A Possible Life

I enjoyed A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks which the author describes as a "novel in five parts".  There is no obvious connection but is more a book of five very good short stories set in different times and places with very different characters. 4/5

Sapphire Skies

I very much enjoyed Sapphire Skies by Belinda Alexandra which is set in Moscow during WWII and in 2000.  An Australian woman, Lily, daughter of Russian parents moves to Moscow to work.  Meanwhile war veteran, Valentin Orlov, has never stopped searching for his beloved Natasha who was a WWII pilot shot down during the War.  Her plane is found and later remains of a woman identified as Natasha.  A lot of the story is set during the War where the reader learns of the dangers of being too close to Stalin.  Lily befriends an elderly woman she meets on her way to work and Lily is intrigued by her as she tells her story.  This is a love story told against the background of WWII and its aftermath.  There are a few twists and the author seems to have done her research well. 4/5

The Signature of All Things

I very much enjoyed The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert which is set in 19th century Philadelphia.  Alma Whittaker was born to Henry Whittaker and his wife in 1800.  Henry came from very humble beginnings and became very wealthy after being given a chance by Sir Joseph Banks.  Henry became a renowned botanist with property all over the world.  Therefore Alma was born into a very wealthy household.  The story about Alma's life continues with its ups and downs.  She becomes a renowned botanist herself.  Although these are fictional characters they come in contact with historical figures and places.  The novel is peppered with interesting historical and botanical snippets.  Women would likely enjoy this story more than men.  It is almost 600 pages, but the reader is drawn in to Alma's life and sometimes need to suspend belief, but is an easy read. 4/5

House of the Hanged

I enjoyed House of the Hanged by Mark Mills which is set mainly in coastal France in the 1930s.  Main character, Tom Nash, is under repeated threat because of his work as a British intelligence agent immediately following the Russian revolution.  At that time he killed a Russian he believed was responsible for the death of his lover.  Tom has made a new indulgent life for himself  and receives guests during the summer season.  He is very close to one particular family who stay nearby.  One member of that family is Lucy, Tom's goddaughter who is now 20 and looks at Tom in a different light. It was a good "spy yarn", but too long with too much "padding". 31/2/5

Mr Wigg

I really enjoyed this lovely debut novel Mr Wigg by Inga Simpson.  It is set in a regional area of Australia in 1971.  Mr Wigg, aged in his 80s, has been widowed a year earlier.  He's still coping with his chores but with some difficulty.  His house is on a small acreage as the bulk of his property was sold off with his son and daughter dividing the proceeds.  His son would have preferred to work the family property but his daughter didn't think that was fair.  Mr Wigg's two grandchildren, his son's children, spend a lot of time with him and their interaction is delightful.  He looks after his orchard and uses his produce for cooking and preserving.  His new neighbour who bought the property is putting in grape vines for wine production.  We are reminded of the Vietnam war when his neighbour's son's number comes up.  I look forward to reading more from this talented young writer. 41/2/5

Terms & Conditions

I enjoyed Terms & Conditions by Robert Glancy which is the story of a lawyer, Frank, who works for his brother Oscar.  As the story opens, Frank is recovering from a car accident and he has lost his memory so tries to work out who he is and how he relates to the people obviously close to him such as his wife and his brother. Frank's job was to write the Terms & Conditions for the contracts his brother's company has with their clients.  Frank is concerned to learn what sort of person he used to be.  Was he a good person whom people liked?  Or was he the opposite?  Gradually Frank discovers who he is and the status of his relationships with the people around him. 31/2/5

Valley of Grace

I enjoyed Valley of Grace by Marion Halligan which is set in Paris.  There are a number of characters with connections to each other.  The story is about babies, which took a while to discover.  The characters are pregnant, have babies, babies die, babies conceived then abandoned.  Fanny, the main character works in a antiquarian bookshop owned by a gay man.  He and his partner want babies, and Fanny has married her dream man and wants a baby.  The reader is absorbed by the characters and their view of life.  A rakish professor beds his young students who sometimes get pregnant.  The reader hopes the "nice" characters fulfill their dreams. 31/2/5

29 September Book Club

We had our "October" meeting last Monday because next Monday is a public holiday.  We had a very small group as most of our other members are travelling overseas.  Many thanks to our host who bought some great new books for us to read and gave us a delicious supper.  We all relaxed and enjoyed each others company.  More of our members are off overseas soon and it was great to hear how excited they were. (It's difficult to place these photos.)

After Berlin

I enjoyed After Berlin by Martin Corrick which is set in post-War England and tells the story of a female pilot, Elizabeth.  She and her co-pilot (best friend) fly to Berlin immediately after the War to pick up passengers to be returned to England.  Lizzie is haunted by the devastation she found in Berlin and at first finds it difficult to fit in to peacetime England.  Eventually she finds her niche and the story of her life continues.  It's a good story, with some romance. 31/2/5