Keep Walking, Rhona Beech - Kate Tough - Blog Tour

 ‘When Rhona's story comes to an end you will miss her. Her candid, raw, messy journey will make you laugh, cry and remember. Not a typical break-up book, it's much more profound. Nothing has turned out quite how Rhona imagined: she's been casually swapping one job for another while getting comfy in a long relationship which ends abruptly, and her efforts to adjust to that change are thrown by some unwelcome news...

Flawed, relatable Rhona Beech narrates this beautifully written, pacey satire about female friendship, heartbreak, career change, conceiving and illness, which will appeal to fans of Fleabag. Join her on a laugh (and cry) out loud search for meaning amongst the bars, offices and clinics of Glasgow.

Will her friendships survive the changes and challenges? Will SHE survive? At once funny and tender, Keep Walking, Rhona Beech is a clear-sighted look at a generation of women that was told they could have it all.’

Was it just me or did this have a touch of the Eleanor Oliphants about it? Not to the same degree but the sense of someone trying to overcome some seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Insurmountable in a relative sense because, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to suggest, there is some reference to mental instability in this book. I found it to be a book that deals with some every day but tricky issues in an every day kinda way, if that makes sense. But it’s a book of poignant satire. Rhona Beech, like us all, realises that life just never turns out the way you think it will. And poor Rhona seems to be in that curious, almost paralysed state of inaction that can occur when life throws its brickbats at us. To say she makes no effort at all to deal with her situation isn’t true but it has a kind of a half-hearted feel about it. However what Rona does have is a tight group of friends who are there for her. Friends who have their issues too, but a celebration of female friendship is a very strong theme in this book and is very uplifting.

Rhona is a very real character. I think she responds to situations in a way that a lot of us would do which makes it easy for the reader to relate to her. This suggests the author has an acute perception of how people respond to life situations and is a keen observer of life. Emotion isn’t overplayed but is there and all the more poignant in that subtlety. The humour doesn’t make fun of the gravity of certain situations. So it’s a pretty well balanced book.

The narrative is full with a prose style that flows. I found some sections quite poetic and then my research told me that the author is, in fact, a poet too. The dialogue is all relevant without any of those exchanges that do not further the story at all. The story has a contemporary feel to it and whilst it is a long time since I was a thirty something (mores the pity!) I could relate to Rhona and the whole story easily. 

My thanks to Kelly Lacey and the LoveBooksTours for a gifted copy of this book and a place upon the blog tour.

Homer’s Odyssey - Gwen Cooper

 nother Christmas gift from friends bold enough to take the risk that I hadn’t already read this book. I hadn’t. But I have read it now and I’m glad I have. I’ve always been a book lover but I’ve also always been a cat lover. It’s only my age, infirmities and living on a very busy road that stops me taking on some more cats. So my friends knowing of my love of cats and books decided this would be the perfect gift.

It’s a memoir. The author is a cat lover and the book centres around her decision to take on a blind kitten. She had two cats already. I saw the story as a parallel between her life and the life of this tenacious little kitten who overcame his disability to live a full and exuberant life. The book starts with the author nursing a broken heart and challenging finances. She learnt a great deal from observing this extraordinary cat navigate his way through life. Gwen Cooper was living in Miami when Homer first came into her life but by the end of the book she is living in New York. I found the sections where she’s recently moved to Manhattan very moving, and fascinating for the street she initially lived on was the street I lived in for a month when I was in New York way back in early 2000. And she was probably living there when I was there.  I may even have passed her by. I may even have been a stones throw from Little Homer and his companion cats, Vashti and Scarlett. But the part that was really moving was the authors description of 9/11. That particular street was right by the World Trade Centre and the author describes the way she used the twin towers to navigate her way through Manhattan, just as I did.

It’s an uplifting book because it tells of success. It tells of dealing with problems and obstacles. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a cat or a person! There is humour in it. There is some sadness in it. But most of all there’s love.

Yes, it’s a book for cat lovers for sure. I defy any cat lover not to love it. The author loves her cats and there is very much a sense of ‘love me love my cats’ in it which all cat lovers will identify with. Probably dog lovers too? But it has a broader appeal I think in terms of looking at somebody who manages to turn their life around and find contentment. The writing style is relaxed and easy. So one level it’s a undemanding book. But on another level it offers you a lot of food for thought.

