Lily - Cindy Bonner

Hurrah!! At last... a spaghetti-western book for girls!

This was a cool book. I've not read many westerns in my time admittedly, but the ones I have read; Lonesome Dove and Comanche Moon by McMurtry are among the best. Can you class Cold Mountain a western too...? Anyway, this book has it all. Bandits, outlaws, robbers, religious do-gooders, gun-fights - great! And all told through the eyes of a woman/girl - 15 year old Lily.

The story follows mother-less Lily and her relationship with Marion Beatty, a supposedly no-good, bank-robbing murderous charmer. Bonner does well with Marion's character. You never really work out if he's a good guy or a bad guy. Marion and his brothers are known throughout the county as trouble-makers, but Marion always insists that it's his brothers who make the trouble, not him. So you have to make your mind up yourself really. I base my judgement on the way he treats Lily, so i reckon he's a good guy :)

It's quite a sweet little story - not very long, won't take ages to read. But you really get on board with Lily and Marion and their plight. Lily leads a pretty meaningless existence looking after her younger brothers and sister, and her farmer father, all of whom rely on her too heavily to take the place of her dead mother. When Lily meets Marion she realises what love can be like, and what life outside of her family circle can be. Her and Marion arrange times to meet in secret because her father will not allow her to associate herself with a Beatty. Then after a Beatty led rampage on a newly built church, Marion and Lily run away together but unfortunately the law is on their tail. Marion is caught and taken back to McDade and a now pregnant Lily follows and returns briefly home when she is accepted back in disgrace. But realising she can not live without Marion and can not go back to her old life, she makes plans to stand by his side and to help him to escape the jail-house.

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This is one of those stories which leaves you hanging at the end. But I found out recently that the story continues somewhat in Looking After Lily, also by Bonner, which is told through the eyes of Marion's brother Haywood, who he and Lily has to leave when they run away after a good old fashioned western-style shoot out in the town high street. I really enjoyed this book anyway. Lily has guts and determination and her attempts to tame her wild gun-slinging husband, although vain, make for some good story-telling :)

Our Yanks - Margaret Mayhew

This book was okay for a holiday read but I didn't really enjoy it I have to say. It was a bit disappointing but there was always part of me that knew it wouldn't be as good as Bluebirds. Having said that, I really don't think that even if i'd've read this book entirely on it's own without ever having read Bluebirds, I still don't think i would have enjoyed it that much to be honest.

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It's a nice story for sure, don't get me wrong, But the characters weren't brilliant. There was no one character that I really latched on to or took any real interest in. The stories within the story were all okay, chugged along pretty well. But there was no magic moment when i thought "yeah, exactly! What a fab book this is". And I really like it when that happens :)
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As far as the story goes, it's about how a small village in the country is affected when the Americans take over the local air base during WWII. Some of the locals like them, some don't. All the girls love them, all the lads think they joined the war to late etc, etc. Mayhew tried to get into the emotional side of war - what it was like for the yanks to leave their homes and come to fight, how the villagers left behind felt about the war, especially when they had friends or family fighting overseas. I don't feel like Mayhew ever went deep enough into the minds of her characters to get me interested enough to be honest. If writers are going to delve into the human psyche then I like them to get right in there with all the nitty gritty - not just skim the surface. But then if Mayhew had've done this then the whole book may have been a wholly depressing read... so maybe it's a good job she didn't.

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So I'd say, if you have the time then definitely give this book a go. Make up your own mind and see if gets you excited. On the plus side, I am determined to read more of Mayhew's work - I know she's good and I'm sure that there are other works she's done that I'll like as much as Bluebirds (fingers crossed!). Alternatively, the next time I find a book I really really love, maybe I will just have to not read anything else by that author ever again...

Call the Midwife - Jennifer Worth

There's not must to say about this really apart from it gives a factual and hugely graphical insight into the lives of women living in 1950's London. Worth is a good story-teller and paints a good portrait of the women, their husbands, and what it must have been like to give birth at a time when a woman's job was considered that of homemaker and baby-maker. Some of the scenes are quite graphic and enough to put you off having kids forever! But remember that these were the days when most children were born at home and going to hospital was not something many cockney dockers wanted to do since many hospitals were converted workhouses. All in all it's a good book if you fancy reading a documentary.

