Mystica

REVIEW - AN ACCOMPLISHED WOMAN BY JUDE MORGAN

2012-01-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

This was one book which I enjoyed very much. A mix of Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen and a dollop of Sophie Kinsella!!

Clever and independent - two traits not very popular with women of her era Lydia had spurned the advances of her neighbour and beau Lewis - an extremely eligible bachelor. Ten years down the line Lydia has put matters of the heart behind her (so she thinks) and lives a very peaceful life in the country with her father. Lurking at the back of her mind however are the daunting thoughts of the future once her father is no more and she is without her beloved home.

Appealed to by her godmother to take on the responsibility of a young lady and introduce her to society in Bath as a chaperone was a matter of some chagrin to Lydia who did not think that at thirty she had progressed to being a wallflower and a chaperone but she gracefully accepts the assignment and then the adventures begin.

The young lady in question - Phoebe has two men in love with her and she cannot decide on either. She seems to love them both though she does not actively encourage either. The two ladies seem to be enjoying the pleasures of a season in Bath with its balls, picnis, riding and general fun. However, the tables are turned when one of Phoebe's admirers fall in love with Lydia instead and Lydia is faced with dilemmas on every side which for once she does not know how to cope with. On top of that add a sudden elopement, Lydia having to engage the services of Lewis to stop the elopement, prevent scandals, and generally put things in order.

As expected things turn out nicely, everyone is happy and peacefully settled and you breathe a sigh of satisfaction at the end. Do you want anything else?

On another note - just wanted to ask my other bloggers what does one do if someone stops following you? I feel a bit sad when this happens but never know what is the etiquette in these cases.

Leaving for Rozella this afternoon and will be away till Sunday. No internet and only books and some blessed cool I hope after the heat of Colombo. Leaving Googly but waiting to see my other two dogs!

REVIEW - THE OPPOSITE OF ME BY SARAH PEKKANEN

2012-01-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

I read a story about twins and then one week later I pick up another book about twins. It was eerily similar. This is again about twin sisters who are unalike - totally different from each other. One is a determined career woman, who has almost reached the pinnacle in her field (advertising) and the other is a beautiful model who is intent on making a wonderful marriage and securing a financially viable future.

Lindsey gets cheated out of a big account and the prestigious position that would have been offered to her if she clinched the deal. She also makes a stupid mistake professionally and is kicked out of her job. She returns home under a false pretence as she is too ashamed to admit that she has lost her job. On returning home she finds that everything seems to have fallen into place beautifully for her sister and Lindsey resents this. With no effort at all Alex has found everything she wants in her life.

The book has some unusual twists and turns. Both sisters had a lot of growing up and maturing to do at the beginning of the story and this is what happens by the end. Even at 29 they do not know each other, neither do they know themselves and this acknowlegement of their misunderstandings is a key element of the story.

My first read of Sarah Pekkanen. I have also read her next book Missing a Beat - the review of which will follow. A good read for teenagers as well.

REVIEW - THE KASHMIR SHAWL BY ROSE THOMAS- 2ND READ FOR THE SOUTH ASIAN CHALLENGE 2012

2012-01-24T04:19:00.000-08:00

One of the places I have wanted to visit has been the Kashmir area. Manali, Srinagar, the Leh district and Dharamsala. This book made it worse!

On her father's death, the task of clearing up the house falls to Mair and she discovers an exquisite shawl with a lock of hair enclosed within and the hair was definitely not her grandmothers. Mair knows that her grandparents worked as missionaries for a while in the Kashmir region but because her grandmother died when she was a child, she had never questioned her mother and obtained more details of their life out in India at the time.

Mair decides to trace the journey of this shawl from its origins and how it ended up in her family's possession. The story is twofold. There is the story of Mair who is restless and feels drawn towards India. She feels that answers for her future as well lie there. Then there is the story of her grandparents - a dour stern grandfather and a fun loving, lighthearted grandmother and the story of their life and work as missionaries in the Kashmir valley.

The background to the story is the British colonial life and the gradual animosity that was developing in India against British rule. The stories of life for the British is in turns happy, sad, pitiful and overbearing. Those who felt that they were pukka sahibs and lorded over it all were one and people like Nerys who genuinely loved the children of the mission and felt it an honor to try to teach and enlighten them in general, and even to a lesser extent Ethan who believed in what he was doing unlike most of the colonial administrators who felt that they not only knew it all, but that they knew what was good for the locals and acted accordingly.

Mair developed very well throughout the story. She began to realize what she wanted in life and how she wanted to live. The links between Kashmir and Wales were beautifully interwoven and the story though not with a neat ending of happily ever after was a good one.

One felt transported to the Kashmir valley and I for one would have liked to have gone immediately to see whether it is actually as picturesque as the story depicts. This book transported me also into colonial India so that I felt I was actually living the part there at the time. Bringing me back to present day Wales (unknown territory for me) which was very pleasant as well.

A very intense read.

Mailbox Monday/It's Monday - What are you Reading?

2012-01-22T22:46:00.000-08:00

Mailbox Monday hosted by At Home With Books for January.

It's Monday What Are you Reading ? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

My books are still only what I read and (finished) in Carnegie. There are several books which I have won as well which have come in my absence but I don't seem to be able to locate them as my husband
has put it somewhere safe!!!! That will be next week's reading.

The books which I thoroughly enjoyed each and everyone of them are :

I think I first read about this author on Cornflower Books. Enjoyed it very much.

I am only very sorry that I could not find any more from this author. I was alternately horrified, shocked, saddened and only glad that it did not happen!!!

This finished the week with a more light hearted read.

Right now (just came back from Melbourne) trying to get to grips with the unseasonal hot weather!!!
It is still so good to be back home.

REVIEW - THE LAST WILL OF MOIRA LEAHY BY THERESE WALSH

2012-01-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

I was intrigued by this story on reading the review from Book Chick. I also like the effect of a story told in two parallel lines. Sometimes the story is told by two different people and very often in two different time frames. This is the latter.

We have the present day story of Moira - a respected languages professor, lonely, her best friend is wondering about her sanity, her mother avoids her at all costs and that makes her more and more introverted and lonely.

We have the past story of Moira and Maeve the twins who could not be more unalike! Maeve vivacious, pretty, bubbly, attractive. Moira the "plain" one, shunned, not popular and on the sidelines. The story of their childhood and young teen years are heart breaking. Sisters fight it is true but this quiet enmity and standoffishness is something else.

Added to a family story we then get to the point of where the story turns in another direction. Upto now it would seem a normal family saga - here we have the spirit of mysticsm and spirituality come in. I found this part a little difficult to comprehend. For me, though of course linked to the story it seemed like a third dimension which for me was not quite necessary.

The book is beautifully written though and very descriptive. Human feelings of compassion, forgiveness and love and that these would conquer all other things is paramount in the story. The story is a haunting one.

MAILBOX MONDAY/IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

2012-01-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

Mailbox Monday hosted for January by Alyce from At Home with Books.

It's Monday What Are You Reading hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

This is my last week in Melbourne. I leave on Sunday back to Colombo. The books that I got from the library were

All these books have been selected because of book blogger's recommendations and reviews. I have already finished The Kashmir Shawl and this would be my second book for the 2012 South Asian Challenge.

Presently reading An Accomplished Woman - a cross between Georgette Heyer and a bit of Austen thrown in!

I am very keen on the Daphne book. There was a movie on her and I missed it so this book was a real bonanza for me.

Awaiting me at home in Colombo apart from my husband is the undersigned!

REVIEW - DEATH IN HYDE PARK BY ROBIN PAIGE

2012-01-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

The Victorian era is ended and Edward has ascended the throne. Not a very popular choice and we open the book at his coronation (which had to be put off once due to an onset of appendicitis). A bomb goes off in Hyde Park killing the person who was supposed to plant it and anarchy is rife. Charles and Kate Sheridan are in charge of finding out the whys and wherefores and report to the King directly as to what exactly is happening. Apparently the King is surrounded by sycophants who are only giving him reports of what he actually wants to hear. That this King is not really interested in what is happening to the common man, the suffering undergone by his people is by the way.

My first read of Robin Paige and for this era as well. It was an interesting read which apart from unravelling the mystery of the anarchists also was very descriptive of the time. The upheaval in the working class with many people returning from war and unemployment rife, the beginning of a rift between the haves and the have nots, lots of historical features in this book discussed at length with the addition of mystery, murder and a bit of romance.

Also good to know that terrorism is not a modern invention - homicidal bombers existed during this period too.

An interesting read of an interesting era.

REVIEW - DEANNA RAYBOURN'S THE DARK ENQUIRY

2012-01-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

This has been on my list for a while. Add to that this cover and wouldn't anyone want to read it! Lady Julia and her husband are just trying to settle into married life after their honeymoon but Julia of course just cannot be like the other ladies around her. She has to always stick her nose into Brisbane's business as well as continue her experiments with substances like for example explosives.

The series which involve this unusual Victorian lady is as usual intriguing. Julia is so different to the ladies of her time that she has to meet opposition/interest/intrigue wherever she goes. She is feisty, independent, free thinking, very supportive of her husband actively so - all traits as mark her as very unusual. In this book Julia meets up with several men who do not see quite like the way she does, neither do they like her behaviour and she meets trouble as usual head on. Another thing which is maybe an addition, and could be the branching out for future novels is the introduction of a slightly different interpretation to Brisbane's blinding migraines. A slightly supernatural view that these migraines are a portent of something to come?

I liked reading the book as this is part of the series I have been looking forward to. Awaiting more.

On another note Melbourne is having a cold spell. It was 14 last morning and this morning its just 17. I know that for readers this may be very mild but believe me for someone from tropical Sri Lanka, this is cold. I am having being very virtuous and doing my usual walk (which is very unusual for me anyway). So its back to the library which involves a 2 km walk. All for the love of books!!! Happy weekend everyone.

REVIEW - HAUNTING BOMBAY - SHILPA AGARWAL (SOUTH ASIAN CHALLENGE 2012)

2012-01-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

This is going to be my first read for the South Asian 2012 challenge. This is Shilpa Agarwal's debut novel and it is almost a ghost story. Not my favourite genre at all, but I do like to read Indian authors and have had such good books from them that invariably if I do see something new I will pick it up irrespective of the fact that I have not seen a review or even heard of the book.

The book starts ordinarily enough. Pinky Mittal lives with her grandmother after she lost her mother in the Indo Pakistan partition. Along with the matriarch of the family Maji lives his son and wife and their three sons. Shortly after Pinky joined the household much against Savita (the aunt's wishes) she loses her infant daughter and a domestic is charged with negligence for this child's death.

Pinky loves her grandmother dearly and has a growing adolescent crush on her cousin Nimesh who is attracted to the girl next door. The family is affluent, no shortage of any kind and the descriptiveness of living in an extended family is very beautifully told. Of special interest to those who have not experienced this kind of living - the pretentious manner in which it must be maintained that everyone gets on with everyone else whereas there are tensions seething underneath it all are almost a story in itself.

However the main gist of the story is the ghost of the long lost baby who has gradually taken over the household starting with Pinky and then gradually affecting the whole family. The spirits are not benign ones but vengeful ones which seek to get revenge from those who have not appeased them or looked after them in the afterlife very well.

Agarwal's attention to detail - specially of the environs of Bombay not just the residential, elite areas but also the slums, her vivid details regarding the role that religion plays in the daily life of its people, and this family are very well told. This was a good start for my South Asian Challenge 2012.

REVIEW - COLD COMFORT FARM BY STELLA GIBBONS

2012-01-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

Flora a citified girl decides to go live with her rural relatives when she is orphaned. The move is not without its moments! The characters that Flora meets up with - extended family - are eccentric, strange and I thought some of them not quite there!!

Cousin Judith spends her days locked up in her room almost in love with her handsome son Seth who is out carousing with the village damsels and making everyone he meets pregnant. We get Amos breathing hell and damnation for all souls who do not follow his spiritual guidance. Their eldest son Reuben is depressingly despairing of making a life for himself, moving away from the farm, taking any kind of decision even a decision to improve the lot of the farm and then you get Elfine young and pretty whom Flora decides to take in hand before she also becomes a lost case. The oldest is Aunt Ada who hasn't left her room for twenty years and rules the household despite this with a rod of iron and you get Adam the household help, Jack of all trades, master of none and mad as a hatter.

Flora takes it as her right to lead the family one by one out of the dark mire that they have got into. First to be entranced is Elfine and with that the disintegration of the earlier rigid life they had begins. The manner in which Flora handles them is masterful - half the time no one realizes that she is doing it "her way".

I was determined to read the entire book (as I felt like chucking it halfway) which has been made into a mini series. I think a TV adaptation must be more humourous than the written word. Towards the end of the book I was beginning to get bored of the continuous round of depression, misery and negativity that surrounded the Starkadders. Too much of oppression can be depressing.

MAILBOX MONDAY/IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

2012-01-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

Mailbox Monday is being hosted for January by At Home with Books. It highlights books which came into one's home for the week.

The books I had this week were all courtesy of Carnegie library.

The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen
The Last Will of Moira Leahy - Therese Walsh
Death in Hyde Park - Robin Paige
A rather lovely inheritance - C A Belmond
The Dark Enquiry - Deanna Raybourn

Other than the Robin Paige book, all my choices have been influenced by reviews on book blogs I follow. I am just
delighted that I am able to get my hands on the books as and when I read about them.

The meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey highlights what one is reading right now.

The book right now is Death in Hyde Park by Robin Paige. Set in 1902 starting with the coronation of King Edward VII - a Victorian mystery. I have just started finding books of this period so this is a new one for me.

Books read and reviews not done as yet for this week are :

Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
Haunting Bombay - Shilpa Aggarwal (my first read for the South Asian challenge 2012)
The Dark Enquiry - Deanna Raybourn

Lots of reading to get done and so many books on reserve as well at the library. Leaving Melbourne on the 22nd so I am trying to read as much as possible!

REVIEW - A RATHER LOVELY INHERITANCE BY C A BELMOND

2012-01-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

Penny researches history for the movies. She loves her work which is not very richly remunerated and leads a very simple life. Enter Aunt Penelope who dies and leaves "something" for her in her will. It necessitates her being present for the reading of the will and Jeremy her cousin (who is one of the lawyers) will help her out with the details.

Penny finds that she is now the owner of the garage of the villa which Aunt owned and of course everything that is in the garage. Apart from old tools and rusty tins, there is a pristine, hugely expensive car which needs just minor repairs but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Enter an evil cousin Rollo and his equally oily mother who are out to get whatever more they can get from the inheritance.

The book was light - romance, complicated family relationships and skeletons in the closet (lots of skeletons actually), a chase through several countries trying to locate a missing painting and general fun. I also think people had a lot of fun in the 1920s period and we are staid in comparison!

A nice warm feeling at the end. Good always prevail the evil are vanquished and happy ever after. Just what I needed.

REVIEW - THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE BY MAGGIE O'FARRELL

2012-01-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

I got this in a large print which made it easier for me to read this book - my first read of this author and this book has been recommended by so many book bloggers that it had been on my list for some time now. This was a disquieting book for me. It underlined that however smooth a relationship may be and we may think we are very close to someone, there are undercurrents and under lying feelings and unknown incidents which may remain closed to us forever and it is only through some chance incident that some of these things may come to light. They were intended to remain closed and hidden and in the past.

We have Lexie in the mid 1950s a young girl living in the bosom of her family in Devon and waiting for the adventure of life to begin. Coming from a large and protective family they are aware that they cannot hold on to her for long and Lexie flies off to London to begin her adventures. Getting into a relationship and starting to live with Innes a journalist much older than her, married with a young daughter on the side as well is one way of severing relationships with her own family and we do not hear of them from this point on.

Alongside this story we have the story of Elina and Ted - Elina just after the traumatic birth of their first baby. Elina having (for me) glimpses of post natal stress and Ted having an illness of his own which has been there for years but apparently not fully diagnosed and we are not told at this stage what the illness is. He shrugs the symptoms off and the couple try to get on with their lives amidst the huge stress of a new baby and the constant work involved let alone the lack of sleep. Elina tries to cope on her own without asking for help, and Ted tries to help not really knowing what he should do to help.

