The Van Apfel Girls are Gone is a really atmospheric book, set during a blazing summer in 80s Australia. You can just feel the heat and sweat dripping off the pages, and smell the stench of the valley. While these descriptions evoke such a strong sense of place and make this quite a literary feeling … Continue reading Book Review: The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone – Felicity McLean
Category: Book Review
Blog Tour: This Green and Pleasant Land – Ayisha Malik
This Green and Pleasant Land is a charming book about community, and in particular what that means in modern-day, multicultural Britain. The novel begins with a series of big changes in Bilal Hasham's life: his mother has just died, his elderly Aunt Rukhsana has just come to live with him, and his marriage is going through … Continue reading Blog Tour: This Green and Pleasant Land – Ayisha Malik
Book Review: There You Are – Mathea Morais
There You Are is a novel that has been on my to read list for a while, and I'm so pleased that I picked it up this summer. There You Are is a powerful novel, with extremely memorable characters and important reflections on race relations in America. Octavian Munroe and Mina Rose fall in love … Continue reading Book Review: There You Are – Mathea Morais
Review: Sisters – Daisy Johnson
Sisters is the new novel from Daisy Johnson, the Booker shortlisted author of Everything Under. It is an eerily beautiful Gothic novel about family bonds, and in particular the strong sibling connection between sisters September and July. Johnson encapsulates so much in this concise novel; it is a family drama, a coming of age novel, … Continue reading Review: Sisters – Daisy Johnson
Blog Tour: The Jane Austen Society – Natalie Jenner
When I first heard about The Jane Austen Society, I knew it sounded like exactly what I was looking for right now - a story about village life, community and the love of reading. It is set in the 1940s in the village of Chawton in Hampshire, where Jane Austen lived for several years. I grew … Continue reading Blog Tour: The Jane Austen Society – Natalie Jenner
Review: She-Clown and Other Stories – Hannah Vincent
I absolutely love short stories, and this fierce, feminist collection is an absolute winner! It has been a little while since I got properly stuck into a short story collection, and after I'd written reams of notes about the first story (which is about 6 pages long), I remembered why a good short story is … Continue reading Review: She-Clown and Other Stories – Hannah Vincent
February: That’s a Wrap!
This is very much a case of 'better late than never'! Although we're now well into March, here are the books that I read in February... It was a good old mix of fiction and non-fiction, new recommendations and books that have been on my list for a while. The Animals at Lockwood Manor, by … Continue reading February: That’s a Wrap!
Review: Topics of Conversation – Miranda Popkey
Topics of Conversation, by Miranda Popkey presents a series of moments in one woman's life - from her student days, to marriage, to single motherhood. These different snapshots of her life read almost as a series of short stories, following chronologically through her life.These experiences of life as a woman are varied - free; oppressive; … Continue reading Review: Topics of Conversation – Miranda Popkey
Review: Adults – Emma Jane Unsworth
This book was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 - I actually haven't read Unsworth's hugely acclaimed Animals yet, but the description of Adults just immediately grabbed me. It sounded like a warm and hugely funny take on what it is like to be a woman in her 30s in the modern world, … Continue reading Review: Adults – Emma Jane Unsworth
Review: All the Water in The World – Karen Raney
All the Water in The World tells of a family trying to come to terms with terrible tragedy: Maddy, only sixteen, has been diagnosed with cancer. These terrible circumstances expose the beautiful and complex bond between a mother and her daughter. The story is told in alternating chapters between Maddy and her mother Eve. What … Continue reading Review: All the Water in The World – Karen Raney