Before the Rains by Dinah Jefferies

As soon as I saw that Dinah Jefferies had a new book out, I wasted no time tracking it down on NetGalley and have been looking forward to reading it ever since it landed on my TBR pile. Why? Because Jefferies always writes a great story. She always evokes the historical era and the exotic location of her novels effectively; the smells, colours and sounds come alive and transport you to another place, another time and another person's life. As well as great description there is always an absorbing story to follow full of gentle drama, romance and a personal quest of some sort. "Before the Rains" continues to deliver all we have come to love about Jefferies' books.

"Before the Rains" is set in 1930s India. Our main protagonist is Eliza; a 28 year old widow who is  trying to build her career as a photojournalist. The British Government have sent her to spend a year photographing the royal family in Rajputana and she is determined to make a name for herself through this assignment. Eliza cannot help but become affected by the contrast of the wealth she is surrounded by in the castle and the poverty that exists outside.

"...she took photographs of it all: the poor, the lost and the seemingly forgotten. And it entered her head that by recording the plight of the poor she might be able to find a way to give voice to the voiceless."

 She is a sensitive, thoughtful and bright woman who although there to further her career, is also moved by the living conditions she witnesses. Eliza realises that in order to change things, or support those who want to change things, could involved some huge personal compromises. It also transpires that perhaps the British Government have ulterior motives for placing her within the royal family and Eliza is caught between her loyalties to old family friends and the new family she has been living amongst.

Eliza is a great protagonist. She has been to India before as a child. The story opens with a tragic account of her watching the death of her father and I was immediately lost in Jefferies' writing as she conjured up a scene bursting with life and emotion. I was immediately drawn to Eliza's character as we quickly feel empathy towards this young woman who has witnessed the death of her father and then tragically widowed so early in her married life. Eliza is a sensitive character and this prepares us for the journey she is going to go on both physically and emotionally in this story.

Jefferies then introduces us to the royal family and establishes their values and beliefs which roots us in the social and historical setting as well as establishing the family dynamics, including lots of implied tension- the perfect foundation for a good story.

Eliza is introduced to Jayant Singh Rathore - Jay - Laxmi's "second and most wayward son." His mother describes him as "thirty years old, addicted to danger and prefers the wild to us civilised folk. Hardly any wonder he's not married yet" and he is a character that immediately interests us. He begins to spend more time with Eliza, particularly by accompanying her on her excursions, and the couple begin to educate each other about the injustices that they see from their different positions in society. A bond develops between them but this is not a relationship that is going to be easily accepted by their families and their communities. Once again, Eliza is faced with dilemmas and that age old problem around which so many great books revolve - to follow your head or your heart?

But this is not just a love story or a novel about the awakening of Eliza after the heartbreak she has already suffered. This is a novel about women and about history, about culture and traditions. There are some brutal scenes where Eliza witnesses the mistreatment of widows - deemed unlucky as "outliving your husband means you did not look after him properly and that's generally your own bad karma at fault." The moment when Eliza witnesses the barbaric burning of a widow is violently chilling and Jefferies handles these scenes cleverly; neither sensational nor gratuitous but shocking and haunting. Of course these scenes also heighten the tension as Eliza is a widow and this has to be hidden from anyone who doesn't need to know in order to protect her and the family she is residing with. Again, as with all of Jefferies' novels, I find myself learning more about a period in history I know little about.

There is a lot about the plight of the women in this country at this time. Jefferies' thorough research and obvious interest in this subject is reflected through her characterisation of Eliza and what happens to her throughout the course of the novel. There are some disturbing passages about infanticide and sad revelations about the wives who are so badly treated by their in laws as they struggle for authority and power in their marriages and families. This emotive and controversial theme gives the novel depth and adds a layer of complexity to the relationship between Jay and Eliza as they begin to recognise their feelings for each other.

I don't want to write a long review - not because I can't, but because this book is simply a good story with enough layers, themes and engaging characters to carry you away on an historical journey. I read it because on a dark, grey, wet February week this was a great tonic. Therefore I just want to recommend this novel to you as a book to treat yourself to over a long weekend, a holiday or as a sheer bit of escapism. It is a relaxing, engaging, easy read and I enjoyed it as much as Jefferies previous novels.