The stories continue in two separate veins but one does realize that the idea of these two distinct stories is that at some time they have to come together in some way or the other otherwise there is no meaning to the plot. And they do. In the most strange, complicated, unbeknown to us way. Which makes it very intriguing and then almost at the end you begin to see the light.

A lovely, compelling story of love, lack of communication in relationships, and from a very practical point of view impressed upon me the importance of writing a will! A very good story teller Maggie O'Farrel.

REVIEW - ALAN BRADLEYS - I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS

2012-01-05T04:22:00.000-08:00

For me this was an ideal mystery murder. You have the formerly rich but now impoverished family - father distant and not forbidding but just seems untouchable, motherless three daughters, Flavia our heroine brilliant, creative, innovative - two beastly sisters and an old faithful Dogger who seems to be the pivot of the household. Set in the 1950s and the timing was a severe winter, most picturesquely described that you could almost feel the freeze, the ice and the wind creeping around you whilst reading this book.

Flavia is a brilliant chemist with a razor sharp mind though just eleven. She has an affinity to solve murders through a method of deduction and logic more suited to someone triple her years. In this story the family home has been rented out for a film - with famous actors and actresses - it is also over the Christmas period and the cast have decided as a special treat to do a mini performance from Romeo and Juliet for the inhabitants of Bishop's Lacey. The performance proceeds not without its mishaps of lighting and ends in a storm of such proportions that everyone is forced to stay back at Buckshaws and wait out the snow which has made roads impassable.

This is when the murder occurs but Flavia has already planned and is ready to execute a trick to ensnare Santa Claus so that she can get to the bottom of the story as to who actually comes down the chimney. In addition to that she has experimented with various chemicals to have a fireworks display as well. No murder is going to stop her from attending to either of her plans!

The murder takes place and inquiries are also set in place - all this takes place within the confines of a single house as no one has been able or allowed to leave or enter the premises from the time the play commenced. This adds to the story. Since the story was confined only to the house, we can see Flavia's interaction with her immediate family, much more than in the previous stories. I still cannot understand the nastiness of the two sisters towards their youngest sister and am only hoping that at some stage this stops. I wonder whether the father is so blind that he does not realize what is happening under his own nose. Dogger is the only support that Flavia has and we see much more of him in this book. The behaviour of the sisters is not just tedious it is downright poisonous.

As usual I liked Flavia very much and enjoyed this book which was a bit shorter than the previous novels. A lovely read.

REVIEW JENNIFER WEINER'S THEN CAME YOU

2012-01-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

How people totally unrelated or unconnected can come together and how their lives can enmesh so that they are permanently entwined as it were is this story. Four women - different ages, different groups socially come together in a strange way and then we see the bigger picture through four differing points of view.

We have Jules - a impoverished student trying to find a way to help her father out of his addiction and to put him into rehab, we have Annie her husband an airline mechanic student whilst working, also a mother of two infants trying to stay afloat each month and desperately seeking a way to add to the family income. We have India - rich, forty threeish surprisingly in love with her much older husband and desperate to have a baby and we have Bettina her step-daughter who hates her guts, thinking that she is out for what she can get from her father who is besotted with India.

The story winds around surrogacy - the pitfalls and obstacles surrounding it - because you are not dealing with something, you are dealing with several someones. All with feelings that they think they can control and which they sometimes cannot, all human beings dealing with an issue in different ways.

How the four women handle the question of donating an egg, being a surrogate mother, (and also deal with a bewildered father), dealing with the adoption of the baby when it comes and how does the welcome for a baby happen when his father dies just before his birth and the mother disappears and the step sister is forced to take over guardianship is the story of this very complicated saga.

I liked the manner in which the four different characters acted out their roles. I also liked how each person accepted their childhood and were determined that this time around with their own children, those same mistakes were not going to be repeated. That is a very good thing from the parenting angle! if we can improve our parenting skills and how we handle situations with children would be a very good thing avoiding any mistakes that may have happened with our own parents.

My first read of Jennifer Weiner (who is described in one review as the Queen of Chick Lit). I wouldn't have said this was Chick Lit but maybe I am wrong. I enjoyed this read.

On a lighter note the dreadful heat of Melbourne has gone and we are now back to a very pleasant, slightly chilly 25. For me bliss!

REVIEW - THE MEANS OF ESCAPE (COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES) BY PENELOPE FITZGERALD

2012-01-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

I am still not getting the pictures right but that can't be helped right now. Reading about this author is amazing. She was in her sixties when her first novel got published, she wrote prodigiously, won the Booker prize and passed away just last year.

Her collection of short stories is my first foray into her writing and what is remarkable is that each story is so distinct, so separate (I know I know short stories are meant to be separate) but these go from the 17th century to a small boy who has lost a locket of value to him to that of a young very conventional lady who helped a convict to escape, then on to the puzzling story of the music director on the very remote island to the painters in Victorian times in Brittany. I was a little bit confused at the end as I could not quite understand what I was supposed to understand for some of the stories but from the blurb I also understand that the collection stands for missed opportunities.

Reading on I also got the impression that not just lost opportunities but what may have been if things had been different would also be an interpretation of this collection.

An intriguing writer - one I hope to go to back again before I leave Melbourne. Melbourne is on a heat wave roll. Yesterday 40, today 35, hopefully God willing it is going down now. I never could believe about automatic combustion of trees as it were, but with yesterday's temperatures and heat, anything was possible.

REVIEW - MISSING JULIA - CATHERINE DUNNE

2012-01-02T01:25:00.000-08:00

One morning William Harris gets up and knows that something is wrong. The woman he loves - his partner has not contacted him, replied his messages for three days. On the other side Melissa - the missing woman's daughter also figures that something is not quite right. Both of them decide to go and look at Julia's house and the shocking discovery is made that this is no ordinary disappearance neither is it an abduction - Julia has systematically cleared out her wardrobe, her house making all necessary arrangements to cover her disappearance.

Trying to unravel the reasons as to why Julia - a rational person, a doctor who is methodical and who has not shown any signs of upheaval should do such a thing is what William sets out to do. William loves Julia deeply and knows the feelings were reciprocated so he is nonplussed at her behaviour knowing that it is completely out of character for her to act like this, unless there is a very valid reason. Using simple logic and basic detective skills he unravels a story of personal anguish that Julia has borne alone and comes to the realisation that her disappearance in the way it happened is merely to protect those she loves against a possible law suit and disgrace.

From Ireland to London to Chennai the story travels as Julia tries to find peace for herself away from the turmoil of what has happened. Nice story telling here.

MAILBOX MONDAY/IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

2012-01-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

Mailbox Monday is being hosted for January by At Home with Books.

It's Monday What are you reading is hosted by Sheila
at Book Journey.

The books that I picked up for this long weekend which ends tomorrow are :

Stella Gibbons Cold Comfort Farm has been on my radar for quite some time.

Jennifer Weiner's Then Came you is also a book that I have read reviews about and have been wanting to pick up.

And lastly Missing Julia is one I picked up as I liked the cover. I also liked the Chevy Stevens book with a similar title but this is nothing of that story.

I still have books left over from my last foray into the library. Hopefully all will be read and finished soon as I have another list (all culled from everyone's 2011 best reading lists!).

The book I am reading right now is the Then Came You - just 50 pages in and very interesting. Its the second of January here and everyone's thoughts are now turning to the mundane and getting back to work tomorrow (today is mainly a holiday here though my daughter the nurse is working!)

I hope everyone had a very good New Years Eve and that the New Year will be blessed for all.

REVIEW - SIDEWAYS ON A SCOOTER - MIRANDA KENNEDY

2011-12-31T01:48:00.000-08:00

I like travel memoirs and this scooter business has always fascinated me. In Sri Lanka no women ride sideways on a scooter or a motorbike - and if they do you could bet your last rupee they will be Indian. I always used to think shouldn't they slide off specially since everyone is in sari or salwar kameez. Getting back to the book - we have Miranda thrown into the deep end - a journalist wanting to make a career out of foreign news based in Delhi with excursions to Pakistan and Afghanistan and at the same time being a single female in India.

Miranda's story is from the heart - everyone has read at some stage of the poverty, the slums of India, the lepers, the beggars, the water, the food too spicy for most but at the same time India is so vast that it can offer you a myriad choices. Whether one seeks the urban cosmopolitan style of Bombay or Delhi or the toned down life of Chennai or the agricultural communities which thrive all over India, there is something for everyone.

Miranda Kennedy embraces what India has to offer - she tries to understand the huge and I mean gigantic differences that exist between her American upbringing and those of girls of her own age around her. The double standards that prevail in society in the East for single, professional women is hard - specially hard when you do live in a family environment and where your actions can hurt the entire family. You have to think twice - there is also very little forgiveness or forgetting and what would be such a small, insignificant thing or behaviour would be totally unacceptable in India. The importance of family, extended family and obedience, sometimes blindly accepting what parents rule as law may be baffling to a Western mind taught from the cradle to think independently. Here one is just a cog of a wheel - and practically everyone toes the line however educated you may be or however broad minded you may appear to be.

Miranda's career takes off on a shaky note but she does establish herself after her rocky start. After a successful term in Delhi she returns to America happy with what she has done. That was the nice part. The author took it as a sojourn from her everyday life and that this was an experience that was different and enjoyable - uncomfortable experiences and all.

This was my last read for 2011 - I have a stack of books to read this weekend. Everyone gets back to work only on the 3rd of January so its a long weekend as well.

A very happy new year to all.

REVIEW - FOXEY'S HANGOUT (THE BOOK) BY CATHY GOWDIE

2011-12-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

I am not making this picture bigger because it was explained to me about pixels and by increasing the image I am making it blurry. I do not know the technicalities of this but agree with what was said!

I picked this book as I am right now in Melbourne - my daughter is visiting the Mornington Hill Peninsula for the weekend and my interest is always piqued at how so many people make the change from city dweller to country dweller easily. I know there may be many who have failed, but the ones who have succeeded seemed to have done a 360 degree turn and made such a success story of their lives that I am a bit green with envy. I seem to have one leg in the city of Colombo (hot, humid, crowded) very firmly planted there and one leg in Rozella which is our equivalent of country (read tea/vegetable gardening and cool) but I have not made the transition completely (as yet).

This story deals with a young Melburnian couple and their friend and partner who decide to plant vines, open a winery and a restaurant (they call it a cellar door here) and do it very well. Finding a property suitable for their needs, getting the local planning authorities permission which turned out to be difficult, time consuming and filled with objections (???) from all and sundry and finally being able to do so makes this a very enjoyable read.

Filled with beautiful photographs of their area in Victoria, as well as receipes from the author the book is a very pleasant introduction to rural Victoria. Added to their personal story is quite a bit of history of the area including the background story of how Foxey's Hangout got its rather quizzical name.

REVIEW - MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND BY HELEN SIMONSON

2011-12-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

Why are my images so blurry??? This book was finished in a day - reading at the bus station/train station/waiting for my daughter - just had to finish it today. The anticipation of would he or would he chicken out had me on edge so very much now it seems laughable!!!

Major Pettigrew very English (if there could be a description as such) with immaculate values and views lives in an idyllic English village complete with village shop now run by Mrs Ali - effacing, wanting to fit in with the neighbourhood, never been quite accepted, cultured, pretty, educated and widowed. We have miscellaneous characters like the greedy son Roger, the religious bordering on fanatic nephew Abdul Wahid who is inheriting the property as he is the nephew, we have a separate love triangle of George and Amina and Abdul Wahid (nothing is as simple as it looks) and we have the hierarchy of the English village ranging from the Lord of the Manor and his daughter, to the rich American who is intent on making a fast buck (I would like to see this stereotype of Americans being brash with their money removed from books. It is not fair!), and we have a Vicar whom I did not like when he sided with the conservative rather than for what was right when it suited him.

A beautiful story, descriptive of an age and of the characters of a typical (what we think) an English retired Major of the Army should be like - loved the chivalry and politeness of this character along with his strong sense of values and of what is right is might. A love story which did not turn soppy. The book was also very insightful of the characters of people - how insular we all could be and all it needs is a slight provocation to get us all rattled.

Wonderful read and so right for this time of the year. I am still smiling.

MAILBOX MONDAY/IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

2011-12-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

Coming to these memes a bit late. Our library in Carnegie was closed till today. I arrived late on the 23rd night so it was a nightmarish experience with no books!!! Mailbox Monday is being hosted for this month by Let them Read Books.

It's Monday what are you reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

The books that I picked up from the library are a rather nice mixed bunch of books.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. On my last visit to Melbourne this was permanently reserved!

Penelope Lively is an old favourite.

The blurb says the story of one family's vineyard dream. Let me live vicariously!

My copy and paste has not done much for this cover. Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Aggarwal. A debut novel by this author - love books with extended family - even in my country of Sri Lanka becoming rather rare these days.

I have started reading the Major Pettigrew book and am already sixty pages in!!! This is quite an achievement as it has to be done in between laundry, cooking and the myriad chores which seem to pile up in this house.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

A very Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends from down under. So different and yet so nice from a Sri Lankan Christmas I am enjoying the company of the children but missing husband and extended family and my dogs especially Googly back home.

REVIEW - SISTER BY ROSAMUND LUPTON

2011-12-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

The entire blog post disappeared and I don't think anything is more frustrating than this. I had been looking out for this book for over a year. It just fell into my lap a couple of days ago and didn't I just love it.

The story is about the relationship between two sisters - Tess and Beatrice. Beatrice the older sister is always on the look out for her siblings - being the elder sister she feels not just responsible but also protective. As Beatrice grows up she becomes confident, self possessed and affluent. Tess remains according to Beatrice from a rather condescending point of view - bohemian, an art student, involved with her married tutor, insecure and pregnant. Tess is happy, settled and secure but Beatrice sees it otherwise.

A horrendous mid story crisis and Tess is dead. Beatrice takes charge. A verdict of suicide under the influence of drugs, related to post natal depression is ruled. There is no way Beatrice is accepting this verdict. Despite the pitying responses of the Police, even their mother, friends and colleagues Beatrice battles it alone
knowing that a clever murderer is out there, trying to outmaneuver them all knowing that he is the plausible one and that Beatrice is being looked at as almost mentally ill, depressed and raving.

How the story flows out of the love of a family - how an unwavering faith in a sisters character holds the story to the end - though I would have liked the end to be a bit more concise and not hanging in the air as it were.

The story telling is superb - the history of cystic fibrosis, the gene therapy involved in the treatment of the illness, the relationship of Beatrice and Todd and how her Dad's separation has affected her even in her adult life is beautifully told.

I am very glad that I eventually got to this book.

Additional Mailbox Monday

2011-12-19T04:18:00.000-08:00

I had a delightful addition to the above today. This was such a nice surprise as I did not realize I had collected points on my credit card which I utilized at the bookstore. And all for nice, crisp, clean, sparkly new books.

The books I picked up were ones I had been eyeing for ages!

Rosamund Lupton's SISTER

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Mark Haddon's book has got intriguing reviews on several blogs.

And for a taste of history. Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose

I have been in such a reading slump these last two weeks but hopefully these new additions will get me back on track.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday what are you reading.

2011-12-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

It has been a dull mailbox with no books coming in though several are expected. Mailbox Monday is hosted by Let them read books

It's Monday What are you Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. For the second or is it the third week I seem to be in a reading slump. Middlemarch and Portrait of a Lady are still being read though I am
halfway through Portrait of a Lady - Middlemarch's progress is very slow.

End of year work in office and trying to tie up loose ends prior to going to Melbourne is taking up all my time. Shopping for them as well as picking up the little myriad things they want is eating into reading time. Hopefully Melbourne will bring me back my reading mojo.

REVIEW - THE HOUSE OF THE WIND - TITANIA HARDIE

2011-12-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

The book came to courtesy of its publisher. Since I do not get many books this way, this was a special treat.

The story is set in centuries apart. We have Maddie - bereft, grief stricken at the loss of her fiancee in 2007 and we have Mia in 1347 struck dumb since the death of her mother and living with her aunt in Tuscany.

