#BookReview ‘The Pull of the Stars’ by Emma Donoghue #historical

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In Dublin, 1918, it is a time of immense global and social change. Emma Donoghue’s latest novel The Pull of the Stars takes place almost exclusively in a cramped three-bed fever ward in an understaffed hospital. All patients are pregnant and quarantined while the world is racked by war and influenza. Both of these are unpredictable, killing at random, lasting longer than predicted and classless. This is an at times breath-taking, touching and emotional novel that sucks you into a feverish dream so you want to read on and on.

Taking place over three days, Nurse Power arrives for work to find herself temporarily in charge. Donoghue excels at the ordinary detail of Julia’s life, her journey to work, the arbitrary rules of the matron, the needs at home of her war-damaged soldier brother Tim who is now mute. On the day the story stars, Julia’s only help comes from an untrained young volunteer, Bridie McSweeney, who acts as a runner to find doctor or orderly as required. The figure of three recurs – three beds, three days, three key characters. The third, Doctor Kathleen Lynn, is a real person, her history documented. She was arrested during the 1916 Easter Rising and in The Pull of the Stars is wanted by the police as a rebel. Power and McSweeney are Donoghue’s inventions. Every character, major and minor, is touched by the twin enemies of war and flu.
Gradually we fall under the spell of Donoghue’s story as Julia and Bridie attend to the needs of their patients in the room with its handwritten note on the door, Maternity/Fever. As temperatures rise and coughs hack, labour pains rise and fall. Donoghue doesn’t skimp on the detail of labour, this isn’t for the squeamish, but she writes with such skill that makes you care for her patients too.
This novel pulls you into its drama and won’t let you go until the end. The ebb and flow of each patient’s condition, Julia’s never-ending fight to help them despite the lack of support, the joy of birth and grief of death, the irreverence and youth brought into the room by Bridie, the quiet and resolute calm of Doctor Lynn, are woven together to create a micro portrayal in this small room of the world in 1918. And bound into every page is the strength and hope of love. I read this book in two sittings.
Researched and written prior to Covid-19, this book is an eerie glimpse into how the Spanish Flu epidemic ravaged through a world at war a century ago, distracted and ill-equipped to deal with it.
A small grumble – I find the lack of speech marks jarring.

Read my reviews of these books by Emma Donoghue:-
AKIN
FROG MUSIC
THE WONDER

And read the first paragraph of ROOM.

If you like this, try:-
‘A Single Thread’ by Tracy Chevalier
‘Life Class’ by Pat Barker
‘A Long Long Way’ by Sebastian Barry

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE PULL OF THE STARS by Emma Donoghue https://wp.me/p5gEM4-4Ub via @SandraDanby

My Porridge & Cream read… Linda Jones @LJonesauthor #books #LordoftheRings

#BookReview ‘A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom’ by @JohnBoyneBooks #historical

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Where to start? A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom by John Boyne is like no other book I’ve read. It’s a historical, classical, contemporary mash-up which takes a group of characters on a journey through the centuries, starting with Palestine in AD1 and ending in AD2080 living in a colony in space. The same group of characters feature in each chapter, advancing in time and moving location, each time with different names though always starting with the same letter. In Palestine we first hear the voice of our, in the beginning, unnamed sole protagonist. This is his story told in soundbite chapters. He starts with his own origins, the meeting of his father Marinus and mother Floriana and progresses across two thousand years to the near future. At times there is violence, much against women but also brutal murder, torture and random killing. There is betrayal, cruelty, prejudice, foolhardiness and bravery, love and loyalty. Essentially it is the story of one family – mother, father, two brothers and a sister. One brother has the strength and brutality of his father, the other has the creativity of his mother.
As the decades pass and the story progresses, the brothers progress through childhood to adults, they fight, argue, divide, meet and divide again. Each chapter offers a snapshot of a place and time in history, sometimes set against the backdrop of real events and people. And always the family is placed at the centre of the action, with a supporting cast of recognisable characters who re-appear.
To explain the story here is too complex and would contain too many spoilers. Read it for yourself but prepare to be challenged. The print book is 407 pages long. I read it on Kindle and it seemed longer than that. Some chapters whizz by, others creep. Each new time/setting includes a little recap from the end of the previous chapter, a device essential in the first third of the book but I think dispensable once the structure and device is familiar to the reader.
Such an ambitious project, I read it with a spirit of adventure, never knowing what was coming next.

