The Art of Leaving - Anna Stothard - Guest book review

Guest book review by Josie Barton

“It is impossible to understand a person fully until the moment you leave them”

The nightclubs and alleyways of London’s Soho district is the unlikely setting for this second novel of Anna Stothard. The protagonist is Eva Elliott, a young woman whose eagerness for the ending of a relationship rather than the beginning is the driving force behind the story. There is much to learn about Eva, not just the raison d'être behind her sense of abandonment, but also why she anticipates with an almost irrational glee the conclusion of any romantic entanglement.

The book gets off to something of a slow start, there is much to absorb, but gradually as the layers of the story are peeled away, and as Eva’s personality becomes more distinct, the story starts to become much more character driven, rather than entirely plot focused. There is no doubt that the author has a great gift for storytelling as there is much to enjoy in the world which she has so skilfully recreated. The writing is assured and confident and the ability to conjure the seedier aspects of London is thoroughly demonstrated, and moreover, the fine attention to detail really brings the city and its people to life.

In many respects, this is not an exciting novel; The Art of Leaving is much more of a gently simmering slow burner which offers a uniquely perceptive look, not just into Eva and her life, but also into the lives of those who come into contact with her. In my opinion, this novel is well worth reading, especially if you enjoy character focused novels with just a hint of mystery.

I would give the book 4 out of 5 stars.

Reviewed by Josie Barton

Published by Alma Books

Many thanks to Josie for reading and guest reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library.

Josie writes a wonderful book blog - http://jaffareadstoo.blogspot.co.uk/ and is on twitter

@jaffareadstoo

Evergreens - Classics from Alma Books - Giveaway!

Alma Books are celebrating winning the Bookseller's Independent Publisher of the Year 2013 and have just launched their classics 'Evergreens' series. The series is all about making great literature available to every reader at an affordable price of £4.99 without compromising on production and design. 

The first four books that have been published in this series are pictured above, and are Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli and Praise of Folly by Erasmus.

Giveaway!

Alma are kindly offering a UK based reader of this blog the chance to win a set of all four of these lovely books (one copy of each).

Please leave a comment below to enter. I'd love to know which is/are your favourite classic novel(s), if you have one.

The giveaway is open until Thursday 26th September 2013 and is open to UK based entrants only as per the publisher. 

The winner will be chosen at random and will need to reply within 48 hours of being contacted, otherwise another winner may be chosen. 

Good luck!

*****THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED AND A WINNER CHOSEN AND CONTACTED*****

The Bookman's Tale - Charlie Lovett

Peter Byerly is a shy, quiet young man who loves books and keeps to himself, but whilst away studying and working in the library at University in Ridgefield, North Carolina, in the 1980s, he one day notices a female student who he feels a strong and unprecedented attraction towards, and with whom he can finally be himself and find companionship. Amanda feels the same way; the two of them form a bond and a deep love grows between them. His other passion is formed at this time, too; he finds a joy in the repair and restoration of antiquarian books. 

As the novel opens, we meet Peter in the mid 1990s now living in a village called Kingham in Oxfordshire, England, without Amanda, who we know has now sadly died, and what happened is revealed over the course of the novel. Peter is bereft, and has been unable to face the routine of his daily life for many months. Eventually, now an antiquarian bookseller and on an outing to Hay-on-Wye, the famous book town in Wales, he uncovers a watercolour image, a portrait, in an old book. The image is of his wife, and yet it can't be; it's a Victorian picture. Shocked by the similarity, he endeavours to discover the history and origin of the portrait, and this search sets his life in motion again and leads him into the path of a potentially life-changing book-related mystery that takes him, and the reader, back to the days of Shakespeare. Whilst assessing the old book collection of a resident of Kingham, Peter stumbles across an incredible find that may just prove the provenance once and for all of what is, for some, one of the biggest mysteries in literary history; that Shakespeare really was the author of the plays attributed to him. The mystery plot in the novel explores whether Peter can prove the authenticity of his find, and if he will get himself and others killed trying to do so. 