The stories set in separate chapters taking each character by itself alternatively was good. I liked the detailed background history of each person, their environment, the way they lived, their daily life and what it entailed. Taking it as a contrast in itself was interesting. We had Maddie a modern day lawyer dealing with a huge trial against a multi national and pitting her brains and talent against an equally dynamic man. We have Mia living a quiet life though with undercurrents always - the restlessness of the age and the political unrest of the times where you did not know from which side danger would erupt.

Both women were strong ones who were willing to put up a good fight for what they believed in. Mia's aunt Jacquetta was a thoroughly modern woman of the times and the life she led - independent, fearless and doing what she knew best - added a lot of interest to this story. The story telling was fluid - for me the change from one century to the next was of interest though lots of reviews seem to find the change difficult to handle.

Interestingly told, it was a story teller's tale slowly unfolded with a satisfying end.

Mailbox Monday / It's Monday What are you reading?

2011-12-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Let Them Read Books This week no new books came into my house which will help me read those which are around.

Am combining Mailbox Monday with It's Monday what are you Reading hosted by Book Journey..

I have not been able to finish both books which I started reading which is strange for me. Middlemarch is one which is slow going but one I am determined to finish. The second book which I am 30 pages in is Portrait of a Lady. I am finding the latter more interesting than the former - despite rave reviews on Middlemarch it is slow going for me.

Have finished quite a few books and reviews are due. One of them is the wonderful The House of the Wind and the other is an Angela Thirkell book.

I am leaving for Melbourne once again visiting the children for Christmas. Looking forward to lots of new books at the Carnegie library.

Two Short Reviews - Georgette Heyer's Bath Tangle & Cotillion

2011-12-11T17:55:00.000-08:00

Serena is not really a good example of Regency England womanhood. Feisty, very independent, decided views, a temper and passion to match. Her father has encouraged her to be the son he never had. Following her father's death Serena is horrified to realize that the person her father has appointed as Trustee is the very person she had jilted some months previously.

Escaping to Bath to escape her father's heir and his taking over her beloved home, Serena ends up with a string of beaux and adventures in full.

Kitty is charming but without a cent to her name. Her guardian wishes to leave her a fortune provided she marries one of his nephews. The choice seems limited but their are two young men who seem suitable. Jack a gamester but handsome and Freddy rich and reliable.There is Hugo and Dolph both written out of the equation and so the adventure begins. Kitty is attracted to Jack but in a fit of pique gets engaged to Freddy to get out of her guardian's house as well as to make Jack jealous.

Following adventures in London, including encouraging her cousin's marriage to another Kitty's story takes a happy turn.

Both books were read by me on long journeys - they are always light, refreshing and help me relax.

After simply ages I finished a quilt - this went to a baby girl Keziah who will take the quilt with her to Dubai. I really must try to quilt more - have finished several blocks but it is the putting it together which takes time. This is baby Keziah's quilt. I did a big quilt so that she could use it for a couple of years at least.

Christmas pressies!

2011-12-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

Photos from our Negombo Children's Home. Distribution of Christmas gifts well in advance

Sewwandi

These girls are doing the O'levels this week starting on Monday!

My twins Manushika and Maheshika!

REVIEW - CLOSE YOUR EYES - AMANDA EYRE WARD

2011-12-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

This book intrigued me when I saw it on Bibliophile by the Sea. Generally I never get to read a book as it comes out on blogs but this time I was in Melbourne and I just devoured all the recently read and reviewed books. Luckily for me this was available at the Library.

In 1986 whilst two children were sleeping in a tree house built by their father, their mother was murdered and since all evidence pointed to the father, he was arrested for murder and has since been in prison. Alex has always believed in his father's innocence whereas Lauren always went for the general opinion that he was guilty. She has cut all links with him and had never contacted him since he was in prison, neither has she even opened any letters sent to her.

Fast forward 20 years - Alex is a doctor working in Iraq and and Lauren lives with her boyfriend and works in real estate. Lauren's world is turned upside down when Alex goes missing, presumed dead. Lauren then decides to investigate further into her father's imprisonment. What is uncovered is totally surprising, totally out of the blue and so strange it has to be true. I only hope this does not happen in real life as that would be tragic.

The story was compelling, it also shows how a random act of someone can have such far reaching consequences. No where was the ripple effect more effectively seen than in this book. Nice read.

REVIEW - THE POSTMISTRESS - SARAH BLAKE

2011-12-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

This was a win from Martha. I had seen the book around for quite a while but knew that other than a win it was not possible to get it here. So I really got lucky. Thank you Martha.

I like stories about women - specially women who are strong and who try to make a difference. This book revolves around three women - Iris who runs the post office, Emily the doctor's wife and Frankie a journalist/broadcaster. The year is 1940.

The main character of the book at the beginning (starting from the title) one would presume is the postmistress Iris but it is Frankie who takes center stage and seems to carry the whole book through her experiences in war torn Europe and through coincidence meets up with Will who is the doctor in the story. I would have liked to have seen more the indomitable Iris in the book but she is more or less
a background figure to the story - very important but still a bit shadowy. Iris is strong, supportive and a good woman and should have been more pivotal in the story. The story of the town of Franklin seems to go around Iris and her life at the post office. Then on the other hand we have the very compelling story of Frankie dragging around a 30 pound recording device all around France, Berlin and Europe recording the stories of Jews and those being persecuted and hunted by Hitler.

In the story what also comes out is that Americans seemed to be rather laid back about what was happening in Europe - particularly relating to the persecution of Jews, Gypsies and others - it always seemed that it was not our concern, and too far away for anyone to get involved. The passion that Frankie had for this issue and her frustration that America was not going to get involved, or rather get involved when it was far too late is also an important part of this story.

Lots of things made this book a good read. The story telling was good - three separate lives intertwined in the way that is sometimes strange, the meanness of small town spirits, the insular attitude of small town people and their fear of the unknown, the details regarding WWII and specially the situation of the Jews across Europe were well depicted.

For those of you who like this era this is a good one.

Mannar Children's Concert

2011-12-06T04:45:00.000-08:00

I have been unable to put titles on the photos but these are from my last trip to Mannar. Just to recap, the orphanage is small, the pre school is one of the first in the area and they are having a concert which is huge after 15 years. An entire generation of school children have grown up without a concert of any kind.

I think it was so brave of the Sisters to venture into singing, dancing and music. Training 40 children who have never taken part in any kind of organized activity, that is what I call clever organizers.

I always thought running a business is difficult but running an orphanage and this kind of school is enormous work under sometimes trying circumstances.

MAILBOX MONDAY/IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

2011-12-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Mailbox Monday on tour at the moment is being hosted for December at Let Them Read Books. The books that came into my house were both wins - the first was The House of the Wind by Titania Hardie courtesy of Headline Publicity. The second was Underground from Nat of the blog In Spring it is the Dawn. Thanks to both of them.

The next meme which is combined with Mailbox Monday is It's Monday - What are you Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

The book I have just finished is The House of the Wind. The book which I have started next is Middlemarch (another win). Several reviews have been delayed mainly due to pressure of work.

I just returned from an orphanage visit to Mannar. It was my Christmas visit well in advance with presents and clothes and shoes for Christmas. This week is also very full - my visit to the Negombo children's home is scheduled this week and there is an end of the year concert by the little ones also to attend!

REVIEW - THE DEAD TRAVEL FAST - DEANNA RAYBOURN

2011-12-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

I am not a fan of vampires so this was a surprising choice for me but boy didn't I just love the book!! I have read this authors books generally murder and mystery and Lady Julia Grey - this was different.

Theodora Lestrange is anyway different - she does not fit the norm for young women of her age and era. She is not willing to think of marriage as the ultimate for her life. She would like to be independent, like to develop her career in writing a bit further and make a life for herself. She has faith in her abilities and knows that given the right atmosphere she could come up with a very good novel.

Fate intervenes and she is invited by a class friend for a wedding and for an extended stay in Rumania. Transylvannia the land of myths, vampires, fantasy and what not. Theodora is not like Julia - the book is more gothic romance than mystery murder in genre but nevertheless very enjoyable. At the beginning I was disappointed with our Count who was only interested in seducing Theodora and it was nice that it ended happily! The other players in the story had surprising facets to their characters

It has changed my opinion on vampires and I think I will read more of this gothic genre. It made for a very nice change of scene and pace.

REVIEW - A NOVEL BOOKSTORE BY LAURENCE COSSE

2011-11-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

Someone who loves books will love this book - its about books and more books and only books
revolves around a wealthy Frenchwoman and a n avid book seller who decide to set up the idyllic bookshop which will only sell good novels. Now what is a good novel and who is going to decide what is what? A committee of eight members all anonymous, all known only to the two above named members of the bookshop and all going under a pseudonym to add to the mystery. Each member gives his recommendations (six hundred if you please! my mind was boggling at this stage) and these should be ratified and agreed on by all. Sounds good upto now and the bookshop is set up in a beautiful setting which allows people not to just buy but to browse and read for hours if they wish (10 pm closing time - I wish I had one like that!).

Enter a book mafia - small insidious incidents at the beginning. Little prickles of disgruntlement by people on choices. Who is to say Dan Brown is not good or Harry Potter for example. Why the highbrow tone? Authors themselves get into the attack as they are sidelined and what about the all important book publishers who publish the said authors. From small incidents big ones and then murder, several attempted murders, character assassination by the score and finally opening of of rival bookstores mocking the word "good" and by the way on the same street. All with one aim of ruining the reputation of the book store and pushing it to close down.

This was an intriguing book - very philosophical at times, mystery, lots of fantasy and almost a puzzle but nice. I thought the author was male but only later learnt its a she! thats just btw information.

On a non book note, I am leaving tomorrow for Mannar to my orphanage which has 11 girls right now. Taking with me Christmas pressies plus new clothes and new shoes for all the girls. It is just a short trip but I needed to get everything out early.

Just some of the children - its been over five months since my last visit so looking forward to visiting them again.

REVIEW - ANNE PERRY'S BUCKINGHAM PALACE GARDENS

2011-11-29T01:45:00.000-08:00

This was my second Anne Perry book and I liked it even more than the first! Set in Victorian England the murder mystery has so many ups and downs - all the while our detective pitting himself against the combined power of the aristocracy at its very height - Queen Victoria's son who seems ineffectual, puny and very aristocratic.

A prostitute is found dead with her throat slashed - in a linen cupboard of all places. But and this is the significant but - it is no ordinary linen cupboard - it is a cupboard at Buckingham Palace and the prostitute was brought in (along with another two ladies) to entertain the Prince and two others. So she was there officially and accounted for. Then she was discovered naked, murdered and wrapped in monogrammed sheets of the Queen. The only suspects are HRH The Prince and his four friends. All four influential, rich and aristocratic and all needing a kick in the ass. The men are infuriating, condescending in the extreme and all intent on fixing the blame for the murder on someone other than their exalted selves. They are also rude and crude to the detectives who are trying within very narrow parameters to solve this crime.

Fortunately we have Pitt, a man of ordinary, simple beginnings, not intimidated by any of them and determined to solve the murder. The only Royal who saves the day is the Princess - known for her humanitarian approach and kindness as against the pomposity and priggishness of the other characters. I liked the twists and turns of the book and I admired Pitt's tenacity along with Phipps (who was a housemaid in Phipps's own house) who became the eyes and ears of Pitt inside the palace acting as a housemaid in order to uncover any hidden agenda amongst the staff.

Another interesting facet of Anne Perry is that she herself was convicted for murder - a particularly brutal one - where she and her friend repeatedly hit her friend's mother (49 times) with a brick, so that they could kill her. Escaping the death penalty Perry whose actual name is Juliet Hulme was sentenced for five years and then released. Whether her knowledge of crime and prison and detection aided her in her prolific career is anyone's guess.

I am back in Sri Lanka after a three week stay in Melbourne. Glad to be back home returning to hubby, but very sad to leave the three children behind. Such is life!

REVIEW - GOOD TO A FAULT - MARINA ENDICOTT

2011-11-25T02:14:00.000-08:00

This was a strange book for me. Half the time I wanted to shake Clara well and ask her to snap out of it and the balance half I was admiring her tenacity in doing what she was doing.

Totally self absorbed Clara crashes into Lorraine's car - the car is damaged badly and Clara takes on the family
lock, stock and babies and all as she feels at that moment that there is nothing else that could be done as the family was (a) homeless and (b) used the car as their sleeping/living space.

Fast forward a couple of weeks - Lorraine is ill, seriously ill in hospital and her no good husband realizes that he is on to a gold mine with Clara. He vanishes taking with him as much as he could leaving behind three children including a baby and a grumpy, grasping mother in law who only wants to take as much as she can, when she can. Clara 43 years old living an orderly, regular life, who has never handled children is thrown into the deep end. Knowing that Social Services would take over if she did call on them she never does. She enjoys the experience of motherhood second hand, she gets exasperated and angry like mothers all do, but she does box on.

At the end of the day Lorraine realizes that a comfortable, settled lifestyle is becoming attractive to her children and that she is going to lose them if she does not get back on her feet and claim them. This was the part that was sad, because for Lorraine there was no simple way of cutting Clara out of the children's lives. She was brutal and Clara found it a horrible loss specially the loss of the baby from her life. After everything that Clara did not just for Lorraine's children, but even tracking down the lost husband, to taking over the grasping mother in law - Lorraine just wanted out and there was a lot of resentment on her side when she saw how attached the children were to Clara.

The book showed all variations of human behaviour - love, greed, resentment, anger, animosity, anxiety, humour in fact everything that having such a mixed bunch of characters would involve. An interesting read.

REVIEW - ROOPA FAROOKI'S THE WAY THINGS LOOK TO ME

2011-11-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

I have been lax in blogging/reviewing books as whatever free time I have I want to spend reading!!!! Returning on Sunday to Sri Lanka with a brief stop over in Singapore.

Roopa Farooki is an author I have read once before - this was a wonderful read. Asif, Lila and Yasmin three young adult children thrown together after the sudden death of both parents find themselves adrift and not knowing exactly how to cope. Asif feels responsible for Yasmin who has Aspergers Syndrome and becomes Mother. Lila absconds from home finding it impossible to cope with her sibling who has she felt taken over her entire life by focussing her mother's attention and love only on her to the exclusion of the other two children.

How a mother tries to manage single handedly with a child who has such a disability is part of the story. But, only a little part as she dies very early in the story. However, how her handling and inter-action of this one child excludes the other sibling totally and alienates her from the family is an important part of the story. The intense almost hatred that Lila develops against Yasmin who she feels is almost a parasite on the family is so very well told. Although we do know that it is "not quite right" for Lila to act like this, we also understand and accept her attitude/her feelings/her rejection almost from the family so that she does not end up as the black sheep of this family. This is the brilliance of the story.

Asif seems stifled by his responsibilities - to the exclusion of any kind of life outside going to office and returning. home to a fixed routine determined by Yasmin who decides even what is for breakfast. His selflessness even goes to the extent of not drinking coffee because the color of coffee disturbs Yasmin who wants everything just so with absolutely no changes to a fixed routine.

Lila seems promiscuous but is actually looking for someone who would love her for herself not just a quick jump into bed. Her resentment of Yasmin is so deep that you feel that this is going to be forever. Thankfully the story does not end in hatred and bitterness. Both Asif and Lila find love and with that comes healing specially for Lila and a reconciliation of some kind is on the cards.

My knowledge of this illness was zero before I read this book and my sympathies were totally with Asif and Lila not with Yasmin . Both siblings were victims of Yasmin's illness and their coping skills were wonderful (in totally differing ways).

I enjoyed this book very much and would love to recommend it as a good read.

MAILBOX MONDAY/IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

2011-11-20T18:42:00.000-08:00

Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Marcia. The meme links one to what comes into other bloggers mailboxes during the week. Enormously interesting!

The first one for this week is

A family story set in England - mixed parentage children - Asperger's Syndrome and people trying to balance life and relationships. A good one I think.

Hearts & Minds by Rosy Thornton. Love her books and saw this review on The Captive Reader and was captivated!

Next was influenced by Cornflower Books. The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I have been trying to get this book for simply ages and was delighted to find this during my last week in Melbourne.

The next book was influenced by a review on Savidge Reads. Catherine O'Flynn's The News where you are.

