My Review for One Summer in Crete by Nadia Marks

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I listened to One Summer in Crete by Nadia Marks as an audiobook, mainly whilst pottering around in the garden. I love to lose myself in a good story whilst spending time in one of my happy places and I definitely found a great story in this heartwarming book from Nadia Marks.

Calliope (Calli) is a thirty-something young woman who believes her world has ended when a long-term relationship disintegrates and the chances of her having children diminishes. However, after a few months, Calli picks herself up and embarks on a photography assignment on the Greek island of Ikaria. Whilst there, she makes many friends and begins to enjoy her life again. Calli travels from Ikaria to Crete, where her mother is from and where she still has some family. She settles down, making friends on the island and enjoying the relaxing way of life, with dawn swims each morning and many revelatory conversations with her aunt. Could Crete be the place Calli has been searching for and could it become her home?

One Summer in Crete is incredibly focused on family and community, and how Greek people all stick together through good times and bad. By alternating between the past and present, Nadia Marks draws the reader more deeply into the story, creating a world in which it would be so easy to become a part of, the descriptive narrative being incredibly moving and both happy and sad.

This book is so much more than just another beach read. Both thought-provoking and, at times, heart-wrenching, Nadia Marks has written a real winner.

I would recommend One Summer in Crete to those readers who enjoy contemporary romance particularly, if you enjoy, like I do, anything set in a sunny climate, to take you away from the reality of your own lives for a while.

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My Review for Interland (Interland Series Book #2) by Gary Clark

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was an honour to be asked to read and review Interland (Interland Series Book #2) by Gary Clark before the publication date of 26 April 2021, and I would like to thank the author for this opportunity. Once again it was a delight to read a Gary Clark novel and a joy to discover the next adventures for Jay, Cassie and Stitch.

Towards the end of Gary Clark’s previous novel, The Given, Jay and her friends discovered the Interland and found safety from the warped government officials on the outside. However, it is quickly becoming apparent that the outside world is on a downward spiral, Jay’s friend Cassie has gone missing, and the Readers are slowly getting closer to ruling in a way they believe is right.

Jay, therefore, has no alternative other than to leave the safety of the Interland, search for Cassie and find out what is going wrong on the outside. Accompanied by her friends, and with the help of the energy of the elements around her - the land, the sea, the creatures and the mountains, Jay sets out to once again try and defeat the Readers. Meanwhile, back at the Interland, all is not as it should be, and Jay’s brother Sammy and his friends are left fighting a battle of their own.

Once again, the author’s talent for writing takes you on the same journey as Jay and her friends, and many times I felt that I wanted to be alongside them, helping in any way I could!

The book demonstrates teamwork, and how, with the help and support of others, you can achieve the goals you set yourselves despite the obstacles that often jump in the way.

Although aimed as a book for Young Readers, I would nonetheless recommend this to anyone who enjoys a dystopian fantasy novel, both young and old alike. After all, who doesn’t need to escape now and then!

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My Review for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This review is for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor has been sitting on my 'to be read' shelf for a few months now, bought in the middle of Lockdown 1.0 after it was recommended by a million and one members of the various Facebook book groups that I belong to. I loved Eleanor, she is a bit scary, unhinged, friendless - at least at the beginning - and yes, ever so slightly weird. But she's addictive, I couldn't get enough of her!

Eleanor Oliphant has absolutely no social skills, her daily life follows a strict routine, from what she eats and drinks, and when, to how she conducts herself at work and heaven forbid if she actually needs to talk to anyone, other than her mother, who she speaks to on a Wednesday via telephone. During the course of the novel, Eleanor meets Raymond, a work colleague, and then Sammy, an elderly gentleman who she helps when he falls over in the street.  The story follows the three of them as their lives intertwine.

Gail Honeyman is adept at describing her characters and their lives. Every heartbeat and every tear we share with them. Through their pain and their suffering, we are involved and, equally, as love and happiness shine through, we find ourselves thankful for some positivity in their journey.

