Tag: Literary Fiction

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025 Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Featured Books

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOKS: Life Hacks for a Little Alien by Alice Franklin

Published February 13th, 2025 by Riverrun
Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story

Welcome to my review for this special, moving and heartfelt debut. Thank you to Riverrun for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘Wise and playful and tender and beautiful’ Bobby Palmer
‘So brilliant, so original and lovely and funny, that it reminds you of the point of reading’ Rebecca Wait

Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Remarkably Bright Creatures, this is a charming, witty and moving novel about what it feels like to grow up neurodivergent.

‘Climb up here, Little Alien. Sit next to me. I will tell you about life on this planet. I will tell you how it goes’

From her first words to her first day at school, Little Alien can’t help but get things wrong. She doesn’t understand the world the way others seem to, and the world doesn’t seem to understand her either. Her anxious mum and meticulous dad, while well-intentioned, are of little help.

But when Little Alien sees a documentary about the Voynich Manuscript – a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script – she begins to suspect that there are other people who feel just like her. Convinced that translating this manuscript will offer the answers she needs, she sets out on a journey that will show her a delicious taste of freedom.

So begins this charming, witty, and profoundly moving novel about the power of language, the wonder of libraries – and how to find a path that fits, when you yourself do not.

‘Unique and thoroughly engaging. It is insightful and funny and gently poignant. By telling the story of one little alien, Alice Franklin has told the story of many’ Pip Williams, author of The Dictionary of Lost Words

‘Totally addictive and brilliant . . . Life Hacks for A Little Alien is sure to find its place as one of the best loved works of fiction’ Aimée Walsh, author of Exile

‘Immersive, moving, and fizzing with humour, I couldn’t put this book down and I still can’t let the character go’ Paula Lichtarowicz, author of The Snow Hare

‘A rare energy lights this wonderful book: a unique recipe of humour, heart, frankness, and an unstoppable fascination with language’ Han Smith, author of Portraits at the Palace of Creativity and Wrecking

‘Witty, bold, heart-warming and entirely delicious. I devoured it’ Jyoti Patel, author of The Things that we Lost

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MY REVIEW:

“Climb up here, Little Alien. Sit next to me. I will tell you about life on this planet. I will tell you how it goes.”

Beautiful, tender, quirky and deeply human, Life Hacks For A Little Alien is a thought-provoking debut. It explores the world through the eyes of an unnamed protagonist referred to as Little Alien because she feels so different from everyone around her. Little Alien struggles to navigate life and doesn’t understand the world or the people around her. Nor do they understand her. She is seen as strange and distant; unable to look people in the eye and rarely speaking. School is a nightmare for Little Alien. She is overwhelmed, gullible and seems unable to stay out of trouble. They also label her as stupid because of her unusual ways and reluctance to talk, not realising she has a rich inner life and is actually quite clever. She makes one friend, but loses touch with him after she’s forced to move schools again. Then, after seeing a documentary about the Voynich Manuscript – a Medieval codex written in an unknown language and script – Little Alien begins to wonder if she isn’t the only one who feels different after all. She becomes obsessed with the manuscript and is convinced that translating it holds the key to all the answers she’s been searching for. 

Alice Franklin proves herself to be a talent to watch with this glorious debut. From its opening pages it is obvious that this is a book like nothing you’ve ever read before. And it is a story I will never forget. Masterfully written and full of heart and humour, Franklin has created something really special. Little Alien is a unique protagonist that it is impossible not to love. Endearing and sympathetic, her differences only made me feel more protective of her. I loved seeing the world through Little Alien’s eyes, although seeing how she was judged and dismissed broke my heart and made me wish for a kinder world. Franklin expertly shows us how things that make sense to us might be confusing for someone else and  I was glad Little Alien had the narrator to guide her through this confusing world as no-one else was doing it. This little girl fell through every crack possible in life and it was heartbreaking. Her teachers were ignorant and her parents deeply flawed, both so consumed by their own issues and challenges that they failed to help their daughter. But they weren’t bad people and I was rooting for them to get better and for the family to heal as a unit.

As the mother of two neurodivergent children, I wish I’d had this book to read years ago. Wonderful, moving and insightful, it is hard to put into words just how special, and unique this story is. Please read it and find out for yourself.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alice Franklin lives and works in London. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Life Hacks for a Little Alien is her debut novel.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025

BLOG TOUR: Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell

Published January 30th, 2025 by Scribner UK
Literary Fiction

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this extroardinary and unforgettable debut. Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Scribner UK for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘A moving portrait of life inside the housing system and the courage it takes to try to build a home in society’s cracks’ GUARDIAN

‘Brand-new, urgent and hugely satisfying’ RODDY DOYLE

‘As emotionally charged as it is brutally real. The writing is flawless. I was profoundly moved’ ELAINE FEENEY

‘Will make your blood boil and your heart soar. This is an important novel’ CLAIRE KILROY

‘Gorgeous, maddening, thrilling and compassionate’ SHEILA ARMSTRONG

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An extraordinary and urgent debut by a prize-winning Irish writer, NESTING introduces an unforgettable new voice in fiction.

On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change everything. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.

This was meant to be an escape. But with dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself adrift, facing a broken housing system and the voice of her own demons. As summer passes and winter closes in, she must navigate raising her children in a hotel room, searching for a new home and dealing with her husband Ryan’s relentless campaign to get her to come back. Because leaving is one thing, but staying away is another.

What will it take for Ciara to rebuild her life? Can she ever truly break away from Ryan’s control – and what will be the cost?

Tense, beautiful, and underpinned by an unassailable love, hope and resilience, this is the story of one woman’s bid to start over.

