poppyshake Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 I really miss Ottaker's book shops, Kay! They also had an amazing website! Yes I do too Janet .. I much preferred them to Waterstone's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I really miss Ottaker's book shops, Kay! They also had an amazing website! Yes I do too Janet .. I much preferred them to Waterstone's. Me too I loved Ottakers...I have a canvas bag with their name on I use for bookie shopping on occasions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I'm jealous of your bag, Diane! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 The Little White Car - Danuta de Rhodes Synopsis: When a concept album by The Sofia Experimental Breadboard Octet sparks a relationship-breaking argument, Veronique jumps into her little white Fiat and drives off into the night, straight into an incident with global ramifications. Featuring a pair of heroines as ripe and tender as newly picked peaches, The Little White Car is a feel-good buddy novel about two gorgeous French girls dismantling a car...while an enormous dog sniffs around in the garden. Review: Danuta de Rhodes indeed!! .. this is a book by Dan Rhodes .. however much he'd like you to believe otherwise Dan's books always bring a smile to my face, although sometimes they can be pretty gruesome (Timoleon Vieta Come Home and Little Hands Clapping in particular). This is fairly light hearted stuff but the main plotline was a bit of a worry for me. I was convinced all the way through that it would turn out to be a mistake .. which would've brought it all together and made it funnier in my view .. but you're left thinking that actually (though fictionally speaking of course) Veronique had been driving .. whilst drunk .. the white Fiat Uno involved in the crash which killed Princess Diana Now the two girls are funny but they're not particularly likeable so though I was half amused at them I was also a little bit detached. The humour is similar to Gold but somehow it fell short .. Veronique not being nearly half as lovable as Miyuki and there not being as many interesting characters. That's not to say that it wasn't enjoyable because it was, it's quirky, very readable and at times laugh out loud .. it's just I couldn't quite love it because I was a little bit shocked at how it ended. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 7, 2013 Author Share Posted June 7, 2013 Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell Synopsis: 'You have talked so often of going to the dogs - and well, here are the dogs, and you have reached them'. George Orwell's vivid memoir of his time among the desperately poor and destitute in London and Paris is a moving tour of the underworld of society. Here he painstakingly documents a world of unrelenting drudgery and squalor - sleeping in bug-infested hostels and doss houses, working as a dishwasher in the vile 'Hotel X', living alongside tramps, surviving on scraps and cigarette butts - in an unforgettable account of what being down and out is really like. Review: Brilliant and very insightful. This reminded me about all the things I liked best about The Road to Wigan Pier. George is an exceptional observer of people, places and situations and an even better documentor. It's a very itchy book .. that is to say it's full of lice, fleas, rats and unwashed bodies .. you can't help but scratch along to it and long for a hot soapy bath. It's quite draining to read let alone live through .. no wonder George suffered with his health later on. During the period he is writing about he never had sufficient sleep, food, clothing or money and though it was (I believe) a journalistic choice .. it's still a punishing ordeal to go through. The majority of the book recounts George's time in Paris sleeping in the most insanitary conditions and working as a 'plongeur' (ie .. the lowest of the low in kitchen staff) .. virtually living hand-to-mouth. The last third of the book is about his time spent in London where he lives alongside the down and outs .. tramping from place to place and living on 'tea and two slices' (stale bread and marge). Though it is all grimmer than grim, George has a satirical eye and he is brilliant at capturing the comedy and tragedy of life on the streets. He writes passionately too about the need for reform regarding the workhouses and places of refuge .. and the need for a change in people's attitudes towards tramps. I learnt plenty of things which I hope I never have to put into practice ... like how you should put pepper in your bed to keep the bugs (but not the sneezes) away and ink in the holes in your socks. Highly recommended. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Fantastic review, Kay, I agree with everything you've said. I read this a long time ago now (probably over 20 years), but I still remember it very well. I think I may re-read it at some point. I did spot a copy in a bookshop this week where they had all Orwell's books in the Fiction section! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Probably my favourite Orwell, Kay. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 8, 2013 Author Share Posted June 8, 2013 Fantastic review, Kay, I agree with everything you've said. I read this a long time ago now (probably over 20 years), but I still remember it very well. I think I may re-read it at some point. I did spot a copy in a bookshop this week where they had all Orwell's books in the Fiction section! Thanks Claire That's just lazy filing isn't it?. I've noticed it before too .. they do tend to stick all his works together .. Virginia's too. They oughtn't to be allowed a bookshop if they don't know fact from fiction .. they ought to leave it to the professionals .. like us Probably my favourite Orwell, Kay. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Mine too Janet so far I think next on my list is Homage to Catalonia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken Synopsis: It's 19th-century England during the reign of King James II, but it's not the England we know from the history books. This country is overrun with wolves that roam the forests, providing the perfect setting for a witty and dramatic story spanning the whole country, from the frozen North to the city of London, and peopled with all manner of evil governesses and ancient aunts. Filled with brilliantly-drawn Dickensian characters, it would make an excellent choice for strong preteen readers who like an old-fashioned story with a strong plot and good characterisation. This book often appears on lists of best-loved children's books. Review: A good, old fashioned (but not too dated .. not Enid dated anyway) children's story with nice likeable characters (except the boo-hiss ones .. and you need them in any good children's story). Very atmospheric too .. I especially liked the set-up with little Sylvia making her way to Willoughby Chase by steam train .. with a pack of wolves seemingly lurking in every woodland. That's not so bad if the wolves are content to stay in the woods but these have seemingly got a taste for manflesh There's quite a scary moment early on, which is the sort to make any self-respecting child go wide eyed with fright (but, not too much fright .. only the sort that makes you glad you're tucked up safe and sound with a glass of milk and a gingernut ). Her cousin Bonnie is a different kettle of fish .. she's much more privileged for a start but thankfully this has only made her a little bolder and not in the least insufferable. She's been leading a very nice, comfy cosy life at Willoughby Chase and has everything she could wish for except company which is now .. hoorah! .. going to be provided by her cousin Sylvia. But as is so often the case in children's stories, good parents have a habit of sailing off to find a rest cure or something, leaving their children with .. to their mind .. solidly decent people who will look after things splendidly until their return. These people almost always turn out to be tyrants .. and plottingly evil, lock-you-in-a-cupboard, type tyrants at that. Bonnie and Sylvia (along with a few friendly servants etc) are going to have to put their heads together if they're to outsmart the evil Miss Slighcarp who is after Miss Bonnie's home and money. I think Joan Aiken has written others in the series .. I'm not sure if they follow on or are separate stories .. I do know they have lovely covers though (not that that's at all important *cough cough* ) 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Oooh, I've been meaning to read Wolves of Willoughby Chase for some time, not least because it's in my class library, and it's a book that I'm surprised not to have read when I was younger. That really encourages me to do so - I just love the review. Thanks Kay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 Oooh, I've been meaning to read Wolves of Willoughby Chase for some time, not least because it's in my class library, and it's a book that I'm surprised not to have read when I was younger. That really encourages me to do so - I just love the review. Thanks Kay! You're welcome .. I hope you enjoy it willoyd I do apologise for the non-chronological order of my reviews I'm still chewing some of them over ... my head seems to be full of fluff and stuff. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James Synopsis: The year is 1803, and Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years. There are now two handsome and healthy sons in the nursery, Elizabeth's beloved sister Jane and her husband Bingley live nearby and the orderly world of Pemberley seems unassailable. But all this is threatened when, on the eve of the annual autumn ball, as the guests are preparing to retire for the night a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley's wild woodland. As it pulls up, Lydia Wickham - Elizabeth's younger, unreliable sister - stumbles out screaming that her husband has been murdered. Inspired by a lifelong passion for the work of Jane Austen, P.D. James masterfully recreates the world of "Pride and Prejudice", and combines