The book is organised into four parts and I really enjoyed the quotes that introduced each section. I'll leave you with this one which comes at the start of Part 2 but is full of wisdom.

"If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars." 

Before the Rains will be published by Penguin on 23rd February 2017.

For my review of Dinah Jefferies' The Silk Merchant's Daughter, please click on the link below:
The silk merchant's daughter

More about Dinah Jefferies - taken from her website www.dinahjefferies.com

I was born in Malaysia  and moved to England at the age of nine.

As a teenager I missed the heat of Malaysia, which left me with a kind of restlessness that led to quite an unusual life. I went to live in Tuscany where I worked as an au-pair for an Italian countess, and there was even a time when I lived with a rock band in a ‘hippie’ commune in Suffolk.

In 1985, the death of my fourteen year old son changed everything. Although it was the darkest of times and I will always miss him, I’m grateful for the years we had together, and I now draw on the experience of loss in my writing. I set my books abroad and aim to infuse the love and loss with the extremely seductive beauty of the East.

My second novel, The Tea Planter’s Wife, was a Richard & Judy Book Club Autumn in 2015 pick as well as being  number one in the Sunday Times Bestselling list. And that’s something I’m absolutely delighted about. Book three, The Silk Merchant’s Daughter, was published in February 2016 and also entered Sunday Times Bestselling list . Book four which is set in 1930s India, Before the Rains, will be published in the UK February 2017. All my novels are published in the UK/Commonwealth by Penguin/Viking. My books have now been published in over 25 different countries across the globe.

Although my husband and I spent five wonderful years living  in a small 16th Century village in Northern Andalusia, I’m happy to say we now live close to our family in Gloucestershire .

Follow Dinah Jefferies on Twitter: @DinahJefferies

If you like Dinah Jefferies, you might want to try these books too - click on the links to be taken to my reviews:

The Sugar Planter's Daughter Sharon Maas
A dictionary of mutual understanding
Circling the Sun by Paula Mclain
The English Girl by Katherine Webb
The Shadow Hour by Kate Riordan

·   “The Tea Planter’s Wife” Dinah Jefferies 

Gwen is 19 when she joins her new husband in 1920s Ceylon where he runs his plantation. As she learnt to adapt to her new country, new husband, new life, she uncovers clues to a mysterious past which her husband refuses to talk about…..

·

·      “Half a Yellow Sun” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Adichie’s novel is set in Nigeria during the late 1960s. It focuses on one decade of tumultuous politics through the eyes of five characters. Detailed, complex but beautifully written this is an engaging, compelling and fascinating read. 

For more recommendations and reviews please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

#BlogTour #DesperationRoad by Michael Farris Smith

DESPERATION ROAD

MICHAEL FARRIS SMITH

23rd February 2017 · NO EXIT PRESS · £14.99 · HARDBACK 

A haunting and devastating novel by a remarkable new talent.

‘Brilliantly compelling’ ROBERT OLEN BUTLER 

'Smith writes shapely prose and sharp dialogue and everywhere displays an acute sense of the moments and pain that can define lives in a small town' - Kirkus Reviews

'One of the best writers of his generation, Desperation Road may very well be his best work' - Tom Franklin, NYT bestselling author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

For eleven years the clock has been ticking for Russell Gaines as he sits in Parchman penitentiary. His sentence now up, Russell believes his debt has been paid. But when he returns home, he discovers that revenge lives and breathes all around him.

Meanwhile, a woman named Maben and her young daughter trudge along the side of the interstate. Desperate and exhausted, the pair spend their last dollar on a room for the night, a night that ends with Maben holding a pistol and a dead deputy sprawled in the middle of the road.

With the dawn, destinies collide, and Russell is forced to decide whose life he will save—his own or those of the woman and child.

