In this episode, six ladies has inspired me to add eight new books to my wish list!
The Great Summer Street Party by
Georgia Hill
Synopsis:
Ashley Lyddon arrives in the quaint coastal community of Berecombe feeling more than a little lost. The former art teacher desperately needs a fresh start after a car accident that cost her everything. How is it that the town’s older residents seem to have more zest for life than she does?
Ashley knows all too well, like the D-Day soldiers, that laying the past to rest is easier said than done although her new community seems to believe that tea and cake – lots and lots of cake – solves most of life’s problems. And as Ashley is forced to admit, they are nearly always right…
From Liz's review:
"So nicely done and very readable, with a good moral grounding (we face up to our issues, we make amends) and although some of the plot points are a little predictable, they’re lovely comfy reads you can feel safe with."
The Narrowboat Summer by Anne
Youngson
Inspired by Lisa @ Hopewell's
Public Library of Life
Meet Eve, who has left her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia, a defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, who is suddenly landlocked and vulnerable.
Before they quite know what they’ve done, Sally and Eve agree to drive Anastasia’s narrowboat on a journey through the canals of England, as she awaits a life-saving operation. As they glide gently – and not so gently – through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of narrowboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds. At summer’s end, all three women must decide whether to return to the lives they left behind, or forge a new path forward.
Claudine by Marian Grudko and T.A.
Young
Synopsis:
Claudine is the story of a ladybug who wanted more than anything to live in Paris. Surely, she belonged there: her red and black ensemble was equal to any creation from the House of Dior. And surely she would be noticed by the greatest directors of film?
She sets out with naive certainty to live an enchanted life, when - of course, there are surprises. And terrible challenges. Can Claudine find the strength of soul to achieve her destiny? Will she really be helped by Pierre, a sometime-rooster who quotes Simone de Beauvoir?
From Emma's review:
"The book seems at first glance to be for children, but as the title highlights, this is actually a fairy tale for grownups – who may still need a few life lessons! It’s a really deep and fun book at the same time, with lots of hilarious remarks on the Paris world, cafés, Fashion Week, and many other things. There are also lots of plays on words, fun interjections, some in French, and several references to Simone de Beauvoir!"
Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin
Synopsis:
Meg and Isabel were just girls
when "Uncle Paul" married their older half-sister, Mildred, and he
soon vanished from their lives upon his exposure as a bigamist and a murderer.
Fifteen years later, Uncle Paul is about to be released from prison, and all
three sisters are seized with dread at the prospect of his return. Their family
holiday at the seaside village where Mildred and Uncle Paul once honeymooned
becomes the setting for a tense drama of suspicion, betrayal, and revenge.
From JacquiWine's review:
"Fremlin is wonderfully adept
at capturing the challenges of holidaying in the temperamental British summer,
from the tension of being cooped up in a caravan with family members, to
squabbles over what to do next, to the sense of pressure we feel to be outside
enjoying ourselves at every moment, even if the weather is dreadful and all we
want to do is to stay inside. There’s some marvellous humour here too,
especially from the interactions between the various guests at the hotel, from
the gallant Captain Cockerill to the stoic Mrs Forrester and her young son,
Cedric – one of those insufferable little boys who knows everything and insists
on getting his own way. In summary, Uncle Paul is an utterly brilliant novel, a
very clever and skilfully executed exploration of fear and suspicion, very much
in the style of Patricia Highsmith’s and Shirley Jackson’s domestic noirs laced
with the social comedy of Barbara Pym."
Duncton Wood by William Horwood
Synopsis:
Bracken was born on an April night in a warm dark burrow deep in the historic system of Duncton Wood, six moleyears after Rebecca. This is the story of their love, and their epic struggle to find it.
From Mallika's post:
"A lovely emotional tale around a group of moles whose peaceful world is destroyed when a mole named Mandrake begins to tyrannize over them, the whole wood starting to see the spread of evil and the abandonment of all that was once held sacred. A mole named Bracken must with others work to save their land and traditions and restore it to what it once was."
The Queue by Alexandra Heminsley
Synopsis:
Three strangers. Ten miles. One life-changing day... As the unlikely trio wind along the Thames, edging ever closer to Westminster and the Queen, it becomes clear that when they finally leave the queue their worlds will never be the same again...
From Liz's review:
"It’s really nicely done, not preachy or too obvious – of course there are themes of it being best to talk about things and that what seems on the surface like a good thing often isn’t, but there are subtler themes, too, about colonialism and Clause 28 that are woven in. I also liked the way the public art works along the walk are discussed in quite a lot of detail. By the end you hope the queuers will stay in touch and cherish the photo they have of each other."
The People on Platform 5 by Clare
Pooley
Synopsis:
Every day at 8:05, Iona Iverson boards the train to go to work. Every day, she sees the same people and makes assumptions about them, even giving them nicknames. But they never speak. Obviously.
Then, one morning, Smart-but-Sexist Surbiton chokes on a grape right in front of Iona. Probably-a-Psychopath-New-Malden steps up to help and saves his life, and this one event sparks a chain reaction.
With nothing in common but their commute, an eclectic group of people learn that their assumptions about each other don't match reality. But when Iona's life begins to fall apart, will her new friends be there when she needs them most?
From Cath's post:
"I enjoyed this immensely. It's well written and I felt very involved in the lives of all of the characters. Nice one."
Remarkably Bright Creatures by
Shelby Van Pelt
Synopsis:
After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.
Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
From Cath's review:
"I like books with older protagonists and lots of ordinary folk in them and this book has a nice interesting cast of characters. My favourite by far was Marcellus the octopus and I loved the chapters penned by him. There was a lovely sense of a faded resort on Puget Sound and thus a good sense of place... it sounded wonderful to me anyway! An excellent read, lived up to its hype."
Have you own/read these books? If you haven't, which book appeals to you most?
