Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt

I can’t believe I finished this*: finished isn't the right word. I suffered it. Why bother if it’s that bad?, you might ask. Well, I'm stubbornly, pedantically, a non-DNFer.

Tedious. Laborious. Mind-numbingly boring. Plotless, with a vague and unsatisfying ending. (See About the Book below.)

The two main characters are equally unengaging with not an ounce of personality between them: one a spoilt, lazy, rich kid, the other a socially awkward, robotic, rich kid. Together, after a few years in the finance industry, they start their own tidal-energy business.

Alexander Starritt is undeniably a very articulate writer, but polished prose can't save a novel that is double the length it needs to be. The dialogue is flat, every character is unrelatable, and then there was one other irritation: why does a British author use American spelling?

I'm now prescribing myself a few fast-paced thrillers to recover from this slow, joyless slog.

I'm sorry, Mr Starritt. This simply wasn't my cup of tea.

*Provided by NetGalley

Small Hours by Bobby Palmer

 

Palmer's debut novel, Isaac and the Egg was my book of 2022, so of course, I pounced on his second.

Palmer is a genius with words and has succeeded in following up his superb debut novel as poignantly and perceptively. Isaac and the Egg dealt with grief. This deals with regrets, unfulfilled dreams, disappointments, the missed opportunities of four members of a family and a devastating disease of one of them, which makes for a considerably more intense read. Jack doesn't talk to his father. Charlotte, his sister, doesn't talk to Jack. Why does his father have reminders all over the house, and where the heck is his mother? (Full synopsis here)

Yes. Intense. Oh, I forgot the fox. Who's surprisingly wise.

I have just one 'but'. Isaac's egg talked (well, grunted, really). Jack's fox was a good deal more talkative and intelligible. (You really do have to read these books to get it!) I think Mr P has covered talking animals and dairy products pretty well now.

Whatever he writes next, though, I'll be snapping it up!

See also:

Isaac and the Egg

Summer's Runaway by Rebecca L. Marsh

 

After this, my fifth book by this author, I can safely say Marsh is most definitely in my 'favourite authors' list.

Apart from her immense skill in writing with emotion and conviction, Marsh brings you characters you can totally believe in and get wholly immersed in. Where Hope is Found's story continues here, its characters and their lives having moved on a couple of years. But a new one enters: runaway, twelve-year-old Hallie. And how brilliant Marsh is at getting into the head of a pre-teen. It's not an easy thing. Whilst you may remember what you were like at twelve (I don't), a generation (or two!) later, twelve-year-olds are quite different. It's a joy to be in the former characters' company again and Hallie is an added bonus.

Have the cast and their lives got legs for another book? I don't know. It would be lovely to meet up again, of course, but actually, I'll be happy with anything Marsh writes next.

I just hope it's not too long a wait.

In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern

 

My first Cecelia Ahern book. Perhaps not the best choice for my debut with this author.

Pet hate number one: present-tense narrative. This just didn't work (it never, ever does) and especially when used during a flashback.

There was a lot of toing and froing between past and present, but there was no indication of the change, so it got very messy and confusing. There was a dramatic leap in the last ten per cent, where the main character went from being pregnant with her first child, to then having three children, then eight grandchildren. Bish bash bosh…all done in a few pages.

It's an intriguing story about Alice, who sees people's energies and emotions in colour: synaesthesia, and how it affects her. Well executed and for the most part well written. The present-tense narrative was a big negative for me as were some bad grammatical errors…even the editor didn't pick up the misuse of 'less and few' amongst them.

Despite the reader being totally overlooked in the author's acknowledgements (we do matter, you know), I was somehow quite immersed and I was impressed by the writing. The big question is, will I read more of this author? Hmm. Maybe. Hopefully, the next book won't be the ghastly present-tense narrative.

Still Life by Sarah Winman

 

This is the most tedious, most boring, most annoying book I've read this year.

I always finish a book, but this tested me to the limit. I was ready to pack it in after the first page. Does Winman really think it's clever and innovative to ditch the use of dialogue quotation marks? It isn't. It's arrogant, lazy and utterly disrespectful to the reader (not one mention in her profuse thanks to everyone under the sun in her acknowledgements…bar the most important person: the reader).

