Book Review: The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

Rating: 5/5
Number of pages: 272
First published: 2012 (May 1st)
Genre: contemporary fiction
I got this book: for review from Harper (an imprint of HarperCollins)

This was a real fun book to read! The beginning of the book reminded me of The Stranger’s Child (Alan Hollinghurst) while the ending was more like Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons). Of course, the story is nothing like these books, it’s just me with my weird associations!

The Uninvited Guests: What it is about

At Sterne Manor, around 1900, things are not well. Edward Swift, the man of the house, has gone to Manchester in an attempt to borrow money that will save the family from having to sell their house. It’s also his stepdaughter Emerald’s 20th birthday and preparations are made for a wonderful dinner.

Then a group of unexpected guests arrive – a train has derailed and this being the nearest house to the accident, the survivors have been sent here. Caroline, Edwards wife and Emerald’s mother, does not concern herself with such matters and leaves it to her Emerald and Clovis, her teenage son, to take care of the guests. In fact, she’s not very good at taking care of anything because there is also the much younger daughter Smudge, who has spent days in her bedroom pretending to be ill, with not a single visit from her mother to check up on her.

Meanwhile, the invited guests have also arrived – a childhood friend of Emerald’s and her brother, and the nearby farmer who is richer than the Swifts themselves (who Caroline wouldn’t mind marrying Emerald).

The guests from the rail accident want to know when they can leave (and would like some food in the mean time, please), the dinner party is about to begin, and Emerald and the servants are trying to keep on top of it all. Then another uninvited, and unwelcome, guest arrives at the house. Things run out of hand fast.

The Uninvited Guests: What I thought

I loved this book. The atmosphere is great, there is a real sense of being in a manor house, snobbish Caroline, working-class railroad guests and it reads just like a book written in the era itself. I also loved the supernatural feel of the story – what’s real and what isn’t?

The quirkyness of the story is great too: the mother who doesn’t care about most things, the farmer who is richer than the manor house owners, the problems phoning the railway for information, a horse that is brought into the house, the dinner games that are played and so much more.

It was beautifully written but still a fast read. I mentally chuckled all the way through the book.

Book Review: The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Rating: 4/5
I read this in: English, the original language
Number of pages: 496
First published: 2012 (April 3rd)
Genre: historical fiction
I got this: for review from Harper as an e-galley

I haven’t read all of Trigiani’s books, but I’ve read quite a few. I looked at Adriana Trigiani’s website and of the 14 books shown there, I’ve read 8. Make that 9, if we include The Shoemaker’s Wife.

This new book, The Shoemaker’s Wife, is reminiscent of the Big Stone Gap series, in that it’s a story that spans almost a whole life time. Only this time, the whole story is in one book, rather than three. As the book is the story of the lives of Ciro and Enza, with its ups and downs, and its quiet moments, the tension in the story fell away several times and this book could easily have been three separate stories. I think I would have liked that better.

Saying that, I very much enjoyed reading the book!

The Shoemaker’s Wife: What it is about

Harper, the publishers, say this: “The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in villages just a few miles apart. When Ciro catches the local priest in a scandal, he is banished from his village and sent to hide in America as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Little Italy. Without explanation, he leaves a bereft Enza behind. Soon, Enza’s family faces disaster and she, too, is forced to go to America with her father to secure their future.

Unbeknownst to one another, they both build fledgling lives in America, Ciro masters shoemaking and Enza takes a factory job in Hoboken until fate intervenes and reunites them. But it is too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in World War I and Enza, determined to forge a life without him, begins her impressive career as a seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of the international singing sensation, Enrico Caruso. From the stately mansions of Carnegie Hill, to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, over the perilous cliffs of northern Italy, to the white-capped lakes of northern Minnesota, these star-crossed lovers meet and separate, until, finally, the power of their love changes both of their lives forever.”

The Shoemaker’s Wife: What I thought

I had a good time with this book. I enjoyed especially the beginning, when both Ciro and Enza are living a life in poverty in neighboring villages in Italy around the year 1900. They haven’t got an easy time, but they have their family and life is as good as it can be. At first, their lives in America are hard and difficult but soon they start to make a good living, because of their skill and hard work. They spend a long time separate from each other in the book, and only meet up a few times. Later, their fates come together.

There is a strong focus in the book on family, and, for lack of a family as immigrants, on close friendships. Both Ciro and Enza survive their initial time in America through good friendships, which they keep for life, even when settled with their own family. But even so, their family back in Italy remains important to them, too.