The last book for my Mailbox this week was one I picked up since I liked the last one I read by the same author.
Anne Perry's Buckingham Palace Gardens.

It's Monday - What are you Reading is hosted by Book Journey.

It is a mammoth job this last week in Melbourne to squeeze in as much reading as I can. Right now I am reading the Catherine O'Flynn book and then hope to go on to Hearts & Minds.

Leaving Melbourne on Sunday - been a short visit this time and sad to leave but nice to get back to Sri Lanka as well.

REVIEW - WATERMARK BY VANITHA SANKARAN

2011-11-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

I had been trying to get this book for a long while. When I was last in Melbourne it was on order so this time around I got lucky.

Set in 1320 in a world full of superstition Auda is set apart from others by the fact that she is mute, an albino and strange for the time - knowledgeable of the written word. In an age of inquisition, the very fact that you are different is enough to be viewed with suspicion and distrust. Violence against anything new is the order of the day and the fact that Auda is determined to not just survive but also to flourish is a testament to her strong will and mind.

The book is hugely emotional and the first scene of the birth of Auda and its horrifying sequences set the tone for the whole story. Supported strongly by her father Auda reaches womanhood safely but it is at this time that she is tested again and again for the mere fact that she is different. The sheer determination to survive against overwhelming odds puts Auda in situations which would have drowned anyone else - the fear and panic of the inquisition, coupled with the loss of her father and the very fact that she was a young woman all alone make one root for her from the beginning.

Added to this is the detailed history of papermaking as well as how paper was made, step by step details of how paper was made, watermarks, their significance - I did not know that making paper was such a dangerous occupation till I read this book. Ignorance of the masses and how it was fostered further by those in authority was also a feature of this book. All done with ulterior motives of keeping people submissive and in their power of course.

A very heart warming read and one I was so very glad I got to (eventually)!

REVIEW - A MEETING POINT - LUCY CALDWELL

2011-11-15T23:18:00.000-08:00

The story starts in Ireland where Ruth who has fallen in love with Euan a minister of the church with a infant daughter. The background of Ruth's life is prosaic. Born on a dairy farm to average hard working parents Ruth has always yearned for the exotic and far flung places which were always places in a book. Now she has the chance to see the wider world out there when her husband decides to head a missionary group based in Bahrain.

Fast forward to Bahrain - a strange mix of the ancient and modern. Ancient civilization, ancient rules and trying to steer a moderate path in the face of its strong Islamic neighbours. Ruth believes their purpose in Bahrain is to look after the Catholic flock there - a mix of Indian, Bangladeshi, Filipino and the Western expatriates who are all members of the church but she is in for a rude awakening when Euan informs her that his actual purpose is to infiltrate Saudi Arabia (with its zero tolerance policy on conversion) with taking tracts of the bible hidden in pens so that those who are interested in the faith would have an opportunity of reading something about it.

Added to the mix of this story are a couple of characters - Noor who is of English and Bahraini parentage - not really fitting into either world and at odds with her father, Farid her cousin who falls in love with Ruth - and Ruth with him who is initially told by Noor's father to help Ruth with her sightseeing. (I thought this was rather unlikely - traditional families encouraging a young man to take a Western woman out for a drive - a bit unlikely scenario for me) but this is the story here.

I liked the descriptive manner which the author used to describe Bahrain, as well as Ireland - very evocative of both countries. The story in itself was a good one - whether East and West can ever meet is something that would be questionable from this book but it gets one thinking anyway - but the characters were weak. How Ruth lost her faith so very easily and whether Euan could give up all responsibility to his wife and baby daughter without any thought for their safety was something I could not fathom.

On the other hand characters like Noor's father reverting back to the traditional Muslim male as he gets older and the depiction of housemaids - was so very true to form. But then again these are just minor characters of the story whereas Ruth and Euan were the main ones and their behaviour was questionable. I expected more from this book so maybe that is why I felt a bit dejected by the end.

MAILBOX MONDAY/IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

2011-11-14T19:02:00.000-08:00

Mailbox Monday is being hosted this month by Marcia. It's Monday What are you Reading is hosted by Book Journey.

Both memes gives one an insight into what is best and latest in the book world.

The books that I got for this week are :

Both books came via recommendations from book bloggers - Cornflower Books and Savidge Reads.

The books that I have read (and reviews) coming up this week are :

A good week to everyone!

REVIEW OF GILLESPIE AND I - JANE HARRIS

2011-11-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

As usual I came to this book later than most and I must be one of the few who have not read her first - The Observations. This story starts in 1933 with spells of going backwards and then coming forward to the 1933 period. Harriet Baxter a spinster of independent means meets Ned Gillespie an artist whom she befriends - not just him but his entire family. Harriet believes in the artist and also believes that he has not reached his full potential purely due to lack of opportunity and that he is much better than the prevalent Scottish artists of the day.

The story for the first half of the book is slow - Harriet being part and parcel of the Gillespie family. Almost family one would think. The ups and downs of this family both emotional and financial - the elder girls virulent manner despite being a little girl, the parents inability to see that something is radically wrong, the mother in law not just interfering but wanting to dominate the family are all part of the story which is rather tame. Interesting but ordinary everyday stuff.

Midway tragedy strikes and the way the book turns is dramatic. Totally unexpected I personally could not have figured it out at all. Why and how it did is the second part of the book and this is what keeps the reader enthralled. How Harriet copes with the changed circumstances of her life and what she must do to save herself (though she actually does very little) and fortunately lawyers seem to do the major part of saving her life is the next part of the story. Dramatic and frightening for Harriet who was all alone now with absolutely no one to turn to not family nor friends.

The book is one of sensation (particularly the second half) with a slight Victorian flavour to it which added to my interest.
Riveting read.

REVIEW - ANGEL WITH TWO FACES BY NICOLA UPSON

2011-11-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

I had seen Nicola Upson's books on blogs and Two for Sorrow had got wonderful reviews. This was the one I got to first though and what a wonderful book it turned out to be. Inspector Archie Penrose invites Josephine Tey to visit him at his ancestral home - nothing to do with work or Scotland Yard - but of course there is a sudden death in very unusual circumstances. To add to the interest the story is set in bleak Cornwall and the description of this part of Britain is absolutely gorgeous.

Harry Pinching dies in very tragic circumstances. Death by drowning in a lake which is supposed to claim a victim every seven years. Harry's parents died in a fire sometime ago and now there is Morwenna Harry's twin left behind with the sole custody of Loveday their youngest sister. The entire village rallies around Morwenna knowing she is going to have an uphill battle on her hands - but there are so many hidden undercurrrents even at the funeral that you know that nothing is as it seems. The village knows more than it tells and everyone closes ranks against Archie - now considered an outsider and from the Yard which further sets him apart.

Josephine is the absolute outsider and by being merely observant and friendly is able to find out secrets both within and out side the Pinching family - all relevant to not just the death of Harry but also to the deaths of his parents. Harry's death is not suicide as previously imagined but murder and this triggers off another. The ending is superb, unbelievable and I could not for a moment think whether it was a fantasy playing itself out or whether it was a "real" ending.

The book kept me on tenterhooks throughout and I am definitely looking out for another one before I leave.

REVIEW OF BELLFIELD HALL BY ANNA DEAN

2011-11-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

This was the first book I picked up from the library on the day I landed as I wanted to quickly get to the books! This was also my first introduction to this author and to a series. Dido Kent is that well loved figure in families - the maiden aunt - now however sadly missing in most families and certainly not at everyone's beck and call the way Dido was. Every engagement, confinement, wedding, funeral Dido could be counted on by her brothers and sisters to come to their assistance with her mature calm responsible manner. She sounds boring but she certainly wasn't. Far from it.

Brought this time to sort out her nieces engagement or rather her niece breaking off a very profitable engagement Dido seeks out the truth behind the facade of the Montague family. A young woman murdered in the grounds and no one seeing her coming in and everyone accounted for makes the solving of the mystery even harder for Dido. Despite her being the most capable sleuth 1805 was not a time which allowed women to do whatever they wanted to do and Dido had to act with restraint.

Deducing facts from things which may have escaped a man's eye - the tucks on a gown being indicative of a girl being pregnant and a china doll which was expensive being in the possession of a gate keeper's daughter indicated much more than meets the eye. Solving the murder was one part of this very interesting story. The other was the plight of women at this time. It was not an easy time for gentlewomen of little means. Your choices were so limited as you also chose to live respectably. A time of poverty and subservience. If one did not become a governess one was dominated by your family who treated you most of the time as an unpaid servant who should be grateful that there was a roof over your head and food to eat. Women of means had it no better - a good marriage was the only way forward and not being married was an absolute disgrace.

Reiterates my belief that this present time is a wonderful time for a woman! I liked this book and will be looking out for more by this author.

REVIEW - DAUGHTERS IN LAW BY JOANNE TROLLOPE

2011-11-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

I have always loved Joanne Trollope's books and though some reviews are rather skeptical about it, she does write from the heart and one can easily identify her characters as they are very often the people around you. When this book came out I knew it would be years before I ever got my hands on it. I checked online and even the Melbourne library had it only on order so I never thought I would have the good fortune of getting to it early.

The flight from Singapore to Melbourne is almost eight hours and lately I have found it difficult to cope with this long, long flight. This time it flew! literally..... Daughters in law was one of the audio books on offer and it was such a treat.

Rachel and Anthony have three sons - Rachel is the archetypal matriarch. She still feels that she and Anthony should have an equal place in their son's lives despite all three of them being married. She meets her match in Charlotte who is the spoiled baby of her family with a very decisive mind of her own. Charlotte knows what she wants and she does not mind in the least that Luke is inconvenienced, troubled or upset how his family is being put into second place as against Charlotte's own mother. Ralph's wife Petra has been the family pet - almost orphaned when she met him she has been adopted by his parents and much loved. She is also one of those who has gracefully given in over the years and Siegfried the eldest daughter in law has also hidden her own feelings of resentment and given in for the greater good of all. Charlotte however sets the cat amongst the pigeons and gets everyone to sit up and do their own thing.

Ralph's financial problems becomes the catalyst that involves the whole family. Edward naturally tries to help with fixing a job interview which Ralph succeeds at. The problems for all start from there with Ralph having to move to London and Petra who was expected to just move with him, digging in her heels and staying put. Added to that is that Petra finds a male friend, platonic and easy, which is not understood by the entire family as it is completely out of character for Petra to act thus. Rising from this and adding to it is Charlotte conceiving after two months of marriage and Siegfried's uncertainty about her own future.

Rachel is not tactful or diplomatic and tends to shoot her mouth all the time. Anthony is the quiet one, favoured by the whole family as he sees things for what they are and specifically that it is not his business anymore as to how things should be done. Each son is different and each daughter in law is unique. The characters are so beautifully described and each so different that you think that in this story the entire unity of the family will be lost. It does not happen because the unit is cohesive and they realise that they should be working together not against each other. Truths will have to be spoken and it may be blunt but everyone rallies together.

A family saga that analyses relationships and how one has to live with one another, none of us are an island however much we may want to be - even for a little bit!!! I loved the book - from a personal point of view - it did show the importance of all mothers!!!!

Am in Melbourne now and after a big shop at the local market, I sneaked in a five minute visit to the library. Have come back with four books so in between massive amounts of time spent washing and cooking, reading is the other thing I do. Today is a gloomy day so ideal weather for a book.

AN EARLY MAILBOX MONDAY/IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING?

2011-11-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Coming to you a bit early because I am leaving for Melbourne in a couple of hours! the last week was a good one.

The first books to come were the delightful The Postmistress and Middlemarch. Both wins from Martha. Martha took a lot of trouble to combine two wins and give me two delightful books. I have been wanting to read The Postmistress for simply ages and this is going to tide me over the dreadful eight hour flight Singapore/Melbourne.

Middlemarch described as a view of Provincial Life set in 1830 - 1832 sounds just up my street.

All other books bought by me from a second hand bookshop and all delightful.

I have been trying to get all the Georgette Heyer novels and I think I am getting there. The Sixth Wife dealing with Katharine Parr gives another insight into the Tudor saga and specially since she is one of those "who got away". I have already finished this one and it was quite eerie because she always knew that sooner or later she would have to go to make way for a newer model. Henry's death was her escape.

Mailbox Monday is on tour and for November it is here. The other meme is sponsored by Book Journey and highlights what you read and reading for the week.

I have done a good bit of reading this last week with several more reviews still to come. I just finished The Sixth Wife and the Catherine Cookson (Marchant) book Miss Martha Mary Crawford. I finished one of the two books by Anne Murray Birmingham Blitz. There is still Birmingham Friends in that book to finish but that will have to await my return to Sri Lanka.

The book I am hoping to start today is The Postmistress. It will then be on to the Carnegie library in Melbourne where I will be devouring books (all listed and waiting to be grabbed by me!!!!)

I do hope the weather is not extreme. Showers and scattered thunderstorms are ok by me but not the extreme heat of an Australian summer please!

WHAT WOULD MR DARCY DO - ABIGAIL REYNOLDS

2011-11-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

I like the fan fiction of Jane Austen sequels. This was a win from Natalie. Thanks Natalie.

This story starts at the stage where Elizabeth receives Jane's letter informing her of Lydia's elopement. A tragic moment in Elizabeth's life where she thinks that Darcy will not want to have anything to do with the entire Bennet family. This does not happen. Darcy on the other hand re-affirms his feelings for Elizabeth and vows to help in whatever way he can. To reiterate this he wants Elizabeth to continue her relationship via letters with his sister so that by proxy he will be able to both receive and obtain news from Longbourn which otherwise would be denied him. Despite all this upto this stage in the story Elizabeth has not given Darcy a definite word as to her decision and this keeping him on tenterhooks was a bit questionable for me.
A man who has stood by her and her family, declaring his feelings over and over again, she herself not in doubt about her attraction and feelings for him and still wanting to wait to give a decision because she has only had a dozen conversations with him. She was never going to have more than that anyway unless she connived and lied her way - and this was anyway not in character with her.

The blossoming relationship between Georgiana and Elizabeth is given a prominence not found in the original novel and Georgiana coming over to stay prior to Jane's wedding and getting on famously with Kitty and Maria was also different. Giddy Kitty and pedantic Maria were I thought out of place with Georgiana who was a quiet, shy girl.Not so in this book - difficult for die hard Janeites to accept but not insurmountable!!!

Lots of romance and a happy ending. Yes - a light variation of the well loved P&P.

THE HEART OF LONDON - MONICA DICKENS

2011-11-03T01:58:00.000-07:00

This is one book which I have had for ages. Something new turns up and the older books which I have accumulated gets pushed aside.

When I think of London I think of suave sophistication, the Royals, a stiff upper lip and horrible weather. I certainly did not find it easy to get my head around the characters of this book - earthy, tough, some of them frighteningly timid, some of them frightening aggressive. All trying to simply survive in the world of Cottingham Park in London.

The disparity amongst Londoners trying to come to grips with a new world breaking in on them, and how they are going to cope with the huge news that a new road/highway is coming through their neighbourhood tearing up everything in its path - entire neighbourhoods gone, the school torn down and children placed in the dreaded Green Lane school. How despite overwhelming odds, a few people have faith that out of the hundreds of children passing through their hand - hardly anyone being even remotely literate, there will be one success story of a boy making good - this would be the highlight of the book.

As usual the story of survival whether its in the aftermatch of WW1, the Holocast or simply a London neighbourhood all make for interesting reading. Everyday families, everyday stories told incredibly well
where one is able to identify an aunt in the story with one of your own, and maybe your parents spouting the same words to recalcitrant teenagers!

Sad to read about the race riots and especially the West Indians who came to London in their hundreds seeking a better life - and this was never realized. I did not know very much about the grinding poverty of these immigrants and how they struggled to live - the difficulties in finding work, even a place to stay would have made anyone despair. The overwhelming antagonism against the West Indians and the derogatory manner in which they were generally treated was very stark in this book. It is also obviously realistic and true.

Monica Dickens a grand daughter of Charles Dickens is obviously a Londoner - and she speaks from the heart in this book.

RIVER OF SMOKE - AMITAV GHOSH

2011-11-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

This book is also part of my reading challenge for Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2011.

