The Summer of Living Dangerously - Julie Cohen

I read this book on holiday and I was glad that I had the time to read it without the interruptions of daily life.  OK, so I might have been tempted to put it down if my boys had been drawing in the pool but apart from that there was little that could drag me away from the story.  It is a book I have been meaning to read for a long time and the anticipation of it in no way disappointed.

From the moment I started to read I was instantly involved with the main character, Alice.  Alice is trying, and failing, to get on with her life but you can tell from the beginning that she is a woman who has a seriously troubled past, a past which she is trying to block out  - a recipe for disaster in any good story.

Alice writes articles for technical magazines but she is bored and blocked by her writing until she sees an advert for Eversley Hall, where the owners are re-enacting true life events which took place in the house in 1814.  The advert inspires her to pitch an article to a woman’s glossy magazine.  The article leads to meeting the owner of the stately home and that results in her becoming part of the re-enactment team.

Back in 1814 Alice finds her character a much more pleasant person to be as here she doesn’t have to confront her issues in the present.  However life has a habit of getting in the way and as past and present collide, Alice is forced to deal with her problems and decide who she really loves and wants to spend the rest of her life with.  

I’m a big fan of Julie Cohen because she creates characters who walk straight off the page and into your heart and this book is no exception.  She is definitely the kind of writer any wannabe would aspire to become - I am so completely envious of how she makes her characters come alive.

The Summer of Living Dangerously provides a fascinating insight into Regency England whilst also having a heartbreaking story in the present day.  If you have any interest in Jane Austen or stately homes, I challenge you not to enjoy it.

What I've Been Reading

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been reading quite a lot recently so over the next few weeks I’m going to post some reviews.

Firstly though, today I’ve submitted my entry for the Novelicious Undiscovered competition – up to 3000 words of an opening chapter of a chick lit novel.  It’s a novel I’ve been working on for a number of years now, so fingers crossed.  It would be wonderful to be selected but I know there will be huge competition and I’m not counting my chickens.

Now, onto the reviews.   A while ago (well last year actually!) on my usual trawl through Amazon (I don’t need any more new books to topple over the tbr pile, or clog up my Kindle, but I’m afraid I’m addicted), I came across the Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly.

I was intrigued to find out how the writer would bring the original into the present day.  In the modern version, the great granddaughter of Jo finds her ancestor’s letters in the attic and uses them to help her deal with her dilemmas in the present day.
I love these kind of stories which delve back into the past so it seemed like a winner to me. And then I realised that although I had seen the film, I had never actually read the original book. With a free download available on Kindle I decided this was an error I must rectify immediately

Well, to all you Louisa May Alcott fans, I’d like to say that I was enthralled by this classic. But I can’t. To be honest, although I loved the sisters, I found the story a little patronising towards women. Now, I do realise this was written when male and female attitudes were vastly different, but I found the idea of Jo curbing her temper, as her father had taught her mother to do, a little difficult to wear.  I also found the authorial point of view, which kept butting in, nothing short of irritating.  Compared to, for example, Jane Austen, which despite the difference in attitudes, translates much more readily to a modern day audience, I found Little Women a little tedious.  I apologise to all you die-hard fans, this is just my opinion.

As for The Little Women Letters, well, I found it an interesting enough read.  I loved the way the family came together, and despite their differing lives, always made the effort to meet up for Saturday brunch.  More families should make the time to get together like this, I think.  I loved the atmosphere this created in the story, but I’m afraid the reading of the book didn’t really live up to the anticipation of it.  I felt the story and the lives of the characters were too contrived and tried too hard to mirror the pattern of the original, and for me it fell a little flat.

The Help – Kathryn Stockett

In contrast, this was a book I had been putting off reading.  Despite the fact that a very good friend of mine had recommended it, I wasn’t sure it was the book for me. Guilt that I had held on to it for so long though, forced me to pick it up and, oh, am I glad that I did.  It is an amazing insight into Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960’s and just how the racial divide affected the inhabitants of the area. I challenge any woman to read it and not be enthralled. For me I couldn’t but help keep turning the pages.

 

The Honey Trap – Julie Cohen

I have recently become an avid follower of Julie’s blog and as such am keen to read her backlist. As an aspiring writer of women’s fiction, her advice is invaluable. A while ago I stumbled across Spirit Wiling, Flesh Weak, and was delighted to find The Honey Trap in the library.   I completely devoured this book.  A love story with the edge of a thriller, aromatherapist meets rock band, it was a delight to read. A top rating from me.

And finally …

Home for Christmas – Cally Taylor

This is Cally Taylor’s second novel and one I made my husband buy me for Christmas. And whilst I read it in the few spare moments when I wasn’t entertaining between Christmas and New Year, lying on the sofa eating Quality Street and drinking wine (for isn’t that the true meaning of Christmas?) I didn’t feel that that the book reflected the Christmassy element suggested buy the title. Despite that, it was an enjoyable read and I loved the cinema setting, which almost became a character in its own right.

That's all for now, but I'll be back with some more reviews soon.