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ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Garden in Books

Oct 14, 2025  
The Garden
The Garden
Nick Newman | 2025 | Dystopia, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I knew The Garden was going to be set in a dystopian future, but I didn’t fully appreciate just how much I was going to like it.

The story starts off very gently: two elderly sisters, living in the grounds of a big house, one working tirelessly in the garden in order to provide them with enough food, the other joining in here and there, but mostly she’s preoccupied with practicing her dance routine. Outside the gardens walls lies unknown danger. One mustn’t even look beyond the wall.

And then a young boy arrives and everything changes. The outside comes inside.

I loved this. The rules the women live by, set by their mother decades ago, are there to keep them safe, but there’s no room for manoeuvre. So when they’re faced with the unexpected, they don’t know what to do. There’s a climate disaster angle too, and gives the reader a scenario of what might happen if we continue on our current trajectory. Changing seasons, drought, sandstorms.

This novel is so atmospheric. There’s an undercurrent of dread and impending doom, and the descriptions of the garden, cottage and land are quite beautiful.

Wonderful writing and a wonderful story. Highly recommended!
  
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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Perestroika in Books

Mar 10, 2024  
Perestroika
Perestroika
Joao Cerqueira | 2024 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Perestroika by João Cerqueira is the story of a fictional country’s turn away from Communism.

We start off in Slavia in 1978 before any of the massive changes that will eventually take place, and we meet the inhabitants of the country: from the corrupt politicians to the men incarcerated in concentration camps. We see how people live on next to nothing and lies from the government that tell them all of their woes are because of the wicked Capitalist West.

The tables are turned on these corrupt Communists with the advent of Perestroika, and instead of Communists governing the country, an all-out crime boss finds himself in charge. But make no mistake: this was engineered by Ivan Fiorov (the crime boss) and his lackeys.

This is a story that is as relevant today as it always has been - especially with what is going on in the Ukraine at the moment. Some of the story arcs in this are horrific, and not just those that take place in the concentration camps. There’s child abuse, sexual coercion, drug abuse, neo-Nazis, violence. The people in this country experience a lot of change in a short period of time. But at the same time, everything stays the same.

Well worth a read.
  
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ClareR (6256 KP) rated A Tidy Ending in Books

Oct 2, 2022  
A Tidy Ending
A Tidy Ending
Joanna Cannon | 2022 | Contemporary, Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved A Tidy Ending! Joanna Cannon has created a really interesting character in Linda. On the surface, she’s a woman who hasn’t done much with her life - other than marry Terry and work in a charity shop. She begrudgingly visits her manipulative mother more often than she’d like to, and becomes obsessed with the woman who owned her house before she and Terry moved in.

When she tracks Rebecca (the ex-homeowner) down, Linda believes she’s found a new best friend. Rebecca wouldn’t agree with her. And so begins what looks like a story of manipulation and lies. But who is manipulating who? I mean, they’re ALL lying - that’s a given!

Linda is fascinating, her mum is unpleasant, and Terry comes across as underwhelmed by everything except his fishing. No wonder he annoys Linda so much!

There’s a mystery running alongside all of Linda’s relationships - women go missing, and Linda begins to think Terry might be involved.

That’s where I’ll leave the plot, because I don’t want to give anything away. I will say that I just loved the way that Joanna Cannon wrote about the characters in this: confidence tricksters, nosy neighbours, bossy mums, seemingly depressed husbands. A thoroughly good read!