Posts from the ‘3 star reviews’ Category

Jun 21

1001 Book Review: Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

Those of you new to our blog my not know that Book Worm and I are making our way through Boxell’s 1001 list of Books You Must Read Before You Die. This list has been revised several times and 1305 books have been on at least one iteration of the list. You can find the full list on page “1001 books.” We both happen to belong to an online reading group that is making its way through the list so occasionally we post our joint reviews of 1001 books. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym was one of the books we read with that group in June. Keep reading to see if we liked it and thought it worthy of the list. Read more

Jun 14

4 Comments

The Girls by Emma Cline

Out in stores today, The Girls is one of the summer’s most anticipated releases. Emma Cline received a $2 million advance for her debut novel and it is one of those books that everyone is talking about. I was lucky enough to get a galley of the book and also met the author briefly at Book Expo this year. Here is my review… Read more

Jun 9

3 Comments

A Perfectly Good Man by Patrick Gale

A Perfectly Good Man by Patrick Gale
First published: 2012 (most recent edition released 2016)
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by: Jen
Find it/buy it here: A Perfectly Good Man

Set in the heart of Cornwall, A Perfectly Good Man is a novel about faith, morality, and what it means to live a good life. The protagonist, Barnaby Johnson is a parish priest who is summoned to the home of a paralyzed young man named Lenny. When he arrives, he learns that he wasn’t called to provide comfort but rather to witness and provide last rites for Lenny who ingested poison while the priest was in his home. Barnaby witnesses the young man die, helpless to do anything other than pray for him. Lenny’s death has impacts for the whole community and Gale draws in various characters to highlight these far-reaching effects.

The novel is told in a nonlinear style with chapters centering around various stages of Barnaby’s life and the final chapter in the book takes place when Barnaby was a child. Barnaby is not a perfect man. He has moments of weakness, crisis, and doubt. Yet despite these moments, he is a good man (hence the title). The nonlinear style is clever in building up suspense and providing a few moments of shock when the reader realizes how some of the pieces of his life come together. The emotional impact of various events only gain true meaning when certain facts are revealed in later chapters.

I had never read anything by Patrick Gale prior to this book. The publishing house contacted requesting a review stating that they thought I might like it because I had indicated preference for Colm Toibin’s work. There were definitely some similarities in style between the two authors and there is no question that Gale is a supremely talented writer. I enjoyed many things about the book including the writing style, the non-linear style, and the rich character development. The book is heavy on the religious themes — the main character is a priest after all. It’s certainly not heavy-handed or preachy and in fact the major conflict in the novel is a crisis of faith. However, the author has something to say about the power of prayer. I am not a religious person and I don’t particularly care for books with heavy Christian themes. In fact, I explicitly state (on our review page) that I won’t take requests for Christian fiction. I wouldn’t classify this as Christian fiction but it is an exploration of faith: faith tested and faith restored. So it’s a testament that I actually enjoyed it as much as I did.

This book will appeal to those who like beautifully constructed novels that tackle questions of faith. It is a heartfelt novel that is emotionally engaging and interesting. It will also appeal to those who enjoy reading books about ordinary people living in small towns.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Does it appeal to you? Why or why not? Have you read others by Patrick Gale?

Jun 3

5 Comments

Bailey’s 2016 Shortlist Review: The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie

For those of you new to our blog, we (or I should say Book Worm) have been making our way through the Bailey’s Shortlist so we can make our predictions and recommend our favorites to you. Our final contender on the 2016 shortlist is a book that we both read: The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie. In a few days we’ll post our predictions for which book we think will win the Bailey’s Prize for Fiction (to be announced on June 8) along with a ranked list of our favorites. Here’s what we both thought of The Portable Veblen. Read more

May 24

7 Comments

Non 1001 Book Review: A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson

The Guardian calls A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson’s finest work. Book Worm recently read it after loving Life After Life. Keep reading to see if she agrees with the Guardian’s assessment. Read more

May 9

3 Comments

1001 Book Review: 2666 Roberto Bolano

I accidentally posted this review a few months ago when it was half finished. It took me a long time to finish writing up my section because it’s hard to review such a monster of a book (monster in length and heaviness of content). I finally got around to finishing my review. Book Worm and I reviewed it together and she was much better and wrapping up her review in a timely manner. Here’s what we thought about the book: Read more

Apr 19

1 Comment

Non 1001 Book Review: The Cauliflower Nicola Barker

The Guardian describes Nicola Barker’s latest novel as “unclassifiable genius.” Keep reading to see if I agreed with them. Read more

Apr 6

1 Comment

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
Published in: 2016
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: ★★★
Find it here: Jane Steele

This ARC was provided by Headline (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Reader, I murdered him.

