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,Italy under the Nazis.

Revisado: 10-02-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I really enjoyed this perfectly paced historical novel. It was set in current time and during WWII Tuscany and the two were connected by diaries, written during and after the war.

When Anna's mother, Ines, dies, she leaves her daughter some cash and a series of diaries. Anna decides to take a trip to Tuscany, where her mother was born and lived, until she moved to England after the war. Unfortunately the diaries were in Italian and Anna's skills in the language are not up to translation, so she has to find someone to translate for her. This was a great tool to allow gradual dissemination of the content and the life of Ines amongst the Partisans.
I loved that this was based on true events, along with considerable research, and the narrative felt very real. I was totally immersed in the lives of both the historical and the present-day characters and although I did guess the ending, I would have been disappointed if the author had ended it any other way.
There was also an interesting side-story, relating to a child who had selective mutism, since the death of her mother.

The book evoked wonderful images of the tastes and smells of italy, alongside traumatic wartime images. A powerful combination.
Lovely narration by Ellie Heydon.

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Who can you trust?

Revisado: 09-01-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This was an enjoyable psychological thriller that managed to make me suspicious of nearly every character in the book. The twists were believable and overall I really enjoyed this audiobook version.

But there were times when the main character really annoyed me. I felt for her, getting so little sleep, but then, instead of sleeping, she made sure her husband had supper on the table when he got home. "Tell him to buy a take-away," I was shouting.
Another irritation was that all the female characters we so lacking in power, their most frequently used words were blame, guilt and shame, and I'm not even particularly a feminist.
I think I'd have liked to edit this book, make it a little shorter and give the women a bit more self confidence. Having said that, I was never tempted to abandon ship and I still gave it 4*, so they were minor gripes in the overall scheme of things.

Claire, Matt and their new baby, Olivia, have decamped from London to the peace and quiet of a rural cottage, recently vacated due to the death of Matt's grandmother. His mother and father live within walking distance and all appears to be magical. Of course, initial appearances prove to be deceptive and Claire finds it increasingly difficult to settle into the cottage. Strange things keep happening and she feels as if she is being watched, but is it just confusion caused by extreme tiredness or is someone really out to get her?
Great characters, in fact one of the strengths of the book lay in its wonderful, varied characters. Its other strengths were the twists and turns and the gradual reveal before we finally understood the whole backstory and everything fell into place.

I enjoyed the excellent narration by Tamsin Kennard, although I would have liked a little more differentiation between the voices of Claire and the unnamed 'other' person who we switch back to from time to time.
Overall, an excellent read.

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Adventure on the high seas.

Revisado: 08-26-19

I really enjoyed this Young Adult adventure, which takes place in a refurbished Chinese Junk, with its crew of troubled teens. Already the scene is set for a assortment of misfits and interesting interactions. What made this book different, was the main character, fifteen-year-old James McCafferty, who can see auras and hear the voices of the dead.

The youngsters who made up the crew of the Good Fortune were all sent on the vacation "trip of a lifetime" by parents who couldn't cope with them; or just wanted an easy summer. As soon as James set foot on the boat he felt the presence of spirits from the past and started to feel uneasy. However, there was a girl on the boat who he liked the look of, so he climbed on board with the rest.
The adult crew consisted of captain, second mate and a social worker to manage the teenagers. They are determined to get the youngsters actively involved and set up all sorts of training and rotas. The crew must all take part in turns on watch, including through the night. A lot of the traditional methods are followed; the night watches are timed by the burning down of incense sticks. However, when trouble strikes and the emergency systems fail, the old methods are all that's left.

This was well written and the audiobook was well read by Aaron Landon. It was well on the way to being a 5* read until we hit the part where the spirit of the eunuch from the Ming Dynasty, more than 600 years earlier, speaks. I'm afraid I found this part drawn out and overdramatised, I would have skimmed it if I'd been reading but that's not so easy with an audiobook.
That part aside, however, this was tastefully handled and full of atmosphere.
Recommended for teens and adults alike.

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Past, but not forgotten.

Revisado: 02-04-19

I have just listened to the closing passages of this book and I'm conflicted as to how to review it. There was a lot to commend, particularly the images of Ireland in the 1980s and of the life of an Irish girl, newly arrived to London. The narrative also works well, spoken from the perspective of Josephine, born and raised in Ireland, and her daughter, Clare, who seems mature beyond her years at times.
Unfortunately I was not a fan of the narrator, who had a very twee voice, suitable possibly for the child, but not for her angry mother. And inevitably, my feelings about the book are going to be affected by the ending, as that is currently uppermost in my mind - I just listened to a book that seemed to have two endings and I had just come to terms with the first, when I was presented with a second. I'm left wondering which is true.

