In Sickness and In Health/Yom Kippur in a Gym by Nora Gold - #bookreview

 

This flipbook comprises two novellas by the talented author, Nora Gold. 

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Sickness is a foreign country. You are lost there, you don't know the language, no matter how many times you've visited before. Nothing is familiar. You are alone...

In Sickness and In Health   - Lily had epilepsy as a child, so her most cherished goal has always been to be “normal”. By age 45 she has a “normal” life, including a family, friends, and an artistic career, and no one, not even her husband, knows the truth about her past. But now some cartoons she drew threaten to reveal her childhood secret and destroy her marriage and everything she has worked so hard for. A moving novella about shame, secrets, disabilities, and the limits and power of love.

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I am not new to the work of this author. In 2017 I read her book, The Dead Man, which was excellent and you can read my review here. With In Sickness and In Health, she has created an intelligent and mature novella that I was gripped by. 

The main character, Lily, suffers from an undiagnosed illness and the prose begins with her describing her symptoms and the effect that they are having on her life. In addition, we learn that as a child she suffered with epilepsy, but this is something that she has kept secret, even from her husband.

Lily's childhood was devastated by her disability and the way that those around her reacted to it. But more importantly, as an adult, she feels great shame about her past and carries this secret with her.

My heart broke for Lily.  It was an emotional read for me, and I wanted to reach into the text and hug her. She has much to come to terms with in order to ever find a level of self-acceptance.

This novella was a five star read for me. I felt profoundly moved by the author's beautiful writing. Every word is considered and perfectly placed. She writes with intelligence, compassion and sensitivity. She clearly understands Lily very well, and she has created a character who is both compelling and engaging. This is a fantastic novella and Lily is a character who will remain with me.

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The gym is filling up with people in their finest, fanciest clothes. No, they have not come to work out in their suits, ties and dresses. They're here for Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur in a Gym  - Five strangers at a Yom Kippur service in a gym are struggling with personal crises. Lucy can’t accept her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. Ira, rejected by his lover, plans to commit suicide. Ezra is tormented by a mistake that ruined his career. Rachel worries about losing her job. Tom contemplates severing contact with his sisters. Then a medical emergency unexpectedly throws these five strangers together, and in one hour all their lives are changed in ways they would never have believed possible.

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This was quite a different read to In Sickness and in Health but it was equally as good.

The narrative moves between six different characters at a Yom Kippur service. We briefly hear from the rabbi, and then the focus moves to five of the congregants. Whilst the service progresses, each has their own inner thoughts; it's a time of introspection and soul searching. 

Anyone, who has ever fasted for the twenty-five hours required for Yom Kippur will recognise themselves in one or other of the characters. It was easy to identify with how the minds of the characters could wander before coming back to the more serious aspect of the service. Added to that, an event happens during the service which throws these characters together in a life-changing way.

The author has such a good understanding of people, and this is excellently reflected in her characters. With different chapters being devoted to one or other of them, they became engaging and compelling. My sympathies were raised as they considered their hurts, heartbreaks and disappointments that life has thrown their way.

Ms. Gold writes with insight, and she excellently portrays the immersion and oft vulnerability required in the analysing and self-immersion of our own lives that Yom Kippur demands.

Both of these novellas deserve the rare five stars that I have given them. Both are truly worthy of them. 

ISBN:  978 1771838658

Publisher:  Guernica Editions

Formats: Paperback

No. of Pages:  200

 

About the Author:

Dr. Nora Gold is the prize-winning author of five books and the editor of the prestigious online literary journal Jewish Fiction, which has readers in 140 countries. 

Gold’s first book, Marrow and Other Stories, won a Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award and was praised by Alice Munro. Her novel Fields of Exile won the inaugural Canadian Jewish Literary Award for best novel and was acclaimed by Ruth Wisse and Irwin Cotler. The Dead Man was honoured with a Canada Council for the Arts translation grant and published in Hebrew. 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages, an anthology of translated works, received glowing reviews from Publishers Weekly, Cynthia Ozick, and Dara Horn. Gold’s fifth book, In Sickness and In Health/Yom Kippur in a Gym (two novellas), was published just last week, and is already receiving international praise. 

For more information about Nora Gold, visit noragold.com.

(ARC and media courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

Stitch by Padraig Kenny and Illustrated by Steve McCarthy - #bookreview

Stitch wakes up, just as he always has done for the past five hundred and eighty-four days he has been waking up.

Five hundred and eighty-five now, he thinks as he makes a mark with a piece of chalk on the wall by his bed. He says the words "five hundred and eighty-five" to himself because he can count, and saying the words makes the idea of waking up so many times more real - "more understandabubble", as Henry might say.

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Stitch is not a monster – he’s a creation.

He and his friend Henry Oaf were brought to life by the genius Professor Hardacre, and have spent all their days in a castle deep in the woods, far from humankind. But when the Professor dies and his pompous nephew comes to take over the laboratory, they soon find out that his sights are set not on scientific discovery, but personal glory. And Henry is his next experiment.

Can Stitch and Henry escape his clutches and make their way in a world they were never built for – and may never be ready for them?

***

This is an utterly delightful book that was a joy to read. It is aimed at an audience of approximately nine years plus, and will be enjoyed by children, young people and adults alike. 

