Maine

I very much enjoyed Maine by Courtney Sullivan which follows the lives of four related women who holiday in Maine each summer.  Each chapter is headed by the name of the character from whose perspective the story will be told in that chapter and it is interesting how they view themselves and the other characters.  Alice is the oldest, in her eighties, and the widowed matriarch of the family.  She carries a heavy guilt concerning  the death of her sister.  Kathleen is Alice's daughter and is estranged from most of the family and now lives on the other side of the country.  She returns to the east when her daughter Maggie needs her.  Another character is Ann Marie, Alice's daughter-in-law, who considers herself a better daughter to Alice than her biological daughters.  The family have taken their holiday home for granted for years but that changes as the story develops.  A fascinating look at lives and relationships. 4/5

Wonder Girls

I enjoyed Wonder Girls by Catherine Jones which is set in both 1920s and 2009.  The characters are fictitious and one of them, Ida, swims the hazardous Bristol Channel in the 1920s when aged 16.  She and her best friend Freda decide to leave their small "gossipy" town to live in "the big smoke", London.  Freda forges a successful career as a nurse, then midwife while Ida eventually is successful in advertising but marries a philandering newspaper man.  Regrettably, Ida and Freda drift apart until a tragedy forces them together.  Meanwhile, in 2009, Ceci, aged in her 80s, is mourning the death of her "companion" Freda and wishes she had been told more about her past before they met 60 years before.  Ceci meets a young woman Sarah who is going through a "bad patch" with her marriage.  Sarah encourages Ceci to find out more about the people who left her and Freda many years before.  There is a mystery to be uncovered about what happened to Ida, which makes a good story. 31/2/5

Cutting for Stone

I thoroughly enjoyed Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, a fictional work narrated by Marion Stone who was born and raised with his identical twin brother, Shiva, in Ethiopia.  The story begins with the twins' traumatic birth; traumatic for them and all those around them.  Marion describes the circumstances of the birth in 1954 at a "mission" hospital and he spends much of his life learning about his birth parents after he and Shiva are adopted by two people who love them completely.  The story is set against the background of the changing political landscape in Ethiopia.  Marion and Shiva's adoptive parents are doctors who instil in the boys a love of medicine which they take in to adulthood.  This is a beautifully written book with attention to detail that demonstrates the level of research undertaken by the author.  The story is a rich tapestry of the characters' lives woven together to make this a truly great novel. 5/5

The Good Father

I enjoyed The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain.  There are three main characters, Travis, Erin and Robin and each chapter shows the perspective of the story from one of them.  They each have their own story with two of them, Travis and Robin, connected by Travis' toddler daughter, Bella. Erin is at first not connected and has a sad recent past before she becomes involved in Travis' life.  Travis is a single father, down on his luck and trying to provide for himself and his daughter.  As a last resort he is drawn in to something he would otherwise not be involved with and that sets off a chain of events.  Robin has a "past" and is looking forward to her marriage to mayoral candidate Dale who comes from a wealthy well-known family.  She starts to question her place in that family.  The reader is led on a suspenseful ride hoping there will be a good outcome for everyone, but will that happen?  4/5

The Conjuror's Bird

I enjoyed The Conjuror's Bird by Martin Davies which is set in two time periods - the present and the late 18th century.  The story is written against the background of Sir Joseph Banks' voyage to the South Seas with James Cook.  In the "present" there is a mystery which scientist John Fitzgerald has been trying to solve for some years with his research - the location of a stuffed specimen of an extinct bird which was found in the South Seas and given to Banks.  There are collectors who want to find it because of its rarity.  In the Joseph Banks period of the story, there is an "unsuitable" romance which produces a daughter.  With alternate chapters relating to the two different time periods (also written in different fonts) the reader becomes more involved in the mystery and also the fate of the lovers.  Very intriguing and sent me searching for more information about Banks. 4/5

Shallow Breath

I read Shallow Breath by Sara Foster which is set mainly on the coast of Western Australia.  The story is told by a different character and time period with each chapter.  The chapter is headed by the character's name but until you start reading you're not sure which time period as it is  not chronological.  They are all important characters so can't really point to a "main" one, though Desi is really at the centre and the other characters have some relationship to her.  There is a mystery about Desi and the reason she has been in prison.  Secrets are gradually uncovered.  Most importantly the story is told against the background of endangered species and their horrific plight.  The author tells about the slaughter of dolphins, sharks, elephants and orangutans, cleverly weaving their story within the story of Desi and her family. 31/2/5

The Promise

I very much enjoyed The Promise by Ann Weisgarber which is a love story set around a devastating hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas in September 1900.  Living in Ohio, Catherine Wainwright is an accomplished concert pianist who has an illicit affair with a married man which causes a scandal.  She is ostracised by her friends and family and no longer able to earn a living.  Finally realising her affair holds no future for her she tries to find an alternative.  She remembers a childhood friend, Oscar, who moved to Galveston some years ago and she resumes a correspondence with him.  Oscar has been recently widowed and left with a 4 year old son, Andre.  A local woman, Nan, who was a great friend of Oscar's wife made her a promise that she would always look after Andre.  Catherine travels to Galveston and events unfold from there.  Each chapter is told in the first person by either Nan or Catherine, so the reader sees each perspective. The reader lives through the terror of the storm with the realistic depiction and the suspense of waiting to see who survives. This is beautifully written  41/2/5