Search
ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Rose Code in Books
Jun 26, 2022
The Rose Code is an exciting historical mystery with a definite ‘thriller’ edge to it. It’s set in Bletchley Park - which is precisely what drew me to it. I’ve been there with some friends, and discovered that one of their grandmothers had actually worked there during the war.
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.
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 (5879 KP) rated Shrines of Gaiety in Books
Dec 5, 2022
What can I write to do this book justice, other than say “just read it?” I have to admit to not having read much Kate Atkinson before - only the first Jackson Brodie novel, which I loved - but I really feel I should read more of her books!
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!
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!
Taming the Fox
8.0
Rate It
Book
Centuries of interbreeding with humans has weakened shifter magic. These days, they can barely...
Omegaverse MM Romance
Booksnthreads (19 KP) rated Behind the Beautiful Forevers in Books
Jun 5, 2018
I must say, I’m disappointed. I discovered this book from a list of “books every woman MUST read” sort of thing, and I still don’t understand why this book was on that particular list. There’s nothing about the story that appeals to or directly speaks to being a woman. BUT, that’s not the only reason why I didn’t particularly like this book.
Maybe if you chose to read the book because you wanted a glimpse into the sordid lives of slum dwellers in Mumbai, you might actually appreciate the book. The story isn’t really about an individual character, or even about the characters at all, but about the political and social constructs that serve to keep people in poverty, about the corruption in the government that, while professing to advance the cause of helping these people, only serves to perpetuate injustice. If that’s what you are reading it for, to see an absolutely horrific depiction of Indian social services, then by all means, read on. If you prefer to read something that uses character development and plot to more subtly put forward ideas and truths, look elsewhere.
The other thing to keep in mind as you read this novel is that it is written by an American reporter. While I do not question Boo’s qualifications and knowledge of the topic, it’s good to remember that she is an outsider with an agenda. However positive her agenda may be, and however knowledgeable about the Indian slums and the plight of the poor she may be, I couldn’t help but wonder as I read how the narrative might have been influenced by her Western lens and how it might have been different if written by an Indian author.
Maybe if you chose to read the book because you wanted a glimpse into the sordid lives of slum dwellers in Mumbai, you might actually appreciate the book. The story isn’t really about an individual character, or even about the characters at all, but about the political and social constructs that serve to keep people in poverty, about the corruption in the government that, while professing to advance the cause of helping these people, only serves to perpetuate injustice. If that’s what you are reading it for, to see an absolutely horrific depiction of Indian social services, then by all means, read on. If you prefer to read something that uses character development and plot to more subtly put forward ideas and truths, look elsewhere.
The other thing to keep in mind as you read this novel is that it is written by an American reporter. While I do not question Boo’s qualifications and knowledge of the topic, it’s good to remember that she is an outsider with an agenda. However positive her agenda may be, and however knowledgeable about the Indian slums and the plight of the poor she may be, I couldn’t help but wonder as I read how the narrative might have been influenced by her Western lens and how it might have been different if written by an Indian author.
All of the darkness of the original - and more.
Macbeth in Nordic Noir style - and it works! I've enjoyed the Hogarth Shakespeare series so far, and I think this is the best of the four that I've read.
Nesbo has done a really good job of moving the setting from medieval Scotland to modern Scandinavia (I think! That's what it felt like as I was reading anyway). The names of the towns in the original are the names of the casinos; the Queen of the witches, Hecate, is the main dealer and leader of organised crime in the town; Lady (Macbeth) is the owner of the most exclusive of those casinos.
Like Shakespeare's play, this book is grim, oppressive and ultra-violent. The body count is high, the murders committed without thought, or at least the only thought in Macbeth's head is that he will gain more power in the eradication of his 'enemies' and their families.
The description of the city portrays a poverty stricken, unemployment plagued, drug addicted, polluted northern town. These people seem to be accustomed to the corruption of their police and government officials, which is how the door opens to allow Macbeth to step through with Lady, his wife (who isn't his wife in this, but his girlfriend). Lady is the one who guides Macbeth's hand in everything he does, and then pays the ultimate price when guilt drives her mad.
I really do think that this is an excellent retelling. Five hundred pages went by in a flash for me, and I have to admit to a feeling of satisfaction as the story was wrapped up at the end.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book - and this is a totally unbiased review, people!