"I want to take readers into dreamlike worlds with true and honest characters and create emotions that move off the page and into whoever is holding the book." Michael Farris Smith 

And he does. 'Desperation Road" is a mesmerising read. Slow, haunting, intriguing and poetic. It opens with the characters only being referred to as "old man", "woman" and "little girl" which is both effective in establishing the themes and atmosphere of the novel. The writing is stunning and emphasises the desperation of the characters and the events which unfold.

"He saw that there was a vacancy in her expression when she answered his questions and he knew she didn't know any more about what they were doing or where they were going than he did."

There's a dreamlike quality to the writing as the characters almost seem to be sleepwalking through their lives, waiting for clarity, or searching for something they can not quite articulate.

Maben is a character who requests empathy, sympathy and intrigue.

"A phone book hung from a metal cord and she opened it and began to try to remember the names of people she used to know. She tried to think of a friend or some down-the-line cousin. Something. Somebody. She looked at the names in the phone book as if one might reach up and poke a finger in her eye and say hey look it's me."

It's hard to separate out short quotes as the writing is so absorbing and carries you along through the unbroken passages of effortless prose. The sentences, sometimes very long, sometimes shorter, are often part of long passages where the dialogue is sparse.This is a book which allows the reader to celebrate good writing. Smith depicts the life of his characters with considered, deliberate prose. There are many lines over which to hover and fully appreciate the writer's craft, yet hover too long and the brutality which they convey could overwhelm you.

Although all in third person, Smith presents well crafted, completely three dimensional characters who have lived through desperate times. The central characters, Russell and Maben, are captivating. We engage with them; their pasts, their nightmares, their failings and their journeys. There are other characters who although on the sidelines are still presented with authenticity and depth. Smith is a writer who understands the people he is writing about and is obviously fully immersed in the world they inhabit -ensuring the reader does the same.

 This is a dark and gritty novel. It is powerful and bleak. The setting and location of the novel is well evoked. The writing is detailed yet sparse and I felt torn between feeling shocked, unnerved and heartbroken as the lives of Maben and Russell are revealed. I think the publisher's description that this is haunting and devastating is probably the best way to summarise the novel.

To me, "Desperation Road" already reads like an American Classic. Robert Olen Butler has praised this novel and if you enjoyed "Perfume River" then you will enjoy this. Fans of William Faulkner and Hemmingway will find this book rewarding and satisfying.

It is clear this book will leave its mark on the literary world.

Thank you to No Exit Press for an advanced copy of this novel - a novel I would not have usually chosen to read but have enjoyed and can recognise the obvious talent of Michael Farris Smith.

FURTHER PRAISE FOR DESPERATION ROAD:

“Desperation Road is an elegantly written, perfectly paced novel about a man and woman indelibly marked by violence. Characters who would be mere stereotypes in a lesser writer’s hands are fully realized, and we come to care deeply as they attempt to create a better life for themselves. An outstanding performance.” Ron Rash, NYT bestselling author of Serena and The Cove

“Anchored by prose that is both poetic and brutal, Desperation Road is a gorgeous and violent book. But don't be fooled by the title. Michael Farris Smith's novel teems with the honest and believable humanity that only the bravest writers dare to search for in the most troubled souls.” Ivy Pochoda, author of Visitation Street “Michael Farris Smith taps into the rhythm of a world I know, and he does it so well, with such ease, that it's almost like I'm living it instead of reading it. His anti-heroes teeter always between the drag-out skids and sweet redemption, and they create a beautiful, true tension that makes this novel burn and thrum in your hands.” Jamie Korngay author of Soil

MICHAEL FARRIS SMITH is a native Mississippian who has spent time living abroad in France and Switzerland. He is the recipient of the 2014 Mississippi Author Award and has been awarded the Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Arts Fellowship, the Transatlantic Review Award for Fiction, and the Alabama Arts Council Fellowship Award for Literature. His short fiction has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and his essays have appeared with The New York Times, Catfish Alley, Deep South Magazine, and more. He lives in Columbus, Mississippi, with his wife and two daughters. 

michaelfarrissmith.com
@michael_f_smith

For more from me, you can find me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

Her Perfect Life by Sam Hepburn

The perfect life. The perfect job. The perfect family. 

