Janet's Log - stardate 2013

[bobblybear]

I have added Estates and Replay to my wishlist. They both sound like interesting reads.

[Janet]

I have added Estates and Replay to my wishlist. They both sound like interesting reads.

They were.   I hope you enjoy them when you get round to them.

 

I acquired two new books yesterday.  My Mum gave me her copy of The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern (I *think* from hints that one of our Book Group is going to choose it for her next read), and I got The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E M Delafield from the library.  

[Michelle]

Janet, I wasn't sure about The Night Circus when I first got it, but I ended up loving it!

[pontalba]

I have to say, that finally, I did enjoy Night Circus.  There was a discussion of it on another forum that really turned bad (IMO).  I don't want to debate, I want to discuss and one person was pretty headstrong in their opinion, and demanding.  It simply became tiresome to deal with. 

 

Janet I see your reviews of I, Coriander and The Girl from the Fiction Department, and really liked them.  I'll look into both books, thanks!

[Michelle]

Pontalba, I've just read that discussion. I for one got rather swept up in the story and loved it, but I wouldn't want to try to justify how I felt against someone who hated it. It's not the sort of book you can dissect in that way, you either follow and enjoy it, or you don't.

[pontalba]

LOL, then you see what I mean. I have to tell you Michelle, that is why I really enjoy this forum.  That sort of 'hammering' simply would not take place here. 

[Janet]

Janet, I wasn't sure about The Night Circus when I first got it, but I ended up loving it!

 

I have to say, that finally, I did enjoy Night Circus.  There was a discussion of it on another forum that really turned bad (IMO).  I don't want to debate, I want to discuss and one person was pretty headstrong in their opinion, and demanding.  It simply became tiresome to deal with. 

 

Janet I see your reviews of I, Coriander and The Girl from the Fiction Department, and really liked them.  I'll look into both books, thanks!

 

Pontalba, I've just read that discussion. I for one got rather swept up in the story and loved it, but I wouldn't want to try to justify how I felt against someone who hated it. It's not the sort of book you can dissect in that way, you either follow and enjoy it, or you don't.

 

LOL, then you see what I mean. I have to tell you Michelle, that is why I really enjoy this forum.  That sort of 'hammering' simply would not take place here. 

Thanks guys.  It sounds interesting.   I will see if I can find that discussion after I've read the book - just out of curiosity.

 

Pontalba, I hope you enjoy I, Coriander and The Girl from the Fiction Department when you get round to them. 

[chesilbeach]

Janet, although it's been years since I read it, I absolutely adored The Diary of a Provincial Lady!  It's long been a book I've been meaning to revisit, so I hope you enjoy it too.

[Janet]

Thanks, Claire.    I spotted it on the way out of the library (it has a pretty cover!) - and discovered yesterday that it was on my Wish List! 

 

I finished a book this morning so I think I might read it next. 

[Kidsmum]

Janet, although it's been years since I read it, I absolutely adored The Diary of a Provincial Lady!  It's long been a book I've been meaning to revisit, so I hope you enjoy it too.

 

Damn i spotted this in a charity shop & didn't pick it up  I'm so going to go back & look for it 

[pontalba]

Thanks guys.  It sounds interesting.   I will see if I can find that discussion after I've read the book - just out of curiosity.

 

Pontalba, I hope you enjoy I, Coriander and The Girl from the Fiction Department when you get round to them. 

They are on my wish list.

 

There is an interesting break down of the story in the traditional 5 act play form on the thread that is interesting.

[Janet]

.There is an interesting break down of the story in the traditional 5 act play form on the thread that is interesting.

I will try to remember to look when I've read it - probably during June/July. 

 

Today I finished The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E M Delafield.  I got it out of the library and didn't realise it's only the first part until I popped into Waterstone's and saw a version on the shelf that was about four times the size!  Peter has ordered it for me as the library don't have all the other parts.

 

We have had a few days away this week celebrating our silver anniversary.   We had a one night stay at a lovely hotel called The Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales, and then a night in Exeter, Devon.  Whilst there I Googled Delafield and discovered she is buried in a little village called Kentisbeare, so we stopped there on our way home and had a pub lunch and then visited her grave!

 

 

 

[Janet]

 

Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper

 

The ‘blurb’

It is 1650 and a baby lies dead before it even drew breath.  A young servant girl, terrified and alone, is accused of its murder and sent to the gallows.  Protesting her innocence in the chill air of a December morning, Anne Green is hanged.  Moments later her lifeless body is lived down from the scaffold and carried to the College of Physicians for brutal dissection.

 

But as Anne’s corpse lies on the table and the doctors assemble, a strange rattle is heard in her throat.  Could she be alive?