I refused to be deterred and thought all those stars given by others must be testament to a great book. At ten percent…no improvement. Fifty percent…it's going to get better soon, isn't it? Eighty percent…why have I wasted my time? Oh well, I'd better finish; there's a reason I stuck it out. Oh for heaven's sake, only twenty percent left and we've gone back sixty or so years!

The dialogue was bland and meaningless, the characters unengaging. If the author was aiming to show off her knowledge of Florence's street map and conversational Italian, she did that. But she didn't keep me in the book, with the characters, with the story.

For heaven's sake, the quotation mark is situated on the same key as the number two. Easy to find, easy to use. Good editors are also easy to find, ones who don't miss elementary grammatical errors.

This really wasn't my book of the year.

Bad Fruit by Ella King

I didn't enjoy this at all. In fact, I thought it was awful.

Firstly, why do authors insist on using present-tense narrative? It rarely works and really, really doesn't in this.

This is a story of secrets and bad family relationships. The relationships in this family are really rather unbelievable. The mother isn't just toxic, she's quite seriously deranged, the father equally so, albeit in a much more subtle way. Not surprisingly, their three children are more than just a little dysfunctional.

But it was all rather unrealistic and unenjoyable. There wasn't a glimmer of joy in any one part of the story. Since I'm not a DNF person, I struggled through to the end, hoping it would improve. It didn't. My displeasure was further aggravated by the terrible formatting of the Kindle version. Many words and phrases had no spaces: makingit veryawkward toread.

Confusing, unsettling, poorly written and badly formatted.

 

The Good Servant by Fern Britton

 

This is the second book I've read by Fern Britton. I was mightily impressed by my first encounter with her writing, which made me determined to read more, if not all, of her books. So I pounced on this when it landed in my lap!

In this book, Britton has taken the bones of a true event and put meat and fat on them to provide a moving, thoroughly enjoyable and just a little bit sad story.

It's a delightful blend of royal fact and Britton's fiction. This fusion results in a delightful, very readable account. It's one that makes you wonder about Marion Crawford, the main character: a dedicated governess to the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, a loyal daughter to a dominant mother and an unwitting, devoted puppet to a devious, lying suitor, who tricked her into breaching the utmost confidence for the sake of money and which resulted in her eighteen years of dedication ending very badly.

Britton is a brilliant writer. She captures every aspect of a character and makes them real. She draws you in right at the beginning of her story and keeps you hooked till the very end.

See Also:

 

The Newcomer

Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer

I love it when an author crashes onto the literary scene with a debut novel and just blows your mind.

The book is indeed about Isaac. And an egg. No, not a chicken egg, or duck or goose egg, or even an ostrich egg. It's actually two-feet high and quite white and fluffy. And now everyone's going to think that this is either a children's story or something plucked from the sci-fi shelf.

Oh no, it isn't. Whilst this is a story of deep love, loss and the most intense grief, Palmer injects humour and wit and writes with perception and depth. He is without doubt an extremely talented author who manages to paint the most realistic picture with his words.

It is a most charming, poignant, tragic but heart-warming novel written with outstanding skill. I sincerely hope this exceptional writer is intending to write more, but in the meantime, someone has, just has to make a movie of this.

A phenomenal book. An excellent debut. A remarkable author.

Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope

Joanna Trollope is ten years older than me, so she's been writing for about eighty percent of my reading life. This is the first of her books I've read, and I now I'm chastising myself for waiting this long.

Mum & Dad is a story of a fractured family, whose dysfunction is unravelled when Dad suffers a stroke in Spain, where he (and Mum) have lived for twenty-five years. Their three children, and their own children (ranging from toddlers to moody teenagers) have to disrupt their London lives to help.

Trollope writes thoughtfully, articulately, with emotion and compassion. Her characters are realistically imperfect: they're human and relatable. Their life stresses and pressures, their worries, their hopes are all recognisable.

Despite the slightly underwhelming ending, I found the story and the characters engaging and interesting, and as an introduction to this well-known author, it has propelled me into Trollope world! Many, many more to be read, very definitely!

The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle

 

Although I'd never heard of Mike Gayle, the title of this book caught my eye. A few pages in, and I was already wondering, what else has he written and why haven't I read anything by him till now!

