Archive | July 2022

Elysium Tide by James R Hannibal

Jul12

Exciting And Well Executed

Elysium Tide by James R Hannibal is an exciting contemporary crime suspense that captured my attention from the start.

The main setting in Maui is very exotic and in complete contrast to a grey London. An ex-army vet and surgeon is sent to Maui for some r and r. It proves anything but as he is soon embroiled in the hunt to catch a killer, along with the local police lady. They make a dynamic duo after originally locking swords.

Elysium Tide is a fast-paced suspense with an intricately, well thought out and well executed plotline. The reader turns this way and that, trying to join the dots.

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A Slice Of Life From A Vicar’s Wife by Jean Jarvis

Jul11

A Pure Delight

A Slice Of Life From A Vicar’s Wife by Jean Jarvis is a most charming little book that gives glimpses into a life over the years.

Jean Jarvis was born in 1937 and has written this delightful book with a snapshot into her life.

We hear a little of the war years. The book mainly focuses on the years after she met her husband to be in 1960.

As we drop in and out of Jean Jarvis’ life, it is a pleasure to share her memories.

Jean Jarvis life was ordinary in many ways but extraordinary in others. Her husband was friend and confidant of the poet John Betjeman.

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The Last Hours In Paris by Ruth Druart

Jul7

The Circle

The Last Hours In Paris by Ruth Druart is a powerful dual timeline novel that consumed me.

The action is set in Paris in 1944 and in a provincial village in 1963. It alternates between the two time periods and from three different points of view. “The past is part of who we are.” It links to the present as it cannot be severed. A lost life is calling with bittersweet memories.

Paris of 1944 was under Nazi occupation. It was a terrifying time. A period of distrust and distress. Lives could be interrupted at any time.

Against this backdrop, love can still bud and blossom. There were pockets of happiness creating warm memories.

Not all Germans were Nazis. We follow some of the action through the eyes of a broken young man, reluctantly conscripted into the Hitler youth, and then the war. At the eastern front he witnessed scenes that cannot be ‘unseen’ and was forever changed.

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The Primrose Railway Children by Jacqueline Wilson

Jul6

To The Moon And Back

The Primrose Railway Children by Jacqueline Wilson is a wonderful modern re-telling of E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children. It is perfect for ages eight years and over and is sure to delight whatever your age.

I am a huge fan of the 1970 film but have never warmed to the original book. However The Primrose Railway Children captured my attention and my heart from the start. It follows similar but slightly different storylines to the original and is absolutely charming.

The action is told via ten year old Phoebe in the first person. She is realistic, likable and easy to empathise with. I ‘travelled’ through the novel in her shoes. She has a fourteen year old sister Becks and an eleven year old brother Perry, who has autism. We witness the ups and downs of sibling relationships. They basically love each other with the occasional spat.

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