A Gothic retelling of Jane Eyre.

Like the heroine of the novel she adores, Jane Steele suffers cruelly at the hands of her aunt and schoolmaster. And like Jane Eyre, they call her wicked – but in her case, she fears the accusation is true. When she flees, she leaves behind the corpses of her tormentors.

A fugitive navigating London’s underbelly, Jane rights wrongs on behalf of the have-nots whilst avoiding the noose. Until an advertisement catches her eye. Her aunt has died and the new master at Highgate House, Mr Thornfield, seeks a governess. Anxious to know if she is Highgate’s true heir, Jane takes the position and is soon caught up in the household’s strange spell. When she falls in love with the mysterious Charles Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him – body, soul and secrets – and what if he discovers her murderous past?

Book Worm’s Thoughts: Overall this is a light-hearted, feel-good novel where good triumphs over evil. That said there are some sad moments and I did find myself tearing up occasionally.

Like Jane Eyre, Jane Steele is an orphan sent to a terrible school by her uncaring relatives and she does eventually end up as a governess however that is where the similarities end. Jane Steele is a completely different character to Jane Eyre. She is a tough survivor with a foul mouth and an impressive count of dead bodies behind her. So while, Jane Eyre is a classic novel about right and wrong and true love, the story of Jane Steele is a great romp where Jane rights the wrongs of society in murderous fashion.

I had great fun reading this novel and particularly enjoyed the inclusion of a Sikh household and vanished treasure to add to central storyline. The romance between Jane and Charles is very believable and even though I knew they how it would end, it was still satisfying.

Here are some of my favourite quotes;

“This was the day I learnt that friendship need not be labeled as such in order to be a very similar thing indeed”

“Were I to picture my honour, I imagine it might resemble a less attractive than usual tadpole”

“Some cities bustle, some meander, I have read; London blazes, and it incinerates. London is the wolf’s maw. From the instant I arrived there, I loved it.”

“And I heard you were a governess, but not many of that set can say bugger with quite so much purity of conviction.”

“We had shared the same tastes once, Clarke and I, moved in twin orbits like binary stars”

So who would like this book? I would recommend it to fans of Jane Eyre, steampunk fans (although it is not steampunk), those who need a light-hearted and fun read, and those who love a good romance.

Want to try it for yourself? You can find a copy here: Jane Steele

We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think? Does it sound like a book you would enjoy?

Apr 5

2 Comments

1001 Book Review: Cloudsplitter Russell Banks

Book Worm and I review Russell Banks’ epic tale of the Brown family and we disagree. See what we thought of the book and let us know with whom you agree. Read more

Mar 20

4 Comments

1001 Book Review: Hangover Square Patrick Hamilton

Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
Published in: 1941
Literary Awards:
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: ★★★
Find it here: Modern Classics Hangover Square

Synopsis from Amazon:

A pitch-black comedy set in London overshadowed by the looming threat of the Second World War.

London, 1939, and in the grimy publands of Earls Court, George Harvey Bone is pursuing a helpless infatuation. Netta is cool, contemptuous and hopelessly desirable to George. George is adrift in a drunken hell, except in his ‘dead’ moments, when something goes click in his head and he realizes, without a doubt, that he must kill her. In the darkly comic Hangover Square Patrick Hamilton brilliantly evokes a seedy, fog-bound world of saloon bars, lodging houses and boozing philosophers, immortalising the slang and conversational tone of a whole generation and capturing the premonitions of doom that pervaded London life in the months before the war.

Book Worm’s Review: Set in Earls Court London in 1939 this is the story of George Harvey Bone a mild mannered, pathetic drunkard who is obsessed with the beautiful but contemptuous Netta.

George seems to suffer from either split personality disorder or schizophrenia as he has 2 very distinct modes of life which he describes as he brain flicking a switch. In his normal life he is the stooge to Netta and her group of admirers while in his “dead mood” real life becomes like a silent film and George’s only purpose is to kill Netta, each life is separate and when inhabiting one he cannot remember the other until late in the book when things begin to cross over.

George is an unlikeable character because he is a drunk, because he is desperate for someone to love him and because he allows Netta and her group to walk all over him, however he is more likeable than every other character (with the exception of one) and so as a reader I found myself routing for him to allow the “dead mood” to take control and for Netta to get what is coming to her.

I enjoyed being inside George’s mind when he was in his “dead mood” and there are humourous moments where he views things that he has arranged as coincidence. I was curious as to how George would rationalize murder and how he would come up with a method as well as being confused by his belief that if he did kill anyone if he got to Maidenhead it would be alright.

This will appeal to those with a dark sense of humour as well as those who enjoy an insight into a single character’s state of mind.

Want to try it for yourself? You can find a copy here: Modern Classics Hangover Square

We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?