This is an entertaining, suspenseful mystery tale that has a love of books at its very heart.  There is also a centuries-old rivalry, murder, forgery, and intrigue, with a strong and moving love story between Peter and Amanda underpinning it all; the discovery of the way they felt about each other was something neither of them had ever felt before and it changed their lives, bringing love and companionship to two previously lonely souls. It is touching how well the two relate to each other, how Amanda brings Peter out of his shell a little, and how he slowly comes to terms with her devastating loss. The author maintains Peter's social unease and effectively portrays how he gradually becomes braver and finds the strength that he will need if he is to see his quest through. 

I enjoyed the three different strands that make up the story; they were weaved together well and kept my interest. I liked the historical aspects and was entertained meeting characters from the past as we learned the history of the book in question; we are taken back to see whose hands it passed through, and where, and how it came to be where it was, and I really enjoyed this aspect of the narrative. This is an enticing story for bibliophiles. Also enjoyable was the journey around to different locations. It takes us from Hay-on-Wye, to the British Museum, via Oxfordshire, Yorkshire, Cornwall and North Carolina, too. 

It was a real escape and quite an adventure reading this novel. I read the bulk of it in the garden on a warm summer's day and it was ideal reading for escaping into and being entertained by; I was happy to allow for some of the convenient coincidences and twists in the story, and it was perhaps slightly too perfect an ending, but the adventure and history grabbed me and had me intrigued. I think reading it fairly quickly helped with keeping track of the three different time periods and holding the various events in my mind at once. It has encouraged me to want to go and read more about what is known of the lives of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. 

The author evidently has a real passion for, and knowledge of, his subject here - he's a former bookseller - which comes through in his enthusiastic telling of this tale, weaving passages on restoring books and details about the clever ways of book forgers into the narrative. Overall,  I thought that The Bookman's Tale was a really good read, an absorbing and fun literary-themed mystery. 

Published by Alma Books 

Thanks to the publisher for kindly sending a proof copy of this novel to read and give an honest review.

You can find the author on twitter @CharlieLovett42 and visit his website here.

Dancing to the Flute - Manisha Jolie Amin - guest review

Kalu is a street urchin, who was abandoned by his family as a small child. He endures unimaginable hardship, but by using his wits to survive and by running errands for local shop keepers, he finds just enough food to keep himself from starving. Music becomes Kalu’s salvation, and when a travelling healer discovers Kalu playing a beautiful melody through a rolled up banyan leaf, Kalu’s life takes on a very different meaning, and leads him, with his friends Malti and Bal, on a remarkable journey of self discovery.

Initially slow to start, the story attempts to mimic the theme of the ‘raag’, the mood of the music Kalu is so adept at playing, but alongside the hypnotic quality of the music,  the story of India, its people and places, and the overwhelming charm of its indigenous magic, runs like a colourful thread. Through the heat and the dust, the traditional values of small villages emerge, but even as diverse cultural changes begin to be noticeable, the spirituality of Hindu wisdom floats like a beautiful melody throughout the narrative.  

This is a very impressive debut book; the author has a real skill with words and has the unique ability to convey, in just a few phrases, an entire world. There is a gentle lyricism to the narrative which belies its strength, and even as the overwhelming theme of love and friendship is expertly explored, it is the poignant simplicity of the narrative which leaves a lasting impression. 

I really enjoyed Dancing to the Flute and have no hesitation in awarding it a 5 out of 5 star rating.

Thank you to Lindsay at the Little Reader Library for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Reviewed by Josie Barton - guest reviewer

Published by Alma Books

Many thanks to Josie for reading and reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library. Josie writes a wonderful book review blog at JaffaReadsToo.

Thanks to the publisher for kindly sending a copy of this novel for review. 

The Girl Below - Bianca Zander

'I had the strangest sensation then that I had somehow left the real world behind, and had gone to a place that didn't exist.'

