Rosewater & Soda Bread

Rosewater & Soda Bread by Marsha Mehran is a sequel to the lovely Pomegranate Soup. The three Aminpour sisters, Marjan, Bahar and Layla, originally from Iran, establish a successful cafe in an Irish village. In this book a mysterious young girl is taken in by the Aminpour sisters' friend Estelle. The girl has tried to abort her baby, a crime in Ireland, and she won't speak so they are unable to establish her identity. Marjan finally discovers where the girl came from and they then learn her story. This is another very nice story about the characters in this village. There are all sorts - some busybodies who see the Iranian girls as "heathens", the priest, the young man returned to his estate, and many others. 31/2/5

The Lieutenant

I was very disappointed with The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville. It was the story of a Lieutenant, Rooke, who arrives with the First Fleet, who is more concerned with astronomy and learning the aboriginal language than with soldiering. He is a gentle man and aspects of colonial life are abhorrent to him. The colony struggles with starvation and Rooke develops a relationship with some of the local aborigines. One of them, a young girl is very bright and helps him learn some of the language. Overall, I found this very dull, after enjoying The Secret River. 2/5

We Need to Talk About Kevin

I've read this chilling fictional account of a "school massacre", We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I had never intended to read this book because of the subject matter but it was set as our next Crime Club book. The story is told in the form of letters written by the murderer's mother, Eva, to her husband, Franklin. We learn about Eva and Franklin's life pre-Kevin, then the difficulties they have with Kevin as he grows up. Eva feels there is something "not quite normal" about Kevin but Franklin refuses to see his faults. Kevin's behaviour towards his family and his school are examined and focus on some incidents. As we near the end of the book, the suspense is heightened, even though we know some of what is to come. This psychological thriller reaches a terrible climax that haunts the reader for some time. Brilliant but disturbing! 5/5

The Cellist of Sarajevo

This very moving story The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway is based on the Sarajevo siege from 1992 to 1996. There are three main characters with each chapter focusing on one of them. Looking back on this terrible time is hard to imagine while we were going about our ordinary daily lives, there were people over there just trying to survive each day. With mortar and snipers to contend with the people of Sarajevo did not know if they would live to see another day. They died waiting for bread, or collecting fresh water or just walking through the streets. This story makes our own petty problems seem completely insignificant in comparison. 4 1/2/5

The Forgotten Garden

I've finally finished this very long story The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. It is a saga about a 4 year old girl found on the Maryborough dock in 1913 and taken home and "adopted" when no one claims her. When she grows up "Nell" is told of her uncertain origins and her life is changed. She seeks answers and returns to England to unravel the mystery. Nell runs out of time to solve the puzzle as she takes on new responsibilities, looking after her granddaughter Cassandra. After Nell's death, it falls to Cassandra to solve the mystery of her grandmother's origins. The story is told with each chapter being in a different time period - the early 1900s before Nell's birth, the 1970s when Nell returns to England, and 2005 when Cassandra follows the same path. So there are several stories being told at the same time. Well-written and constructed as each chapter leads to part of the mystery being solved until all is finally revealed to the reader and to Cassandra. 4/5

The Other Hand

I found The Other Hand by Chris Cleave a beautifully written and disturbing book about the plight of refugees. An English couple, Andrew and Sarah, holiday on a Nigerian beach and in tragic circumstances meet a young Nigerian girl, Little Bee. The consequences of this meeting haunt the couple on their return to England and have a significant impact on their lives when a few years later Little Bee makes her way to England. The plight of refugees and the awful circumstances of their lives and their struggle to survive is poignant and tragic. The contrast between their reality, where their lives are worthless in their country and the "comfortable" lives led by the English people is quite stark. The refugees' plight is not clearly understood or believed which could lead to further tragic consequences. 41/2/5