Eleanor Oliphant wasn't the book I was expecting. I have to admit I hadn't read the synopsis and I hadn't read any reviews, I just went on recommendations alone. I think I thought it would be a happy beach read - I have no idea why - but it was poignant and heartbreaking in places, Eleanor is just such a sad young lady and I'm sure many people will see parts of her in themselves. Whether the author intended for readers to feel that Eleanor has a form of autism, I'm not sure, but from the way Eleanor behaved and how she conducted herself, I think it was a distinct possibility. She certainly reminded me of people I know who are autistic.

I was pleased with the way that the author tied up all the loose ends in her story, rather than leaving it to the reader's imagination, particularly in regards to Eleanor's mother.   I would like to read more of Gail Honeyman's work, and I will definitely be looking out for more.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy something a little bit different. Eleanor is lonely, scared and frankly, mentally unwell. It will make you thankful for the good things in your life and sad if Eleanor's life slightly resembles your own. I loved it, I hope you do too.

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My Review for The Butterfly Box by Santa Montefiore

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for The Butterfly Box by Santa Montefiore.  I was lucky enough to discover this in a box of giveaways outside a neighbour's house and I am always on the lookout for something new to read!  I have heard other people discuss Santa Montefiore novels, but this is the first time I've read one, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It coincided with a delightfully warm, three days in March in the UK, during lockdown 3.0, and I spent the majority of my time outside in the sunshine, enthralled in this book.  

The story is set primarily between Chile and Cornwall, with Federica Campione being the main character in the book.  With a Chilean father and an English mother, the novel begins with Federica as a 6-year-old girl who idolises her father, and despite his many absences, in her eyes, he can do no wrong.   The story follows Federica as she grows to become a young woman, and we join her on her journey through life, loves, hardship and torment.  

I loved many of the characters and how each one links to Federica, her life and the effect they have on her throughout her childhood, teenage years and beyond.

Santa Montefiore's descriptions of both Chile and Cornwall are enticing, with Chile's exotic landscapes and Cornwall's cliff top walks, you could almost imagine yourself being right there.

The Butterfly Box is just a lovely, easy read. Perfect for when you don't want to have to concentrate too much and ideal for a trip to the beach - once we are allowed to travel again! When I've finished a good book I often hanker after a sequel, and with this one in particular I would love to find out what Federica gets up to next as she falls in love and grows older.

There wasn't much I disliked about the book. There were characters that I really didn't like, but to me, this is a sign of a good author. Santa Montefiore wanted certain characters to be disliked and in this, she succeeded.

I would recommend this book to anyone who just wants to sit down, read and be absorbed in a book. No, it's not Wuthering Heights or Oliver Twist, but it is a book you can just lose yourself in instantly and is a great getaway in a world where, at the moment, we sometimes just need to forget.

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My Review For Hidden Beach By Karen Swan

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  This review is for The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan, which I listened to as an Audiobook through BorrowBox.  I love Karen Swan's novels and I don't think there is one that I haven't enjoyed.  I usually listen to a Karen Swan story rather than reading one - I'm not sure why, but I tend to download them and then become absorbed whilst pottering in the garden, doing housework or out walking with my dog, Freddie.

The Hidden Beach is set in Sweden, initially in Stockholm, and later in the archipelagos of the Swedish Coast.  Bell (until I read the synopsis after I'd finished the book, I thought this would be written as Belle for some reason) is a nanny for a well-to-do family, looking after a young boy and twin girls.  One morning, Bell receives a telephone call from Hanna, the children's mother, and from that moment on, no one's life is the same again.

The story takes place over the summer months,  written mainly from Bell's perspective with the occasional view of another character, and momentary glances back in time, we discover how a seemingly solid and normal family can be anything but that, as we delve into their lives to discover what lies beneath.  

As a side story, Bell has suffered heartbreak in the past and we join her on her journey as she learns to deal with the tragic events of her past and tries to learn to love again, to enjoy life and to be happy.  With good friends by her side, encouraging her to move forwards, I found myself rooting for her and hoping she would make the correct choices. 

I always enjoy the enthusiasm with which Karen Swan writes about life, love and laughter, along with sadness and despair.  As a reader (or in this instance, a listener), I always find myself so involved with her characters and stories.  The author's adeptness at descriptive writing will always find me 'in' her stories rather than just reading them.

