Red Lily - Nora Roberts

Wow... the saga of Harper House finally ends! And it was worth every moment I reckon. The last book in the trilogy certainly doesn't disappoint and also manages to tie up all the loose ends surrounding the Harper Bride.
.
Let me first say that this might be a quick entry as I don't have much time... sorry :)
.
Red Lily focuses on the character of Hayley. As with the previous two books and the other two characters (Stella and Roz) she finds herself the object of the Harper Brides displeasure - especially as Hayley realises that she is in love with Harper (Roz's son) and the two begin their relationship. The intensity with which the Harper Bride invades Hayley's consciousness is more that we witnessed in the other books and Roberts has done a good job of graduating the process between the women, from Stella's initial dreams to the complete possession of Hayley. The book is so good I don't want to provide any spoilers on the off chance that someone stumbles across this but needless to say Harper and Hayley fall head over heels with each other... with circumstances nudging them a little quicker to the what we all know was an inevitable ending ;)
.
Roberts does a good job with Hayley's character. She is bubbly and scatty and full of beans and knowledge, which shows off her true personality - which contrasts a great deal to when the bride takes her over. Her relationship with Harper is the stuff of Hollywood movies... but no less cute and very appropriate. Roberts manages to mix traditional values (getting married, loyalty, respect, protection of the ones you love etc) with a contemporary edge, shown in the way Harper proposes to Hayley. So sweet! You'll love this third book... it's the perfect ending to a perfect trilogy :)

Black Rose - Nora Roberts

This is the second of Roberts' 'In the Garden' trilogy which follows on from Blue Dahlia I read last month. I lent it to a friend who loved it so much (and who is far more impatient than me!) that she went on Amazon that very day and bought the remaining two books in the series so she could follow on the story asap - and which now means I can follow it on too!

.

After finishing Blue Dahlia I wanted to read Black Rose as soon as possible coz I wanted to see how Stella and Logan's relationship continued and also find out more about the Harper Bride. Black Rose however, focuses predominantly on Roz's character and how the Harper Bride affects her. Stella and Logan's relationship hardly gets a mention throughout this book and I thought I would be really disappointed at that, but to be honest Roberts does such a great job of bringing Roz's character to life that you pretty much forget how involved you were in Stella because you get so invested in Roz. Oh how fickle us readers are! We do get to hear about Stella and Logan's wedding but even this is brief as during that part of the story something a whole lot more interesting happens to Roz... (you'll need one of those giant foam rubber fingers they have at sports events for this part I guarantee you!)

.

So, to the story. It opens in the same way as the previous book with a chapter relaying part of the Harper bride's life and how ill-treated she was and thus you begin to get a bit more of an idea as to why she acts the way she does around the characters, before moving to the present and beginning Roz's story. Roz has realised now that she loves having her house full again (what with Hayley and Stella et al moving in during the last book) but with Stella's impending wedding the numbers will begin to diminish. Fortunately she has met Dr Mitch Carnegie, the genealogist she has hired to research the family tree and, fingers crossed, identify the Harper Bride in the process, who she begins to develop a relationship with. There are times when Roz questions whether she should be embarking on this relationship, especially when it moves to more serious ground, but Roberts is an expert at not making this self-doubt an irritating, annoying girly interlude in Roz's character. As with everything, she has her reasons, but she's not silly about them. As Roz and Mitch get closer the Harper Bride makes her disapproval known. But Roz being Roz is sure as Hell not going to let a ghost run her life or influence her decisions, no sir!

.

I love Roz's character in this book. We got a hint of it in Blue Dahlia, but it's in this story that we really begin to get underneath her skin. She is one of the gutsiest and independent characters I've ever some across and she just kicks ass - but in a glamorous and sophisticated way! There are some awesome scenes in this book where she gets one up on those who deserve it - whilst always maintaining her poise and elegance since she hates public scenes. You'll be sitting there shouting in your head "C'mon Roz - kick their butts, kick it with style" - and boy, does she deliver! And at the end of the book you'll be really chuffed for her. I didn't find this one ended as abruptly as the other either. I'm not sure whether that was because I was more prepared for it - or because I had the third book on standby and therefore as soon as I finished Black Rose I picked up Red Lily and followed the story straight on, lol. I advise everyone to do that by the way... make sure you have the next installment ready to pick up! We also get to see a bit more of David's character too since he and Roz are close, and he just comes out with some of the greatest lines. And there is also the character of cousin 'Rissy' who can best be described as a shrivelled-up, cantankerous, evil-minded old witch (being polite) from whom Roz has to recover her ancestors journals in order to help piece together the Bride's identity. Its is safe to say that Black Rose definitely keeps you entertained the whole way through.

The Spirit of the Fen - Terry Reeve

I find myself in a strange position right now. I received this book through the post on Saturday morning that was sent to me direct from the author - who in this case happens to be my own dad. So it is a strange feeling indeed to have read a novel that someone you know personally has written and then, in the spirit of my keeping up faithfully with my book-log, have to write a review about it.