The book has been compared to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but the similarity ceases at the fact that Stitch and Henry have been created from parts of the recently deceased. It has been many years since  read Shelley's book and therefore cannot remember the details.  However, this does not feel like a children's adaptation of her book but is in fact much more a story in its own right. It is much more about the creations than the creator.

Stitch is a delightful character, as is his friend Henry. Their original creator has himself passed away and his nephew inherits his research papers and decides to develop and improve upon his uncles research.

However, it is through Stitch that we observe a humanity that does not appear in his human creator. We witness how he responds when he discovers he is a created being, and the book has much to say about identity, self-acceptance and the acceptance of those who perceive us as different. 

It is thought provoking in that it will ask children to consider the idea of difference and acceptance of others, and even reading this as an adult it remains a good reminder to show tolerance and kindness to others.

It is a charming and heartwarming story that was a delight to read. I highly recommend it.

ISBN: 978 1529517781

Publisher:  Walker Books

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  208 (paperback)

About the Author:

Padraig Kenny is an Irish writer from County Kildare, now living in Limerick. Previously an arts journalist, a teacher and a librarian's assistant, he now writes full-time. His first novel Tin and recent The Monsters of Rookhaven were both Waterstones Books of the Month. He has twice won the Children's Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction, has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards. This is his first book for Walker.

About the Illustrator:

Steve McCarthy is an Irish designer and illustrator. His style is bold, colourful and inspired by humour and wit. Steve's first picture book, The Wilderness, won the Honour Award for Illustration at the Children's Books Ireland Awards. His poetry anthology with Sarah Webb, A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea, was the 2017 Children's Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards,

(book and banner courtesy of the publisher)

(author/illustrator photo info courtesy of Walker Books)

(illustrator photo courtesy of The Soho Agency)

Women Like Us: A Memoir by Amanda Prowse - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

I guess the first question to ask is, what kind of woman am I? Well, you know those women who saunter into a room, immaculately coiffed and primped from head to toe? Those women who seem to have it all together? Raven-haired beauties who can pull off red lipstick? The women who teeter pertly on killer heels and in skinny jeans? The women who flick their hair with a sexy smile, as they stride in confidently to talk self-assuredly to whoever looks to be of most interest, and, with a manicured hand, grab a glass of bubbles from a passing tray as they go?

Well, if you look behind her, you'll see me.

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From her childhood, where there was no blueprint for success, to building a career as a bestselling novelist against all odds, Amanda Prowse explores what it means to be a woman in a world where popularity, slimness, beauty and youth are currency—and how she overcame all of that to forge her own path to happiness.

Sometimes heartbreaking, often hilarious and always entirely relatable, Prowse details her early struggles with self-esteem and how she coped with the frustrating expectations others had of how she should live. Most poignantly, she delves into her toxic relationship with food, the hardest addiction she has ever known, and how she journeyed out the other side.

One of the most candid memoirs you’re ever likely to read, Women Like Us provides welcome insight into how it is possible—against the odds—to overcome insecurity, body consciousness and the ubiquitous impostor syndrome to find happiness and success, from a woman who’s done it all, and then some.

***

This must be one of the most candidly honest memoirs I have ever read.

I have been a fan of Ms. Prowse's writing for a while now. I have read and reviewed The Day She Came Back, and you can read my review by clicking here. The Food of Love also featured as one of my Tuesday Teaser posts and you can read that post by clicking here.

Prior to reading this book my impression of the author was that she is talented, intelligent and successful, and I still hold to that view. However, having read this book in which she describes her own view of herself, it could not be more different to mine. Amanda sees herself through utterly self-critical lenses and has struggled with not being able to judge herself by the beauty that she radiates from within.

She has written with courage and bravery and this book will touch many people. I suspect many of us judge ourselves critically for a whole plethora of reasons. There are many issues that I could identify with, and I have no doubt that this book will effect others similarly.

Unsurprisingly, as it has come from the pen of this inspiring author, the book is well written, and even though she takes us through her inner dialogue of self-criticism throughout, it never became repetitive to read and was engaging throughout. Instead, it was sad to read about the way she had viewed herself; how she never felt content to be the woman that she was and what a difficult journey she has been on.

I would encourage anyone who has ever felt lacking in some way, anyone who has struggled to see what a beautiful person they really are, and anyone who has judged themselves by the caustic comments made by others to read this book. Amanda's journey of self-acceptance is humbling to read and I applaud her for her courage and bravery in writing and publishing this book. 

ISBN: 978 1542038812

Publisher:  Little A

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 396

About the Author:

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty seven novels, seven short stories and recent non-fiction, autobiographical book, have been published worldwide in dozens of languages. Her chart topping No.1 titles What Have I Done?, Perfect Daughter, My Husband’s Wife, The Girl in the Corner and The Things I Know have sold millions of copies around the world.

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda Prowse is a regular panellist on the Channel 5 show ‘The Wright Stuff’ and numerous daytime ITV programmes. She makes countless guest appearances on BBC and independent Radio stations where she is well known for her insightful observations of human nature and her infectious observational humour. 

(Bio photo and info courtesy of the authors own website)

(TY to Love Book Tours for a complimentary copy of the book)