A Week in the Life of Amelia Nash by Sarah Healey - #bookreview

“My mother, of course, was never boring. At the house in Lucas Street she took a hammer to the wall in the middle of the night.”

The Blurb

Amy hasn’t spoken to her mother for seventeen years, but a sense of duty brings her to the hospital when she’s told that her mother is unconscious and dying. As she sits, solitary, at the bedside, she tells the story of her turbulent childhood, dragged along in the wake of her volatile, destructive mother.

After an acrimonious divorce, Amy’s mother rushes through a succession of unreliable boyfriends and plunges herself and her young daughter into a series of temporary homes, including a dangerous hostel, a flimsy caravan, an artists’ commune with no electricity and bird droppings in the hearth, and a rented house that she smashes and burns to the ground. When stability at last comes into their lives, Amy’s mother seems determined to destroy it, leading to a final, devastating betrayal.

This is the story of a vicious love-hate relationship, a bond that can never really be broken, and a life spent seeking a home.

My Review

This is a powerful book which has been beautifully written and fully deserves the five stars I have given it.

It is a short book at only 176 pages, but each one of those has been superbly executed. Each word has been crafted and placed with care, and the result is this absolute gem of a book.

It tells the story of Amy, who has received a call informing her that her mother, the titular Amelia Nash, has had a stroke and is dying. They have been estranged for many years, but as Amy sits by her hospital bedside, she mentally revisits the toxic relationship they have shared, from childhood to the present day.

It is a tale of a complex relationship but was told with humanity and sensitivity. The book deals with some difficult themes, but the author treats her characters with compassion. It is brutal but honest, and makes for excellent reading.

At some point in our lives, many of us will sit at the bedside of a dying parent, and this book will resonate with many readers. However, this book never felt depressing because it was obvious from the outset that Amy would find her own way in life.

Sarah Healey is an author I have never read before. Based on the quality of this book, I will definitely be reading some of her back catalogue and looking forward to what she might bring us in the future.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1915975164

Publisher:  Portland Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  176 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Blackwell's

About the Author

Having worked for ten years as a criminal defence lawyer in busy courts and police stations, Sarah Healey settled down in the far reaches of West Cornwall to live a quiet life, writing and editing books.

 She is the author of five novels, Red Blue Green, Having Fun, The Day of the Trial, The Night Watch and A Week in the Life of Amelia Nash.

You can also find Sarah at:

Author Website

Facebook

Bluesky

(book and media courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - #BookReview

"The first time our father brought Andrea to the Dutch House, Sandy, our housekeeper, came to my sister's room and told us to come downstairs. 'Your father has a friend he wants you to meet,' she said.

Danny Conroy grows up in the Dutch House, a lavish folly in small-town Pennsylvania taken on by his property developer father. Though his father is distant and his mother is absent, Danny has his beloved sister Maeve: Maeve, with her wall of black hair, her delicacy, her brilliance. Life is comfortable and coherent, played out under the watchful eyes of the house's former owners in the frames of their oil painting.

Then one day their father bring Andrea home. Her arrival will exact a banishment: a banishment whose reverberations will echo for the rest of their lives.

As decades pass, Danny and his sister are drawn back time and again to the place they can never enter, knocking in vain on the locked door of the past. For behind the mystery of their own enforced exile is that of their mother's self-imposed one: an absence more powerful than any presence they have known.

The Dutch House is a story of family, betrayal, love, responsibility and sacrifice; of the powerful bonds of place and time that magnetise and repel us for our whole lives.

***

Having read this book and thought it wonderful I have been continually asking myself why I have never read any of Ann Patchett's books before! She has an extensive back catalogue, which I now have the joy of reading, so I am very happy about that.

The author portrayed this dysfunctional family with insight and understanding. I really liked the relationship between Danny and Maeve. They were totally believable, as indeed, were the less focal characters. 

The time span covers several decades and I particularly enjoyed seeing how Danny's character developed. His narration starts when he is still a young boy and takes us through to his adult life. We see how his character matures and changes and makes the reader question how we think we may have reacted if we had been in the same situation.

