Virginia Lane is not a Hero - Rosalind Stopps

 

There is something wonderfully uplifting about a novel that has a protagonist of mature years kicking butt. The title doesn't suggest that, it suggests it's going to be an Eleanor Oliphant, Dawn Brightside kinda story but it isn't! Many nails were bitten and many tissues were used during the reading of this book.

Ever since her beloved Jed died, all Virginia wants is to be left alone. But the little girl who lives down the street is so sweet, that even in her grief state Virginia's heart softens whenever she sees her.

And that's why Virginia knows there's something wrong in the little girl's house. So when the mother asks Virginia to take her child far away, somewhere safe, Virginia says yes.

The last thing Virginia would call herself is a hero. She's just doing what anyone else would do, right? But when she realises how much danger the child is in, she knows she needs to do everything she can to keep her safe… Because sometimes it's the most ordinary people who end up doing the most extraordinary things. 

Thus sayeth the blurb! But the book is so much more. For a start there are some memorable characters, not least Virginia herself, but Jackson and his brother, Noah (surely one of the most philosophically precocious and preceptive eleven year olds to populate the pages of a story!) And then there's Annie, a pen pal of Virginia's late husband whose own story could have been the subject of a full length novel, not to mention Noah and Jackson's grandmother, battling illness. And yet it is not a wholly character driven story, there is a dark, tense plot that explores several contemporary social issues not in a preachy, teachy way but in the best way for maximum impact - a novel. 

Whilst on the face of it the events in this story are very unlikely in a reality situation this is fiction and in the hands of a gifted story teller it all works. There is a pleasing balance between the darker aspects of the story and  some deadpan humour in some places.  

Rosalind Stoops gets under the skin of all her characters and enables the reader to feel what they are feeling, no mean feat, given the range of ages contained within the book from a toddler to a pensioner! So whilst Virginia is ostensibly the main character the others are never far behind her. 

You read a book like this and are forced to consider what you might do in a similar situation. Could you be bold enough? It is a fiction that offers more than the mere telling of a story it asks us to consider some of the more dire aspects of today's world and the impact on others. In this story there is a resolutions but an astute reader will know that it is not always the case.

My thanks to HQ Stories for a gifted copy of this book.

Maps of Imaginary Towns - SJ Bradley

 

I think the most forcible thing that struck me upon completion of this short story collection was how open ended the stories are, inconclusive almost, leaving the reader to take over with their own imaginations. And whilst the stories might appear inconclusive such a device renders the work inclusive for the willing reader as if the writer is inviting you to become cerebrally involved rather than merely entertained. The second thing that struck me was a sense of being off kilter, as if I was navigating dream narratives. That made me think of Kafka and some of his short stories. The sense of nothing being quite right. The protagonists struggling against bureaucracies, conventions and society itself even.

The stories boast a range of ideas, themes and chronology from futuristic, dystopian worlds - Backstreet Nursery 2050, The Life of Your Dreams to domestic abuse - Dance Class - and grief, in the story that gives the collection its title,  Maps of Imaginary Towns  yet some of the stories are almost impossible to categorise definitively, which I love. There seems to be such a need today to label and compartmentalise that it is so refreshing to have something that tests those boundaries, make the reader think, question and ponder.

The collection is diverse; expansive and imaginative with narratives that are economic without being lacking. Some stories were short, two or three pages maybe against some of their longer 'colleagues' yet they packed as much punch as the lengthier ones because it’s quality not quantity that counts. As a scribbler myself, (not just unpublished, never to be published, I think!) I have written pieces that I have all but discarded because I felt they were too 'short' so some of the stories here filled me with disproportionate joy! 

I found it easiest to discern a unified style throughout the book by the characterisations. Their gender, age, ethnicity etc. didn't matter. It was as if it  were one and the same person in different incarnations. That is a similar feeling I get from reading Kafka where the main protagonists may have different names and so on but it is as if the same character appears in each story or novel. 

I could try to say which were my favourites but it's tough because I might end up listing the entire compendium! Suffice to say that anyone who enjoys short stories should find something to excite them here. 

My thanks to Fly on the Wall Press who gifted me a proof.

Beautiful - William Spring

 This book is Beautiful. Yes, I know that's the title of the book but it really is - beautiful. It's a book of beauty on so many levels and I wanted to call my review Beautiful but I can't use the title of the book as a title for the review so I wrote it backwards instead!

It's beautifully presented for starters. and that's before you even start to examine the text and the illustrations. It's a large format book, maybe some folk would call it a coffee table book, depends on the size of your coffee table! However to contemplate this book being shrunk to conventional hardback or paperback size would be a travesty. 

This book celebrates a variety of creatures to be found across our planet. Details of each animal and how they have evolved are succinctly and articulately expressed to readers of all ages to access.

The art work is stunning. Each animal is presented as a beautiful water colour and here's where the size of the book really impacts because at times you think you're actually looking at the real life creatures. The Fossa entry is a perfect example. Don't know what a Fossa is? No, I didn't either. So the book is informative and will introduce you to animals you may not have heard of before. 

Some of the facts will astound you - for example did you know that the Pygmy Seahorse can swim 500 times  its own body length per second?! If there were aquatic animal olympics I think this species would be in for a stab at gold! 

It's book to be dipped in and out of. It's a book to be kept and treasured. It reminds us, in case we might have forgotten, what a beautiful planet we are privileged to exist on and how great is the need for us to revere and nurture its abundant diversity.

My thanks to Readers First for a prize copy of this book. They require a winner to write a review for their website the title of which must not be the title of the book hence the references in the first paragraph in case you were wondering!