Gracie Dwyer has it all: the handsome husband, the adorable child, the beautiful home and the glittering career. The perfect life.

Her new friend Juliet doesn’t exactly fit in. She’s a down-on-her-luck single parent with no money and not much hope.

So just what is it that draws Gracie and Juliet together? And when the cracks start to appear in Gracie’s perfect life, can both of them survive?

How far would you go to create the perfect life? 

How far indeed! Oh, yes, this story sounded deliciously perfect to me and with the claim that it would appeal to fans of B A Paris and Clare Mackintosh, I could not wait to get stuck in.

Gracie Dwyer is perpetually perfect. 

When Juliet freezes the face of chef Gracie Dwyer on her TV screen, she can not find any hint of imperfection. There is no kind of flaw anywhere on this woman's face. We have only known Juliet for a page and a half but we can see that her life is very different to that of Gracie. Words such as "groggy", "hangover", "clumsy" and the description of a chaotic flat that we see Juliet tottering around, quickly highlights the contrast between the lives of the two women.

But Chapter Two introduces us to Gracie herself and actually, it's clear that underneath the shiny, polished veneer that is presented to the world, there are in fact slight tensions; tremors that if left to shake may grow louder and more damaging.

The story alternates between Gracie and Juliet although there are more chapters with Gracie and at the beginning I felt that I was being invited to build up a closer relationship with her. She's trying to grow her business, manage a public image, keep her marriage strong and spend time with her daughter while they move house and take on a renovation project. It's all going well but it feels as if neither Gracie or her husband Tom are really facing up to something and Hepburn steadily plants a seed of curiosity that possibly Gracie knows something else or that there might be something deeper and darker lurking behind this 'perfect' family.

Gracie is also the victim of a vindictive messages and anonymous packages that are causing her great distress. The police are involved and the interview with the officer helps Hepburn to remind us that Gracie does not consider her husband trustworthy, has a live in nanny who she is certain she can trust, a very small group of friends but a wider range of colleagues, workmen and business acquaintances with access to her property and life. Our interest in Gracie and the injection of suspense from these anonymous messages raises the tension in the novel and certainly kept me reading on.

This tension is maintained by Juliet and her resentment towards Gracie.

"This isn't a magazine spread. This is Gracie's life. And here she is, Juliet Beecham, finally on the inside, seeing it for real." 

Juliet works hard to gatecrash into Gracie's life. Why is she so keen to be part of this woman's life? Why does she push their daughters together so much and then why does she behave so badly when she is given the opportunity to become part of Gracie's life?

"Gracie puts up her hands palm outwards, a gesture of 'don't worry about it' but there's a rigidity in her splayed fingers as if she's warding Juliet off." 

Hepburn captures the awkwardness between the two women so effectively. We cringe with Juliet at her behaviour, we cringe with Gracie as she has to deal with Juliet's behaviour. We cringe at Juliet's clumsy attempts to befriend Gracie and her pitiful chase for her friendship and we cringe when Gracie takes advantage of her and then fails to reciprocate. The dynamic between them is really interesting; the way they view their relationship with each other, the way they behave together and what they then reveal to the reader about how they feel about each other weaves an intricate web of suspense and tension across the chapters.

I really enjoyed the twisty journey of the friendship between these women and their interaction. Just as I began to find that I was not always completely empathetic towards Gracie, Juliet reveals a more unhealthy and malign intent behind her friendship with Gracie. In fact Juliet's ability to manipulate her friend is impressive and the calculated way in which she makes comments and orchestrates situations to her own advantage are quite chilling.

"Juliet looks into the doe-like eyes of this woman who has everything that she doesn't - money, a husband, a lover, a life - and almost gags on the rush of resentment." 

But Gracie's character is not as black and white as you sometimes think and she is lives in the shadow of Tom's first wife. She is often threatened by a darker past and feelings of insecurity and anxiety. And I don't think we should be too fooled by those doe eyes either!