I loved Sea of Poppies so when I saw this book out I knew I had to have it and this is one of the few purchases of a new book done by me. I do buy a fair amount of books but always second hand. This was an exception to the general rule.

It does not follow immediately from the end of Sea of Poppies but characters and events are referred to here and there and it gives you an idea of the people and places if you have read Ghosh's earlier book.

Set in 1838 with Bahram Modie a Parsee of very humble beginnings the story has several characters all equally important to the story so that one cannot be said to be pivotal to the story. The story of opium being brought from India to Canton forms the crux of the story and several additional characters add subsequent stories which all link inexplicably together. A storm at sea almost destroys Modie's biggest shipment of opium on the ship Anahita and also effects the Ibis - a steamer bringing a pair of lovers, indentured servants, a French girl who ends up searching for rare and exotic plants and helping to set up an exchange of plants between China and England and to top it all a host of criminals.

Giving the reader the best of Cantonese history and the intricate dealings of the Emperor and his cohorts with regard to the Opium Wars of 1839 - 1842 not only does it deal with Modie's own personal saga but draws in the colonial East India Company with its British officers who have made their fortunes out of the entrapment of millions of Chinese in the habit of taking opium. The steps taken by the Chinese Emperor to stop the trade and curtail the import of the drug forms the major part of the story.

Ghosh's book is the second part of a three book series and I will be waiting impatiently for the third. I wonder where the setting will be but no doubt Ghosh will give us detailed insights into the culture, the food, the geography and the language of a new country. The details to be found in this book - loved the pidgin English which is liberally sprinkled through this book which is very easily understood, the food in all its variety and the descriptions of everything found in Canton was overwhelming.
Coming from Sri Lanka I did know about the trade that the English evolved over the years with the East but I did not know the extent of the trade and the money involved on a scale which was even by today's standards huge.

This is a must read but preferably starting with the first book. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly not just for a history lover but to anyone who is interested in a good story.

HIGHGATE RISE - ANNE PERRY

2011-11-01T03:22:00.000-07:00

Set in Victorian times, the book starts with a tragic death. Clemency Shaw caught in an inexplicable fire whilst sleeping. Turns out to be murder when we discover the curtains soaked with oil. Her husband the local doctor is away delivering a baby so he is saved. Everything the couple owned is burnt to the ground. Shaw moves to his friends house to think of what he is going to do with the rest of his life. Another fire and his closest friend dies in the blaze. Shaw is again away dealing with a patient. The pattern is so suscipious that everyone including the team headed by the Metropolitan Police think that he is the main suspect.

Combining the unlikely combination of a murder along with a social conscience is never easy to pull off. It is done effortlessly in this book. The Victorian background, the mood and morals of the time, the very insular attitude towards women and what their so called "place" was in society was very strictly determined at the time. Woe to the person who stepped out of line, tried to better themselves, married either above or beneath one, or who even tried to improve his lot by education.

It seemed very cruel that there was no support for women not even from those who were supposed to love them and protect them - their own family, husbands, brothers and fathers. It seemed that the men were in a conspiracy to keep the women submissive, uneducated and downtrodden. Even to read the newspapers was forbidden though the papers came into the house, and what was surprising was that women seemed so brainwashed that very few even wanted to be different, to have an opinion or to make any choices without the husband first deciding as to what should be done.

This kind of story makes me very glad that I am living in present times. I very often wonder what I would have done in such circumstances.

A thought provoking book, descriptive of the times and the place in which it was set. A good read.

THE WILD HUNT - ELIZABETH CHADWICK

2011-10-31T03:51:00.000-07:00

The story set during the Welsh March wars Guyon is ordered to marry Judith just 16 years old and terrified of marriage after seeing the treatment meted out to her mother by her father. On his side Guyon is angry that he is forced to marry Judith who he considers a child. Used to the charms of more mature women he finds her too childish for him. What eventually evolves is a beautiful, mature relationship based on trust, deep affection and a kindness on the part of Guyon who knows that Judith has to be handled gently if they are to make a success of their marriage.

The background to the story is tumultous. It is a period of war - annexing territory without regard for any moral norms. Bloody warfare is rife and the kingdom is torn apart and every Lord has to make sure that he is on the alert for marauding tribes. Despite the constant warfare, the constant battle to maintain one's own territory and the fact that you never know whether your husband is going to return home in one piece, this book combines the best of history in violent times with a very tender love story. Beginning in 1089 a period of history in a time which was not very well known to me set in a very beautiful country this was a very interesting book.

I haven't read much Elizabeth Chadwick but am definitely going to keep my eye out for books by this author.

Mailbox Monday/It's Monday - What are you Reading?

2011-10-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

Mailbox Monday shows what you received during the week. This month the host is Savvy Verse and Wit.

Combining it with Book Journey's meme - Its Monday What are you Reading?

Both bloggers give you an insight into what is the latest in the reading world. Please do go visit the links.

Nothing new in my Mailbox for this week though several wins expected! Disappointed that a win that was scheduled to come did not turn up when the blogger informed me that it was only for US/Canada. I wish they would put it so in the original post!!!

For the Monday - What are you Reading ? Right now reading Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain described as a Haunting elegy for a lost generation. - set in 1914 a period which I like to read about and the struggle of women to be educated/have a voice of their own. My kind of book definitely.

AUNT MARGARET'S LOVER - MAVIS CHEEK

2011-10-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry the picture is not clear enough but it was this picture of Elizabeth the First that drew me to the book. Coupled with the title it seemed at odds but reading through of course you get the connection!
Also, not having read of this book elsewhere I thought why not. I like the quirky ones too.

Margaret the proverbial Aunt has bid a temporary goodbye to her niece who is also her surrogate daughter (sister died in crash/brother in law disappeared). Right now Margaret is feeling a bit lost and alone and in between partners - (marriage and sex were not very high on the list of priorities and the marriage bit was shelved). Partners few and far between. A period of one year till Saskia returns from visiting her long lost father and Margaret feels that it is now or never to take a grip on herself and do something special for herself.

Advertising for a lover for one year is not everyone's cup of tea but thinking it over it seemed to Margaret to be the ideal solution. Finding the person was not so easy but then it happened and everyone is happy. The story set around Margaret with all the other characters who are part of her life are depicted as they live on a daily basis which makes it matter of fact and at the same time maintaining a feeling of fantasy. The best of both combined in this book.

The link to Elizabeth was seen when one realizes that she gave up on love and passion as her overwhelming love was for England. She knew that lovers were well and good but that England was forever. A similar link forged by Margaret.

I would call the book a romantic novel without being saccharine sweet. It touches on the fraility of humans, the depths to which we could descend and the things we would also do to help a friend and the extent one would go to help someone survive - at the same time gritting our teeth in annoyance at their foibles.

A light read but one which was enjoyable. I have just found out that the author has several books to her credit. I will be looking out for them.

Have been away for a week and its nice to be back. It is raining very heavily in Colombo but that is such a welcome thing for me. Anything to get away from the heat.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday What are you reading?

2011-10-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

Mailbox Monday for this month is being hosted by Serena at Savvy Verse and Wit.

The meme will highlight what books came into your house during the week. Going through fellow bloggers mailboxes, leads to towering piles of TBR lists and horrible envy over what everyone else has received!

It's Monday - What are your reading is hosted by Book Journey.

This meme also highlights what one is reading and what one hopes to read during the week.

Please visit both bloggers linky lists to get an update of whats what in the book world.

I had just one book - a book win which was eagerly awaited and got misplaced and got sent again! Thank you Natalie for a gorgeous book.

This is going to the end of my TBR list as there are many books I have scheduled to read first!!! though I am solely tempted.

What I am reading right now is a new author for me - set in Victorian England Anne Perry's murder mystery Highgate Rise is so far very interesting. A more sedate style of writing which I like very much.

Thats it for this week end. Tomorrow I leave for Rozella for four days. It is the festival of Deepavali on Wednesday - a festival of light and the power of goodness over evil. Happy Deepavali everyone.

AN UNEQUAL MARRIAGE - EMMA TENNANT

2011-10-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

I get my hands on a spin off from Pride and Prejudice very rarely. Very very rarely. Most people I have spoken to here have not even heard of this kind of novel - so when I do get one I enjoy it very much.

This particular story did not do very much for me - but it was a different take from the blissfully happy, perpetually content Elizabeth. A few thorny issues - scandalous behaviour of the heir to Pemberley and constraints in the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy are some of the things which came up.

Darcy was always a snob but the idea was that Elizabeth would smooth out the rough edges. Here Darcy seems to be a positive snob! I was disappointed with this. Miss Bingley is still terribly jealous, Jane is still gentle and kind, Mrs Bennet is in turns surprisingly good and surprisingly strange, Lydia Wickham is still out for what she can get from anyone around.

Interesting light reading.

ELIZABETH GEORGE - A SUITABLE VENGEANCE

2011-10-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

I put Inspector Lynley somewhere on par with Darcy so naturally I like the book! thats the first point. The second point is that Elizabeth George is such a natural story teller that one gets wrapped up in the story to the point that the book cannot be put down.

Three murders - starting with the clubbing and castration of a journalist then moving to the Cornish coast with its caves and rough seas, its history of smuggling for centuries recast in a modern mould. Add a personal scandal of epic proportions - Lynley's own brother Peter heavily involved in drugs - addicted and could he be dealing. We also have St James's sister Sidney and her lover heavily involved as well. The boyfriend also ends up a victim so where does that place Sidney?

The complications within the family - the love triangle of Lynley, Deborah and St James - where is it going to end is a question in the story. The estrangement between St Lynley and his mother and his continued insidious harshness in his treatment of his mother leading to her being so alone is beautifully described.

Add to this beautiful descriptions of the countryside of Cornwall, the environs of London and you have a book that you do not want to put down.

As usual I loved the book!!!

ELIZABETH ELGIN - THE HOUSE IN ABERCROMBY SQUARE AND A MISTRESS OF LUKE'S FOLLY

2011-10-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

The first story deals with Patrick - who has through sheer brilliance and hard work is able to rise from his humble beginnings in Liverpool and is now on the threshold of a future amongst the elite in London. Engaged to Arabella, the daughter of an extremely wealthy, well connected man his future is assured.

Returning to his home to settle matters prior to his marriage Patrick is drawn into the life of his former best friend who has started a clinic for the poorest of the poor in Liverpool. Should Patrick give up his dreams of earning millions for the sake of suffering humanity in Liverpool is the question. How Patrick faces up to the biggest challenge in his life is this story.

Set in the most squalid part of Liverpool, with plague and illness rife - the rich unconcerned for the poor whom they employ, this shows us another side of England and the struggle people faced to just survive.

The second story deals with Sarah - a worker in the Yorkshire mills who is suddenly elevated to being mistress of the mills when she marries the owner's only son. The difficulties faced by Sarah not just in the family which she married into - but also being ostracized by those of her own background who look on her as a traitor is the story. Her father particularly looks on her marriage as a betrayal and does nothing to ease the problems faced by Sarah. Added to this the beginning of unrest amongst the labour of the mills against unfair working conditions and insufficient pay also form the major part of this story.

Both stories highlight the suffering of the working class in an industrialized society where the poor have no alternative but to continue to work in inhumane conditions, for insufficient pay just to keep alive. No alternatives in sight at all and everyone is beholden to the rich man for just survival.
The beginning of the industrial revolution, the beginning of unrest and the spirit of rebellion against such unfair practices are features of both stories.

For me the first story was very idealistic and the second seemed very improbable but I liked the history of the period and the immense detail of both Liverpool and the Yorkshire mills. It gave me an understanding of why labour unrest became prevalent in England on the scale it did. Interesting reading from a historical point of view.

Wonderful Wednesday - No. 7 (Favourite Authors)

2011-10-19T02:48:00.000-07:00

Wonderful Wednesdays is a meme about spotlighting and recommending some of our most loved books, even if we haven't read them recently. Each week will have a different genre or theme.

This weeks theme is favourite authors

Like the host of this meme Sam of Tiny Library I would go with the book being good rather than the author!
But unlike Sam I do have a tendency to go looking for those books by a particular author who has caught my interest.

My first choice would be Jane Austen. Apart from Austen herself, by being introduced to her as a young teenager my reading veered towards her style of writing - over and over again. It is from this that I still tend to like books written in a more gentler style.

The second author of my choice would be Christopher Kremmer. Just one book only written by him read by me - Inhaling the Mahatma and what an impact the book had on me. So that reiterates my saying that the book is important.

It is difficult to stop at one or two - there are gorgeous authors out here - I have to mention a few at least. Rosy Thornton, Chevy Stevens, Georgette Heyer, Jean Plaidy, P D James, Agatha Christie, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. The list is endless.

Mini Reviews - DEATH NOTICE by TODD RITTER & FAINTLEY SPEAKING by Gladys Mitchell

2011-10-18T01:43:00.000-07:00

A murder mystery and Ritter's debut novel. A box very like a coffin discovered on the side of the highway sparks off chaos and pandemonium in the small town of Perry Hollow where the chief of police has never faced anything so grim in this sleepy town.

Fast forward to several murders, each one more grisly than the others, announced by prior fax giving the time and date of the murders - twenty minutes before the murder has actually happened. You have the whole town on its toes, everyone suspect of everyone else, hidden secrets being dragged out and little known facts of the inhabitants of the town gradually come into the open. (lots of interesting information coming out re hitherto very respectable inhabitants!!!).

A thriller with quite a bit of suspense you are kept guessing as to who the murderer is. I did not get it till the very end so that is one way of determining its success.

Gladys Mitchell created Beatrice Lestrange Bradley psychiatrist and consultant to the Home Office and even on vacation, murder follows her about (somewhat similar to Hercule Poirot). The murder of a young, respectable teacher stabbed to death in a thicket seems at odds with the story of the young woman's life.

The whole story of the murder - the whys and wherefores are conducted in a genteel manner more suited to the time the book was published (1954). Everything seems to be quietly conducted and under control in this book as against the Ritter publication where things were more "in your face" and you were very aware of a murder or rather murders taking place.

The murder as told by Ms. Mitchell is so different from the style of writing of Mr Ritter of the first book I reviewed. I did the two reviews together as one subject - gruesome murders - one by a serial killer and the other by a killer who wanted to silence someone - handled so differently and yet both interesting to read in two different ways.

Old Penguin publications are freely available here so I was glad to pick this one up. The Todd Ritter book was a win.

Mailbox Monday / It's Monday What are you reading?

2011-10-17T03:42:00.000-07:00

Am combining the meme of Mailbox Monday showcasing what books came into your house with It's Monday What are you reading? Mailbox Monday is being hosted for October by Savvy Verse and Wit.
It's Monday What are you reading? is hosted by Book Journey.

The books which all came into my house via my second hand shop

Mixed reviews on this fan fiction sequel. Love the entire lot so lets see what it's about.

A blurb says Perry gets the Victorian mood just right!!! that is good enough recommendation for me.

The improbability of Aunt Margaret's Lover with this very Elizabethan cover intrigues me.

Inspector Linley is on par with Darcy for me. So I do not think explanations are needed.

A WWII background so I picked it up. Also like the cover.

Had not seen this on any blog so thought I'd pick it up.

For reading this week I have not yet started on Rohinton Mistry's book which is a fat one. I also have
River of Smoke which I will start only on Sunday when I am at Rozella. Right now it is Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain. Again a favourite period of mine set in 1914 also adapted for the BBC.

VOYAGER BY DIANA GABALDON

2011-10-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

I did not know this is the third book in the series. I see a book I like I have to pick it up as otherwise if I have to wait for books to come in the series form nothing will be read!

Voyager as the name implies shows the journey that Claire takes back in time after a gap of living twenty years in the twentieth century. Not lacking in courage but knowing that she is missing a huge portion of her life, Claire steps back to go back to Jamie her husband.

The adventures of Jamie and Claire are many - not least the fact that both of them have led separate lives for twenty years - it is difficult to reconcile the fact that the love of your life has taken another wife (who incidentally is ready to kill you in the fight for the prize), there is a son born out of wedlock and numerous bits and pieces which Jamie does not talk about but which blow up in their faces at the most unfortunate times. Claire and Jamie are both passionate in temperament - not quiet, self effacing souls here so fireworks aplenty. The sense of honor and family which binds them both takes them to the West Indies in a series of adventures with pirates, zombies, magic, voodooism and what not.

