The Windsor Knot - S J Bennett

 

Description

The morning after a dinner party at Windsor Castle, eighty-nine-year-old Queen Elizabeth is shocked to discover that one of her guests has been found murdered in his room, with a rope around his neck.

When the police begin to suspect her loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they are looking in the wrong place.

For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes.

With her household's happiness on the line, her secret must not get out. Can the Queen and her trusted secretary Rozie catch the killer, without getting caught themselves?

Review

This was nearly a DNF (did not finish) for me and if it had been the book and not audio then that is probably what would have happened. As it was I nearly didn't finish the audio, but having it on in the background whilst doing other things it was just ok.

I think the narrator did a brilliant job, although her Queen voice did rather remind me of Olivia Coleman's.

I liked the strong character of Rosie who once she began investigating on the Queen's behalf, things looked up a little bit. The Queen herself does not go out into the general populous sleuthing, rather directs it from her palace.

Towards the end when the culprits were found I realised it was actually a clever piece of writing but didn't think it needed to hide behind the Crown.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to the local library and borrowbox for the audio book to listen to.

Apple Of My Eye - Helene Hanff

 

I picked up a copy of this book from 1982 second hand and I am so glad I did.

Loving Helene Hanff's voice in 84 Charing Cross Road I have been tracking down her other works and this one is a star if you are a fan of New York City.

Helene and her friend visit like tourists would, their home city of New York. Helene is researching the writing of a book for tourists, what they would see and where they could go. It's really like a history lesson as it's from 1982, and of course the Twin Towers are still standing. She takes us inside them and it was brilliant, as I never got to see them in real life. She also goes on the swiss tram that goes over to Roosevelt Island, which then, had only opened the week before! I have been on this and not a lot of people know about it, especially not NYC residents.

I ended up looking on Google maps at streets and sights she visits, to see if they still exist and in what form now. Obviously so much has changed and it felt a little like time travel to see it from Helene's viewpoint and see what it's become today. I learned a lot of new facts and found places I want to see when I can next visit New York City.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.

A Winter Flame - Milly Johnson

 

Description

Tis the season to be jolly… But can Eve find happiness through the frost?

Eve has never liked Christmas. So when her adored elderly aunt dies, the last thing she is expecting is to be left a theme park in her will. A theme park with a Christmas theme …

And that's not the only catch. Her aunt's will stipulates that Eve must run the park with a mysterious partner, the exotically named Jacques Glace. Who is this Jacques, and why did Aunt Evelyn name him in her will?

But Eve isn't going to back down from a challenge. She's determined to make a success of Winterworld, no matter what. Can she overcome her dislike of Christmas, and can Jacques melt her frozen heart at last?

Review

I'm working my way through the back catalogue of Milly's books that I haven't yet read.

If you want a book that you can settle into and not worry about who's who, and the action just flows instead of flip flopping about, then this is a book for you.

A nice straightforward tale (or so it seems) of  Eve who inherits a half share in a Christmas theme park. Except it's not yet built and she knows nothing about the Jacques Glace who she is sharing her inheritance with. Is he some shady character who has tricked her Aunt before she died?

Eve has a dislike of Christmas and so to her the theme park must be only Winterworld, no mention of Christmas. She has a broken heart and nothing will mend it, so she just throws herself into work and now into building Winterworld. Her friends and now Jacques are trying to coax her back into the world and to also maybe love Christmas once again - but will they succeed?

Lots of well written characters and a nice easy to follow read. When you just want to relax and sink into a good book that could be read at any time of the year.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.

The Long, Long Afternoon - Inga Vesper

 

Description

From the publishers of The Familiars by Stacey Halls comes Manilla Press's biggest debut launch of the season - and your next obsession in reading group fiction.

Yesterday, I kissed my husband for the last time . . .

It's the summer of 1959, and the well-trimmed lawns of Sunnylakes, California, wilt under the sun. At some point during the long, long afternoon, Joyce Haney, wife, mother, vanishes from her home, leaving behind two terrified toddlers and a bloodstain on the kitchen floor . . .

A beguiling, deeply atmospheric debut novel from the cracked heart of the American Dream, The Long, Long Afternoon is at once a page-turning mystery and an intoxicating vision of the ways in which women everywhere are diminished, silenced and ultimately under-estimated.

Review

I just loved this read. The style of writing drew me in from the very first paragraph.

Joyce Haney appears to have the perfect life and home as do all the residents of Sunnylakes, California, in fact it's a little bit of a Stepford Wives community it seems. 

This is the 1950s so prejudice abounds in all manner of ways. Ruby, the help, is arrested even though she only found the blood on the kitchen floor. No one is interested in what she has to say except a Detective from Brooklyn who isn't as immersed in the California treatment of others as his colleagues are. 

I found the character of Ruby so well drawn and felt for her as one after another prejudices and physical attacks were hurled against her. It really brought to life for me how awful it was. Bit by bit we discover that Joyce, although more privileged, was in a living hell of her own. 