The book spans a period from around 1900 to 1945 and it is very good at setting out a kind of American dream, where immigrants without any money make a good life for themselves through hard work and fair play. Life isn’t always kind but sometimes does throw unexpected pleasures and treasures at our protagonists.

This is historical fiction for Big Stone Gap fans. And if you don’t know that series, why not read it after you’ve enjoyed The Shoemaker’s Wife?

As this story is loosely based on Trigiani’s grandparents’ stories, I’m now curious to check my copy of Don’t Sing at the Table, which is a memoir in which Trigiani describes the (real) lives of her two grandmothers in some detail. Now my only regret is that I don’t have a paper copy of The Shoemaker’s Wife (I got an e-galley), to go with the other seven books I own by Adriana Trigiani.

Extra: Check out this tv interview with Adriana Trigiani. It’s funny and, in my European eyes, really over the top. But hey, it’s only a few minutes! So have a look at Trigiani in real life.

Book Review: The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

I read a few chapters of this book in a Dutch pre-publication booklet and decided this book would be worth reading. I saw it in the library last week and picked it up straight away. And started more or less straight away.

Never mind the rest of the reading pile!

The Story of Beautiful Girl: What it is about

The story is told from the perspectives of three people: Lynnie, a young woman, her boyfriend Number 42, who is a lot older than her, and Martha, a widow who lives alone on a farm.

The book starts in 1968 when young, white Lynnie and the much older black deaf Number 42 knock on Martha’s door. They are clearly on the run from something and Martha lets them dry off from the rain and gives them some new clothes. When the pursuers catch up with the couple, Lynnie and Number 42 leave behind their new-born baby, hidden in the attic, and Martha promises to look after it.

Lynnie is caught and sent back to where she came from: the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, where the inmates are treated badly (no education, sharing a toothbrush between the whole group, cruel staff, etc.). She’s got one friend, Doreen, a Down Syndrome girl who she is very close to.

Number 42, who has no known name as he couldn’t say his name when he arrived at the School, has disappeared and for a while, it’s not clear whether he has or has not drowned in a nearby river.

Martha, who was a school teacher before she retired, meanwhile worries about the authorities asking questions about the baby, and she decides to hide at the houses of some of her ex-pupils who have always kept in touch with her, and who have moved further afield. The farm is left unoccupied and she eventually sells it via her sollicitor.

Lynnie doesn’t find out for many years what happened to her baby, while her baby, Julia, asks her “grandmother” Martha about her real parents and doesn’t get a satisfactory answer until she’s in her twenties. Eventually, the reader as well as most of the characters in the story, does find out what exactly happened to the three protagonists and their baby.

The Story of Beautiful Girl: What I thought

This book started with a bang: a new-born baby is left with a widow on a farm, while the mother is sent back to an institution and the father is on the run. Four different lives to follow and to care about.

All of the stories are interesting. They intersect only a few times, briefly, but most of the time we follow the lives of the three adults. Beautiful Girl is Lynnie. Number 42 calls her that (in his head, as he cannot communicate).

Of course, the story of Lynnie in the institution is infuriating. In 1968 there is no-one looking out for the ‘mentally feeble’ and they are treated badly, almost as animals. Giving someone a number if you don’t know their name? How despicable is that? When circumstances change, it turns out Lynnie can learn things, quite a lot, actually, as long as she’s given the opportunity. The same is true for Number 42, it turns out that he can communicate after all.

The book demonstrates well how institutions in the US have improved over the years (and this is the case in many other countries too). At some point, this seems to be the main focus of the book, although Lynnie search for Julia is always present as a topic, too.

While most of the book is very believable, the story ends with a number of coincidences that didn’t convince me. But overall, this is a well-written and beautiful book.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I got this book: from the library

I read this in: Dutch (Het verhaal van mooi meisje), the original language is English

Number of pages: 368

First published: 2011

Genre: historical fiction

Quick Book Review: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I read this in: Dutch (De waterspuwer), the original language is English
Number of pages: 478
First published: 2008
Genre: contemporary fiction, historical fiction

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The narrator of the book is a successful and good looking porn actor and producer who is badly burned after a car accident. He spends many months at the burns unit in the hospital and doesn’t really care about life anymore. In fact, he plans to commit suicide the moment he’ll get out of the hospital.