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MY REVIEW:

One afternoon Ciara Fay finds the strength to leave her abusive husband, Ryan. It’s a split-second moment of clarity, so Ciara grabs the clothes from the washing line and a few other meager items that are to hand and flees with her two daughters. She has just a few hundred euro to her name and knows only that she has to get the three of them to safety. But reality quickly dawns for Ciara as she finds herself with dwindling money, nowhere to stay, no job, and a head filled with self-doubt and inner demons. A broken housing crisis sees Ciara and her daughters living in a single room in a hotel, while Ryan incessantly sends messages that either pledging his undying love or drip with venom. As the months tick by with no end to their struggle in sight, Ciara doubts her choices. She found the strength to leave. But can she find the strength to stay away?

Searing, soulful, heart-shredding and hopeful, Nesting is a powerful and moving story that will stay with you long after reading. A story of doubt, fear, trauma, courage, joy and hope that broke me into pieces and then put me back together again. I was very nervous about reading this one as I knew from the synopsis that it would bring back so much of my own trauma. I left my own abusive marriage for the final time in 2008 and so much of Ciara’s story is my own. But while it is a difficult, painful and uncomfortable read, even if you’ve never experienced abuse, it is also an urgent story that needs to be read. 

Roisin O’Donnell showcases herself as a talent to watch with this astonishing debut. Expertly written, every word bleeds raw emotion as she strips bare the emotional rollercoaster that accompanies leaving and staying away from an abusive partner. And she achieves this in a way that is more vivid and achingly real than I’ve ever read before. There is omnipresent fear that lingers over every page alongside the helplessness, vulnerability, strength and courage that flow through the story. I devoured it in a single evening, unable to turn away and felt like an empty shell after finishing this unbelievable debut; loving it completely but also feeling like a hollow shell once it was over. 

O’Donnell masterfully writes these characters and their complex emotions, creating relatable and real characters filled with the shades of grey that make us human. Ciara makes mistakes, but I connected with her quickly. Ryan is clearly controlling from the first pages, but we also see the charm and emotion that drew Ciara to him and made her stay for so long. I think getting Ryan’s character so right was vital so the reader can understand why she is so torn and doubts herself so much. These kinds of people know how to turn on the charm and get inside our heads so that we no longer know who we are and only hear their voice in our head. O’Donnell portrays that perfectly, showing the reader how it is possible to feel so lost without the person who is tearing you apart from the inside. The story also contains beautiful examples of friendship and community in the relationships Ciara formed with the other people at the hotel. There is also real beauty to be found in the community and friendships that Ciara formed with the other people at the hotel. In her darkest hour she found people who rallied round her, supported her, and helped her find the light once again. Something all of us need. 

Tense, haunting and unforgettable, Nesting is an extraordinary debut that packs a strong emotional punch. I expect to see this on many of the prize lists this year and can’t wait for whatever Ms. O’Donnell writes next. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Roisín O’Donnell won the prize for Short Story of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards in 2018, and was shortlisted for the same prize in 2022. She is the author of the story collection Wild Quiet, which was longlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize and shortlisted for the Kate O’Brien Award. Her short fiction has featured in The Stinging Fly, The Tangerine, the Irish Times and many other places. Other stories have been selected for major anthologies such as The Long Gaze Back, and have featured on RTÉ Radio. Her debut novel Nesting will be published in 2025. Roisín is represented by Eleanor Birne at PEW Literary. She lives near Dublin with her two children.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.
 

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025 Squadpod Squadpod Book Club

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowen Ivey

Published February 4th, 2025 by Tinder Press
Literary Fiction, Fairy Tales

Happy Publication Day to this dark, moving and extraordinary tale, which is our SquadPod Book Club book for February. Thank you to Tinder Press for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Where there is wonder, there is love – an unforgettable story of the beauty and savagery of the Alaskan wilderness, from the author of the million-copy international bestseller, The Snow Child.

‘I read with my heart in my mouth, filled with wonder’ Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
‘An enthralling novel about the endurance of love, the power of forgiveness and the savage, irresistible allure of wild places’ Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

Birdie’s keeping it together, of course she is. So she’s a little hungover on her shifts, and has to bring her daughter to the lodge while she waits tables, but Emaleen never goes hungry. It’s a tough town to be a single mother, and Birdie just needs to get by.
And then Birdie meets Arthur, who is quieter than most men, but makes her want to listen; who is gentle with Emaleen, and understands Birdie’s fascination with the mountains in whose shadow they live. When Arthur asks Birdie and Emaleen to leave the lodge and make a home, just the three of them, in his off-grid cabin, Birdie’s answer, in a heartbeat, is yes.

Out in the wilderness Birdie’s days are harsher and richer than she ever imagined possible. Here she will feel truly at one with nature. Here she, and Emaleen, will learn the whole, fearful truth about Arthur.

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MY REVIEW:

Haunting, beautiful, breathtaking and profound, Black Woods, Blue Sky is an unforgettable masterpiece. A moving story of love, survival, resilience and hope, it’s been a few months since I read it and I still think about it all the time. Eowyn Ivey has created something very special, almost magical, with this book. And everyone needs to read it.

The story follows Birdie, a single mum to six-year-old Emaleen. Birdie is a reckless character who thinks she’s holding it together, but others see it differently. She often leaves young Emaleen alone while she works at the bar or goes fishing. While working at the bar Birdie becomes close to a quiet and strange young man named Arthur. But Arthur listens to her, is kind, he’s great with Emaleen, and the pair share a fascination with the mountains near their Alaskan small town. So, when he asks Birdie to leave her life and bring Emaleen to live offgrid with him she doesn’t hesitate to agree. 
Life in the wilderness is harder than she imagined, but so much more beautiful. But Arthur is acting strange and Birdie begins to think he’s hiding something. Soon, she and Emaleen discover the shocking and fearful truth about him that is beyond anything they ever imagined. 

