Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

They say never judge a book by it’s cover and it’s true. Amidst the temptation to categorise one book as ‘trashy’ or another as a ‘literary classic’ lies the trap of either setting yourself up for serious disappointment, or missing out on a truly great book.

I nearly fell prey to my own hasty judgements when I disregarded ‘Every Last One’ last summer. It appeared on Richard and Judy’s summer list and I was quick to type cast it as chic lit, or a throwaway mystery. How wrong I was! Recently I decided to give the book ago and was pleasantly shocked to discover that my misconceptions were just that and I’d judged the book all wrong. 

On paper Mary Beth has it all, a loving husband, two twin sons and a vibrant and outgoing teenage daughter. But when cracks begin to appear in the fissure of her family life, Mary Beth feels the solid ground beneath her feet start to shake.

Her son Max has being acting strangely and even his siblings and teachers fear for his increasingly introverted behaviour. Side tracked by doing all she can to help Max, Mary Beth seems almost to miss the even stranger problems that have entered her daughters life. Ruby has just broke up with her first serious boyfriend, Kieran, and no matter what she does he can’t accept her decision, refusing to leave her alone.

Mary Beth is determined to protect and nurture those she loves, to do anything to make sure they don’t come to harm. But in a shocking and completely unpredictable twist midway through the book Quindlen turns Mary’s world upside down and proves that even the most earnest and fierce of loves is sometimes not enough.

I wont spoil the book for first time readers, but I truly was thrown by what occurred and couldn’t have predicted it. Perhaps this teamed with the emotional journey that Mary takes, might explain why I was so personally moved and touched by the novel.

We all tell ourselves, do we not, that if we love strongly enough we can protect our loved ones? If we pay enough attention and do all of the right things surely we will see harm when it comes? But what if like Mary you made a small mistake years ago, which inconsequential though it may seem, may in fact have set a chain reaction of tragic events?

This is certainly what Mary Beth must consider in the aftermath of her family tragedy. And yet despite the severity of what does occur this is no dramatic ‘firework show’ of a book. I had presumed that this was just another mystery novel, but how wrong I was.

Quindlen take a shocking event and masterfully entwine’s it with what is a very human story. There is something intimate in the way she allows us to slowly become a part of Mary Beth’s world and therefore a part of the terrible fate she suffers. And yet a feeling of optimism uplifts this book and we like Mary Beth learn never to give up hope even when there is only the faintest sense of it.

Mary Beth has lost everything, or has she? Maybe there is always something worth fighting for and we should never stop loving, never stop caring or protecting. By the end of the novel I, like Mary Beth could begin to see a light in the end of a dark tunnel and I admired the way Qunidlen had led me to really appreciate the true strength love.

I’d really recommend this book. It has that perfect balance between a plot that has you hooked and a message at its heart that stays with you. That was my first Quindlen book but wont be my last. Any recommendations please?

The Novel in the Viola by Natasha Solomons

Solomon’s writes her story of life, loss, love and beauty with heartbreaking precision. A truly moving tale.

When war begins to threaten in Nazi occupied Vienna the safety of Jewish people everywhere is compromised. Now Elise Landau and her family must find a way to survive. Born to an affluent Jewish family in Vienna, Elise has only ever known a life of luxury and decadence. Her mother and sister both glamorous Opera singers, her father a successful novelist. Elise has never worked, indeed she has being nurtured by her indulgent family and privileged upbringing. How will she cope then, when her life is tipped upside down? when her beloved family secure visa’s to America but cannot gain the same safety for her?

Upon her families insistence Elise places a small advertisement in a newspaper, seeking work in England as a housemaid, with a family, her parents insist, that will keep her safe until they themselves can arrange her visa. Solomon’s captures perfectly Elise’s innocence in the opening scenes of the book. She explores her inability to understand the severity of this situation, the danger that her life is in.

 It is with great reluctance that Elise savours the last few precious hours with her family, on the eve of the day she must depart for the mysterious and ominous England. From within the first enticing pages of the novel a tone of survival and loss is set.

As a final parting gift to his daughter, Elise’s father bestow’s her with a small, cherished family viola. Inside the viola, he tells her, are all the stuffed pages of his latest novel. Elise is charged with the safe keeping and responsibility of this precious object, which is also her last life line and connection to her family. A spark of mystery is ignited within her and stays ablaze as the novel wears on and her connection to home fades.

After leaving Vienna and passing through the mystifying, smoggy London, Elise finds herself a million miles from home in Tyneford where she is now to serve the Rivers family and Tyneford House. Elise must hide away her glamorous pearls and beautiful ball gowns and instead learn the subtle art of house keeping; she must remain unseen and un heard, waiting upon her English contemporaries as she was once waited upon herself. But Elise is no wall flower or a push over and as she adapts to lonely nights spent in her attic room, weak from the exhaustion of physical servitude, she also becomes a strong, resilient and determined young girl.

