20.2.15

BOOK REVIEW: Up and In by Deborah Disney

A wonderfully wry tale about the pressure women put on themselves and one another to fit in, measure up and look glamorous while they're doing it. Distinctly middle class parents, Maria and Joe have committed every bit of available income to giving their daughters Kate and Sarah the best education possible, which to them means attending the most exclusive girls school in the state. But when Kate befriends the spoilt and moody Mirabella, Maria finds herself thrust into a high society of champagne -swilling mother-istas she hasn't budgeted for. Saturday morning netball is no longer a fun mother-daughter outing but a minefield of social politics. While the increasingly neurotic Maria struggles to negotiate the school mum hierarchy, Joe quietly battles a mid-life crisis and Kate attempts to grow up as gracefully as possible (without having her life ruined by embarrassing parents). For every woman who has ever felt she might be wearing the wrong shoes, this is a book that will remind you- you're not alone. 

E-book
Publisher: Harper Collins

Up and In by Deborah Disney is such an enjoyable read. Maria inadvertently upsets Bea, the Queen Bee of the mothers at her daughter's exclusive school. Maria does everything she can to fit in so that she can be part of this exclusive clique but Bea really does not make it easy for her. Maria's desperation to be included leads her to do things she would never have dreamed of, is it all worth it or has she lost sight of who she is?
I very much enjoyed Deborah Disney's writing style  and she has explored a situation that nearly every mother will identify with. The desire to fit in and be included doesn't disappear when we leave school. Maria initially seems to be doing it for her daughter's sake but very quickly it becomes Maria's own desire to be in the elite group of Mums and to be be liked by Bea. In the main, I really liked Maria but there were times that I
wanted to shake her ad her behaviour seemed selfish. There were several moments that made me cringe and I wondered why anyone would put themselves in such awkward situations as Maria does.
Bea is a marvellous creation, she is horrible, manipulative, bitchy and a complete snob. She makes an excellent villain in the book and again, readers will definitely have come across someone like Bea in their lifetime.
Up and In is a very entertaining read with some rather serious undertones. Deborah Disney explores our desire to be liked and included and the lengths we will go to in order to make this happen.
This is the first book that I have read by Deborah Disney but she is an author I would recommend.

16.2.15

Book Review: The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan

When Alice Eveleigh arrives at Firecombe Manor during the long languid summer of 1933, she finds a house steeped in mystery and brimming with secrets. Sadness permeates its empty rooms and the isolated valley seems crowded with ghosts, none more alluring than Elizabeth Stanton whose only traces remain in a few tantalisingly blurred photographs. Why will no one speak of her? What happened a generation ago to make her vanish?
As the sun beats down relentlessly, Alice becomes even more determined to unearth the truth about the girl in the photograph- and stop her own life from becoming an eerie echo of Elizabeth's.

Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 448 

I was very attracted to this book when I saw a few reviews comparing it to Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I can see why comparisons have been made but I think this book had a very different feel to it.
The book flits between two characters, Alice Eveleigh and Lady Elizabeth Stanton; Alice in 1933 and Elizabeth at least a generation before. Alice is in disgrace after falling pregnant to a married man. She has come to Firecombe to have her baby in secret. She comes across a few photographs of Elizabeth Stanton and is intrigued by the woman who used to live in the house. Mrs Jelphs is the current housekeeper and she used to be Elizabeth's maid but she will not talk of her old mistress which just intrigues Alice even more. As Alice begins to discover Firecombe's tragic past she begins to wonder how it will affect the present; there is a lot of bad feeling in the house and she begins to question whether it is a place of safety for her or not.
I liked both Alice and Elizabeth but I found Elizabeth's story slightly more interesting. It becomes very clear that she suffered from post-natal depression but in those times it was not recognised and women were often locked in asylums  and deemed insane. The treatment Elizabeth received altered her forever and effectively tore her family apart. It was fascinating to see how post-natal depression was viewed at the time and the treatment that women received.
Kate Riordan has written an interesting and enticing book. The tension is very high in places but there were a few parts that I felt were a little too long. I did like how she brought the characters of Alice and Elizabeth together. The subtle way in which she intertwined their stories was very good.
I love books that are set in big houses and go back and forth in time. The Girl in the Photograph has a very good plot and interesting characters, I would highly recommend.

Many thanks to Penguin for allowing me to read a review copy of this book via Netgalley.

8.2.15

Book Review: Fragile Lies by Laura Elliot

His name is Michael Carmody.
He is a writer and a father.
His son is lying in a coma, fighting for his life.
Her name is Lorraine Cheevers.
She is an artist and a mother.
An illicit affair has destroyed her marriage.
Michael is desperate to find the couple who left his son for dead, a victim of a hit and run.
Lorraine is desperate to start a new life for her and her daughter.
Michael and Lorraine are about to cross paths- damaged souls, drawn to one another.
They don't know that their lives are already connected.
They don't know the web of lies surrounding them.
They are searching for the truth. But when they find it, it could destroy them both.

Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 13th February, 2015

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Fragile Lies by Laura Elliot drew me in from the very first page and I had read it in a couple of days.
Michael Carmody and Lorraine Cheevers are the main characters. Michael's teenage son is lying in a coma after being left for dead in a hit and run accident. Well-known artist Lorraine is moving to the countryside after her marriage was torn apart by her husband's illicit affair. Lorraine wants to get away from it all and concentrate on raising her daughter Emily. Yet Michael and Lorraine are both drawn together, having no idea that they are already linked. As Michael pursues the truth about his son's accident, Lorraine looks for the truth about the nature of her husband's affair.As the truth starts to be revealed, it is not certain if Michael and Lorraine's new love will take the strain.
Fragile Lies has a little bit of everything, love, tragedy, infidelity, lies and secrets. I thought that Laura Elliot set up the story perfectly at the beginning and then she kept the plot going at an excellent pace. The characters are quite complex and I think this added a real edge to the book; they felt very well thought out and I loved how the author weaved their separate stories together.
The family aspect of the book was also interesting. Lorraine and Michael are both very successful in their careers but if you strip everything away they are completely devoted to their children. Michael cannot rest until he gets justice for his son and Lorraine wants to do everything she can to protect her daughter,  no matter how much Emily resents it.
Laura Elliot is a new author for me but I would highly recommend Fragile Lies. Excellent plot, interesting characters and plenty of intrigue.

Many thanks to the lovely Kim at Bookouture for sending me a review copy, Fragile Lies is published on February 13th.

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...