New England Rocks - Christina Courtenay

I've previously read one of this author's historical fiction titles, Highland Storms, which was a really enjoyable, well written period adventure and romance. I like to read a young adult novel from time to time, as I enjoy a nice variety in my reading matter! This is Christina Courtenay's first novel for young adults, and it is the first in a trilogy all to be set in New England.

Rain Mackenzie is expelled from Blakeborough boarding school in England and travels to join her wealthy parents where they currently live, in a small town north of Boston in New England. They hope to teach her a lesson after her exploits at her previous school where she was found in the boys dormitory surrounded by empty tequila bottles, by sending her to the local school, Northbrooke High, and bringing her down to earth. She is intent on not enjoying it at Northbrooke High, determined to keep to herself and not get involved with anyone. After all, she thinks she won't be there long. However, her opinion starts to waver when she gets to know fellow student and musician Jesse Devlin a little better. Despite a definite attraction between the pair, there's a complication because Jesse is already attached, and his girlfriend Amber isn't at all keen on Rain spending any time with him. The story follows Rain's time settling in at the school and getting to know Jesse. 

I thought this was an easy, enjoyable, fun and undemanding read, with a sweet storyline, featuring an independent, sassy heroine and a troubled, sensitive and handsome hero. It was an escapist read, and the development of friendships and romance were nicely portrayed. The author writes with a compassion for her characters, and captures the high school environment with its cliques and rivalries. I enjoyed the bonding day episode when the kids went out into the forest. I felt perhaps the outcome was a little easy to guess at, but I was glad that it concluded the way it did. Rain developed as a character, moving from her initial disgruntlement at finding herself thrust into a new school in another country, to an acceptance and even appreciation of the new people she meets, and happiness at how things turn out. There's a lot more to Jesse than initially meets the eye, and his tougher background is in stark contrast to Rain's privileged upbringing. There's some highlighting of the contrasts between the UK and USA, in terms of language and cultural comparisons; I'd have liked a bit more of this, and I'd have loved a little more about the New England setting and landscape.

Overall New England Rocks is a fairly quick read and an enjoyable teenage tale with heart, and I'd be keen to see what the author does in the next book in this series; in the meantime, I'll be hoping to read some of her other historical fiction.

Published by Choc Lit

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

You can find the author on twitter @PiaCCourtenay  and visit her website here.

You can read the prologue and first chapter on the Choc Lit 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 Promise - Ann Weisgarber

Set in 1900, this moving novel tells of a talented young pianist, Catherine Wainwright, who leaves Dayton, Ohio having been involved in a scandalous affair and subsequently found herself ostracized by the community. In desperation she starts writing once more to the man she once corresponded with years before and who admired her back then, Oscar Williams. They agree to marry, and Catherine travels hundreds of miles to Galveston in Texas, where Oscar has now made a life for himself. He is recently widowed, with a young son named Andre, and his housekeeper Nan who promised Oscar’s late wife Bernadette that she would care for Andre.

Everything about her new environment is a shock to Catherine; meeting Oscar and getting to know him again after all the time that has passed, learning to deal with a young child who misses his mother as well as the housekeeper who has a firmly established place in the household, getting used to the remote, unfamiliar place that is now her home, coming to terms with having left everything she has known hundreds of miles away. So much change, so much upheaval for Catherine.

Then there is Nan, who has her promise to take care of Andre, but who is distrustful and suspicious of Catherine when she arrives, and wonders at the different behaviour and ways she brings with her. For Nan, Catherine’s arrival also means that the romantic feelings for Oscar that she has tried to hide will now never be reciprocated. Whilst they are all dealing with these new relationships and struggles, the biggest test of their lives comes from nature in the form of the worst storm in US history.

