
The Silver Music Box: A Novel
Mina Baites and Alison Layland
Book
A captivating cross-generational novel from German author Mina Baites about a Jewish family divided...
fiction

Little Children
Book
A group of parents, trapped in middle-class stability, deal with marriage, kids and their suburban...

Like Water for Chocolate (Como agua para chocolate)
Book
Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became...

The Saviour of Lasnamae
Book
Natalya Filippovna may be a middle-aged, single mother and member of the Russian minority in...

Looking out of Broken Windows
Book
Shortlisted for The 2013 Scott Prize The characters in this Scott Prize shortlisted debut collection...

Women, Gender and Identity in Third Intermediate Period Egypt: The Theban Case Study
Book
Women, Gender and Identity in Third Intermediate Period Egypt clarifies the role of women in...
What we have in "Taken" is a complex and gripping story of the abduction of 8 year Leila whose life is far from perfect being the daughter of a mother (Kelsey) prostituting herself and fighting addiction who has already had her older children taken from her.
Told from multiple points of view, we get a real insight into all the main characters which is not as confusing as it sounds believe me ... it works really well and, I believe, it makes the characters more believable and memorable.
The pace is perfect, the plot is absorbing, despite it being a little unrealistic in parts, and I did get the twist fairly early on but it was such that I continued to question myself until it was revealed.
Overall, a thought-provoking and enjoyable read which deals with some difficult subjects that, sadly, are prevalent within today's society but without the usual gratuitous violence which made a refreshing change.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.

Alba (2016)
Movie Watch
Alba is eleven years old and terribly shy. She has great difficulty standing up for herself among...
international drama

We Begin at the End
Book
With the staggering intensity of James Lee Burke and the absorbing narrative of Jane Harper's The...

A Beginner's Guide to Free Fall
Book
Husbands and wives. Brothers and sisters. Mothers and daughters. Okay, everybody. Hold on tight. ...