I could not read the book in one go simply because it is over 1000 pages long but if it was not for that fact this is one book I would have not got out of bed for anything at all. I just loved the detailed descriptiveness of Gabaldon - from the clothes, to the houses, to the climate, to the people - you did feel that you were actually living either in the eighteenth century or in the twenty first. The jumps from one century to the next were not jarring or difficult to handle. One just slipped from one to the other with ease.

Just loved the book. Onwards to find the next one!

Now to some pictures of what I did on Saturday - to bring one into the twenty first century and the nitty gritty of daily work!

At Badalgama - pineapple and banana cultivation.

5 LITTLE PIGS AND THE SECRET ADVERSARY - AGATHA CHRISTIE

2011-10-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

Two reviews of Agatha Christie coming up here.

Five Little Pigs was interesting as we went sixteen years back to solve a crime - the people had all grown up, lives had changed considerably and Hercule Poirot had a task on his hands. No evidence, people's memories of dates and events had changed but it was strange how judicious questioning brought everything back - minute details as to the color of the light, to what someone was wearing. It shows how much the subconscious mind actually retains - despite the passage of time.

A man who likes women is murdered. Throw in a jealous wife, a passionate girlfriend - friends on the surface but people who are in turn envious of the couple's lifestyle and you have a murder. Like many reviewers of the book, I thought I had the murderer identified not even halfway through the book. I was wrong and Agatha Christie in her inimitable style proved me otherwise!!!

This was a totally different read. Poirot is pedantic and slow! Tuppence and Tommy are young, agile and quick to jump the gun. Meeting them for the first time when they are just going to start their sleuthing careers was a nice read for me. I have read one book when they are old, retired and just looking for a quiet life so as usual I read it in the wrong order!

The setting is 1922 and I understand its Agatha Christie's second book so there are a bit of raw bits and pieces around. A girl goes missing with sensitive documents. Finding her and the documents most importantly is what the story is about. Put in some Russians, some Slavs, bolsheviks, revolutionaries, terrorists and an all important Mr. Brown and we have a light hearted entertaining story.

A touch of romance is also thrown in and you are sure there is going to be a happy ending for Tuppence and Tommy.

Agatha Christie such comfort reading.

PASSIONATE OBSSESSION - JULIE ELLIS

2011-10-14T04:20:00.000-07:00

I have always had a liking for stories set in the era of WWI or II and this is one of those. Vera Mueller is a refugee - first from Germany in the aftermath of the infamous Kristallnacht (she loses her only brother and parents then) and escapes to Denmark. The second time around she is forced to flee her adopted family's haven in Copenhagen for war time London. Fluent in French, German and English Vera will surely become a very sought after employee with war time work in translation of documents.

With her knowledge of languages, Vera meets Paul - a young American who has to learn German in just two short weeks as he is on a secret mission to Germany. The attraction is immediate and before he leaves the two marry. Fast forward to the end of the war, Vera now has a daughter whom Paul has not seen as she did not know she was pregnant when he left and the three of them decide to return to America to start out life there.

Paul's father is a well established businessman in the field of arms - specifically guns who has done very well out of the wars. Paul on the other hand is a pacifist and hates the idea of profiting from guns and much to his father's astonishment opts out of the business and becomes a high school teacher. Vera on the other hand takes to the business like a duck to water, and with the support of Paul's father and the animosity of her brother in law slowly but surely builds up success upon success in a field which is very much a man's world..

In the midst of this new emerging businesswoman Vera is still passionate about Paul and knows that her entire life is centered around him and that whatever happens she cannot lose him. The story of Vera and Paul's life amidst the upds and downs of not just WWII but also the beginning of the Vietnam war - its effect on not just the Kahns but on Americans in general, the beginning of protests against the Vietnam war and the escape of so many to Canada to avoid the draft are all part of the story.

Although WWII and its stories are known to me the Vietnam war was an unknown entity. This was a good introduction to that period of American history.

Not just a story set at the end of WWII and the Korean and Vietnam wars, this is also a family story of love found in the most uncommon circumstances and how a family overcomes so many trials and tribulations to be together and to survive.

THE FACE OF DECEPTION - IRIS JOHANSEN

2011-10-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

This has all the mix of suspense, mystery, murder and a twist in the tale. Her only child killed by a serial murderer Eve turns to a career which she has made into a lifeline. A forensic scientist she helps in locating remains of children - murdered and missing - so that their parents could have the peace of closure.

When John Logan approaches her with details of finding a missing adult, Eve is not interested. Her focus is on children only - but the money offered to a foundation to search for missing children is so big that Eve just cannot turn down the offer. Though John does not reveal his knowledge of the identity or rather his suspicions of who is the murdered man, it does come as a surprise when you realize who it is. How politics can get involved in murder and the huge cover up involved so that many people will benefit is the story of the book.

The unravelling of the identity of the man behind the skull and the convoluted politics involved are interesting and gives one an idea of how the FBI and American politics operate. For a non American this was informative reading as well!

I did not know the book is part of a series and that this was the first in the series. I was just lucky that I found the first one. It does not always work out that way in this part of the world. I liked the style of writing and though critics say that DNA testing could have been used initially prior to what Eve did, the story was good for me. I will be looking out for other books by this author. The nice part of reading mystery/murder stories is that each author has their own style of not just relating the murder but the method of solving the crime differs greatly - one from the other. This was in a more modern style of writing and very enjoyable.

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY - NO 6 HISTORICAL FICTION

2011-10-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

Wonderful Wednesdays is a meme about spotlighting and recommending some of our most loved books, even if we haven't read them recently. Each week will have a different genre or theme.

This weeks theme is Historical Fiction.

Which stories set in the past do you really love?

For me its difficult to choose between two top favourites

There is Cynthia Harrod Eagles and her books on the Morland Dynasty - spanning generations, linking one story with the next and also so beautifully done that a book can be read stand alone.
Then I have the inimitable Jean Plaidy - she covers Tudor and everything else though her Elizabethan themed books would be my top favourite.

Cynthia Harrod Eagles combines history with family - the history is a background to the family which lives in the period. Jean Plaidy combines history with romance and here history is at the forefront of the story.
This meme is hosted by Tiny Library. Please do go visit and if you like historical fiction the blogs affiliated to the meme are right up your street.

Review - Anne Tyler's DINNER AT THE HOMESICK RESTAURANT

2011-10-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

This was my third book of the author. I did not care for the first two but the comments on my reviews were so positive about the author that I thought I must give her another try.

The characters are not lovable (this was the same for the previous read) - I found it a drag to read and go on reading what a negative character Pearl was. How her children turned out the way they did is a miracle! Pearl was abandoned by her husband and she did bring up her children single handed, but in the meantime she did not allow anyone to forget that it was a tough haul.

So much of bitterness and cold animosity - this is going to be the last Anne Tyler for me. I know life cannot be all froth and lightness but I do not need this in a book. It depressed me.

Review - The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough

2011-10-11T01:32:00.000-07:00

I loved the Thorn Birds and could not pass on this one. Had never heard of it before and it was interesting because it depicted a period in time from the other side of the world - Australia which obviously followed England in all matters relating to dress, custom, manners and way of life.

Missy is 33 years old - very plain and already on the shelf - lives in genteel poverty and she and her aunt and mother are prevented from improving their lot because it is "not done" for them to work for outsiders, do anything like trade and it is considered preferable for them to starve rather than find some suitable employment. However Missy does have the backbone to get what she wants. Faking a life threatening illness she manages to hook the richest newcomer to their little town, upstages her cousin Alice - beautiful and rich, and generally turns the entire town on its head.

A very short novel, light and a nice read though it did make me mad when I read how the family was being cheated left, right and center by their own male relatives! It all comes right in the end for Missy and her family.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday What are you reading?

2011-10-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since I last posted (it was a strange connection in Rozella - I could comment on blogs with a bit of difficulty, I could not open emails and I could not do a post!!!) so I was looking forward to coming back to Colombo and doing a proper post.

My mailbox for this week has just one book. Death Notice by Todd Ritter - this was a win and for the life of me I cannot trace it! Acknowledgement to the source will follow I promise. Description reads as a tense and twisty whodunnit! Nice.

My reading for the last week was excellent - over five books done so reviews will follow. Right now I am reading Also the Hills and am also hoping to start Voyager by Diana Gabaldon.

Today is a Poya day - it celebrates the full moon and each month there is a separate significance for Buddhists attached to it. Today it is the Vap Poya day. It is also a holiday.

Review - Monica Dickens's THURSDAY AFTERNOONS

2011-10-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

The background to the story is an old one. Handsome, successful doctor and a spinsterish nurse madly in love with him, a wife on the side who has nothing in common with our doctor, and our nurse fantasizing about various ways she could show her love for him, rescue him from dire situations and generally make him aware of her. He is blissfully unaware of her feelings other than the fact that her shoes squeak and that she is a bit of a nuisance.

The story is much more than this of course. The saga of a bored marriage, how the doctor just tolerates his wife - most of the time either being deaf to what she is saying, or pretending he is somewhere else, having a schedule that keeps him so busy that he has no time to think , getting involved with a pretty girl and hoping to balance the two separate lives are part of the story. His wife Ruth has just not kept pace with him, does not know how to cope with social situations and after the loss of their little daughter seems to have got more introverted than ever.

Given the author's background in nursing, there are details here that would not otherwise happen. It gives one an insight into the world of hospitals and nursing in the 1940's - the strict hierachy maintained in hospitals, for me, almost like a caste system where each one was strictly allocated what one could/could not do even to what you could eat or drink! Nice to see how things have changed in the last sixty years, certainly for the better with nurses being given their due place in hospitals (my own daughter is a nurse!).

Monica Dickens's stories are generally light and funny - this is not one of those. The ending is a bit sad and a bit dramatic - a little too unbelievable but sad. I am reading more of this author.

I am leaving Colombo this afternoon for Rozella and will be away for about five days - sadly no internet at least the connection works for ten minutes and then its done. Just 72 miles from Colombo but almost another world - temperate climates, extremely green and very quiet.

These are the Devon falls just a couple of kilometres away from where I stay.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday What are you reading?

2011-10-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday - What are you reading? are two memes which I combine so that readers can have the best that the reading world can offer. Please go visit the links.

This week my Mailbox is fairly heavy - three books are wins

These two were wins from Marce. Thank you Marce.

This was a win from Rebecca. Thanks Rebecca.

This cover does not do the book justice! just could not find the striking cover of the book I have won from Abigail Ann. This goes right away to my son who will enjoy this book.

The balance books are from my second hand shop - all the authors are ones which have been recommended by book bloggers.

Both these books were picked due to recommendations of bloggers. May not be this particular book as I am not always that lucky to get the actual book recommended but I feel getting to read even one of the books by a recommended author is good enough. Bloggers are so discerning that that recommendation alone is enough!

I am hoping to finish two Monica Dickens books (Man Overboard and Thursday Afternoons) - both slightly old fashioned style of writing which I like. Both books are really old and musty - one is published in 1958! The other book which I hope to start on is the Anne Tyler one which I bought last week - Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (I feel that title alone is intriguing enough to get one started!)

It's Monday here in Sri Lanka and a start of hectic week. Am leaving for Negombo (quite close to Colombo but it is going to be a full days work out) this is what Negombo is like.

A fishing town (now an enormous city) with a church on every corner!

Have a good week everyone.

Review - Mary Stewart's THE HOLLOW HILLS

2011-10-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

A sequel to the Crystal Cave which I have not read as yet, this was a wonderful book set in the Arthurian legend.

Combining a mix of familiars, enchanters, magic, lots of real life and enmity, warfare and the permanent warfare that was around in 5th century Britain, this was a book that you couldn't let go.

Arthur conceived under the most bizarre circumstances is sent away at birth to be brought up far away from the court of his father and mother and brought back only when his father is almost on his deathbed. The story
of Arthur from babyhood to being a young man, with Merlin always his guardian, his mentor and guide forms
the crux of the story.

A magnificient book which I read for 3 hours going and 3 hours coming whilst I visited a tea estate which looks like this! this is the two leaves and a bud which is the only thing plucked from the tea bush.

Short Review - Agatha Christie's POSTERN OF FATE

2011-09-30T01:47:00.000-07:00

Tommy and Tuppence move to a very quiet, quaint English village - to do up a house and live the rest of their retired lives in peace. They are not looking for adventure, spies, spy stories but it seems to follow them and before you can say Jack, they are upto their necks in it - trying to unravel a mystery and a couple of deaths which took place over sixty years ago.

Set in absolutely beautifully described countryside, peopled with characters I would love to have living around me, is this the quintessential English village often mirrored in books.

The last book written by Agatha Christie. A wonderful story beautifully told.

Book blog hop 30th September to 3rd October

2011-09-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

I am going back to this meme after a couple of weeks (mainly because I did not do the link part correctly!).

The blog hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books introduces one to a host of bloggers with similar and dissimilar interests. It just adds to the interest. It allows you to meet and discuss matters of interest in the book world apart from adding titles to almost everyone's towering TBR piles.

This weeks question?

“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?”

For me it was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

All of us enjoy visitors to our blogs so I do hope you will visit the linked blogs.

Google!

2011-09-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

Has this happened to anyone where access was denied for "security reasons" ??

I was flummoxed when this happened to me a little while ago specially since I was happily
commenting away. The problem arose when they asked me for mobile number and in whatever
format I gave it, it was rejected saying not in correct format. I do wish Google would put a sample
of what is the correct format as an example. Entering an overseas mobile number one generally has
to put country codes, city code etc but apparently this is not so.
Whose to know unless you specifically say so?

It did give me an anxious forty five minutes but we are back to transmission again!!

Review - Cynthia Harrod Eagles - The POISON TREE

2011-09-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Another book from the series but one which I found different. Upto now we have had the Morland saga complete with family extending to both America and England. We have had basically strong willed women and men who have been people of honor who have worked honestly and well, looking after the family as well as extended family along with their host of retainers and those who have depended on them for their livelihood.

It was a slightly old fashioned way of life, very comfortable and also very satisfying to read. The fact that good always overcame evil was a nice thing to be reiterated. This one brought a more evil character into the story and one who overshadows everything in the book. He is the poison fruit obviously of the Poison Tree. Nicky who pretends to his mother to be the all caring son, who insidiously is continuously poisoning his mother's mind against Bendy the second boy, the innocent, hapless victim who to protect his mother and family decides to give up all and go away.

England is emerging from post war period and the entire mood of the country is somber. There is plenty of violence and a new breed of men around. Those who are looking for quick gain, no sense of honesty and fairplay and for the first time cholera leaves the poverty stricken areas of England and strikes at the heart of the rich.

The Morland family is also stricken - first with Nicky's evil maneuvres, Bendy leaving home and their mother heart broken who leaves the reign of Morland to Nicky who is given ample room to play as much as he wants with the finances and lives of those who live within. The gradual deterioration of Morland House and those who live within is sad and very visible and you feel the end of the dynasty is coming.

A different read from the others, but not less enjoyable.

On a different note I was yesterday in the ancient city of Sigirya - famous for its rock fortress. I was on work but the rock overshadows the entire area being visible for miles. It was a fortress of a king and has beautiful ancient frescoes.

Now its back to office work.

Additional Mailbox Monday!!!

2011-09-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

My mailbox was empty this Monday! so I went shopping Monday morning and got these gorgeous books.

A description said that she was enraged at the limitations of pre-war provincial society. That was good enough reason for me to pick this up!

Mary Stewart has been coming up on several blogs. This book is a sequel but I could not find the first one.

Like the classic Penguins!

Who can resist three Agatha Christie's? Not me.

I read and reviewed another book of this author which I just did not like. So many bloggers said she writes so well, I wanted to read something else of hers.

The latter book set in pre WWII - one of my favourite periods in history.

Has anyone not read The Thorn Birds? I couldn't pass up on this one.

Outlander was one of my first forays into a slightly different genre (for me that is). I liked her book so this is my second.

