The Winter Garden - Nicola Cornick

 What seems to start as a pleasant little histfic about Gunpowder Plot conspirator Robert Catesby soon morphs into a tidy, dual timeline, supernatural, almost cosy crime caper. It’s a pleasing balance sure to engage lovers of historical fiction and those who like a little otherworldly intrigue.

For me the mark of good historical fiction is whether the reading of it makes me want to find out more. I did. I knew of Robert Catesby and his part in the Gunpowder Plot on a superficial level, this book just made me want to find out more about him, Anne his mother, and his wife Catherine.

The story is told from the perspectives of two engaging female characters. Anne Catesby mother of Robert, and Lucy, an erstwhile professional musician whose career is curtailed due to debilitating post viral syndrome.

It is the titular winter garden that links the two women. The garden is in the former home of Catesby and now owned by Lucy’s aunt Verity, another indomitable female character in the story. Lucy convalesces in the Gunpowder Barn at Knightstone and has visions of a woman in a Tudor dress.

Both stories have suspenseful moments , both very different but the weaving the two story lines appears seamless. The historical research is sound, giving us a fair impression of what it must have been like for  families forced to subdue their true religious beliefs. The archaeological details also present plausibly. The two male characters, Finn and Johnny, demonstrate a keen passion for their undertaking. Their stories start to bubble alongside Lucy’s adding to the sense of mystery within the story. It would be a disservice for potential readers to detail too much more of the plot so I’ll say no more!

It’s a well constructed novel as one might expect from an experienced  novelist like Nicola Cornick, well paced, with attention to relevant details and enough intrigue to carry the reader willing along, to seek the truth and answers from those in the past…….and the present.

My thanks to HQ stories for a gifted copy and a place upon the blog tour.

All Island No Sea - Chris Campbell - Blog Tour

What I love about Chris Campbell’s work is that he takes the ordinary, the unexceptional, the mundane even, and elevates them poetically into something of greater depth. He has a way of placing events into perspective as he did with his previous collection White Eye of the Needle (reviewed on my blog last year)

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2021/05/white-eye-of-needle-chris-campbell.html

This new book offers us his take on an eclectic mix of topics from moving house to the beauty of the natural world. It’s unpretentious and honest work with the poet uncannily putting his finger on the salient.

I especially loved That Which We Own where concepts of ownership are delicately explored’

‘Do you own a tree if it stands
in your garden? Is a shirt
yours if it hangs from your rack?’

and

‘I don’t possess nature, I only borrow
clothes. I transfer money, my food
‘belongs to me only while I eat -‘

I found Ostrich poignant where the poet considers his granddad who would have been ninety nine.

‘…I wonder if your rhubarb still grows;

if your books now gather dust on
somebody else’s shelf?’

They are poems that strike a chord within us and persuade us to reflect on our own lives and situations in ways perhaps that had not occurred to us before.

I also enjoyed Morning very much where the poet describes morning under canvas and considers whether the reality we are in at that moment is the only reality.

‘We see the trees converse,
                            swaying after staying
up all night
and our beds at home are forgotten
like distant                    relatives,
as if we were meant to exist here all along.’

There is no sense of being preached at, no attempt at dogmatism, it’s as if the poet is saying, “Here’s what I think, how about you?” It’s a gentle, harmonious collection of thoughts and ideas to be savoured and pondered over time. And of the title? My first thought was ‘No Man is an Island’. But it refers to a specific poem midway through the collection of a metaphysical nature and could easily merit a blog post all of its own! Powerful images. 

All Island, No Sea’ is inspired by the arrival of a newborn into Campbell’s family, an upheaval of a house move, and the love for his family which invigorates his life. It also combats how he feels about his own body across the passing of time with a humour and fun that characterises Campbell’s poetry as a whole.

Author Biography:

Chris Campbell is a former journalist living in Bristol. He now works in PR and is a Rotary GB&I Young Writer National Final judge.

‘All Island No Sea’ is Chris’ third poetry book following ‘White Eye of the Needle’ (2021) and ‘Bread Rolls and Dresden’ (2013). His poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in Dreich, Indigo Dreams’ The Dawntreader, The Waxed Lemon, Streetcake, Yuzu Press, Green Ink Poetry and Lothlorien Poetry Journal. Chris won The Portico Library’s ‘Poetry Prize’ (2021) and has featured on BBC Radio Bristol. Visit www.chriscampbellpoetry.co.uk.

My thanks to Isabelle Kenyon for inviting me to the blog tour and to Chris Campbell for a gifted, signed copy.

