Tuesday Book Review

 

Four-star review of Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

This period piece, written in 1950, reflects life, especially for unmarried women, in post-war London. It also reflects the style of writing that was created in that time as well as the dry humor that we still see sometimes today in British stories. Mildred Lathbury, a woman in her early thirties, is the daughter of a clergyman who lives alone and works in the mornings at an agency that helps impoverished gentlewomen. We never learn what she does there. She is certain on a practical level that she will never marry yet daydreams about the men she meets. They include Father Julian Mallory from the nearby High Anglican church she attends; Rocky Napier who moves into the apartment below hers with his wife Helena; and Helena’s fellow archaeologist Everard Bone. The title refers to the unmarried women who help men with chores, do grunt work for the churches and are mostly unseen. Nothing significant happens in the novel, but it makes an interesting read.

Tuesday Book Review

Five star review of The Gemini Connection by Julie Hamstead

This different kind of spy story about two MI5 computer jockeys sent to find an asset is set off by the interception of indecipherable messages and the chance encounter of one of the two men with the asset, an anesthesiologist because of an appendicitis attack. The novel is filled with enjoyable characters in exciting situations. I don’t want to give away too much of this story, but I will say I hope it really is the start of a series as the subtitle A Bridges and Rivers Mystery implies. The plot contains scenes in Paris and Turkey including lots of action and humor. Even the love story is handled realistically. 

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

Four-star review of The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

This time travel story that didn’t introduce any time travel until half way through would have been fine without that part of the novel, although I tend to enjoy stories that include time travel. I used that phrase three times in one sentence, but how else could I explain it? And yet, that was the main reason this stood out from the many stories about unwed young girls running away from home and joining a commune that turned out to be a cult. The best thing for me about the story was the emphasis on reading and words and how they take you out of the worst of situations. I’ll admit, I never read much Hawthorne in my life and might have been happier with another book (and author) to focus on other than The Scarlet Letter, although I guess it was appropriate for the story. The writing is beautiful and a few of the characters were very interesting. I’ve been to many of the areas mentioned in the story so that added to any enjoyment I got from the book. 

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

 

Four-star review of The Paris Assignment by Rhys Bowen

Not long before World War II, Madeleine Grant, a half-French, half-British student, meets Giles Martin at the Sorbonne. What follows is a sometimes interesting, occasionally romantic, and sometimes unbelievable story. I understood the need to include many scenes of abuse (not by Madeleine or Giles), especially during the war, but in addition the number of coincidental meetings were way too many. I’ve read other stories by Bowen and knew her penchant for happy endings but the manipulations to get there were also bothersome. On the other hand, like all of her work, this novel was well written, the characters were interesting, especially the heroine, and it was a fast read. I also learned more about what was happening in England and France during the war.

Tuesday Book Review

 

Five-star review of The Flying Fortunes by John Keir Cross

I first read this spy story, soon after it was written in the early 1950’s for teens, especially boys. I’d looked for the American version, the one I’d read, off and on for years, and finally tracked down a used copy of the British version. I was not disappointed when I read it again after all these years, as much fun as I remembered. The Fortune family of high-wire acrobats, kids included, become involved in a plan to steal something from the British government. Any more, and I’d be revealing spoilers. Suffice to say, the writing is fun, the characters too,

Tuesday Book Review

 

Five-star review of Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller

 

I debated between giving four and five stars while I was reading this story about the mysterious disappearance of a husband and father during a camping and canoeing trip in the Ontario wilderness. The occasional questionable behavior of the characters and especially the questions no one ever asked deserved the four-star rating, but the twists and turns, the details and all of the excellent writing, especially the descriptions warranted five stars. If you like thrillers of this type, I recommend reading it. The back-and-forth storyline was easy to follow and the ending was satisfying.

Tuesday Book Review

Five-star review of Eleven Numbers by Lee Child

 

This is a novelette or long short story but is still a complete thriller about a mathematics professor recruited by the government for a tricky mission in Russia. Child’s ability to include so many twists and turns within such a short amount of time and then write a very satisfying ending is impressive. The main character could easily have a series of his own like Reacher, this time an espionage one. I’d certainly read it.