My feelings towards both the main characters seemed in as much turmoil as the ladies own lives. I found myself smiling at some of Juliet's comments about Gracie and often feeling sympathetic towards her personal situation. However, Hepburn also suggests that Juliet is not entirely responsible, that she drinks too heavily and that she is unreliable which nicely casts a level of tension over the pages. And as for Gracie, yes I felt sorry for her, yes I recognised that she was trying to do the right thing but restricted by particular barriers because of her status and yes I liked her.

How did I feel about them at the end? Well, that would just be spoiling it for you all! You'll have to read on yourselves to see what happens to this not so perfect friendship and what these women will do to create the perfect life for themselves.

I enjoyed this book. I think I was drawn to Juliet more as a character but I enjoyed the exploration of friendship, marriage, parenting, obsession and guilt.

At nearly 400 pages this is quite a substantial novel. It is quite a complicated plot but it is well worth reading until the end as the pay off is satisfying, suitably shocking and as jaw dropping as we have come to expect from any novel worthy of the title 'psychological thriller'. This book has earned that badge. With stripes.

If you like your novels to be full of great themes, well drawn yet flawed characters and an ending that cleverly knits together all the many threads you have just about managed to keep hold of in a twist that reveals Hepburn's potential for being one to watch in the future, then this is the book for you.

Recommend!

Her Perfect Life is published by Harper Collins on 23rd February 2017.

Thank you so much to Goodreads for my ARC which I received as a Giveaway Competition Winner.

Sam Hepburn worked briefly in advertising before she joined the BBC as a trainee and spent twenty years there as a documentary maker. She has been shortlisted for several prestigious prizes and nominated for the Cilip Carnegie Medal for her YA thrillers. She completed Her Perfect Life is her debut psychological thriller while attending the Faber Academy. She has lived and workd in Lebanon, Sudan and Washington DC and now lives in London with her husband and children.
You can follow her on Twitter:  @Sam_Osman_Books

For more reviews and recommendations you can follow me on Twitter @katheinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

Bibliomaniac's Book Club: The Girls by Lisa Jewell

BIBLIOMANIA FOR 

LISA JEWELL: THE GIRLS

I have produced this Book Club Guide in response to a friend's Book Club who chose the novel and had a great session suggesting it! Lisa Jewell's books are very readable and enjoyable. They will suit book clubs looking for a light read but a read with a story that will give them plenty of things to chat about! 

What is the book about?

This story is set in London, where the picturesque houses encircle a communal garden. Everyone knows everyone. The children roam freely, in and out of each other's houses and as familiar with each other as siblings. When Clare moves in with her daughters Grace and Pip, aged eleven and twelve, she thinks she has found a real oasis for them - especially considering the recent traumatic events they have lived through.

But then one night Grace is found unconscious in a dark corner of the garden. What happened? Who did this?

Published in May 2016 by Arrow Publishers 

My review of The Girls:
Bibliomaniac's review of The Girls by Lisa Jewell
Shoebox Prompt Box
Use these items to help you start chatting at the beginning of the evening 

• Candles  - tea lights in lanterns
• pen, paper and envelopes
• a copy of the map of Virginia Crescent and Virginia Terrace from the front of the book
• some properties for sale in London suburbs from Estate Agents
• some seeds and a trowel
• a rabbit (a cuddly toy version will do in this occasion!) 
• a bottle of champagne
• a birthday card for a 13 year old girl

Questions for Book Group:

Who did you think was responsible for what happened to Grace? Did you opinion change at all at any point in the novel? If so, when and why?

How effectively does Jewell use red herrings in the novel? Were there any red herrings that caught you out?

What did you think of Adele's decision to home school?  Did she do it well?  Would you do it? 

What did you think of Clare's parenting? Was she right to keep the release of the girls' father from them? Why?

What observations do you think Jewell was trying to make about parenting? Which parent did you feel most critical of/ most sympathetic towards? Why? 

Adele asserts that "with parenting there’s a long game and a short game. The aim of the short game is to make your children bearable to live with. Easy to transport. Well behaved in public place . . . But the aim of the long game is to produce a good human being." Do you agree with her belief that you can "skip" the short game? Is there a middle ground between her viewpoint and Gordon’s discipline-focused approach?