 

Harvey’s Hutch - Philip Dodd

 It’s often astounded me today how celebrities, for want of a better word, feel that after a short time in the public eye they are compelled to offer their life story in book form. I have held the belief that a true autobiography should be attempted towards the maturer years as it is only then that a true reflection of life‘s journey and it’s lessons can really be effectively written about. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read and enjoyed some of these autobiographies and been thoroughly entertained but often been left with the feeling that the lives I’m reading about are only half lived and there’s more to come. The other thing that strikes me is that when you remove the celebrity aspect of these books what you have left is………. ordinary lives of ordinary people or extraordinary lives of extraordinary people because really we’re all rather unique. And I think that if we were all compelled as part of some dystopian direction to write our own memoirs we would all come up with our own anecdotes and observations that might be interesting and entertaining to read.

And that brings me neatly to the subject of this blog piece, this charming memoir of Philip Dodd – Harvey’s Hutch. It’s not an autobiography, as such, it is very much a memoir where Dodd likens memories to mirrors in a quite captivating way and demonstrates how a pivotal event in a younger life can impact irrevocably on their future life. Here the four-year-old Phil finds that Harvey, much beloved rabbit, has disappeared in the night through a hole in the wire mesh of his hutch. 

Dodd’s memory mirrors allows us glimpses into his life and his philosophies of life. It’s a gentle lyrical consideration of people and events that may have contributed to the person he has become. It’s full of relatable anecdotes, well relatable if you’re a certain age I guess! I am! And so it was sheer delight to read of life in the 60s with  Ready Steady Go, the progress of the Beatles (Liverpool feature strongly as Mr Dodd’s hometown), the crumbling of Oxo cubes and the sobering reminder of how the war shaped our parents. I thrilled at some of the parallels between my life and this writer’s. From a hutched pet in early years to the desire to pursue literature, the impact of family and friends from our younger years and that profound sense of loss when beloved grandparents pass away.

It’s a memoir of honesty and earnest belief. I found something so profoundly refreshing about the lack of desire to impress the reader that is so often present in other such works and it was also very moving. it  is taking those things that happen in our lives and giving them a credibility that is uplifting when you read because you can identify and think, oh yes, I remember. We all have mirrors, they hold the reflection of our very souls. Not all of us have the capacity to commit them to a full length book as Philip Dodd has done. And done so very well.

My thanks to Librarything and the author himself for my gifted copy.

Queen High - C.J.Carey - Blog Blast

 

 I can remember considering the implications at the conclusion of Widowland  and allowing my imagination to turn somersaults at what might have happened next. I could have written a book! I didn’t! But, thankfully, the author, C.J. Carey did! And I’ve just finished Queen High and I’m high (a literary high, just to clarify!) None of my fancies matched the rich imagination of this author. It’s mind blowing.

Much dystopian fiction offers us an alternate landscape that is one step removed from our current realities. But what C.J. Carey has done is to interweave an Orwellian dystopia within a recognisable framework, historically and geographically. That somehow makes things all the more chilling.

If the big shock of Widowland was the concept of Germany ruling Great Britain then the shock here is that Wallis Simpson is the reigning monarch! Perhaps the impact of that is more intensified given recent events. 

It was a pleasure, (and a relief after the end of Widowland) to make the acquaintance of Rose Ransom again. The caste system for females is still in place and she remains in her position at the Culture Ministry where she is now working on poetry, outlawed by the Alliance, but it plays a big part in this new story.

With a presidential visit from the US imminent Rose is thrust into a situation where she is required to visit the Queen and report back. It seems there are concerns as to Queen Wallis’s state of mind. When Rose meets her she claims to have an inflammatory document in her possession that would rock the Protectorate. And more than that I will not divulge.

The character of Rose again intrigued me. A paradox between wanting to conform and exist below the radar yet with an impassioned need to oppose what she knows is an unbalanced system. Her courage is understated. Her anxiety and fear often palpable yet she takes the situation that she’s in and moulds it to as desirable an outcome as she believes possible. Her affinity and compassion for her fellow women is commendable and give substance to this being a work of feminist fiction as well as dystopian fiction.

Wallis Simpson is another interesting character in the book. Because, of course, she was a real person and subject to factual scrutiny. But the character in the book conforms, certainly, to all of my perceptions about Wallis Simpson, from her physical appearance to her attitudes. 

The majority of male characters seemed to be of similar type and outlook creating an ‘us and them’ type scenario. They were very authoritarian. It was hard to warm to any of them really. But I don’t think we are supposed to.The emphasis is on the women in the book who showed themselves to be intelligent, warm and resourceful.

If you enjoyed the excellent Widowland then this is a must read for you. I am so hoping that it doesn’t end here. I’m hoping there will be another story soon.

My thanks to Milly Reid at Quercus books for a gifted copy and a place upon the blog blast.

Orpheus Builds a Girl - Heather Parry

If the future of the true Gothic novel was ever in doubt such fears are instantly dispelled by this jaw-dropping debut novel from Heather Parry. Although this fiction is based on fact it is almost unbelievable. So much so that I began to google the true story upon which the novel is based and…… oh my!

Over to the blurb.

