Category: Book Review

‘The Revolt’ by Clara Dupont-Monod

Happy publication day to this fabulous book!

This looks like a gorgeous book, but I wouldn't usually have chosen it if it hadn't been for recommendations from people on Twitter.  It's not my usual period for historical fiction and is actually set in an era that I knew very little about - Eleanor of Aquitaine's revolt against her husband and King of England, Henry Plantagenet (Henry II).  The novel is beautifully translated from the original French by Ruth Diver.

The narrative covers the period of Eleanor's marriage to Henry II (after her first, to Louis VII of France, was annulled), the birth of their children and the revolt that Eleanor - supported by some of her sons - leads against Henry.  The story then follows Eleanor's favourite of the sons, Richard I (the Lionheart), as he embarks on crusades in the Holy Lands. 

What makes this book compelling is the fact that the narrative is delivered through monologues from the key characters; Eleanor and Richard lead the storytelling, but there are also chapters where we hear from the vanquished king Henry and others, including a poignant input from Alys, Richard's rejected fiancee.  These imagined voices make the story vibrant and modern - this reads as real people exploring some pretty incredible events and emotions.  The language is also striking in its beauty with some really vivid and striking imagery and snippets of songs recalled by the characters.

The character of Eleanor is a big draw for the novel.  She is presented through her son's eyes as being absolutely formidable and majestic, something supported by the historical fact that she was Queen Consort to two kings and ruled Aquitaine in her own right.  She is put in the impossible situation of a woman in that time period and patriarchal society, yet manages to find her own ways to gain power through her own determination and through her sons;  however, we do also see her human frailty as in the scene when she is caught in the storm on board a ship, pregnant and afraid.  The relationship between Eleanor and Richard is also explored in detail and seems a little claustrophobic and intense at times.

This is a highly engaging and fascinating book and I think can be enjoyed regardless of how much knowledge you already have of the time period.  The voices are lively and feel authentic, linking us to these extraordinary events in history and an amazing woman at the centre of the French and English monarchy.  The writing/translation is beautiful and this book is a short but sweet treat.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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‘A Little History of Poetry’ by John Carey

Another book read with my English teacher hat on and one that helped me brush up my poetry knowledge. This book was published in April 2020.

As an English Literature graduate turned English teacher, I have ploughed through a fair amount of poetry in my time.  It's not my favourite form (I prefer a good novel) but I do have my favourite poems and writers that I return to frequently.  I hoped this book would contextualise them and perhaps give me some new avenues to explore.

I think it needs pointing out that this is a slightly odd idea for a book - a potted history of poetry that is accessible for the novice reader yet detailed enough to draw in more seasoned poetry readers (who you would expect would be the main readership for the book as people already receptive to poetry).  However, I think Carey has managed this well; the book covers a vast amount of ground, managing to fit in synopses, biography and context for a range of poems and poetry movements.  For me, it brought back memories of my undergraduate study - some good (it's always nice to revisit Larkin, Keats and Plath) and some less so (I hoped I'd heard the last of Piers Plowman, to be honest!)

The other strange thing about the book is that it can never be a totally objective history of poetry as it seems to promise - it's always going to include Carey's personal choices and preferences and I didn't agree with all his interpretations fully.  I absolutely bow down to him as being the expert, but I do think poetry is very subjective and open to personal readings, although it was interesting to hear about his take on poems that I know very well.  Carey's own preferences seemed most obvious in the amount of space allocated to individual poets - some were skimmed over in very little detail while others were explored in perhaps excessive depth (Yeats, I'm looking at you...)

Overall, I'd say this was a lovely book to use to contextualise your understanding of poets and their works - I certainly didn't realise that some of the poets were contemporaries or quite so closely linked.  The biographies are interesting and Carey is a knowledgeable and lively guide through the history of poetry.  It won't give you depth of understanding if you are already studying poems or poetic movements at a high level, but it's an accessible and entertaining read for those of us whose knowledge is perhaps a bit rusty!

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Samantha Hurley from Burst

Links to purchase this title in hardback and on Kindle from the UK Amazon site are below. The Quick and the Read may earn a commission on any purchases at no extra cost to you.

‘City of Girls’ by Elizabeth Gilbert

I’d never read anything by Elizabeth Gilbert before as her most famous book, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, doesn’t fit in with my usual genres. However, this one – published in April 2020 – is a lovely piece of historical fiction with a fabulous heroine at its heart.

I was drawn to this book as it promised a fun and light read in the world of New York's theatrical world.  I thought it would be an ideal escapist book for these tricky times. 

