From Kate:
The Testaments by Margaret AtwoodFor someone who absolutely detested The Handmaid's Tale when I read it back in the late nineties (for my then boyfriend so he did haven’t to), but enjoyed (in a terribly misery –porn type way) the TV series, I was dubious as to how I would find this. But I really enjoyed it. I thought Atwood managed to cleverly craft the story I remember in the books, and the characters from the TV series in together, so that it felt like it didn’t matter which one you had read or seen. I felt the ending had resolution, and that was sorely needed in this messed up year of unknowns.
From Lara:
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
This is undoubtedly my favourite read of this year. An enchanting book about stories. The world is beautiful and magical. You can get lost in it and in desire to visit the Starless Sea, to spend time among the books, and the cats, and the people. This is a book for people who love stories, and magic, and dreaming.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
I found a nice element of truth in this novel, which is loosely based on the real WWI spy Louise de Bettignies, aka Alice Dubois. There are some gritty topics, including abortion and PTSD, balanced by some of the most brilliantly written relationships. It is well worth reading for an insight into women’s experiences in both world wars.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
I love a book that gives me a different perspective, with characters whose life experience is entirely different from my own. This book ticks that box on several levels. It explores topics including immigration, racism, disability, and infertility. There is drama, and mystery, and it is an excellent character study.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
This is undoubtedly my favourite read of this year. An enchanting book about stories. The world is beautiful and magical. You can get lost in it and in desire to visit the Starless Sea, to spend time among the books, and the cats, and the people. This is a book for people who love stories, and magic, and dreaming.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
I found a nice element of truth in this novel, which is loosely based on the real WWI spy Louise de Bettignies, aka Alice Dubois. There are some gritty topics, including abortion and PTSD, balanced by some of the most brilliantly written relationships. It is well worth reading for an insight into women’s experiences in both world wars.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
I love a book that gives me a different perspective, with characters whose life experience is entirely different from my own. This book ticks that box on several levels. It explores topics including immigration, racism, disability, and infertility. There is drama, and mystery, and it is an excellent character study.
From JAM:
Actress by Anne Enright
This is the latest novel by Enright who is something of an Irish literary phenomenon. Nora watches from the wings as her mother, the famous actress, Katherine O'Dell self-destructs. Questions of who might be Nora's father and why her mother went mad, shooting a producer in the foot, linger through the pages. A novel about problematic mother and daughter relationships, the price of fame and fandom but which could be about anything at all as far as I was concerned as I just love Enright for her bitingly witty writing.
A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson takes you back to 1960 and the Greek Island of Hydra, home to a bunch of ex-pat writers and artists. Young Erika has escaped a controlling father and watches as 25-year-old Leonard Cohen steps off the boat and meets his future muse, Marianne Ihlen. There's lots of bad behaviour and some beautifully evocative writing makes all it very real: the sea, the beaches, the food and wine, the scents of summer - almost as good as being there.
A Sin of Omission by Marguerite Poland
This one tore my heartstrings, the story of a young African priest in South Africa during the 1870s. It begins as Rev. Stephen Mzamane makes the journey to his mother's rural home to tell her about his older brother's death. This author has done heaps of research to create a picture of colonial snobbery and cultural divisions at a time of unrest and oppression. This novel still haunts me months after turning the last page.
This is the latest novel by Enright who is something of an Irish literary phenomenon. Nora watches from the wings as her mother, the famous actress, Katherine O'Dell self-destructs. Questions of who might be Nora's father and why her mother went mad, shooting a producer in the foot, linger through the pages. A novel about problematic mother and daughter relationships, the price of fame and fandom but which could be about anything at all as far as I was concerned as I just love Enright for her bitingly witty writing.
A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson takes you back to 1960 and the Greek Island of Hydra, home to a bunch of ex-pat writers and artists. Young Erika has escaped a controlling father and watches as 25-year-old Leonard Cohen steps off the boat and meets his future muse, Marianne Ihlen. There's lots of bad behaviour and some beautifully evocative writing makes all it very real: the sea, the beaches, the food and wine, the scents of summer - almost as good as being there.
A Sin of Omission by Marguerite Poland
This one tore my heartstrings, the story of a young African priest in South Africa during the 1870s. It begins as Rev. Stephen Mzamane makes the journey to his mother's rural home to tell her about his older brother's death. This author has done heaps of research to create a picture of colonial snobbery and cultural divisions at a time of unrest and oppression. This novel still haunts me months after turning the last page.
Akin by Emma Donoghue
Donoghue took the world by storm with Room. In her new book we meet urbane, elderly New Yorker Noah, a man planning a visit to Nice - the place of his birth and a bunch of family secrets. But social services saddle Noah with Michael, his eleven-year-old grand-nephew and two make the perfect odd couple. A layered, heart-warming book about how blood can be thicker than water and which also takes you to some wonderful nooks and crannies in this interesting corner of France.
Milkman by Emma Burns
Once I got used to the Northern Irish lilt of the narrator this was a brilliant read. Set during the troubles it describes the problems of a young woman who has a 'maybe boyfriend' on the other (wrong) side. She's already lost a brother to the conflict and a sister is in exile. How she navigates the tricky politics of her dangerous world makes a tense story, particularly when she attracts the attention of 'the milkman', an older man and paramilitary leader. This novel cleverly captures the feeling of impending violence and the stress it inflicts on ordinary people in an oddly witty way.
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