The titular house itself plays a significant part in this book, playing as compelling a role as the characters do. The descriptions were tangible and I really could see it's exterior and wander around the rooms in my imagination. I think it takes enormous skill for a writer to be able to imbue an inanimate object with such life.

The book tackles many themes, among them, family, forgiveness and loylaty. Ms. Patchett is clearly a phenomenal storyteller and writes with acute observation of the world around her. I really cannot wait to read more of her work.

Have you read any of her earlier novels? Which were your favourites?

ISBN: 978 1526614971

Publisher: Bloomsbury

About the Author:

Ann Patchett is the author of seven novels and three works of non-fiction. She has been shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction three times; with The Magician's Assistant in 1998, winning the prize with Bel Canto in 2002, and was most recently shortlisted with State of Wonder in 2012. She is also the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012. 

She is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee where she lives with her husband, Karl.

My Mum Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson - #BookReview

"I look very like my mum (apart from my glasses) but my mum's loud and funny and isn't scared of anything. I'm much quieter and I worry about things."

Jacqueline Wilson's bestselling, ultra famous and TOTALLY BRILLIANT Tracy Beaker is BACK!! 

Tracy has returned, hand in hand with her daughter Jess, she’s ready to make her childhood dreams come true. Jess and Tracy Beaker are the perfect team. They do everything together.

Jess thinks Tracy is the best mum ever, even when she shouts at her teachers!

Tracy has made the perfect home for Jess, leaving The Dumping Ground far behind her. Yes, their flat’s a bit mouldy. It’s only just big enough for two. And the Duke Estate is a bit scary.
But it’s their happy home. 

Until Sean Godfrey, Tracy’s rich boyfriend, whisks them away to his mansion, life of fast cars and celebrity stardom. Will Jess’s brilliant mum turn into a new person altogether? 

***

As yesterday was Mother's Day in the US and many people were unable to see their mother this year I thought I would let you know about this book, which features the wonderful Tracy Beaker, which I read fairly recently.

This book has been categorised as being suitable for eight to ten year olds. However, anyone who grew up with Tracy Beaker, whether in her books or from the very popular television series, will love this book. I first came across Tracy with my children when they were young and reading this book felt like bumping into an old friend who I haven't seen in years. Tracy is just as funny and fiesty as she has ever been.

I totally loved this book.  I was so pleased to find that this was written from the viewpoint of Tracy's daughter, Jess, as it was important that this book is accessible for young readers (as well as grown up children, like me, who love Tracy too.)

This also gave us real insight into the adult Tracy and Jess is an equally lovable little girl, although with the exception of the curly hair, is very different to Tracy. She is a shy and quiet girl who always sees the best in Tracy.

This is a wonderful book. Well done Jacqueline Wilson. It was lovely to be reacquainted with Tracy.

ISBN:  978-0440871521

Publisher: Yearling

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About the Author:

Jacqueline Wilson is an extremely well-known and hugely popular author. The Illustrated Mum was chosen as British Children's Book of the Year in 1999 and was winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Award 2000. Jacqueline has won the prestigious Smarties Prize and the Children's Book Award for Double Act, which was also highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. In June 2002 Jacqueline was given an OBE for services to literacy in schools and in 2008 she was made a Dame.

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A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier - #Book Review

"'Shhh!' Violet Speedwell frowned. She did not need shushing; she had not said anything. The shusher, an officious woman sporting a helmet of grey hair, had planted herself squarely in the archway that led into the choir, Violet's favourite part of Winchester Cathedral."

1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her grieving, embittered mother. After countless meals of boiled egg and dry toast, she saves enough to move out of her mother's home and into the town of Winchester, home to one of England's grandest cathedrals. There, Violet is drawn into a society of broderers--women who embroider kneelers (kneeling cushions) for the Cathedral, carrying on a centuries-long tradition of bringing comfort to worshippers.

Violet finds support and community in the group, fulfillment in the work they create, and even a growing friendship with the vivacious Gilda. But when forces threaten her new independence and another war appears on the horizon, Violet must fight to put down roots in a place where women aren't expected to grow. Told in Chevalier's glorious prose, A Single Thread is a timeless story of friendship, love, and a woman crafting her own life.