The first part of the book absolutely delivers this.  The narrator, Vivian Morris, is upbeat and cheerful in telling the story of her arrival in New York in 1940.  Freshly expelled from her university course for minimal effort, she goes to stay with her Aunt Peg, an eccentric family member who runs a dilapidated theatre.  Vivian soon makes friends with the showgirls and starts living the high life in a city full of men and alcohol, far away from the war raging in Europe.  I loved this bit of the story - the theatre people and Vivian's joie de vivre make for compulsive and upbeat reading.

The tone shifts a bit in the second part of the book as Vivian ages and there is more of a war theme.  I'll admit to not enjoying this bit as much, although it's beautifully written and quite touching.

Overall, this is an evocative and compelling novel with a really unique heroine at its heart.  I'd recommend it wholeheartedly although it didn't quite deliver the consistent high I was looking for.  However, that's just my personal preference for fabulous glitz rather than the sad impact of war.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Katherine Barcsay from Burst

Links to purchase this title in paperback and on Kindle are below for the UK Amazon site.  The Quick and the Read may earn some commission on any purchases at no extra cost to you.

‘All Fall Down by M J Arlidge

Another page-turner of a police procedural today, released in June 2020.

This is the latest installment in the series featuring DI Helen Grace.  It works as a standalone, I think - I've only read one of the other previous books and wasn't lost at all!

A brutal murder is preceded by a sinister phone call telling the victim that they have only an hour to live.  The killing seems to be linked to another incident eight years before when a group of young people on their Duke of Edinburgh expedition were targeted, but it becomes a race against time as more threats are made and the police can't get a solid lead.  Meanwhile, DI Grace is also having to deal with problems in her personal life and a nosy reporter who seems too close to the police investigation.

This is another well-written and tense thriller - it certainly kept me reading, although I have to confess I did see one of the twists coming.  DI Helen Grace is a strong and likeable heroine and the story is engaging.  I wasn't a huge fan of the 'flashback' elements told via extracts from one of the character's book and I also thought the journalist figure was a bit superfluous - they felt like extra elements that weren't really needed as the book had plenty else to offer.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who like tense and pacy police procedurals.  It's one that rarely slows and is - in places - really quite creepy.  I look forward to reading more of this series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst

July Wrap Up and August TBR

The end of my first month on the blog!

The school summer holidays could not have come sooner. Finally, I’ve had the chance to tackle some of those books that have been sitting on my NetGalley list for too long, as well as some new books and recommendations from my fellow bloggers.

I’ve read 12 books read this month – a good month for me and taking me to 66/100 books read on my Goodreads challenge (you can find me on Goodreads here).

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My five-star read of the month is ‘Death in the East’ by Abir Mukerjee – in case you missed it on the blog, my review is here. This led me on to the rest of the series, starting with ‘A Rising Man’ which introduces Captain Sam Wyndham of the Calcutta Police and Sergeant Surrender-not Banerjee. A brilliant series and highly recommended to anyone who loves crime fiction with a vibrant historical setting.

In a similar vein is another of my July reads, ‘Midnight at Malabar House’ by Vaseem Khan. You can read my review here – it is the start (I hope) of a great series set in Bombay in 1950 and taking in the new political landscape of Indian independence from British rule. It features a brilliant lead character, Detective Persis Wadia, who is trying to forge her path as India’s first female police detective.

This month has also been a good one for contemporary crime fiction and I’ve absolutely devoured ‘The Postscript Murders’ by Elly Griffiths, a lively mystery with an unlikely cast of detectives investigating the death of a ‘Murder Consultant’ used by crime writers. This is the second book featuring DI Harbinder Kaur but works well as a stand-alone novel – review to follow on the blog.

I also enjoyed the highly-anticipated debut novel by Richard Osman due out in September, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’. Set in a retirement village, this is a quirky and humorous crime story with plenty of twists – review to follow.

Some other strong contemporary crime fiction novels I’ve enjoyed this month are ‘Lost Cause’ by Rachel Lynch, the latest in the excellent DI Kelly Porter series set in the Lake District, and ‘The Chalet’ by Catherine Cooper, a tense and twisty thriller set in a ski resort and moving deftly between 1998 and the present day.

‘Nothing Can Hurt You’ by Nicola Maye Goldberg was another one of my fiction reads this month; this one is more an interesting exploration of the impact of a murder on a community and is very powerful on the subject of gendered violence. It is dark and really quite unusual, presenting a range of voices of those connected with a 1997 murder.

