Blood Atonement

I found Blood Atonement by Dan Waddell an interesting murder story. The author combines this crime with genealogy and it makes a good mix. DCI Grant Foster investigates a number of murders that turn out to be related (literally). He discovers the murder victims have a common ancestor and has genealogist Nigel Barnes help trace other relations. Nigel's search takes him to the Mormon "capital" in Utah where the motive is found. The story gives the reader an insight into modern genealogy and the Mormon religion, which are significant factors in this investigation. 4/5

Moon Tiger

I enjoyed this novel, Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively, which has been recently re-published (first published in 1987, when it won the Booker prize). Claudia Hampton is dying in hospital where she proclaims to nursing staff that she is going to write a "history of the world". The medical staff discover that she was "somebody", a writer of history. Claudia is a wonderful character, very strong, opinionated, unconventional. During the War she was a war correspondent and in this story reminiscences about that important time in her life. Other characters in her life are her lovers, her daughter and her sister-in-law. However, it is her relationship with her brother which is one of the most important for her. The story passes from first to third person, past to present. This is beautifully written as Claudia's life and character are explored. 5/5

The Brutal Art

I enjoyed The Brutal Art by Jesse Kellerman. Most of the story is told in the first person by Ethan Muller a wealthy art dealer and descendant of a very wealthy family. He is estranged from his father so his father's assistant, Tony, deals with Ethan. Tony shows Ethan some unusual and talented artwork which has been found in an abandoned apartment in one of the Muller's buildings. Ethan sees the potential value and exhibits the work, though little is known about the artist other than his name. The work is a great success and sells very well. A part of the work is published in the newspaper and Ethan is contacted by a former homicide policeman who recognises the faces of the children drawn on the piece. Ethan then sets out to discover the mystery behind the artwork and its artist. The book is well structured as it tells another part of the story in the form of third person "interludes" dating back to the 19th century where the reader learns the history of the Mullers. As the story draws to its conclusion the reader learns the truth and the current story and final interlude comes together. 41/2/5

Caleb's Crossing

I quite enjoyed Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks but not as much as I'd anticipated. Set in mid-17th century Massachusetts area, it is a fictional story based around Caleb, who was actually the first native American to graduate from Harvard. The story is told by "Bethia" a fictional character who meets Caleb as a child and encourages him to read and write. Caleb epitomises the clash of cultures as he is torn between two worlds. The English gradually take over with a particularly severe brand of "Christianity" which has serious consequences for everyone. The tragedy of loss of land and culture so common with colonisation is played out in this story. 4/5

Stasiland

I've read Stasiland by Anna Funder which I found very interesting and disturbing. The author (an Australian) travelled to East Germany after the collapse of the Berlin Wall and German reunification. She investigated the role of the secret police, the Stasi, in the former East Germany. She spoke to several people who were affected by the Stasi and even to Stasi officers themselves to gain an understanding of the "system" under which the East German people lived. It is a fascinating account which reads almost like fiction it is so incredible. The people whose lives were ruined through major and minor "offences" and were constantly watched, their fate being decided by the Stasi. They peered into the the minutiae of peoples' lives to a laughable degree, but they took it very seriously. She also met Stasi officers, some who had become disillusioned with their roles and others who still justified the necessity of keeping out the influence of the western "enemy". She met the "puzzle" men and women who worked on piecing together Stasi files, shredded in haste as the collapse became inevitable. This is compulsive reading for an understanding of a regime which till 1989 had complete control of its people. 5/5

June Book Club

We had a lovely book club meeting last Monday at Bev's place. She had bought some great books and I'm looking forward to getting in to the ones I've picked. We were all there except Liz who is visiting her granddaughter and family interstate. Kathy took three of us to Bev's place using her friend TOM and he got us there and back without getting lost. Bev put on a splendid supper with the most beautiful tea set. She had obviously been very busy producing the delicacies and we had a great evening of giggles, conversation and good company.

Mezza Italiana

I've quite enjoyed Mezza Italiana by Zoe Boccabella. It is a memoir/family history which is written with passion for her Italian heritage. As the daughter of an Italian father, Boccabella did not embrace her heritage until she came of age. As a teenager in the 1980s she was embarrassed by her Italian grandparents, especially when they spoke loudly in public. So she resisted, wanting to be more "Australian". However, when she went to her ancestral village, Fossa in the Abruzzo region she was enchanted. She stayed in the family home and shared her experience with her partner (later husband) Roger who became a greater Italophile than she was. Boccabella was indeed fortunate to find such a man who fitted in so well with her family and enjoyed living in Fossa. This book is well researched and tells the history of her family as well as the Abruzzo region. The importance of food as part of the Italian culture is a constant thread throughout the book. Her grandparents and great grandparents came to Queensland and had property in New Farm, so for Brisbaneites there is a local flavour as well as being poignantly "up-to-date", mentioning the 2011 floods. 4/5