No-one writes like Eowyn Ivey. I became an instant fan when I read The Snow Child a few years ago and this book solidified her status as one of my favourite authors. Utterly mesmerising, insightful, chilling and devastating, every word went straight to my soul. This book is one of a kind; a dark and forbidding fairytale that is both something from your dreams and straight out of your nightmares. The story builds steadily over three parts but got more intense in the final third and I read with my heart in my throat and shed tears as my heart shattered into pieces. Set in Alaska, the story’s strong sense of place is one of its greatest qualities. Ivey uses the harsh but beautiful  wilderness as another character in the story. The imagery is so evocative that I could see the snowy mountains, hear the twigs crunch under my feet and feel the frigid coldness on my skin.

Ivey has filled the book with characters who are richly drawn, fascinating, and achingly real. Ivey lays bare their flaws, fears and imperfections, making them more relatable, while their strength and resilience made them easy to connect with. Through Birdie, Ivey offers an honest portrayal of the difficulties of single parenthood, showing that alongside the love, joy and strength it brings is also incredible hardship and moments where you doubt your ability. As someone who was a single parent, I related to Birdie but also felt enraged by her behaviour and was rooting for her to become a better mother. However, I did appreciate that Ivey didn’t gloss over the more challenging parts or make Birdie an idealised version of a single mother. Arthur was more enigmatic, the fears of his father for his ‘dangerous’ son making us question what this nice guy is hiding. This led to a lot of tension as I tried to guess what was going on and while my guesses seemed crazy, I couldn’t shake them. But the star of this show was undoubtedly little Emaleen. It was impossible not to love this smart and sweet child who has made a permanent home in my heart. .

An extraordinary story that is like nothing I’ve read before, this is a book that everyone should read.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eowyn (pronounced A-o-win) LeMay Ivey was raised in Alaska and continues to live there with her husband and two daughters. She worked for nearly a decade as a bookseller at independent Fireside Books in Palmer, Alaska, and prior to that as a reporter for the local newspaper, The Frontiersman.

Her new novel, Black Woods, Blue Sky will be released February 2025. To the Bright Edge of the World was published in 2016. Her debut novel, The Snow Child, has sold more than a million copies worldwide and is a New York Times bestseller published in more than 25 languages. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, a UK National Book Award winner, an Indies Choice award for debut fiction, and a PNBA Book Award winner

Eowyn’s essays and short fiction have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, London’s Observer Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine, Sunday Express Magazine, Woman & Home Magazine, the anthology Cold Flashes, the North Pacific Rim literary journal Cirque, and Alaska Magazine, among other publications.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliatel inks

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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book reviews

BOOK REVIEW: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Published November 3rd, 2022 by Faber & Faber
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Today I’m sharing my thoughts on the phenomenal Small Things Like These.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING CILLIAN MURPHY

A SUNDAY TIMES AND IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’ ‘100 Best Books of the 21st Century’

WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE AND THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE AND THE IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AT THE DALKEY LITERARY AWARDS

‘Exquisite.’ Damon Galgut
‘Masterly.’ The Times
‘Miraculous.’ Herald
‘Astonishing.’ Colm Tóibín
‘Stunning.’ Sunday Independent
‘Absolutely beautiful.’ Douglas Stuart

It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him – and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.

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MY REVIEW:

Small Things Like These is a book that I’ve heard nothing but high praise for. It was nominated for the Booker Prize, named one of the New York Times’ 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, and chosen by Oprah Winfrey for her book club, yet it has languished on my shelf unread since I bought it two years ago. But when I heard that there was a movie adaptation being released, I knew it was time to finally dust it off and discover it for myself. 

Set in a small Irish town as Christmas approaches in 1985, the story follows coal miner and timber merchant Bill Furlong during his busiest season. One morning, during a routine delivery, Bill discovers a young girl locked in a coal shed and is forced to face the stark truth of the church’s control of the town and the horrors they inflict behind closed doors. 

I had heard and read about Ireland’s infamous Magdalene laundries, and this story offers a glimpse into how the church used power, secrecy, fear and control to allow them to continue their atrocities for so long. The last of the laundries didn’t close until as recently as 1996 and it was in 1993 that the unmarked graves of 155 women were uncovered in the grounds of one of the laundries. 

This is a story that is short but mighty. Deftly told, succinct and consuming, Claire Keegan doesn’t waste a word as she explores the very best and worst of humanity in this heartfelt, profound and thought-provoking tale. It is one of those books that you need to sit with after reading, ruminating on the lessons in the story. A short read, it took me just over an hour to read it, but this haunting story will stay with me forever.  

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Claire Keegan’s works of fiction are critically acclaimed, international bestsellers — and have been translated into thirty languages. Antarctica won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. Walk the Blue Fields won the Edge Hill Prize for the finest collection of stories published in the British Isles. Foster won the Davy Byrnes Award— the world’s richest prize for a short story. Small Things Like These, a New York Times Best Book of the 21st Century, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Rathbones Folio Prize and won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and The Kerry Prize for Irish Novel of the Year. So Late in the Day was published in the New Yorker and shortlisted for the British Book Awards. Keegan was awarded Woman of the Year for Literature in Ireland in 2022, Author of the Year 2023, the Seamus Heaney Award for Arts and Letters 2024 and most recently the Siegfried Lenz Award.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These links are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Featured Books

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOKS: The Unfinished Life of Eadie Browne by Freya North

Published September 12th, 2024 by Mountain Leopard Press
Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story

Welcome to my review for this magnificent and unforgettable story, which was one of our recent SquadPod Featured Books. Thanks to Mountain Leopard Press for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘You really must read this book. A rare and phenomenal life affirming read’ DINAH JEFFERIES

‘Get ready to fall in love with Eadie Browne, the eponymous and eccentric heroine of this tender-hearted, steeped-in-nostalgia story about chosen family’ RED

When your present meets your past, what do you take with you – and what do you leave behind?