Was there anything I disliked about the book?  I'm not sure that there was, it turned out to be a proper feel-good story, so maybe, as with many of Karen Swan's novels, maybe I was left wanting a sequel.

If we ever get back to a beach again (for those reading this review in later years, I reviewed this in early 2021) then this would be a really enjoyable beach read.  I would definitely recommend The Hidden Beach if you are a Karen Swan fan and if you haven't read any of her books before - well then - get reading!

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My Review for Gerta by Katerina Tuckova, Veronique Firkusny (Translator)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for Gerta by Katerina Tuckova, which I received as an Amazon First Reads. I was a real slow-starter with this one, finding it difficult to get to grips with the characters.  I just didn't bond with them for at least the first quarter of the book, but not one to give up, I ploughed on, and I think I was pleased that I did. Throughout the book, the author described an important part of the history of World War II from the perspective of the Czechs and the Germans. I found very few errors and it was translated well.

Gerta Schnirch is a young girl; who has a Czech mother and a German father, which proves to be somewhat difficult in post-war Moravia.  Despite her parentage, Gerta is seen as wholly German and banished from her home country in 1945. With a baby daughter, she takes to the road with only the clothes she stands up in. The story follows Gerta's life journey as she begins her new life more or less as a slave, trying to stay alive whilst raising her daughter, and making some lifelong friends along the way.

 

As the years' progress, Gerta's life very gradually improves, but she is forever reminded that the place she used to call home would never be the same again. She is faced with the loss of loved ones, time and time again and seemingly leads a very lonely life.

Katerina Tuckova writes hauntingly about a time in Czech history that I certainly never knew existed, and indeed some of the episodes she describes leave you feeling sad about how fellow human beings can treat each other so appallingly.

Throughout the book, things like street names and market places are given their Czech/German names which are then followed up with the English translation. I'm not sure why these were included, and for me, it would have been easier to read if just the translation was included as I tended to just skip over them. This is what I disliked most about the book, however, there may have been a valid reason as to why the author has done this - I just couldn't see it.

What I enjoyed most about the book was learning some of the histories behind the people and countries on the opposite side to the British in the war.  Ultimately everyone was just fighting for their own country, and many people suffered and lost loved ones regardless of which side they were on. 

Readers who enjoy fiction, which includes elements of fact would enjoy this book and it is definitely worth reading if you are interested in World War II.  Due to the disturbing nature of some of the stories though, I wouldn't recommend it to younger readers.

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My Review For Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland, which I reviewed in March 2021 for Online Book Club. I found it difficult to get into and remain involved with the story. I think the book was professionally edited, as I didn’t find any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors and just a few missed words.

Waves Break is a novel in which the leading character, Phil Tyler, narrates his story about how a traumatic childhood event between three friends shapes his journey into adulthood.  One of these friends, Wayne, is Phil’s best friend and has never seemed to fit into Phil’s world, either in childhood or adulthood.  Phil gives the impression of being rather straitlaced and almost boring, whereas Wayne appears zany, oblivious to other people’s feelings and often selfish.  As we progress through the book, it is apparent that Wayne is like this as a defence mechanism against his sufferings as a child.  As the book develops, Wayne grows as a person and becomes well-liked and trusted by the people who matter most to him.

Waves Break is part thriller, part mystery, and I guess part romance. As crimes are committed, people are hurt, and the same crimes are inevitably solved, but, as in a previous novel by Litherland, the police don’t play a huge part in this, indeed it is the main characters in the book who play the major role in working out what is happening.

The novel includes humour and wit, tears and laughter, friendship and enemies, and the author describes the characters well, ensuring that we are aware of their stories and how they fit into the plot.

The thing that I enjoyed most about this book was how Wayne developed from an unruly child, although understandably so, to an unruly, rather selfish adult initially but grew into a young man who cares for other people and how his actions affect their lives.

The plot wasn’t as fast-paced as I’d have liked, and this is probably what I disliked the most.  I did enjoy the story, but I found that sometimes my mind wandered, and I wasn’t as gripped with Waves Break as I was with Shifting Sands, a Barry Litherland novel I have read previously.

The book would appeal to readers who enjoy mystery and thriller novels, but due to the bad language, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under 18.

 

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