A Cup of Light

This was an interesting novel, A Cup of Light by Nicole Mones. Lia Frank travel to China to appraise a large collection of porcelain. The story involves deception and sometimes fraud as valuable relics are smuggled out of the country. There is suspense, romance and mystery. Where did the porcelain come from? How much is authentic? Lia must work this out and advise her employers. Intriguing. 31/2/5

Moscow Rules

I don't usually read spy stories such as Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva but it was the set book for Crime Club for November, so I ventured into a genre I haven't explored for a long time. I won't be reading another one in a hurry though. It's really not my thing but this wasn't a bad yarn and Silva has researched it well. Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon, learns that the wife of a Russian arms dealer wants to "rat" on him because he's selling his wares to terrorists who will harm the West. It's a roller coaster ride with a high body count. 3/5

Sweeping Up Glass

This Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall was a sometimes confronting story of a woman, Olivia, living in Kentucky in the 1930s. She has had a difficult upbringing with a dysfunctional family, in a dysfunctional town. She is a white person who gets along well with the "coloureds" in the town, but at that time there are difficulties for many as they face racial prejudice. The suspense builds to a climax as Olivia learns the truth about some aspects of her life as she helps her best friend. A worthwhile read. 4/5

Alibi

I've read Alibi by Sydney Bauer and wish I hadn't! A waste of several hours of my life! It started out okay - a young pregnant girl is murdered and her boyfriend is eventually accused of the crime. There are a few different threads that point to the possibility that someone else may have actually dunnit. There is the evil ambitious DA who prosecutes the case while the "good" guy defends the "innocent" young man. The ending is a little too incredible, unbelievable and contrived. Disappointing to learn she's an Australian author. 21/2/5

The Help

I enjoyed this wonderful story The Help by Kathryn Stockett which was set in Mississippi in 1962. The story is told in the first person by three of the characters - Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter. Aibileen and Minny are black maids working for white families and Skeeter is an aspiring white journalist and writer who persuades these maids and others to tell their stories. In this environment, this is a very dangerous enterprise and secrecy is essential. The reader is faced with some of the realities of black people living in this time, some of which seem ridiculous to our 21st century minds. For example, black people's urine carries more diseases than white people's - seems laughable now but the consequences for black people at that time using a "white" toilet could be tragic. The author wrote with authority and experience as someone who grew up being served by a black maid, so she brings that personal knowledge as well as her research to write a suspenseful, unputdownable book that keeps you thinking. Highly recommended. 5/5

The Ghost at the Wedding

This true story The Ghost at the Wedding by Shirley Walker was the story of her mother-in-law, Jessie Walker. Jessie lived through two World Wars and experienced the tragedies of them. Her beau returned from World War I but had physical and emotional scars which affected their family. Jessie's mother suffered more terribly, losing sons in both Wars. As well there are happy times and we learn about their family history and the places they settled in northern NSW. This story is beautifully told. 41/2/5
To listen to an interview with Shirley Walker, click here.

Radiance

This lovely book Radiance by Shaena Lambert is a novel about Keiko, an 18 year old Hiroshima victim brought to the USA for plastic surgery in 1952 and to act as a symbol against further nuclear weapons being developed. She stays with a couple in an "ordinary" American suburb and they become very fond of her. However, she is manipulated by the group that brought her to America, forcing her to relive the horrors of the bomb. How will this affect her? This is a story of a time that was very frightening and the politics of paranoia prevailed. Highly recommended. 41/2/5

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

This beautifully haunting story The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell is very well written in an unusual "unstructured" style. Iris learns she has an elderly great-aunt, Esme, being released from an asylum after 60 years. Is Esme really insane? Why did her family put her there in the 1930s? The reader follows Esme's life as well as Iris's life and see how they will eventually interact. Esme was a high-spirited teenager who did not "conform" to her family's idea of how a young woman should behave - but why was she "punished" in this dreadful way? 5/5

The Fisherman's Daughter

I've read The Fisherman's Daughter by Molly Jackson which is set in a remote fishing village in Scotland. A young man, Robbie Fraser, is summoned to the village where he was born and learns about the father he and his mother left behind. The story is of two boys, one Robbie's father, who grow up to be bitter rivals. The other, McBain, is an almost unbelievably evil character who goes to extraordinary lengths to make Fraser unhappy. This is a tale of love, hate, revenge and retribution which I found a little OTT. And I'm puzzled - who is "the fisherman's daughter"? 3/5