death at the Sign of the Rook’ by Kate Atkinson #crime

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Oh what a treat, a new Jackson Brodie book from Kate Atkinson. Death at the Sign of the Rook is sixth in this fast-moving, witty character-led crime series. This time, Jackson is on the trail of a stolen painting. Or perhaps it hasn’t been stolen after all. Kate AtkinsonNew grandfather Jackson, in the midst of a mid-life crisis and driving a huge new Land Rover Defender, takes on the case of a missing painting belonging to the recently deceased mother of the most boring brother and sister. As he investigates Dorothy Padgett’s carer Melanie Hope, who disappeared at the same time as ‘The Woman with a Weasel,’ Brodie finds other unsolved cases involving stolen paintings. Could they be linked? Jackson is reunited with police officer Reggie Chase who helps – checking things on the police computer, despite her misgivings – and the duo become pulled into a surreal world of a dual reality.
Burton Makepeace, a rundown Yorkshire country mansion, has also lost a painting, in this case by JMW Turner. Now partly converted into a hotel, Burton Makepeace is hosting a Murder Mystery Weekend and as the snowfall turns into waist-high drifts, travellers are stranded and the murders begin. Truth and fiction become entangled as a group of actors are let loose in the large country house with endless rooms, hidden stairs and dangerous battlements. Local vicar Simon, who has recently lost his voice, gets lost in the snow and stumbles into the Murder Mystery, immediately to be confused by the amateur sleuths as the fictional vicar on their cast list. At times I read in a haze of confusion as real people and actors merged; a social comment on today’s perception of truth, sort-of-truth and fake truth perpetuated by social media. How do we know what is really true and who to believe. Jackson, with the help of Reggie, has to sort out truth from lies and work out who’s who. The cast of characters is a combination of Agatha Christie and Cluedo.
Told at breakneck speed, so many laughs, what a wonderful book. Only Kate Atkinson could write this story, wonderful craftsmanship, tension, farce, wicked humour and dark threat. It starts off racing from the first page and doesn’t stop until the last.

Read my reviews of these other novels by Kate Atkinson:-
A GOD IN RUINS
LIFE AFTER LIFE
NORMAL RULES DON’T APPLY
SHRINES OF GAIETY
TRANSCRIPTION
BIG SKY #5JACKSONBRODIE

If you like this, try:-
‘The Vanished Bride’ by Bella Ellis #1BronteMysteries
‘Elizabeth is Missing’ by Emma Healey
‘Cover Her Face’ by PD James #1AdamDalgliesh

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK by Kate Atkinson https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7w6 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Nora Roberts

#BookReview ‘Night Train to Marrakech’ by @DinahJefferies #mystery #Morocco

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Night Train to Marrakech is last in the ‘Daughters of War’ trilogy by Dinah Jefferies and it, sort of, squares the circle. Its two years since I read the first, Daughters of War, and I was a little rusty on the three sisters, Hélène, Élise and Florence, who lived in the Dordogne during World War Two. Night Train to Marrakech is set in Morocco in 1966 and tells the story of fashion student Vicky Baudin, daughter of Élise, as she travels on the night train to meet her previously unknown grandmother. Oh, and to meet Yves St Laurent. Dinah JefferiesWhen Vicky arrives at the Kasbah du Paradis in the Atlas mountains she is puzzled by the cool welcome she receives from her grandmother Clemence. Determined to meet her fashion guru, and dismissing Clemence’s warnings to be wary of trouble, Vicky heads for the night lights. Morocco is politically unstable and while various factions fight, and foreign powers spy on the fighting, the Marrakech beautiful set including Yves St Laurent, John Paul Getty and Tabitha Pol seem to float above reality. Vicky soon sees the horrifying reality for herself and becomes entangled in situations she doesn’t understand.
Yes, Vicky and Bea, her cousin, are annoyingly naïve at times but their impulsive decisions drive the plot along and take the reader through the twists and knots of Clemence’s past and the mysteries of Vicky’s family. Reference to Victor, Vicky’s father, relate back to the first book in the trilogy. Although its possible to read Night Train to Marrakech as a standalone novel, many back references will be missed. A foreword explaining the trilogy, including summary of action and list of characters, would help.
I admit to being more fascinated by the life of Clemence than Vicky, and wish there had been more focus on her story. The second half of the novel went quicker for me, partly because of the number of secrets revealed. Marrakech is colourfully described and the Kasbah reminded me of Mary Stewart’s The Gabriel Hounds, set in a rundown Lebanese palace.
I enjoyed Daughters of War most of the trilogy, perhaps a case of one good novel being stretched too far. The three books are at heart about family, the visible and hidden connections that link relatives together, and how that familial link survives through war, distress and violence. Incidentally, and disappointingly, the train of the title features only on the front cover and in the Prologue of Night Train to Marrakech. The Kasbah du Paradis and Marrakech city have more importance to the story than the train and neither Vicky nor Clemence stand in sand dunes.