Let’s Do It The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood - Jasper Rees

 2016 was a year full of celebrity deaths. Beginning with David Bowie and ending with George Michael. I wept for both and in between I wept for Victoria Wood. I can remember, when I was younger, some conversations between my parents. One or the other lifted their face from the newspaper to announce that ‘so-and-so died’ and there would be an exchange of commiserations and sadness. And I wouldn’t know who ‘so and so’ was. But as I’ve aged and the people that have meant a great deal to me culturally have begun to age and die it continues to strike me how curious is the sense of bereavement one feels from somebody you’ve never met. I was never an especial David Bowie fan but I was aware of his influence and the pioneering nature of his art. And I did feel a great sense of loss when I learned of his death. But I did always love George Michael. In fact seeing him live was one of the greatest performances I’ve experienced. Being just a few feet away from the man singing “Careless Whisper” still raises the hairs on my neck. But somehow the death of Victoria Wood touched me deeply. And I’m not sure why. Her wit delighted me, her way with words. Her perception and rendering of the ordinary and the every day into something funny, and the fact that she acknowledged things that you thought maybe nobody else saw in the same way that you did forged some kind of invisible bond. Being on the same wavelength maybe.

I didn’t read the biography her brother wrote. I believe there was some kind of hoohah about it. People were criticising him for exposing, perhaps details that were a  little too personal. But something drew me to Jasper Rees’s authorised book. I found it to be a thorough and expansive account of Victoria Wood’s life. Much is taken from her own recordings, letters and interviews. And there are numerous contributions from those who knew her, including her closest family. So I kinda felt I was getting the real story. And I found it interesting. I admired her work ethic. You watch a TV show or one of her dramas or series without realising just how much she put into it. And I learnt a little of the person that she was behind the TV and showbiz persona. And I think part of the appeal was her “ordinariness”. It somehow made her more real than some of the glitzy, glamorous showbiz people out there.

And still I cried when I got to the section about her illness and her death. Did I think that by reading a biography it would keep her alive? No, that would be silly. But I still have this sense of loss when I think of Victoria Wood. She made me laugh. Out loud. I’d like to laugh again. Out loud. I often ponder how she would’ve dealt with coronavirus and the pandemic. I have little doubt there would be songs and piercingly witty observations about the situation that might take us out of ourselves for a while. But that’s often what a good comic does. Takes you right out of yourself so you can relax and laugh. I actually think Victoria Wood was something close to a genius. A genius in terms of comedy. Or maybe we’re back to just being on the same wavelength. I mean these absolutely kill me - Kimberly’s friend tried to teach herself Flemish, ‘in case I ever go to Flem.’ ‘Vauxhall Viagra’ is another. “I knew I was getting old when I saw a pair of Dr. Scholl sandals and I thought. ooh,  they look comfy.” And of course the Barry and Freda song. It is genius. I remember watching it on TV the first time she performed it and I was crying with laughter.

I miss her.

On Borrowed Time - Graeme Hall Blog Tour

 ‘On Borrowed Time is set in Hong Kong and Shanghai over the period 1996/1997 - including the handover of Hong Kong to China. The novel explores the choices that people have to make; in particular between doing what is easy and what is right.

In Hong Kong Emma Janssen discovers the truth behind the death of her brother four years earlier. Meanwhile, in Shanghai, a PhD student meets a woman with an unusual degree of interest in his research. These storylines converge at the time of the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, and Emma finds that she has to choose between revenge or the future happiness and safety of both herself and those close to her.

While being a work of fiction, On Borrowed Time is rooted in the author's own experiences of living and working in Hong Kong from 1993 to 2010, in particular the final years of British rule and the transfer of sovereignty back to China.’

This was one of those delightful reads where you begin with zero knowledge of the author and no expectations of the story but ending up by being utterly absorbed and engaged with the whole thing.

Tantalised by an enigmatic prologue that gave just enough information for the reader’s curiosity to be piqued from start to finish the narrative was compelling. And like a vessel in a fast flowing current urged the reader forward to unravel the intricacies of the plot and see where these tangled webs might lead.

The story takes place in that twilight time just before Hong Kong was returned to China and the author’s detailed knowledge of both countries and their ideologies offered a rich and plausible backdrop to the human interest. A cluster of protagonists -  Sam, Emma, Susan, Kwok-Wah, caught in their respective locations of Shanghai and Hong Kong before their lives fragment in the concluding parts of the book. If Hong Kong returned to China then so did our characters return to their previous locations and their previous selves, maybe. For all have pasts that may not instantly be obvious or readily revealed, with the exception perhaps of dear Kwok Wah, the innocent bystander in all this. They are all well defined characters who are easy to relate to and engage with, flawed and floundering sometimes in the craziness of the world, trying to make sense of all they encounter and, with more difficulty, trying to make the ‘right’ choices. Right for themselves? Or right for others?

