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ClareR (6054 KP) rated Actress in Books

May 21, 2020  
Actress
Actress
Anne Enright | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Actress is the story of Katherine O’Dell, told by her daughter. She looks back on her mother’s career as Ireland’s darling, as she works her way up through Ireland’s bus-and-truck circuit, London’s West End , Broadway and finally Hollywood. Norah lives through the more successful period of her mothers life, and then has to deal with her fall from Grace after she commits a thoroughly bizarre crime. I really loved this book, and I had to keep reminding myself that it was in fact fiction. The author, Anne Enright, read her book, and she did it so well. It really sounded like someone who was telling their own life story, as opposed to telling ‘a’ story. It was really immersive and well told. I’m not surprised that it was on the long list for the Women’s Prize 2020.

I loved the way that we watched Katherine’s slide into mental health problems through the eyes of her daughter, juxtaposed with the life that she had lived before - the whole bohemian, free living, carelessness of it. And then the reveal that all was not as it seemed. I enjoy books that explore family relationships - in fiction the opportunities are endless.

I really liked the historical element as well: the troubles in Ireland and how they impacted on Katherine and Norah. Not that it’s an enjoyable topic, but I have family connections, and the history of this fascinates me. To be honest, a lot of things impact on the relationship of this mother and daughter. It must have been very difficult for Norah to grow up in the way that she did - and again, I have to remind myself that this isn’t a true story!

This is the first Anne Enright novel that I’ve read/ listened to, and I have another book of hers on my bookcase that I’ll be moving up the ‘to be read’ pile. I think she’s an author that I’ll also be adding to me ‘read everything by them’ list!
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Dec 7, 2021  
Watch the book trailer for the romantic mystery novel SCATTERED LEGACY: MURDER IN SOUTHERN ITALY by Marlene M Bell, Author on my blog. There's also an amazing giveaway for a chance to win the a prize pack valued at $425 for one winner! The prize pack includes:
- a $50 VISA gift card
- a Patricia Nash leather bag
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Puglia Region of Italy
- Orecchiette Pasta from the Puglia Region
- Weekly 2022 Engagement Spiral Calendar
- Silver/Gold Italy Coin necklace on 18” silver chain
- autographed copy of Scattered Legacy by Marlene M. Bell

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/12/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-scattered.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
To outsiders, the relationship between Manhattan antiquities assessor Annalisse Drury and sports car magnate Alec Zavos must look carefree and glamorous. In reality, it’s a love affair regularly punctuated by treasure hunting, action-packed adventure, and the occasional dead body.

When Alec schedules an overseas trip to show Annalisse his mother's birthplace in Bari, Italy, he squeezes in the high-stakes business of divesting his family’s international corporation. But things go terribly wrong as murder makes its familiar reappearance in their lives – and this time it’s Alec’s disgraced former CFO who’s the main suspect.

Accompanied by friend and detective Bill Drake, Annalisse and Alec find themselves embroiled in a behind-closed-doors conspiracy that threatens the reputation and legacy of Alec’s late father – linking him to embezzlement, extortion, and the dirty business of the Sicilian Mafia. The search for the truth sends the trio straight into riddles, secrets, and an historic set of rosary beads. Annalisse leads Alec toward a discovery that is unthinkable, and events that will change their futures forever.

Scattered Legacy is the third in Marlene M. Bell’s thrilling Annalisse series, which weaves romance, crime, and historical mystery into addictive tales to instantly captivate fans of TV show Bones or Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.
     
TB
The Black Widow
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
63 of 230
Book
The Black Widow
By Linda Calvey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Growing up after the war in the East End of London, Linda falls in with local gangsters including the Krays, Freddie Foreman and Ronnie Cook.

When the love of her life, Mickey Calvey, is gunned down on a job gone wrong, Linda resolves to carry on his work.


But in 1990, after years of living in fear of her lover Ronnie Cook, Linda finds herself accused of his murder alongside Danny Reece, in a trial that shocks the nation. Still, Linda sticks to her code of honour, refusing to confess. Until now...

After 18 years behind bars alongside notorious names including Rose West and Myra Hindley, she is released.


This is the final truth about her life and what happened the day Ronnie Cook was murdered.

This is a book that could go one way or the other. Some may say Linda Calvey is glamourising her life of crime that she’s name dropping and making herself more than what she is. Too a point I can see these opinions. I went into this book not knowing what to Expect I also went in with an open mind. In my opinion it seemed a very honest telling of her life but I only went by what I could read and and see between the lines. I saw a lot of regret especially when it came to her children. I also saw the lure of being offered a glamorous lifestyle. Do i like her or agree with her lifestyle? Not really she did the time for her crimes though! Do i believe her accounts about the murder of Roy? I’m not sure but I’m not a judge! I want to say I really enjoyed this book and sometimes I had to remember I wasn’t reading a Martina Cole novel 😂. Do I buy all the things she did? I do think maybe some embellishments occurred but overall it was definitely an interesting read.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Feb 25, 2022  
Sneak a peak at the Christian romantic suspense novel TRUST ME by Kelly Irvin, Author on my blog. Be sure to read Kelly's fantastic guest post of how "adopted hometown offers perfect setting for crime fiction—good and bad", and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of the book - 3 winners total!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/02/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-trust-me-by.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
When her best friend is murdered the same way her brother was, who can she possibly trust?

A decade ago, Delaney Broward discovered her brother’s murdered body at the San Antonio art co-op he founded with friends. Her artist boyfriend, Hunter Nash, went to prison for the murder, despite his not-guilty plea.

This morning, Hunter walks out of prison a free man, having served his sentence.

This afternoon, Delaney finds her best friend dead, murdered in the same fashion as her brother.

Stay out of it or you’re next, the killer warns.

Hunter never stopped loving Delaney, though he can’t blame her for not forgiving her. He knows he’ll get his life back one day at a time, one step at a time. But he’s blindsided to realize he’s a murder suspect. Again.

When Hunter shows up on her doorstep, asking her to help him find the real killer, Delaney’s head says to run away, yet her heart tells her there’s more to his story than what came out in the trial. An uneasy truce leads to their probe into a dark past that shatters Delaney’s image of her brother. She can’t stop and neither can Hunter—which lands them both in the crosshairs of a murderer growing more desperate by the day (hour?).

In this gripping romantic suspense, Kelly Irvin plumbs the complexity of broken trust in the people we love—and in God—and whether either can be mended.