Jane is an unassuming, pretty, loyal woman who works at an insurance company in Minneapolis. Her meekness and insecurity makes her stand out to her manager, Steven Hepsworth, who quickly pursues her.
Too bad for Steven that Jane isn't who she says she is. She's revealed her real first name, but that's the only 'real' thing about her. It wasn't an accident that Jane works in a low-level entry position under Steven.
Jane is actually a high-flying attorney in Kuala Lumpur, but she has come back to Minneapolis for one reason. Revenge.
Jane's best friend, Meg, killed herself. What's the connection? Steven. Meg had previously been dating Steven in an on-off relationship for years. He was the classic hot and cold - he could be warm and generous one minute, then cruel and cold the next. For years, he whittled away at Meg's self-esteem until she could see no other way out.
And Jane will not accept that. So, she plays the long game, slowly letting herself be pursued by Steven, getting in with his family and his church, until she knows exactly what she can do to destroy his life like he did to her best friend's.
This book is definitely a page-turner. Each page brings some new point of dramatic tension or fresh new idea, and it's interesting to see Jane's frankness to the reader as a self-confessed sociopath feed into everything she's doing. She confesses that Meg is the only person who ever made her feel close to real, and the weight of grief and sorrow (not normal for her) that she felt when Meg passed away made her feel vengeful as hell.
There is some light relief, however, presented in Luke. Luke is an old boyfriend of Jane's from college, who quickly identifies her despite the dramatic change in her appearance. He provides the new normality in Jane's otherwise double life (although she obviously doesn't tell him what she's doing).
I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Paula Hawkins, (The Girl On The Train), and Sophie Hannah.
Friday 24 August 2018
Review: This Is Going To Hurt (Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor), by Adam Kay
I think this book should be required reading for anyone who has ever benefited from the NHS, or is a supporter of an NHS, or (God forbid) anyone who thought, during the government's war on the Junior Doctors, that they were being stubborn or greedy (they weren't).
It's not hard to see why the NHS is almost like a religion in this country. Unlike other countries (*cough USA cough*) there is literally no-one in the U.K. who would be afraid to go to the doctors' or the hospital because they couldn't afford to. (They'd be more worried they were just wasting the doctor's time). "From cradle to grave" was Nye Bevan's vision, and even though the NHS is on its knees, that much is generally still true.
But anyway. Back to the book. Adam Kay writes his book as a series of diary entries (some just a few sentences, some running over a couple of pages), from the first week on the wards to his final shift six years later. (No spoilers but... be prepared for the ending).
The entries run from the sublime to the ridiculous to the downright heartbreaking, and none of them are what ever any of us working outside of a hospital or doctor's surgery could call a 'normal' day's work. From retrieving objects from patient's anuses when they got a bit too experimental over Christmas, to having to perform 5 Caesareans in the same amount of hours, it seems that anything goes and you just have to meet it? Break times? For wusses. Food? Nah, you don't need it. Sleep? What, you mean you would like a rest in between the first five deliveries you've performed and the next five you'll have to do? Pfft.
Honestly, I knew life for junior doctors was hard but it's not until you read or hear the personal stories of someone who has done it for such a long time that you really appreciate just how much goodwill the NHS runs on. There are so many more stories from the book that I'd love to share here but I couldn't do them justice and I wouldn't want to deny anyone reading them for the first time.
So, please, if you love the NHS, if you value doctors, if you want to see them being actually treated by the government like the decent human beings they actually are, then please read this. And please do whatever you can to get involved to support them.
It's not hard to see why the NHS is almost like a religion in this country. Unlike other countries (*cough USA cough*) there is literally no-one in the U.K. who would be afraid to go to the doctors' or the hospital because they couldn't afford to. (They'd be more worried they were just wasting the doctor's time). "From cradle to grave" was Nye Bevan's vision, and even though the NHS is on its knees, that much is generally still true.
But anyway. Back to the book. Adam Kay writes his book as a series of diary entries (some just a few sentences, some running over a couple of pages), from the first week on the wards to his final shift six years later. (No spoilers but... be prepared for the ending).