***

We are living in extraordinary times - times of anxiety, worry and uncertainty. My reading tastes are currently inclined towards the lighthearted and humorous. However, this book was neither of those things but it was absolutely the best thing I could be reading right now. I loved it, loved it, loved it.

The pacing of this book was perfect. It is sedate and gentle and I felt as though I was being swept along in the gentle current that was Violet's life. Ms Chevalier's writing is consistently engrossing across all of her works and is very apparent in this novel.

Violet is a wonderful character. Set between the wars we see how she is able to adapt to a life that was unexpected before the Great War. Like many women of the period, Violet finds herself living a life that was unanticipated when her fiance was killed in battle and she faced life as a spinster. However, we see her grow and develop into a woman who was brave, courageous and who  paved the way for generations of women to come.

A book that combines two of my favourite things, reading and needlework, was a 'must read' for me and I enjoyed every word. I have previously read most of Ms, Chevalier's books and have enjoyed them all. I highly recommend this book.

ISBN: 978 0008153847

Publisher: The Borough Press

About the Author:

Tracy Chevalier is the author of ten novels, including At the Edge of the Orchard, Remarkable Creatures and Girl with a Pearl Earring, an international bestseller that has sold over five million copies and won the Barnes and Noble Discover Award. Born in Washington DC, in 2984 she moved to London, where she lives with her husband and son.

The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore - #BookReview

"England, March 2010

The muffle of cloud that had settled over Badley Compton Harbour was so dense that the little fishing boats tethered to the buoys in the middle of the bay had completely vanished."

A cookery course in the heart of Tuscany proves irresistible to Gracie Burton. She decides to plough her life savings into the week-long trip, leaving her daughter and granddaughter baffled by her impulsiveness. But having grown apart over the years, in many ways the three women barely know each other.

Travelling together from Devon to the breathtakingly beautiful Italian countryside, they take up residence at a castle belonging to the elusive Count Tancredi. Yet everything is not as it appears, and quickly Gracie's family begin to suspect that this is not Gracie's first visit.....

What secret in Gracies's past is drawing her to this small hillside town? Will she let the magic of Italy revive her adventurous past and open her heart once more? And in doing so, will it reunite the three generations of her family?

Ms. Montefiore is an excellent storyteller and it was very easy to get swept along on the current of this story. Gracie is such a lovable character and I warmed to her from the very first page.

This book deals with many issues and I was really involved in the changing relationship of Gracie, her daughter Carina and her granddaughter Anastasia. They initially present as a fairly dysfunctional bunch and I was fascinated to observe the change in their relationship as the story progressed.

Italy was almost a character in itself. I was lucky enough to take a holiday there the year before last so I was really able to place myself within this book quite easily. However, even if you have never visited Italy the author describes it in such vivid detail that you will feel as though you were there. She clearly has a real love for the place and it shines through in her writing.

The dual narrative moves in time from the present day to the 1950's when Gracie was growing up and I found myself impatient to move from one era to the next to progress the story in both timelines. In addition, the narrative also occasionally takes us back to Gracie's English village in order that we can keep up with the present day village story at the same time. For me, this elevated this book into something much more as the minor characters were pure gems in their own right.

The final chapter catches up with the self appointed village matriarch, Flappy Scott-Booth. She is a wonderful character and had me in fits of laughter and demonstrates the authors skill of being able to flesh out even her more minor characters.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly encourage you to read it for yourself. I would love to hear your thoughts on this book. Have you read anything else by Santa Montefiore?

ISBN: 978 1471169618

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

About the Author:

Born in England in 1970 Santa Montefiore grew up on a farm in Hampshire and was educated at Sherborne School for Girls. She read Spanish and Italian at Exeter University and spent much of the 90's in Buenos Aires, where her mother grew up. She converted to Judaism in 1998 and married historian Simon Sebag Montefiore in the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London. They live with their two children, Lily and Sasha in London.

Santa Montefiore's novels have been translated into twenty languages and have sold more than three million copies in England and Europe.

(author details courtesy of Goodreads)