Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too!

This novel contains so much that my class on Adultery in 19th Century Literature could discuss, that it is a shame that we only had two classes for this novel.  It is on to Dostoevsky next week with a story called The Eternal Husband and then to Tolstoy and Anna Karenina after that.  This class is an audit for me of a for credit college comp lit class so the pace is quick. But…back to Madame Bovary.  There was much discussion of Emma.  Is she someone to feel sorry for?  Is she  a victim?  Why is she unable to be happy with her husband?  What can be said of her as a mother?  Why does she try to make herself feel better by spending lots of money that she does not have?  What does it mean that she has read many novels and is quite influenced by them?  Is she constrained by the roles that were available to her? What does the reader think about what happens to her at the end of the novel? And then…What of the men in the book?  Does the reader feel sympathy for Charles?  Why is he not enough for Emma?  What does the reader make of Rodolphe?  of Leon? Do any of these men love her? What of the many bourgeois villagers including the pharmacist and the money lender?  We learned to watch for colors…blue symbolizes passion and yellow danger and, that there are many “threes” in the novel.  We also learned that even the most casual seeming detail can come back later in the novel with great importance.  Read Nabokov’s views on the novel as we did in an article.   I am very glad to have reread this novel which I last read in my twenties.  There is so much in it.  If you don’t mind SPOILER some tragedy think about reading or re-reading this important novel of realism.   And readers…let me know if you are interested in following this class as it continues or if this is enough on adultery.  Thanks.

I have not read Fiona Barton’s first book, “The Widow,” although I probably will now. Her sophomore effort, “The Child,” is intriguing and suspenseful Who is the baby found on the building site? How are the characters and their stories connected? What does it mean to be a parent? To grieve? To confront and accept one’s past? “The Child” is about all of this while being a page turner. I did guess the answer to the central mystery but this did not in any way lessen my enjoyment of this novel. I feel confident that Fiona Barton’s next book will be, “third time the charm.” Recommended for suspense fans.  Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to review this novel.

Fans of Andrea Camilleri and Donna Leon may well enjoy this mystery featuring a woman of a “certain age” who moves to Sicily. Enjoy the setting, the views and watch what happens to Auntie Poldi as she gets involved in solving a mystery. The book is narrated by Poldi’s nephew who is an aspiring author. Each chapter begins with an italicized summary.
This book was not compelling but was a fine read.

I loved Missing Presumed, Susie Steiner’s first book in this series, and was very eager to read Persons Unknown. What I most enjoyed in reading both books was the author’s ability to create a quirky, interesting protagonist in Manon. I related to Manon’s observations on the bonds of parenting and her experience of pregnancy. Early on, I was glued to this book because I was so worried for Fly, Manon’s adoptive son. I found the mystery itself a bit less strong but that did not lessen my enjoyment of this book. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.  I hope that there will be more in the series in future!

ENJOY!

and growing!  This is for having over 100 likes on WordPress for the blog.  Thanks everyone.  I enjoy seeing this number get bigger.  It is like getting a report card for my reviews.  Do we ever outgrow elementary school?  Reports, stickers, etc.

first of series first of series

Ann Cleeves’s books are among my favorites.  Raven Black starts the Jimmy Perez series.  All of the novels in the series are set on Shetland, a place that truly comes to life and a spot that I would love to see.  The cast of characters is wonderful and characters grow and change over the course of the novels.  Both the Shetland and the Vera Stanhope books (to be described below) have been made into TV series.  They are available at times on PBS or at acorntv.com or Netflix.  Often I do not enjoy the televised versions of series I have read as the characters do not look or feel as I had imagined.  These issues were pretty easily overcome and I watch every available episode.

Vera Stanhope is large and ungainly; she is single, middle-aged and a workaholic.  She is intelligent and always gets to where she needs to be.  Every novel in this series is a good and absorbing read as one gets to know Vera and her squad room.  Highly recommended.

Also, there are two earlier series.  I will post a couple of covers below.

Inspector Ramsay series

George and Mary Palmer Jones series

If you are looking for some series to run through, you cannot go wrong with the novels of Ann Cleeves.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

  A Place to Remember is women’s fiction at its finest and most absorbing. Set in Australia, the descriptions of place were vivid and brought this story to life. The characters were easy to engage with and I enjoyed reading about them. There are two stories, that of a mother/daughter and father/son who come to care deeply for each other as the reader does too. Romance is in the air but its course is not smooth. There are some less likeable characters as well although clearly the reader is not meant to like them. This book would make a perfect pairing with the series A Place to Call Home that is available on acorntv.com in the U.S.

#AplaceToRemember #NetGalley

As those of you who have read this blog know, I always look forward to a new Anne Perry novel.  I have read the Thomas Pitt and Inspector Monk series from the first to the latest.  Now there is a new variation to look forward to.  Publishing in April is Tweny-One Days, which features Thomas and Charlotte Pitt’s son, a newly qualified lawyer. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.  I am enjoying it so much and will post my review as soon as I finish.  SPOILER ALERT…I was deeply moved to learn about what has happened to some of my favorite characters in the series.  I felt a true sense of sadness but will not tell you why.  You may find out for yourself when you add this book to your TBR pile…and you should!

I am writing this in follow up to one of Madame Writer’s excellent posts on where to find inexpensive ebooks.  I recommend scribd.com.  It costs about $9.00 (U.S.) dollars per month.  On the site you will find an enormous selection of both audio and eBook choices.  You can search by subject, author, etc.  After you use the site a bit, suggestions will be given to you as well.  You can borrow an unlimited number of books/audiobooks each month.  I consider it to be money well spent!  https://www.scribd.com/

I loved this sweet, gentle and deeply moving novel.  It is about an elderly  French man and is narrated in both the past and present.  It is a story of how we live and view our lives and how we care for each other.  Characters include Baptiste who, as an infant, was mysteriously separated from his mother on a train never to see her again; Sophie, a young waitress who endeavors to keep Baptiste anchored in the world and they mysterious Amandine, a therapy client of Baptiste but so much more.  This is an emotional read that I highly recommend.  Please note that the illustration at the top of each chapter lets you know if you are in the present or past.

Another month means a new compilation from Book Buzz. Take a look to find out what needs to go on your TBR pile for April. Also, read the excerpts to maybe find something out of your usual taste.

Two long standing series have new entries out this month.  The Punishment She Deserves will be released on March 20th and To Die But Once the following week.  To speak of the second first…the Maisie Dobbs series is a wonderful read for those who like historical mysteries where the characters you come to love continue to grow and develop.  Maisie was born to the servant class but, as you will learn, she attends university and becomes a nurse during WWI and later an enquiry agent.  Her teacher Maurice Blanche was unique and imparted a world view to his mentee.  The series is now up to WW II.  I most definitely will read this latest entry.  I can’t wait and maybe you can’t too.

I have read every book in the Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley series.  The early ones were truly unputdownable.  Some of my favorites were Payment in Blood, For the Sake of Elena, In the Presence of the Enemy and most especially With No One as Witness.  However, you would not want to read WNOaW out of order because of what happens in that novel.  However, I then felt that Elizabeth George’s books were no longer quite so good.  As regards the new novel,  I requested it from NetGalley but have not yet been approved.  However, the NetG reviewers have all been giving it five stars so I think I will read this very lengthy book (at over 600 pages) when it is released and will purchase it if not approved.  Let me know what you think if you read this one or Maisie Dobbs.