Eadie Browne is a quirky kid living in a small town where nothing much happens. Bullied at school, she muddles her way through the teenage years with best friends Celeste and Josh until University takes them their separate ways.

Arriving in Manchester as a student in the late 1980s, Eadie experiences a novel freedom and it’s intoxicating. As the city embraces the dizzying euphoria of Rave counterculture, Eadie is swept along, ignoring danger and reality. Until, one night, her past comes hurtling at her with consequences she could never have imagined.

Now, as the new millennium approaches, Eadie is thirty with a marriage in tatters, travelling back to the town of her birth for a funeral she can’t quite comprehend. As she journeys from the North to the South, from the present to the past, Eadie contemplates all that was then and all that is now – and the loose ends that must be tied before her future can unfold.

‘A delightful dose of nostalgia’ HEAT

‘A beautifully written tale about growing up, letting go and moving on’ SUN

‘A gorgeous, heartfelt, atmospheric novel by a wonderful storyteller’ LUCY ATKINS

‘A beautifully moving portrait of youth, friendship and love . . . I loved it’ MIKE GAYLE

‘Beautifully written, funny and wise . . . heart-breaking and heart-warming’ ALEXANDRA POTTER

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MY REVIEW:

Heartfelt, enthralling and unforgettable, The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne is a gorgeous slice-of-life story that packs a strong emotional punch. Brimming with kindness, joy, friendship and self-discovery, it explores the defining moments in one young girl’s life and how they echo in her adult years, as well as the many ways we leave indelible imprints on each other’s lives. 

Some books arrive in your life at exactly the right time and change you forever. That is what this book did for me. Freya North had me in the palm of her hand from start to finish, immediately enthralling me with her beautiful, descriptive prose of this exquisitely written and insightful story. It resonated with me on a visceral level and in a way few books have done before. I make notes in my phone as I read to help me write my reviews and I found myself so lost in this story that I barely made any. I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in two sittings, staying up until the early hours until I’d finished and left me with one hell of a book hangover. 

I fell totally in love with the eponymous Eadie Browne, a quirky and eccentric child who seemed quite sad when we first met her. Eadie lives in a small town and spends her time with her only friends, who just happen to be the residents of the cemetery neighbouring her home. She’s teased mercilessly for this and other things at school and it was impossible not to feel for her. But Eadie also radiates an undeniable charm that makes you like her from the start. I felt like I really connected with young Eadie and I loved that the author has filled this book with not only a heroine who is recognisable, relatable and real, but a whole varied cast of characters who are too. I loved Eadie’s friendships with her best friends, Josh and Celeste. I loved watching them grow together, help each other, and how they were inseparable during their tumultuous teenage years. Other friendships I really enjoyed were Eadie’s friendships with the people who worked in the cemetery. These men were a real source of wisdom and comfort to her when she really needed them and I’m a sucker for a multi-generational friendship. 

The story takes a shift in tone when Eadie moves to Manchester for university. This part felt very emotional to me as my eldest and his girlfriend made the same move to the same city 14 months ago. When Eadie moves to Manchester it is overwhelming and she is back to being all alone and needing to make new connections, but she does settle and make new friends. And with those friends comes her introduction to the Rave scene that was sweeping the city in the late 1980s and they spend their nights dancing in an Ecstasy-induced haze. It is a time of euphoria, brightness and discovery. While it feels innocent to them, we know the danger they are in. A danger that Eadie becomes aware of when her past and present collide in a terrifying way one night, leading to a new exploration of trauma and PTSD, subjects that the author handles with both honesty and sensitivity. She brings that same talent to her writing in the ‘present’ part of the story, which takes place in 1999. Eadie is now thirty and married. But her marriage is strained and as she and her husband  make a pilgrimage back to her home town for a funeral. As she travels home, Eadie reflects on the past, how the events in her life have impacted her over the years and in the present, and asks herself if her marriage can be saved. 

Consuming, funny, heartwarming, moving and uplifting, this magnificent story is one that I will never forget. One of my favourite books this year, I can’t recommend it highly enough. 

 Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am the author of 16 bestselling novels including my debut Sally (1996), Pillow Talk (2008 – winner of the RNA award) The Turning Point (2016), Richard & Judy Bookclub selection Little Wing (2022) and my newest, The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne (2024) – my love letter to youth, to friendship, to growing up in the 1980s… and to Manchester!

A sense of place is central to my writing and previous novels have featured Derbyshire, Teesside, North Norfolk, the Scottish Highlands and Islands, Vermont, France and British Columbia. A passionate reader, I founded and ran the Hertford Children’s Book Festival, have judged the Costa Book Awards and am a patron of the Society of Women Writers & Journalists. I’m proud to be an Ambassador for Bowel Cancer UK and patron of Pointers In Need. I have degrees in Art History from the University of Manchester and the Courtauld Institute, London and love teaching at writing workshops. Currently, I’m trying to work out which novel to write next… as there are quite a few vying for my attention!

I love books. Books have defined and shaped all the key stages of my life. A A Milne taught me about rhyme – and reason; Barbara Sleigh fired my imagination and my playtimes with the Carbonel stories. Black Beauty was the first book that made me cry, while Ruby Ferguson’s Jill books transported the pony-mad girl in me away from the city.

