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Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Review
I was a bit late to the part when it comes to Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. It’s a book that’s sat on my bookcase for a long time before I finally decided to read it. I think after seeing it discussed on Between The Covers and hearing how bleak it was, I felt I had to be in the right frame of mind before I began it. It’s been a hugely successful novel and has won multiple awards including the 2020 Booker Prize and Book of The Year at the British Book Awards. Not bad for a debut novel! Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Review: Plot The book is…
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Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason Review
Sorrow and Bliss is the debut novel by Meg Mason, released in December 2020. It was a pick for the BBC Between The Covers tv programme and has received critical acclaim. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason Review: Plot After ‘a bomb’ goes off inside her head when she was seventeen, Martha has struggled throughout her adult life. She is a talented writer and she has been loved by her husband Patrick for as long as he has known her. And yet as she turns 40, she realises she is friendless, losing her husband and facing career uncertainty. She suffers from bouts of depression and suspects there is something ‘wrong’…
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The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Review
After the huge success of both The Hunting Party and The Guest List, Lucy Foley is back with her newest novel, The Paris Apartment. Lucy Foley is an expert at creating atmospheric whodunnits full of twists and turns and I couldn’t wait to read The Paris Apartment. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Review: Plot After fleeing England for a new start, Jess calls her brother Ben asking for a place to stay. He agrees to let her stay with him at his Parisian apartment and leaves her a voicemail with directions, which is suddenly cut short. Jess arrives at the apartment but Ben is nowhere to be found and…
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A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe
A Terrible Kindness is the debut novel by Jo Browning Wroe. After realising the book was about the tragic events in Aberfan, I immediately wanted to read it. Aberfan is a small former coal-mining village in Wales where, on 21st October 1966, a colliery spoil tip collapsed into homes and a school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. I knew this book would be an emotional read and I hoped the author would do the victim’s memories justice. A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe: Plot William is a young, newly qualified embalmer who answers the call for volunteers to travel to Aberfan to help those who have died. He’s…
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Believe Me by J.P. Delaney Review
I read Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney after it was featured on the Richard and Judy Book Club Spring 2021 list. I already had Believe Me by the same author on my bookshelf so in an attempt to read the books I actually already have rather than buying more I decided to give that one a try too! Believe Me by J.P. Delaney Review: Plot Claire is a British struggling actor living in America without a green card and she needs work and money to survive. She agrees to work for a firm of divorce lawyers hired to entrap straying husbands. However, Claire’s life changes when the wife of one…
