Children's Books to Celebrate Shakespeare

I really enjoyed this read which would suit 7-10 year olds (although I read it aloud to my 4 year old and he seemed to enjoy most of it - it certainly led to lots of questions and conversations about Shakespeare and theatres!) It's a well produced book of only 121 pages with clear text and plenty of illustrations similar to titles such as "Mr Gum" so it should appeal to reluctant readers and also those who think they don't really fancy a book about Shakespeare! It is a very pleasing easy read about Toby Cuffe, an orphan who seeks a better life, dreaming of one day having his own house and family. In order to get this he knows he needs to earn some money so he joins the team of Moll Cut-Purse, Queen of the Pickpockets and Thieves, and learns how to become a a dipper, nipper and cut-purse! The play houses offer the pickpockets a (excuse the pun) wealth of opportunity as the crowds stand huddled together in front of the stage and are so entranced by the magic of the theatre become oblivious to the robbing around them. Unfortunately for Toby, he also becomes so entranced by the play - something he has never seen or experienced before - he ends up getting caught and then being left alone with Shakespeare himself. Shakespeare is desperately under pressure; unable to think of a story for his next script and deeply aware of the financial need for another hit. Toby then discloses that The Globe will be affected by the reopening of The Rose theatre nearby. And so begins Toby's next job - a spy, an aide to Shakespeare, and an answer to the theatre's financial worries! Using his new contacts in the underworld, Toby instigates an adventurous and entertaining rescue of both the theatre and Shakespeare's muse. The ending and the way that Toby, Shakespeare and the events of the story fuse together and through a collaboration become the inspiration for Shakespeare's next play was very clever. It will definitely inspire young readers to turn their hand at play writing themselves and think about how stories come to exist.
This is a short book but full of lots of great ideas and themes. It is not educative but does promote reading, the theatre and Shakespeare through a fun and lively tale. Toby is such a likeable character and Shakespeare is equally authentic yet fallible.
"Act 2" is a selection of "Funne Activities for Boyes and Girls" including pictures with a list of things to spot, an activity on costumes and links for websites. I liked the page about insults - I remember my English Teacher managing to successfully engage a table of slightly rowdy boys by showing them how to '"swear like Shakespeare!"
I would recommend this book!


Personally I can't get enough of Marcia Williams and I have her books on "Greek Myths", "Canterbury Tales" and several others. Although perfect for ages 5 upwards, I used to use these Shakespeare books (there are about three I think) as my starting point with GCSE and A Level students as well as KS3 as they give such a good summary of the main points of often complex plots, so they are a valuable and worthwhile investment for any child. These editions are beautifully illustrated, bursting with humour and use real quotes from the original text as well as modern day language. My children read them now and find them very accessible in a way that other retellings of Shakespeare probably wouldn't be for their age range. Williams also wrote more lengthy versions for readers of 8 upwards which can often be bought via websites like thebookpeople.co.uk for a very reasonable price. We also have them and my 9 year old has really enjoyed reading them, and my 7 year old is beginning to explore them although we are mainly reading them together while her vocabulary continues to develop.





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Malorie Blackman is a hugely talented young adult writer with an enormous back catalogue of brilliant titles. This book is due out in April and is inspired by Othello. Here is the synopsis.

What happens when love brings loss? When love brings lies? When love brings hate? Olivia and her twin brother Aidan are heading alone back to Earth following the virus that wiped out the rest of their crew, and their family, in its entirety. Nathan is part of a community heading in the opposite direction. 
But on their journey, Nathan’s ship is attacked and most of the community killed.Only a few survive. Their lives unexpectedly collided, Nathan and Olivia are instantly attracted to each other, deeply, head-over-heels – like nothing they have ever experienced. But not everyone is pleased. Surrounded by rumours, deception, even murder, is it possible to live out a happy ever after . . . ?


These are a gorgeous collection of the plays recommended for readers age 6 and upwards. Usbourne is a very trusted children's publisher and these will be a great introduction to the tales. Several different selections and versions are available so check their website for more information.
 


Again from Usbourne and published especially for the anniversary, here are some sticker books which should appeal to any young reader. "The World of Shakespeare" is aimed at ages 7 upwards and I am buying for my 9 year old. There is also a "Shakespeare Sticker Dressing Up" book in the Usbourne "Dressing Up" series, so plenty of opportunities to use these activity books as a way of celebrating the playwright!





