The War Bride by Pamela Hart

Book Review:  The War Bride by Pamela Hart

One of my favourite books of 2015 was Pamela Hart’s The Soldier’s Wife. I gave it 5/5 and added it to my ‘favourites’ shelf. So, how does its sequel, The War Bride stack up?

The Soldier’s Wife introduced the character of Tom McBride, a character I fell in love with whilst reading that first book. I was so ecstatic to see him again featured, but…

I didn’t love The War Bride as much as its predecessor and surprisingly, if I had to narrow it down to one thing I would probably say that it was Tom.

I just didn’t feel like Tom, the chapters written from his point of view, his plot, or his interactions with the other lead characters held my interest as much as I expected. I didn’t feel his chemistry with the leading lady, Margaret, either. (I thought his and The Soldier’s Wife’s Ruby’s scenes were more passionate.)

On saying that, however, there’s a lot to love with The War Bride, and Pamela Hart’s writing.

This book is set post-WW1, a few years later than The Soldier’s Wife. Englishwoman Margaret is the war bride of the title. She married Aussie Frank in haste before he was shipped off to the front (and his possible early grave). Finally, once the war is over, she travels to Australia to be reunited with her husband. Only, due to a series of misunderstandings and breakdowns in communication, she arrives in Sydney to be informed her husband has abandoned her to live with a woman he was in a relationship with prior to meeting Margaret. This is where my previously-beloved Tom steps in, assisting Margaret with the problems she will now face living alone in a new country.

One of the things I admired about The Soldier’s Wife was that a lot of the characters were neither completely good nor bad. I noticed this again. You feel for all the characters and their situations and their decisions and it’s difficult to become firmly #teamTom or #teamFrank.

While The Soldier’s Wife’s Ruby coped with a myriad of social issues, Margaret too faces bigotry and ignorance that seems so incredibly silly in 2016. (What will life be like in 2116?!!?)

The inclusion of the Catholic versus Anglican versus Protestant stupidity is handled well and serves as a good lesson to those judging others today because of their chosen religion.

The difficulty in gaining a divorce in the early 20th century is a revelation, and I enjoyed Hart’s research in this arena and its inclusion into the storyline.

Other topics covered include homosexuality, sex before marriage, lack of employment benefits, child welfare, and PTSD. Again, like in The Soldier’s Wife, I like how Hart still makes the novel’s narrative flow effortlessly when including these things.

The book is set in Sydney and I thoroughly enjoyed all the descriptions of the city, in particular the beaches and ferries. The emergence in Australia of swimming and surf lifesaving was great fun.

If there is one other thing I’d like to change it would be the time it took to reach the climax. I think it was around the 90% mark on my ereader when a couple of events occurred (no telling, spoilers, although I did think some of it was obvious) that caused me to gasp and cry. Upon reflection, I think the events straight after this mark should have taken a touch more time to sort themselves out. The ending seemed quite rushed.

The War Bride is still a fab read, and I still highly recommend it to everyone, especially those who are looking for a strong read in the historical women’s lit genre. And if Hart wants to write another ‘sequel’ starring Jane, I would happily read it.

(I must stop calling it a sequel. I just want to point out The War Bride is completely stand alone, and you don’t have to read The Soldier’s Wife to understand or enjoy this book.)

4 1/2 out of 5

All that Happened at Number 26

Book Review:  All that Happened at Number 26 by Denise Scott

I unashamedly adore Denise Scott. Every appearance she makes on tv has me in hysterics. So I had high expectations for this book and was concerned I might be disappointed. I needn’t have worried. This book is a hilarious read.

Despite Denise’s somewhat unorthodox lifestyle, her world is very typical Australian. Her trials and tribulations with her children, her marriage, her mother and her job seem so familiar (especially to this middle aged female Australian mother). My favourite section was where she ‘gives up’ smoking! So funny.

There are a couple of very sad moments in the book too, but of course she manages to find the humour in even her most depressing situations.

PS Don’t forget to read the acknowledgements in the end! Even those are funny!

Highly recommend this book.

5/5

(Reviewed in June 2013 and posted to Goodreads only.)

A Lovers’ Guide to Rome

Book Review:  The Lovers’ Guide to Rome by Mark Lamprell

The blurb likens this book to the movie Love, Actually, and although I wouldn’t totally agree with that, I do agree it was a light and easy read with an enjoyable rom com/chick lit feel about it.

It follows the story of three couples, all at different stages of their lives. The young falling in love at first sight couple, Alice and August; the middle aged married couple contemplating adultery and divorce, Alec and Meg; and the older sister-in-laws and best friends barely coping with their loss couple, Constance and Lizzie.