The entries run from the sublime to the ridiculous to the downright heartbreaking, and none of them are what ever any of us working outside of a hospital or doctor's surgery could call a 'normal' day's work. From retrieving objects from patient's anuses when they got a bit too experimental over Christmas, to having to perform 5 Caesareans in the same amount of hours, it seems that anything goes and you just have to meet it? Break times? For wusses. Food? Nah, you don't need it. Sleep? What, you mean you would like a rest in between the first five deliveries you've performed and the next five you'll have to do? Pfft.
Honestly, I knew life for junior doctors was hard but it's not until you read or hear the personal stories of someone who has done it for such a long time that you really appreciate just how much goodwill the NHS runs on. There are so many more stories from the book that I'd love to share here but I couldn't do them justice and I wouldn't want to deny anyone reading them for the first time.
So, please, if you love the NHS, if you value doctors, if you want to see them being actually treated by the government like the decent human beings they actually are, then please read this. And please do whatever you can to get involved to support them.
Monday 13 August 2018
Review: Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery, Cathy Bramley
Hetty is a farmer's wife up in Cumbria, but she longs for more than that. Both she and her husband put their lives on hold when Dan's father suddenly died and Dan wanted to take up the farm with Hetty by his side.
Over a decade later, and they're still at it, yet Hetty yearns for more, prompted by her daughter, Poppy, declaring the Aunt Naomi (Hetty's sister in law) is her inspiration.
It is actually Naomi who provides Hetty with the chance she's always wanted. On the pretext of having no pies for the farm shop's open day, Naomi persuades Hetty firstly to bake pies that could become own-brand produce for the shop, and then to enter it into a regional competition. Hetty's pie wins, so then gets invited to a national competition, Britain's Best Bites.
Hetty is thrilled but terrified in equal measure. The thought of becoming an entrepreneur while being a mum and a farmer's wife - particularly when the farmer is not being hugely supportive at first - is overwhelming, but she decides to take the opportunity while she can.
There are a whole range of fantastic characters in the book, from Hetty's best friend Anna, to the extended family beyond the farm. They all bring their own interesting backstories that play into the main plot without hijacking it, and there are plenty of twists along the way.
If you're a fan of Jojo Moyes authors like her, I would definitely recommend this book.
Over a decade later, and they're still at it, yet Hetty yearns for more, prompted by her daughter, Poppy, declaring the Aunt Naomi (Hetty's sister in law) is her inspiration.
It is actually Naomi who provides Hetty with the chance she's always wanted. On the pretext of having no pies for the farm shop's open day, Naomi persuades Hetty firstly to bake pies that could become own-brand produce for the shop, and then to enter it into a regional competition. Hetty's pie wins, so then gets invited to a national competition, Britain's Best Bites.
Hetty is thrilled but terrified in equal measure. The thought of becoming an entrepreneur while being a mum and a farmer's wife - particularly when the farmer is not being hugely supportive at first - is overwhelming, but she decides to take the opportunity while she can.
There are a whole range of fantastic characters in the book, from Hetty's best friend Anna, to the extended family beyond the farm. They all bring their own interesting backstories that play into the main plot without hijacking it, and there are plenty of twists along the way.
If you're a fan of Jojo Moyes authors like her, I would definitely recommend this book.
Review: Secrets of the Lighthouse, Santa Montefiore.
I love Santa Montefiore's books, particularly when I just want to read something lovely, with a gripping plot that I know will ultimately have romance and a happy ending.
Ellen Trawton, the main character, runs away to Ireland. She wants to get away from her stuffy, aristocratic London life, particularly one that will see her get married in five months. Her mother, who is very secretive about her past, kept letters from her sister that Ellen ultimately discovers and uses them to track down a family who she never knew existed.
She tells everyone she is in Ireland for space and to write a novel, but she is hiding more than that, which her Aunt Peg eventually discovers. However, Ellen isn't the only one holding secrets. The whole of the town seem to be, in different ways.
Not least Connor Macausland, a man whose wife, Caitlin, tragically died at the lighthouse five years previously. Ellen is quickly drawn to him and they start up a quiet relationship, worried about reactions from people in the town, some of whom think that Connor murdered his wife.
Some of the opposition comes from Caitlin herself, who appears in this novel from beyond the grave. She keeps watch over Connor and her chilren, and becomes intensely jealous when Connor and Caitlin start dating. Though she can't affect the material world as much as she wants to, her actions lead to Ellen's mother discovering her in Ireland, which has (at first) destructive repercussions.