What observations do you think Jewell is making about families? 

Is Jewell's presentation of mothers authentic and believable or too extreme? 

Which character do you think displayed the most 'moral' behaviour? And which was the least 'moral'? 

Did you think Grace was mature for her age? Was she an authentic character?

What did you think about Pip and her 'journey' throughout the novel? How does she change during her time living here? 

What draws Clare to Leo? Is her attraction to him based more on her own circumstances or something about him?

Why do you think Lisa Jewell wrote primarily from Pip, Clare and Adele’s perspectives? What do these narrators have in common? What is unique about their different standpoints, and how does this affect the story?

Did you relate to any of the girls or parents more than the others? In what ways? Which character did you like the most? And which did you dislike?
Do you think you would enjoy living in a home with a communal garden like the one described? What are some of the benefits and drawbacks?
Why does Adele ultimately look after Tyler? Are her motives purely selfless?
Do you think Adele does the right thing by keeping quiet after she discovers what happened to Grace? What would you have done in her position?
What sort of adult or mother do you think Tyler will grow up to become?

This is a story about secrets – is it ever better to keep a secret than to share?




Author Information:

Lisa was born in London in 1968. Her mother was a secretary and her father was a textile agent and she was brought up in the northernmost reaches of London with her two younger sisters. She was educated at a Catholic girls’ Grammar school in Finchley. After leaving school at sixteen she spent two years at Barnet College doing an arts foundation course and then two years at Epsom School of Art & Design studying Fashion Illustration and Communication.

She worked for the fashion chain Warehouse for three years as a PR assistant and then for Thomas Pink, the Jermyn Street shirt company for four years as a receptionist and PA. She started her first novel, Ralph’s Party, for a bet in 1996. She finished it in 1997 and it was published by Penguin books in May 1998. It went on to become the best-selling debut novel of that year.

She has since written a further nine novels, as is currently at work on her eleventh.

She now lives in an innermost part of north London with her husband Jascha, an IT consultant, her daughters, Amelie and Evie and her silver tabbies, Jack and Milly.

www.lisa-jewell.co.uk
Twitter: @lisajewelluk
Facebook: Lisajewellofficial

If you liked this, try:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 
When orphaned Mary Lennox comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire Moors, she finds it full of secrets. The mansion has nearly one hundred rooms, and her uncle keeps himself locked up. And at night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors.
The gardens surrounding the large property are Mary's only escape. Then, Mary discovers a secret garden, surrounded by walls and locked with a missing key. One day, with the help of two unexpected companions, she discovers a way in. Is everything in the garden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life?

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Moss
The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory.
Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra’s life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.
Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace—the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century—Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.

The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
In this tour de force of psychological unease - now a major motion picture starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Sinead Cusack - McEwan excavates the ruins of childhood and uncovers things that most adults have spent a lifetime forgetting or denying. "Possesses the suspense and chilling impact of Lord of the Flies." Washington Post Book World.

The Constant Gardener by John LeCarre
The Constant Gardener is a magnificent exploration of the new world order by one of the most compelling and elegant storytellers of our time. The novel opens in northern Kenya with the gruesome murder of Tessa Quayle--young, beautiful, and dearly beloved to husband Justin. When Justin sets out on a personal odyssey to uncover the mystery of her death, what he finds could make him not only a suspect among his own colleagues, but a target for Tessa's killers as well. 
A master chronicler of the betrayals of ordinary people caught in political conflict, John le Carre portrays the dark side of unbridled capitalism as only he can. In The Constant Gardener he tells a compelling, complex story of a man elevated through tragedy as Justin Quayle--amateur gardener, aging widower, and ineffectual bureaucrat--discovers his own natural resources and the extraordinary courage of the woman he barely had time to love.

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
"Cat's Eye" is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, and artist, and woman - but above all she must seek release from her haunting memories. Disturbing, hilarious, and compassionate, "Cat's Eye, " is a breathtaking novel of a woman grappling with the tangled knots of her life.