Read my reviews of these other novels by John Boyne:-
A HISTORY OF LONELINESS
A LADDER TO THE SKY
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
EARTH #2ELEMENTS

If you like this, try:-
‘How to Stop Time’ by Matt Haig
‘The Pillars of the Earth’ by Ken Follett
‘Barkskins’ by Annie Proulx

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A TRAVELLER AT THE GATES OF WISDOM by @JohnBoyneBooks https://wp.me/p5gEM4-4TK via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ by Ken Follett @KMFollett #historical

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Why have I never discovered this book before? When I mentioned to friends I was reading it I was told ‘oh yes, it’s fantastic’. And fantastic it is. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett holds up a mirror to modern times. It is a historical thriller about the building of a twelfth century cathedral. The politics, governmental and religious, civil war, families torn asunder, romance, loss, courage and hope. It left me with a yearning to walk around a cathedral and study its architecture, better to understand the feat accomplished at Kingsbridge. The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of stonemason Tom Builder and his family, who in 1135 are on the verge of starvation. When they meet Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, so begins a relationship which lasts all their lives. Philip is a pragmatic monk. He knows his poor town must find a way to survive and decides to build a cathedral. Tom becomes his master builder. But there are enemies who want to thwart this ambition, greedy, ruthless men who change political sides with will, who pillage and rape, who store riches while their peasants starve. The differences are not just political and royal, they are between brothers too.
This is a long novel and for not one moment did that matter. If you like novels that create a world for you to lose yourself in, then this will suit you. This is the medieval world; when the crown is disputed by King Stephen and Maud, when a father abandons a baby because he cannot feed it, when outlaws live wild in the forests, when the wealthy and titled can rape and steal and get away with it. Through this morally thin time, there are beacons of light. Prior Philip is quiet, gentle and Machiavellian. Determined not to be beaten by bullies, that his town and citizens shall not lose their livelihoods, he motivates his villagers so they have the belief to stand up for their rights.
Don’t be put off because this book is about a cathedral. The cathedral is the glue that holds the community of Kingsbridge together, it gives the book its narrative drive. Ken Follett packs in so much historical detail and it is all relevant to the plot; despite its 1104 pages, this is a quick read. Highly recommended.
This is the first of the Kingsbridge trilogy, next is World Without End.

Click the titles to read my reviews of other Follett novels:-
THE EVENING AND THE MORNING #PREQUELKINGSBRIDGE
WORLD WITHOUT END #2KINGSBRIDGE
A COLUMN OF FIRE #3KINGSBRIDGE
THE ARMOUR OF LIGHT #4KINGSBRIDGE
NEVER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Last Hours’ by Minette Walters
‘Gone are the Leaves’ by Anne Donovan
‘The Ashes of London’ by Andrew Taylor #1FIREOFLONDON

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#BookReview THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH by @KMFollett https://wp.me/p5gEM4-3BF via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘The Orphan Twins’ by @LesleyEames #saga #historical

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Lily and Artie are ten-year old twins in Bermondsey. It is 1910. After the death of their parents, brother and sister are brought up by their laundress grandmother. Out of the blue, a benefactor gives Artie the chance of a proper education. Then Gran gets ill. The Orphan Twins by Lesley Eames is a story of how chances were different from girls and boys in the 1900s. Lily is at the core of this story both in terms of narrative and emotional heart. When Gran dies, the twins are tugged further apart. Lily encourages Artie to take his chance, seeing him educated in a way she can only dream of, watching as his accent and dress change and he looks more middle-class. Eames gives us a positive story about the changing role of women at the turn of the twentieth century. Deemed not worth educating, pragmatic Lily instead decides to work hard and gain as much experience as she can so at some point in the future she can fulfil her dream. Not yet sure what that dream is, she gains comfort from seeing Artie do well. It’s impossible not to love Lily, through all her wobbles and setbacks, she sets her shoulders straight and moves on. Until war threatens.
Told completely through Lily’s eyes, we see the country – and the opportunities for women – changing. The trio of best friends – Lily, Phyllis and Elsie – are inseparable despite having to make their own way in the world. Each has a talent that shines through. Facing difficulties and challenges, the girls encourage each other. Into their world come people they meet through work. The three girls, Artie, Hilda and Marion Tibbs, and Mr Bax become an extended family, supporting each other through shared love, loss and fear. Throughout the toughest of times, Lily and Artie show how perseverance, self-belief and hard work enable social mobility.
Reading this book was like snuggling into a blanket on a cold day. The Orphan Twins is full of emotion. It’s the first book I have read by Lesley Eames, now I want to explore the others.

