23.3.12

Book Review: Scissors Paper Stone by Elizabeth Day

Charles Redfern is in a coma. As he lies motionless, his wife Anne and daughter Charlotte are forced to come together to confront their relationships with him- and with each other.Anne, once regarded as beautiful and clever, has felt herself disappearing for years, paling besides her husband's harsh brilliance. Anxious to fit in with the expectations of the people around her, she keeps her disillusionment buried inside, mechanically attending the endless round of drinks parties and dinners in her keenly social neighbourhood, and trying to ignore the guilt that trails behind her like a shadow.Charlotte, battling an inner darkness that threatens to overwhelm her, is desperate to prevent her relationship with not-yet-divorced Gabriel from disintegrating through her own self-sabotage.As the full truth of Charles's  hold over them emerges into the light, both women must come to terms with the choices they have made, and the uncertainty of a future without the figure that has dominated them for so long.
I can't believe that this is Elizabeth Day's first novel as it is just brilliant. She explores the damage caused to individuals when they are hurt and betrayed by their own family members. In some ways it is quite a simple idea for a book yet the complex feelings and relationships presented in this story are far from simple.
Scissors Paper Stone jumps back and forth between the past and the present so we get a very detailed picture of how this family unit was created and then destroyed. Some parts make for very uncomfortable reading and I applaud Elizabeth Day for dealing with such a sensitive and taboo subject in an incredibly honest way. She manages to avoid clichés and I was completely absorbed by her story telling.
I can't write too much about the plot as it would spoil it. However, for me, this book was all about the writing. I felt that the author had a very strong writing style and I really hope that she has more books to offer in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Many thanks to Helen at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review, Scissors Paper Stone is out now.

15.3.12

Book Review: It's A Kind of Magic by Carole Matthews

Emma and Leo have been together- on and off- forever. But their relationship seems to have lost its sparkle.
When Leo turns up at Emma's thirtieth birthday dinner unforgivably late and horribly late and horribly drunk; she can't help wishing things were different. If only someone could wave a magic wand over him and turn him into a reliable, considerate boyfriend it would certainly save her a lot of trouble.
Then Leo's path crosses with a decidedly unusual girl called Isobel and, as he falls under her spell, Emma sees him altering before her very eyes. Soon she regrets wishing for a 'new' Leo at all. And, surely, Isobel can't be for real? One thing's clear, if Emma's going to win him back, she'll need to do some changing of her own.

The very lovely Carole Matthews sent me this book when she saw on Twitter that I wasn't too sure about books with fairies in them. Well, I have been well and truly converted as It's A Kind of Magic has a fairy as one of the main characters and I loved it.
Leo and Emma have been on and off for years but it is the final straw for Emma when Leo turns up very late and very drunk to her 30th Birthday meal. She ends their relationship, convinced that she will not be able to change Leo and he is not the kind of man that she wants to be with. Leo is pretty upset about losing Emma as she has always taken him back in the past. But then he bumps into Isobel and his whole world changes; Isobel is a fairy and she sees Leo as her earthly soul mate. Leo suddenly has a very beautiful girlfriend who will do anything to make him happy and more importantly doesn't want to change a thing about him.
Emma can't quite believe how quickly Leo moves on and begins to regret her decision. Her own mother tells her that she should never have tried to change him, he may have been a bit unpredictable and unreliable but that doesn't mean that he wasn't the right one for her. So now Emma wants Leo back but she has Isobel to contend with. How do you compete against a fairy and exactly how long is Isobel planning on staying around for?
It's A Kind of Magic is a really lovely read. I loved the magical element of Isobel being a fairy and it reminded me a little of the fairytale nature of Cecelia Aherne's books. Carole Matthews once again delivers her story with large handfuls of humour and charm and I really enjoyed the will they won't they aspect of Leo and Emma's relationship.
So if you are looking for a really lovely book or like me, have a bit of a downer on fairies then look no further than It's A Kind of Magic, I enjoyed every page.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

7.3.12

Book Review: The Two Week Wait by Sarah Rayner

What if the thing you most longed for was resting on a two week wait?
After a health scare, Brighton-based Lou is forced to confront the fact that her time to have a baby is running out. She can't imagine a future without children, but her partner doesn't seem to feel the same way, and she's not sure whether she should go it alone.
Meanwhile, up in Yorkshire, Cath is longing to start a family with her husband Rich. No one would be happier to have a child than Rich, but Cath is infertile.
Could these strangers help each other out?

I read Sarah Rayner's last book, One Moment, One Morning last year and  really enjoyed her writing style so I was extremely pleased to receive her latest book to review. The Two Week Wait is not really a sequel but it does have the three female central characters from the author's last book. Anna, Karen and Lou became close friends after meeting through the tragic death of Karen's husband. The Two Week Wait mainly focuses on Lou and it was great to get to know her character better. Lou is a lesbian in a long term relationship when she is informed that she has limited time if she wants to have children. Lou's partner does not share her need to start a family so Lou has to look at other options. This is where Cath comes in, cancer and its treatment has left her infertile but she is desperate to have a child. These two women never meet but their lives become linked when Lou donates her eggs to Cath in exchange for Cath funding Lou to have IVF treatment with a sperm donor.
This book follows these two women as they embark on this terrifying journey. Sarah Rayner captures the huge range of emotions that Lou and Cath experience; hope, excitement, fear, despair, doubt, the list is endless. The title of the book refers to the time period that Lou and Cath have to wait in order to find out if the treatment has worked. I have experienced the two week wait myself when trying for a baby and also know several women who have had IVF treatment. It is such a fraught time; you don't want to get your hopes up or the hopes of others around you but it's so hard not to get carried away and wonder what if?
I would seriously recommend Sarah Rayner's books, she writes with huge sensitivity and captures emotions perfectly. Her books focus very much on female characters but all of her characters are individuals and they each bring something different to the story.
The Two Week Wait is a really good read, you don't need to have read One Moment, One Morning but I probably would as it is another great book.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Emma at ed public relations for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is published by Picador and is out now.

All change here!

I have made the decision to stop doing written reviews on here for a little while. I shall keep this page open but for the time being I sha...