Nesbo has done a really good job of moving the setting from medieval Scotland to modern Scandinavia (I think! That's what it felt like as I was reading anyway). The names of the towns in the original are the names of the casinos; the Queen of the witches, Hecate, is the main dealer and leader of organised crime in the town; Lady (Macbeth) is the owner of the most exclusive of those casinos.
Like Shakespeare's play, this book is grim, oppressive and ultra-violent. The body count is high, the murders committed without thought, or at least the only thought in Macbeth's head is that he will gain more power in the eradication of his 'enemies' and their families.
The description of the city portrays a poverty stricken, unemployment plagued, drug addicted, polluted northern town. These people seem to be accustomed to the corruption of their police and government officials, which is how the door opens to allow Macbeth to step through with Lady, his wife (who isn't his wife in this, but his girlfriend). Lady is the one who guides Macbeth's hand in everything he does, and then pays the ultimate price when guilt drives her mad.
I really do think that this is an excellent retelling. Five hundred pages went by in a flash for me, and I have to admit to a feeling of satisfaction as the story was wrapped up at the end.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book - and this is a totally unbiased review, people!
The start of Bram Stokers biography?
And to think that I nearly gave up on this to begin with! At about 20% in, it just didn't seem to be drawing me in at all. So how pleased am I that I persevered?!!
This is a prequel to Bram Stokers Dracula, and is the story of Bram himself. It postulates that Dracula and vampires really do exist, Bram and his family had an intimate relationship with one (not like THAT!), and Dracula was written as a warning about the Undead. Well, I clearly don't know what to believe now!
The language used in this novel is a little more up to date than Bram Stokers original: it's written for the modern reader (as Bram's was at the time, I suppose), and is consequently much easier to read. This book is supposedly based on notes that Bram left behind - whether they were ideas for another book, or they were 'actual occurrences', we'll never really know.
Bram and his family are followed from Bram's early childhood, up until well after their encounter with Dracul. It's exciting, there's loads of action, and I had some serious worries about Bram's siblings! There's loads of historical detail (potato famine in Ireland, disease, poverty) which I rather enjoyed. But it's the encounters with the vampires that I really loved. There's always going to be someone that makes the comparison to 'that' vampire series, and so I'll be the one. There IS NO comparison. These aren't nicey-nicey vampires who sparkle. These are largely speaking, evil, dark-magic-using, killing machines. Much more fun.
I think this is probably going to be a series. Which I will obviously be reading. Obviously.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
This is a prequel to Bram Stokers Dracula, and is the story of Bram himself. It postulates that Dracula and vampires really do exist, Bram and his family had an intimate relationship with one (not like THAT!), and Dracula was written as a warning about the Undead. Well, I clearly don't know what to believe now!
The language used in this novel is a little more up to date than Bram Stokers original: it's written for the modern reader (as Bram's was at the time, I suppose), and is consequently much easier to read. This book is supposedly based on notes that Bram left behind - whether they were ideas for another book, or they were 'actual occurrences', we'll never really know.
Bram and his family are followed from Bram's early childhood, up until well after their encounter with Dracul. It's exciting, there's loads of action, and I had some serious worries about Bram's siblings! There's loads of historical detail (potato famine in Ireland, disease, poverty) which I rather enjoyed. But it's the encounters with the vampires that I really loved. There's always going to be someone that makes the comparison to 'that' vampire series, and so I'll be the one. There IS NO comparison. These aren't nicey-nicey vampires who sparkle. These are largely speaking, evil, dark-magic-using, killing machines. Much more fun.
I think this is probably going to be a series. Which I will obviously be reading. Obviously.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
Unwritten Diary of Israel Unger
Carolyn Gammon and Israel Unger
Book
At the beginning of the Nazi period, 25,000 Jewish people lived in Tarnow, Poland. By the end of the...
Valleywood: The Autobiography of Lateysha Grace
Book
Since exploding on to our screens as part of the MTV show The Valleys, diva Lateysha Grace has...
The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea
Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An extraordinary insight into life under one of the world's most ruthless...
Fists Upon a Star: A Memoir of Love Theatre & Escape from McCarthyism
Florence Bean James and Jean Freeman
Book
Fists Upon a Star is the hard-hitting memoir of Florence James, a pioneering American theatre...