If you like this, try:-
‘Pattern of Shadows’ by Judith Barrow
‘A Daughter’s Hope’ by Margaret Kaine
‘The Orphan’s Gift’ by Renita D’Silva

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
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#BookReview ’Summerwater’ by Sarah Moss #contemporary

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Twenty-four hours in the Scottish countryside, twelve people are staying in holiday cabins beside an isolated loch. Summerwater by Sarah Moss starts off with strangers concerned with the minutiae of their own lives and ends with a tragedy. This is beautifully written with sly humour coupled with sensory description of the place which puts you right there. The pace is slow and contemplative, taking time to plait together the observations by characters and the actual names, so carefully building together a picture of a temporary community. At first, they make assumptions and generalisations about each other. A retired couple sit and look out at the rain, reminiscing about the previous years they spent in this cabin. A young mother runs in all weathers and at all times of day, leaving her husband to look after the children. A teenager escapes the boredom of his bedroom by kayaking around the loch. The Romanian family, who party all night and don’t know how to behave, are the only ones seeming to have fun on holiday. They are also the only ones whose viewpoint we don’t hear, setting them apart from the rest. While at night a shadow stands in the woods, watching.
I never did get the identity of some characters straight in my head and the building of tension – the shadow in the woods – didn’t convince me. I didn’t feel it was necessary as I quickly became fascinated by the setting and the gradual interaction of characters. The constant rain acts as a claustrophobia device keeping everyone inside, feeling trapped, looking out and watching others, making judgements.
Summerwater is also darkly funny. Don’t miss the chuckle-out-loud scene when Milly and Josh are having sex but she’s thinking about a cup of tea and a bacon butty. The chapters about people are alternated with short sections about the natural world – a deer and fawn, the geology of the rocks, the origin of water flowing into the loch, bats, birds waiting for the rain to stop. These briefly pause the story – most are two paragraphs long – but add to the sense of place.
Most definitely not a page-turner in the thriller sense, Summerwater ends abruptly. It is however thick with atmosphere. The rain, the wet vegetation, the finger-chilling cold, the sense of the holiday park, the loch and earth being much older than the visitors. It is a book about a day in which not a lot happens, showing how small things become big when you are bored, and how we are all inter-connected.

And here’s my review of another novel by Sarah Moss:-
GHOST WALL

If you like this, try:-
‘Akin’ by Emma Donoghue
‘These Dividing Walls’ by Fran Cooper
‘Anderby Wold’ by Winifred Holtby

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview SUMMERWATER by Sarah Moss https://wp.me/p5gEM4-4SD via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘Endless Skies’ by @JaneCable #contemporary #romance

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Jane Cable writes with a great sense of place and her latest novel, Endless Skies, is set in North Lincolnshire, a place of wide horizons, mists and endless views. Her books always have an element of the supernatural and Endless Skies doesn’t disappoint, from shadowy figures in a field to the lingering scent of lily-of-the-valley. Rachel Ward, an archaeology lecturer, leaves her old job after a disastrous workplace affair and moves to Lincoln University. Living in a soulless box of a flat, she makes friends with Jem who lives on a barge moored on the nearby canal. Jem is a solid steady character and becomes a mentor, almost father-like figure for Rachel who has made bad choices in the past and seems set to repeat the pattern. Jem’s new lodger, student Ben, tempts Rachel’s newly sworn promise to foreswear men. Meanwhile she takes on a freelance contract for property developer Jonathan Daubney. As she researches her report on a prospective development site at an old wartime airbase, Rachel and Jonathan fall into an instant ‘hate’ relationship.
The past is ever-present in this story which explores how what has gone before is never absent from our everyday lives, whether by actions in our lifetime or events that happened long ago. Markers are there to be seen, most clearly evident in Rachel’s fieldwalking on the old airfield where pieces of old metal are scattered. As they may belong to a wartime bomber that crashed and exploded in this place, Rachel must consult a ballistics expert and dig test pits. And so the past delays the present, as Jonathan is unable to proceed with his property plans until Rachel’s report is finished. Cable handles well the personal and work conflicts between Rachel and Jonathan. Both are emotionally damaged in ways which are gradually revealed.
My favourite character was Esther, an elderly resident at the care home run by Jonathan’s mother. As a teenager in the war, Esther worked at the laundry on the airbase and she is key to our understanding of the book. As Rachel teases out Esther’s memories, the interlinked past and the present starts to make sense.
This is a contemporary romance and is firmly rooted in the present day but I would love to know more about the wartime story of Freddie, Teo and Esther. It was so uplifting to read about a firmly-rooted friendship between two women, Rachel and Esther – one young, the other elderly – and see how they enrich each other’s lives.