But then he meets another patient, from the psychiatrics ward, Marianne. She is rather strange but he enjoys talking to her. She tells him stories about the past, and claims to be 700 years old herself. She also thinks they used to be lovers in previous lives.

The man assumes she’s schizophrenic but she does know some things about him that she couldn’t possibly know. When he gets further involved with her, he finds out how crazy she really is, but he starts to care for her a lot.

It was an interesting story, with a good mix of contemporary fiction and historical fiction. At first, I wasn’t keen to be reading stories within the story, but this actually worked well and eventually, I wanted to know what happened in the past as much as I wanted to know what would happen in the current time.

Book Review: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Genre: historical fiction, classic
First Published: 1937
I read this in: English, the original language
Number of pages: 107
Rating: 5/5

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Of Mice and Men: What it is about

George and Lennie are laborers who have been promised a job on a farm. George warns Lennie not to say much, so no one will find out he’s rather dumb. He has the mind of a child, but is as strong as an ox. They had to flee their previous job because of something Lennie did.

The young boss at the new farm recently got married. His new wife is considered a slut by the farm workers, and they all try to stay out of trouble by ignoring her, but her husband keeps thinking one of the men is after her. He has his eye on Lennie, and Lennie promises George that he will stay out of trouble.

They dream of getting their own small farm house were Lennie wants to take care of the rabbits. This is his greatest ambition in life: to take care of soft, furry rabbits. George likes to dream but doesn’t expect it will ever happen.

Then Lennie gets into trouble after all and everything turns sour.

Of Mice and Men: What I thought

5 out of 5 stars. This was a book that had been on my TBR for ages! I’ve read several other books by Steinbeck and loved them all.

I loved how George looked after Lennie even though he didn’t have to. He was kind to him although without him, his life would be so much easier. George tried to keep Lennie out of trouble and Lennie tried to keep out of trouble, but because of his limited intellectual capabilities he failed every time. This was so tragic.

The book was written very well. The story slowly revealed more of who Lennie and George were and what problems Lennie had. It was clear that things would never be favorable for him. A tragic story that I enjoyed reading.

Announcing Winner of Giveaway

The giveaway for The Discovery of Jeanne Baret by Glynis Ridley is now over! A winner has been chosen using random.org.

And the winner is….

AMY

of

The House of the Seven Tails

CONGRATULATIONS, AMY!!!

I’ve send Amy and email to ask for her address.

Thank-you to everyone else who entered.

Book Review: The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst

This book wasn’t one I’d have chosen myself but it was a choice for my real-life book group. In a way, it was good to be “forced” to read this book, as I had never read anything by this author before but I had been curious to read something by him.

It was very literary, and not an awful lot happened. Which was fine, it just was rather long. A shorter book that is as well-written as this, would have been just as satisfactory.

The Stranger’s Child: What it is about

The book describes several generations of two families that become intertwined when their sons become friends. More than friends, it is suspected. The sister of one of them marries into the other family.

One of the friends is a poet, Cecil Valance, who becomes sligthly famous in his time, around the first world-war. Other members of the families also become published authors.

In the later parts of the book, people who are fascinated by the Cecil the poet, start to dig into the families’ past. Some family members are happy to cooperate while others are rather sceptical about why they should reveal the good and the bad about their family.

The Stranger’s Child: What I thought

I liked how the book described the rise and fall of an aristocratic family from the beginning of the previous century. The descriptions and events seemed very life-like and believable. I felt as if I was given a window in time to meet some interesting characters with a high sense of etiquette but above all, a great sense of self-interest.

There were some weak points in the book. For instance, at some point, a young man called Paul started to investigate the family. As far as I could see, Paul becomes involved with this family by accident, but coincidentally, he was already interested in Cecil Valance. The same with Peter, the teacher who worked at the school that used to be the Valances’ mansion. I didn’t buy that. Valance wasn’t a famous poet so where did all these Valance-obsessed people come from?

There was a fair degree of homosexuality in this book, or, in the earlier decades of the story, hints of it. All in the best possible taste, just more so than in the average fiction novel.

The writing was beautiful, funny at times and a pleasure to read. If you enjoy literary fiction then this is definitely a good read. I do enjoy literary fiction, but preferably in smaller measures than this. The book seemed unnecessarily long. It wasn’t the case that the book went on beyond what was necessary, but more that each part of the book could have been reduced in size.

Rating: 4/5

I got this book: bought at a book shop

I read this in: English, the original language

Number of pages: 564

First published: 2011

Genre: literary fiction, historical fiction