.

It was hard to read The Spirit of the Fen as being just a novel in which I had no prior emotional investment, rather than a novel specifically that your dad had written. I am not sure I managed to remain totally impartial – you are always looking for hidden subtexts and meanings to things! Whether that is a good thing or not I have no idea. I suppose I am in a very privileged position really as I guess not many people get to read a novel written by someone they know. There have been books I have read in the past when I have thought that it would have been great to know the author, to be able to have that inside information behind the text. But I didn’t find that in this case – not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. I think maybe it was the type of story and it’s content that made distancing myself from it so difficult since I grew up in the area and know how close the subject is to my dad. So, I shall try my very best to be impartial in my review, but I cannot promise I will manage it completely - in fact I will probably end up being too critical! Suddenly I am thinking how do I have the right to critique a novel when I probably have no idea how difficult a task it can be to write one?!
.
The Spirit of the Fen is set in the small market town of Bungay in Suffolk – the town I grew up in between the ages of 4 and 18 – and focuses on the current topical issue of new homes being built on green-field sites in rural communities in order to meet government targets. The rural area in this case being Outney Fen (or known locally as Outney Common). The story follows Danny and his fight to save the Fen from Pilgrim’s housing development, which will mean the desecration of common recreation and pastureland of environmental and historical significance – not to mention the spiritual attachment held of it by many of the local residents. It is a story of soul-searching and tragedy amidst much determination, and raises some important questions being faced by many rural residents and council planners up and down the country.

.

Overall, it was a good story and enjoyable to read but I think more so for me because I know the area and the landmarks being pointed out and its history. But it's a good first effort and the story flows along nicely. There are also some compelling arguments raised with regards to whether houses should be built on the Fen - at one point I found I was in two-minds about it all just as the central character was whereas before I have always been dead against. Knowing how much the author loves the place on which this book was based, he does manage to balance both sides of the struggle in a fair and objective manner which is quite an achievement. There are some slight repetitions throughout where he is trying to get his point across but the passion that the character of Danny has for the Fen, and it's significance to him and his spirituality is made very clear. I don't think it's going to win any book prizes, but the issues that it raises certainly provide some serious food for thought.

