Janet Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 The Young Ardizzone by Edward Ardizzone The ‘blurb’ The author of the ever-popular Little Tim and Lucy books (and illustrator of many more) begins his story in 1905, when he was 5 and his mother brought him and his two sisters home to England from Haiphong, where his father was a telegraph engineer. Having settled them in the remote Suffolk village of East Bergholt she returned to the Far East for three years, leaving them in the care of their maternal grandmother, a much-loved but slightly alarming figure whose sudden and inexplicable outbursts of temper could turn her face almost literally black with rage. Thereafter, like many colonial children, the young Ardizzones led a somewhat peripatetic existence, but they grew up with a full complement of cheerful young bachelor uncles, great-aunts and eccentric family friends – all beautifully and poignantly captured in Ardizzone’s deceptively simple prose and delicately humorous drawings. I treated myself to this book last year. It was expensive for a paperback - £12 - and I don’t think I’ve ever paid that much for a book before, but it had been on my wish list for a long time so I thought “why not?!”. I’ve long admired Ardizzone’s illustrations - he’s up there with the likes of Ernest H Shepard and Arthur Rackham as far as I’m concerned. Edward Ardizzone was born in Haiphong, Vietnam, on 16 October 1900 and this autobiography covers his life from 1905 when he moved with his mother and two younger sisters back to England up to 1936 when he published his first written and illustrated book Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain which was an almost immediate success. It’s a beautifully written book and is chock full of Ardizzone’s gorgeous illustrations. As well as all of his own books he illustrated some very well-known ones including Stig of the Dump by Clive King, A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas and My Uncle Silas by H E Bates. He was also an official war artist in WW2. His cousin, Christianna Brand, wrote the Nurse Matilda books on which the Nanny McPhee films were based, and so, of course, he illustrated those too. As well as paperbacks Slightly Foxed also publish some really lovely hardbacks. They might be expensive books but they are gorgeous and I have my eye on a couple more of the paperbacks - they are available online but what I really need is a trip to their shop! The paperback edition is 207 pages long and is published by Slightly Foxed. It was first published in 1970. The ISBN is 9781906562489. 4½/5 (Lovely) (Finished 5 March 2015) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 I'm glad you enjoyed Elizabeth is Missing, it's a good read. I remember praising it more highly for how it was written and how dementia was portrayed, than for the plot. Yes, that's definitely the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafónThe ‘blurb’Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'cemetery of lost books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Julian Carax.But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from The Shadow of the Wind, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind. I have very mixed feelings about this book. Lots of people told me I would love it (including my Mum, who has a very similar taste in books to me), so I fully expected to, but it didn’t quite live up to expectations. The writing is beautiful – so poetic. The story really picked up towards the end and then I couldn’t put it down – but it took me about three weeks to read the first 350 or so pages so it lost momentum, and because of this I found I kept having to remind myself who some of the people were!My favourite character was Fermín Romero de Torres (I preferred him to Daniel) - he was interesting and funny and I loved his loyalty and friendship with Daniel. I had guessed that Julián and Penélope were half-siblings, but that didn’t detract from the storyline, which I thought was very clever. I just wish I had got into the story quicker.I have read a couple of Carlos Ruiz Zafón books before – specifically his books designed for children – and very much enjoyed them so I do think it’s just because I found it hard to get into, and had I had more time at the start to devote to it, things may have been different. Will I read the sequels? It’s a job to say, but probably not as there are *so* many books out there that I want to read. However I am definitely in the minority and I’m sure that had circumstances been different I, too, would have loved it. The paperback edition is 506 pages long and is published by Phoenix. It was first published in 2004. The ISBN is 9780753820254.3/5 (I liked it)(Finished 4 April 2015) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Great review! It's nice you finished this book in the end, though it's not nice you didn't enjoy it as much as the people who recommended the book to you. I have it on my TBR. I'm glad you still liked the book though at least. I hope your next read will be more enjoyable . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 Thanks, Gaia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I'm one of those who raved about The Shadow of the Wind, but despite that, I have no inclination to read the sequels (I think one of them might be a prequel?). We read it at my book group, and it certainly wasn't an outstanding success - I remember a few people loving it like me, some were rather ambivalent, and some couldn't make it past the first couple of chapters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Great reviews Janet! I have Elizabeth is Missing on my TBR. I'm half looking forward to it and half not, because like you I watched a relative suffer with dementia and I think it might be a tough read. Ho hum. I loved the Shadow of the Wind and have The Angel's Game on my TBR (I think that's the prequel?) but for some reason it hasn't appealed in the two years since buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I loved the Shadow of the Wind and have The Angel's Game on my TBR (I think that's the prequel?) but for some reason it hasn't appealed in the two years since buying it. I'm much the same, but The Angel's Game is in my Book Box so I will be reading it at some point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I felt exactly the same about The Shadow of the Wind as you did Janet. It took ages to catch fire with me but I eventually got into it and enjoyed the last third. I don't think I could face the sequels/prequels though. I've got Elizabeth is Missing and I'm looking forward to reading it .. especially now I hear that Janet liked it xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 I wasn't blown away by The Shadow of the Wind either, even though it came highly recommended. I struggled through a lot of it, and towards the end, I was skimming a fair bit. No desire to read the sequels for me either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 . I've got Elizabeth is Missing and I'm looking forward to reading it .. especially now I hear that Janet liked it xx I'm reading it just now but have to say I'm struggling with it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I remember reading and enjoying The Shadow of the Wind but I don't remember a single thing about it! Sorry you're struggling with Elizabeth, Diane. Any idea why? It wasn't a book I'd rave about but I definitely enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Was this the window you were thinking of? http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4238052608/tt0339291?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_16 Oooh, that's the one, just like Jänet said! I think maybe he has a sort of telepathy that alerts him to sci-fi posts – so as long as we don’t mention sci-fi we’ll be okay. Ooops! Oh now you've gone and done it But you wrote that almost a month ago... And still, no show! He must be feeling ill or summat! =O It's for Book Club, so it's an Allowed-Purchase! Allowed-Purchase We should get tax deductions for those! I love it just a little bit more this morning after last night's instalment mentioned Tess of the D'Urbervilles! Oh dear I've just seen The Rosie Effect in a charity shop for £1 I didn't buy it as my mojo is still poorly - and besides, I haven't read the first one yet... but I'm wondering if I should go back and see if it's still there...? You're right, but in the end I didn't go back for it. There are lots of Book #1 around in charity shops so hopefully I'll find it again. I can't believe you didn't go back for it Shows a lot of restraint! I've acquired 11 new books this year. I'm not sure how that compares to last year, but I guess it's not too bad! 11 books so far isn't bad at all, I don't think! I thought it would be much worse... Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey I really like the sound of this, thanks for the review! Going on my wishlist The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón ... I have read a couple of Carlos Ruiz Zafón books before – specifically his books designed for children – and very much enjoyed them so I do think it’s just because I found it hard to get into, and had I had more time at the start to devote to it, things may have been different. Will I read the sequels? It’s a job to say, but probably not as there are *so* many books out there that I want to read. However I am definitely in the minority and I’m sure that had circumstances been different I, too, would have loved it. I'm a bit sad that you didn't like it as much as you'd hoped, for your own sake But I'm happy to hear that it might have been partly because you didn't have more time to read it in bigger chunks. And at least it wasn't a complete disappointment as you did like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 I'm one of those who raved about The Shadow of the Wind, but despite that, I have no inclination to read the sequels (I think one of them might be a prequel?). We read it at my book group, and it certainly wasn't an outstanding success - I remember a few people loving it like me, some were rather ambivalent, and some couldn't make it past the first couple of chapters. I loved the Shadow of the Wind and have The Angel's Game on my TBR (I think that's the prequel?) but for some reason it hasn't appealed in the two years since buying it. I'm much the same, but The Angel's Game is in my Book Box so I will be reading it at some point! I felt exactly the same about The Shadow of the Wind as you did Janet. It took ages to catch fire with me but I eventually got into it and enjoyed the last third. I don't think I could face the sequels/prequels though. I wasn't blown away by The Shadow of the Wind either, even though it came highly recommended. I struggled through a lot of it, and towards the end, I was skimming a fair bit. No desire to read the sequels for me either. I remember reading and enjoying The Shadow of the Wind but I don't remember a single thing about it! It's interesting to read all your comments. It makes me feel slightly better about not wanting to read on. As a rule I don't generally get on with books that have sequels. I'm not sure why really, but I seldom pick them up. I loved the first three Rivers of London books by Ben Aaronovitch - really loved them - but I think there are two more since I finished my last one but I haven't even thought about buying them. I haven't read the third of the Stieg Larsson books yet and I've had it