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20/11/2018 0 Comments Review: The Broken Girls
My Review: The Broken Girls has been out as an e-book since March 2018, and this review coincides with the paperback release (out 29 November 2018). The story surrounds an old boarding school Idlewild Hall. The school closed in 1979 and in 2014 has been bought.
The tale flits between two timelines – when the school was still open and functioning in 1950, four friends who share a dorm room. And one of the girls goes missing. And 2014 when a reclusive millionaire has bought the school with plans to bring it back to life, and a local journalist, Fiona Sheridan, who with a hidden agenda wants to find out why? Fiona is fighting her own demons; her sister was murdered and dumped outside Idlewild Hall, and it's not only ghosts from her past who are scaring her. The stories of the haunted school, the missing girl, the dead sister are woven together beautifully. I was fearful, mystified and curious for answers! Such a good book, I hope we see more of Fiona Sheridan. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.
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4/11/2018 0 Comments Review: My Name is Anna
My Review: Not a spoiler – the back cover says it all. Rosie's older sister went missing fifteen years previously, and Anna wonders about her real parentage is. What I thought was going to be a straightforward thriller, how wrong was I! It got murkier and murkier the further I read. I was completely embroiled in Anna and Rosie's stories respectively. And at one point shouting 'No!!!!!' at the book.
A fantastic debut from Ms Barber. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 30/10/2018 0 Comments Review: The Sentence is Death
My Review: As I really enjoyed Mr Horowitz's new Sherlock Holmes in The House of Silk, I was very excited to get the chance to read The Sentence is Death. I read the book in two days and couldn't put it down – it was a sumptuous way to spend the weekend.
Anthony is a writer, (the writer of this book and many others) and Daniel is an ex-policeman turned private detective. I knew immediately I was going to be a fan of Daniel and Tony's pairing. The book opens on the television set for Foyle's War (I couldn't help but check – yes, Mr Horowitz was indeed a writer for said television programme), when Daniel Hawthorne comes blustering onto set ruining an expensive take. The race to solve the murder was on…. Between Daniel and Tony, and between them and the police. A second death that was possibly a second murder, possibly a suicide, or possibly an accident muddied the waters. There were enough clues and red herrings to keep me wondering throughout the book. I didn't realize this was the second book in the Daniel Hawthorne series. And luckily I can now binge straight away on more Daniel Hawthorne with the first in the series The Word is Murder. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.
My Review: This book is an excellent collection of essays, at a pivotal time.
Ms Gay's introduction starts: When I was twelve years old, I was gang-raped in the woods behind my neighborhood by a group of boys with the dangerous intentions of bad men. The above may be uncomfortable reading, however it gives an expectation of the contents. The essays are sad, raw, revealing, heart-breaking and they left me feeling downright angry. Having read this book in the days after Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed onto the Supreme Court, and in the words of John Oliver “We believe you [Dr Ford]— we just don’t care.” I couldn't help but think repeatedly, what madness are we living in? A world where women in spite psychical assaults, thank their lucky stars that at least they are still alive. That's the bare minimum; at least he didn't kill me. The accounts will offer solidarity to survivors and relief to those who encountered near misses. It is a shame that the people who really should read this book (rape apologists, perpetrators of abuse, and aggression against women) almost certainly won't pick up Not That Bad. Thank you Roxane Gay for compiling these essays. They will stay with me forever. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. 24/10/2018 0 Comments Review: A Spark of Light
My Review: Wow! What a book.
Forgive my ignorance for not knowing the global landscape on abortion laws – this Wikipedia page helped show different laws and attitudes around the world. What timing for this exceptional book. At a time where women's reproductive rights are going through a huge change (Ireland's referendum to repeal the 8th) and the US seeming het up about overturning Roe vs Wade (read here for what a overturning could automatically set off in respective US states). Ms Picoult's highly-skilled storytelling is a wonder to behold. The story starts in a women's health centre, and a gunman has taken staff and patients hostage. The hostage negotiator discovers his own sister and daughter are amongst those held. As the hostages struggle to stay alive, we hear the interwoven backgrounds and fateful journeys of how every character including the gunman made it to be present at the health centre that ill-fated day. The time lines and the characters stories are changed regularly, which could be confusing but offers detailed glimpse at each of their own respective histories. The book was very engaging and I found myself trying to sneak another page wherever I could between my nightly bedtime reading. (In the queue at the bank, whilst being put on hold, waiting for the kettle to boil). There is an excerpt from A Spark of Light on Jodi Picoult's website – get stuck in! https://www.jodipicoult.com/a-spark-of-light.html VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review. |