It was tragic how the incident that Josephine ran from in Ireland, followed her through life and affected the way she interacted with her children. I really felt for them. Clare does an amazing job of protecting her younger brother, Thomas, from their mother's rages and dark moods. Michael, their father, was a great dad, but completely out of his depth.

As a debut novel this was a worthwhile read and I would certainly read this author again.

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Murder in the mountains.

Revisado: 10-25-18

I listened to the audiobook of this novella and I have to say, the narration by Richard Elfyn, was excellent. So I was already in a receptive mood as I prepared to set out for a long drive.

I'm actually not quite sure what the purpose is of prequels. I've asked a few authors at Lit Fests and got varied responses, though it seems it's often the publisher's idea.
In this case, we are introduced to detective inspector Ian Drake, just after he has been promoted, and his side-kick, Ceren Waits. They are an interesting pair, as he's meticulously tidy and she's, well, a bit of a slob really. As I'd never read any of Stephen Puleston's books, I had no prior image of either character, which was possibly a good thing.

Two bodies are found on a Welsh mountain, husband and wife. The wife appears to have been murdered but it's not immediately apparent how the husband came to be sprawled close by.
It would have been easy to have gone with the obvious conclusion - that the husband murdered his wife and then committed suicide, but Drake's intuition suggests there's more to it. Being his first murder enquiry, he needs to be sure he gets it right and he persuades his superior to allow him a little more time to turn all the stones.

It did make me think about how easy it would have been for the incorrect conclusion to have been drawn and the case closed. How often must this happen??

This was an enjoyable listen, not too drawn out and fairly straight forward. I wasn't confused at the end as I have been by some books I've read recently. I'd probably give the first book in the series a try if it were to become available in audio - and especially if it's read by Richard Elfyn.

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Irritating.

Revisado: 10-18-17

I finish this narrative with a sigh of relief, and while I hate leaving a negative review, my honest response to this audiobook was that it was hugely irritating to listen to on several fronts. Firstly, the narrator had a really annoying voice and was totally unable to do male voices, turning them into an awful screech. Secondly, the book itself was written in third person, but the characters kept announcing what they were thinking, which really didn't work for me. Either a book is in first person, or it isn't.

In brief, a large department store has taken over an old favourite and split the loyalties of the stores' shoppers. Viviana De Mornay has moved her up-market clothing brand from one store to the umbrella organisation, and she has both a closing sale and a grand opening.
Marnie Taylor, the kidnapped twin who we met in Twisted Webs, is now living with her true family, although she still has strong attachments to Erica, her 'mother' until she was eight. She suddenly has an identical twin and a younger sister, as well as a life of luxury, after being brought up in a trailer park. Her wealth, however, makes her a target for another kidnapping and the frightening issue of on-line grooming is tackled. The kidnapping itself is over dramatised, along with a lot of the aforementioned expression of thoughts by a large number of the characters involved.

Although this is the fourth book in the Webs series, I believe it is actually the second featuring this particular cast of characters and provides a sequel to book 2 in the series, Twisted Webs. I found the cast of thousands in Twisted Webs, very confusing, and had to create a 'family tree' to work out who was who and how everyone was interrelated. I would imagine this would be quite a problem if you were coming to this book without having read the prequel.

According to GoodReads, this book received the 2013 Beverly Hills Book Awards Best in Fiction and the International Readers' Favorite Gold Medal, and other readers have rated it highly. I would therefore suggest that before deciding against this book, based on my review, prospective readers take a look at other reviews and make their own judgments.

I promised to listen to this audiobook and leave an unbiased review, this I have done. Thanks to the publishers, the author and the narrator, for my audiobook copy. Also thanks to Audiobook Boom who provides the contact between authors/narrators, and readers.

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Gang warfare and violence.

Revisado: 08-08-17

I volunteered to listen to the audio version of this book, expecting a thriller, but not expecting the level of violence that it contains. In fairness to the author, the violence was up-front and in-your-face right from the beginning and under all normal circumstances I would have closed the book there and then. However, I tend to complete audiobooks more often than the written word, so I persevered.

An unfortunate teenage boy from a peaceful, if poor family, becomes embroiled in a gang situation where life is cheap and revenge is all. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and mouthed off a bit too much. As a result, he and his family become targets of a ruthless mob and find themselves fleeing for their lives.
My friends read 'body-count' books and we joke about the number of bodies eliminated by the author during the course of the book - well, I have to say I lost count with Brick, there certainly weren't many left to bring to justice by the end.

If you're looking for dark and brooding with an ominous presence, then this may be for you; if it's a frantic page-turner you're after, then, no, I didn't find that with this book, it didn't grab me and I'm sorry to say, even the ending was a bit flat.
Notable comment for the narrator, Diana Croft, who nailed the Northern accents.