Elise’s journey throughout the novel and the insight we gain into her transformation from a slightly spoilt and pampered young lady to someone who utilises her gumption and bravado in order to survive is one that is intimate and endearing. Solomon’s deftly describes the experiences both past and present that help to shape Elise in to a girl who is caring, brave, incredibly daring, and a person who refuses to be cast into to Tynefords shadows.

Her behaviour causes a stir and ripple of scandal on more than one occasion and It isn’t long before she catches the eye of more than one gentleman. Heartbreak, scandalous gossip and excitement begin to ripple through Tyneford house.

If Elise is a huge part of the novel then so is Tyneford and Tyneford House. Solomon’s goes to great but rewarding pains to describe in vivid detail the beauty, smells, feels and sights of Tyneford. From the beach to the woods to the house itself Solomon’s ensure’s with carefully detailed writing and powerful imagery that the reader becomes as much immersed in Tyneford as in any of the novels characters.

Indeed even Elise who is so far from the comforts of her home land, becomes enthralled by the splendour of this new place, and whilst her heart longs for her mother, father, and sister, another part of her opens up to the beauty and force of Tyneford.

Elise must come to learn that whilst a place in heart will always remain tenderly and painfully open for her estranged family, another part of her must open up to the possibility of new love and new ties. Elise learns that we can love more than one person and be more than just one person.

This is a book that already seems to have caused a huge stir amongst book lovers with readers everywhere singing its praises, and it’s easy to see why. This story posses everything that a good story needs, well thought and detailed characters, a plot line that is so packed with emotion and drama that it can leave you breathless, and an insight into human suffering and pain that is so empathetic and accurate that it is hard not to become swept away in the emotion of this book.

Richard and Judy nominated this book as one of their summer reads and it’s easy to see why. Have you read this book? If so did you love it as much as everyone else seems to have done? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

7.5/10

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly

One of the most gripping novels I have read this year. Prepare for Kelly to become master of your imagination.

Something about the cover, blurb and title of this book has excited me ever since I saw it appear on the Richard and Judy Summer reading list this year. The offer of scandal and mystery proving all too tempting. In an unprecedented reading spree I flew through the delectable pages of Erin Kelly’s debut novel this weekend, and now I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

When the reticent, straight laced Karen meets the wild, bohemian and instantly fabulous Biba at a college notice board she is immediately captivated and infatuated by the energy and free spiritedness of this young, beautiful aspiring actress. For years Karen has done exactly what is expected of her, got the right grades, gone to the best college, dated the ‘perfect’ boyfriend. And yet something always felt missing. Karen has lived in a state of apathy and the sudden rush of Biba into her life gives her a taste of excitement, rousing her from her dull and structured life.

The excitement that Karen feels upon meeting Biba, and her subsequent need to be a part of her life is contagious and I found myself urging Karen to seek Biba out, to immerse herself in her world. On the cusp of her first exciting, carefree and reckless summer Karen bubbles with anticipation for the long, hedonistic months ahead, and the feeling electrifies the novel. But just how much will this perfect summer cost Karen? Can she really lose her innocence and inhibitions without anyone getting hurt?

From the very first pages Kelly plants a seed of doubt, she nourishes it with mysterious hints to a tragic accident and lost lives. Cryptic clues pile on top of ominous suggestions; prepare to be on the edge of your seat throughout this novel.

I wont give away too much of this novel, I don’t want to spoil it for a first time reader, especially since I felt a deep sadness upon finishing it as I realized I was now robbed of ever reading it with fresh eyes. But needless to say from start to finish it flows with a sense of intrigue, crackles with anticipation and delights with a heightened sense of drama.

After Karen’s first chance encounter with Biba an instantaneous friendship is sparked and soon Karen is leaving her stringent, stuffy home which she shares with her overtly organized flat mates to live in the eccentric, messy but wonderfully captivating home of Biba and her brother Rex. A crumbling town house which defecates the perfectly manicured homes lining the rest of the affluent street in Highgate. But this is exactly what attracts Karen, she craves a life far removed from the order and predictability that she has become accustomed to.

Abandoning her previous home Karen encapsulates the innocence and vulnerability of someone desperate to shake off her shackles, of course this indeed leaves her blind to the dangers around her; the dangers that Kelly slowly and tantalizingly pertains to. Desperate to immerse herself in the abandon of Biba’s world Karen soon finds herself falling into a family whose past is as murky and deeply rooted in obscurity. But all of this must be learnt along the way and Karen moves swiftly in, without ever looking back.

Kelly adds an extra edge of suspension to the novel in the form of her fleeting narrative which switches from past to present. In the past we learn about the events that shaped that tragic summer spent in Highgate, in the present we join Karen as she lives her life ten years on in Surrey. She describes her life as being entirely different in the present, indeed it is clear how deeply that irrevocable summer has shaped the woman she is now. Cagey, protective and always afraid and looking over her shoulder, but what is she afraid of? And even more mysteriously, Karen is now living with Rex, Biba’s older brother; the taciturn and overly protecting man that at first threatened to spoil the reckless fun that she hoped would shape her summer.