For some reason I wasn't expecting the mystery element of the book and the good old fashioned detective work. I became immersed in the 1950s and didn't want to leave despite it not being a nice place a lot of the time. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Olive Again - Elizabeth Strout

 

Description

Olive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes - sometimes welcome, sometimes not - in her own existence and in those around her. 

Olive adjusts to her new life with her second husband, challenges her estranged son and his family to accept him, experiences loss and loneliness, witnesses the triumphs and heartbreaks of her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine - and, finally, opens herself to new lessons about life. 

Review

I didn't realise this was a follow on book, but it was a stand alone read for me. I listened to it on audio, I'm not sure I would have stuck with it as a book.

I thought the book would be told throughout by Olive, so when it began with Jack who becomes her second husband, I thought I had the wrong idea about the book. Eventually we got to Olive and then other characters that hadn't even been introduced started to share their stories, I got confused. I went with it and up would pop Olive at some point in their story, she was their old teacher or some such thing.

The story covers Olive's later life beginning when she is about to marry her second husband. It's really the tale of everyday life of different people in the book, what they are thinking about things and how others might perceive them and their ideas. Many subjects are covered in the book and some choice language occurs - so not for you if you are easily offended.

It was a little sad at the end when Olive is an old lady and loses some of her independence. Especially as she wasn't someone to suffer fools gladly and was very independent. I liked her straight talking in the main, although at times it got a little maudlin. 

My thanks to my local library and Borrowbox for the loan of this title.

the One Hundred years of Lenni and Margot - Marianne Cronin

 

Description

An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories. Their last one begins here.

Life is short - no one knows that better than seventeen year-old Lenni Petterssen. On the Terminal Ward, the nurses are offering their condolences already, but Lenni still has plenty of living to do.

When she meets 83-year-old Margot Macrae, a fellow patient offering new friendship and enviable artistic skills, Lenni's life begins to soar in ways she'd never imagined.

As their bond deepens, a world of stories opens up: of wartime love and loss, of misunderstanding and reconciliation, of courage, kindness and joy.

Stories that have led Lenni and Margot to the end of their days.

The One Hundred Years is a celebration of life, hope and kindness. The perfect read to shine a light on dark days.

Review

You might think a novel set on a hospital terminal ward would be a little depressing - but this book is far from that. It's a brilliant uplifting tale with laugh out loud moments.

The 100 years comes from the ages of Lenni 17 and the friend she makes in hospital called Margot who is 83 years old. They attend an art class in the hospital and decide to paint a picture for each of their years. Through the book we get to read about moments from their lives as they paint.

One of the things I liked most about this novel is Lenni. She is a wonderful character who despite having a terminal illness has a wicked sense of humour and is always ready to speak her mind. She does this the most with the priest at the hospital chapel, she certainly challenges him on one or two points.

There was one part near to the end of the book that had me in floods of tears, it didn't involve death but the scene was so realistically written. The whole book I found has a real honesty to the writing.

Unlike anything I have read before I am giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is out on 18 February 2021.

Heads You Win - Jeffrey Archer

 

Description

Heads You Win is the incredible and thrilling novel by the master storyteller and bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer.

Leningrad, Russia, 1968. Alexander Karpenko is no ordinary child, and from an early age, it is clear he is destined to lead his countrymen. But when his father is assassinated by the KGB for defying the state, he and his mother will have to escape from Russia if they hope to survive. At the docks, they are confronted with an irreversible choice: should they board a container ship bound for America, or Great Britain? Alexander leaves that choice to the toss of a coin . . .

In a single moment, a double twist decides Alexander’s future.

During an epic tale of fate and fortune, spanning two continents and thirty years, we follow his triumphs and defeats as he struggles as an immigrant to conquer his new world. As this unique story unfolds, Alexander comes to realize where his destiny lies, and accepts that he must face the past he left behind in Russia.

With a final twist that will shock even his most ardent fans, this is international number one bestseller Jeffrey Archer’s most ambitious and creative work since Kane and Abel.

Review

It's many years since I read Kane and Able and really enjoyed it,  I thought this might be just as good. Unfortunately although for most of the book I saw a glimpse of the great writing, at times it was rambling, especially the parts involving politics. This is a long book at 600+ pages and some of those could have been cut out.

I got very confused about who Sasha was - it seems he is a sliding doors version of Alexander who ends up in the USA, whilst Alex ends up in London. I guess it would have been too confusing for them to have the same name, but at times I found it hard to recall who had which storyline. 

I enjoyed the book at times, especially the rags to riches stories of the characters. However, towards the end some strange things happen which just took the book into another dimension and I had to re read them to ensure I understood what had happened. To say more would just be a plot spoiler.  I was then just super confused by the ending - maybe me, but it just became even more fantastical, which didn't fit with the overall book.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.