for a long, long time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Great reviews Janet! I have Elizabeth is Missing on my TBR. I'm half looking forward to it and half not, because like you I watched a relative suffer with dementia and I think it might be a tough read. Ho hum. I've got Elizabeth is Missing and I'm looking forward to reading it .. especially now I hear that Janet liked it xx I'm reading it just now but have to say I'm struggling with it.. Alex and Kay - I hope you enjoy it. It's not without its faults (well, fault, I guess!) but I thought it was a good story. I'm sorry you're not enjoying it, Diane. Are you still reading it or have you given up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Emoticons culled* Oh now you've gone and done it But you wrote that almost a month ago... And still, no show! He must be feeling ill or summat! I guess he doesn't read my blog. It's hard to read everyone's. I do try, but I don't often always find I have anything intelligent to say! Allowed-Purchase We should get tax deductions for those! We should! Someone should start a petition! Oh dear Go Tess, go Tess, go Tess... I can't believe you didn't go back for it Shows a lot of restraint! I know! Hopefully I'll find another copy when the time comes. 11 books so far isn't bad at all, I don't think! I thought it would be much worse... Yes, that's very true. I'm really trying to be good! I really like the sound of this, thanks for the review! Going on my wishlist I hope you enjoy it when you get round to it. I'm a bit sad that you didn't like it as much as you'd hoped, for your own sake But I'm happy to hear that it might have been partly because you didn't have more time to read it in bigger chunks. And at least it wasn't a complete disappointment as you did like it Yes, I certainly didn't hate it. Maybe in another time in another galaxy I would have fallen in love with it, but I certainly don't regret reading it. *No emoticon were harmed in the making of this post... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 The Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen The ‘blurb’ Amanda Owen has been eagerly watched by millions of viewers on ITV's The Dales, living and working at Ravenseat, a hill farm of 2,000 acres which she shares with 900 sheep, seven children, four dogs and one husband. Not to mention chickens, pigs, cows, horses, an uncontrollable goat and a vole who has taken up residence in the sitting room. It’s a far cry from her childhood in industrial Huddersfield… In this delightful memoir she reveals how she achieved her dream of becoming a shepherdess and how she and husband Clive have dealt with the ups and downs of farming life – from the tragedy of foot and mouth disease to the joy of breeding a champion tup, and from the pleasures of living in tune with the changing seasons to the challenges of raising children in such a location. Funny, heart-warming and packed with unforgettable characters – both human and animal - The Yorkshire Shepherdess will inspire you to look at the countryside and those who work there with new appreciation. Another book club book, the person who chose this for us did so because she had heard the author interviewed about the book on Radio 4 and thought it sounded interesting. Amanda Owen was not your stereotypical teenager. She became a Goth for a while, but her heart wasn’t really in it. The thing she loved more than anything was reading factual veterinary books and the stories of James Herriot, and spending time alone up on the moors, from which she got the idea of becoming a shepherdess. This seems strange when you consider that Amanda was not only a teenager but also a girl and a ‘townie’ to boot. Her resolve was strengthened after she borrowed a ‘coffee-table’ type book Hill Shepherd by John and Eliza Forder from Huddersfield library and Amanda eventually realised that dream. This autobiography explains how this unlikely career became a reality. I found it to be very enjoyable, but with a few minor irritations, meaning it didn’t get full marks. One thing I didn’t like was the way she spoke about her pregnancies. She has really fast labours and living so remotely it’s very difficult for her to get to hospital on time, particularly as she doesn’t seem to have contracts in the way most women do. This means she doesn’t get the early warning signs that the baby is coming. She has seven children during the writing of this book (and has had an eighth since its publication!), the second of whom was ten weeks premature, and three of her babies were born in lay-bys because the ambulance couldn’t get her to hospital in time, but when she was discussing a pregnancy and how she had not felt the baby move for some time, she wrote it in such a way that it came across that she treats her own pregnancies/babies as though the are animals and therefore didn’t seem at all concerned that one of them might have died in the womb. Of course, it could all be bravado, and I like to hope that’s the case, because on paper it just comes across that she doesn’t care. The other thing which bothered me was the way she wrote her speech. Her dialect was so Yorkshire that it sounded false and it was rather grating. I mentioned that during the discussion of the book and several others had made a similar observation – and the host (who chose the book) played us the recording of Amanda Owen being interviewed by Libby Purves and she only had a very gentle lilt – nothing like the way she wrote about herself. Maybe that’s how she hears herself, but it got very wearing after a while! It was very interesting to read about the type of farming the family do (mostly sheep). They live very remotely – it’s not a way of life that would suit me, but Amanda and