I have my eye on this and will probably treat myself when buying the sticker books for my children! I've had a look on Amazon and there is a great 5* review by "Starry Night" who has kindly posted photos of the pages - they look stunning and gorgeous!

I'm sure there are many many more novels using the stories from Shakespeare - as he was inspired by so many that preceded him! I hope this gives you a few suggestions about how to introduce the plays to your children and help celebrate 400 years of fantastic theatre!

For further recommendations follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or subscribe by email to receive future reviews and blog posts.

Mystery and Mayhem by Katherine Woodfine

This is a brilliant collection of mystery stories which are a perfect introduction to the explosion of fresh new voices writing detective fiction for young adults. It is also a great introduction both to the genre of mystery stories and short stories as well as a tantalising read for current fans of all these writers.

I was very keen to read this collection as I have been totally captivated by the recent publications by Woodfine and Stevens; enchanted by their stunning book covers, charmed by their historical settings and their clever embodiment of combining of all the wining ingredients for intriguing mystery stories inherited from the greats like Christie and Conan Doyle to write something fresh and full of modern appeal.  I am also a huge fan of Helen Moss and Sally Nicholls so I really had to read this book!

Woodfine says in the introduction that these new mysteries are a "nod to the much loved mysteries of the past but also bring detective fiction bang up to date." This collection is diverse and includes a range of different voices and character; from those of boys and girls, from modern day to the Victorian era to the Georgian period, from realism to the more surreal. What makes them all particularly appealing is that all the writers are clearly big fans of mystery writers and have a deep knowledge of the genre and the voices of previous authors famed for this style of writing. They all seek to have some fun with the traditions of crime fiction and all understand what makes a perfect young adult read. These are not simple, dumb downed pastiches but something more sophisticated, which embrace the legacy of previous crime writers and reinvent the genre. They are all highly skilled and very talented writers and it is a real treat to find them all inside the same covers!

Another great thing about this collection is that they all encourage the reader to solve the crime before the end of the story. Any young sleuth will rise to such a challenge! What will be equally appealing to the reader is that all the young detectives featured are smarter than the adults around them - as Woodfine points out, they are all "smarter, more sharp eyed, more sharp witted and courageous." Adults are not presented in a derogatory way at all, there is always a certain level of respect between the characters which I think is important having been subjected to so much of the more derisive and slightly unpleasant behaviour often portrayed in American programmes where teenagers are always trying to get the upper hand. These young people aren't smug or arrogant, just intelligent lovers of puzzles and mystery!

I enjoyed "Mel Foster and the Hound of the Baskervilles" by Julia Golding. It was lively, witty, modern and engaging. The story was well constructed with appealing characters who were easy to identify with. The adults were a little patronising and mocked gently with comic humour for their simplistic deductions. Some of the stories had hidden references to other detectives and villains from other canonical titles - many of which I probably missed! It was a treat to read a short story by prize winning author Hardinge whose story is set around the Great Exhibition in Victorian Crystal Palace. I really enjoyed Harriet Whitehorn's "Murder of Monsieur Pierre" which is set in 1782 before the protagonist grows up and becomes the "Crime Solver Extraordinaire" and the "cleverest woman in London", preceding Piorot and Holmes. Sally Nicholl's story featuring male characters from an office post room was really entertaining. It was vivid, fast paced, full of authentic dialogue and wry observations about the luck fictional detectives usually have handed to them on a plate compared to the real investigative work that an "ordinary" crime lover must undertake. The book ends with the current queens of the new murder, mystery and mayhem genre: Woodfine and Stevens.  The icing on the cake - or should I say "bun break"?!

I liked that the girl protagonists are all very positive and affirming role models who defy the conventions to which they are confined or dictated to by the historical setting of their story. They all have spirit and humour, they follow their instincts and question everything around them. They show initiative and imagination. I liked that the stories covered a real range of settings, contexts and situations. I think they all give a real flavour of the author's style and will certainly encourage readers to seek out other novels once they've had a taster here. It is a rather special and unique collection of stories that would make a perfect gift for anyone over the age of 9 or 10. I will certainly be making sure every young detective I know gets a copy! A hugely enjoyable read!

My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for a fair and honest review. For more recommendations please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or subscribe to my blog for email updates of future reviews.