It’s a complex plot with political undertones that run alongside the social narrative quite slickly achieving a good balance. Making points but not necessarily trying to dominate the readers’ sensibilities. A vivid picture of both locations in the nineties allow the reader to almost hear, see and smell the myriad sensations of lands in transition, feel the tensions that seem to be bubbling just beneath the surface and we are frequently reminded of Tiananmen Square, rightly so.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It encompasses what reading is all about. A well constructed story with believable characters, first hand knowledge and research, an intelligent plot that didn’t attempt to stray into the realms of the far fetched yet offered some insights and education surrounding a subject that may previously only been experienced in an occasional news report or a scant glance at a newspaper headline. 

My thanks to Isabelle Kenyon at Fly on the Wall press for my gifted copy and a place on the blog tour.

Dishonoured - Jem Tugwell

 

Oh! The audacity of the man! How could he do this to me? There was I, an innocent reader, thinking I had yet another psychological thriller, thinking I would figure it out by the end of chapter one, chapter three tops as I cut my way through the swathes of red herrings in reader-quick time. For I’ve read hundreds in this genre. I’m experienced!! Then Jem Tugwell goes and does this. What does he do? Oh, no, I’m not telling. But he takes this storyline, runs with it and then when you are least expecting it he turns the whole damn thing on its head and you just sit there open mouthed in disbelief.

But, I hear you ask, are you referring to the Jem Tugwell of iMe fame? Proximity and No Signal? Yes, dear reader, I am. But he’s left the dystopian nightmares behind and returned to a contemporary setting of diverse worlds, socially speaking, and he has genre-switched with alacrity and let rip with a novel that you might not want to put down.

Now, I won’t lie, I felt a twinge of disappointment when I received this book and realised it wasn’t an iMe story because I love Clive and Zoe. But I kind of wonder if the author anticipated that because there’s a nice little touch in the book and I’m saying no more! But here’s the blurb.

‘WE'RE ALL ONE MISTAKE FROM RUIN... Dan has worked hard for the perfect life. He has a loving wife, beautiful kids, a fabulous home and is a successful businessman. But one afternoon he steps onto a train with a stranger. It was a simple mistake... Four stops later, Dan is a criminal who has lost everything. Someone hates him enough to destroy him. Through a web of lies and deceit Dan battles to win his life back. Dishonoured is a compelling psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages. It's a new take on the familiar psychological thriller with a male protagonist and a cast of characters that will keep the reader guessing right to the very end. Perfect for readers of Lisa Jewell, Teresa Driscoll and Erin Kelly.’

So you begin with an interesting juxtaposition, riches to rags, that allows for some interesting character exposition. There is a dual narrative with some first person dialogue from the protagonist and third person from other characters. It’s a device that works particularly well in this genre because you know that the flawed narrator is almost requisite in a psychological thriller. But can you spot any flaws? There’s some social comment about perceptions and how we treat people. Windows into two different worlds, rich and poor. But as the author says in the afterword it’s a book about how one event can destroy the dynamic of a life, irrevocably. Sliding door moments. It’s a well paced narrative that carries the reader along. The characters are developed but enigmatic enough to keep your curiosity piqued. A tight plot that will have you racing to read on to the end.  And you just won’t believe the twist!

It’s a perfect book to envelop you on a winter’s evening as you let yourself accompany Dan as he spirals downward from his affluent, ostensibly secure existence, into a world of suspicion and dead ends. My favourite character? Has to be Anomaly. Anyone with a name like that and skills like hers gets my vote! It got me wondering about her future? Who is she? What does she do? Oh no, you still won’t get me! Read the book! But I will say this, with computer skills like hers surely there’s a place in the iMe world! ;-)

I always think it’s a brave move when a writer switches genres. But I also like it. I like to see a writer show diversity. For me it cements their place as an author to be reckoned with. And if this book doesn’t garner Jem Tugwell a whole legion of new fans I’ll be very surprised.

My thanks to Raquel Elias of Serpentine Books for my gifted proof.

The Prophets - Robert Jones Jnr

 I’m a blogger because, first and foremost, I am a reader. So it’s a given that I read a lot of books. I read a lot of good books. Well written books. Books from an eclectic mix of genre. Books from gifted, talented authors. Though I confess that I’m often looking for “literature“. But what is literature? I tried to answer that question for myself in a blog post several months ago. If you’re interested I’ll pop the link here.  

https://bookphace.blogspot.com/2019/04/what-is-literature.html

I don’t find literature very often. That sounds as if I’m being critical, it’s not at all. For a book to satisfy my criteria of literature it has to be pretty special. They only come along every once in a while.  I believe that Robert Jones Jr’s The Prophets is one of those books. A book that will in time prove to be vitally important on several levels.

