Why Are We Waiting?: The Logic, Urgency, and Promise of Tackling Climate Change
Book
The risks of climate change are potentially immense. The benefits of taking action are also clear:...
Politics environment
Ethics in the Real World: 82 Brief Essays on Things That Matter
Book
Peter Singer is often described as the world's most influential philosopher. He is also one of its...
Philosophy
Blackout
Book
It's time for a black exit. Political activist and social media star Candace Owens addresses the...
A Childhood: the Biography of a Place
Book
A Childhood is the unforgettable memoir of Harry Crews' earliest years, a sharply remembered...
Ministry of Nepal - Notice, Tenders and Website
News and Reference
App
Get all Ministry of Nepal Websites within one app. This app listing almost all Ministry of Nepal....
The Lowland
7.0
Rate It
Book
Epic in its canvas and intimate in its portrayal of lives undone and forged anew, The Lowland is a...
Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)
6.3
Rate It
Book
By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this...
ClareR (5846 KP) rated Dangerous Women in Books
Aug 31, 2021
The dialogue between the women seemed authentic to me. These convicts came from all parts of the British Isles: London, the West Country, Scotland, Ireland. What connected them though, was their crimes all appeared to be the result of their sex and poverty. They were all working class women who had acted out of desperation, and it was really interesting to hear their stories.
I know this is a work of fiction, but the Rajah did exist, as does the quilt that the women were working on. The quilt is now on display in the National Gallery of Australia. I googled it - it’s beautiful. How anyone could have produced it whilst on a ship in the ocean, I have no idea 🤢
The conditions on board must have been appalling. At the start, the Matron instructs the women to scrub their quarters, but they would have been cramped, their toilet was below decks (buckets), and seasickness along with poor food would have made quite some heady aroma! They may have been convicts, but I was impressed by their stoicism in these circumstances.
I felt that I learnt an awful lot whilst reading this, as well as being thoroughly entertained - it’s a fabulous book!
ClareR (5846 KP) rated The Rose Code in Books
Jun 26, 2022
I actually listened to this on an audiobook, and although there were one or two pronunciation issues, I thought the narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a really good job. She added extra character to the three main women in the story - all friends, but all so different from one another: the debutante with fluent German; the practical East Londoner who wants to escape poverty; the local village girl who, it turns out, is a genius cryptographer.
I really enjoyed the way that these characters were developed, and how their unlikely friendship grew. The secondary characters were also all interesting and well-developed, and all came together at the climactic end. I was gripped throughout, listening at every opportunity. And the ending really was a breathless race to the finish.
Oh, and there’s a rather large part given to Prince Phillip as well. There is a foot placed in fact, but I’m not really sure just how much. Oslo Kendall did exist, and was Prince Phillips girlfriend (or friend, at the very least) before he married Queen (then Princess) Elizabeth. I liked the “is it true or not” element.
If you like war time fiction, and have an interest in Bletchley Park - or want to find out more - you might just enjoy this as much as I did.
ClareR (5846 KP) rated Shrines of Gaiety in Books
Dec 5, 2022
Shrines of Gaiety is set in the 1920’s, post First World War, and encompasses post war life with all of its excesses, poverty, grief and debauchery.
Nellie Coker is a self made woman who owns a series of nightclubs in London. She’s a single mother, and five of her six children help her to run her empire (the sixth is too young). How she came to own these clubs is a mystery. But the chances are that it wasn’t legal money!
Then there are the 14 year old runaways, Freda and Florence, who want to take to the stage to find fame and fortune.
Detective Chief Inspector Frobisher is determined to bring Nellie Coker and her corrupt empire down, as well as the corrupt police officers that support her. He also becomes involved in the search for the two runaways, thanks to Gwendoline Kelling, a librarian who has inherited a considerable amount of money. She’s a friend of one of the runaways sister, and vows to find her.
I won’t just regurgitate the story, that’s no fun, and you need to read this book for yourself! Needless to say, I loved these characters - the whole novel in fact! It’s a gripping, entertaining story, and it was a joy to read.
Very highly recommended.
Oh, and for the book cover fans, it’s a gorgeous one!