I was hugely disappointed that it was written in the present-tense narrative, which is my literary pet hate, but notwithstanding, my enjoyment of the book was immense. Gayle is just brilliant. He's written a delightfully heart-warming story that hooks you from the start. And subtly topical: what happens to 'stuff' that has history, a meaning and emotion attached to it? Items, which appear ordinary and unspecial, that are found or can't be kept by their owners for whatever reason but that shouldn't be condemned to a hole in the ground to the detriment of our damaged environment? With luck, it'll find a home in the Museum of Ordinary People.

Beautifully composed with engaging characters, it's also quite thought-provoking. You find yourself wondering what, of all your possessions, would you like to have exhibited in such a wonderful place once you've popped your clogs!

Superb, and there's absolutely no question I'll be seeking out more by this author.

Something to Tell You by Lucy Diamond

 

This is a delightful story about family, its ups and downs, its secrets, its surprises and overall, its unbreakable bond.

I'm not familiar with Lucy Diamond's work, and this was my first encounter with her. Easy to read, you are drawn into the story and its characters from the start: the Mortimer family, comprising 50-years-married Mum and Dad, their four children and grandchildren. It's a large family, and most of the adults have their own narrative POV. They weave adeptly through the story, and it's not hard to become emotionally involved with them all. The characters are multi-faceted and likeable.

The ending is a little rushed and just a teeny weeny bit predictable, but this in no way affected my enjoyment. I'm certainly going to be reading more of this author. There's a cosiness and feel-good aura about her writing, and you can't help getting to the last page with an 'awww'. And we all need a dose of feel-good from time to time.

The Things I Know by Amanda Prowse

I read The Art of Hiding by this author five years ago. When I sought out my review of it, I was reminded not only of how much I enjoyed it but also how much the story and its characters stayed with me long after reaching 'The End'. So I dived into this with great enthusiasm. And Prowse did it again. She left me with another wonderful story and characters that haven't yet vacated my head!

It's a marvellous story about two people who are very slightly disparate for different reasons, with no grand expectations about life or people—until they meet each other. It's a story about acceptance, hope and courage and I devoured every single word.

Prowse gives you a story heavy with emotion, empathy and characters you just can't help falling in love with.

This is a deliciously uplifting book that gives you hygge.

The Castle by Anne Montgomery

 

Montgomery is no stranger to me: Wild Horses on the Salt was my very enjoyable introduction to her writing. This book had me equally enthralled. It deals with the very distressing subject of rape and, importantly, the impact it has on the victims, in this case, Maggie. 

 

A gang rape has left her depressed, and later, the death of her young son tips her over the edge. Eventually, she goes back to her job as park ranger at The Castle, a famous ancient Native American site. The scars of her ordeal and tragedy are still there, however, and she does her best to ease herself back into normality. But there is a man in her circle who wants Maggie for his 'prize'.

One of the four men in her entourage is a serial rapist. And this is where Montgomery keeps you turning the pages: I went from, "Oh, I know who it is!" to "Ah, no, it's him…or perhaps not, it's him!" Quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the 'suspects' went on! And you're kept guessing till the very end. At the same time, the author digs deep into Maggie the victim and her distress and grief and gives you a compelling and pretty amazing character.

The story is peppered with some interesting facts, too…who knew scuba-diving for scientific research could be so fascinating, along with the Montezuma Castle's history.

Rape is a hideous crime with some alarming victim statistics, but in this well-rounded novel, Montgomery handles it brilliantly.

Falling Short by Lex Coulton

 

This was one of those books in which I wanted more pages to turn at the end. Not in a 'I love this so much, I don't want it to end' way, but in a 'wait, that's it? What about….' way.

Not that I didn't enjoy it…I did. It's witty, engaging, funny, poignant, sad…but the most crucial question of the whole plot just wasn't answered.

Both main characters' stories dart from past to present throughout, trying to explain why Frances is thirty-nine and still, reluctantly, single. Jackson is nearer sixty and newly single. Both are teachers in the same school, both with baggage. They have a fairly special relationship: a bit love/hate/will they/won't they.