Read my reviews of Jane Cable’s other books:-
ANOTHER YOU
THE CHEESEMAKER’S HOUSE

Also by Jane Cable, writing as Eva Glyn:-
THE COLLABORATOR’S DAUGHTER
THE MISSING PIECES OF US

If you this, try:-
‘Please Release Me’ by Rhoda Baxter
‘The Perfect Affair’ by Claire Dyer
‘My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You’ by Louisa Young

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview ENDLESS SKIES by @JaneCable https://wp.me/p5gEM4-4RQ via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘Love in a Cold Climate’ by Nancy Mitford #satire #historical

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A companion novel to The Pursuit of Love, Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford is a tale of a group of aristocratic families, told by narrator Fanny Wincham. Both novels are stories about other people, rather than about Fanny herself. Love in a Cold Climate is about Lady Leopoldina ‘Polly’ Hampton and, like all Mitford’s novels, there is a satire in her portrayal of the whims and foibles of the English upper class. It is like reading of a lost world though the satire in this novel is less biting than her earlier novels. Mitford does create unforgettable characters. Not Fanny who, like Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, is something of a transparent uncomplicated observer, but Lady Montdore and Cedric are both memorable, especially when seen together. The novel finally takes off with the appearance of Cedric but there is quite a lot of background to set up before this point is reached. In a modern novel, the background would be slipped in carefully so allowing the story’s conflict to be quickly addressed.
Eighteen-year old Fanny lives with relatives due to the absence of her separated parents. Among her neighbours are the Montdores of Hampton near Oxford, recently returned from India where Lord Montdore was viceroy. Polly, also eighteen, reflects on the differing nature of love in a hot, and a cold climate. In the early pages Polly’s mother Lady Montdore despairs of her daughter ever falling in love with a young man and giving birth to the next heir of the Montdore fortune. Unfortunately for them, their only child Polly falls in love with an unsuitable older man. A family rift ensues, Polly is disinherited and flees abroad with her new husband. Into this vacuum arrives the new heir, a distant relative from the Canadian branch of the family. Cedric is something of a surprise and Fanny, expecting the Montdores to hate him on sight, watches with amazement as the foppish outrageous Cedric wins a place in their hearts. When Polly returns from Sicily, she finds a changed world.
This is not a plot-driven novel which at times was frustrating, leaving me with the feeling that the narrative was drifting along. This is remedied with the arrival of conflict, ie Cedric, who comes alive off the page. I did long to hear the internal monologues of Cedric and Lady Montdore; not of Polly though, who remains a rather flat uninspiring character. I started reading the novel thinking it was Polly’s story, but finishing it thinking it was about her mother and Cedric. Not as laugh-out-loud as Mitford’s earlier novels.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK

Read my reviews of these other novels by Nancy Mitford:-
CHRISTMAS PUDDING
HIGHLAND FLING
PIGEON PIE
THE BLESSING
THE PURSUIT OF LOVE
WIGS ON THE GREEN

Read the first paragraph of THE PURSUIT OF LOVE here.

If you like this, try these:-
‘Half of the Human Race’ by Anthony Quinn
‘The Long View’ by Elizabeth Howard
‘Amy Snow’ by Tracy Rees

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE by Nancy Mitford https://wp.me/p5gEM4-3U2 via @SandraDanby

My Porridge & Cream read… @AlexMarchant84 #books #childrensfiction

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Today I’m delighted to welcome children’s author Alex Marchant. Her ‘Porridge & Cream’ read is Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, first in the ‘Dark is Rising’ sequence of five books.