her family obviously love it, and that came across in the book. The farm, Ravenseat, is situated on the Coast to Coast path, and as a result walkers would often stop and chat and maybe ask for a drink – and from that came a small café serving scones and drinks. The farm also featured on an ITV programme called The Dales hosted by Ade Edmondson which has increased the number of visitors. The Foot and Mouth epidemic of 2001 is covered in the book. It affected the whole country and was tragic. Hundreds of healthy sheep were slaughtered as a preventative measure. Whilst the farmers received compensation, some of the sheep killed were rare breeds and were worth more than just the monetary value – it takes years to build up a flock virtually from scratch. That was something I hadn’t considered before I read this memoir. The first chapter of the book deals with her childhood living with her mother and father and her younger sister Katie - her father died when she was a teen. After this initial chapter there is no mention at all of her family. That might be their choice but it was a shame – I’d have liked to have known a bit more about them and what they think of her life. If the negative parts of my review make it sound like I didn’t enjoy this book then that is just a reflection on my writing. Overall it was an interesting book and it made for great discussion at book club. Amanda’s lifestyle is definitely not for me (and I’m not sure how good it is for her children, but obviously that’s not my choice) but I do admire her for getting to live her dream, and for that dream living up to all her expectations. The paperback edition is 308 pages long and is published by Pan. It was first published in 2014. The ISBN is 9781447251781. 4/5 (Very enjoyable) (Finished 7 April 2015) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I guess he doesn't read my blog. It's hard to read everyone's. I do try, but I don't often always find I have anything intelligent to say! Oh that's not true at all (on both accounts!)! I know he's not been as regularly on here as he used to for some weeks now so it's just that We should! Someone should start a petition! I'll start one over here if you start one over there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 I'll start one over here if you start one over there Good plan! I've started The Rosie Project. I'm only on page 38 so far but I think I'm going to like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 I did finish 'Elizabeth is Missing Janet'....see my blog for review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I like the sound of The Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen, but the thing that puts me off is the dialect, especially if it's liberally sprinkled through the book. I'm rarely a fan of written dialect in books, especially if it's full of apostrophes and difficult to read in any other accent, as I find it stops the flow of my reading as I suddenly have to struggle to say in my head what is actually being said on the page. I've read A Shepherd's Watch by David Kennard, which was about a Devon sheep farmer, and I thought that was great, so I might try The Yorkshire Shepherdess at some point. The best book I've read about farming though, although quite sad, as it's about the hardship of farming in Britain and having to sell a family farm, was The Farm by Richard Benson. Fantastic book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I think the written dialect would irritate me as well. There are some books that I've abandoned because of it, as it just grates and can be difficult to decipher. Claire, I've not heard of A Shepherd's Watch or The Farm, but I've put them both on my wishlist, as I find farming and the countryside so fascinating. Also living in Devon, I'll probably really appreciate A Shepherd's Watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I think the written dialect would irritate me as well. There are some books that I've abandoned because of it, as it just grates and can be difficult to decipher. Claire, I've not heard of A Shepherd's Watch or The Farm, but I've put them both on my wishlist, as I find farming and the countryside so fascinating. Also living in Devon, I'll probably really appreciate A Shepherd's Watch. I think you'll enjoy A Shepherd's Watch, especially as he talks a lot about his sheepdogs too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I like the sound of The Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen, but the thing that puts me off is the dialect, especially if it's liberally sprinkled through the book. I'm rarely a fan of written dialect in books, especially if it's full of apostrophes and difficult to read in any other accent, as I find it stops the flow of my reading as I suddenly have to struggle to say in my head what is actually being said on the page.x I fully agree with this! Particularly if it's an English book instead of a Dutch, with Dutch I can make it out more easily but with English I really have to try to pronounce each word to work out what it means, it really takes me out of the book and slows the reading process to a crawl. Sometimes I can't even make it out then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 I think my review gave the wrong impression of the dialect in The Yorkshire Shepherdess - I exaggerated somewhat! She doesn't use it all the way through by any means - she writes like that in fits and starts. It wasn't like reading Huckleberry Finn. I struggled a little with the opening chapter of The Help but soon tuned in. If you like the sound of Amanda Owens' book then please don't let my review put you off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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