it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly-crafted crime story. Review: The more I think about this one the more annoyed with it I get. To be fair to the book it did have a rather interrupted reading. Alan and I were reading it to each other but left off when our cat died and didn't pick it up again for over a year. Alan had already got frustrated with PD for repeating large chunks of P&P but I thought, as a set-up, it was fair enough .. not everyone will have read P&P (but then would they really want to be reading this if so?) but she kept it up all through the book and it eventually wore me down. As for the murder plot, I thought it was a bit thin, we both worked out whodunnit and why long before the end and as I'm particularly obtuse at sussing out these things it left me less than impressed. To sum it up, it's a bit like a Jane Austen book with a murder put in but most of the wit taken out The characters were far more cardboard than Jane had made them and PD actually had the nerve to weave in characters from Jane's other books (in a highly improbable just there for the sake of it type way). Actually I don't know why I've even given it a 2, I think initially I thought she was going somewhere interesting with it but, to my mind, she never actually got there. There was so much padding too (I know .. I can talk ) .. it should've been a much smaller book. Disappointing. 2/5 You see! .. I don't actually like all books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 (edited) I haven't fancied trying the book, Kay, and do so even less after reading that - but I'll probably try the BBC adaptation - but it just feels wrong to read someone else writing about Darcy, Lizzie et al! ETA: Padding, Kay?! As if...! Edited June 12, 2013 by Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 The Boy with No Shoes by William Horwood Synopsis: Five-year-old Jimmy Rova is the unwanted child of a mother who rejects him, and whose other children bully him. The one thing he can call his own is a pair of shoes, a present from the only person he feels has ever loved him. When they are cruelly taken away, Jimmy spirals down into a state of loneliness and terrible loss from which there seems no recovery. This triumphant story of a boy's struggle with early trauma and his remarkable journey into adulthood is based on William Horwood's own remarkable childhood in south-east England after the Second World War. Using all the skills that went into the creation of his modern classics, Horwood has written an inspiring story of a journey from a past too painful to imagine to the future every child deserves. Review: Though written as a fictional story this is based on the writer William Horwood's childhood. Because he feels he is a much altered person now he's made the decision to give his childhood self an alias. It's a misery memoir, probably the most miserablest memoir I've ever read and there's very little light or humour in it but for all that I was totally absorbed because the writing is outstanding. I have been at a low ebb recently so possibly I cried more than I would normally have done but I expect most people would find it as I did .. almost unbearably moving. Never before have I wanted to reach through the pages and hug someone so much. Jimmy's a bright intelligent child but hardly anyone values him, at least not now. There was a man once (Jimmy calls him 'The Man Who Was') who gave him the shoes (which he treasures as if they were gold) .. maybe that man was his real father but he's long gone and Jimmy's attachment to the shoes only brings him more grief. His mother, though not religious, reminded me of Willie's mother in Goodnight Mr Tom .. a cold, pre-occupied woman full of slaps and insults, his siblings are relentlessly cruel. Jimmy sinks deeper and deeper into, what he calls, 'Darktime' .. a place full of fear and desolation. Mercifully there are some really great characters, especially his granny who is just an absolute star and also the Bubbles (Mr and Mrs) and his inspirational teacher Mr Wharton. People to restore your faith in humankind. Unfortunately there are far too many of the other sort. I've made it sound a bit soppily sentimental and clichéd but it isn't at all. It's full of insight, beautifully written from start to finish (Jimmy's love for and descriptions of his beloved Kentish coastline are just glorious) and ultimately (though you might have cried a thousand tears by then) uplifting. William does say though that he'd gladly exchange his success to know the identity of his father and to have 'held his hand, if only for a few moments' Highly recommended. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 I haven't fancied trying the book, Kay, and do so even less after reading that - but I'll probably try the BBC adaptation - but it just feels wrong to read someone else writing about Darcy, Lizzie et al! ETA: Padding, Kay?! As if...! Yes, I must admit, on the whole I don't like sequels/prequels .. especially when not by the original author. Nobody acted particularly out of character which was a blessing but they didn't seem to have much spark either. I don't know if I'll watch the adaptation .. possibly if they can find a place for Olivia Coleman I might give it a go * Haha .. re: padding. I don't know how I had the nerve actually * Ooh I've just seen that they've cast Anna Maxwell Martin as Lizzie .. I'm a bit of a fan actually. Can't quite see her as Lizzie but still, might be worth a peek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Look who's playing Lady Catherine De Bourgh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 Look who's playing Lady Catherine De Bourgh! Oh Lord!! I can't see that working Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 A Right Royal B*stard by Sarah Miles Synopsis: Sarah Miles was illegitimate, and of distant royal descent. Her childhood wasn't easy - dyslexic with a severe stammer, rebellion was her means of expression, animals and trees her friends. Expelled from Roedean and Crofton Grange, her mother despaired and sent her to London and RADA. On the loose in London, Sarah revealed a special talent for getting into trouble and an equal talent for acting. She landed herself an agent, fell in love with his son, lived with a prostitute and finally met the man whose photograph she had kept under her pillow since she was 11 and who would change the course of her life - Laurence Olivier. This is the first volume of a three-volume biography. Review: My niece bought me all three of Sarah's biographies for Christmas so I knew I'd be in for a bit of an eye opener because she's drawn to quirky people. This volume concentrates on Sarah's childhood and adolescence and goodness me .. what a minx. I'm not particularly familiar with her from films etc, I can picture her but not any one given performance or anything so everything about her was more or less new to me. I didn't even know about the Laurence Olivier connection and yet I have read his biography .. perhaps he forgot to mention it Sarah (or Pusscat as she is known to family and friends) was a very unusual child .. quite bonkers infact (though she hates the mad tag .. still, she won't read this so I'm leaving it in ). From the first she felt she'd been abducted. Not by aliens .. quite the opposite .. by humans She believed she was alien born and spends hours in her cot wishing her people will come to the rescue. Whenever she hears the wail of the sirens (during the second world war) her hopes soar because she thinks her saviours have arrived. When she's bundled off to the cellar she suspects subterfuge. To her, the crashes and thumps of the doodlebugs are her family's attempts to reclaim her. At three years old she would wait for her neighbours to go out before borrowing their pony .. together they would invariably bulldoze the vegetable patch. Trouble and Pusscat go hand in hand, her two brothers are terrors as well so the poor parents are continually bewildered. Very funny and constantly entertaining, lots of celebs have great stories to tell but they aren't always able to do justice to them. Sarah absolutely can. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I can only remember seeing her in Hope and Glory which I loved but my other half hated! Sounds like an interesting life, and it's always good when celebrities write entertaining memoirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 Charles Dickens by Simon Callow Synopsis: An exuberant and entertaining biography of Charles Dickens that captures the essence of the great novelist. Simon Callow's sparkling biography explores the central importance of the theatre to the life of the greatest storyteller in the English language. From his early years as a child entertainer in Portsmouth to his reluctant retirement from 'these garish lights' just before his death, Dickens was obsessed with the stage. Not only was he a dazzling mimic who wrote, acted in and stage-managed plays, all with fanatical perfectionism; as a writer he was a compulsive performer, whose very imagination was theatrical, both in terms of plot devices and construction of character. Like many actors, Dickens felt the need to be completed by contact with his audience. He was the original 'celebrity' author, who attracted thousands of adoring fans to his readings in Britain and across the Atlantic, in which he gave voice to his unforgettable cast of characters. In Charles Dickens, Callow brings his own unique insight to a life driven by performance and showmanship. He reveals an exuberant and irrepressible talent, whose 'inimitable' wit and personality crackle off the page. Review: I’ve read a couple of Dicken’s biographies and so wasn’t sure if this one would offer up anything new but, though it’s comparatively short, it did give me a different perspective. Actually I think it’s an ideal biography to read if you want a good overall account without getting bogged down in detail. Because of his own interests I imagine, Simon particularly concentrates on Dicken’s theatre work (early on with the plays and later with the readings) but also on his friendships especially with the authors John Forster and Wilkie Collins. It’s clear Simon is a huge fan and as such he’s not quite so severe on Dickens as some other biographers regarding his personal life and habits etc but it doesn’t feel like a biased account .. he doesn’t shirk from telling the facts as they are. I came away from it all with more of an idea of what it was actually like to know Dickens and to be in his company etc. Also, other biographies have always led me to believe that he and his children didn’t get on all that well and that he had a sense of disappointment in them. This gave a more rounded account and I was encouraged to read a piece afterwards written by Charles’ daughter Mamie which again threw new light on the family situation (though there is no getting away from the harshness of his treatment of wife Catherine .. still you don't feel as if you're forced into feeling a certain way .. you're left to come to your own conclusions). Simon is very entertaining and witty .. when I read the following piece very early on about Charles' mother I knew his writing style was going to agree with me. 'Above all she was noted for her vivacity. She liked to say that that she had been dancing all night the day before Charles was born; diligent research has shown that the ball took place four days earlier, which only goes to show what a spoilsport diligent research can be.' 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 I can only remember seeing her in Hope and Glory which I loved but my other half hated! Sounds like an interesting life, and it's always good when celebrities write entertaining memoirs. Having said that I can't picture her in anything .. I did actually remember her as Lady Caroline Lamb .. humiliating herself for the love of Lord Byron .. but I can only remember bits of it. I've read the second one now and as much as it's still interesting nothing can quite live up to the account she gave of her childhood. It's much more normal stuff .. or as normal as anyone who drinks their own wee every day can be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 Brick Lane by Monica Ali Synopsis: Still in her teenage years, Nazneen finds herself in an arranged marriage with a disappointed man who is twenty years older. Away from the mud and heat of her Bangladeshi village, home is now a cramped flat in a high-rise block in London's East End. Nazneen knows not a word of English, and is forced to depend on her husband. But unlike him she is practical and wise, and befriends a fellow Asian girl Razia, who helps her understand the strange ways of her adopted new British home. Nazneen keeps in touch with her sister Hasina back in the village. But the rebellious Hasina has kicked against cultural tradition and run off in a 'love marriage' with the man of her dreams. When he suddenly turns violent, she is forced into the degrading job of garment girl in a cloth factory. Confined in her flat by tradition and family duty, Nazneen also sews furiously for a living, shut away with her buttons and linings - until the radical Karim steps unexpectedly into her life. On a background of racial conflict and tension, they embark on a love affair that forces Nazneen finally to take control of her fate. Strikingly imagined, gracious and funny, this novel is at once epic and intimate Review: I found the story very well written, insightful and the characters interesting but I didn't enjoy reading it all that much .. I felt quite oppressed by it, although ultimately it's a story about liberation. There are some terrific characters and she's captured them well .. Nazneen's husband Chanu and friend Razia in particular ... also her sister Hasina who writes the most comical/tragical letters. I didn't feel I got to know Nazneen all that well although the book is written from her perspective .. having said that, I did gain an understanding, through her, of what it must be like to find yourself transported from the vibrant sticky heat of Bangladesh to the grey concrete chill of Tower Hamlets. A world quite alien to you in other words. I'm not sure why it felt like such a slog, it wasn't that it was uninteresting or that the writing wasn't quality. It is of course pretty bleak but I've read bleaker books with more enjoyment. I'm thinking that it probably came at the wrong time for me .. perhaps I needed to concentrate more. It ticks along quite slowly and builds but I couldn't seem to sustain interest. 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge Synopsis: 'What Katy Did' by Susan Coolidge is a classic much loved by adults and children alike. Katy Carr intends to be beautiful and beloved and as sweet as an angel one day. For now, though, her hair is forever in a tangle, her dress is always torn and she doesn't care at all for being called 'good'. But then a terrible accident happens and Katy must find the courage to remember her daydreams and the delightful plans she once schemed; for when she is grown up she wants to do something grand. Review: I was always led to believe that this was my biography It was a constant on my shelves as a child and mum used to talk about it as if it were my diary or something but I'm pretty sure I never looked in it .. I was probably too scared what it might reveal. Anyway, as it turns out my mum is the most terrible fibber because it's not about me at all .. this Katy lived in America for one thing and I'm quite sure that I never did. I was expecting her to be somewhat naughtier .. she is naughty but with a pretty small n. I was beginning to think it was all rather twee but then I looked at the publishing date and it was 1872 so, in all fairness, it was probably quite radical back then. It does get a bit pious from time to time but there were parts I liked enormously .. Katy is a bit of a booklover so that of course is a plus .. 'Katy was naturally fond of reading. Papa encouraged it. He kept a few books locked up, and then turned her loose in the library. She read all sorts of things: travels and sermons, and old magazines. Nothing was so dull that she couldn't get through with it. Anything really interesting absorbed her so that she never knew what was going on about her. The little girls to whose houses she went visiting had found this out, and always hid away their story-books, when she was expected to tea, If they didn't do this, she was sure to pick one up and plunge in, and then it was no use to call her or tug at her dress, for she neither saw nor heard anything more until it was time to go home.' I can't imagine todays children liking it at all because the story is quite slight but it harks back to more innocent times and as such is comfortingly nostalgic .. if a little bit saccharine. I've always liked this particular Puffin cover but given what happens to Katy it seems in pretty poor taste now 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Synopsis: Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide. The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again… and again. Review: Fantastic! I enjoyed this even more than The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and particularly so because there was no Poirot or Miss Marple in the case. There’s an added excitement in knowing that the ten strangers have got to work out for themselves who amongst them is the killer (you'd imagine it was the last man/woman standing wouldn't you? .. hmmm .. well .. I'm not saying anything ). Is it really one of them or could it be someone else mysteriously hidden from view?. It's a real race against time as they’re getting picked off rather rapidly. Agatha loves to incorporate nursery rhymes into her plots and each of these (potential suspects/victims) have the 'Ten Little Soldiers' rhyme pinned above the fireplace in their bedrooms .. leaving them in no doubt as to the fate of the next in line (though the rhyme is suitably ambiguous .. it sent me up the garden path more than once ) Of course they are rather conveniently stranded on an island making escape impossible, even the weather has turned against them. Obviously tension is high but there's an added brooding suspense concerning the crimes that these ten were accused of by their unseen host. Originally they all brush off the allegations but it's not long before their consciences start to prick uncomfortably. Despite the rhyme, I didn’t have a clue, of course I didn’t .. I never do unless it’s obvious. It's all gloriously well crafted, how she got all the strands to come together I'll never know. I devoured it in an evening .. it was unputdownable. After investing all that concentration and bitten nails the one thing I was dreading was 'a disappointing ending' ... thankfully my fears were groundless. I believe the book has undergone several title (and therefore rhyme) changes as it’s original titles were deemed offensive .. that seems a shame in a way though I can understand the reasons for it. Hands down, it’s the best murder mystery I’ve read. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 I read the What Katy Did books when I was a child. I'm pretty sure there was more than one book though. One of the events was when she was swinging high on the yard swing and she fell off, landed on her backside, and couldn't walk for.....I forget how long, some months at least. Anyhow, it was a story of her maturing through hardship and learning patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 I read the What Katy Did books when I was a child. I'm pretty sure there was more than one book though. One of the events was when she was swinging high on the yard swing and she fell off, landed on her backside, and couldn't walk for.....I forget how long, some months at least. Anyhow, it was a story of her maturing through hardship and learning patience. Yes .. it was years I think Kat .. a couple at least. There is definitely a What Katy Did Next .. and I think possibly others too. I would have appreciated it a lot more as a child I think but still, it's nice to read the classics. I've always wondered what she did and now I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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