 

Mary Hooper is easily my favourite modern young adult author – or at least, for her historical novels she is – I haven’t read any of her  contemporary books.  This one is based on a true story - Anne Greene really did ‘survive’ hanging.   Mary Hooper has taken this  event and some of the people involved, but has told the tale from Anne’s point of view.  Obviously some of the characters and events  are invented and there is a lot of guesswork involved, but it makes for a great read, and as always, brings the period to life.   This was slightly more ‘gruesome’ than the other books of hers that I’ve read and it says on the back that it’s not suitable for younger readers. 

 

Hooper’s characterisation is, as ever, spot on, and one instantly feels transported back to 17^th century England with her excellent  descriptions of the sights and smells of Oxford.  If you don’t mind young adult novels and enjoy historical tales then I would  recommend this and I very much look forward to reading more of her work.

[chesilbeach]

I read Hooper's Fallen Grace last week when we were on holiday, and thought it was pretty good, although perhaps a little predictable as it went on, but Newes From The Dead sounds very interesting.  Wishlist amendment completed

[Janet]

I think they are a bit predictable but I love the way she tells a story.    This one was very enjoyable - if you're not in a hurry you could have my copy after my Mum has read it.  It's second hand (the seller on Marketplace described it as very good - it isn't, but it's very readable) but if you'd like it after she's finished you'd be more than welcome.

[chesilbeach]

That would be smashing, Janet. Absolutely no rush for it, just let me know when you're ready and I'll PM you my address. Thanks very much!

[Janet]

Will do.

[Janet]

The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E M Delafield

The ‘blurb’
With a cover design by Cath Kidston Behind this rather prim and proper title lies the hilarious fictional diary of a long-suffering, disaster-prone Devon lady of the 1930s, and her attempts to keep her somewhat ramshackle household from falling into chaos: there's her husband Robert, who, when he's not snoozing behind The Times, does everything with grumbling reluctance; her gleefully troublesome children; and a succession of tricky servants who invariably seem to gain the upper hand. And if her domestic trials were not enough, she must keep up appearances, particularly with the maddeningly patronising Lady Boxe, whom the Provincial Lady eternally (and unsuccessfully) tries to compete with.

I picked this book up in Frome library when I’d just popped in to return something and it caught my eye (I later found it on my Amazon wish list, added several years ago!). I didn’t realise this edition was only the first part until I went into Waterstone’s in Exeter and spotted it on the shelf – four times the size I was expecting!

The Diary of a Provincial Lady is very loosely based on the life of the author - her pen name was a play-on-words of her real name - Edmée Elizabeth Monica de la Pasture - and is told in diary form (a sort of forerunner to Bridget Jones’s Diary?!). It tells of the day-to-day life of the titular lady, her long-suffering, dour, husband Robert and two lively and energetic children, Robin and Vicky, an upper-middle class family living in rural Devon and, at times, struggling to keep up socially with their neighbours. This, the first diary, is set before World War Two.

Although loosely autobiographical, Delafield actually lived quite a comfortable life and was a debutante in 1909. She was asked by the editor of the British magazine Time and Tide to write a series for them and this was the result!

The Provincial Lady moves in social circles that are often slightly higher than her own, necessitating very careful juggling of her finances (including the occasional discrete visit to the pawnbroker) and chronicles her exploits with the locals and an endless stream of visitors to the house.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I did think it might be a bit dull – or maybe something suited to an older person (which just goes to show that one should never judge a book without trying it) so I was happily surprised to find it was an entertaining read which had me chuckling out loud in places including such gems as…

(taking about a letter from Lady B saying she’s only just heard the PL has measles)
“[Lady B writes] She cannot come herself to enquire, as with so many visitors always coming and going it wouldn’t be wise, but if I want anything from the House, I am to telephone without hesitation. She has given ‘her people’ orders that anything I ask for is to be sent up. Have a very good mind to telephone and ask for a pound of tea and Lady B’s pearl necklace – (Could Cleopatra be quoted as precedent here?) – and see what happens.”

I imagine that it will get a bit ‘samey’ but I very much enjoyed this and I am definitely going to read the other parts of it.
 

[Kidsmum]

I know i have a Delafield book somewhere in my book mountain, i tried digging around to see if i could find it but can't seem to locate it at the moment   Anyway i'm hoping that it's this one as it sounds like my sort of book

 

Thanks for the review Janet 

[bobblybear]

As soon as I saw that cover, I thought of Cath Kidston! We were only talking about her at work last week; someone mentioned her, but the rest of us hadn't heard of her so we looked at her bags/clothes on the website. Not to my taste, I have to say, but at least it's distinctive!

[Janet]

I know i have a Delafield book somewhere in my book mountain, i tried digging around to see if i could find it but can't seem to locate it at the moment   Anyway i'm hoping that it's this one as it sounds like my sort of book

 

Thanks for the review Janet 

I hope you find it.