Not surprisingly, I thought the characters with the most depth were the oldest, Constance and Lizzie, and their plot was the one that engaged me the most. As I pointed out, the book was a light fun read, but they did have some moments that brought tears to my eyes.

I enjoyed all three couples and all three plots though, which is half the battle when it comes to this type of multi-character book. Often there is one plot or character that irritates and makes you want to skip.

Meg was the closest anyone comes to an antagonist, but even she has lots of redeeming qualities that made me cheer her on. (I especially liked the fact she was Australian!)

I could almost say that Rome itself was the only character I disliked. Not Rome the setting. I had no problem with Lamprell’s descriptions and use of the city. Rome’s gorgeous (and sometimes seedy) landscapes and peoples were a delight to read about. It was the ‘Rome as a narrator’ idea I was wary of. It screamed pretension and gimmick. Luckily, Lamprell managed to use the idea sparingly enough that I wasn’t put off completely.

The other ‘gimmick’ the book used is the one where the characters cross paths and are linked in some way (like many other books of the genre). However, here I did think this was underdone too much. The characters’ associations seemed to be of little consequence and I would consider all three plots as stand alone.

They’re small negatives, and I really liked this book and I would recommend it. I’ll also be on the lookout for more of the author’s work.

A solid 4/5

 

Book Review: Useful

Book Review:  Useful by Debra Oswald

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I knew the general premise, that its main character, Sullivan, attempts to commit suicide in the opening chapter. He obviously fails, but when in hospital lamenting the fact he’s a waste of space, he gets an idea that he might become a useful member of society if he donates a kidney. It sounded like it could almost be too much of a forced plot line, too contrived maybe, but I’m here to happily report this wasn’t the case and I loved Useful.

Despite his shortcomings, I also loved Sullivan, and cheered him on even when his journey of redemption bounced him from misadventure to misadventure.

I didn’t only like Sullivan, however. Unlike some writers, Oswald has created a diverse and engaging cast of supporting characters. There’s Natalie and her rather dysfunctional family, Sully’s kidney transplant doctor and psychiatrist, Sully’s two besties and their partners, his new boss and his wife, his famous actor friend, his socially awkward neighbour, and his inherited dog. All of them add charm and/or tension, and are used for just the right amount of time by Oswald.

I found Oswald was also a deft hand with keeping the plot balanced and moving along. There was just the right amount of plot twists, romance, comedy, and poignancy. Thankfully nothing ever seemed cliched or read like a soap opera.

I thought the book quite clever on many levels too. Oswald’s writing and descriptions could be thought provoking, and I found the idea of Sullivan keeping himself on the straight and narrow because of his pending organ donation quite fascinating. I needed to keep reading to find out whether or not he would go through with it. I wavered between wishing he wouldn’t (after all it’s quite dangerous) and thinking how disappointed I’d be if he backed out. Plus, like many of the characters, I kept wondering just what would become of Sullivan when he no longer had such a huge goal to keep him sober and decent. Would he immediately return to his old bad habits? Would he try to again commit suicide?

Some of my questions were answered, some weren’t. Did this worry me? No, not really. I think there’s a lot implied with the ending. I highly recommend you read Useful to find out some of these outcomes for yourself too.

4 ½ out of 5.

The Winter Garden by Jane Thynne

Book Review:  The Winter Garden by Jane Thynne

I got this ARC from Simon and Schuster and was really looking forward to it. The plot sounded like something I’d enjoy, and all in all, I did, but for some clunky writing now and then. (Where were the editors? At one stage the same thought is paraphrased about 5 times in the space of about 5 pages.)

I must admit I didn’t realise Winter Garden was the second part of a trilogy, and I have to wonder if I would have enjoyed it more had I read the first book (Black Roses).

Our heroine, Clara Vine, is an actress with an English Nazi sympathiser for a father and a now-deceased (I presume) German mother. She’s living in Berlin in 1937, starring in films, whilst secretly working as a spy for the British.

There are a slew of real life characters in the book — Hitler, Goebells, Goering, Ernst Udet, the Mitford sisters, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson to name a few — and I thought this was an ambitious idea which Thynne mostly pulled off. (Some of these people I knew a little of and some I googled whilst reading and found their stories quite fascinating/horrifying.)

The mystery part of the book is not very satisfying. It involves the murder of a young girl at a Nazi bride school which a friend of Clara’s (Mary, an American journalist) is investigating (for her newspaper). I don’t think there was enough of this investigation to make me care. It was almost a B-plot and I thought there could have been more focus on its details. Mary’s character seems to just turn up and I was supposed to instantly love her. The POV even changes to hers for a few chapters, and I was mystified by this and her presence in the book at all at times. (This might be where reading the first book could have come in handy, as I assume her character was introduced in it.)