Clare Mackintosh "I Let You Go"

"Compelling, intriguing and thought-provoking this well written psychological thriller kept me guessing and turning the pages long after I should have gone to bed. An astonishing debut novel." 5 * rating on Goodreads from C L Taylor (author of "The Lie", "The Accident" and "The Missing") 

I read this last summer and it honestly was one of my most favourite reads of 2015. I picked it up as it was part of the Richard and Judy Summer Book Club reads and I always find they are a reliable source of satisfying reads - light enough to suit the time of year and read on holiday but with enough depth of character and plot to provoke engagement, offering more than perhaps a "chick lit" or slightly sensationalist novel would.

This book was no exception. I was interested in Jenna's story from the first chapter. After being involved in a terrible accident, she has fled to the remote Welsh countryside to try and escape the traumatic repercussions of this fateful evening. However, she remains haunted by fear and grief, constantly reminded how her life has changed irrevocably, frightened that any chance of future happiness will be thwarted if her past ever manages to catch up with her.

I was enjoying the book and would have classed it as a 3/5 rating until I got about half way through. And then everything changed. I was absolutely stunned. And I read the second half without barely a glance up from the pages. It had suddenly become a 5/5 read!

Sadly, I can't say much more than this without seriously giving anything away. All I can say is it is a fantastic book with really good characters. Mackintosh's writing oozes tension and is full of suspense. Atmosphere is created through her evocation of setting and location and through the actions and behaviour of the characters who are all convincing and well constructed.

A couple of days later I was in the queue for school waiting to drop the children off when I heard the person behind me complaining about having had no sleep the night before. Sympathetically her friend murmured in empathy about the curse of young children and broken nights. "Oh no," she replied. "It was totally my own fault. I started this book which was ok, then I got half way through and, well, I just couldn't put it down until I'd finished it - even when it was gone 1 o'clock in the morning!" "Excuse me," I said, turning round, "You weren't by any chance reading I Let...." "You Go!" she finished off. And then we lost all our children and nearly missed the registration bell as we were so caught up in our conversation about it! Judging by my other friends which subsequently read it and the reviews on Goodreads, we aren't the only people who found this! I highly recommend you read it - and then brace yourself for the second novel coming out in July!



This has been on my "want to read" list since the moment I saw it was due out! July the 28th feels ever such a long time to wait and I don't know whether receiving an exclusive extract from the first has made it easier or harder! All I can say is that I was absolutely gripped by Mackintosh's first novel "I Let You Go" and this second novel seems like it is going to be equally unputdownable!

The first chapter opens with a very ordinary woman travelling home from work on the tube. Details are captured well so the scene is clearly visualised and all of us will be able to picture ourselves on a crowded carriage, processing the events of the day and ticking off a mental check list of what else we need to do as we flick mindlessly through the newspaper. Only, for the narrator, a careless glance through the personal adverts at the back of the paper which include a few of the less respectable sort of women offering "services" causes a spine chilling reaction. There is a photo of a woman alongside a list of contact details. The woman in the photo is her........

Once again, Mackintosh has intrigued me with what will undoubtably by a thrilling page turner of a read. The narrative is so easy to engage with and the character so relatable that I'm already involved in her situation and if there was ore to read I would probably still be there ploughing on through the whole book in blissful ignorance of the rest of the world!

All I can say is ......Roll on July!

If you want to find out more about Clare Mackintosh and her books then please visit her site www.claremackintosh.com

For more recommendations follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 )bibliomaniacUK or sign up below to join the email subscription for future posts.

"The Conscious Parent" by Shefali Tsabary

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I tracked it down through my local library. I always approach "self help" books with slight trepidation and caution. I have read a fair few over the last decade and some have offered helpful insight, some were relevant at a particular moment in time and some have just exasperated me! My feeling with these sorts of books is that you will never fully embrace the whole theory presented to you - especially as they have a tendency to over zealously present the more extreme versions of their theories which are often impossible to follow to the letter - but even if you take one or two core thoughts away and are able to apply to your family, then that is sometimes enough. Maybe even having made time to reflect on your parenting is as important as what you actually read. However, I also think that for all the reading in the world- most good parenting probably comes from trail & error, tips from peer groups, the way you were parented and generally a mix up of a huge range of influences and experiences! 

I found this review really hard to write. Parenting is a highly emotive subject and it’s hard not to feel vulnerable and defensive when you are forced to consider the way you interact with your children. I hope I have understood the messages in the book as they were intended and I hope my attempts to explain the key points are clear enough to follow. I was surprised by how much I struggled to write a coherent and valuable review and it really has taken me hours! I apologise to the author if I have misunderstood anything and to the reader if I’ve been unable to fully articulate my opinions!

