A vivid and evocative novel, Mina's Matchbox is a beautiful coming of age story set in 1970s Japan.
Not a lot happens, but it's wonderfully atmospheriA vivid and evocative novel, Mina's Matchbox is a beautiful coming of age story set in 1970s Japan.
Not a lot happens, but it's wonderfully atmospheric. Ogawa's use of Ghibli-esque imagery and subject matter conjures up the same bittersweet beauty often found in Ghibli's work. The characters are vividly imagined, and the relationship between the narrator and her ethereal cousin Mina is utterly enchanting. It's beautifully paced with some really poignant moments towards the end.
Mina's Matchbox is a tender novel of family and imagination, laced with childhood magic.
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The Jackson Brodie novels have always riffed off the tropes of golden age detective fiction, but Death at the Sign of the Rook steps it up a notch intThe Jackson Brodie novels have always riffed off the tropes of golden age detective fiction, but Death at the Sign of the Rook steps it up a notch into full-blown parody. It's wild and witty with lots of laugh-out-loud moments: a lovingly-crafted spoof of the genre.
As always with an Atkinson novel, there are moments of real pathos amongst the sardonic humour: no one draws a hapless, world-weary character half so well. The cast are endearingly and brilliantly mad: caricatures so well drawn they leap off the page. While the denouement is a little predictable, there were so many surprises along the way I really didn't mind.
Death at the Sign of the Rook is a wild ride from start to finish: another triumph for Atkinson.
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black girl, no magic is a thoughful collection of personal essays.
Each essay takes a loose theme that McIntosh unravels through reference points and pblack girl, no magic is a thoughful collection of personal essays.
Each essay takes a loose theme that McIntosh unravels through reference points and personal experiences, always underlined by race. Her explorations feel effortless and organic, and with some wonderfully fluid prose, reading this book often feels like you're having a conversation with an old friend. Her storytelling is honest, full of learning and reflection and a willingness to laugh at her younger self, and I found her voice immediately likeable.
Easy to read, challenging and thought-provoking all at the same time, black girl, no magic is an accomplished collection of essays. Highly recommended.
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The Square of Sevens is an audacious historical thriller set in Georgian England. Loosely inspired by the nineteenth-century cartomancy hoax of the saThe Square of Sevens is an audacious historical thriller set in Georgian England. Loosely inspired by the nineteenth-century cartomancy hoax of the same name, Shepherd-Robinson tells an ambitious tale of fortune and forgery in this sweeping Dickensian pageturner.
I love an unreliable narrator, and I fell under Red's spell from the start. With delightfully flawed characters, ingenious storytelling and more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, her story kept me guessing until the very end. Shepherd-Robinson's prose sparkles with wit and vigour, and considering its length, it's a surprisingly pacey read.
Bold and inventive, The Square of Sevens is everything I could've hoped for and more. My only regret is that I won't be able to read it for the first time again!
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While this might feel like a departure from Celeste Ng's previous work, I'd argue it's her best yet.
Our Missing Hearts is speculative fiction in the sWhile this might feel like a departure from Celeste Ng's previous work, I'd argue it's her best yet.
Our Missing Hearts is speculative fiction in the same vein as The Handmaid's Tale - a near-future dystopia with echoes of McCarthyism, which doesn't feel so far away from our own times. It's about power and paranoia, the separation of familes as a means of coercive control and how the world is shaped by stories of fear but also of hope.
What a heartbreakingly beautiful book.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade coming of age novel.
For a story based around sexual harrassment, it's surprisingly feel-good, filled with femalI thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade coming of age novel.
For a story based around sexual harrassment, it's surprisingly feel-good, filled with female friendship, humour and empowerment. Horne perfectly captures the pre-teen phase, and there's something particularly resonant about pitching this story to that age-group. I think there are a lot of young readers who will be able to relate to it, whether that's Hazel finding her own voice, the challenges she faces or the adults having to learn to take her seriously.
It's also fantastically well-written with warmth and humour, and so nicely paced that I found I couldn't put it down.
In short: Hazel Hill is a winner.
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There's perhaps no name that sets my expectations quite as high as Kate Atkinson's, to the extent that I almost find it a bit daunting to pick up her There's perhaps no name that sets my expectations quite as high as Kate Atkinson's, to the extent that I almost find it a bit daunting to pick up her latest work. I needn't have worried - as ever, Shrines of Gaiety surpassed all my expectations. It might even be her best yet.
