Sarah Thornhill

I enjoyed Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville which is a sequel to her very popular The Secret River. Set in the early days of New South Wales, Sarah is the daughter of a convict who was freed and made his fortune. The "taint" of convict origins is part of a class consciousness beginning at that time. She falls in love with a "half-caste" but her parents have higher expectations for her. She marries an Irish migrant and begins a family. However, her family harbours a terrible secret which Sarah learns when her father lays dying. She must find her own way to make amends. 31/2/5

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted

I quite liked The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher about a young widow, Heidi, who goes to Provence with her young son, Abbott and niece Charlotte for a holiday and to repair Heidi's ancestral home. The house has a number of love stories associated with it. The pain of losing her husband two years before in a car accident is still very raw for Heidi. The author describes it so - "grief is a love story told backward". It is a nice story of love and loss, a "chick book". 31/2/5

The Quarry

I quite enjoyed The Quarry by Johan Theorin which is set on an island in Sweden. This is a place where people from the city come to stay in the summer and a few locals live there as well. Per Morner goes there to stay in a small cottage he's inherited, accompanied by his teenage twins. His father, Jerry, from whom he's estranged, starts phoning him with increasing urgency. Reluctantly Per goes to see his father and saves him from a life-threatening situation which is then investigated by police as two bodies are discovered. Per brings Jerry back to his home. Jerry has had a stroke and it is difficult for him to communicate. Per is aware of his father's shady background but becomes more alarmed as he tried to learn who is threatening them. Also on the island Per meets a woman who used to live on the island as a child and she believes in elves and the power they have. Some interesting characters in this story. 31/2/5

The Hundred-Foot Journey

I very much enjoyed The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais, a debut novel initially set in India. Following Partition, a very poor Muslim eventually makes his fortune and his family owns a popular restaurant. Due to certain circumstances, the family moves to England and then they travel around Europe, eventually settling in provincial France. One of the sons, Hassan, proves to be an exceptional chef and he eventually makes his fortune and reputation in Paris. The author would like to see his book made into a movie and I hope that happens. Delightful! 4/5

Feast Day of Fools

I've read Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke. Unlike a number of his books which I have read, I did not enjoy this one. The main character Sheriff Hackberry Holland is a very strong character of high integrity haunted by a past of which he is ashamed. In this book he is again faced with his nemesis, Preacher Jack Collins, a man who enjoys killing people who have done the wrong thing by him. But he has his own "honour" code. The books opens with a local drunk witnessing a particularly gruesome murder and the escape of another man from those murderers. It seems this "escapee" is a very valuable commodity to a number of "baddies" including the FBI. Sheriff Holland and his deputy (the romantic interest) must unravel the mystery of why this man is valuable and working out who is killing so many people to get him. There are so many "baddies" it is hard to keep track of them. This is a very violent story, so now I'm "over" James Lee Burke. Maybe it will appeal to men more?? 21/2/5

February Book Club

We had our first book club for the year at Penny's place. We all had a lot to catch up on as we hadn't seen each other since December. Three of our ladies became grandmothers since then, one for the first time, one for the second and one for the fifth. It was lovely to chat about our lives and also discuss the books we've read while enjoying a glass of champagne and later a cup of tea with some delicious "treats". One of our ladies is leaving for overseas soon for an extended period, but will no doubt pop back from time to time to see us. Penny bought some great new books to add to our collection so our "library" is quite extensive with lots to choose from.

Caught

I very much enjoyed Caught by Harlan Coben which has many twists and turns. It begins with a television expose of a suspected pedophile, Dan Mercer. He is then murdered by the father of one of his alleged victims. Wendy, the television reporter, begins to doubt her original assumption about Dan and uncovers similar "setups" that has happened to Dan's college friends. She learns how easy it is to damage someone's reputation in the internet age. There is also a teenage girl who has disappeared and she had also been linked to Dan. This is a good "page-turner" with good twists. 4/5