The Apple Tart of Hope - Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

‘He wasn’t just my friend. He was kind of magic.’

I previously read and enjoyed Back to Blackbrick, Sarah Moore Fitzgerald’s debut novel, so when I saw she had written a second novel, I was keen to read it, and when I saw the lovely title and the beautiful cover design, I was even more attracted by it.

Oscar and Meg live next door to each other, and have done for years, and they chat to each other through their facing bedroom windows. The pair of them have developed a close friendship, and brighten up each other’s lives:

‘We got to sitting at our windows, late at night, at the end of every day. He was different from anyone I’d ever met, and when Oscar was my friend, nothing was annoying or complicated. Everything was simple and enjoyable and fun. Everything made sense.’

As the story opens, we learn that Oscar is missing, presumed dead by suicide, though Meg, as well as Oscar’s brother Stevie, wont believe it. Then we are taken back to several months before, and the story tells of Meg’s father taking his family to New Zealand with him for six months with work, with Meg bitterly opposed to going. Alternating chapters, ‘slices’ of an apple tart, are recounted from Meg’s, and then Oscar’s, perspective, and gradually reveal how Oscar and Meg’s friendship is changed when she does go. A new girl, Paloma, and her mother, move into Meg’s house temporarily. With regard to the book’s title, Oscar has a heightened sense of when something particular is in the air, and this is when he bakes one of his remarkable apple tarts which improved people’s feelings and helped with troubles.

I felt this story had real depth, and dealt honestly and compassionately with strong emotions and serious decisions. At times it was also rather magical which just added an extra element of sparkle to a great tale. I liked Meg and Oscar, and I was compelled to read on and discover what happened to them both, why had things changed, what had caused so much sadness? There are themes of love and friendship, the difficulty and sadness of separation and loss, as well as belief and honesty, manipulation and jealousy. The story shows how strong a connection we can feel for another person, and how nerve-wracking and all consuming it can be when we try to convey our feelings, and how devastating it is if we suspect our feelings aren’t reciprocated, and all this even more difficult to deal with as a teenager.

It’s a fairly quick read and is really well written with some lovely use of language; I liked this description of one of the character’s homes; ‘Barney’s house stood battered and gloomy, as if it was in a sulk from having gone to the elaborate trouble of being built and then having been neglected so badly that it looked as if nobody lived in it.’ Overall this is another very good young adult (and indeed adult) offering from this talented author.

Thank you to amazon vine for a review copy of this novel. 

Author links - twitter @SMooreFitz |

Published by Orion Children's Books

My review of Back to Blackbrick

Quick reviews - The Husband's Secret, The Cry, Trust Your Eyes, Cambridge Blue, Until You're Mine

My thoughts on several novels I've read recently, this time in the form of some quick reviews. 

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The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Set in a small town in Australia, the story is told over a few days, and it begins with the accidental discovery by Cecilia of an old envelope in the attic, which states on the front 'to be opened only in the event of my death'. She recognises the handwriting as her husband's. Ultimately unable to resist her curiosity, she reads the letter, and is then left with an awful dilemma, because his words reveal something very serious. She is confronted with a decision; to stay silent and protect her husband and their three children, or to reveal John-Paul's secret and carrying a heavy burden alone. But don't think that this is all there is to the story; there is so much more. 

The interweaving of the three tales of the three fascinating, well-drawn main female characters Tess, Rachel and Cecilia, was very cleverly done. I loved this book, I found it an absolutely cracking read, an absorbing story that I couldn't wait to get back to - I became thoroughly immersed in the development of the plot and I didn't want to be parted from this book! I thought the characters were superbly portrayed, I engaged with them and loved how the author depicted the evolving relationships between them. One of the things I thought the author did really well was portray humour in the most serious of situations, just as can happen in life. Some of the incidents and encounters were so well-observed. I think the only small negative note really for me was that there seemed to be a number of errors (I read a finished brand new paperback copy that I bought) which was a shame. 

The Husband's Secret was a captivating, compelling read and Liane Moriarty is definitely an author whose books I will eagerly watch out for in future.

Source - I bought this book.
Published by Penguin
Other reviews: Bookmagnet | 

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The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald

Set predominantly in Australia, this is a compelling story which I read very fast; it was one of those books that I was loathe to put down. It begins with a scene at the airport, and a flight to Melbourne. Joanna and her partner Alistair are travelling with their baby, and straight from the off, the situations, the prose and the dialogue all draw the reader in, from the difficulties that Joanna faces on the flight, with the baby being so unsettled, to the contrast in others' reactions to her and to her partner. I felt for her so much. 

This is a story about which little can be revealed in a review if a prospective reader is going to enjoy the discoveries and twists and turns to the fullest. This tense, dark read offers up an awful situation, the plot kept me guessing, it surprised me and it made me question who was genuine, who was lying, what could I believe, what had been fabricated; an excellent and highly addictive thriller. I'll definitely be looking out for Helen Fitzgerald's previous novels, which I have missed up until now.