This is a very absorbing and well-crafted historical novel, with a firm sense of place and time that I felt totally transported to. Ann Weisgarber has created two distinctive and strong female voices as narrators in Nan and Catherine. I felt sadness for Nan because she loves Oscar too and has to witness the affection that he shares with Catherine. Nan is such a key part of the household yet she is always slightly on the outside, whereas Catherine arrives and is immediately part of Oscar and Andre’s family, which is understandably hard for Nan to stomach. Catherine looks to make a new start in Galveston with Oscar, having been in a desperate situation and seen this as her last opportunity. I admired Oscar, who had traveled south years before and made a home and life for himself, and who is a kind and trusting man. As I read, I was intrigued as to how these characters would relate to each other and what conflicts may arise. The author captures and portrays the subtleties of the relationships really well, with small moments that have huge significance. 

Music is an important theme in the novel; it is such an important means of expression for both women, and the contrast in their styles mirrors the contrast in their personalities and backgrounds, yet music also unites them and suggests that they may not be that different after all, deep down.

The novel highlights the vulnerability of humans to the devastating forces of nature, with the author combining the real storm that took place in Galveston, Texas, with her fictional tale. It is a beautifully understated, character-driven story of promises and secrets, of disgrace and suspicion, of jealousy and love, and it is a compelling and emotional read which I greatly enjoyed. I shed a tear at the end.

Published by Mantle

Thanks very much to the publisher for kindly sending a copy of this novel to read and review. 

You can find the author on twitter @AnnWeisgarber and visit her website here.

The Bellwether Revivals - Benjamin Wood

‘I’m not sure it’s possible to be exceptional without being a bit abnormal too. Goes with the territory.'

Oscar Lowe has escaped a humdrum life to create his own contented and independent existence away from his family in Watford, something that was more important to him at that time than continuing his education. Nevertheless he is a bright and inquisitive young man, living amongst the Cambridge colleges but outside of their world.

He meets Iris Bellwether one evening as he listens to the music coming from King’s College. Iris lights up his own world and what’s more, she opens up access to such a different world from his own. Oscar works at Cedarbrook, a nursing home in Cambridge where his good friendship with one of the residents, Dr Paulsen, has enlightened his reading and also is destined to introduce him to someone from his past who will have a key role to play the lives of Oscar and his new friends.

The wealth and privilege enjoyed by beautiful Iris, her clever but troubled brother Eden and their friends contrasts with Oscar’s experiences; he is drawn to them all, but feels they have a shared experience of the past that excludes him at times; ‘They were like a family. They called each other pet names…He had never been a s close to anyone as they were with each other.’

For Iris, time spent with Oscar is an escape from everything else in her life, the demands of her parents, her brother’s behaviour. She likens being with him to listening to the choir at King’s College; ‘They just relax me so much, I feel as if I’m free…I feel the same way with you, Oscar.’

The tension builds in the story as we learn more about Iris and Eden, and we wonder to what extent Eden will take his desire and need to prove the skills he believes he possesses, involving the others in his experiments too. Eden encapsulates the idea of genius that is not without a hint of madness. Iris tells Oscar that Eden needs ‘to feel power over everyone. It’s what sustains him.’ There is a temptation though to believe in the abilities that Eden professes to have; ‘trusting in things that seem like madness.’ Could there be any truth in his claims?

It’s enthralling to read on and be part of the events that the friends are involved in, to follow the development of the story and the relationships.

One of the major themes in the novel is music, and the power of music to move and affect people. Eden’s dramatic playing of the organ is vividly described:

‘This was an energetic music, angry and contagious, something feverish and knife-sharp. It was music like gushing water, like frantic animals being herded on a hillside, like all of the conversations in the world being spoken at once, like an ocean prising itself apart, like two great armies converging on each other.’

The Bellwether Revivals is a captivating and intelligent debut novel. In some ways it reminded me of The Secret History by Donna Tartt, a book I love. I loved the Cambridge, Grantchester and Watford settings, the ideas discussed in the story, the closeness of the group of friends, and the looming sense of danger ahead. A thought-provoking and worthwhile read. 

Published by Simon & Schuster

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

Thank you to the publisher for the chance to read and review a copy of this novel. 