So the premise of this book is very different from anything I had read before. The basic message of the manual is that we need to be more aware - more "conscious"- in our parenting. By being more mindful of our own behaviour and engaging more fully with our children as individuals, then we will in turn become better parents and raise happy, well adjusted children. Tsabary explains that when we parent we are subconsciously influenced by layers of emotional baggage from our own childhood. Situations with our children can often trigger "hot spots" within us and therefore sometimes our reactions are muddled with our own issues rather than acknowledging what has actually happened and the appropriate reaction that the child actually needs from us. There was also a huge emphasis on “being present” and thinking more about what “being present” and “fully engaged” actually means.

In principle I found this quite enlightening and it made sense. The concept that we often parent from a “triggered” state was interesting.

“To be triggered is to be resistance to whatever may be happening in our life. By reacting we are saying “I don’t want this situation; I don’t like the way things are.” The reason for this is that the ideal view of ourselves to which we are attached is being shaken, which is threatening to us. In this state …..we react. The manner in which this reaction manifests depends on our unique life scripts, roles and emotional inheritance.”

Our “triggered spot” is when we react to a situation with an emotion which is bound up with our immense layers of baggage and history - possibly fears and anxieties which we have inadvertently inherited from our parents- therefore our response is processing something from within us. Are they pushing you into a state of conflict which you are uncomfortable with? Are they evoking a sense of helplessness or disbelief in yourself from your past conditioning? Our reactions are also governed by how we feel about ourselves. If I am tired, I am impatient and will be quick to chide the children; if we are late I will shout even though it’s ultimately the fault of the traffic which was beyond anyone’s control! If I am tired, or running behind on my chores, I may resent having to do homework and try to rush and nag them when in fact I need to accept I’m behind, forget it for the time being and focus on helping them. And ultimately I need to slow down, refuel, be better to myself and just “be”! We all need time to “be still”, “be bored” and to take time to just absorb the “present moment”.

The whole concept of "being present" did strike a chord and really resonated with me. Our family life is absolutely rammed full of after school activities, clubs, sports, music lessons, play dates and we spend most of our time together hurtling from one place to the other, briefly refueling either at home in great haste or on the go. Am I then a "good" parent by providing my children with numerous opportunities to develop skills, talents and greatness? Or am I a functional cog in a machine that feeds, drives, cleans, irons, packs bags, washes clothes, tidies up, shops, organises and generally "provides"? Do I make time to sit and just "be" with the children? Do I really listen to them? Do I respond to their conversation with interest and engagement or do I just utter the next instruction and time check? 

But it is never too late. And it doesn’t take much. We all know that children don’t need gadgets, expensive gifts or the latest technology to feel loved and affirmed. We all know we give in to “screen time” too easily and life moves too quickly for all of us as we are constantly bombarded with “updates” and “notifications” from numerous social media websites. We all know it is probably harming all of us, threatening family life and certainly preventing us from actually “engaging” fully and “being present” in the moment. There was some very valid discussion about this – but I found the more I read of the book, some of the advice was rather too idealistic and overly “spiritual”. For example I couldn’t help but smile inwardly at the suggestion that for your child’s 18^th Birthday you don’t buy them a fancy car but instead send them to a Third World country to earn the money to buy their own…..

I do agree about “surrendering the need to do” and that we are often deluded into thinking that by “doing” we are engaging with the present when actually it is obsessing about yesterday and worrying about tomorrow. But it is hard to shelve the daily “to do list” and switch off your brain from the running commentary of everything you need to achieve by the end of the day. However, I think I can make some simple, more conscious choices, about how I speak to the children in order to validate and affirm them more. I can make more time for them in very small ways. I can listen better. I can look at them when they are talking to me. I can recognize when I am “triggered”, take a deep breath, step back and try to see the situation for what it really is. And I can definitely attempt to segregate my time for jobs, work and social media from that of my time with them.

I liked that Tsabary talked about how important it was to make sure you were fulfilled as a parent by something other than your children so that you are not piling on your own pressures and expectations upon them. Pressures that often stem from a need to be perfect, controlled, accepted and a feeling that you have to nurture brilliant, exceptional children. The children also need to see you fulfilled by other interests in order for them to form a sensible, balanced, grounded emotional intelligence and understanding of parenting. They don't have to be the only thing that makes you feel validated and important. Sadly, it is often hard to both find time to do this and to actually allow yourself to do this. But, then am I more “triggered” when I have spent all day cooking and cleaning only to be met with untouched plates and decimated bedrooms than if I had spent some of the day walking with a friend, half an hour reading a new book or a few hours completing a project for work which challenged me and reminded me of the wider world? 