In my teenage years, I found solace in Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Judy Blume’s novels, while To Kill A Mockingbird and Flowers for Algernon opened my eyes to justice, humanity and judging people. At University, I turned to Jilly Cooper for respite during exams and books by Jane Gardam and Barbara Trapido introduced me to characters whose shoes I wanted to step in to. I now host a series on Instagram called Wednesday Writers – a half-hour slot at lunchtime where I chat candidly with another author about how we write, why we write, where we write…and how we cope when we fear we can’t bloody write!

I grew up surrounded by books and loved weekly visits to the library to choose something new – or an outing to the bookshop to spend a book voucher! Whether my childhood home or student digs in Manchester or various flat-shares and then my own home, books have always filled my space. I don’t own an ebook reader – I’m happy to continue to decorate my home with my book collection. Every book I own is a treasured possession of mine, an essential part of my history. Every book I own, quite literally, tells a story.

Since 2009 I have lived on a small farm in East Hertfordshire with my family – my offspring Felix and Georgia, my dogs Milo and Bee, my horses Nathan and Jack and my sheeps Brontë, Emily, Eliza and Lovely. In my spare time, I enjoy ceramics classes (I’ve been going for years and basically make the same bowl over and over again, plus little porcelain sheep) or invariably I can be found in one saddle or other. I’ve ridden horses since I was little but I took up road biking after my back surgery in 2017 – and have become somewhat obsessed…

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

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Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024

BOOK REVIEW: The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid, 2) by Nita Prose

Published January 18th, 2024 by Harper Fiction
Mystery, Thriller, Literary Fiction, Women Sleuths

Welcome to my review for this gorgeous cosy mystery. Thank you to Harper Fiction for sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

*The sparkling new novel from the million-copy bestselling author of THE MAID*

‘Utterly delightful’ DAILY MAIL

‘Captivates from page one’ JANICE HALLETT

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DO NOT DISTURB. WHODUNNIT IN PROGRESS …

Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel: plumping pillows, sweeping up secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection. But the hotel’s reputation is sullied when a guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead on the tearoom floor.

As suspicion swirls in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about a dusty old house, and everything else she’s tidied away in her memory.

Because Molly knew the dead guest once upon a time – and she knows his secrets too …

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MY REVIEW:

“Every fairytale teaches a lesson. The monster is always real. Just not the way you thought. No secret stays buried forever.”

When renowned author J. D. Grimthorpe drops dead during an event at the Regency Grand Hotel; our favourite cleaning lady-turned amateur sleuth, Molly Gray, is drawn into another investigation. Suspicion fills the hotel’s halls and the list of suspects seems to grow daily: could it be Lily, the new Maid-in-Training or Serena, Mr. Grimthorpe’s Secretary? Maybe it could even be one of his devoted fans. But this victim is no stranger to Molly and she quickly realises that long-buried memories from her past and a secret the author has long kept hidden could hold the answers to his death. 


Molly the Maid is back! The Maid was one of my favourite books of 2022 so I was excited to step back into the Regency Grand Hotel For another mystery. Nita Prose has once again written a captivating mystery that also feels like a warm hug. I devoured this book, enjoying every moment of being back with Molly and the other characters. 

This book has solidified Molly’s place as one of my favourite amateur sleuths. She is such a warm, endearing and quirky character who I think it would be impossible not to love. Since the last book Molly has been promoted to Head Maid and it is clear she relishes her new role. I loved seeing how she has grown since the first book and delving into her past to solve this mystery. The flashback scenes were some of my favourite and I loved getting to know her late Grandmother better and seeing their dynamic. It helped me understand Molly even more and you can see the seeds for who she is in the present being sown in her past. Also back are other favourite characters such as Anglea, the feisty barmaid and Molly’s best friend, Preston, the loveable Doorman, Hotel Manager Mr Snow, and Molly’s old foe, Detective Stark. I loved being back with these characters, feeling like I was back amongst old friends. 

Cosy, comforting and compelling, this is the perfect book for anyone wanting their mystery with a side of uplit. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

*I listened to this on Bookbeat. Click here to listen with 60 days free.*

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nita Prose is the author of The Mystery Guest and The Maid, which has sold over 2 million copies worldwide and was published in more than forty countries. A #1 New York Times bestseller and a Good Morning America Book Club pick, The Maid won the Ned Kelly Award for In­ternational Crime Fiction, the Fingerprint Award for Debut Novel of the Year, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, and the Barry Award for Best First Mys­tery, and was an Edgar Award finalist for Best Novel. 

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

Published October 10th, 2024 by Doubleday UK
Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this atmospheric and suspenseful thriller. Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Doubleday UK for the gifted proof in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

AS FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 4 FRONT ROW

‘Utterly compelling. Could not put it down.’ LIZ NUGENT

‘Really, really, REALLY good. Highly recommended!’ MARIAN KEYES

‘I LOVED this art-world-set thriller with its stately-home Saltburn vibe.’ DAILY MAIL

THE CHILLING AND ADDICTIVE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR.

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WELCOME TO ERIS – A SCOTTISH TIDAL ISLAND WITH ONLY ONE HOUSE, ONE INHABITANT,
ONE WAY OUT. . .

A place that is unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day. Once the hideaway of Vanessa, a famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace. A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, Grace receives an unexpected visitor.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge . . .

‘A gripping, ambitious, big-skied novel about women who refuse to surrender to the tide.’ ERIN KELLY

‘Extremely hard to put down.’ MICK HERRON

‘A masterpiece! Gorgeous and chilling.’ SHARI LAPENA

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MY REVIEW:

Eris Island is a secluded island off the coast of Scotland that has just one house, one inhabitant, and is cut off from the mainland for twelve hours each day. This made it the ideal sanctuary for Vanessa Chapman, an eccentric and reclusive artist, who lived and created much of her work there until her death five years ago. Upon her death Vanessa bequeathed her home to her companion, Grace, but her work to gallery owner, Doug Lennox. But there are works rumoured to be missing, and when a human bone is discovered in one of her sculptures, Janes Becker is sent to Eris Island by the Lennox family to investigate. Will he finally reveal the secrets Eris has kept hidden for decades…

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Paula Hawkins, but I loved The Girl on the Train and knew I needed to read this one as soon as I read the synopsis. It started strong: the beautiful and compelling prologue pulling me in and telling me that this was going to live up to the hype. And it did. Atmospheric, claustrophobic, tense and alluring, The Blue Hour is a story about dark secrets, fractured people, male violence, and women who refuse to conform. Skillfully written, tightly plotted and twisty, there’s a dark, haunting and mysterious atmosphere that permeates the pages from start to finish. It’s a darkness that feels seductive, luring you to Eris Island and its long-held secrets and holding you in its thrall. The island’s harsh, unforgiving and isolated landscape only heightened these feelings. Eris seems like the perfect place when you want peace or solitude, but it’s frightening when things go wrong. And while I had my theories about what had gone wrong, I didn’t predict even a slither of the many twists and turns. Hawkins steadily builds the tension to its heart-pounding crescendo, leaving me breathless when all was finally unveiled.

The story is told by dual narrators: Vanessa’s companion, Grace, and James, who works for the Lennox family. While James seems reliable, steadfast and someone who is what he appears – a fanboy of Vanessa’s who now works for the family who sold her artwork – Grace is more of an enigma. We know Grace is keeping secrets and are never sure if we can trust her. Is she just protective of her dear friend and her legacy or is there something darker to what she’s hiding? This mystery added to the tension and kept me on tenterhooks. Meanwhile, Vanessa may have passed five years before, but she is kept very much alive by the inclusion of extracts from her diary before each chapter. These were often my favourite parts; the author dropping breadcrumbs of clues for us to piece together as we try to unravel the mystery of what really happened on Eris Island.

Eerie, suspenseful and totally riveting, The Blue Hour is a thriller not to be missed.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. Paula’s most recent thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant No.1 bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards. Her upcoming thriller, The Blue Hour, will be published around the world in October 2024.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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Thanks for reading, Bibliopihles xxxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

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book reviews

HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK CLUB: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

Published August 30th, 2001 by Viking
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ‘March’ and ‘People of the Book’.

A young woman’s struggle to save her family and her soul during the extraordinary year of 1666, when plague suddenly struck a small Derbyshire village.

In 1666, plague swept through London, driving the King and his court to Oxford, and Samuel Pepys to Greenwich, in an attempt to escape contagion. The north of England remained untouched until, in a small community of leadminers and hill farmers, a bolt of cloth arrived from the capital. The tailor who cut the cloth had no way of knowing that the damp fabric carried with it bubonic infection.

So begins the Year of Wonders, in which a Pennine village of 350 souls confronts a scourge beyond remedy or understanding. Desperate, the villagers turn to sorcery, herb lore, and murderous witch-hunting. Then, led by a young and charismatic preacher, they elect to isolate themselves in a fatal quarantine. The story is told through the eyes of Anna Frith who, at only 18, must contend with the death of her family, the disintegration of her society, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit attraction.

Geraldine Brooks’s novel explores love and learning, fear and fanaticism, and the struggle of 17th century science and religion to deal with a seemingly diabolical pestilence. ‘Year of Wonders’ is also an eloquent memorial to the real-life Derbyshire villagers who chose to suffer alone during England’s last great plague.

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MY REVIEW:

“This plague will make heroes of us all, whether we will or no.”

I first read Year of Wonders about twenty years ago and it has stayed with me. It instantly became one of my all-time favourite books and I have recommended it to other readers many times over the years. So when the Historical Fiction Book Club picked it as their July read, I was excited to revisit this story. But would I love it as much this time around?

Spring, 1966. A bolt of infected fabric carries the plague from London to the quiet Derbyshire village of Eyam. As the plague starts to spread among them, the villagers isolate themselves to avoid spreading the infection further. A fateful decision that will see most of their small village wiped out by the disease. Year of Wonders tells the story of that fateful quarantine through the eyes of Anna, a young widowed mother, as she tries to save herself and her family. But, as the sickness skulks from household to household and the death tally rises and her community crumbles around her, Anna must confront loss, suspicion, and the temptation of an illicit attraction. 

“The plague had come upon us like a thief in the night, stealing our breath, our strength, our loves and lives.”

I’ve been fascinated with the history of Eyam ever since studying it and taking a trip there in primary school. I was fascinated by the idea that these people willingly quarantined themselves knowing it was a death sentence in order to save others. Living close to Eyam helped it feel more personal, too. So as soon as I saw the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it. And going into this second time around it held the heavy expectations of being one of my favourite books. Did it live up to them? It certainly did! Atmospheric, haunting and alluring, it was every bit as mesmerising the second time around and I was lost for words when it was over.

“I fear the line between myself and madness is as fine these days as a cobweb, and I have seen what it means when a soul crosses over into that dim and wretched place.”

A few years ago, a Collins Modern Classic version of the book was released, and it certainly deserves that status. Exquisitely written, meticulously researched, and evocatively told, Geraldine Brooks transported me back to 17th Century Derbyshire threading gossamer layers of storylines together with a chorus of detailed characters to immerse me in the lives of these villagers. Their fierce resolve is palpable and I am in awe at their bravery and sacrifice. There is something so potent and intimately tragic about the characters going about their everyday lives or worrying about whether a love affair is appropriate juxtaposed with the extraordinary circumstances of a village quickly being wiped out by a deadly plague. A sense of creeping dread and unfolding horror that lingers on these pages and it’s a powerful and emotional read, filled with awful anticipation as we know their terrible fate but desperately hope that a different ending might await them. 