The Girls by Emma Cline 
Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. Soon, Evie is in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader. Hidden in the hills, their sprawling ranch is eerie and run down, but to Evie, it is exotic, thrilling, charged—a place where she feels desperate to be accepted. As she spends more time away from her mother and the rhythms of her daily life, and as her obsession with Suzanne intensifies, Evie does not realize she is coming closer and closer to unthinkable violence, and to that moment in a girl’s life when everything can go horribly wrong. 

Those We Left Behind by Stuart Neville 
DCI Serena Flanagan is forced to confront a disturbing case from her past: the murder conviction of a 12-year-old-boy who has just been released from prison
DCI Serena Flanagan hasn’t heard the boy’s name in years. 
Not since the blood on the wall and the body in the bedroom. 
Not since she listened as he confessed to brutally murdering his foster father. 
But now Ciaran Devine is out of prison and back in her life. And so is his brother, Thomas – the brother that Flanagan always suspected of hiding something.  
When Ciaran’s probation officer comes Flanagan with fresh fears about the Devines, the years of lies begin to unravel, setting a deadly chain of events in motion.

The Last Act of Love by Cathy Rentzenbrink

In the summer of 1990, Cathy's brother Matty was knocked down by a car on the way home from a night out. It was two weeks before his GCSE results, which turned out to be the best in his school. Sitting by his unconscious body in hospital, holding his hand and watching his heartbeat on the monitors, Cathy and her parents willed him to survive. They did not know then that there are many and various fates worse than death. 

This is the story of what happened to Cathy and her brother, and the unimaginable decision that she and her parents had to make eight years after the night that changed everything. It's a story for anyone who has ever watched someone suffer or lost someone they loved or lived through a painful time that left them forever changed. Told with boundless warmth and affection, The Last Act of Love by Cathy Rentzenbrink is a heartbreaking yet uplifting testament to a family's survival and the price we pay for love.

I Found You by Lisa Jewell
East Yorkshire: Single mum Alice Lake finds a man on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, no idea what he is doing there. Against her better judgement she invites him in to her home.

Surrey: Twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell 
Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night. Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children's lives.
Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they've never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in -- and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.
Told in gorgeous, insightful prose that delves deeply into the hearts and minds of its characters, The House We Grew Up In is the captivating story of one family's desire to restore long-forgotten peace and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.

And don't forget: 

Best Venue for this title:

• a communal garden or just a garden
• a cafe at a garden centre
• a park 

Best Drink to accompany this title:

• champagne 
• Pims 
• orange squash

Best Snack to accompany this title:

• barbecue food 
• crisps and dips 
• a picnic-style buffet 

For more recommendations and reviews please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk) 

#Review & #Guestpost -The Saturday Secret by Linda Huber

Linda Huber is best known for her psychological thrillers, of which I am an enormous fan! "Ward Zero" was published at the end of 2016 and her other titles include "The Cold Cold Sea", "Chosen Child", "The Attic Room" and "The Paradise Trees". So I was intrigued when Linda approached me and asked if I would be interested in reading something completely different......

THE SATURDAY SECRET 

The Saturday Secret is a collection of 15 very short, feel good tales of love and family life. They are all stories that have been previously published in UK national magazines and they are appearing here together for the first time. I saved them until I wanted a quick break from whatever else I was doing or reading and they were the perfect tonic to go alongside a cup of tea or when you have those spare five minutes in between appointments or meetings. 

Unlike Huber's other books, these stories are very light, humorous, very feel good and very easy to read. They are full of happy endings and moments of coincidences that give you a wry smile. Like all Huber's other books, her writing is good and her story structure satisfying and rewarding.

If you are looking for something very gentle then this is perfect for you! And not only do the stories make you feel good, the profits are going to charity so this really is a feel good book in every sense of the phrase! 

All profits from ebook and paperback sales of this collection will be donated to charity.

TODAY I AM ALSO LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A GUEST POST FROM LINDA HUBER!! 

So without further a do, I shall hand you over to her! 

What’s in a Name?