The writing was exquisite. Lyrical prose.  When the blurb suggested it was reminiscent of Toni Morrison I laughed. Surely that wasn’t possible? But it is. A fusion of both the physical and emotional sweeping through your very soul with depth and intensity.  So what is it about The Prophets that renders it a book in a class of its own. I’m not sure I can adequately express it! It’s one of those books where you feel that whatever you write it won’t be enough.

Ostensibly it’s a story about two gay teenagers. Nothing new in that is there? But these are two black, gay teenagers. Two black, gay teenagers on a cotton plantation from a past century. So they are slaves. And that leaves you pondering whether the concept of slavery goes beyond a physical incarceration,  to people as slaves to themselves? You might think that loyalty and solidarity might go hand-in-hand amongst the “inmates“ on a southern plantation. But here Isaiah and Samuel are betrayed by one of their own. 

And so we have a book that is fiction, yes, but it’s also historic fiction. With chapter headings that invoke the Bible on many occasions religion is never far from the surface. Throughout history people have sought to find ways and means of understanding the situations they are in and those things that they witness without truly understanding. This book examines a time and a place where the love that dare not speak its name didn’t even dare to show its face. 

Jones’ historical research is impeccable. But there have been many historical novels. There have  been many historical novels about slavery. What Jones does is inject emotion into the history.  So full of soul.  Humble. Beautiful. Love weaves its threads around Samuel and Isaiah and lets those threads dangle carelessly for anyone to catch hold of and understand the depth of feeling within their hearts. For some it will inspire, for others it will conspire to force them onwards to that cataclysmic conclusion that will prompt the volcano in your reader heart to erupt. The broader aspects of the cruelty of slavery never fail to reach their mark. But they contrast with the dignified intimacy of our two protagonists who understand the unstated predicament they are in. 

As characters Isaiah and Samuel are wonderful creations, The paradox of the human condition. The yin and the yang. So full of dignity yet also full of human frailty. Struggling to understand themselves and each other. That struggle created from the situation they are in. 

Thematically it’s also a novel about survival. However you interpret survival to be. A physical survival. An emotional survival. A mental survival. A spiritual survival. Or some fusion between the all of them, which is surely what we all aspire to?

Is it one of those books where you’re better off spending your time reading the book itself rather than reading reviews about it! 

My thanks to Quercus Books for a gifted proof. A proof in the truest sense of the word. Proof that literature is alive and well.

Featherhood - Charlie Gilmour

 

When you’re bookish kind of person sometimes people hesitate to gift you books at birthdays and Christmas. There is this misconstrued belief that because you are inclined to reading that you’ve “read everything“. (I wish!) I have one friend who always asks me what book I would like. It’s brilliant. Yes, it takes the surprise out of the gift but I love knowing that I’m going to be able to choose a book. (She didn’t this Christmas though. She knitted me a scarf and sent me the box set of Schitt’s Creek!) but another friend was bold enough to take a gamble and buy me a book. And it was an absolute delight. To be presented with something that you were unaware of, you knew nothing about. ‘T’is a joyous thing.

 

Ostensibly a memoir about a man raising a magpie chick through to maturity, Green light for a sustained piece of nature writing, but it’s so much more than that. The raising of the bird becomes almost a metaphor for one man trying to find himself and exorcise the ghosts of his past. The obvious play on words from the title is inspired.

The author is the son of Heathcote Williams, poet, amongst other things, who absented himself from the young Charlie’s life. And so through the parallel telling of the development of a little magpie and his demanding lifestyle we learn of the author’s struggles. We are offered insights into the nature and nurture dilemma. And, by no means unique, we are once again treated to the therapeutic and healing powers that nature can offer us. And that uncanny sense that animals have of knowing when the time is right. 

It’s a remarkably frank and open book. The author is articulate at expressing his confusions and his hurt and his innermost feelings about some of the challenges that adulthood is throwing at him. With eloquent prose that meanders towards the poetic on than one occasion we learn of a life lived in a paradox of hurt from one direction and love from other directions. 

I found references to mental institutions, prisons, aviaries and nests as a metaphor for the prisons that we can find ourselves in, sometimes through no fault of our own. And I suppose the book is about how to deal with those and how to break out of them. It’s poignant and there is a sense of sadness running through it but a sadness that ultimately breaks through to a moving redemption.

Magpie sometimes get a bad rap. And I don’t wanna crow about it but after you read this book I don’t think you’ll ever pass a magpie again without rethinking your opinions of the species.