Atkinson writes with effortless wit and an astute eye for character. Her take on the Peaky Blinders-esque glitz and grime of interwar Soho is a real gift. At first the world she creates seems a little sprawling, with a huge cast of characters, but Atkinson has mastered that final sleight of hand that pulls all the threads together.
For a novel about drink, drugs and dancing, awash with missing girls and murder, Shrines of Gaiety is aptly named and a real joy to read. I'm already looking forward to reading it again.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*...more
An utterly charming reimagining of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love. The characters are what make Mitford’s original, and Knight has captured them An utterly charming reimagining of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love. The characters are what make Mitford’s original, and Knight has captured them perfectly here in this contemporary update.
Knight has chosen to make her adaptation as faithful as possible, with strong echoes of the original throughout, so much so that I sometimes felt I was reading particularly excellent fanfiction. Her love for the source text is infectious, and while it’s hard for me to separate the two, I can imagine it carries even if you have never encountered the Radletts before.
Darling is a joy and a triumph, and instant favourite.
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There's something about Emily St. John Mandel's writing that is almost hypnotic: even when her narrative is jumping back and forth through time and spThere's something about Emily St. John Mandel's writing that is almost hypnotic: even when her narrative is jumping back and forth through time and space, it is completely effortless. Partly, I think it's because you can tell she's having fun with her writing, playing with the very concept of reality.
She has a very distinctive style: it almost feels like she's more focused on creating an engaging reading experience than an engaging and believable world. So while she utilises some brushstrokes world-building and some of the characters are very lightly sketched, it doesn't really matter because you're just swept up by the breathtaking literary concept.
Beautiful and thought-provoking without ever taking itself too seriously, Sea of Tranquility is a fresh take on speculative fiction - yet another literary marvel from Mandel.
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The Twyford Code is a unique novel that took me a little by surprise.
Ex-convict Steven Smith is released from prison and tries to solve the 40-year-olThe Twyford Code is a unique novel that took me a little by surprise.
Ex-convict Steven Smith is released from prison and tries to solve the 40-year-old mystery of his English teacher's disapperance, and how it might be linked to the secret code embedded in a series of old children's books.
Essentially, it's a book about storytelling, and Hallett plays with form, voice and perspective throughout. It's an intelligent detective story told with a sense of mischief: all the clues are there for you to piece the puzzle together, but the plot thickens with every page and there are plenty of twists to catch you out. Using the format of audio transcripts to tell the story relies on a strong sense of character, and Steve is a real stand-out protagonist.
Playful and compelling, The Twyford Code is a pageturner that keeps you guessing right to the end. Highly recommended.
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The Stars Are Not Yet Bells is an evocative novel that whisks you away to another world.
Assadi's prose is haunting and compelling, 'diaphanous as a dThe Stars Are Not Yet Bells is an evocative novel that whisks you away to another world.
Assadi's prose is haunting and compelling, 'diaphanous as a dream' (to borrow some of her own words). Elle's voice is deliciously disorientating, as Assadi strikes that difficult balance between the world as it really is and the illusions of dementia. The intoxicating island of Lyra is almost a character in its own right, its prescence casting a shadow over all Elle's memories. The comparisons to Wide Sargasso Sea are not far off.
Heartbreakingly beautiful, The Stars Are Not Yet Bells is a real must-read.
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Love and Fury is an engrossing novel: I read it in a day not because I was rushing through it, but because I really didn't want to put it down.
This iLove and Fury is an engrossing novel: I read it in a day not because I was rushing through it, but because I really didn't want to put it down.
This is my favourite kind of historical fiction: intimate and introspective whilst reflecting the sweep of an era and its society. As a fictional memoir, it's so fluent to read that you almost don't realise how well it's crafted: the intertwining voices of Mary and Mrs B, shifting from past to present, add an emotive depth and perspective. Silva's narrative not only captures the spirit of Mary Wollstonecraft, but also her becoming - her flaws and failures, the world that she rails against and the world that she seeks to create.
Sensitive, intelligent and engaging - Love and Fury is one of my favourite books of 2021.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*...more
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