My new Kindle Oasis

My last fiction choice this month was inspired by a fellow blogger – thank you, Amy at littlelionbooks.co.uk. ‘The Revolt’ by Clara Dupont-Monod (translated from the French by Ruth Diver) is another novel featuring a disparate range of voices in monologue, principally Eleanor of Aquitaine and her son, Richard I of England. This was a historical period I knew little about, but was fascinated by this woman who was Queen Consort to both the kings of France and then England, led a revolt against her own husband and bore future kings as well as having considerable political power in her own right. This book is beautifully written – review to follow.

In terms of non-fiction, I read ‘Three Women’ by Lisa Taddeo, ‘Older and Wider’ by Jenny Eclair and ‘The Gran Tour: Travels with My Elders’ by Ben Aitken. You can read my review of Eclair’s funny and wise book about the menopause here. Aitken’s book was also humorous and highly recommended; it’s a Bill Brysonesque travelogue about coach trips that Aitken took and his experiences of these interactions with (primarily) older people on these. The Taddeo book was the book of the month in my Books that Matter subscription box and was an interesting but challenging read about the real life relationships and sexuality of three American women.

Looking forward to August, I’m very much looking forward to using my new Kindle Oasis. I finally upgraded my old Kindle and will share my thoughts when I get used to it a bit more!

Here’s what I’m planning to read:

Evil Things by Katja Ivar

‘Evil Things’ by Katja Ivar (gifted by Bitter Lemon Press – you can see their amazing catalogue here). This is a historical crime novel set in 1950s Helsinki and looks brilliant!

‘The Child Who Never Was’ by Jane Renshaw – I’m joining the blog tour on this one (organised by damppebbles.com) and am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on this tense psychological thriller.

The Child Who Never Was by Jane Renshaw book cover

‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins – her last novel, ‘The Binding’, was one of my favourite books last year so I’m very much looking forward to what comes next!

‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Clare Whitfield – a Victorian setting and Jack the Ripper links so this one could not be more perfect for me.

‘Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes – this retelling of Greek myths focusing on the overlooked women in the stories looks like an instant classic.

‘The Honey and the Sting’ by E. C. Fremantle – this historical tale of three sisters with a deadly secret sounds absolutely engrossing.

Plus whatever else takes my fancy as the month progresses!

With thanks to NetGalley for ARCs – they supplied a lot of the books but all opinions are very much my own!

Header photo by Samantha Hurley from Burst

‘The Graves of Whitechapel’ by Claire Evans

Happy August, everyone! And happy Saturday!

This book, published in June 2020, is one of my five star reads for the year so far. Highly recommended!

I really liked Claire Evans' debut novel, 'The Fourteenth Letter', but I think this one is even stronger.  It's a twisty and tense murder mystery set on the streets of Victorian Whitechapel - what's not to love?!

It's 1882 and Cage Lackmann is a corrupt lawyer.  Although he does some work to defend the innocent, he also fights legal cases to acquit gang members as he is in the pay of a powerful man.  When one of his 'innocent' defendants is accused of committing a second murder, Cage is in trouble.  The police want to frame him, his customers are abandoning him and he is in a race against time to get the evidence he needs.  Everyone has secrets and Cage has to work out who he can trust with his own.

I loved everything about this book!  I kept thinking I'd figured it all out, only for the rug to be pulled from under my feet the next second.  The depiction of gritty, grimy, seedy Whitechapel is great - this is a place where loyalties can be bought and sold, everyone has a price and violence is rife.  That said, this isn't a depressing book - it's clever and engaging and fast-paced.  I read this in a day and would recommend that any lovers of historical crime do the same - clear some time in the diary and settle down for an absolute treat.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Nicole De Khors from Burst

‘Death by Shakespeare’ by Kathryn Harkup

A book read with my English teaching hat on today! This was published in May 2020.

First of all, I should say that I'm an English teacher who reads fairly obsessively about Shakespeare.  I'm no expert, but I've read a lot and know some of the plays in more depth than I'd really think is healthy!  I loved the idea of this book as it promised to combine Shakespeare with the medical realities of the deaths he wrote about.

Although some of the book was familiar ground for me, this would be a fabulous book for someone coming fairly fresh to the topic.  It gives a lot of historical context about the Elizabethan and Jacobean worlds and also talks a lot about what Shakespeare's audiences would understand about death and illness.  It covers a whole range of the fictional deaths and also relates them to the historical records (as far as can be ascertained from some pretty unreliable sources!)  From the cannibalism of 'Titus Andronicus' to the suicide-by-snake of Cleopatra, from the multiple poisonings in 'Hamlet' to the faking of death in 'Romeo and Juliet' - it's all here and packed with interesting detail and speculation.  It also delves into some of the less-performed plays which is really fascinating, and explores some work by Shakespeare's contemporaries.

I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Shakespeare, the history of medicine or the Elizabethan/Jacobean period.  I honestly thought there wasn't much new that anyone could tell me about 'Hamlet', but I was proved wrong!  An engaging and entertaining read!