There was a lot of good advice in this book. Yes, it is a book with a deep spiritual vision so at times this is a little bit much but it does make it a calm, gentle, soft read and there is plenty or reassurance for parents. The lists of phrases that show you how you could talk to your children in certain situations were helpful. There is also a leveling of what is acceptable, sensible and reasonable empowerment between the parent and child so it is not completely out of touch with modern parenting; it is relatively reasonable and realistic in what it expects from both parent and child. Yes, children definitely are the most precious gift in the world, and yes we are extremely grateful for them and all they give us. Although, to be honest, that's generally that’s how I feel about them when I check on them last thing at night -when they are lost in their dreams; quiet, clean, still and I have had time to forget the events of the day!

We went for a walk in the woods yesterday. It was extremely muddy. I tried to “just be”. I was firmly in the “present” and I was trying to “engage fully” and see "wonder in the ordinary and focus on the small things in life". It was fun. The children ran wildly, shouted loudly, climbed, threw sticks, laughed. They jumped in huge muddy puddles. They actively sought out the swampiest part of the pathway. 

Then one fell over –head first, one lost both his welly boots but kept walking knee deep in mud, one managed to splatter mud across their face while making mud balls to throw at his siblings. They were filthy. I was still hanging on to that moment…..clutching at it….

Until they started crying because they were cold, heavy with clods of stinking mud and hungry. One refused to walk back to the car. Two hours later with three baths, one washing machine load, one soaking bucket full of jeans, a bin liner full of socks that simply were not fit to be saved, a car boot full of boots that are still awaiting desperate attention, car seats smeared in dried mud and most of the forest floor and three over tired, exhausted, fractious children, I was a fully triggered, totally reactive, overbearing and shouting. A parent who would only be calmed by the “moment” everyone was asleep and there was a large glass of wine in my hand.

Well, as the book says in its opening lines, “To parent perfectly is a mirage. There is no ideal parent and no idea child.”

Let me know what you think of this book or parenting manuals by leaving a comment below!

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or subscribe to receive future posts by email using the box below.

"The Museum of You" Carys Bray

As were many other readers, I was completely entranced by Bray's debut novel "A Song for Issy Bradley" which was one of "Richard & Judy's Book Club Summer Reads 2015" and I rated it 4/5 stars, so I was really excited to get an advanced copy of her latest publication "The Museum of You" which is due out in June. I am absolutely in love with the front cover which I think really captures the beautiful story and character of the protagonist Clover.

The book is about 12 year old Clover, (who likes her name as it has the word "love" in it!) who is being raised by her father, Darren, since her mother died when she was 6 weeks old. Her father is struggling to move on even after all this time and there is a whole bedroom full of her belongings and "stuff" that he is unable to pack up and put away. After talking to a curator on a school museum trip who tells her that the best part of her job is handling the objects in exhibitions as "you get a feeling about them as you hold them....you're looking after other people's stories" Clover comes up with the idea of making an exhibit out of her mother's belongings as a surprise for her father. She can select, label and show the things and then they can be stored and finally put away. I thought this was a lovely and poignant concept for a story and spoke volumes about the deeply caring, loving and interesting character of Clover who also wants to learn more about her own "story" as well as hear more about her mother's life and personality.

Clover is such an endearing character. She is so positive and full of energy. She is gentle, thoughtful and inquisitive.  The book begins at the start of the summer holidays and there is a lovely atmosphere capturing both the relaxing heat and sense of freedom as well as some sense of anticipation and adventure. Bray's writing is highly evocative and full of wonderful lyrical imagery such as "summer coils around her like a cot.....flickering moth-like feeling of happiness ..... waiting for the sand of the six weeks to pass through the hourglass of summer". Clover loves museums and the conversation with the curator was, for me, one of the best passages about curiosity, vocation and the importance of museums that I've ever read.

Darren works as a bus driver and this summer is the first summer that Clover has been given a key of her own and will be left unsupervised while her father works his long shifts. The house is chaotic, filled with numerous piles of eclectic collections of things littering every available space- things that might be useful in the future or hold some vague recollection of the past. The description of the inside was very visual with lots of precise, entertaining detail, effectively revealing the character and lifestyle of Darren and Clover as much as their housekeeping skills. They are such appealing and genuine characters it is impossible not to fall in love with them right from the beginning of the story.