The staff-room interactions are great fun…the dialogue is humorous, catchy and snappy. Actually, all the dialogue is good. It's a well-written novel, well observed, with some robust and relatable characters. It takes a moment to settle into the flashbacks…with the book being written in the present tense (which is my number one aversion!), the only thing singling out the flashback is the use of the past tense, and it takes a moment to decipher whose flashback it is and when it took place. Perhaps the chapter titles could have given an indication.

Nevertheless, and despite the lack of answers to questions, one in particular, being wanting, this is a book you find yourself wanting to pick up at any opportunity.

Wild Horses on the Salt by Anne Montgomery

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It tackles a very emotional and distressing social issue: domestic violence. At the same time, Montgomery does a mini David Attenborough-esque exposé of man's effect on the environment.

Becca fleas her violent controlling husband and finds refuge with a family friend in Arizona. She needs to find strength to recover, mentally, from his abuse and to admit to her hosts...and herself...the damage it's done to her. At the same time, a wild horse, native to the region, is injured. Although rescued and treated, it escapes its rehabilitation corral and sets off to rejoin his herd, picking up a companion in the very odd form of a stray sheep on the way. The paradox is clever here: injured creatures finding their way to strength, safety and security: one, a wild injured horse, the other, a dominated, mentally and physically abused and harmed human. The journeys are different, dramatic, but ultimately they both find what they are looking for.

This was really well written, and I found it really compelling and fascinating: Montgomery evokes your sympathy for both the horse (especially if you are an animal lover like I am) and Becca, rooting for them to find happiness and healing. The author also has excellent knowledge of…or has done some very meticulous research into…nature, wildlife and environmental issues.

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this book, but it turned out to be quite a gem, and actually, I've already found myself missing the (good) characters and a few lessons about birds, bees (no, not THOSE birds and bees!), horses and man's devastating effect on the environment.  

Steel Journeys: The Road to Patagonia by Lynda Meyers

Two things annoy me about books: the present-tense narrative (thank heavens it wasn't used here) and when books end at 72%. Unfortunately, this is where the book commits that particular crime.

Whilst I didn't find the main character, Abby, particularly 'badass', which is how the blurb describes her, I was rather enjoying her story. I did wish someone would shake her out of the bitterness that has been festering inside her for fifteen years (boyfriend betrayal) and tell her to move on, but for all that, I liked her. I consider her more independent than badass, and setting up what is essentially a travel business for female bikers is commendable. Patagonia doesn't feature much, by the way, but the story and the writing are decent. However, at seventy-two per cent, there are unresolved issues, but I did think, no worries, a quarter of the book to go, there's time. Alas, no, seventy-two per cent, and there it was: The End. I even thought it was a mistake and frantically tapped my Kindle to see where the rest of story was. 

I'm not keen on book excerpts (especially when they take up a quarter of a book) tagged on to the end of novels. I find it rather presumptuous and a teeny bit arrogant: the author is assuming you want to read more of his/her books. I'm not sure, despite this author's competence, I'm particularly motivated to do so. Will I find the answers to Abby's dilemmas? Or will it be another three-quarter offering?  I'm not so sure I want to pay to find the answer.

The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan

What a wonderful, wonderful book. I didn't want it to end after many hours in the company of Kitty Muriel, her partner, Elvis (not the uh-huh-huh one, you can keep him, thank you), Edward, Marcus, Haizum (Irish wolfhound…I want one) and, of course, Sally Red Shoes. Delightful, joyful, colourful…nice people. 

This was a book written by the author to try and show that from the quagmire of deep despair, there is life and there is love. Not least, because the author herself had her own battles to win (and did, I should add). In the book, it's Masha who needs to be shown the way…twelve years of grieving after her own tragedy was taking its toll on everyone, not least herself. Cue Kitty M and Sally Red Shoes. Two extraordinary, self-empowering ladies with the voices Masha needed. 

Hogan is an artist with words. She paints a magnificent masterpiece with them. I lost count of the number of phrases I read and thought, oh, I love that, I must remember that. (How I wish I could!) This is a book bursting with grief and tragedy, poignancy, hope, love, humour, wit and candour. But there's no need for tissues, don't worry. Hogan's skill is wrapping sadness in a cocoon of humbling enlightment and surprise. 

But what touched me most, let me tell you, is that in her acknowledgements, the author thanked her readers FIRST. Readers are usually in the….'and finally…' 

Put this on your reading list right now!

Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson

This was dreary, dismal, depressing. The focus of the story is a terrible tragedy that befalls the Sadler family; fair enough, but the pace is slow, irritatingly so, and there's little to evoke any sympathy, empathy or affection for any of the characters. 

The death of a three-year-old has a devastating effect on the whole family…seemingly for twenty-five years. The circumstances of the tragedy aren't actually revealed until about ninety-four per cent into the book, so a bit of commitment is required if you want to find out the tragedy behind the tragedy…and I very nearly gave up. The characters are dull, self-centred and barely carried me through the fog of colourlessness. 

However, it's very clear Pearson can write: articulately and intensely. But the loss that forms the heart of this novel is handled too heavily and monotonously. Even when I reached the great reveal…finally…finally!...I had a touch of the 'oh, is that it?'. Just a tad anticlimactic.

Promising debut for Pearson, without doubt, but I really don't like having to work so hard to connect with characters.  Or...not...in this case.

Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist

My rule of thumb with books is 'I've started, so I'll finish'. It's been a struggle sometimes. Here, I very nearly didn't get past the second sentence, which started 'It was laying on its back….'. Gah! How can an editor/proofreader not notice this? I did wonder if I could pretend I never started this; one howling grammatical error only a few lines in wasn't exactly promising. 

Well, I did carry on. And there were a few more howlers. Unfortunately, I can't say that the novel was so good it didn't matter. It was mediocre, at best. 

Recently widowed Zoe…and I mean recently, as in three weeks (how on earth can you organise a funeral then a trip abroad all in three weeks?) decides to take herself and her grief to the Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrims' ways, between France and Spain, deciding at the same time to become a vegan (probably not the best decision when she needed a lot of walking energy). Martin, an engineer, recently divorced (and embittered by his wife's infidelity), also decides it's a good idea, at the same time prototyping a wheeled backpack, which he hopes will stand up to 2000 kilometres of pushing and pulling. Inevitably, the two are destined to pair up at some point, as in, intimately. But…oh, so, slowly. This dragged on rather and the absence of any interesting details of the Camino meant the whole thing never really warmed up. 

The authors tried to provide interest with colourful/annoying/philosophical/young/old/multinational/transgender characters, but they didn't elevate this book beyond mildly pleasant. 

Having stuck with Zoe and Martin for over 2000 km, I do feel there's possibly a sequel in them, as the ending wasn't neat and tidy and all wrapped up, but without the Camino backdrop and its walkers, these two rather ordinary, rather boring characters would find it hard to provide a decent backbone to a second book.

The Winner's Circle by P J Colando

A huge lotto win isn't an original storyline, but a half-billion lotto win is a shedload of money. A little obscene, some would say. So, I was intrigued by how this would pan out. 

Regrettably, I was never going to like Bonnie, one of the main characters: "Bonnie regarded a fur as entry level for a millionaire."..."Who needed lipstick and fresh makeup when a mink coat caressed?" It's true, you know: it takes fifty dumb animals to make a coat and only one to wear it. In this case, the dumb, brainless airhead is middle-aged Bonnie, who co-wins the Boffo Lotto, news she shares instantly with her two best friends (Fran and Jackie), who consider they're entitled to decide how the money should be spent, inflation to the church funds and overseas travel high on the list. 

I was promised hilarity, but the sides of my mouth didn't twitch once. Sadly, I found it all boring and slightly irritating. Too much repetition caused me to sigh rather a lot. After nearly twenty occurrences, I won't be sorry if I never hear the word 'copacetic' again. (No, I didn't know what it meant, either). 'Crapola', 'hell's bells', and 'holy crap', were also over-used by the same amount. There is a plethora of very expressive swear words to use (I can suggest many), there really isn't a need to exhaust a small selection. 

It was hard to engage with any of the characters…at the end of the day I discovered nothing about them. How come Fran was newly married late in life? How did dim Bonnie find once-married Carl? Why was Jackie's son such a wimp? There are back stories here that needed to be told. 

The author is without doubt very articulate, but the style is a bit 'dense', which meant some unnatural, heavy dialogue. Sometimes less is more and simpler language makes for more relaxed reading. 

With sincerest apologies to P Colando, this isn't my book of the year.