An unexpected treat of a novel. Told by five women, the plot unravels in an unhurried fashion but we're kept contemplating the choices made, the misogyny of business and how we judge people.
Very readable.

I thought this would be quite serious in tone and was so in parts. Other chapters were much less so.
I liked the way the story was told by the women and how we came to understand their dynamics and ancestry. It was interesting to read about different areas of USA in the last century and about Iran especially.

I didn't read much of the blurb around this and so went in almost blind.
I found the story line very readable, it kept me guessing and imagining all the way through. I liked how self punishing Isa could be, her determination to simply not have fun yet her curiosity about those that do.
The brothers are really rounded characters and I liked the small amount of background we learnt. Eva was awesome! The history was unknown to me and very sad.

This took a bit of effort to keep reading at first. It felt too worthy!
I enjoyed the Cairo aspect the most, and her relationship with Tom. Claudia is not a likeable character but you do get a sense of her frustration and her self awareness.
I'm glad I learned what moon tiger is!

The third Max Porter I've read and as unusual in form and style as the others!
I do adore him and his way of creating text and visual images.

Weird!
I was attracted to the premise of a pretend pregnancy to avoid the sexism at work but what unfolded was bizarre and I'm unsure if she fooled herself too.
Very readable and compelling though!

Apologies for the awful image!

I was absorbed in this, couldn't predict what would happen or to whom.
I didn't expect to enjoy it and was very pleasantly taken with the way the premise played out.

I've watched a few of her adaptations and read the Apples one but this was much better!

Well, this book says on my shelf for a few years, I'd tried to get into it twice but ditched it. Last week I picked it up again and finished it today!
It wasn't the easiest read; I think the sentences are quite short and thus feels clipped. Maybe the translation.
However, really appreciated the overall story and looking back, I can see the arc and how cleverly it all came together.

A speedy read yet crammed full of plot and character.
Two Violets with differing stories whose lives come together after WW2.
I liked the addition of poetry throughout, gave it a really flowing feel and almost another narrator.

Ah, a nice magical whimsical novel. The prequel to Choclat and just as enticing.
Warning... It's full of luscious descriptions of chocolate and sensual delight!! 😁😁😄

Forgive the angle 😂.
This is one of my books of the year. Sublime prose, full of lyrical words and flows. It's abundant in romance, friends and music, dancing and feeding, summer warmth. But also kinship and belonging.
His debut was fantastic also.

I read a similar themed book recently (the name of which eludes me) and felt it might be too close
But this had enough unexpected moments and decisions to keep it very pacey, the plot could have ended up predictable but she kept it close.
Can't wait to read her latest book.

Oh this was sweet.
I needed something light and whilst the subject matter seems full of sadness, it's actually really uplifting and has a sense of happiness and love.
A truly cute little story that offers a different perspective on death.

Completely undecided on this.
Very cleverly woven story which manages prehistoric lectures with current activism, told by an unreliable narrator who possibly doesn't remember her true self and identity.
I found it hard to keep track of characters at times, but did appreciate the overall story.

Oh I loved it!
Such inquisitive prose that allows you a glimpse of lives and suggestions of the place.
Lively conversation interspersed with inner thoughts and observations on others.
I liked his other two just as much but this is more modern in context.
Plus that cover 🥰

I was fascinated by the blurb and I've really got absorbed in reading it.
Great second person plural narrator which made it feel as though the whole town were observing.
I loved how the seasons turn and the years progressed yet everything pottered on.
I'll keep thinking about this one.
And hopefully he'll write more as this was a debut.

I loved The Plot and keen to read this.
Really liked the idea and the fact that Anna feels like a good woman, even though we know she's a liar and worse
I found the other characters equally flawed and set out to prrofit themselves and thus was rooting for her!
The last fifty pages kept me guessing.

A book club choice and a brilliant challenge of a book.
It ties in with some of my MA module and sat alongside the academic texts nicely!
Shocking corruption, as expected, and thoughtful description of family and village community.
I found parts really tough, which I appreciated, and was interested in the chapter narrators, the switching between first, second and third person.
And the final chapters... Seriously well thought out.

Last one of the set. I found it a struggle 😭. His head drifted and thus so did mine and I kept losing track.
Her writing is brilliant but I couldn't keep up.
I adored the bits with Della. Such romance, thwarted but evident. The racism is expected but nasty.
I'm glad to have read them all. And relieved!!!

A journal style book set in near future when the country is drought ridden and conservation is key. This weaves memories and art depictions with day to day life. Each chapter is a month and includes sections on art works, ephemera, recollections and misogynistic attitudes to women and the non elite.
I'm blown away by this book. Unsettling and not a comfortable read but excellent.

I love her watery imagery throughout both this book and her other. I wonder if she's a fellow Pisces...
Nice sense of sibling more-than-rivalry, almost apathy towards each other.
The gloom of the rain and rising waters. The tidal shifts of each sister.
The ending was rushed I felt and not thought out...

Well, what an interesting and immersive read!
I didn't realise it would be so fantastical and it took me a while but was definitely worth it.
Loved her journey and awakening, her sense of understanding of the world.
Plus loads of details about Ibiza.

An early novel by Hannah, I think, and less readable to me than her more current.
I always appreciate her female friendships and perspectives but this one felt a little twee and predictable. However, Jude's journey to understanding was very apt for my situation, albeit not for the same reason.
I'll always give her books a go! This would be a prime adaptation!

I picked this as I'm trying to diversify my reading away from white western writers. Even though I read a huge range of titles, I can make this change.
Really slim novel, set in 50s I think. Lucy moves to USA as a teenage nanny and sets out to make the most of her opportunity... She's quite devious and self absorbed and exploits situations to her advantage.
None of the characters are that likeable but very realistic!

