Three short reviews - Elizabeth Peters Borrower of the Night, Pamela Oldfield's Early one Morning and Thrity Umrigar's If Today be Sweet

This is going to be a couple of short reviews as the books have been around for sometime. I am in my last week in Melbourne and trying to finish last minute tasks including a marathon cook up of curries for my daughter who says pasta is a last option for her! I love all kinds of pasta but she cant stand it.

The first review was the first Vicky Bliss murder mystery - Elizabeth Peters Borrower of the Night. I am glad I went to the first even though the books are not necessarily to be read in a specific order. It was not a huge mystery but interesting enough covering Switzerland, America, Germany and involved a wicked Aunt, a naive niece who turned up to be not so naive after all, two American scholars who just wanted to restore something that was lost (a priceless shrine) and one American who was more or less out for it himself! Add to this a couple of murders - all connected to the priceless shrine and you have the mystery. It was a treasure hunt with strange characters, nice offbeat banter at times and a pleasant very quick read.

The next review was a change Pamela Oldfield - Early one Morning. A completely different slow paced setting in a conservative English household. Set in the early part of the last century it deals with a horse stable running family - prosperous and well settled and a "name" in the county. Nancy the daughter of the house engaged to be married, and Lillian a step mother who just does not fit in with the country set. Lillian horrifies everyone by eloping with Donald leaving behind a nine year old son and husband! Husband commits suicide and the downward spiral from there including Nancy breaking off her engagement.

A comfortable read looking at the life and times of women of this period and the attitude of men towards their womenfolk. Always nice for me to read and so grateful I am living in the present times!


The last book up for review was If Today be Sweet - Thrity Umrigar. What can one say about Umrigar's books. Passionate, emotional, sad and sweet at the same time, depicting all the emotions and ups and downs of life. It does not matter if the book is talking about an Indian family in the States. These are human characters found all over the world and she brings such a beauty to the story, my words will not do it justice.

Tehmima - the mother in law of the story, recently widowed - bereft with the unaccepted loss of her husband Ruston, we then get Sohrab and his American wife Susan and Cookie the little boy of the story. The book deals with loss, sadness, joy and the future and how all the sayings of Omar Khayyam are so apt today as it was in the days gone by.

A beautiful book to read and treasure. Unfortunately I had to give this one back to Carnegie library!