“Although I’m generally not one for re-reading books often, when Sandra kindly invited me to contribute my Porridge and Cream book, it took only a moment’s reflection to realize what it was: Susan Cooper’s ‘Over Sea, Under Stone’. Read first when I was ten or eleven – the ideal age for it and the ‘Dark is Rising’ sequence of which it is the first book – and read every few years since, it was the novel that called strongly to me during the early days of this spring’s lockdown in response to the upsurge of Coronavirus in the UK.

Alex’s copy of ‘Over Sea, Under Stone’

“Set during an idyllic summer in the mystical land of Logres (aka Cornwall), it follows the holiday adventures of the Drew children – Simon, Jane and Barney – along with borrowed red setter Rufus, as they battle the malevolent forces of ‘The Dark’ in a search for an ancient grail, aided only by a treasure map and their mysterious great-uncle Merry. As in many of her books, Cooper masterfully interweaves the ordinary lives of modern (well, 1960s/70s) children with local and national legends, seasons with plenty of ‘mild peril’, and serves up an exciting treat for younger readers – and a nostalgic feast for older ones such as myself.

“I haven’t been to Cornwall for too many years, but in a springtime when travel was impossible, ‘Over Sea, Under Stone’ went some way towards satisfying a yearning to be somewhere (and somewhen) else than in 2020 England ravaged by a pandemic. Being transported to a simpler time, when I knew everything would be ‘all right in the end’ (at least until the next book), was a comfort in those uncertain times. Perhaps more so than my usual escape from the twenty-first century – into the fifteenth century of my own books (despite the latter having been heavily influenced by Susan Cooper’s work themselves in their strong sense of place and their focus on the adventures of a similar closely knit group of young characters). I know where I’d rather be at this precise moment!”
BUY THE BOOK

Alex’s Bio
Children’s author Alex Marchant was born and raised in the rolling Surrey downs, but, following stints as an archaeologist and in publishing in London and Gloucester, now lives and works surrounded by the moors of ‘Brontë Country’, close to the northern heartland of King Richard III, the leading character of The Order of the White Boar sequence. The sequence was begun in 2013 after the announcement of the rediscovery of King Richard’s grave in a car park in Leicester, to seize the perfect opportunity to tell young people the story of the real king – rather than Shakespeare’s murderous villain. With its sequel, The King’s Man, The Order tells King Richard’s story through the eyes of a young page in his service, and the books have been called ‘a wonderful work of historical fiction for both children and adults’ by the Bulletin of the Richard III Society. Alex has also edited two anthologies of short fiction inspired by the maligned king – Grant Me the Carving of My Name and Right Trusty and Well Beloved…, both of which are sold to raise funds for Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK), a charity which supports young people with the same spinal condition as King Richard – and is currently writing a third book in the White Boar sequence, provisionally entitled ‘King in Waiting’, and also reworking an earlier novel for publication, the 2012 Chapter One Children’s Book Award winner Time out of Time.

Alex’s links
Alex on Twitter
Matthew Wansford on Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Alex’s latest book
The Order of the White Boar, together with its sequel The King’s Man, tells the story of the real King Richard III, not Shakespeare’s murderous villain, through the eyes of a page in his service at the majestic castle of Middleham in the Yorkshire Dales. Twelve-year-old merchant’s son and talented singer Matthew Wansford secures his position as page despite having left York Minster song school under a cloud. He soon makes friends with fellow page Roger, Alys, a ward of the Queen, and Duke Richard of Gloucester’s only son, Edward, but also encounters a brutal bully, Hugh Soulsby, son of an executed traitor. Suitable for ages 10 to 110, The Order of the White Boar follows Matt and his friends’ adventures as the final days of the Wars of the Roses unfold towards the fateful Battle of Bosworth – and beyond….
BUY THE BOOK

Discover the ‘Porridge & Cream’ books of these authors:-
Margaret Skea’s choice is ‘Anne of Green Gables’ by LM Montgomery
Laura Wilkinson chooses ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is chosen by Renita D’Silva

