Two Dogs & a Suitcase - Clueless in Charente (Sarah Jane's Travel Memoirs)

I always envy as well as admire the step that people take, when they decide to move to another country. It seems such an awfully big one in terms of stepping out of one's known territory to the unknown and despite it all looking very beautiful and attractive during a holiday, actually living there is a totally different cup of tea.

This travel memoir includes a renovation of a derelict, almost abandoned house and making it habitable and safe for people and of course the dogs to live in. Moving away from children as well seems to have been a huge step so it also has to be a haven for returning family.

Leaving some dark memories behind in far off Australia, moving to South West France seems an alternative that would suit all. A rather large family means that it should be accessible to all and from the memoir there are a lot of family ties that have been strained and need to get mended

Apart from the travelogue part the family story was also sensitively dealt with.

This was a free download from Amazon.

The Lost Cases of Bryant & May - London's Glory by Christopher Fowler

The story is so entertaining but in a very understated may I say British way!

The collection of short mystery/murder stories is eclectic and varied. A woman found with her throat slashed in a snowy field. No footprints, nothing. Like this the other stories follow and wherever the two go murder seems to follow them as well. A bit like Miss Marple.

I enjoyed the slower telling of the story. A bit on the eccentric and quirky side but that makes it different and very likeable!

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Random House Publishing Group - Alibi.

The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee

I've tried to get to Neel Mukherjee's books for some time. I never could find them in Colombo and pounced on this one despite it being quite a chunkster.

The year is 1966 and the setting is an upper middle class Bengali extended family - The Ghosh's. It is quite a large family - three sons married with their respective wives and children and one unmarried daughter now reaching the dreaded age of 26 and no partner in sight, There are many similarities to a Sri Lankan system here but we do not get extended families living together - and if they do it is because of economic reasons not because they have to. Arranged marriages are on the decline and certainly young couples have a definite say on what they want or do not want,

I was however very comfortable with this book. It shows up the Marxist philosophies which have always existed in Calcutta and in the state of Bengal throughout and also indicated  how it crept into such an insular, rich family. That one of them was able to act out this philosophy, make a break and adapt to the philosophy was a rare occasion. The upper middle class seemed to live in their own little world and though they were aware of politics and unrest, these were things which happened elsewhere. As one of the mothers said, the family was the most important part of the whole scene and you did everything and anything to protect the family name and reputation, increase their wealth and add to it so there was something left for the next generation.

This era however sees slight splits coming into the family - there are envies and jealousies of the bitterest kind amongst the sisters in law and they do try to influence their husbands as much as they can, petty unkindness shown to the widowed sister in law and her two children, treating them as outcasts, the vicious mother in law is present throughout and the equally nasty and frustrated sister in law who knows that the all important color of her skin has doomed her to all prospects of any decent marriage and she is destined to remain a spinster despite increased dowry and lowered expectations.

Despite the thread of political unrest and simmering tension, the war that will erupt between the haves and the have nots, the story is a picturesque description of life in a household in Bengal at the time. The gradual erosion of power and presence receding from the middle class to the downtrodden masses is felt coming close and despite this this category of family continue, especially the women blissfully unaware of the changes happening in society. They only accept it when it comes slap bang in their faces but even at that time, they only acknowledge it for the moment and then lapse back into a period of time when their comfort and pleasure were the most important things in life. What unhappiness or misery existed in those around them were not for them to worry about.

Absolutely stunning characterization, very descriptive of the day to day workings of a household the book held me enthralled throughout.

My only grumble was the tiny print!

Getting A Life by Helen Simpson - very short review.

Told from the perspective of various women the stories are funny, sad, introspective and sometimes quite dark.

The characters were very real and life like. A teenager vowing never to turn into an adult like those around her, a woman buying totally impractical clothes at an exorbitant price at a shop so exclusive that you need a password to get into, a woman with three children taking life one day at a time hoping that she or things around her would change.

A collection of short stories which seemed ideal for me in between various odd jobs around the house!

The Secret by the Lake by Louise Douglas

Julia returns to the tiny village where she lived as a child with her sister Caroline and her parents. Her memories of her childhood are overshadowed by her sister Caroline's behaviour and the said and unsaid perceptions of people in the area towards her family. The Aldridge family hate her guts and do not want her back and others are more restrained, but not overwhelmingly welcoming or friendly.

Julia who turns to Amy in desperation for help  as she seems incapacitated by the death of her beloved husband Alain and particularly wants protection for her daughter Vivianne who is acting stranger and stranger by the day.

Amy who is not willing to be a bystander to what is happening at the cottage literally unlocks a can of worms and we have the spirit world, a conspiracy by three influential people  in the village, present and past child sex abuse and a whole mystery and murder hidden for over thirty years. Unraveling  the story and giving Caroline justice after all these years is Amy's goal and that she finds love whilst doing it is the icing on the cake.

Very good characterization, nice story telling and a story which keeps one on the edge.

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Random House UK Transworld Publishers.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P D James

I love P D James's books and am always looking out for those I've missed. Coming across this one in Melbourne's library was a good one for me. I was totally taken aback though when I realised it is a JA variation of our much loved Elizabeth and Darcy with the setting of Pemberley.

Elizabeth and Darcy have settled into their married life very well. After initial hesitations on the part of many Elizabeth has now been accepted as being an extremely suitable wife and mistress of this great estate. Darcy has mellowed and with two sons in the nursery their joy in life seems complete. Their peaceful world is however about to be destroyed by the advent of Lydia and Wickham who embroil the whole family in murder, mystery and mayhem.

Taking us through the murder and the mystery in usual P D James's inimitable style, one marvels how the characters of Elizabeth and Darcy are used in the deduction and solving of a crime which would be comparable to any present day crime.

Marvellously told, beautiful characterization and descriptive in the most effective detail this was a wonderful read.

Serpents in Eden Countryside Crimes - Edited by Martin Edwards. A collection of short stories.

Thirteen short stories all set in the English countryside. Quiet, peaceful, idyllic countryside and the most twisted of crimes.

All very good authors of crime stories and all with a twist in the tale! Very interestingly put together and told.

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Poisoned Pen Press.