Source - I bought this book.
Published by Faber and Faber
Other reviews: So Many Books, So Little Time | Reading Matters |

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Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay

I consistently really enjoy this author's novels and I've read nearly all of his books now, including The Accident (click the title to read my review of that one). I certainly trust this author with my reading time, and I feel assured he will deliver a page-turning, suspenseful and satisfying storyline. 

This one was amongst his best so far. Trust Your Eyes is an utter page turner, boasting an exciting, gripping plot. I thought the way the first hints of the crime were uncovered was very clever; Thomas Kilbride has an obsession with maps, spending most of his days travelling the world, virtually, on the website Whirl360, committing to memory the details of each place he explores via his computer. It's whilst he is looking at the streets of New York City one day that he notices something unusual at a window, causing him to bring it to the attention of his brother Ray. Despite his initial uncertainty about what Thomas thinks he has seen, and his temptation just to humour him, as Thomas suffers from schizophrenia, Ray soon comes to understand that the situation could actually be very dangerous indeed. The relationship between the two brothers is handled well; their father, who cared for Thomas, having recently died, Ray has to work out how they will cope going forwards, as well as keep them both safe as things grow increasingly threatening. 

Linwood Barclay skillfully handles the addictive narrative, switching viewpoints from chapter to chapter, and builds up the tension for the reader en route to the thrilling climax. One to read when you have time to get all the way to the end, because you will want to.

Source - passed a copy by a friend (and I also bought a copy!)
Published by Orion
Other reviews: Jaffa Reads Too | Random Things |

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Cambridge Blue by Alison Bruce

This is the first crime novel in what is now a series featuring young, promising detective Gary Goodhew, and set in Cambridge and the surrounding area. It's always interesting to read fiction set in or near to the place where you live, and to be able to recognise some of the sites and streets that are mentioned. I've wanted to make a start on this series for ages now, so I'm glad to have finally got the opening book under my belt. I liked it, overall, in particular the main character Gary, and his closest confidant, his Grandmother, and I've bought the next in the series, curious to discover how the character of this eager, intelligent and at times unconventional detective will develop and interested in how the author's writing and future storylines will evolve.

Source - I bought this book.
Published by Constable and Robinson
Other reviews: Euro Crime |

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Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes

I liked the narrative structure in this psychological thriller, moving between the three main female characters, Claudia, Zoe and Lorraine, and keeping me interested and intrigued. Claudia is expecting her own longed-for first child, and is step-mother to her partner's twin sons. She works a demanding job as a social worker and her husband works away much of the time in the Navy. She hires Zoe as a nanny, but becomes increasingly suspicious of her actions. Lorraine is a police detective with her own problems, namely a difficult teenage daughter and an adulterous husband, and to add to her stress, she has to work with him on a daily basis; they are looking into some awful crimes against pregnant women. 

The tale develops very well, indeed I found a large part of the storyline very gripping, the author had me wondering who I could trust, which narrator I should doubt, who is being manipulated, if there was an element of paranoia, where the twists would take me, although I was slightly disappointed by the resolution to the story if I'm being honest. I wouldn't recommend reading this one if you are having a baby or perhaps sensitive around that topic. I'd certainly try this author again.

Source - goodreads first reads
Published by Century
Other reviews: Being Anne | Beadyjan's Bookshelf |

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Have you read any of these novels? Which did you enjoy the most? Do any of them take your interest?

Huge thanks, as always, for visiting and reading my posts :-)

Back to Blackbrick - Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

Cosmo lives with his Grandparents, his mother having left to go to Australia for work. His elder brother Brian died. Cosmo’s Granddad is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Cosmo does what he can to try and help his Granddad continue living at home as he couldn’t bear to be without him – they have always been close - but after a visit from social services, it seems decided that he will now have to go into a home, and Cosmo will have to go and live with his Uncle Ted, who is newly returned from San Francisco.

One day, in a lucid moment when he recognizes Cosmo, his Granddad hands him a key and instructions for where it allows entry, to the South Gates of an old house named Blackbrick, and he makes him promise to go and find him there. At first, Cosmo is not convinced, but nevertheless sets off one night to investigate what this might mean. Once inside the grounds, Cosmo encounters someone who is so familiar to him and yet very different to how he knows them. Can Cosmo manage to change the fate of his family?

Cosmo makes for an excellent, believable young narrator; he is perceptive and witty but flawed and struggling to come to terms with his Granddad’s demise. The story is written with heart and there is a satisfying and surprising turn to the narrative.

This is an exploration of the past, of memory and of love and family, of acceptance of what has gone before; a moving, magical, warmhearted read. It’s very enjoyable, with great characters and is perfect for the target audience, which I believe is children aged 11/12 and over. 

Published by Orion Children's Books on 7th February 2013

I originally reviewed this book for newbooks magazine. Thanks to them and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.