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
Why does children’s author @AlexMarchant84 re-read OVER SEA, UNDER STONE by Susan Cooper #books https://wp.me/p5gEM4-4QG via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘V2’ by @Robert_Harris #WW2 #thriller

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Mostly written during the 2020 virus lockdown, V2 by Robert Harris is a World War Two thriller like no other I have read – and I’ve read a few. I’ve been a Harris fan since the beginning with Fatherland. V2 is different because it tells two stories – the technical development of the V2 rockets, and five days in November 1944 when the lives of a German rocket engineer and British spy are changed by this weapon. Harris skilfully handles truth, fiction, engineering details and mathematical calculations, adding two fictional characters to create a page turning story. The V2 rocket is placed firmly at the centre of this book. Without it, there would be no story. Originally conceived by scientists as a space project, the V2 was a hateful weapon that inspired fear. Unlike its predecessor the V1 which could be seen and heard before it descended giving time to take cover, the V2 hit without warning. It was also highly unreliable, going off-target, exploding at launch, crashing at sea, killing the people who built it – slave labourers – and launch crews.
The story opens as rocket engineer Dr Graf is trying to concentrate on pre-launch missile checks on the Dutch coast at Scheveningen. He is interrupted by the arrival of a Nazi officer. The rocket is launched. In London, WAAF officer Kay Caton-Walsh emerges from a bathroom wrapped in a towel. Her assignation with her married lover ends when the V2 lands on their building. Harris’s tightly plotted story sees Kay moved from London-based photo reconnaissance, studying launch sites of the rockets, to Mechelen in Belgium. There she and a team of female mathematicians calculate the flight trajectory of the rocket, tracking it backwards to identify the launch site for Allied fighter-bombers to target. As Dr Graf is pressured to launch rockets more frequently than is safe, Kay can’t shake the feeling she is being followed through the strange shadowy streets of Mechelen.
Occasionally the technical details get in the way of the story but what is most fascinating are the portrayals of the German and British leadership at a time when the end of the war seemed to be approaching. Doubts and regrets by some on the German side are balanced by fanatical demands and obsessive management from the SS. In London, key decisions about the defence of the nation are influenced by an extra-marital affair. On both sides, the men at the top making the decisions seem apart from real life. An excellent read, it is a race against time as Kay and her colleagues try to identify the launch locations and Dr Graf is questioned by the Gestapo. I raced through it.
I was fascinated to read the Author’s Note at the end, explaining the inspiration behind the book. In September 2016, Harris read an obituary in The Times of 95-year old Eileen Younghusband, formerly a WAAF officer at Mechelen.

Read my reviews of these other thrillers, also by Robert Harris:-
AN OFFICER AND A SPY
MUNICH

If you like this, try:-
‘The Accident’ by Chris Pavone
‘The Second Midnight’ by Andrew Taylor
‘The Farm’ by Tom Rob Smith

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview V2 by @Robert_Harris https://wp.me/p5gEM4-4Rs via @SandraDanby

	#BookReview ‘Death C… on #BookReview ‘Murder on the Dan…
	#BookReview ‘Death C… on #BookReview ‘Murder in the Sno…
	#BookReview ‘Death C… on #BookReview ‘Agatha Raisin and…
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	#BookReview ‘Death C… on #BookReview ‘The Marlow Murder…

SANDRA DANBY'S BOOK REVIEWS

Sharing thoughts on the books I read, new authors, favourite authors, classics re-visisted

#BookReview ‘The Pull of the Stars’ by Emma Donoghue #historical

My Porridge & Cream read… Linda Jones @LJonesauthor #books #LordoftheRings

#BookReview ‘A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom’ by @JohnBoyneBooks #historical

#BookReview ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ by Ken Follett @KMFollett #historical

#BookReview ‘The Orphan Twins’ by @LesleyEames #saga #historical

#BookReview ’Summerwater’ by Sarah Moss #contemporary

#BookReview ‘Endless Skies’ by @JaneCable #contemporary #romance

#BookReview ‘Love in a Cold Climate’ by Nancy Mitford #satire #historical

My Porridge & Cream read… @AlexMarchant84 #books #childrensfiction

#BookReview ‘V2’ by @Robert_Harris #WW2 #thriller

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