Harrowing, dark, disquieting, affecting and deeply human, Year of Wonders is an absolute masterpiece. Add this to your TBR now. And if you’ve already read it, then read it again because it is every bit as enthralling when re-read. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an author and journalist who grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney, attending Bethlehem College Ashfield and the University of Sydney. She worked as a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald for three years as a feature writer with a special interest in environmental issues.

In 1982 she won the Greg Shackleton Australian News Correspondents scholarship to the journalism master’s program at Columbia University in New York City. Later she worked forThe Wall Street Journal, where she covered crises in the the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. In 1990, with her husband Tony Horwitz, she won the Overseas Press Club Award for best coverage of the Gulf War. The following year they received a citation for excellence for their series, “War and Peace.”  In 2006 she was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University. She returned to Harvard as a Visiting Lecturer in 2021.

She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her novel March. Her novels People of the Book, Caleb’s Crossing and The Secret Chord all were New York Times Bestsellers. Her first novel, Year of Wonders is an an international bestseller, translated into more than 25 languages and currently optioned for a limited series by Olivia Coleman’s production company. She is also the author of the nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire, Foreign Correspondence and The Idea of Home.

Brooks married fellow journalist and author Tony Horwitz in Tourette-sur-Loup France in 1984 and were together until his sudden death in 2019.  They have two sons, Nathaniel and Bizu, She now lives with a dog named Bear and a mare named Valentine by an old mill pond on Martha’s Vineyard and spends as much time as she can in Australia.  In 2016, she was named an Officer in the Order of Australia.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: Eddie Winston is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin

Published August 15th, 2024 by Doubleday
Romance Novel, Literary Ficiton, Humorous Ficiton

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this heartwarming and unforgettable novel. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Doubleday for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Funny, feelgood, heartlifting story about the power of intergenerational friendship and finding love in unexpected places – perfect for fans of The One Hundred Year-Old Man Who Climbed Through the Windowand The Rosie Project

‘Marianne Cronin creates such complete and lovable characters. Brimming over with kindness and hope. Sublimely enjoyable’ Hazel Prior, author of Away with the Penguins

‘Lives up to the brilliance of The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot and, dare I say it… surpasses it. Funny, captivating, faultless‘ Julietta Henderson
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Eddie Winston is ninety years old. He has lived and he has loved, but he has never been kissed.

A true gentleman and incurable romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations of the living and the dead, preserving letters and tokens of love along the way. It is here that he meets Bella, a troubled young woman who, aged twenty-four, has just lost the love of her life.

When Bella learns that Eddie is yet to have his first kiss, she resolves to help him finally find love, sparking an adventure that will take them to unexpected places and, they hope, bring Eddie to the moment he has waited for all his life.

As Bella helps Eddie and Eddie helps, well, everyone, a soul-stirring story of friendship and kindness unfolds as we see how those we love are never forgotten and it is never too late to try again.

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MY REVIEW:

“Love is really just two people who can’t keep away from each other.”

Heartwarming, poignant, vibrant and uplifting, Eddie Winston is Looking For Love is sunshine in book form. It follows the eponymous Eddie Winston, a nonagenarian who spends his days volunteering at a charity shop where he sorts through donations. Sometimes Eddie will find an item that is valuable only to the heart, so he puts it  aside and preserves it in his collection of treasures, just in case the owner misses it and comes looking for it. And it is his collection that leads him to Bella, a troubled young woman who is grieving the love of her life. Bella donates some of her late boyfriend’s things only to return later hoping to get some of them back. Thankfully, they are in Eddie’s collection and the two begin an unlikely friendship. When Eddie reveals that he has loved but he has never been kissed, Bella resolves to help him find love, taking them on a journey where they meet new friends and, hopefully, the love Eddie has long waited for. 

Oh, my heart. A charming story of friendship, kindness, love and hope, this book is a balm for the soul. I adored Marianne Cronin’s debut novel, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, so I was eagerly anticipating this follow-up. And she shows us that her debut was no fluke. She is a masterful storyteller who creates beautifully written stories and wonderful characters.  I enjoyed how the flashbacks slowly revealed the story of Eddie’s first and only love while he was searching for his last love in the present and was rooting for him at every step.  The joy radiates from the pages of this book and I spent most of my time reading it with a smile on my face. And that ending! It nearly broke me before warming me from the inside once again and I hugged it close when I was finished. 

“It is so fragile, the notion that there might be someone out there for everyone.”

What makes this book so exceptional is the unforgettable characters. I adored Eddie. He’s one of those characters everyone will love and wins you over from the first pages. Kindhearted, compassionate, vibrant and witty, he’s the consummate gentleman, a hopeless romantic and impossible not to like. I loved his eye for snazzy clothing how he saw the value in seemingly mundane items that others would have thrown away.  I love a multi-generational friendship, and the bond between Eddie and Bella was one of the most wholesome I’ve ever read. I loved the ways they helped and encouraged one another, bringing out the best in each other. I loved joining them on their adventures and meeting all the different characters along the way, with Bridie and Emmeline standing out as two of my favourites. 

Warm, heartfelt, funny and irresistible, Eddie Winston is Looking For Love reminds us it is never too late to start again and that no matter our age, some of our greatest moments are still to come. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hello, I’m Marianne Cronin, author of ‘The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot’.

My second novel, ‘Eddie Winston is Looking for Love’ will be released in 2024 and I can’t wait to share Eddie’s story with you.