 

As soon as I saw that cover, I thought of Cath Kidston! We were only talking about her at work last week; someone mentioned her, but the rest of us hadn't heard of her so we looked at her bags/clothes on the website. Not to my taste, I have to say, but at least it's distinctive!

It's not really my thing either (I don't mind the spotty stuff and the stationery though) but it is very distinctive. 

[Janet]

 

The Life You Want by Emily Barr

The ‘blurb’
Tansy Harris is a horrible mother.

The kind who forgets to pick her children up from school. The kind who drinks half a bottle of wine at lunchtime. The kind who contemplates an affair with her son’s teacher. Something must be done, and Tansy decides the answer is a trip to India – where better to take stock, sort her head out? She will leave her husband and two boys at home, and come back a better person.

India is incredible, everything – and more – Tansy hoped it would be. But when she visits an old backpacker friend who’s joined a cult in the south, she lifts the lid on something terrifying. And the moment Tansy realises she’s in the wrong place at the wrong time…is the moment it’s too late.

I have very mixed feelings about this book! For a start, I didn’t like the protagonist, Tansy, at all. As a reader I don’t think we’re meant to like her, but I found it hard to get into this because I just felt that Tansy was so self-absorbed and selfish that I didn’t really care one way or other what happened to her. However, I persevered because I have enjoyed Barr’s books in the past.

Tansy is a borderline alcoholic. The type of person who pretends she doesn’t have a drink problem but clearly does. She can function most of the time but she lives for the time when she can open a bottle of wine. She should be happy – she has a husband who loves her and two children and the family are comfortably off, so she doesn’t have any financial worries. But her drinking is spiralling out of control. Her husband, Max, encourages her to travel to India to meet up with a woman she met whilst travelling years ago and to help out in a children’s’ centre taking care of orphans.

After a short stay in Chennai (formerly Madras), Tansy arrives at the centre in Pondicherry (now known as Puducherry). She is concerned to find that Elly isn’t there and that instead of helping out she’s been enrolled on a compulsory yoga course (!) but she soon settles into life at the centre, together with three other travellers she has picked up along the way. But all is not as it seems and the peaceful life in India is about to come crashing down around her. Too late she realises she’s in trouble and thinks wistfully about the life she left behind. Is it too late for Tansy to escape her fate?

There was too much at the start of this novel about Tansy’s life in England which made the novel drag. The story really picked up when she arrived in India and Barr has clearly researched, or knows, India well and one of the things I enjoyed about the novel is her portrayal of the country. I would have liked to have known more about some of the other characters. I saw the ‘twist’ coming a long way off and was surprised that Tansy didn’t! I also felt the ending was rather rushed. I didn’t really like Tansy any better by the end of the book! However, overall I did enjoy the story and, having read quite a few of Barr’s other books, I feel sure I will certainly read more.

I didn’t actually realise this is a sequel to Barr’s first novel, Backpack until I read it elsewhere as I read that about 11 years ago and didn’t make the connection!

3/5

 

[Janet]

Yesterday I finished Going Solo by Roald Dahl (for my Dahl challenge).  

 

I took a book back to the library and picked up The Magic Finger, also by Dahl - it was only little so I started and finished that yesterday too!  Thoughts to follow!

[Janet]

I'm now half way through my Dahl challenge - 11/22 books.   My last two reviews can be found here.

[Janet]

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

The ‘blurb’
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

A sort of modern day Beauty and the Beast, Me Before You tells the tale of two people who end up spending a lot of time in each other’s company - with Will (as the ‘beast’, proud and aloof who is a quadriplegic following an accident) thawing as he spends time with quirky Lou.

I have seen this described on Amazon as “chick lit with a twist” – having finished it I don't think there was a twist - the story was predictable and I guessed the ending long before it happened. For this reason I’m giving it 3 stars out of 5 – I liked it, but it wasn’t the wonderful read I was anticipating. That said, I can see from the reviews on Amazon that I’m in the minority in not giving it full marks.

If my review suggests I didn’t enjoy it then that’s not entirely true. The characterisation was good and I particularly liked Lou’s noisy family – and seven or so years ago this would have been right up my street, but I’m not sure I shall be rushing to read any more books by this author with so many other books out there calling to me! I nearly chose it for Book Club but changed my mind… and then the person after me chose it!

I can see it being adapted for TV – or even for film. I just hope that if this happens, the action takes place in the UK and with British actors – not like the dreadful Shopaholic adaptation!

The paperback is 481 pages long and is published by Penguin. It was first published in 2012. The ISBN number is 9780718157838.

3/5 (I liked it)

(Finished 25 May 2013)