The tension of the novel boils as we switch back and forth in time. Questions piling up along the way, why has Rex being in prison, how did he and Karen end up marrying and having a child together. What happened that summer and why is Biba missing from the present day?

As the story wears on the truth begins to reveal itself only for more clandestine secrets to present themselves. One thing is for sure Rex surely seems to know the capabilities of Biba’s wild abandon and he alone fears the consequences of her actions. When Biba brings home Guy an arrogant drug dealer with a murky  background both Rex and Karen find themselves fearing the worst. What will this trouble maker do to the perfect equilibrium that Karen has just so recently found?

When I finished this book I was literally left quite speechless, a book hugging moment might have been a little inappropriate given the dark nature of the novel, but I loved it all the same. Now I’m desperate to try her next novel the Sick Rose. if Kelly can weave the same magic on me as she did in The Poison Tree then I think I will have found a new favourite author.

Have you read either The Poison Tree or The Sick Rose? If so what did you think? Or have you heard of this book but haven’t quite got round to reading it yet, but want to? Either way I would love to hear all of your thoughts.

10/10

Richard and Judy’s Summer Reads – The Eight chosen Gems

I have to say that every year I feel slightly indebted to Richard and Judy for their wonderful summer book club and the brilliant recommendations it throws up. It’s a great source for reading material, my bookshelves have been a little heavier each year since.

So the announcement of this years 8 chosen titles for the summer reads 2011 was greeted with excitement for this blogger, and here they are;

When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman - I feel like I see and hear about this book everywhere at the moment. So it’s arrival on the R&J Summer read list is yet another sign that perhaps I really should read this book. I have to admit that until now I hadn’t even read up on the book so it’s content was a little mysterious to me. Why haven’t I at least read up on it? Well my TBR list is getting higher than me so I’m trying to restrain myself from adding too much. This book is clearly going to become even more topical though so I think it’s time to give it a go.  It certainly promises to be a thrilling read.

 

The Death Instinct by the wonderful Jed Rubenfeld is also on the list. I read his novel The interpretation of murder, also recommended by R&J years ago and loved the masterful plot line; I found it both compelling and ingeniously original. If it’s anything like an interpretation of murder then surely I’m in for a treat?

 

The Confessions of Katherine Howard by Suzannah Dunn. I think this might have to be my first read from the R&J  Summer Reads collection, I can’t tell you how much it sounds like my idea of book perfection. 12-year-old Katherine goes to live in the duchess of Norfolk’s home and sparks fly, drama ensuing. Being a huge fan of books set in the past with grand homes packed full of secrets is my idea of book heaven. Fingers crossed this lives up to my now very high expectations.

The Novel in the Viola by Natasha Solomons – I haven’t read too much about this book yet but reading up on it on Richard and Judy’s site I’m certainly interested. It’s a war book and I’ve read, like I’m sure all avid readers have, many of those. So I hope it’s an original and unique plotline as the synopsis certainly promises to be.

 

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller - Another author new to me, and another book set around the time of the war. Well two years on but still the theme will be there. Reading a very interesting description of this book I must confess to be being highly interested. I think this will have to be my second book choice from this years 8. The book includes suicide, war poets and secrets unravelled; sounds to me like the ingredients for some perfect summer reading.

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly – The more I read about Richard and Judy’s selected summer reads the more I remember why I always love their recommendations so much. Another book promising secrets, mysteries and complex relationships. These are the elements of books I always devour so The Poison Tree looks like another book sure to enthrall.

The Summer Of The Bear by Bella Pollen – Is it just me or is the title of this book oddly intriguing? It is for me anyway, perhaps that’s because it doesn’t give very much away and sounds so very original? After a little investigative reading on this book I’m still very intrigued. Father Nicky Fleming passes away leaving behind a devastated family who must learn to survive without him. But with Nicky’s promise that he would always return, is he really gone for good? I got goose pimples just reading about it, lets hope the actual book has the same effect.

And lastly Every Last One by Anna Quindlen – I’ll be totally candid with you all and admit that off all the books on this years list this is probably the one I’m least excited about. That’s not to say that the plotline doesn’t intrigue. The book is a about a seemingly perfect family who appear to have it all, but then events occur and things fall apart and secrets promise to come out of the surface.  I’ll certainly be giving it ago but maybe not straight away…maybe I’ll totally kick myself for this later?

So there you go, that’s what Richard and Judy recommend and that’s my thoughts. So what about you? Have you read any of these titles? Do you intend too? Do any really grip you? What do you think of the Richard and Judy Summer reads? I’d love to hear your thoughts.