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Madeleine's Book Log - ongoing


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A couple I've finished in the last few days:

 

Belgravia by Julian Fellowes - this book opens at a magnificent ball given just before the Battle of Waterloo, and then jumps forward 20-odd years, where we get the story of 2 famiies - The Brockenhursts, who are very wealthy, and the Trenchards, who have become wealthy thanks to the efforts of the husband, James, and his relentless social climbing combined with a head for business.  However, to the Brockenhursts, the Trenchards will always be "in trade" and are therefore looked down upon, but the families are thrown together when their children fall in love.  However, both die young - him at Waterloo and the girl in childbirth, and it's when their son grows up (unaware of his background, as he was raised by an acquaintance of James Trenchard) and come to London to set up in business that things start to get complicated, for the Trenchards haven't told the Brockenhursts that they have a grandson, and find themselves wondering whether to tell them, for the revelation would bring scandal on their daughter, for supposedly having a baby out of wedlock.  What follows is a comedy of manners, deception, blackmail, unscrupulous servants and, of course, romance, written in a breezy style, with many characters, some better drawn than others, although my favourite was probably Mrs Trenchard, exasperated at her husband's deception but trying to do the right thing for everyone.  It could have done with a bit of editing at times, and other parts felt a bit rushed, but overall I found it an enjoyable, escapist read, and of course Downton Abbey fans will probably love it. 7/10

 

Smoke and Mirrors by Elly Griffiths - the second in the Stephens and Mephisto series, set in Brighton in the early 1950s.  Policeman Edgar Evans and Max Mephisto have become friends after serving in the War together, and it's now just before Xmas 1951.  Max is busy in panto, but Edgar and his team are busy with the distressing double murder of 2 schoolchildren, and then the teacher of one of the children is also killed, presumably because she knew something she shouldn't.  Their investigation seems to keep leading back to people involved with the current pantomime, and the killer certainly seems to be someone local.  I found this was an enjoyable read, despite the subject matter, and the two main characters are very likeable. 8/10

Edited by Madeleine
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I like the sound of Smoke and Mirrors - is it a series that I would need to read in order, or could I just dive into this one?

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In the last couple of days I've bought:

 

A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George (latest Insp Lynley)

At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracey Chevalier

The Cavalier Case by Antonia Fraser (a Jemima Shore mystery)

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I'm a couple of books behind on Tracy Chevalier's books, and have The Last Runaway on my Kindle, but haven't bought At The Edge of the Orchard yet.  I will, no doubt, get to both of them at some point in the future, as I do enjoy reading her books.  Have you read her other books?

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I've read most of them, Chesil, except for The Last Runaway and Burning Bright.  My favourites are Girl with a Pearl Earring and Remarkable Creatures, and I also really liked Lady and the Unicorn as well, I think she's a very good writer.  Which are your favourites?

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Yes I've read it, it felt very much like a first book in that her potential was obvious, but I thought it could have done with some editing, maybe even a bit of re-working, and it seemed to end very suddenly, it almost felt unfinished if I remember rightly.

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My favourites are Falling Angels and The Lady and the Unicorn, although I've enjoyed them all, but I think Burning Bright was the weakest one for me.  Having said that, I can't actually remember much about The Virgin Blue, but I'm pretty sure I've read it! :D  

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I have!  I really enjoyed it, definitely up there with the best, but the other two are still my favourites. :D  I read it myself and then my library book group also read it, and from what I remember, it was pretty much universally enjoyed, which is pretty rare in our group. :lol:

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My favourites are Falling Angels and The Lady and the Unicorn, although I've enjoyed them all, but I think Burning Bright was the weakest one for me.  

Have to agree with you about Falling Angels (the one TC to earn 6-stars so far) and Burning Bright (3 stars). Am set to read The Lady and the Unicorn as part of a reading challenge this year, so that looks promising.  Remarkable Creatures is close behind (5*)!

Edited by willoyd
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The Snow Rose by Lulu Taylor - Kate is fleeing from a family tragedy, with her young daughter - she's estranged from her husband and is terrified he'll take the child away from her, so she changes her name to Rachel, enlists the help of her best friend who's sworn to secrecy, sets up new credit cards in her false name etc, and becomes a sort of unofficial caretaker at a large run down house, supposedly to make it look like someone's living there to deter squatters and vandals.  It does seem a bit odd, especially when she finds a freezer stocked full of recently bought food (she can tell by the sell by dates), but gradually she settles in and apart from 2 elderly sisters who live nearby she's pretty much on her own with her daughter.  But all is not as it seems, and there are several twists and turns, and Kate's story gradually unfolds as we also find out the house's history, which seems to repeat itself when, to Kate's horror, more people suddenly start arriving.  Meanwhile, in the past, we also become acquainted with the house's original owners, who were 3 sisters, two of whom figure prominently in it's history and have a link right through to the present day. I quite enjoyed this, although I found Kate rather annoying and did guess some of her story, but it was quite gripping.  7.5/10

 

The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick - this is another dual time frame, although this time the twist is that someone has come from the past and is living in the present day.  In this case it's Alison Bannister, who finds herself inadvertently transported to present day Wiltshire after visiting an inn in Marlborough.  Although she's made a life for herself in London with a career she likes, she's desperate to get back to the mid 16th century to find her son, or at least what happened to him, for she was forced to give him up to avoid scandal.  For a while she lived at Wolf Hall with Mary Seymour, and the  two made a pact - Mary would help Alison find her son if Alison would help Mary escape a forced marriage, and it's during this escape that Alison slips through time.  Unfortunately she can't get back as the inn, although still there, is now too changed and presumably the portal has been closed, but when she meets an old boyfriend, a historian who's  found a portrait supposedly of Anne Boleyn, she finds her past catching up with her, for she knows the real subject of the picture is Mary Seymour, and she tries to find what became of Mary, which hopefully will lead to finding her son as well.  I enjoyed this, I like dual time frame and this was a bit different, although how Alison adapts to the modern world is glossed over a bit too conveniently, and I did like her, and as usual I preferred the historical scenes, which were very evocative and vivid.  This would definitely appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine (there's a rather clichéd bad guy for a start, plus the inevitable Labrador sniffing around!).  8/10

Edited by Madeleine
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