Book Reviews

The story of Mary Queen of Scots, imprisoned for many years by order of Elizabeth I until she was finally executed for her part in various plots to overthrow Elizabeth.

The story is told from a range of perspectives – by Mary herself, and by the Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife, Bess of Hardwick who are responsible for her safekeeping and virtual house arrest for many years.  

An interesting slant on this tragic figure, though it is not such a fast-paced read as the other Tudor novels by Gregory – mainly due to the fact that Mary’s early life and various marriages are described after the event rather than as they enfold. Still a good read for those fascinated by this turbulent period.

A comic tale of complicated relationships over three generations of a Bangladeshi family. 

Indian chick lit – gentle and unchallenging.

This is the seventh and final book in the Meredith Gentry series. A fantasy epic, which mixes Fairie, with mystery in modern America. Will Princess Meredith keep herself, her babies and her guards safe from her enemies? 

Will she finally get a “Fairie Tale” ending?     

This novel is set against the backdrop of Japan from the Imperialist past to its modern wealth.  It centres on one woman's true story.  The panorama of history and culture does at times dwarf the character and plot.  But it is so beautifully written that you are swept along despite getting little insight into the soul of the main character - Yamaguchi a beautiful Japanese film star.

Jim Curran has spent much of his life rock climbing and film-making on major expeditions to the Himalayas and other parts of the world. As age creeps up on him, and with the loss of several close friends in climbing accidents, he decides to undertake a journey of adventure without the need of his passport. So, in the summer of 2000, he sets off to cycle from the north to south of Britain along a winding route revisiting some old climbs and catching up with old friends. Unfortunately for Jim the summer turns out to be one of the wettest on record but for the reader it only adds to the fun of this entertaining journey. Starting at Muckle Flugga lighthouse in the northern Shetlands he finally arrives at Lands End on his trusty bicycle which is by now known as ‘The Beast’. Jim is also a well-known artist and the book is illustrated with some wonderful pencil drawings he completed along the way. This is a very enjoyable read – the author has a deft touch and a very wry sense of humour – the incident with the fly is one the reader will remember for a long time! 

An inspiring range of photos to inspire artists working in a range of media – from clay to textiles.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first Discworld novel and our reading group was asked to read and review one of the books. I have to confess to never having read any Terry Pratchett books but I’m now a total convert and would really recommend other readers to try them. William de Worde suddenly finds his little newsletter transformed into the ‘Daily Mail’ of Discworld when he stumbles across a group of dwarves setting up their new invention – a printing press with movable type. The truth will out, or at least it’s going to try to, any minute. Words can now be taken apart and made into other words, which is downright dangerous! There’s a real chance that people will find out what’s really going on! A wonderful cast of characters bring the story to life and include a talking dog called Gaspode, a secret informant known as Deep Bone and, my favourite, a vampire who is on the wagon. This is a laugh out loud book but also a great read for book groups with lots of issues to discuss. It is a brilliantly funny ‘Brave New World’ for the 21st century.

Kate Atkinson's third Jackson Brodie novel grows out of the terrible traumas that children and young people must endure when people they love die violently.
Five separate plot lines evolve and overlap, and in each of these plots the main characters are all needy people hiding an inner loneliness from which they would like to escape, including prickly, self-loathing policewoman Louise Monroe; Joanna, now a doctor, who as a six-year-old witnessed the brutal killing of her mother and siblings by a knife-wielding madman in the British countryside, and Latin-loving Reggie (Regina), whose mother has recently died in a freak swimming pool accident.
There are plenty of amusing moments, and I love Kate Atkinson’s style and the Edinburgh setting, but it felt a little cluttered - too many perspectives; too many personal tragedies; too much drama and bloody violence. I felt that an awful lot had been packed in along the way and some of it began to feel like a coincidence too far. It would also be useful to have read the previous books featuring Jackson Brodie, as this would help in disentangling the various plot lines.

Set in the future, the Earth has experienced floods and drought because of years of pollution, and is now ruled by Federations. The Federations own all the Earth’s natural resources and use these to wield power. Most of the Earth’s inhabitants have little freedom and their lives are dictated by the Federation. Books are illegal and would bring an instant death sentence to anyone who is discovered with one in their possession.

This book started off very promisingly, with a disturbing vision of a future Earth after environmental destruction, and there were some interesting characters with potential for development.   However, it is as if the second half of the book has been written by someone else. It goes off into improbable landscapes and scientific fantasies, and becomes a totally different book. 

Disappointing after a promising start.