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They want us to leave yet they make us pay to do

Revisado: 07-11-17

Weeping Under the Same Moon was originally published in 2008, but has recently been released as an Audible audiobook. I was lucky enough to receive a copy for review from Audiobook Boom and enthusiastically give it five stars, both for the narrative and the narration.

Two narrators read the story: one plays the teenage refugee, Mei, who must flee from Vietnam at a time when anyone of Chinese descent was being persecuted, the other plays Hannah, an American teenage misfit and loner, with eating problems.


Based on the true story of two teenagers, the book follows Mai's departure form her beloved home, along with her fourteen year old brother and little sister. From then on she must assume responsibility for both, although she is barely more than a child herself. The crossing is frightening, with very little to eat or drink and no toilet facilities. The little boat is at the mercy of the sea and many are sea-sick. Mai's best friend had attempted the crossing before her and had drowned herself rather than be subjected to rape, so Mai is full of trepidation. When they finally reach Malaysia their problems are not over - rather than a comfortable bed and welcoming arms, they find themselves sharing a room with another family, locked in a refugee camp.

Meanwhile, Hannah, who I believe is actually the author, Jana Laiz, is struggling in school. She has become socially isolated because she refuses to conform and smoke dope with her friends. She has resorted to extreme dieting to feel better about herself and although she writes and takes photographs, she declines to share them for fear of ridicule. I fear she represents many children who are picked on and bullied in schools across the West.
When she hears about the Vietnamese Boat People she is motivated to help and contacts an organisation involved with repatriation. She is put in contact with a group of families who have recently arrived; they speak little English and she speaks no Vietnamese, but she doggedly perseveres and is able to help them in so many ways.

Several things struck me about this book:
Firstly, what a wonderful motivational story this would be for struggling, isolated teens. How volunteering could actually help the volunteer as much as the recipients.
Secondly, how differently refugees were received then, around the end of the 1970s. Many of these people were homed into the West and integrated into society - unlike in another book I recently read about today's refugees (Paradise Denied by Zekarias Kebraeb), where so many were repatriated to face a hostile welcome on their return.

The issue of refugees is very topical and books such as Weeping Under This Same Moon and Paradise Denied, should be required reading in schools.
I was sorry when this book ended, I felt as if its characters were my friends.

Also read:
Paradise Denied by Zekarias Kebraeb (5 stars)
The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee (5 stars)

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Icelandic adventure.

Revisado: 06-09-17

William Graham is a keen travel blogger and it's great that he shares his experiences with young readers in his children's literature. This book is set in Iceland and I discovered to my surprise, that it was the first book I'd read about that country.

Rolf and Frieda are both ten; Rolf is a slightly alienated American boy and Frieda is an Icelandic girl, struggling through the recent death of her mother. Their parents are friends and arrange for Rolf to spend some of his summer vacation in Iceland. In spite of initial reservations, the two children find they have a lot in common and Frieda enjoys showing him around and sharing some of the local folklore.

The book was an interesting combination of travelogue and local myths, with a bit of an adventure thrown in. Sadly, most youngsters seem to want to read fantasy these days, but for a child looking for something a bit different, this would be an excellent choice.

I was listening to the audiobook version, well narrated by Mary Allwright, and obtained through Audiobook Boom in exchange for an honest review.
Recommended age 5 to 10 years.

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Get this in audio if you possibly can.

Revisado: 04-24-17

When I requested a free audiobook of The Edge of Nowhere from Boom!, I had no idea that I would be walking round the house with my lap top (having failed to download it onto my Kindle Fire), looking for housework to do, so I could continue to listen.
I was completely gripped by this amazing woman from Oklahoma who had survived the Dust Bowl and The Depression and still managed to raise fourteen children.

I had obviously heard of The Depression that lasted through most of the thirties, but I was not aware of The Dust Bowl, which coincided with this time of shortages and unemployment, and turned areas of America and Canada into virtual wastelands, exacerbating the poverty and starvation.

The author's grandmother lived through these catastrophes, so she decided to research the period and combine history with family narratives to produce an astounding book that really manages to highlight what it took to survive these awful times.
Although it reads as pretty much a catalogue of disasters, beginning when Victoria is just 8 years old, the heroine is so unbelievably strong that she always finds a way to carry on whatever. I shared in her joys and my tears welled through her losses, and now I miss her as if I've lost a friend.

I should also make mention of the narrator, Beth A. McIntosh, whose Oklahoma accent gave the story even more authenticity. If you get the opportunity to listen to the audio version, I would highly recommend it.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

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