Review - The Book of the Courtesans by Susan Griffin

2011-09-26T02:16:00.000-07:00

The book was an eye opener. I fell for the cover when I picked it up not really thinking that it would be more of a history lesson, with a bit of romance and politics thrown in. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

The book gives one an indepth view of how women - very beautiful ones obviously - faced many obstacles ranging from grinding poverty, to an absolute lack of education to even in some cases the wrong accent where they had to actually learn to talk in not just a different style but with a totally different accent. Then there was the non formal education of etiquette and what to do when, where and to whom which seemed of paramount importance in France particularly. These women were no empty headed bimbos - they were smart, talented, very clever - much cleverer than the men who were their partners.

Some of the men have gone down in history as figures of importance - Madame du Pompadour and Madame du Barry and Coco Chanel but there were others who were for me just names and those were the ones which caught my interest.

The book was slow paced for me - this is not a quick read and I do wish the illustrations could have been a bit more adventurous but the content of the story interested me well enough, specially since it is a topic I knew very little of.

Actually I have begun to realise that I do know very little and everyday is a learning experience!

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday What are you reading?

2011-09-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Leah of Amused by Books - for September it is being hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse and Wit.

I am linking my post with It's Monday What are you reading? hosted by Book Journey.

Please visit both blogs to get to know what is the latest in the book reading world. It also adds to your TBR piles but that is another story.

I have no new books to add to my Mailbox and this will give me an opportunity to read whatever I have.

For this week I hope to read :

Legionary This is slow going. Set during the height of the Roman empire an era I know very little about. Hope to finish this as well.

River of Smoke - am keeping this for the next completely free day because I do know that I will not be able to put it down once I start. Amitav Ghosh does that for me.

A life in London - Monica Dickens - I started this with much enthusiasm as it deals with "everyday" lives. This is a theme I enjoy very much. Have to get back to it this week.

This coming week is going to be a rushed one. I have a trip planned mid week to Sigiriya - I love the trip and the sightseeing of the countryside which is absolutely beautiful but it does eat into working time!!

This and that!

2011-09-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

This is where I go Thursday to Monday morning. A haven in the hills - that sounds almost poetic! Colombo where I normally live is hot and humid and my husband and I are always rushed. There is always so much of work to get through.

Rozella which is our "up country" home is green, surrounded by tea gardens, almost always 21 degrees and cool by Sri Lankan standards, the only sound is the train on the far hill going every hour and two dogs who adore us. The first picture is the house, the second our bed of leeks (nursery stage)and the third is the tea gardens overshadowing the house. Not very good photographs.

The only drawback is that there is no internet connectivity there. I am working on this but doubtful that I am going to have much success in finding any way around this problem. There are not enough users to make this worthwhile for anyone it seems.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Review - Jean Plaidy's FLAUNTING EXTRAVAGANT QUEEN

2011-09-21T00:21:00.000-07:00

Marie Antoinette comes to Versailles as the bride of the Dauphin as an innocent, light hearted girl of fifteen. She has never been able to think other than for the moment of something that is pleasant, light and fun. However much her mother has stressed on her the need to be serious, far thinking, and conscientious, she has not been the type to take these "scoldings" to heart.

Landing in France, she is flummoxed by the etiquette that is demanded by the Court. From her arrival she is aware that she is no longer an Austrian citizen - she is made to remove every bit of clothing she wore at the border, including a ring given by her mother and wear fresh clothes which were purely French.

From the beginning of the novel one knows there is a sense of impending doom. We know that the fun and frolic which Marie Antoinette surrounds herself is too frothy to last. She seems to live in a bubble of unreality - far away from any kind of real life. Her passion for clothes irrespective of cost, the same thing goes for diamonds, her setting up of an idealistic farm with sheep with ribbons tied around their necks and the ladies being dressed as shepherdesses - makes you feel that this cannot last. Though most people are aware of the end even before they read the story, the cleverness of this author is that she draws you in knowing you are going to a place which is of doom and gloom. You still want to read however.

Marie Antoinette 's role is from the beginning fraught with uncertainity. A bride to a very unwilling bridegroom, no proper counsellors for either Marie Antoinette or her husband, the King overshadowing everyone till his death, the young couple thrust blindly into the spotlight of the political arena with neither having a clue who is friend or foe, even the immediate family vying for position or for taking over the throne and you have the stage set for disaster. Add to this the Queen's gullibility, the recession and poverty of the time, people wanting a scapegoat and a "foreigner" as Queen available and we know who is going to be the victim.

Such a sad read but a very informative one. I did not know that Marie Antoinette had a Swedish lover who was faithful to the end, neither did I know earlier on that Louis her husband was "slow", disinterested in anything and everything and impotent into the bargain. Such a tumultous period in French history beautifully told.

Review - Rosie Thomas 's IRIS AND RUBY

2011-09-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is two distinct stories - one in the present and one in the past. Iris 82 years old who has lived her entire adult life out of England and considers Cairo home. She has lived and loved her life in Cairo. We have Ruby her very young grand daughter - rebellious not seeing eye to eye with her mother Lesley and step father and just knowing that she somehow does not fit in with the family now.

Ruby arrives in Cairo - unannounced, unexpected and unwelcome! she is nonplussed by the lack of welcome and does not realize that Iris just longs to live each day in the past, in a quiet reminiscence of what happened and does not want to be rudely brought into the present times. Through their brief interaction Iris re-lives her entire life by talking to Ruby of incidents in her past - snippets here and there, seemingly unconnected and Ruby slowly unravels her grandmothers very rich life. Ruby seems to be a typical teenager making friends with her taxi driver and falling in love with his brother overnight - she also finds it difficult to adapt to the idea that being in love with someone does not necessarily mean that you have to have a physical relationship with him and is nonplussed at her boyfriend reluctance to engage in sex right away!! At the same time Ruby's relationship with Jas her friend who died also shows depths in Ruby's character which were not apparent till now. The death of Jas was the reason why Ruby felt she had to get away from everyone and go to a place where she was not known.

The story of Iris is mainly focussed on the period of WWII - very interesting time in Egypt's history it being so pivotal during the WW and in Ruby's case it is very much a modern one of here and now in Cairo, changed and yet seemingly unchanged culture wise. This was a nice peek into the Cairo of then and now. The story of Egypt during the WW was very interesting as it showed the importance that the allies placed on Egypt as being the center and the place which divided the West from the East. It shows the privileged life of the Westerner in a poor country even at times of war, enjoying privileges and luxuries denied the people of the country. Iris working in an administrative capacity at the time realises that she can do something by training to be a nurse, and she does so finally moving on to become a doctor much later in her life.

For someone like me who does not travel much and who very much likes to, books like these are interesting reads. I liked the distinction between the old and the new Cairo, the descriptiveness of the markets, the streets, the deserts and even the museums and history all bring Cairo very much to life.

Review Giles Milton's NATHANIEL'S NUTMEG

2011-09-19T03:55:00.000-07:00

I liked the book first its cover - you get the nutmeg fruit in all its detail (not seen very often) and thenyou get all the background in color. The other thing is that Sri Lanka like these islands in the book was very much a target of the Dutch and the British in their quest for spices - in our case it was pepper and cinnamon mainly so this book drew me in.

A very comprehensive story - almost a history book - of the initial investigation for the spices which were so highly prized by Europe. The nutmeg was supposed to be effective against the sleeping sickness - the plague and however expensive it was and it was fabulously expensive, it was much sought after. In the East we take spices for granted having lived with them from the day we are born so it is amazing to watch the actual war that took place over these spices.

The stories start from the 16th and 17th centuries with the quest by Holland and England to seek a route to the spice gardens of the East. Apart from the known routes there were surprises. Explorers thought a way could be found through the Arctic, another thought of reaching it through the Americas going West. The loss of men and ships was immeasurable just by way of natural disasters as well as sickness. The lack of fresh water, the paucity of food, and the type of food available on ships meant that most of the time the crew were decimated even before half the journey was over. The attacks on ships by pirates, other countries and by the natives of the lands which they sought to conquer took care of the rest.

Was the loss of life and costs involved worth it ? obviously the goverments and Crowns of England and Holland thought so because most voyages had the patronage of the Crown. However what was interesting for me was the human angle to the stories - how this man or that survived, what happened to the single man who was left on an island - why did Madam Catriona write her memoirs of her travels only six decades after she left the ship. I am sure there may be many more human interest stories there - the factors and their families who worked and lived on the Banda Islands - never going back to their home countries, those intrepid explorers who left families behind in their quest for the spices - those stories must surely be very interesting.

The tail end of the story focuses on Nathaniel Courthope who led an expedition to take over the island of Run completely covered with nutmeg trees. His attempt to assert the ownership over the Dutch failed.The Dutch then began a relentless assault against the British which culminated in Courthope's death. However the failure turned to triump when the Dutch came up with a treaty handing over the state of Manhattan on the other side of the world to the British in exchange for Run!

This was a good book for me and I will certainly never look at a nutmeg in quite the same way as before. I did not know that the nutmeg tree was brought from the Banda Islands where the islands were depleted of all their nutmeg trees so as not to allow the "other" side to have any benefit from the spice. Those trees were transplated to Bencoolen, Singapore and Sri Lanka where it was planted and did very well.

It's Monday What Are you Reading?/ Mailbox Monday

2011-09-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

I am combining both meme's - Mailbox Monday being presented by Amused by Books. It's Monday What are you reading? sponsored by Book Journey. Please visit the links on both blogs to have an insight into what is happening in the book world.

This week brought me some unusual finds. I am always amazed at what I find in my second hand bookshop. I also love reading the writings on some of the books and trying to imagine what a colorful past the books have had before ending up in Sri Lanka.

The first was Barbara Pyms's The Sweet Dove Died. (inscribed is that it originated from Stadbibliothek Opfion, Glattburg) how did it end in Sri Lanka!!!

The second is Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. This is an author I have been hoping to read for sometime. An Indian origin Canadian who writes in English must be interesting.

The last one was intriguing from the title upwards Nathaniel's Nutmeg - Giles Milton. This is also part of my next meme as I am reading it right now. Very relevant to the Sri Lankans as we had both the Dutch and the British in our country for years and years. More or less a memoir of the travails of the British and Dutch in their search for the "spiceries". Very good reading!

My stay out of Colombo was tiring but the work got done - finally. I love it there but unfortunately the internet connection hardly works. That is the major drawback and six days without internet is a bit too much.
Have a good week.

Review - Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

2011-09-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I had read about this book for months and people raved over the book. When I won it at Stephanie's blog I was delighted.

The story of a 12 year old in trouble with a mentally ill mother and an almost absentee father and how she tries to cope with day to day living. Suddenly her mother dies in a traffic accident and Aunt Tootsie turns up like a fairy godmother and whisks her away to Savannah from a grim house to a fairytale mansion complete with beautiful furnishings, wonderful food and an idyllic lifestyle.

For me the story would be perfect for young 12 year old's with its fairy tale descriptions and also its very happy ending. Too sweet for me - found the Southern aspects of the book too precious for me.

It is an ideal read for very young readers as apart from its very happy storyline it is also a good indication of the value of strong family links and ties.

Review - Cynthia Harrod Eagles - THE HIDDEN SHORE

2011-09-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

This is a fairytale told in a historical setting. It is a Cinderella story brought to real life and one that you will not know is happening till it actually happens. Reading the book we think that Charlotte is doomed. Living with a cranky, disabled father who does not show any love or affection Charlotte is confined to her house with strict instructions not to talk to neighbours or to have any social contact with anyone. Charlotte comes across at this stage as being very naive mainly because she is so over protected.

With her father's death and absolute poverty staring her in the face Charlotte discovers her true identity going through her father's papers. Charlotte is a very wealthy woman and a Countess in her own right and also part of the huge Morland clan. Going to London to meet her mother and extended family Charlotte is thrown into a world of aristocracy and high living far beyond her understanding and for a world which she feels that she is far removed from. Although she enjoys the balls and pleasure that this immense fortune brings her, Charlotte feels that she ought to do something more with her life and moves on to the rookeries and the slums of London hoping to do something which will benefit Londoners.

Flouting convention and only able to do this because of her position and wealth Charlotte pursues her work of helping the poor much to the disgust of several members of her family. Fast forward to Charlotte almost getting married and then being forced to accept that she is being married only for her money and position - she does the unthinkable and gives up on the very handsome Fleetwood. At the same time we have the story of Fanny - also very rich, pretty and looking for love and failing miserably.

The stories of Fanny and Charlotte separate and intertwined are the focus of this book. Both are not the average girl of the times - in different ways both are courageous and different. It would not have been easy to be different during this period of time - where convention and submitting to the norm was of paramount importance. The fact that Charlotte specially was able to do what she did was most commendable.

As usual a very good book and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

2011-09-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mailbox Monday is being sponsored by Amused by Books. I am combining it with the meme It's Monday What are you Reading? sponsored by Book Journey. Both memes are wonderful linking us with people of similar interests and introduce you to a whole host of reading pleasure.

This was the only book that came into my home this last week. It was a win from Taylor of All Things Historical Fiction. Thanks. A period of history I know nothing about so this is going to be good for me.

For reading for this week I have piles of books - leading the list is Cee Cee Honeycutt. There are still Jean Plaidy's to get through which I want to balance with something a little different - not history anyway - so I will go back to my TBR piles.

I am also in the mood to visit my secondhand bookshop today so maybe I will unearth some gems!

Have a good week everyone. From Wednesday I will be again out of Colombo for five days and then no blogging.

Review -Cynthia Harrod Eagles - THE OUTCAST

2011-09-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have not been blogging for quite a few days. I was out of Colombo on a small tea estate with a bungalow that needed to be overhauled and a garden that was ruined by the builders! In six days small miracles have happened, the house is now habitable and presentable the garden is well certainly better than what it was. The rain helps though. Getting away from hot and humid Colombo was a treat but being without the internet was not so hot. I did get quite a lot of reading done though.

I went back to the Morland Dynasty after a long break and enjoyed both books I read so very, very much. I find that the story telling in these family sagas is intimate, very touching, and very real. The emotions are almost tangible from the heartbreak to the joys and the everyday way of life of the period is so well depicted.

The story beginning in 1857 has its backdrop the American Civil War. After many years of comparative quiet and a blissful married life, Benedict faces a figure from his past in the form of a twelve year old orphan who disrupts his household unimaginably. The disruption and disquiet are not just on the Morland side - our orphan Lennox is so depressed, so bullied and so "gentlemanly" about the whole saga that nothing ever gets out.

How Lennox is taken to join his sister Mary in the deep South of America, Benedict's stay there for one year and the events of the War are very detailed and gives one an indepth idea of how this war affected all Americans not just those from the South. My knowledge was zero on this subject and I never realized the divide between the North and South. Almost a them and us. The subject of slavery - so matter of fact in the South - so much part of life but the actual reality of slavery was not pleasant to read. Even in households like the Morlands (American branch) where treatment of slaves was not cruel or sadistic, there was much to be horrified about. Difficult to imagine that even during this part of the 19th century the idea of "slaves" was so widely accepted in the American South as being just part of their economy.

The effect of the war in the families surrounding Mary, the losses of both lives as well as livelihoods, their homes, the looting and pillage of all wars including this one was sad to read about. How they survived the war and try to rebuild their lives is the light at the end of the tunnel for me.

As usual I loved the book.

Review - Helen Hollick's SEA WITCH

2011-09-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

This was a win from Velvet of vvb32reads. This is a book which took me out of my comfort zone. This was the world of pirates and a bit of fantasy, a bit of the paranormal, and a lot of rough and tumble. I loved it. I absolutely loved it.

A love story mixed with the actual tale of piracy, privateers (oooh a very small distinction here) which was delectable. Absolutely irresistible Jesamiah (even the name was good!) and the witch Tiola who is a healer and a midwife in real life are drawn together despite overwhelming odds. Enter the Dutchman who has stability, presence, status and money to offer and who is determined to win the hand of Tiola. On the other hand you get the evil Phillip - step brother to Jesamiah, cruel, vicious and vindictive to the last who not only wants to see the end of Jesamiah but also to see that he suffers to the very end. Add to the mix lots of corrupt government officials in every country you visit, plus a handful of good ones, a few bordellos and there you've got your story.