I’ve said it before, but names just aren’t my thing. Despite doing my absolute and honest best to give my characters a good selection of names, I’ve still ended up with a Jenny in one book and a Jennifer in another. Not to mention Frank and Frankie – also in different books, thank goodness. And I very nearly had two Colins, too. And two Pauls – you’d think there was a shortage of names out there. After that, I started a list, and thought I was more or less on top of things as far as naming characters was concerned.

Then I abandoned my suspense novels for a while, and started to put The Saturday Secret together…

The first name problem here wasn’t anything to do with the characters – it was what to call the book itself. Finding a title for a collection of feel-good short stories was quite a different task to finding one for a psychological suspense novel. A quick search round the internet told me that other people seemed to call their collections either ‘Tea Break Tales’ or the like, or they used the title of one of the stories. I decided to go with the latter – but which story should I choose?

At this point I didn’t have a cover image either, so I went on a cover hunt in the romance section of my cover designer’s website. This made a refreshing change, as I’m usually to be found poking around in the horror section. Romance covers are much prettier… And lo and behold, there was a cover which – with a few tweaks – was an exact fit for one of my stories. And so The Saturday Secret was born.

The next task was to put my individual stories onto one word doc. This involved a lot of copy and pasting, and then I settled down to read through the entire document, checking for spelling mistakes etc.

It was at around story six that I found myself frowning. Davie… wasn’t there a Davie in an earlier story? Heck, yes, better change that. And then I found Brian and Bryan. And Phillip and Philip. And Marion and Marion. Cold sweat broke out as I scrolled up and down, changing names and trying to make sure I’d found all the variations like ‘Davie’s’ and ‘Davie’ll’. It took hours. I was sick of the sight of my feel-good short stories by the time I was finished, but we only had to correct two names at the pdf stage, and fortunately, my formatter is a very patient woman.

The final name problem was me. Should I stick with Linda Huber as my author name for this different genre? L.E. Huber? Or use my old short story-writing pen name, Rosalind Farr? In the end, I decided I’d changed enough names in this book. So I’m Linda Huber here too. It’s always simplest to tell the truth…

And after all that, name-finding for my next suspense novel is going to feel like a walk in the park!

Thanks Linda - that's such a fun post! Thanks so much for being on the blog today and sharing with us all your thoughts about names!  

Here's a glance at the some of the stories in The Saturday Secret: 

The Party Partners   Belinda and Phillip have fun at weddings, engagement parties and all sorts of celebrations. But anything more personal was out of the question – or was it? 

Family Matters   Gary shares Sharon’s dream of having children – but as far as he’s concerned, it’s something for the future.

Corinna’s Big Day   It was the most important day in baby Corinna’s life, but for Madge, it was one of the saddest…

Lucky for Some   You might say drawing number 13 in the cycle rally was bad luck. You might say falling off was bad luck, too. But Hilary knew better!

Patiently Waiting   Mike woke up after his operation and saw the girl of his dreams. The problem was the engagement ring she wore on a chain round her neck…

The Saturday Secret   What was she up to? The whole family wanted to know! But Gran wasn’t telling…

And many more…

LINDA HUBER 

Linda grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, but went to work in Switzerland for a year aged twenty-two, and has lived there ever since. Her day jobs have included working as a physiotherapist in hospitals and schools for handicapped children, and teaching English in a medieval castle. Not to mention several years being a full-time mum to two boys and a rescue dog.

Linda’s writing career began in the nineties, and since then she’s had over fifty short stories and articles published, as well as five psychological suspense novels. Her books are set in places she knows well – Cornwall (childhood holidays), The Isle of Arran (teenage summers), Yorkshire (visiting family), as well as Bedford and Manchester (visiting friends).

After spending large chunks of the current decade moving house, she has now settled in a beautiful flat on the banks of Lake Constance in north-east Switzerland, where she’s working on another suspense novel.

Linda Huber has written over fifty short stories for magazines. She is also the author of psychological suspense novels Chosen Child, Ward Zero, and others.

Find out more about Linda here:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linda-Huber/e/B00CN7BB0Q/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlindahuber

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaHuber19

website: http://lindahuber.net/

  

 And you can follow me on Twitter for more recommendations and reviews @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)