There are lots of references to happiness in the opening pages which alerts the reader that there might be something more hidden to discover; the reader wonders at the reason for Darren's overwhelming concern with protecting Clover and his continuous need to record "happy moments" in case they are "needed later." They end each day listing the three happiest things about the day and "Clover will laugh and it will be another moment he can call on should he need to." Clover begins to notice how he takes the "temperature of her mood and attempts to chart it. He'll stop once she smiles....he inspects her expression like a worried dentist." Darren is a highly conscientious parent. He is trying so hard to be both mother and father to Clover and his attempts to preempt issues or keep up with the modern world of girls are charming and winsome. You cannot help but feel affection for his desperately attentive manner and care for his precious daughter.

"He studied her like a seismologist, on the lookout for waves, trying to map her interior in order to forecast the magnitude and timing of any future quakes.....often mistaking impulse for instinct." 

Clover sets about her task of setting up her museum with great focus and concentration. She has make copious notes about how to set up an exhibition and is aware that it should have a very clear purpose - which should contain aspects of  "education, information, discussion, illustration and lots of other "ion" words so there is lots of purpose". She will collect objects from the second bedroom and catalogue them. She will be the designer, curator and keeper. It will be a "temporary exhibition....afterwards the objects will be stored elsewhere." Bray has created a wonderful character. Clover's exhibition will not only help her father to move on but also allow her to learn more about the woman she never knew as currently she feels she is "incomplete and a part written recipe, how can she imagine what she will be if she only knows half of her ingredients." As a 12 year old girl on the cusp of womanhood this is such an important moment in time for Clover and to a certain extent the novel is her emotional "coming of age" journey. In my opinion, Bray and Clover are so similar - both see stories and inspiration in everything around them. Both seek to know and explore "real" things about people, not the obvious. I loved Bray's description of Clover trying to extract more information from the neighbour about her mother:

"She would like to put Mrs Mackerel in a juicer and squeeze the story of her mother out all at once but Mrs Mackerel trickles her comments to sometimes say mean things on purpose." 

Clover's exhibition will be the "Untold Story of Becky Brookfield." Through her belongings this "compelling exhibition will give a unique insight into Becky Brookfield (add some unique insights below) Explore a room where she slept. Touch some of her personal items. Other highlights include (think of some other highlights)." Bray convincing captures the voice of a young girl and her pursuit to create a "real" museum. I enjoyed the mixture of "borrowed", "adult" words saved from her research and trips with her child like interpretation and comical efforts to recreate authentic placards. There is a very gentle, subtle humour in the recording of the way Clover adapts various techniques she's seen in practice in other museums which perhaps prevents the novel from becoming too overly emotional or unnecessarily sentimental. Bray's characterisation is so consistent and well managed; so well developed and honed, it shows immense skill, control and impressive craftsmanship.

There is also a lightness added from the comical character of Mrs Mackerel, the elderly neighbour who USES CAPITALS A LOT and offers a different perspective on the family. She is actually very caring but also a blunt voice of full of advice and observations about Darren, his parenting and Becky.

About two thirds of the way through the book, Darren discovers the evolving museum and the novel focusses on his back story, Clover's birth and his relationship with Becky, including the events leading up to her death. It is full of poignancy and so many intelligent observations about people, relationships, motherhood and love that I found myself continuously rereading sentences, phrases and paragraphs, making copious notes of the quotes that I found particularly compelling and bewitching. The beauty of Darren is that he appears to be a very straight forward and ordinary person but actually his insight is acute and intelligent. His comments are sometimes short asides like when reflecting on his grief he says almost flippantly that "people aren't speed bumps, you don't get over them", to more detailed, often quite profound, observations. I found his comment about friendship really resonant:

"One of the surprising things about adulthood is how few people accompany you there and what a relief it is to occasionally talk to someone who knew the child you and the teenage you , someone who had seen all your versions, every update and stuck with you through all of it. That's really something."

I'd like to write that message on a postcard to a couple of special people in my life with whom that comment fits!

He is also bothered by some new parents who he meets on a job. I really enjoyed his glimpse into their irritatingly saccharine life and repellent behaviour. I felt Darren's loneliness and frustration as the woman speaks to him thoughtlessly and narcissistically about parenting which included making her sound like "Jesus, nailing herself to a cross of tiredness." His subsequent subtly undermining action left him (and me) pleased that "he had brushed against her perfect world and smudged it". Bray's ability to capture these secondary characters so deftly and with just a few snatches of dialogue and action is a real sign of her talent. There are several other characters who also are created with real authenticity and conviction. Again, appearing as quite superficial but actually full of depth, understanding and love.