Oh goodness, I've delayed finishing this, eking it out almost page by page. A beautiful story of lives and love. Each word is perfect. Each page made me stop and think.
The characters are realistic, no perfection here! But how I rooted for them.
I've been watching Fleischman in Trouble and there are similarities...

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half, loved the lives and the general everyday routine. I stopped once it changed in tone and outlook, not sure why but I didn't feel as invested. Maybe the translation? Maybe my expectations. But nice feeling.

Blimey, this series gets both more readable and deeper in my reading of it. Whilst having absolutely no faith or religious inclination, I'm contemplating prayer and intention throughout my times reading these.
Woven with determined realism alongside beautiful love, with a backdrop of Gilead and Lila's life, we read about their meeting and subsequent marriage and live.
One left to read...

What an intense and different novel, exploring art, the world, love and the life death continuum.
I found it tough at times in it's bleak honesty but alongside that, such gorgeous writing.
Will remain with me.

Gosh, what a read and in so few pages. This is the first I've read by her but won't be the last. It's taught me more about the Japanese internment in WW2 and the huge suspicious around them.
Removing character names really struck me as not depersonalisation but nameless people, as in the camps. The final chapter will stay with me for a while.

Random book plan from a book club friend.
I don't think I liked it! The writing was clear yet sparse but the characters were not likeable and I felt quite miserable throughout!

Much more readable than Gilead, maybe the female narrator? I liked her relationship with her family and felt such sympathy for her but also for Jack. Such a sorrowful character and in such hard times.
I have the next one ready to go...

Interesting way of portraying her life and her close death experiences. She writes in an appealing manner, drawing the tale along. Some parts were quite sad to read, others amusing. I found the final chapter the most provoking.

Brilliant book, thrilled to have found this in a second hand shop. It's a great tale and full of description of the interior of the USA in the 1800s. Her writing is sublime.

Brilliant in style, content and importance.
James is wise and clever yet forced into submission of slavery. His account of fleeing is full of terror, absolute uncertainty and fear in everything yet bravery and courage shine through.

Beautiful narrative of grief and meditation and faith. How we live on this earth and spend our lives. Unsettling undercurrent which sits perfectly with the surface.

I resolved to read the four books in this series and finished this today. It's been a bit of a slog, if I'm honest. Whilst the writing flows and reads well, there is much repetition and the theological elements are rather deep.
I liked the local community outlook and the way of telling not just a personal history but that of place.

The second novel I've read by Hadley and again, I'm left unsure! Set post WW2 in Bristol, I appreciated the local setting and the sister relationship. It's a very short novel, just a few days in their week. They attend a party, leading to another party and we learn about their home life and aspirations.

A slim novel, set around family wedding and the emotions and relationships that come into play.
Not her best but I still devoured it!
She's careful in her descriptions, only uses necessary detail yet we form an impression easily of person and place.

Historic tale which I was naive about, therefore very interesting whilst retaining a personal element and so rich with female friendship and family bonds.
I loved the ways the divers supported each other. The female friendship reminded me of My Brilliant Friend, oddly.
Some of the content was incredibly harrowing and harsh reminder of war atrocities that continue today.

Wonderful book, exploring the Northern Soul scene whilst offering characters with their flaws and normality. Descriptive yet simple. He's great at what he does!

Gosh, what a unique read and of such layering.
I adored the metaphor and imagery of water and movement, and the vastness of the ocean against the confinement of the submarine.
I felt Miri could have done more maybe? I'm unsure!
I'm definitely going to find her latest book.

Well, what to say... Intriguing and cringey as you watch her choices and decisions that she justifies so easily.
Interesting perspective on race and class, economics and society and what we each perceive as entitlement. Very different in approach and extremely readable!

I watched the adaptation of this and really enjoyed the suspense and second guessing. I'm reading it for a book club and a bit hesitant as I know the plot.
However, very good writing! The whole unreliability of the characters is great, and the snippets of information we gain from secondary people is gossipy but insightful. And the screen adaptation was different enough to make this a good read :)

I'm not sure I've linked the correct book as I couldn't find Maurice and Maralyn on here...
Anyway, listened on Book of the Week and thoroughly enjoyed it! Enough thinking and positivity to keep their selves intact, thanks to Maralyn, and a good tale of shipwreck and the natural world. Plus a rescue!

Gotta say, I've wanted to read this for months and I almost bailed... The grown up part of me was shocked by the transient and neglectful lives, the use of drugs and apathy to do much. But remembering the era and the youth made me re consider. I particularly liked the last 50 pages or so as it felt she was accepting herself and her friends.

What an interesting book, a memoir and tribute to her heritage. I loved the brutal honesty around their relationship and how she tried to atone it. I also appreciated the desperation to reunited her memories through family and visits.

You know what, it's tricky. I liked the writing and the timeline of a long weekend, a family wedding and that it was from the father of the bride perspective.
But... What a ghastly man... His lecherous thoughts and behaviour were cringy and so out of keeping with normality. And I don't feel her got his comeuppance!

Gosh, stunning writing and imagery against the harsh winter and realistic marriage portrayals. Both couples are subject to their turmoil and uncertainty. Eric is not a Good Bloke!
Female friendship is nicely demonstrated and the nuances of social circles.
I'm still in awe of his powers of description.

Wow, a blind secret Santa swap and I picked a good 'un! This tells a fictional biography of an Australian woman in the twentieth century who has a bohemian life, searching for belonging and warmth.
It was so interesting to read some Australian history of Sydney and also the war years.
Plenty of detail and gorgeous natural description. Finished it just as I'm off to bed. New book incoming!

Gosh, very different to my expectations and very insightful into menopause and mid life and families. I think it's well written and the plot, as such, is inclusive of necessary backstory.
Nicely done!