Still Life

by

Sarah Winman

1944, Italy. As bombs fall around them, two strangers meet in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa and share an extraordinary evening.

Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner a 64-year-old art historian living life on her own terms. She has come to salvage paintings from the wreckage of war and relive memories of her youth when her heart was stolen by an Italian maid in a particular room with a view. Ulysses’ chance encounter with Evelyn will transform his life – and all those who love him back home in London – forever.

REVIEW

This was my book club pick and I already had it on my shelf so dived in straight away. Good job as it's a chunky read and for me a bit bizarre with no punctuation and no chapters (not a fan), but I soon got into the story of Ulysses who came back from Italy to London after the Second World War to pick up the pieces of his life with his wife Peg and friends Cress, Col, Pete and parrot Claude!

Ulysses often thinks about when he was stationed in Florence and meets Evelyn who is an art historian trying to locate priceless paintings. He never forgot their friendship and when he is left a property in Florence he decides to start a new life with his step daughter Alys and a few friends along the way, but Evelyn is always in his thoughts. Will he manage to catch up with her again before it's too late? Little does he know that his step daughter Alys is one step ahead and has already met Evelyn!

This is quite an emotional book with love, loss and basically everything in between! It's just the lack of punctuation and chapters I found hard to deal with, but I'm glad I persevered. There were even times in the book that I had to laugh out loud with the antics of Claude the parrot! but he saved the day on more than one occasion!

I enjoyed the story and it made very good conversation and opinions at my recent book club!

 Catherine 

(A retelling of Wuthering Heights)

by

Essie Fox

With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley,

Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude.

Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge.

Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption.

REVIEW

I have never read Wuthering Heights or seen any films about it, so when I saw this edition I knew it was time to find out the story of Cathy and Heathcliff.

Cathy and Heathcliff become close friends when her father brings him home to live with them when he was a boy, but Cathy's brother Hindley never warms to him and swears that when he inherits Wuthering Heights, he will cast him out.

When Cathy's father dies and Hindley does take control of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is nothing more than a mere servant and is often beaten by Hindley. Cathy and Heathcliff become more than close, but their relationship would never be allowed by Hindley and so Cathy decides to marry Edgar Linton, the owner of a large house and land nearby, hoping that his standing and money would help Heathcliff to make something of himself, but her plan backfires and it changes everyone's lives forever.

This retelling of Wuthering Heights shows how deep love doesn't always give you the happy ending you want.

I'm still thinking about this story over a week on from finishing it. Love can be beautiful if you have the right mix of personalities, but sometimes love can be so intense it turns toxic and I think that's what I felt with Cathy and Heathcliff. Also, the fact that they weren't really nice people and very egotistical!

Such a great story retold and I would thoroughly recommend this version. Also came as a beautiful hardback with sprayed edges and one I will keep on my bookshelf for years to come. 

 The Black Feathers

by

Rebecca Netley

When Annie marries widower Edward Stonehouse and arrives at Guardbridge, his estate on the Yorkshire moors, she thinks she has finally put darkness behind her.

She is mistaken . . .

Edward's sister, Iris, still lives in the family home. A taxidermist and medium, she urges Annie to watch out for black feathers - claiming that they mark the spot where a spirt has visited.

At first, Annie dismisses her warnings. But, before long, an eerie almost haunting feeling takes over her.

What exactly happened to Edward's first wife? Why is Iris so disturbed?

And should Annie be watching for signs from the dead - or rather is she the one being watched?

REVIEW

Annie meets widower Edward Stonehouse and they marry soon after. She arrives at Guardbridge, his estate on the Yorkshire moors, with their young son and hopes that she can be happy there. 

She meets Edward's sister Iris,  who although can seem quite odd as she reports she is a Medium (and is also a Taxidermist), she does befriend her and they get quite close. 

When Annie is invited by Iris to attend a seance one evening, she is full of apprehension and intrigue, but when  Annie starts seeing and feeling strange things and thinks someone is watching her, she wonders if what Iris says is true. 

It is when Annie starts seeing black feathers around her that Iris tells her that it is a sign that someone is trying to contact her from the dead...

I loved this book. I read it in only a few days and am only sorry I didn't get to it sooner as I have had it on my TBR pile for ages! If you love gothic historical fiction, then this is for you - and there is a twist at the end!

 Broken Country

by

Clare Leslie Hall

Beth was seventeen when she first met Gabriel. Over that heady, intense summer, he made her think and feel and see differently. She thought it was the start of her great love story. When Gabriel left to become the person his mother expected him to be, she was broken.

It was Frank who picked up the pieces and together they built a home very different from the one she'd imagined with Gabriel. Watching her husband and son, she remembered feeling so sure that, after everything, this was the life she was supposed to be leading.

But when Gabriel comes back, all Beth's certainty about who she is and what she wants crumbles. Even after ten years, their connection is instant. She knows it's wrong and she knows people could get hurt. But how can she resist a second chance at first love?

REVIEW

Gabriel comes from a very wealthy family and Beth sometimes helps out at the house when they have social functions. They were friends for many years, but when Beth was seventeen, it turned to love and they spent every possible minute together until Gabriel left for university and Beth was warned by Gabriel's mother that he should be allowed to follow his path and she should go her own way.

Frank always had a thing for Beth, but stayed away whilst she was with Gabriel. They started dating and eventually married and had a son, but when Gabriel returned to his family home with his own son having lost his wife, Beth feels all sorts of emotions that she soon struggles with. 

I really don't want to give too much away with my review, because I think everyone should read this and make up their own minds as to what they think. I really enjoyed this book and read it very quickly. This was chosen as my new book club read last month and what a corker it was! and made for a lot of discussion! 