Santa Monterfiore's descriptions of Ireland are intensely beautiful, and I adored the place she was building almost as much as the characters themselves. There was such depth and warm - and plenty of romance - in this story that made me sad to end it, although the conclusion was so lovely I'm glad i did. This is definitely one for a fan of a happy ending.
Ellen Trawton, the main character, runs away to Ireland. She wants to get away from her stuffy, aristocratic London life, particularly one that will see her get married in five months. Her mother, who is very secretive about her past, kept letters from her sister that Ellen ultimately discovers and uses them to track down a family who she never knew existed.
She tells everyone she is in Ireland for space and to write a novel, but she is hiding more than that, which her Aunt Peg eventually discovers. However, Ellen isn't the only one holding secrets. The whole of the town seem to be, in different ways.
Not least Connor Macausland, a man whose wife, Caitlin, tragically died at the lighthouse five years previously. Ellen is quickly drawn to him and they start up a quiet relationship, worried about reactions from people in the town, some of whom think that Connor murdered his wife.
Some of the opposition comes from Caitlin herself, who appears in this novel from beyond the grave. She keeps watch over Connor and her chilren, and becomes intensely jealous when Connor and Caitlin start dating. Though she can't affect the material world as much as she wants to, her actions lead to Ellen's mother discovering her in Ireland, which has (at first) destructive repercussions.
Santa Monterfiore's descriptions of Ireland are intensely beautiful, and I adored the place she was building almost as much as the characters themselves. There was such depth and warm - and plenty of romance - in this story that made me sad to end it, although the conclusion was so lovely I'm glad i did. This is definitely one for a fan of a happy ending.
Review: The Crane Wife, Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness brings his magical and elegiac flair to this novel. George, one of the character's main protagonists, wakes up in the middle of the night hearing a strange sound. He runs down to his garden and finds a crane with a wounded wing. He tends to the crane and. while a profound experience, puts the matter to one side.
George owns a print shop and, on a whim during idle hours, starts making cuttings of different models from old books. One day, a woman called Kumiko calls into the shop and George is immediately drawn to her. She shows George her own art, made from feathers and stuck on tiles, showing different scenes. She begins to add George's cuttings to her artwork and anyone who sees them pleads to buy them with a frenzied desperation.
George, and his daughter Amanda (whom eventually meets Kumiko), know there is something strange and almost magical about Kumiko but they don't know what. Kumiko is extraordinarily reserved with what she reveals about herself, which frustrates and intrigues them in equal measure.
The main story is inter-spliced with the narrative of the tiles that Kumiko is creating, about a crane and a volcano who are both in love and utterly loathe each other, and their relationship affects and impacts the earth in the most powerful and destructive of ways.
The story, which I would put into the genre of magical realism, is a well-crafted, and minutely managed tale. Though nothing much 'happens' per se, the story is alluring and compelling, with the way the characters interact with each other and the dynamics of their relationships with they have to work through in sometimes painful and confusing ways. Not least of all, Amanda, who seems to push away everyone she loves (apart from her son) while being completely confused and frustrated about why she does this.
It was a very enjoyable read, and certainly something a bit different if you're looking for a fresh new story.
George owns a print shop and, on a whim during idle hours, starts making cuttings of different models from old books. One day, a woman called Kumiko calls into the shop and George is immediately drawn to her. She shows George her own art, made from feathers and stuck on tiles, showing different scenes. She begins to add George's cuttings to her artwork and anyone who sees them pleads to buy them with a frenzied desperation.
George, and his daughter Amanda (whom eventually meets Kumiko), know there is something strange and almost magical about Kumiko but they don't know what. Kumiko is extraordinarily reserved with what she reveals about herself, which frustrates and intrigues them in equal measure.
The main story is inter-spliced with the narrative of the tiles that Kumiko is creating, about a crane and a volcano who are both in love and utterly loathe each other, and their relationship affects and impacts the earth in the most powerful and destructive of ways.
The story, which I would put into the genre of magical realism, is a well-crafted, and minutely managed tale. Though nothing much 'happens' per se, the story is alluring and compelling, with the way the characters interact with each other and the dynamics of their relationships with they have to work through in sometimes painful and confusing ways. Not least of all, Amanda, who seems to push away everyone she loves (apart from her son) while being completely confused and frustrated about why she does this.
It was a very enjoyable read, and certainly something a bit different if you're looking for a fresh new story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)