Another character who just turns up and we’re supposed to love is Clara’s godson whom she’s adopted. Clara thinks over and over how much she loves him, and I suppose we’re supposed to too, just from Clara’s say-so that he’s a wonderful boy. I saw no evidence of his appeal, however.

If the book isn’t a mystery, it should then be a romance, and this is really where I have to lower the rating. I hated the ‘romance’ of the book. (I’ll readily admit this is why I read books, the romance, so when I don’t enjoy it, it’s disappointing.) There are two potential suitors for Clara in the book. I enjoyed the one character very much (a scarred Lutwaffe pilot who may or may not be trustworthy). The other (a fellow Englishman), not so much. In fact, I got the sense the latter character wasn’t even part of the original draft and some editor forced Thynne to add him to ensure the readers’ romantic buttons were pushed. Sorry, guys, but he just left me cold. He really seemed to be tossed in haphazardly. I don’t understand why Clara trusted him; I don’t understand why she was attracted to him; I don’t understand why I was supposed to want Clara to be with him. The entire plot with Strauss is much more thought out and interesting. Thynne should have just settled for him only.

I guess it is a good book in the sense that I am now curious as to what happened in the first/will happen in the 3rd. But it’s a disappointment given how spectacular it could have been with just a few minor changes.

3 1/2 out of 5

(Reviewed in March 2014 and originally posted to Goodreads only.)

Book Review: No Baggage by Clara Bensen

 

Book Review:  No Baggage:  A Tale of Love and Wandering by Clara Bensen

Travel memoirs aren’t big on my ‘to read’ list, but this one had a cute cover and an interesting premise, so I thought I’d give it a go. Am I happy I did? Well…

Let me start with the premise. Clara’s new boyfriend, Jeff, invites her to go on a vacation to Europe with him. But there’s a catch. He insists they go on this holiday with no firm accommodation bookings, and more alarmingly for Clara, no luggage.

Yep, the idea is they rock up to the airport and jump on a plane to Turkey wearing only the clothes on their backs. Don’t think there’s any cheating with carry-on bags or huge backpacks either. Clara’s allowed only the essentials in one small handbag. And Jeff’s so strict on this rule, even toothpaste isn’t considered essential.

See, sounds interesting! I was thinking endless fun descriptions of foreign countries, enough to give me the travel bug, along with some screwball comedy and a little romance (Jeff and Clara’s relationship is quite new).

I would have loved that book.

I didn’t get that book.

Yay for Bensen finding herself by travelling with Jeff and indulging in some public therapy by writing this memoir, but instead of empowering or inspiring me, it feels like she’s transferred her depression over to me. I did finish the book, but only just. Reading this made me feel like I was stuck in the corner with a ‘me generation’ twenty-something girl who has suffered no real crises during her short life, yet wants to impart upon me her intellectual ideas on the meaning of life (all aided by her brilliant university education) at a party where I’d be just happy to dance and get drunk.

Even the premise isn’t as adventurous as one first imagines. The couple only go for three weeks (not so long without washing your hair! like camping really!) and they do take money, so emergency accommodation, clothes and other essentials can be bought if desired.

Instead of fast paced and fun, I read about the years she was so paralysed with some kind of fear/depression (for no particular explained reason other than being an ex-home schooled high achiever with parents that were madly religious at one time) that she couldn’t even get out of bed.

Going out in the world again does happen though, and she meets Jeff on an internet dating site. I find this odd. You’re just learning to cope with society and life in general, so you throw yourself to the mercy of an internet dating site?

Anyway, I could have perhaps enjoyed this book much more if it wasn’t for Jeff. I really want to slap Jeff (which is awful because he’s a real person). I feel like he would drive me mad in real life. He’d be one of those people I’d need to avoid, should I give in to temptation to tell him he’s an idiot.

Not only does Jeff come across as totally immature on the page, he also reads controlling. (Yes, he’s the survivor of a bad marriage, but that hardly makes him a special snowflake these days.) Everything on this trip has to be done his way, and when it’s not he either walks off in a huff or gives Clara the silent treatment for hours upon end. And I really wish I had never read about his public sex kink (or Clara’s menstrual issues). Still, Clara insists, in length, that Jeff is exactly what she needed after her breakdown. Her seriousness was evened out by his spontaneity, or something or other.

Perhaps this book would have worked for me if Bensen had turned her story into a fictional novel (with that little bit of comedy and romance), because I can’t complain about the way she writes per se. I also think someone younger than I am might love this book with a passion. Most of the time Clara and Jeff’s ‘adventures’ simply made me feel old and staid and I felt like I wasn’t ‘getting it’.

There might be lots of people out there that adore this book, but I am old, and impatient, and cranky, so I’m giving the book a 2/5.