A Special Relationship

I read A Special Relationship by Douglas Kennedy which tells the story of Sally and Tony who meet as foreign correspondents, marry, settle in London and have a baby.  Then Sally suffers serious post natal depression.  The story is told in the first person by Sally, so the reader gets to know her well.  She has to fight for her rights in an "alien" legal system. (Sally is American).  I found the book was too long (500 pages) and I became tired of reading about Sally's problems.  I can't say too much as that would be a "spoiler".  I question the title as the "special relationship" was obscure (unless between Sally and her son??).  31/2/5

Painter of Silence

I enjoyed Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding which is set in Romania before and after World War II.  A very ill man is found at a hospital and admitted.  The staff find he is a deaf mute and unable to communicate.  One of the nurses, Safta, recognises him as Augustin who grew up on her family's estate before the War.  She is not sure what to do with him.  Augustin communicates through his very detailed drawings and tries to explain what happened to him after Safta and her family left their home as the War closed in.  This is a charming story, quite beautifully written.  This book was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2012. 4/5

The Husband's Secret

I very much enjoyed The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.  The author introduces three main characters in consecutive chapters at the beginning of the story.  At first they seem unconnected, but their connection is revealed in a short time.  Cecilia is happily married with three daughters. When her husband is away on business, she literally stumbles upon a sealed envelope in the attic addressed to her in her husband's handwriting.  The writing on the envelope says that it is only to be opened in the event of her husband, John-Paul's death.  Cecilia is curious but puts it aside, but circumstances change and she does open it.  Meanwhile the reader learns about Rachel who is dealing with a terrible tragedy in her life, and Tess who is dealing with marriage problems.  When Cecilia opens the envelope and reads its content, her life changes as she confronts John-Paul about it.  This is a skilfully written story as the reader wonders how it will end.  Recommended. 41/2/5

The Farm

I enjoyed The Farm by Tom Rob Smith which is set in Sweden and London.  Daniel receives a phone call from his father, Chris, saying that Daniel's mother, Tilde, has left a mental health facility in Sweden and is on her way to see Daniel in London.  Tilde arrives and begs Daniel to listen to her story about their move to a remote part of Sweden for their retirement and the events that took place after their move.  She tries to convince Daniel of Chris' sinister motives and a dreadful conspiracy that involves other prominent men in the area.  Daniel has his own secret that he has kept from his parents and he's not sure what to believe as Tilde tells a convincing tale.  The reader is not sure what is happening until the awful truth is finally revealed. 4/5

April Book Club

It's hard to believe it's already April.  We're enjoying beautiful sunny weather without the heat of summer.  April is the best month of the year.  We had a good meeting on Monday evening and thanks to our hostess for providing a delicious supper and buying a number of great books.  Some of our group were away, one travelling overseas, one had a daughter visiting and another unable to come.  So our group was smaller than usual, but we had a good time with interesting conversation.  We'd all read some terrific books in the last month and I'm looking forward to diving in to the books I've selected for this month.

Thanks For the Memories

I enjoyed reading Thanks for the Memories - The Overnighters-3AW edited by Andrew Rule.  It is a collection of stories and anecdotes from call back listeners to a late night radio program with the announcer, Keith McGowan.  The topics are wide and varied with the calls mainly from elderly people telling stories about their lives.  This book was published in 1991.  There are stories about the hard times during the Depression, the two World Wars, and life generally.  It is interesting to get an insight in to how different their lives were to our own comparatively comfortable modern lives.  Many came from very large families, which is rare today.  This is an interesting collection. 4/5

Cockroaches

I enjoyed Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo which is set in Bangkok, Thailand.  It is the second Harry Hole investigation (first published 1998) but was only translated recently.  Harry is sent to Bangkok to investigate the murder of the Norwegian ambassador.  Norway is keen to have the case wrapped up quickly to avoid a scandal, but Harry has other ideas.  He wants to investigate the case properly and he uncovers a world of corruption and scandal in high places.  He "miraculously" survives a number of encounters and finally solves the crimes.  The reader must suspend belief at times. Sometimes hard to follow what's going on. I've liked other Nesbo books better. 31/2/5