Suki Piper returns to her childhood home in London after an absence of twenty years, the last ten of which she has spent in New Zealand. Recognising a familiar name on the doorbell to one of the neighbouring flats, she pays a visit to the now very ill lady, Peggy, who still lives there and whom she remembers. As a girl Suki was influenced by Peggy’s children, in particular her daughter Pippa, and Suki gets back in touch with Pippa to find her struggling with the unruly behaviour of her sixteen-year-old son Caleb.

Suki feels displaced in London, not quite at home anywhere, drifting without a job, her thoughts often returning automatically, and sometimes involuntarily, to the past. She never seems to have settled into her own life, escaping it through drink and drugs, often feeling lonely and still looking for a healthy loving relationship.

It is a rather unsettling read at times, with episodes that are eerie and dreamlike; Suki recalls dark memories and experiences glimpses into her past, to a party over twenty years ago in her parents’ garden, and she is drawn again and again to the haunting recollection of events in an old underground air-raid shelter, and there is also the ornamental figure of a girl which always haunted Suki. She has the feeling that she 'was trespassing across space and time.'

The chapters alternate between her past and present, and between London, New Zealand and Skyros, and we gain a fuller picture of her unsettled life to date.

It’s a very well written debut; Suki is portrayed convincingly as a flawed and troubled narrator and I was absorbed in her world and her troubles. In many ways she isn’t a likeable character yet I had sympathy with her and I felt moved at how alone she was, often seeming very unhappy, unstable and confused, battling with life and being defeated. The novel left me thinking about Suki, wondering what might happen next in her life.

Published by Alma Books on 28 February 2013

I originally reviewed this book for We Love This Book. Thanks to them and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel in advance of publication.

White Truffles in Winter - N. M. Kelby

The names Escoffier and Ritz will be well known to anyone with an interest in food, as will the legendary restaurants at The Ritz, The Savoy and The Carlton. Less well known perhaps is Escoffier’s history, his marriage to poet Delphine Daffis and his life-long affair with Sarah Bernhardt, his survival of a serious hotel fire and his involvement with the Titanic. Author NM Kelby creates a fascinating story of love and food told, as Escoffier reaches the final weeks of his life, in a combination of flashback and recipes. Escoffier was a complex man: he was imperious, yet kind and philanthropic; he loved food, but ate little; he adored his wife, yet spent most of his life living apart from her, obsessed by both cooking and his actress lover; he was at times extremely wealthy, but died with an empty larder and huge debts.

His contributions to the culinary world include the transformation of the restaurant kitchen by systems that form the basis of those used today. He left a wealth of recipes in books such as Le Guide Culinaire, which represent the best of French Haute Cuisine. Most importantly he raised the status of the lowly cook to that of respected chef.

That alone would make an interesting story. What author NM Kelby has achieved goes beyond the bare facts, just as Escoffier insisted a dish should transcend it ingredients. She creates a narrative that is peopled with fascinating characters and is dense with sensual detail. Scenes from the end of his life are intercut with his recollections of the distant past; as he attempts to finish his memoirs, his housekeeper Sabine attempts to keep the bills paid and the family fed. Meanwhile the dying Delphine yearns for a dish to be named after her, just as Escoffier named dishes in honour of Bernhardt and Nelly Melba, Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm.

The novel begins with a deliciously affecting seduction scene (so what if it owes a little to Ghost?) and it ends with a single word. Joy. Between the two is a richly imagined creative life. It is a delight to read. 

'White Truffles in Winter' is published by Alma Books

Reviewed by Angi Holden - guest reviewer

Thank you very much indeed to Angi for her lovely review of this novel for The Little Reader Library. Angi is a full-time student, a part-time teacher, a part-time writer, a full-time Mum and an avid reader. If anyone has any advice on how to fit forty-eight hours into a twenty-four hour day, she says that suggestions would be much appreciated!

You can follow the author on twitter @nmkelby and visit her website here.

Thank you very much to the publisher for kindly sending a copy of this novel for review.