What I did love about the author's writing is how deep you felt for the characters, whether you loved them or hated them, you just won't be able to stop reading to find out what happens!

 The Scent of Oranges

by

Kathy George

Nancy has spent her whole life on the vibrant and gritty streets of Victorian London, first as one of Fagin's child pickpockets and now on the arm of violent and mercurial Bill Sikes. Nancy does what she must to get by. She's attuned to the harsh realities of life, but also knows how to find moments of beauty amid the grime, even if it is only the scent and taste of an orange - its miraculous colour and form.

When she embarks on a relationship with enigmatic gentleman Mr Rufus, it awakens emotions she's never felt before, and makes a better life feel possible for the first time. But when she takes cherubic orphan Oliver Twist under her wing, something even more elusive and appealing seems to be within reach: redemption.

This captivating tale of love, sacrifice, and the battle between good and evil showcases the power of compassion in a world tainted by darkness.

REVIEW

We all know the story of Nancy in Oliver Twist, but this story is her own, in her "own words". 

Nancy has been brought up on the streets and for many years under the guidance of Fagin and since meeting Bill Sikes, she has to be wary of what she does and who she sees because one wrong word could cause trouble for Nancy, usually by Bills' hand or belt.

When Nancy is working the streets, she is introduced to a gentleman by the name of Mr Rufus. He is kind to her and treats her well, something she is not used to, so she is on her guard at all times, but she has feelings for him that she has never had for anyone else before.

When Oliver Twist is brought in to Fagin's den, Nancy feels nothing but warmth and love for the boy, but when he escapes Fagin's and Bill's clutches, she feels she has to try to keep him safe, even if it means putting her own life in danger. 

I truly loved this book. It is written so well, a bit like a memoir by Nancy herself and her life in Victorian London. We all know the story of Oliver Twist and how the story ends, but it's the bits in between where we get to know the real Nancy and what a lovely, kind, warm character she is. 

I really didn't want this book to end.

 Every Christmas Eve

by

Emma Heatherington

'Tis the season for second chances…

Lou and Ben fell in love as teenagers at the Ballyheaney Christmas Eve party. Every winter, they saved the date for each other. Until everything changed one fateful night…

Now, after years away, widower and single dad Ben is back, determined to revive the legendary party. But with only two weeks to make it happen, they need help. So Ben turns to the one person he could never forget: Lou.

As the days tick down to another Christmas Eve together, old feelings and memories resurface.

Will Lou and Ben seize this chance to rewrite their very own love story?

REVIEW

Every year there is a Christmas Eve party at Ballyheaney House, the home of Ben and his family. Lou loves helping out and when Lou and Ben have to deliver a foal on Christmas Eve, it seemed their relationship deepened from that day, but when Ben goes away to university, they have to make some serious decisions and it seems Christmas Eve will never be the same again. 

Years later, Lou has come back from New York where she lived with her daughter Gracie to settle into a cottage back in the Irish village where she was born and has opened a florist/coffee shop. A couple of weeks before Christmas a customer comes in and instantly Lou recognises the voice...Ben. He is back to help organise the Christmas Eve party again, which is the first in over 20 years.

Ben is now a widower with a 12 year old daughter called Ava, but doesn't live in the village anymore, so has to visit to help organise the party at weekends. He asks Lou if she would help with the arrangements (like old times) and she agrees. Surely this can only mean one thing? that they could rekindle their relationship? But many things have changed over 20 years and there are secrets that both of them need to share to be able to move forward...

I loved this book and the author's writing is just so easy to get into. It has a great mix of characters and I have to admit, I had a sob towards the end (good job I was on my own!). I really didn't want this story to end.

 All Together for Christmas

by

Sarah Morgan

This Christmas, the Balfour family will have more secrets to unwrap than presents …

Becky is stranded at the airport, so when she bumps into her brother’s best friend, Will, and he suggests they drive home together, Becky reluctantly agrees. For the first time, Becky is dreading Christmas, and only Will knows why. Can she trust him to keep her secret?

Rosie married Declan after a whirlwind romance, and now the cracks are starting to appear. Rosie and Declan have agreed to hide their problems from her family, but will this Christmas bring them closer or drive them apart?

Hayley can’t wait for her first Balfour family Christmas with Jamie, but she’s worried about her place in this close-knit family. Will there be room for her too? And how will they react to the secret she and Jamie have been keeping?

All this secrecy could derail everyone's happy holidays. Can the siblings open up to each other in time to enjoy a perfect family Christmas?

REVIEW

This is the story of Becky and Rosie (who are twins) and their brother Jamie and how they are all trying to get home to their parents for Christmas, but each has a secret that may bring their joyous family Christmas into jeopardy!

Rosie is at the airport waiting to get a flight home to Edinburgh, but all flights are cancelled due to the snow. She stumbles across Will, who is her brother's best friend who she has known forever. He offers to drives her home as he is also going home to Scotland, but she is trying every excuse in the book to get out of it because she just doesn't want to do a family Christmas this year, especially as Rosie (her twin sister) will be there with her new husband Declan, who Becky worked with for many years. 

Rosie and Declan had a whirlwind romance and married after only a few months, but Rosie is worried that the cracks are starting to show and spending Christmas with her family may be too much for Declan to bear...

Jamie is also making his way home with Hayley and he has told his parents to get the champagne on ice and to arrange a party, but what for? 

I love a Sarah Morgan Christmas book and this one didn't disappoint. All of the siblings had their own secrets they had before returning to their parents for Christmas and it was great finding out what they were!

Thoroughly enjoyed this one with a good bunch of characters.