Autumn Reading 2024

Oh my… It has been a busy year. So much work… So many blogs that should have been written…

Instead, here are my Autumn pages – even though it is now December and coming up to Christmas and not autumn by any stretch of the imagination. Heigh ho. Happy Christmas!

 

My Husband’s Killer by Laura Marshall **+

This novel opens with newly-widowed Liz discovering an unpleasant truth about her husband Andrew. It is the day of his funeral and her girlfriends Saffy, Trina and Poppy are all there to support her. So can it possibly be true that Andrew was having an affair with one of these women whom she trusted implicitly?

As Liz’s suspicions grow, we are flipped back in time to the holiday in Italy which ended in Andrew losing his life. Gradually, we learn more about each of the girlfriends and their spouses and as we do so, the plot thickens. Will Liz discover the truth? This story can be melodramatic at times and the character development could be stronger, but Marshall is excellent on providing narrative tension and I was hooked from start to finish.

 

The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton ***+

It is 18^th century Amsterdam and Thea Brandt lives with her father Otto, her aunt Nella and their maid Cornelia in a once grand but now faded house on a prestigious street in Amsterdam. Thea knows that her mother died in childbirth, but no one will tell her more about the family history. An imaginative and romantic girl, she is only seventeen when she meets Walter Riebeck, a set-painter at the local playhouse, and falls in love with both Walter and the theatre.

Practical Aunt Nella however, would like to see her married to a wealthy man who can provide financial security for their family. Enter the miniaturist who has been involved with the family before, and who once again plays a part in this sequel to The Miniaturist as the family struggle to come to terms with past secrets and current problems.

As always, Jessie Burton paints a vivid picture of the time and the place and develops strong characters and a plot full of tension. This is a compelling and fully satisfying read.

 

The French House by Jacqui Bloese ****

We begin in Vancouver in 1911 with Emile Quenneville, a Guernsey man, who is left profoundly deaf after an accident. When Isabelle, the love of his life, stops writing to him from her home in Guernsey, he realises that she may not be coming out to join him after all. Has she also stopped loving him?

Skip to Guernsey 1940 and we meet Emile again – now married to Letty, whom he saved from disgrace by marrying her when she fell pregnant with Maud, following an affair with her employer. They now have another daughter Stella, but their lives together are far from harmonious, and Stella has started asking a lot of awkward questions. Isabelle is still in Guernsey too; she is married to Ron, an unpleasant and violent man, having been forced into it by pressure from her mother.

Emile and Isabelle have continued to avoid each other over the years, but when they are thrown together again, they realise that their feelings for one another have not died. However, their lives are now entwined with another’s – they are not free, and neither is Guernsey, now occupied territory.

This is a beautifully written and emotional read which I highly recommend.

 

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey ***+

When Miv’s family and community become aware of the threat of The Yorkshire Ripper, their lives begin to change. Miv’s mother – previously a warm and vibrant woman – becomes mute and inactive and has to go away for ‘breaks’ whilst Miv’s Auntie Jean does her best to try and take her place in the household and Miv’s father resorts to going to the pub and other things… Meanwhile, women and girls are being advised to stay inside after dark and Miv aged twelve and her best friend Sharon decide that they need to make a list of Suspicious Things (and People) in order to do what the police have failed to achieve – discover the identity of the Yorkshire Ripper.

As Miv’s list develops, we hear the voices of some of the people, all members of her community, who for one reason or another have made it on to the list. Gradually we learn that certain secrets are held by various people, as well as the existence of violence and racism, but also support and friendship in the heart of the community.

As Miv and Sharon turn thirteen they begin to learn more about the world and some of their suspicions begin to make more sense. Moreover, they are growing up – and discovering boys, leading to different feelings, understandings and possibly danger.

I enjoyed this book – it is original and an authentic story of growing up. There is humour, but also poignancy as we follow Miv’s journey into young adulthood. Recommended.

 

The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish ****

This author’s books are always pacy, accessible and brimming with tension and this one is no exception. The narrative has a dual time-line; the narrators are Rick in 1995 and Alex in present day; at first, we know nothing of the connection between them but information is gradually revealed as we follow the two stories forwards.

Rick is on his lunch-break from work when he first meets the enigmatic and beautiful Marina. He is immediately smitten and can’t believe his luck when she seems to return his interest. But Marina may not be exactly what she seems, and it isn’t long before Rick starts finding out things that change the situation, if not his feelings. When his friend Rollo moves into Rick’s flat, Rick begins to confide in him and the plot thickens… (no spoilers here).

Meanwhile in contemporary time in a suburb of London, Alex is married to Beth, not altogether happily. Things take a turn for the worse when her pregnant friend Zara moves in. Zara and Alex do not get on, Beth gets caught in the middle, and to make things even more worrying for Alex, the pathway behind their house and scene of an old crime, is due to be re-opened – something he most definitely is not in favour of.

I was gripped by this novel and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. Highly recommended.

 

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff ***+

Geeta is unhappy. Her husband Ramesh has disappeared (not altogether a bad thing, since he was a drinker and violent too) and as a consequence, she is treated as dirt by most of the village. She does, however, belong to a female ‘loan group’ consisting of Saloni – her previously close childhood friend and various others who rarely include her in their social activities. Most of the villagers suspect that Geeta killed her husband in order to have a better life. Her life has improved slightly, it is true. Now, she can please herself, and save money from her jewellery business in order to fulfil her dream – of buying a refrigerator.

But when Karem, the local alcohol vendor, shows friendship towards her and Farah begs Geeta to kill her husband too, things begin to change for Geeta…

I enjoyed this book with its thought-provoking evocation of life for women in India and its humorous and witty tone, even if sometimes the messages are rather heavy-handed. The characters are diverse and well-drawn and the dialogue is punchy. The book is successful too in focusing the reader’s attention on important issues. Recommended.