Notes on a Scandal - Zoe Heller

Hmmm... where do I start with this book. That's not necessarily a very good way is it, lol. It's difficult to know where to start when something you have read leaves you with so much to say. Okay, let me start by saying that it was nominated for the Man Booker Prize in 2003, which is a fair achievement in itself. I admit, I am a tad sceptical of book prizes. Not a lot, but a little. They are kind of like the new years honours list for books. But who's to say what a good book is? In my mind, that accolade can only be given by the reader and their relationship with the story. Because of this, you get the impression that you should read it out of principle, to see if it really is that good...
.
The blurb on the back is what made me pick it up initially (I actually bought it from a shop, a real shop - and paid full price for once!). Sheba Hart, a 41 year old pottery teacher at St George's, is having an illicit affair with one of the 15 year old pupils in the school. Barbara Covett is her only confidante, a spinster in her sixties and fellow teacher who writes Sheba's story during the fall-out generated by the affair in order to 'record' events and show the 'complexities' of Sheba's character. However Barbara, subconsciously, has her own agenda and soon leaves you wondering who you can trust. The blurb goes on to say that this is a story about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. It probably wasn't until the very last paragraph that I truly understood what was meant by this statement.
.
Let me begin by saying that I did enjoy reading this book a great deal. Due to the character of Barbara and her superior attitude there are a fair few words within the text I had never come across before. Usually when this happens I go look them up in the dictionary but I was too involved in the book to be able to put it down long enough to do this. When I first started reading the book I was reminded of those books and extracts that they give you in GCSE and A level English Lit classes in school. The ones where you are asked to read the subtext and dissect the characters in order to gain the true meaning being issued. At this I remember thinking (in a rather chavish way I admit) that here was a book that was going to make me work hard and think too much, lol. I have never known this to ever be a bad trait for a book to have, but I think my mind got stuck in 'classroom mode' for a moment and suddenly I was being forced to read books and note subtexts in order to pass exams rather than for the pleasure of choosing too. No matter, it passed quickly :) Maybe my thought on this was influenced by the plot since part of it is set in a school atmosphere.
.
When I first started reading the story I thought the message being given out was that of True Love and how True Love has no boundaries, that it can not be tied to a specific age or character or the restrictions of society, and that when it comes it is relentless and all consuming. I think that for Sheba this may have been the case. She was in love with Connolly and I think truly believed that they had something special. But this is where Sheba's life and character have influence over her actions. Married at 20 to a pretentious know-all named Richard, daughter of a famous economist father and a mother who doted on her husbands success, you can sympathise with her need for affection and can begin to rationalise how she thought the relationship with Connolly could work. However, love is clearly not what Connolly had in mind. He sees her in the way that most 15 year old boys would see a pretty older woman - he fancies her, he has the opportunity to sleep with her, so he takes it - it's as simple as that for him. The way Heller describes the meetings between the two is spot on. I think we have all been with someone at some point in our lives who treats us with nonchelance and so we can relate to why Sheba doesn't just call it a day when he turns distant and cold and chooses not to see the decline for what it is. She is clinging to the remnants of something for what it once was rather than for what is has become.
.
Then there is Barbara. Her lonely and meaningless life seems to deafen you with it's quiet monotony. There is one line which encompasses the idea of it completely. Something along the lines of: married people (or people with meaning in their lives) can not know what it is to construct their entire weekend around a trip to the laundrette. It's classic! Heller knows exactly how to describe the situation in a way that you would think only someone who had ever been in that situation would be able to do. I've not read much about Zoe Heller, but I imagine what with being a writer and a columnist living in New York, having a screenwriter husband and two children her life would be pretty full. How could she ever be able to encapsulate what it must be like to be so lonely? But this is the type of thing that differentiates writers from good writers - just like actors and good actors. And probably why Notes on a Scandal was nominated for a Booker Prize in the first place (the book that won it must have been bloody marvellous - or else one of those really pretentious books with a hidden context that no one except ardent literary expects will ever fully understand - you know full well the ones I mean!). We've all been in a situation where we have nothing planned for the weekend, or no party to go to on New Years, but imagine living that existence day in, day out as Barbara does. So again, you can partly understand why she ends up betraying Sheba in a moment of furious rage and jealousy. With these characters in mind it is fairly safe to assume that Heller's choosing of Barbara and Sheba's surnames is no accidental coincidence...
.
Heller's writing is clever throughout. There are certain paragraphs and sentences that I read a number of times such was their ability to make me laugh or the point that they were making was so meaningful. Once obnoxious male character in the staff room at the beginning was described as sitting with his legs "aggressively akimbo" - the subsequent image making me laugh out loud. Other things that she says hit home in a rather unsettling manner, but only because you know what she is saying is true. Once such paragraph struck me as particularly insightful
.
"That's the thing about people who believe in God, isn't it? The love they have for Him never ends does it. He never lets them down. I read some writer once , who said that love - he was talking about romantic love - love is a mystery and once the solution is found, it evaporates"
.
I have to say that the ending is very smart. The very last line in particular of Barbara's narrative leaves you with a very sinister feeling... and you suddenly understand. You can't help but feel sorry for Sheba and what the future holds for her and Barbara. Submissive Sheba who sees the world in it's innocence, and lonely, calculating Barbara who having been on her own for so long is used to having things as she likes them. You know the relationship will never end happily. But on this, Heller leaves us to make up our own minds. It does however leave you with a very unsettling feeling as you close the back cover of the book... like you are somehow glad that you can close the chapter of Barbara and Sheba's disturbing futures and not have to think it anymore...
.
Jeez I have gone on forever and ever! I do apologise :) I finished reading the book this morning so I guess all the ideas and impressions left on me are still fresh in my mind. I feel I must also apologise for the minimal effort I put in on my last book blog (Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone). It's not that it wasn't as good - just different. And I am the kind of person that if I have something constructive to say then I say it. But if I haven't... then I don't :)

The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins

I picked this book up purely because it was written by Wilkie Collins who also wrote The Woman in White; one of my most favourite books of all time. The Moonstone is written in the same style as The Woman in White in that it is made up of narrative by the characters within the book who are associated with events at that time. It's an interesting way of telling the story being more formal than the usual character driven monologues - but then it was written in the 19th century so the language and style of the characters reflects this era. It's essentially an old fashioned detective story with the characters all providing statements regarding the events which occur along the way. The plot is complicated at times but mostly I managed to keep up with it - the biggest difficultly when reading these old classics is getting your head around the language in the first place and getting used to the differences in sentence construction.
.
The plot focuses on a large yellow diamond called the Moonstone which is stolen from an Indian shine during the British occupation of the territory in all together unsavory circumstances (much like the world-renowned Orlov Diamond). The diamond makes it's way back to England - but not without it's followers. Three Indians who have devoted their lives to returning the diamond to it's rightful position are also in pursuit. When the owner dies he leaves the diamond to his niece, Rachel on her birthday... and in doing so also leaves the threat associated with it. But the same night the diamond is stolen from the house and even after all the inhabitants have been questioned, it's whereabouts remains a mystery. And so the plot follows through with the characters giving their version of events as they happen which ultimately leads to a very unexpected conclusion!

.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story was really good and I had a hard time putting it down. The characters that Collin's has created are great. Some of them are so funny - especially Betteridge, always accompanied by his own version of the holy bible! And Miss Clack - the deliciously irritating bible-toting busy-body. And the end of the story finishes in a way I never anticipated with a good old fashioned plot twist. I can't quite say that this book has managed to usurp the greatness of The Woman in White in my heart, but it's definitely lodged itself there as another favourite due to it's pure genius. Gotta love Wilkie Collins :)