When I’m not writing, I can be found trying to be funny in various improv groups and taking way too many photos of my cat, Puffin.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024

BOOK REVIEW: Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg

Published June 6th, 2024 by Tinder Press
Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction

Welcome to my review for this fierce, unflinching and mesmerising debut. Thank you to Tinder Press for the sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

An Observer top ten best new novelist for 2024


‘A simmering debut, heady with the possibilities of language and the righteousness of female rage’
Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies

‘Lush and dreamlike – a sweltering novel, where the sunlight pulses with nightmarish dread’
Colin Walsh, author of Kala

‘A modern-day Dionysian cult of women in the woods – haunting and exhilarating’
Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

‘Emma Cline’s The Girls meets Lord of the Flies . . . compelling, cultish and utterly feral’
Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller
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They thought they knew everything about us. The kind of women we were.

It was a place for women. A remote farm tucked away in the Kent Downs. A safe space.

When Iris – newly single and living at home with her mother – meets the mysterious and beguiling Hazel, who lives in a women’s commune, she finds herself drawn into the possibility of a new start away from the world of men who have only let her down. Here, at Breach House, the women can be loud and dirty, live and eat abundantly, all while under the leadership of their gargantuan matriarch, Blythe.

But even among the women, there are power struggles, cruelty and transgressions that threaten their precarious way of life. When a group of men arrives on the farm, the commune’s existence is thrown into question, hurtling Iris and the other women towards an act of devastating violence.

Fierce and unapologetic, Spoilt Creatures is an intoxicating debut about transgression, sisterhood and the seductive nature of obsession. It pulls back the skin of patriarchal violence and examines the female rage that lurks beneath.

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MY REVIEW:

“We cannot get the outside world in. Women are treated like dogs in the outside world. Like we’re a different species altogether, something dangerous…But here, here we can control our circumstances, live without that kind of judgement. I know it’s not perfect… But it’s ours. It’s worth preserving.”

Dreamlike, mesmerising, sultry, ferocious and unsettling, Spoilt Creatures is a breathtaking debut. Amy Twigg was named an Observer top ten new novelist for 2024, and from the opening lines of this beautifully written, evocative and bold story, it is easy to see why. This is a story of patriarchal violence, female rage, self-discovery, and the desire to fit in. Where the brutal, fierce and untamed violence lived alongside an idyllic peacefulness and calm. It is a heady and intoxicating mix, and I was enrapt,  trying to savour every word as it soaked into my soul.

“And now I began to realise. That I had stumbled into something I didn’t quite know the shape of, had misjudged my circumstances. That I was part of something that would mark me for the rest of my life, even if no one knew who I was. That I was in trouble.”

The story is told by Iris, a thirty-something woman living back at home with her mother after her relationship ended. She’s looking for a new start when she meets Hazel, a mysterious woman who lives in an equally mysterious place called Breach House, a remote farm that is a sanctuary for women; a safe space where men are not allowed that is away from the judgement and violence of the rest of the world. Led by their matriarch, Blythe, the women all pitch in to live independently, feeling wild and untamed as they dig their bare hands in dirt to pull up roots wearing only underwear in the baking sun, dance around fires in the moonlight and swim almost naked in the river. It is a place of contrasts, feeling picturesque and idyllic but also giving eerie, cult-like vibes. There’s also a darkly voyeuristic feel, as if we’re spying on these women and seeing things that should be private and almost sacred. 

“I could see now it took a certain type of woman to live at Breach House, and I wanted to believe I could be one of them, loud and strong and capable.”

The characters feel like women we might know, making it easy to relate to them and feel a part of their world. I felt a kinship with Iris that helped me to feel invested in her story. Like her my life fell apart in 2008 and I had to start again, so I could relate to how she was feeling. When you’re lost like that you’re desperate to be rescued and to find a sanctuary. While we slowly get to know Iris, Hazel remains a mystery, giving up very little information about herself while being hungry to know everything about Iris. Her personality feels like a representation of Breach House itself with all of its cryptic intrigue. But one thing we know for sure about Hazel is that she offers Iris everything she’s been searching for and there is a strong bond between them that fizzes with electricity. It felt reminiscent of the days of intense teenage friendships and crushes where people were your whole world and it would feel like the world had ended if you lost them. We know very little about the other women at Breech House, meeting them at  face value like Iris does. But one things we do learn about them is that even at Breach House there are those who can be cruel and vindictive, especially when their way of life is threatened. 

“People looked at the photographs and decided they knew everything about us. Believing in the oil spill of newspaper ink, how it clung to every shadow, conspiring grit and gloom.”

From the start of the book we know something violent happened at Breach House. Something that the place is now infamous for. But the mystery of what happened is revealed slowly, moving between timelines as Iris narrates events that lead up to that terrible event and the aftermath of it all as she tries to come to terms with the trauma she’s experienced. There is a dark undercurrent of dread that runs through the story and I spent the whole book trying to predict what could have happened. But when the truth was revealed I was unprepared as the rage these women had buried inside them  rose to the surface, culminating in a shocking act of brutality and blood. 

“But they continued to talk about us, our story passing from one mouth into another until it changed shape, was chewed into legend.“

Fierce, menacing, atmospheric and beguiling, this mesmerising debut is one of my top reads of the year. Ms. Twigg is a talent to watch and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Twigg was born and raised in Kent, where her obsession with remote landscapes and gypsy tarts began. After studying Creative Writing at university, she moved to Surrey where she works as a freelance copywriter. Her debut novel Spoilt Creatures won the BPA Pitch Prize and was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition and Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award. She is also an alumnus of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course. Spoilt Creatures is a lead title for Tinder Press (June 2024), and Amy was selected as an Observer Best New Novelist of the year.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx