Marrying the Mistress

I quite liked this story, Marrying the Mistress by Joanna Trollope, though I didn't expect to given the storyline. Judge Guy Stockdale has been having an affair for seven years with Merrion (young enough to be his daughter) and decides to leave Laura, his wife of 40 years to marry Merrion. There are many complications. Laura fights to keep her house using her elder lawyer son, Simon, for legal advice which upsets Simon's family. Guy and Merrion find their previous "future fantasy" is not playing out as they'd expected. 4/5

Bad Hair Days

This inspirational book, Bad Hair Days by Pamela Bone, was very good. Pamela was a highly respected journalist for The Age, a Melbourne newspaper. When she returned from assignment in Africa she became very ill and was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, which is a terminal cancer. She discusses her attitude to her illness and also her feelings about death and dying. She tells about her opinions which were published in the newspaper and also her news story reports. She was in remission when she wrote the book, which was published in 2007. It is not a "poor me" story but she speaks frankly about our society's attitude to dying. She concludes her book with a "very simple and very profound quote": 'yes, you are going to die, but until you do, you are alive.' So that's what she did. She died in 2008, aged 68 and seems she had the death she had hoped for. See The Age story. 4/5

The Rembrandt Affair

I've finished The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva and am glad to have done so (too long). A Rembrandt painting is stolen from a restorer who is murdered during the theft. An Israeli spy, Gabriel Allon, is asked to find it. In the process Gabriel finds much more than a painting. There are links to the Holocaust and then in the "current" day, links to Iran developing its nuclear weapons capability. So there are lots of baddies and the "goodies" - Israeli spy network, British and American intelligence agencies. Spy stories are not my favourite genre, but it was a fair read. Some interesting historical information and about the art theft trade in the Author's Note at the end. 31/2/5

A Time of Mourning

I enjoyed A Time of Mourning by Christobel Kent which is set in Florence. One Tuesday three events take place - a former policeman, Sandro Cellini, begins his first day as a private detective; an elderly Jewish man, Claudio, commits suicide; and a young English art student, Veronica, disappears. Cellini is hired to find out the truth about the last two events. As the days pass, it becomes increasingly unlikely that Veronica will be found alive. Cellini probes Claudio's life and the art school that Veronica attended with her friend and roommate, Iris. There are enough twists and turns to make this a good page turning yarn. 4/5

The People's Train

I've read The People's Train by Tom Keneally which was interesting. There are two parts to the books, each part is told by a different character. The first, Artem Samsurov, is a charismatic Russian living in Brisbane early in the 20th century. He has escaped Tsarist Russia and later returns when the Revolution is under way. The second part is told from his friend, Paddy Dykes' perspective who goes to Russia with him to be part of the Revolution. This is a very interesting story based on the historical events of the Revolution. Keneally has based Samsurov on a real person. The history of that era in Brisbane is also fascinating, however, I doubt the book would have appeal beyond those who are interested in this historical time. 31/2/5

April Book Club

We had a terrific meeting at Book Club last night. All of us were there for the first time in ages. One of our ladies suffered in the recent floods here and is pleased that her house has been repaired now. Our hostess had some delicious goodies for our supper and we all enjoyed her hospitality and chatting with each other. We've got some great new books to read. Happy reading everyone.

Amandine

I liked Amandine by Marlena de Blasi which is set in France in the early 1930s. A baby girl is left to be brought up in a convent. She is named Amandine and as she grows she questions her parentage and yearns to find her mother. She is tolerated by the Mother Superior because Amandine was left well provided for as was the convent. The War intervenes and changes everything as Amandine and her guardian, Solange, try to go to Solange's mother some distance away. Amandine is a lovely young girl and has been well brought up as a well mannered and cultured girl. She is also headstrong and knows what she wants. A good story. 31/2/5