Click the title to read my reviews of the first two books in this trilogy:-
DAUGHTERS OF WAR #1DAUGHTERSOFWAR
THE HIDDEN PALACE #2DAUGHTERSOFWAR

And here are my reviews of other novels by Dinah Jefferies:-
THE TEA PLANTER’S WIFE
THE SAPPHIRE WIDOW
THE TUSCAN CONTESSA

If you like this, try:-
‘The Gabriel Hounds’ by Mary Stewart
‘The Photographer’s Wife’ by Suzanne Joinson
‘Summertime’ by Vanessa Lafaye

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview NIGHT TRAIN TO MARRAKECH by @DinahJefferies https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7uT via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Kate Atkinson

#BookReview ‘Treachery’ by SJ Parris @thestephmerritt #historical #crime

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The Giordano Bruno historical mystery series by SJ Parris is into its stride now. Treachery is fourth in the series and my favourite so far. It is 1585 and Sir Francis Drake is assembling a fleet of ships to attack the Spanish. Bruno, with poet and gentleman Sir Philip Sidney, visits Plymouth as the covert expedition is about to leave. But departure is delayed by a murder on board the flagship ‘Elizabeth Bonaventure’ and Bruno agrees to solve the crime. SJ ParrisA slow-build that turns into a page-turning mystery, Parris twists the plot this way and that, suspects come, go, and return as Bruno tracks the murderer on water and on land. Plymouth is a colourful setting for the mystery. Set three years before Drake plays bowls on Plymouth Hoe as the Spanish Armada approaches, Parris weaves a complicated tale of European politics, spies, military strategy plus old-fashioned greed and revenge. Bruno follows clues in the city via an upmarket brothel to Drake’s Island in Plymouth Sound, a small fortified island reached only by boat. Or, according to local legend, through a maze of secret underground tunnels used by smugglers and villains.
Giordano Bruno, the Italian who longs for his home but cannot return, is no longer a monk but a philosopher, academic, a foreigner wherever he lives and works; all things that make him the man he is. A modern man in the sixteenth-century. ‘My face, my voice, my ideas mark me as different. Perhaps, as I have often feared, a man like me belongs everywhere and nowhere.’ Is that why he makes such a good spy, a good solver of crime? He is brave and has a poker face which is useful when confronting suspects, but is sensitive also to emotion and fear. And in the background lurk the influence of master spy Sir Francis Walsingham and political demands of Queen Elizabeth I. Parris mixes fact, particularly the lasting impact of Drake’s earlier voyages and the friends and foes, and some characters are real.
For one said to be good at solving mysteries, Bruno does have a tendency to backing his latest theory and throwing accusations around. But perhaps causing trouble is his gift as a detector as his efforts invariably upset some people, so he makes enemies but also uncovers new clues and suspects. Bruno is such a likeable hero, brave but not macho, lacking the peacock posturing of Sidney and the politicking of Drake. In his position in society as an outsider in a foreign country in politically uncertain times, he is cautious but given to moments of recklessness. It is these moments that enable Parris to kick-start the plot to a new level of tension.
A sprawling story with connections to characters from the previous books in the series, I approached the end turning pages quickly and reading into the night to finish it.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK AT AMAZON

Read my reviews of other books in the series:-
HERESY #1GiordanoBruno
PROPHECY #2GiordanoBruno
SACRILEGE #3GiordanoBruno

If you like this, try:-
‘The Fire Court’ by Andrew Taylor #FireofLondon2
‘The Swift and the Harrier’ by Minette Walters
‘The Key in the Lock’ by Beth Underdown

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview TREACHERY by SJ Parris @thestephmerritt https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7uw via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Dinah Jefferies

#BookReview ‘Murder at the Dolphin Hotel’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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I do like starting a new cosy mystery series and have great hopes of the Miss Underhay series by Helena Dixon. The first book Murder at the Dolphin Hotel, is set between the world wars and stars Kitty Underhay. Helena DixonIt is 1933 and at the Dolphin Hotel in Dartmouth, Kitty is left in charge of the family hotel by her grandmother who must visit a sick relation. Before she leaves, and without explaining her reasons to her grand-daughter, ‘Grams’ employs a hotel security manager Captain Matthew Bryant. There is quite a cast including a deliciously grimy newspaper reporter, a well-meaning but nosy friend of Grams, and a glamorous American jazz singer. When a dead body is found in the river and hotel rooms are burgled, Kitty and Matt begin to share their fears, without sharing all their secrets. This is the first meeting of what will become an established detective pairing; at the time of writing there are now 17 in this 1930s series. Some of the language at times seems modern; a trait I dislike as it takes me away from the page and the characters, as did a couple of other discrepancies including the fate of the unnamed verger.
It always takes me time to settle into the first book of a new series by an unfamiliar author and the first half seemed a slow read. But the book blurb promises a hunt for a stolen ruby and the pace of the story picks up when the promised jewel makes its first appearance. There is no shortage of dodgy characters and therefore loads of suspects. And all the time Kitty must balance dealing with daily hotel tasks, organising the visit of singer Miss Vivien Delaware, and curiosity about the real reason for Captain Bryant’s appointment. Grams, Kitty fears, has not told her the whole truth. Throw in Kitty’s history as an orphan, the lasting effects of Matt’s wartime service and the suspected reappearance of Kitty’s disreputable father, and there are a lot of mysteries to keep me reading to the end.
A light enjoyable read, quickly finished, and a promising start to a new series. Next in line is book two, Murder at Enderley Hall.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Very English Murder’ by Verity Bright #1LadyEleanorSwift
‘Murder at Catmmando Mountain’ by Anna Celeste Burke #1GeorgieShaw
‘The Cornish Wedding Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #1NoseyParker

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7sK via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- SJ Parris

