Tag Archive | Penguin Books

V For Victory by Lissa Evans

Aug5

A Social Commentary

V For Victory by Lissa Evans is a historical novel set in the closing years of World War II during 1944. It is the third book in a series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Lissa Evans has composed a very personable novel that engages and entertains. The humor is both tongue-in-cheek and also highly visible by means of the author’s descriptive pen.

The novel is set in London, surrounding the occupants of a boarding house. 1944 saw the introduction of the V1 and V2 rockets that caused much devastation. We see life through the eyes of the air raid wardens. Their bravery and kindness, and their competence are admirable.

The characters are all uniquely drawn and very likable.

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What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama

Jun17

Serene, Calming, Beautiful

What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama is a serenely beautiful Japanese fiction novel. This is a book that will sink into your heart and soothe your soul.

In the story we hear five stories focusing on five different people who are searching for meaningful lives – without realizing that every life is meaningful and every life is valuable. They all need “somebody who believed in me.”

The librarian does not just have a vast knowledge of books, she has a perception of people. She knows just what each individual is looking for. She presents each one with a small gift as well as pointing them in the direction of the books. Each gift is designed to help that person think about their life. “It’s as if she sees me, just as I am.”

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The People On Platform 5 by Clare Pooley

Jun7

Be More Iona

The People On Platform 5 by Clare Pooley is the most charming contemporary novel that I absolutely adored and read it in just two sittings. It was a book I never wanted to end.

Clare Pooley has created a wonderful set of eclectic characters, all totally unique but with one thing in common – they all catch the train into London at the same time. As we meet them, the reader warms to them all. It is easy to envisage the characters and their train carriage setting. They all give each other nicknames in side their heads which is believable as I do that too!

Each day is identical to all the others – until one day and a grape! This is a pivotal day on which everything changes.

Iona is a social, brightly coloured butterfly in a world of grey. Her personality lights up a room. She is also very wise, having a lot of life experience. At fifty seven years old, this beautiful butterfly is invisible at work, passed over in favour of the younger generation. She is not the only one for whom work is important. “If he were no longer a trader, then who would he be?” Our identity should not be tied up in our jobs, we are so much more than what we do for a living.

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My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar with Dina Kraft

Apr28

In Memory Of The Six Million Innocents

My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar with Dina Kraft is a powerful and heartbreaking account of a time of great evil. The book is written by one of Anne Frank’s closest friends who also fled Germany for Amsterdam in order to be safe. Hannah Pick-Goslar lived in the same apartment block as Anne Frank and they were in the same class at school.

The author tells of life before the war and of life as it was gradually eroded for the Jewish people.

Even before captivity Hannah Pick-Goslar faced personal tragedy as she was forced to grow up and become mother to her two year old sister.

As the grip of the Nazis tightened on Jewish lives, the author, her sister, father and grandparents were all interred at Westerbork. The only thing that saved them from even harsher treatment was their passports for Israel. Many months later they would be transferred to Bergen Belsen which was hell on earth. We hear of the awful conditions which just got worse and worse. It is in Belsen that Hannah Pick-Goslar briefly met Anne Frank who was in even worse conditions with her sister Margo. The optimistic Anne was broken, without hope, believing all her family had perished. Had she known her father Otto was alive, she would have had hope.

Hannah Pick-Goslar and her sister were put on the ‘lost train’ which wandered for nearly two weeks before liberation by the Russians.

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