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Samantha Hurley from Burst

‘Midnight at Malabar House’ by Vaseem Khan

This book will be released on 20th August and is well worth a read! A fascinating moment in India’s history and the first female police inspector – a perfect combination! 

I really hope this book marks the start of a new series by Vaseem Khan. It's a great story and one book featuring the indefatigable and charming Inspector Wadia is simply not enough!

The story opens on New Year's Eve, 1949 in Bombay.  As the clock ticks over into a new decade of Indian independence, Inspector Wadia is called in to investigate the murder of an important British diplomat, Sir James Herriot.  Initially, it seems that Inspector Persis Wadia has been called precisely because no-one has any faith in her to actually solve the crime (she is India's first female police officer), or in the bunch of misfits she works with at Malabar House.  However, she is determined to prove her worth and unwilling to give in until she has uncovered the truth.

It's this determination that makes the pioneering Inspector Wadia such an interesting character.  She really has the odds stacked against her, but uses her intelligence, humour and sheer bloody-mindedness to take on an extremely politically sensitive case - Khan does not skimp on the history of India and Empire that have led to this precarious situation so there is plenty of explanation for those of us less well-versed in the politics.  However, the book is far from being simply a history lesson - in Persis Wadia, we are treated to a very human and realistic character grappling admirably with a situation way beyond her control.  We see her own struggles - including her strained relationship with her father and a rather sweet and inept flirtation with another investigator - and like her all the more for it.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes historical crime fiction with plenty of heart.  The setting is interesting, the characters are engaging and the plot is well-constructed.  You - like me - will end the book wondering what is next for Inspector Wadia and very much looking forward to finding out.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Shanu D from Burst

‘The Art of Dying’ by Ambrose Parry

Here is my five star review of this fabulous book! This was published in January 2020.

This is the second book in the Will Raven/Sarah Fisher series after the truly excellent 'The Way of All Flesh'.  They are written by a husband and wife team - he's an award-winning thriller writer and she is a medical doctor with an interest in the history of medicine, so they really know their stuff on all fronts.  I could not wait to read this book after loving the first one.

This is a fascinating, pacy and engaging story set in Victorian Edinburgh a while after the first book.  Dr Will Raven has just returned to the city after a period travelling in Europe developing his medical knowledge.  He returns to the house of Dr James Simpson, leading developer of chloroform as an anesthetic, where his former partner in investigations Sarah has been elevated above her status as housemaid and is learning medical skills for herself.  It's an awkward reunion between the two former allies, although they soon have to work together when they notice a worrying pattern of deaths occurring in the city.

This book met all my high expectations.  It's cleverly plotted and brings alive the setting of Victorian Edinburgh, from the hospital wards to consulting rooms, from the wealth of the doctors' lives to the less salubrious areas lived in by some of their patients.  Sarah is a very appealing heroine, fighting for her right to learn medicine in a time and place that denied women such education.  In comparison, Will is a rather infuriating hero who makes bad decisions and whose motives are not always pure, yet he also seems real and flawed and interesting; he definitely developed as a character during this book in a positive way.

I would whole heartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or who has an interest in medical history.  However, the book should have much wider appeal - it is engrossing and well-researched and engaging, albeit a bit graphic in relation to the medical issues.  Anyone and everyone should give it a go!

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Adrien Olichon from Burst

‘The Last Protector’ by Andrew Taylor

Published in April 2020, this is the latest in the Marwood and Lovett series set in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London.

I've followed this series from the start and was keen for my next installment of Marwood's adventures as government agent in Restoration London.  I did struggle a little more with the last book but was pleased that this one was (for me)  a more enjoyable and pacy read.

The story opens with a duel being fought by the Duke of Buckingham, a powerful man but one that needs keeping on side for the king.  Added into the messy aftermath of the duel is the return of Richard Cromwell to London, another potential problem in a society divided in so many ways.  Marwood is sent on various tasks in order to unravel the potential threats to law and order, but his loyalties are tested due to his friendship with Cat Lovett (now Hakesby), the daughter of a regicide.  In a London where everyone has secrets, Marwood has to work out who to trust and avoid those who have their sights on stopping him at any cost.

This is another meticulously-researched and beautifully written installment in the series.  The relationship between Marwood and Cat is presented engagingly, being based on mutual trust but also as fragile and tentative as they try to support each other in treacherous times.  The supporting characters are also well-written and credible and the plot twists keep coming.  Highly recommended, but if you are new to the series then best to start at the beginning of the series as there is much to enjoy throughout.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Photo by Samantha Hurley from Burst