#BookReview ‘Earth’ by @JohnBoyneBooks #Elements #contemporary

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Evan Keough is a handsome, talented famous footballer. Accused of being an accessory to rape, he becomes notorious. It is up to the reader to work out the truth of Evan’s evidence, his back story, the stories he gives to his mother and to priest Ifechi. Earth by John Boyne is second in his Elements quartet and, like its predecessor Water, is another small book with a powerful story. John BoyneLike Willow in Water, Evan’s past story is revealed in pieces. As a boy on the remote Irish island first introduced in Water, Evan is unable to be who or what he wants to be. He knows he is gay. He is certain he wants to be a painter. Unfortunately he is better at football, which he hates but which his  father loves, and is a moderate artist.
A theme that runs through the first two books in the Elements quartet is complicity in guilt, about burying deeply the moral instinct of right and wrong, and dealing with the consequences as time passes. It is about bearing a grudge. Throughout the story I didn’t know if Evan was truthful or not, never knew what he was hiding. His back story is brutal at times and difficult to read. Evan’s down-to-earth upbringing is contrasted with the wealth he encounters in London and in the world of professional football. The theme of earth runs throughout the book, the burial of the dead, earth as a hiding place, of being grounded to the earth of losing a foothold, of the final return of a traveller to the soil of their homeland.
I can’t say I enjoyed reading Earth, the first of John Boyne’s books that I can say that about. It is a truthful, awkward, shameful and sad book about a young man who can’t find his place in life, who is horribly abused and exploited. I remain unclear about culpability. Boyne purposely blurs the line between lies and truth, both in the evidence given in court and discussion on social media. In today’s world, the presence or absence of data on a mobile phone can win or lose a criminal trial, and public speculation about guilt and innocence is often based on ideas not fact where the loudest voices are heard.
A disturbing social commentary.

Click the title to read my reviews of these other novels by John Boyne:-
A HISTORY OF LONELINESS
A LADDER TO THE SKY
A TRAVELLER AT THE GATES OF WISDOM
ALL THE BROKEN PLACES
STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND THEN LEAVE
THE HEART’S INVISIBLE FURIES… Curious? Read the first paragraph of THE HEART’S INVISIBLE FURIES here.
WATER #1ELEMENTS

If you like this, try:-
‘Nutshell’ by Ian McEwan
‘Lean Fall Stand’ by Jon McGregor
‘Days Without End’ by Sebastian Barry

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview EARTH by @JohnBoyneBooks https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7s0 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Helena Dixon

#BookReview ‘Water’ by @JohnBoyneBooks #Elements #contemporary

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Who is Willow Hale? When Vanessa Carvin arrives on an unnamed Irish island, she changes her name to Willow and shaves her head. Can she simply disappear or will her past follow her? Water by John Boyne is first in his Elements quartet. It is a small book with a powerful story. John BoyneVanessa is escaping a truly horrendous time but at heart she knows she must acknowledge the choices she made throughout a difficult marriage. On the island she hopes to escape notice, but few people live there and everyone is curious about the newcomer. Her landlord is invisible, her daughter Rebecca is ghosting her messages, her nearest neighbour is nosy. She does connect with local priest Ifechi, Bananas the cat and neighbouring young farmer Luke. ‘I can call myself Willow Hale till the cows come home but, underneath, I’m still Vanessa Carvin. I just can’t let anyone know.’
Slowly as Vanessa remembers, her story becomes clearer. The offence committed by her husband, what she did and didn’t do during this time. Families were broken, not only families of the victims but also the family of the guilty party. Actions have consequences. John Boyne writes with such intensity of emotion and spareness on the page, he takes you straight into Vanessa’s shoes. It takes distance, isolation on an almost empty island surrounded by sea, for Vanessa to admit what happened.
I’m intrigued to see how the books in this quartet of novellas are linked; by theme, character, setting? At the end of Water, Willow says, ‘The elements – water, fire, earth, air – are our greatest friends, our animators. They feed us, warm us, give us life, and yet conspire to kill us at every juncture.’ Earth is next.
Sensitive. Bold. Excellent.

Click the title to read my reviews of these other novels by John Boyne:-
A HISTORY OF LONELINESS
A LADDER TO THE SKY
A TRAVELLER AT THE GATES OF WISDOM
ALL THE BROKEN PLACES
STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND THEN LEAVE
THE HEART’S INVISIBLE FURIES… Curious? Read the first paragraph of THE HEART’S INVISIBLE FURIES here.
EARTH #2ELEMENTS

If you like this, try:-
‘Old God’s Time’ by Sebastian Barry
‘Did You Ever Have a Family’ by Bill Clegg
‘My Name is Lucy Barton’ by Elizabeth Strout

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview WATER by @JohnBoyneBooks https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7rt via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- John Boyne