The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp - Eva Rice

Tara Jupp and her sister Lucy, along with six other siblings, live with their widowed vicar father in his Rectory in the Cornish countryside. We learn of Tara’s life growing up, the loss of her mother, her love of horses. She has a beautiful singing voice and this will be the asset that steers her life in a whole new direction. Her beautiful elder sister Lucy has a keen interest in preserving historic houses and their contents. Tara becomes acquainted with the owner of Trellanack, a large old house in Cornwall near her home, and the owner asks if Tara and Lucy would befriend her daughter Matilda. The friendship and events between these three girls will shape their lives.

Tara is our first-person narrator throughout; from her carefree days spent riding horses to the moment she enters a recording studio in London, we are there to experience the dramatic changes in her life with her.

Tara and Lucy experience first-hand the excitement of the early sixties in London; the world of famous models, photographers and hit music makers, the new fashions and the ‘in’ places to see and be seen.

This is an enjoyable, atmospheric and engaging read that brings another time and place vividly to life. The writing is warm and witty and the characters, especially Tara, are charming and come to life as you read; you feel part of the journey, spirited back to the sixties with Tara and Lucy as they grow up, fall in love, leave their familiar surroundings to take on the world and follow their dreams.

Published by Heron Books, an imprint of Quercus, on 17th January 2013

I originally reviewed this book for lovereading.co.uk - thanks to them and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.

Visit the Heron Books site here

A Parachute in the Lime Tree - Annemarie Neary

‘He’s got his heart set on something and he’ll not be blown off course.’

This is a beautifully written historical novel set primarily in Ireland at the time of World War II. It follows the lives of four main characters whose lives will intertwine and impact on each other in powerful ways.

Oskar and Elsa were next-door neighbours and sweethearts in Berlin before World War Two, but are now separated by war. Elsa, who is Jewish, escapes from Berlin and manages to reach neutral Ireland via the Kindertransport, separated from her dear parents who are left behind in Holland, and about whose dangerous situation she is so anxious. In April 1941, now a somewhat disillusioned member of the Luftwaffe and finding himself flying over Ireland, Oskar takes his chance and abandons the crew of his plane, deserting from the war in a desperate attempt to find his lost love, Elsa.

It is Kitty who one morning discovers the parachute caught up in one of the lime trees in the garden of her home in remote Dunkerin. Finding Oskar is a curious, exciting event in her humdrum life and will impact on her future. Elsewhere there is a Charlie, a young medical student who meets Elsa and falls in love with her.

This is a moving and emotional wartime read. The author transports us back to the past and draws us into the lives of these young people living and loving in such difficult times, experiencing such intense emotions. Through the skillful characterisation we get to know each of them as individuals and at the same time the author convincingly weaves together the four strands to her tale.

The writing is lyrical and beautiful. There is sadness, separation and anxiety, but also powerful love, belief and determination against the odds. Elsa is a talented pianist and her love of, and need for music keeps her going through hard, uncertain times. There is a beautiful, romantic passage when Charlie is observing Elsa play:

‘…once Elsa began to pick out he melody, the music took over. As he watched her play, he memorised the lie of her hair, the roll of her shoulders as she used her body to give power to the music. He knew that he would be able to mark this as the moment of his falling in love and he wanted to be able to remember every detail of it. He guessed that the feeling she put into the music signalled some other love that was lost now. He wondered if she would ever feel that way for him.’

I really liked how Annemarie Neary concluded the story; I personally love an ending that ties up loose ends and I thought it brought the novel as a whole to a fitting conclusion and touched my heart.

I also love how the book itself is designed, with the lovely pages subtly patterned with a black and white image of trees at the start of each section.

This is a very well-written work of historical fiction, powerfully evocative of place and time. I would certainly read more writing by this author. 

4/5

Published by The History Press Ireland

Thank you very much to the author for kindly sending me a copy of this novel to read and review. 

You can follow the author on twitter @AnnemarieNeary1 and visit her website here.