The book also contains a lot of dialogue which I found was always very authentic and real. You could really feel, know and see the characters through their exchanges and Bray also revealed the relationships between the characters through her use of speech. The relationship between Clover and Darren is particularly absorbing and special. They are very close and care deeply about each other. They have a gentle and heartwarming friendship and share in simple pleasures together with lots of running jokes and shared moments of humour. They illustrate a very secure, happy and well nurtured family. They complete a journey independently and together throughout the novel that only brings them closer and to a even more shared understanding. Clover's simple idea about arranging the second bedroom into a catalogue of museum exhibits proves to have quite a profound effect on both of them and their future. It is an inventive and imaginative concept which then allows Bray to explore themes of parenthood, love and grief.

I loved this book. I will be rereading it. I will be recommending it to all my friends and I will be buying multiple copies when it is published. Bray has a true gift for description and capturing characters. She has a refreshing voice which is highly imaginative and creates brilliant characters who really come alive from the page and stay with you for a long time afterwards. Clover's emotions of confusion, grief and love are portrayed sensitively and thoughtfully. Darren is actually a complex character; haunted by ghosts, needing to let go of what could have been to confront what is, and face his desperate need to hold on to the past. As another reviewer wrote, the winning appeal of this novel is that:

The writing is so simple - very readable on the surface, immensely rich and complex underneath. This is a story about love in all its many colours, and tragically, beautifully real – and there’s a proper joyous, hopeful, happy ending too. 

If you enjoy books by Sarah Winman, Claire Fuller and Caroline Wallace, you will love this book. It is even better than her debut "A Song for Issy Bradley". 5/5 stars from me!

Why not leave a comment letting me know what you think about this book, "A Song for Issy Bradley" or the cover of "The Museum of You"?

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat, follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up to subscribe to receive future posts via email.
 

"The Girl in the Photograph" Kate Riordan

After reading "The Shadow Hour" and completely falling in love with Riordan's writing style and epic narrative story, I decided to look her up and was really pleased to find out she had published a few other titles. I hastily ordered "The Girl in the Photograph" ready to save for my holiday as a real treat!

"The Girl in the Photograph" starts in 1933 with Alice who finds herself pregnant following an affair with a married man who will never leave his wife despite his empty promises. Her horrified and shamed parents pack her off to the remote Fiercombe Manor, under the false pretence of being recently widowed, in order to prevent any further disgrace falling upon her. The arrangement is that she will have the baby adopted as soon as it is born. In the meantime she is under the dutiful care of Mrs Jelphs, the housekeeper. We are then taken back in time to 1898 where we pick up the sad tale of Elizabeth Stanton, wife to Edward Stanton the previous owner of the Manor. As Elizabeth's tragic tale is revealed, it appears to mirror Alice's situation more and more; the stories then weave in and out of each other as each woman comes to terms with pregnancy, love, their pasts and now their futures as mothers.

The dual narrative structure worked really well and alternating between the two voices is an effective plot device. It keeps the story moving and also creates tension and intrigue. It also gives the reader time to draw parallels between the two women as well as having time to process some of the more emotional episodes from Elizabeth's life without it becoming overwhelming. As with "The Shadow Hour", the historical detail is excellent and the settings for both time periods is well established with authenticity and conviction. It is easy to visualise the house and its surroundings.

Alice is immediately struck by Fiercombe Manor. It is welcoming but at the same time there is something mysterious about it. Hints that there is something deeper hidden within the property are conveyed through the more magical descriptions such as "out above me a whirl of dust motes glittered, the sun's alchemy turning each into a speck of gold." Her curiosity about the house's history is further awakened by the discovery of the ruins of another home also on the grounds- Stanton House, and she remembers Mrs Jelphs words that is it "tainted", then "it seems to leach out across my mind, rusty, like old blood". Alice is determined to find out what happened here.

Elizabeth's story is unravelled through her diary which Alice finds, as well as her own narrative and bits of conversation gleamed from Mrs Jelphs and local villager Mr Morton. Mrs Jelphs certainly knows more than she is letting on and sometimes reacts oddly to Alice as if her pregnancy is somehow threatened or at risk. Alice is unsure if she is imagining things and although a little suspicious of her overactive imagination and emotional state, the house seems to be full of echoes and messages for her. Alice is intrigued and excited by the house. She feels as if 'a mystery had presented itself to be solved."