How someone like Jesamiah who does all the things a pirate does - murder, robbery, pillage and destruction, taking of someone else's property without a qualm and still comes out of the story smelling of roses is the author's cleverness. The descriptions of the daily life on a pirate ship were wonderful and kept one at the edge of one's seat. In my case I couldn't sleep till I finished the book. The intermingling of the history of the period and particularly of the places involved - Cape Town and the Caribbean added lustre to the story.

You feel very much with the characters as they go about their life, and you are really cheering for Tiola to rescue Jesamiah in time (and you do know she is going to get there). I would have been devastated if she didn't. To get such a lot of enjoyment from a book is always my guide that the book has been good - for me that is. I felt that the author herself must have immersed herself in writing this book and above all enjoyed the job tremendously.

I will be away for a few days from the blog - going up country where there is no internet. Will be reading though so hopefully can get through a few more books.

Review - Anne Tyler's BREATHING LESSONS

2011-09-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

This is a Pulitzer prize winner. The book has got rave reviews. I however found Maggie irritating.
Based on just a single day in the life of Maggie and Ira the day encompasses the characters of both
Maggie and Ira - that is the beauty of the author's writing and I presume how she won the Pulitzer.

Maggie and Ira are on their way for a funeral - Maggie's good friend Serena has lost her husband Max to cancer. On their way back (Maggie well before) decides to make a detour to catch up with Fiona her ex-daughter in law because she believes that her son and Fiona can make a go of their marriage despite them being very much divorced. Maggie seems to be good natured in her meddling - she seems to believe that what she thinks is right/will be right/will come out right will happen but she is meddlesome. She will not think things through, she will not think of consequences but just thinks for the moment and only in her own insular way of "hoping for the best" and thinking that her way is the best way.

Ira is matter of fact, let sleeping dogs lie, willing to accept everyone as what they are but he does not have the strength of mind or energy to ask Maggie to mind her own business. He seems to be swept in with her plans so that he also becomes to an outsider as part of the "team" who do as they want, when they want. Even in crisis, he seems to just melt into the background and only once or twice actually begs to differ. He is overwhelmed by Maggie's insistence on doing things her way.

Fast forward and go back in flashback are part of the book. There is no great story, there is no overwhelming love story but there is humor and irritation in equal measure. I was mostly irritated though.
It was not a comfortable read for me because reading a book where a character constantly irritates me is not my idea of a good time.

Sorry this book did not do anything for me, other than the belief that one should not become like Maggie!

Review - Jean Plaidy's MURDER MOST ROYAL

2011-09-04T03:40:00.000-07:00

For readers of historical fiction, the Tudor saga seems endless. The story of Henry the infamous VIII th and his never ending list of wives, mistresses and girlfriends seem tiresome after sometime. But, the strange thing with Jean Plaidy is that the story can be written from so very different angles - the same period in history from the point of view of Katharine of Aragon his first so patient wife, to that of Anne Boleyn (the colorful one) and then the ones who were not so prominent like Jane Seymour or Catherine Howard or Anne of Cleves are all so interesting in their own way.

This particular book dealt mainly with the descending star of Katharine - who did not give up without a very fair fight and the ascendancy of Anne Boleyn - with all the treachery, politicking and planning possible. I did not know till I read this book that Anne was Henry's mistress for over six years and it was only a seemingly unplanned pregnancy which motivated Henry to more actively pursue the divorce in order that her baby would be born legitimate.

The story is sad in parts because it shows that no sooner Anne was heavily pregnant with the so looked forward to "son" Henry's interest in her wavered even during her pregnancy and she had occasion to find him dallying with one or other of her maids. With the birth of Elizabeth, the King seemed to have lost the interest and Anne seems to have lost the firm hold she had on the King.

It was marvellous to read how Henry could justify his looking elsewhere for a wife - with the first wife very much alive - he did it for England, for his people and for the benefit of his country. He discarded Katharine on a point of law which only he could understand - that she was his brother's wife and it is specifically said in the Bible that you cannot marry your brother's wife (this despite Katharine swearing that she was a wife only in name). For Anne it became one trumped up story after another - incest with her brother, treason in every form imaginable. It never helped that Anne was in herself so arrogant and so swollen headed with her own power as Queen that she made enemies by the dozen during her short period of glory. There were many who just waited to see her downfall including her sister in law Jane who brought forward the charge of incest and who on her execution admitted that it was a lie.

Anne enjoyed being Queen, her love for the King was secondary to her love for the position of Queen. She enjoyed the privileges of her position and specially liked to act as benefactor to any of her relations in need. At the same time, she did not forget a slight and to this end went to any extent to see to that person's downfall. She did this with so many statesmen that she turned the normally placid
Englishmen against her who thought she was a witch who had enticed the King to act as he did.

That Henry was putty in her hands during her days of glory - of that there is no doubt. He gave in to her demands, put so many men and women to death (women in his reign for the first time were done to death) but he always found a way to justify his conscience and the stories he spun were remarkable. His courtiers speedily complied with his way of thinking (if they wanted to keep their own heads) and so he went on his way merrily.

The last third of this book deals with Anne's death and how first Jane Seymour becomes Queen and after the birth of her son dies soon after. Just two years later Henry is looking out for someone young, fresh and pretty and his eyes fall on Catherine Howard.But in the meantime a political marriage is arranged but that falls flat as the lady is not pretty, neither young or good looking. After this it is the turn of Catherine who for a very short time enamours the King completely, who believes that he can now rest in peace for the rest of his days with his very young wife! but behind the scenes there is her Uncle who is plotting her downfall and poor Catherine leaves the door wide open for anyone and everyone to accuse her of loose morals/adultery and treason. After her sad execution we see Henry alone but not for long!!! he is on the lookout for his next wife.

The other books I have read deal with one character at a time with just a side serve as it were of the other characters in the story. This one deals in great detail of so many of the wives as and when they come into the path of Henry VIII.

Sad but true and very readable.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday What are you reading?

2011-09-04T03:17:00.000-07:00

Mailbox Monday is a meme sponsored by Marcia of the Printed Page. For September the host is Amused by Books. My mailbox was a bit light this week with only this best seller which was a win from Stephanie. Thanks Stephanie.

I am linking Mailbox Monday with It's Monday What are you Reading? This is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. The two memes links one to bloggers worldwide and give you the best update of what is happening in the book reading world.

For this coming week I still hope to finish a Jean Plaidy, Amitav Ghosh (Rivers of Smoke) a rather heavy book so I will need time for that and maybe one more from my TBR pile.

Have a good week.

Review - Norah Lofts THE HOMECOMING

2011-09-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

I have such a nice cover for my book which I can't find anywhere so you will have to be happy with this rather stark one.

My first reading of as I know now, this very prolific author. We have the tale of romance, almost unbelievable. Sir Geoffrey presumed dead all these years returns to Sybilla his faithful wife with Tana a concubine from a harem. She saved his life and in return he helped her to escape the harem. This little tidbit is not revealed but she is later described as a Spanish lady of means with a blurred history.

He is welcomed by his family - his sons all scattered, his daughter only seeking love from anyone around and Sybilla who accepts his story without a murmur. A little while later Sybilla is pregnant and bears a son and Tana bears a daughter. It is here the story actually comes into play because Joanna and Robert become more or less the focal point of the story.

The survival of the Tallboys family- the importance of land, increasing one's ownership of more and more arable land which is the early focus of the book, the difficult life for second and third sons who have nothing to look forward to as a patrimony and have to find a way of living (not easy when one has got accustomed to live a life of leisure) and how Joanna survives everyone who is trying to put her down make for an interesting book.

This book which is part of a triology which I would dearly like to read (and it will be sheer good luck to find) deals with a particular family and the tribulations, happiness and sorrows that follow them.

Writing historical fiction, keeping within the actual facts of history Lofts also is able to go into detail about this particular family - and at the same time give us a very good idea of what conditions were like in England at the time - both from a broad as well as a domestic level. This is what made it interesting for me. I love the trivial bits of information how households were run and the enormous capabilities of good housewives whose worth was immeasurable for the successful running of a home. The training of young girls was not just a fad, but a necessity for survival as it was on them that the entire structure of the home lay. It was not just the cooking, and the cleaning, but the stillroom, the animals, the preservation of food, and even the making of cloth and all clothing and furnishings were their responsibility. Modern women have nothing to complain about!

A very interesting author and one whose books I am going to search for.

Review = John Braine's ROOM AT THE TOP

2011-09-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

The story set in 1921 takes me right back to my favourite era - just post World War and everyone is very sure that a change will come about. Joe Lampton born on the wrong side of the tracks to good middle class folk, seeks to improve his lot - he wants the easy going, fast, moneyed life of the upper middle class and to this end is willing to sacrifice/make up to anyone who will help him achieve this end.

Joining the Town Hall with very good prospects, Joe is not one of those willing to plod along or to go on the path travelled by his friends. He wants the quickest way to the top. Enter the ladies.

One is Alice - a married woman who is available and falls for Joe - the feelings seem mutual until he decides that though Alice is good for a fling, it is Susan with her father's money behind her who is his star attraction. Unwilling to give up on either, he manages to hang on to both with much subterfuge but when found out is willing to drop Alice immediately.

Eventually Joe achieves his ambition of marrying Susan. Alice in drunken remorse drives her car to her death and though Joe initially is struck by despondency he shrugs these feelings off and gets on with his own life.

The book is an embodiment of the British obsession of the time with society, class and how to better oneself. For Joe it was to marry money. There was no other way up for him. He was not one willing to work for his bread and butter and improve his lot by sheer dint of hard work. He wanted it all and he wanted it now!

You do not like Joe Lampton at all - neither could I admire his sheer determination to go on the upward mobile path but the book is a good indication of what life was like in Britain at the time.

My blogging has been sporadic this week. I have been out of Colombo twice - we are having a problem with staff on one property which has to be sorted out soon. Worrisome details of daily life. On a nice note, we attended a lovely wedding today - the bridegroom was Singhalese and the bride Tamil. I believe that more marriages like this bode well for our country. So much division and separation - this is one way forward to tolerance and living peacefully together.

Blogger!

2011-08-29T23:03:00.001-07:00

At long last my last post was allowed (!!!) to be published.

Review Lilian Harry's MOONLIGHT AND LOVE SONGS

2011-08-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Second World War has come to an end and it has changed the world forever. Just reading this book you can see the huge changes that have taken place within families and this is why this book is so enthralling. I like family stories and this book encompassed several of them - all interlinked by having connections to one street.

Parents can shout and scream and say "you have to do what I say" but there is nothing one can do when one has had a daughter move from being a stay at home, domestic, obedient girl to being one of a very crack Airforce team, assembling from salvage a plane which will go on combat missions. She is also under strict orders not to discuss any matters pertaining to her work with anyone and anyone includes her father. A little difficult for an autocratic father who has been used to implicit obedience to understand or accept - this is exactly what happens and he retorts by saying you will get a crack across your head if you do not say what you are doing!

How April Grove changed in all its aspects is the story of Moonlight and Lovesongs. The title is deceptive as it may indicate a light hearted read - the light hearted bits are there but it is much more for such a small book. The heartache of separation, sometimes forever, the loss of loved ones and not knowing whether they are dead or alive, the agony of having a prisoner of war son, and the sheer futility at the loss of human life is shown over and over again.

One thing which came out very clearly in the story apart from the human angle is the sheer grit of the British public, the absolute support for their authorities - despite the hardships, the rationing and the restrictions. The restriction on travel, the lack of petrol, the lack of proper clothing, the use of coupons, the restrictions on the food available as everything was turned to the war effort was accepted without revolt - maybe a few grumblings here and there but it seemed to be shushed at source as it was the greater good that was important.
One of the rationing aspects which was awesome was the making of an apricot tart with pureed carrots - how one could camoflauge that only God knows!!!

The book dealt with each inhabitant of April Grove from Carol who was forced to give up her baby born out of wedlock by a domineering, cruel mother to Olive who was madly in love with her husband Derek and then falls in love with a quiet man Ray despite her not wanting to. There is Diane fighting her feelings for a Yankee airman as she detests everything "American" as she feels bitterly that they came into the war too late. How some families allowed the war to drive them apart and how some families just became closer and more supportive. The stories are so personal that I could well believe that this is not fiction.

A tale beautifully told.

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday What are you reading?

2011-08-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Mailbox Monday is presently on tour. For September the host is Amused by Books. For August it is Life in the Thumb. I am combining this meme with It's Monday What are you Reading hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.

Both memes gives one an insight into what is happening in the book blogging world, what is the latest in reading and what is the best the book world has to offer!

This was a new book which I could not resist. I love his books and the seller was most persuasive!

The other three books are from my second hand book shop in Wellawatte. I never know what is going to turn up there. It could be old, old books or brand new. Its like a lucky dip.

Anne Tyler -

Norah Lofts - The Homecoming. Part of a triology but that will have to wait for discovery in the future. I liked the book mark on this one. It is part of Raleigh Library in Kensington (Australia) and the charge for taking this book is ten cents!!!

I like Monica Dickens and I like London so this was a good choice I think!

I will be reading Room at the Top by John Braine, The Quiet American by Graham Greene

and hopefully another Jean Plaidy. She got pushed back this week for other books which caught

my eye. I also like to finish the Monica Dickens this week so it is quite a lot of reading.

On a personal note Shivanthi my second daughter went back to Melbourne after a whirlwind three week holiday. I think she'd need a vacation there to get over the one here!!! House is very quiet once again.

Review - John Irving's WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR

2011-08-26T00:07:00.000-07:00

This was a different read. So many "main" characters all important to the story. Eddie is a kind of apprentice to Ted Cole, a famous children's book author. You also get Marion his wife who is not interested in her husband or her daughter after she lost her two sons. You get Ruth never knowing why her mother is so disinterested in her/almost dislikes her it seems to the child in Ruth.

We have Eddie as a very young man madly in love with Marion - a love which he continues till the end of the book and we have Ted - almost a serial lover, seducing the young mothers of his fans, seducing anyone and everyone including Hannah - his daughters best friend. You have Ruth in the midst of this dysfunctional family - her only links to her family being the stories around her two brothers and the number of photographs of them adorning their home.

Fast forward 30 to 40 years - both Ruth and Eddie are fairly famous. Marion is missing escaping to Canada and writing under a pseudonym there. Ruth is still footloose - finding it difficult to put down roots, though she does want to get married and more importantly for her have a child. We still have Eddie hopelessly in love with Marion who is almost 40 years his senior. His love has not even waned never mind died. Ruth uses her friend's Hannah's life in her novels and Eddie uses Marion aging Marion with each book.

The story is long drawn and winding - I read the first part put it aside and then came to it much later and finished it in one go. At the end it became more tantalising as you wanted to know where Ruth was going after all this time. It came together well in the end.

Review - Banana Yoshimoto's THE LAKE

2011-08-24T02:58:00.000-07:00

This was a win for me from Sakura of Chasing Bawa and one which I looked forward to immensely. My reading of Japanese authors has been rather limited and having heard great reviews of this book I awaited it very eagerly.

For me the book was not an easy read, despite a delightful font (a pet grouse of mine!) and a short book. Chihiro has lost her mother after a prolonged illness and is a bit estranged from her father. Her relationship with Nobu who comes with a chequered past is intriguing. Are they in love or are they just comfortable with each other. Has Chihiro drifted into the relationship because of the lack of any other focus in her life and is Nobu selfish in wanting to cling to someone because he is generally not good with people.

This was my first read of a Yoshimoto novel so I have nothing to compare her writing with. The characters seem to deal with past issues more than with the present. The past is so complex that it colors their whole present and makes progress rather difficult. The story attempts to move from darkness to light - from past traumatic histories to a more pleasant, lighter future.

The appearance of the lake, the mystery surrounding it, the two characters which occupy the house which Nobu had lived in added to the mystery which I did not understand very well. Neither could I connect it to the main story very well. It seemed a bit far fetched to me at this point.

I hope I do get to Yoshimoto's earlier novels later on as they have been huge successes. This one was not for me.