I don’t read an awful lot of true crime but this one really intrigued me – a true, locked-room murder mystery. And even better for me – one set in Victorian Dublin.
I was very excited to read this one – thanks to the lovely people at Vintage Huddle who sent me a copy for review. Opinions, as always, are my own.
Thanks to HQ Stories for my proof copy of this book – and grovelling apologies for not having reviewed this earlier. As always, opinions are my own regardless of how I acquired the book.
This book was published in June 2021 in hardback – there’s also an (excellent) audiobook version available which I listened to alongside reading.
When I read the blurb for this book, I was instantly intrigued. While I’m no lover of nature and have no desire to wander the Yorkshire moors in all weathers (as this writer has done), I do love literary heritage. So of course I want to know about the buildings and villages and landscapes that inspired the Brontes.
It’s been a slow reading month for me – being back in the classroom is busy and reading has taken a back seat to work.
Still, I managed to read 8 books in September and finished my Goodreads challenge for the year – 100/100 books read! That won’t stop me reading on though – I have some gorgeous October reads planned…
All my books this month were 3 or 4 stars – my favourite was ‘The Royal Art of Poison’ by Eleanor Herman which was an unexpected treat of an audiobook.
I love Miles Jupp’s comedy and came to this book with very high expectations – thanks to NetGalley and Headline for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
The story is about Clive Hapgood, a History teacher in a small private school. He is having a tough time both at school and in his family life, so a trip to France at half term looks to be the answer to all his problems. However, an incident at school refuses to be forgotten and Clive’s life starts to unravel.
It’s been a slower reading month after July’s 17 books (a record for me!) Still, I’ve read some brilliant books this month – 11 in total. All were 4 stars with the exception of one FIVE STAR read at the start of the month…
This puts me on 92/100 on my Goodreads challenge – the end is in sight!
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The opioid crisis in the USA? A drug epidemic killing hundreds of thousands of people? Corporate dodgy dealing at the highest levels? I wouldn’t have said that any of this would be the ideal ingredients for a book that I’d love to read, to be honest.
I’m always in the market for some engaging historical non-fiction and jumped at the chance to read ‘Meet the Georgians’ by Robert Peal. Although my preferred historical period is the Victorians, I am intererested in what came before – especially, as an English teacher, key Georgian literary figures such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Lord Byron, both of whom feature here.
As an avid reader of books about the Victorian era, I’m no stranger to opium – purely in the context of reading, you understand, rather than personal experience! I am, however, a confirmed and accepting caffeine addict so this book – focused on opium, caffeine and mescaline – sounded absolutely fascinating. I duly downloaded the audiobook and got stuck in…
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Old Bones’ by Helen Kitson. This book was published by Louise Walters Books in paperback and e-book in January 2021.
This blog tour was organised by Damp Pebbles.
Book Blurb:
Diana and her sister Antonia are house-sharing spinsters who have never got over their respective first loves. Diana owns a gift shop, but rarely works there. Antonia is unemployed, having lost her teaching job at an all girls’ school following a shocking outburst in the classroom after enduring years of torment. Diana is a regular at the local library, Antonia enjoys her “nice” magazines, and they treat themselves to coffee and cake once a week in the village café.
Naomi lives alone, haunted by the failure of her two marriages. She works in the library, doesn’t get on with her younger colleagues, and rarely cooks herself a proper meal. Secretly she longs for a Boden frock.
When a body is discovered in the local quarry, all three women’s lives are turned upside down. And when Diana’s old flame Gill turns up unexpectedly, tensions finally spill over and threaten to destroy the outwardly peaceful lives all three women have carefully constructed around themselves.
Helen takes us back to the fictional Shropshire village of Morevale in this, her brilliant second novel which exposes the fragilities and strengths of three remarkably unremarkable elderly women.
My Review
This is a bit outside of my usual genres (crime, crime, more crime…and some historical crime!) but I was intrigued by the blurb. I’ve heard so many fabulous things about Louise Walters Books that I was keen to give it a try – many thanks to the author, publisher and Damp Pebbles for inviting me onto the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
The novel alternates between the stories of the three main characters – Diana, Antonia and Naomi. All three are older women living in Morevale and share a long history, although aren’t particularly close as friends and confidantes. Diana and Antonia are sisters and share a house (slightly acrimoniously), while Naomi lives alone following two disastrous marriages. When some bones are discovered in a nearby quarry, secrets from the past of all three women start to bubble to the surface.
The real strength of this book is the characterisation of the three women. Although we only hear Diana’s voice in the first person narration (the sections on Antonia and Naomi are told in the third person), the women have very distinct and engaging personalities.
Locked together as they are by their shared past, the women really do come off the page as three women who – in some ways – feel that life has passed them by a little. All three seem prematurely settling into old-age (the sisters are in their early 60s – an age I don’t really associate with their world of afternoon teas, doilies, church fetes and chats with the vicar). However, the discovery in the quarry (among other things) does shake them up and they are forced to face the secrets and resentments they have hidden for so long.
I loved that these three ordinary-looking women had such interesting elements in their past and I found myself wanting to read more and more. I also loved the realism of these characters – they are occasionally infuriating, petty, spiteful, silly and sly – but none of that put me off them and I was absolutely caught up in their stories.
Of the three, I really found myself warming to Naomi – she is tough and spiky, but does have the biggest ‘journey’ of the book (ugh, that feels like such a cliche to write, but it really doesn’t feel like this in Kitson’s sensitive, realistic and finely-observed writing).
The themes of the novel are the stuff of everyday lives – ageing, the regret that comes from things not done in life, missed opportunities and paths not taken. The novel is thought-provoking and compelling without being depressing – yes, the women have regrets, but they are also finding their place in the new, older landscapes of their lives and letting go of the past in some ways.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys meditative and thoughtful fiction that is beautifully written and observed. You will find yourself caught up in the lives of these three extraordinary women – after all, is anyone truly ‘normal’! – and strangely bereft when you leave Morevale at the end.
About the Author
Helen lives in Worcester with her husband, two teenaged children and two rescue cats. Her first poetry collection was nominated for the Forward Best First Collection Prize. She has published three other poetry collections and her short fiction has appeared in magazines including Ambit, Feminist Review and Stand. She holds a BA (Hons) in Humanities.
Helen’s debut novel The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson was published in March 2019. Her second “Morevale” novel, Old Bones, will be published on 16 January 2021.