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The only annoying part of the book is that Jenny Worth hints quite regularly about her life before she became a midwife and working with the nun's at Nonnatus House. The only bits I can gather were that she was deeply in love with a man who, for whatever reason, she had to leave behind and forget - but she never tells you this story!

Bluebirds - Margaret Mayhew

This is one of my other favorite books of all time although I've not read it for a fair few years now and I'd forgotten how much I love it - this is the third time I've read it (not including the time I read just the parts relating to my favorite character; Winnie Briggs).
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You could say this book has two parts to it. The characters and the plot which makes up the stories within, and then the historical aspect of it being set in the second world war. I admit that I'm not completely au fait with the ins and outs of WWII (one of my life regrets is not ever asking my grandfather what it must have been like for him and my Nan). But in reading Bluebirds I think you get a pretty good idea of what it must have been like - not just physically but emotionally too. To not know whether you will ever see your family, friends or husband again. Mayhew even manages to touch on the disappointment and feelings of inadequacy felt by those who were too old or too sick to volunteer to fight for Queen and Country. Whether the historical aspects of Bluebirds are accurate or not (although I strongly suspect they are...) Mayhew manages to give an engaging and endearing portrait of Britain in the early 1940's - full of patriotism. And then when the Yanks come to our aid she cleverly captures the social transitions that take place.
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I won't lie - this is a total woman's book. Full of romance, heroic women and men that are real men (but still managing to steer totally clear of the Mills & Boon genre!). The plot follows the lives of four women in Britain from the time they join the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in 1939 as war breaks out in Europe. They come from all backgrounds and must work together in a new and alien environment where their presence is not welcome - especially not by Station Commander David Palmer who makes this clear from the beginning. Mayhew writes about their struggle to become accepted in the eyes of the men who think war is no place for a woman, their friendships with each other, the RAF crew and pilots they fall in love with and subsequently lose in the throes of war-time, and their need to prove to themselves and other that they really are valuable assets in the war against Hitler. The synopsis on the front describes the book as "heartbreaking and triumphant" and I really can't put it any better myself to be honest.
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Mayhew is a brilliant writer. Her characters are so alive and vibrant and she can plot a scene to perfection. She absolutely knows what she needs to put in to guide you in the right direction, and what to leave out to let your own imagination fill in the details important to you, making the story your own.
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It's nigh on impossible to find any biographic info on Mayhew save that she was born in London, lived through the Blitz as a child and is now married to Phillip Kaplan, an aviation author. I keep asking myself why I have never read any other of her books since I love Bluebirds so much. I can only think it's because when you find perfection you don't want anything else to spoil it :)

Lucky - Alice Sebold

This was a pretty hard book to read. Not because of the way it's written, but because of the story and it's unflinching honesty. Sebold did a fantastic job with this.

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Lucky is the autobiographic story of Alice Sebold, focusing in particular from the night when, as a college freshman at Syracuse Uni, she was beaten and raped on her way home, the subsequent trial, and how she, her friends and family cope in the aftermath of the rape.

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Right from the off this story gets under your skin. Sebold leaves nothing out. After reading her story and realising how awful it must have been you get the impression that writing this story was something that the author had to do. She says herself in the book that she is the kind of person do just let it all hang out - and in this book she certainly does. She details the rape itself which makes very difficult reading indeed. But more importantly are the observations that she makes in the aftermath; how people's reactions and opinions change towards her; how she is seen differently in the eyes of those who no her; how the the police and detectives deal with her. It is a harrowing yet brilliantly written piece of writing. Sebold is so so good at picking out what matters in the story (I hate using that word with this book - it suggests fiction, or something trivial which this certainly is not) and in eloquently drawing out what you know is lurking in the back of your mind but can't quite pin-point. This is one of my favourite quotes from the book:

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"I also discarded certain assumptions I had held about how the world worked and about how safe I was." (This quote was actually taken from the piece that she wrote in the New York Times on Feb 26th 1989 entitled 'HERS; Speaking of the Unspeakable' but appears in her book also).
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I think that this quote just sums up everything about the whole experience. Particularly in the way you no longer feel safe, how you no longer fit into your life from that point on, how everything is measured in terms of "before the rape" or "after the rape", how people see you differently even though they don't mean too. And most importantly how it impacts the rest of your life, not just through post-traumatic stress disorder, but also in the decisions you make be they subconscious or conscious.