‘ Wilhelm von Tore is dying. As he looks back on his life he reflects on his upbringing in Dresden, his beloved grandmother, and his medical career during the Second World War. But mostly he remembers his darling Luci, the great love of his life, his dark haired beauty promised to him in a dream years before they met.

Though only together for a few months in her first life, their love is written in the stars. Using scientific research compiled over decades, Wilhelm ensures that, for him and his beloved, death is only the beginning.

But through the cracks in Willhelm’s story there is another voice, that of Gabriela, and she will not let this version of events go unchallenged. She tells the story of her sister Luciana, fearless and full of life, and the madman who robbed her from her grave.’

That sums up pretty neatly and succinctly what happens but like all good blurbs it leaves out the hows and the whys. And I’m not about to offer any spoilers here because nothing should stand in the way of the impact of the events in the story for the innocent reader. 

There is much to consider in this book. The author herself states that she wrote the story as an extreme version of a well-known tale – “a straight white man being allowed to do whatever they like to everyone who isn’t a straight white man.” And about how complicit society can be in such matters. I think of events over recent years and nod my head in wry agreement.

But there are also spiritual matters to be considered. Von Tore is a man of learning, a man of science, surely somebody with that level of intelligence has integrity. He really does believe that Luci has been promised to him years before they actually met. And it’s as if he is predestined to behave as he does. You never get the feeling that for one moment he considers that anything he is doing is wrong. But is he even sane?

The story presents with a dual narrative; from Wilhelm and from Gabriela, Luci’s sister. We are treated to the backstory from both characters and there seems to be no connection between the two until Wilhelm and Luci meet and then it’s as if hell itself is unleashed. The characterisations are as fascinating as they are different. Yet both are motivated by love for the same person. Gabriela for her sister, and Wilhelm for the woman he believes is destined to be his forever love.

Wilhelm’s narrative is cold and dispassionate in places. He is stating facts in precise and graphic detail. Gabriela’s is more volatile, more openly emotional, there is anger and despair within her.

And within our two narratives we learn of the other characters in the novel. Gabriella’s family with those rollercoaster bonds that exist within families, a devout mother, an almost reprobate father and two loyal brothers who want to protect and find justice for their sister.

The writing is frank with the kind of explicit detail that’s been missing from some so called Gothic novels in recent years creating a subtle atmosphere of terror and wonder. And of course we can’t ignore the allusions from the title – Orpheus. The major legend concerns his attempt to retrieve his wife Eurydice from the underworld. So I guess we are encouraged to consider Von Tore as a more modern day Orpheus?

It’s a substantial work that will give rise to many a discussion I should imagine. The themes are rich and the book has a multilayered quality to it so that it can be experienced beyond the mere telling of a story. But it’s not for the faint hearted. There are passages in the book that some may find distressing. As a debut novel, though,  it’s very impressive. 

My thanks to Gallic press for a beautiful, finished copy of the book. 

Stolen Summers - Anne Goodwin

 

If you were captivated by Matty (and her penchant for jelly babies) in Mathilda Windsor is Coming Home then you will enjoy this prequel which tells of Matty’s admission to Ghyllside hospital in 1939. I say ‘enjoy’ but I think you will experience a wider range of emotions than that. For this book tells us of the real Matty Windsor, the girl, the woman she was before she was incarcerated for fifty years. And why was she incarcerated?  Because she had a baby ‘out of wedlock’. It wouldn’t happen today, one hopes. But that doesn’t really excuse or diminish the sense of anger and horror of Matty’s treatment. This is a fiction, yes, but it’s based on fact. Facts of a cold, cruel regime that sees the real Matty Windsor hidden deep inside her poor electro shocked head.

In Stolen Summers we are witness to Matty’s arrival and early days in the asylum, we weep at her confusion, and her concerns for her six year old brother and we rage at the inhumanity of a step father who can do this to a young girl. The story enjoys a dual time line, 1939, and showing how the relaxing of asylum rules, twenty five years after the beginning of her ‘stay’, in 1964 allow the sprinklings of the real Matty to emerge from the chrysalis of her custody into the swinging sixties world outside of Ghyllside.

And we are allowed to get to know Matty. We know that she is warm, funny, caring, lively, yet in possession of an integrity that makes her situation all the harder to understand. And never does the love she has for her brother wane. We are introduced to some new characters, the dynamic Doris and the enigmatic Eustace, Characterisations richly drawn from Anne Goodwin’s pen just as Henry and Janice were in ‘….Coming Home’ and we are allowed to get to know Matty through the crisp and well paced narrative of the author invoking the idiosyncrasies of the ages she is describing so palpably, the war years and the sixties.

You don’t need to have read the first book to appreciate this one but I’m betting you’ll want to read it straightaway after you finish this! And if you’ve read the first book than you’ll be eager to read this one. I reviewed it on my blog last year. Here’s the link if you’re interested.

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2021/05/matilda-windsor-is-coming-home-anne.html

My thanks to the author for a gifted, signed copy. 

Published 1st October. Available on Amazon.co.uk