Both women have been poorly treated by the men in their lives. Elizabeth's marriage to Edward is a desperately sad one: "He derived some perverse pleasure from standing away or looking impassively on as she tried to make amends. Once she had learnt to match his coldness with her own it was disquieting how quickly her ardour for him had ebbed away."  She is under immense pressure to have a son and now pregnant again she is terrified of another miscarriage and what might happen is she "failed" Edward again. There is also some mystery surrounding the period of time following her first daughter's birth that involved Doctors and illness, but Elizabeth seems unable to recall anything from this time, apart from the odd half memory. To a degree, Elizabeth is unreliable in her narration of events and observations such as "Edward looked at her as if she were a danger, not just to herself but to her daughter" indicate there may be something more sinister going on making the reader eager to find out just what she has blocked out from the last few years. But, even bearing this in mind, ultimately it is still hard to feel much sympathy for Edward who frequently appears to bully her and show little empathy for her pain and grief. Riordan has chosen an interesting time in which to set this part of the story as it not only allows her to explore the role of women in marriage and motherhood but also the attitude of the medical (male) profession to childbirth, pregnancy and mental health. I found this fascinating and tragic.

With both women being pregnant, Riordan is able to intensify the eerie atmosphere that runs throughout the novel. The unborn babies remind us of their presence with their haunting, ghost like "shifting and roiling", and their "flutters". These references to their movements are a shadowy reminder of their existence, their power to determine the future of these two women and as a constant reminder of the sad circumstances under which they will come into the world. It also allows Riordan to work with characters who are undergoing physical and emotional changes; a heightened awareness of their senses and perhaps more susceptible to suggestions and allusions. Both women as consumed with anxiety and fear for their babies. Alice is torn between what she wants and what it is the right thing to do and Elizabeth lives in terror of not having a boy or losing another child preterm. Both women are mentally and emotionally fragile. The reader is captivated by both story lines and although it is clear nothing can be done for Elizabeth, I willed Alice to survive her confinement and complete her psychological journey as she tries to confront and accept her past and take some control of her future. Alice's enlightenment and her subsequent maturity made this feel like a "coming of age" novel even though she is a little older at 22 years.

There is a lot of trauma, grief and pain in the novel but there is also friendship, hope and love. The final revelations are cunningly kept until the very last pages keeping the reader in complete suspense for as long as possible. This is not a ghost story or a thriller but it is still hugely atmospheric, unsettling, haunting, memorable and affecting. The reader feels compassion for both protagonists and invests in their stories.

This is an absorbing saga in which to lose yourself and become completely immersed in the fabulous setting of Fiercombe Manor which is depicted with such poetical imagery and description. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it while on holiday -visiting stately homes and rambling country estates seemed the perfect environment in which to relish this book! "The Girl in the Photograph" reminded me of "Rebecca", "The Woman in Black", "The Woman in White", "The Secret Garden" and "Jane Eyre". If you enjoy Katherine Webb, Kate Morton and Kate Mosse you will love this novel.

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"The Girl in the Ice" Robert Bryndza

Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice…She is not the only one. 

When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

This is the first book in the DCI Erika Foster series. It is set in Dulwich, South London. The sense of location is well captured and the precise detail ensures that the reader is firmly placed in this very real setting. I thought part of the book's appeal was the vividness of the locations and the authentic descriptions.

The chapters are short and there is a lot of action. The opening is great - the discovery of the body and the impact this has on the man that discovers it are very well told with great dramatic tension. From this point on the plot is fluent and well delivered. Suspense keeps building, pulling in lots of different threads and complications.

DCI Erika Foster is a strong, brave character. She shares some of the traits of the stars of the popular Scandinavian TV programmes "The Bridge" and "The Killing" but this mixture of being slightly awkward, slightly socially unaware but very focussed, clever and committed creates an appealing  and intriguing character. The added dimension of her personal battle and her need to prove her reputation following the disastrous consequences of the last case she was involved in create a further level of interest and depth.

Bryndza shows excellent knowledge of police procedure in his writing and has clearly researched his novel well. This makes the writing very authentic and ensures that the story remains believable and convincing. If you like Rachel Abbott, Karin Slaughter and Karen Rose then I would recommend this book for you.