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When I read The Lovely Bones last year I said that I didn't like where it was going. Having read Lucky I suddenly feel like I understand The Lovely Bones a whole lot more. I realise now where Sebold was coming from. The purpose and plot has now slotted into place.

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Would I recommend Lucky as reading material to someone who had been raped? Tricky question... But I would say yes. Sebold is a heroine. She goes round the hard way (her words!) but doesn't give up, and I think that her honesty and ability to unflinchingly put into words the emotional turmoil involved are so effective in bringing the reality of rape out into the open. I have immense respect and admiration for her.

James Toseland Autobiography

Didn't know whether to list this one in the book log since it's not fiction... but it's still a book and I read it so what they hey... Although with it being an autobiography there's not much to say really, lol.

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James Toseland; two time World Superbike Champion and current MotoGP rider with Tech 3 Yamaha, tells us about his early life and how he came to be a motorbike racer, classically trained pianist and general all round good guy (and he is really a genuinely nice guy!). This guy is so dedicated to winning and being the best it's untrue. I think that whatever he chose to have done with his life, he would have been good at it. He just seems to be one of those people who knows exactly what he wants, sets his sights on it, and goes and gets it - letting nothing stand in his way. So with that in mind you'd think he would be an arrogant and cocky guy, right? Well, amazingly he's not. All the time while reading his book it struck me how down to earth and grounded he is; a highly commendable achievement in an environment where I imagine it would be pretty easy to start lording your status over everyone.

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But Toseland simply comes across as the guy next door who just happens to race motorbikes at an international level for a living. It would be pretty easy to take this character credit away from him and assume that he's only coming across in the way he wants to appear as he's the one writing the book. Fair point - and I admit I'm a big fan of his anyway. But, I seriously think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone with a truly bad word to say about him (apart from rivals he's beaten on track of course!). As I say, he is a genuinely nice guy, period. I think anyone who reads this, fan or not, will be surprised at how dedicated to his sport, and how humble in success he is.

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If you want a lesson in how to be a winner, then this is the book you need.

Panic - Jeff Abbott

To be honest I couldn't really get into this book at all. It seemed to take me ages to read (which is odd as it's not complicated) and I didn't find that it flowed all that well either - it seemed to be very bitty, and just all over the place. Having said that, when I did eventually get to the end I would say that I did enjoy the actually story. Maybe it was just me not being in the mood to read...

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General plot: Evan Casher is a normal guy who makes documentary films for a living. One day he gets an urgent call from his mum asking his to come home. When he arrives she is lying dead on the kitchen floor, with the attackers still in the house... As it turns out Evan's parents are not who he thought they were... and his girlfriend Carrie, is not who he thought she was either. They are all spies working for the KGB/CIA (whatever) and certain people need them dead, others want them alive. And now they are after Evan. Who does Evan trust? (cue dramatic music...)

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I think some of the characters and relationships could have been developed a bit more. After reading the authors note afterwards and discovering that he wanted to bring forth the core of Carrie and Evan's relationship, I'm not sure how successfully he managed it to be honest. It was there, just under the surface... but it felt like that it needed a little more just to bring it more into the spot-light. The scenes with just the two of them could have done with a little more to emphasise it I think. And even though Dezz is a totally evil character in the book, I found his character to be the most complex and interesting of all of them; his child-like behavior, having a dad as a spy and jockeying for respect, being in love with Carrie but being emotionally unable to show it, his loose-cannon behaviour coupled with his need to constantly chew caramels! I would like to have seen a bit more character development on his side... to get inside Dezz's head. But then, the story wasn't about him really so I can understand why Abbott didn't take him further - but personally I found him to be the most intriguing of them all.

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Also Evan's transformation from yuppie-about-town to fugitive-on-the-run was a little hard to swallow... it all seemed a bit too easy. Like you or I could just suddenly pitch ourselves against the experienced and battle-hardened (not to mention combat-trained) bad guys and come out on top and save the day.... hmmm. Amazingly his schemes to foil the bad guys actually work.

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So generally a good book to read if you're in the mood, but I think there was the potential for it to be a whole lot more rounded. More character development too other than just plot focus would have given it the punch it needed... I think anyway :)