Tag: Books

The Trouble with Henry and Zoe by Andy Jones

This is a delightful read, poignant and true to life. The characters are very well written and burst into life, all flawed but real! Henry has at all a dream wedding, a house being built for him, a loving family and then he doesn’t. Zoe too is forging ahead in life, true her house may be small but she has Alex and a dream job and it’s going well, until it isn’t!

As the two of them separately come to terms with choices they have made and the hand that life has dealt them they meet one another. Neither is looking for anything serious and with Zoe going travelling in a few months having scrimped and saved for long enough to go both of them know this isn’t going anywhere.

Other characters cause introspection and bring comedy, particularly Jenny who has asked Henry to build her a whole new set of teeth, the girls Zoe chums with who have helped her though the difficult times. Both sets of parents show their offspring that it is OK to make mistakes, to be sad and to try new things and each character is battling their own demons. The reader can relate to each of the characters.

I have to confess `I was slightly disappointed by the ending, but at the same time I understand why it ends the way it does but I enjoyed the roller coaster ride to get there. Having read Andy Jones’ other book The Two of US, and enjoyed it I was delighted to discover the same quality of writing in this novel. Dialogue and settings are realising and there is a good balance of comedy and tragedy and all the bits in between. A great read. 5/5

Close my Eyes by Sophie McKenzie

I have to say I enjoyed this book, it is taut and full of twists and turns. The scene is set with Art and Gen and the perfect set up. Nice house, Art as a successful business man and Gen teaching writing, there is one problem Gen is still grieving for the child who was still born eight years previously. Art wants to have another child but fertility treatment hasn’t worked and Gen is reluctant to start another new treatment. Then a knock at the door brings forth a flood of questions as the woman on the door claims that Gens’ child is still alive and worse that the still birth and subsequent funeral were all an elaborate hoax!

 

Confused and dazed Gen turns to her best friend Hen and tries to make sense of the information she has been given, not only that but Art seems to be behaving suspiciously and Gen is even more alarmed when the woman who contacted her is killed in an ‘accident.’ This is followed by the reappearance of Lorcan, a former colleague of Art’s who disgraced the business. With his help Gen is able to track down the doctor who was present at the birth and begin to piece together the puzzle. Gen is drawn further and further into the mystery of the missing baby.

 

Gen begins to question the motives of all of those around her, Art is behaving oddly, Art’s glamorous sister Morgan makes Gen feel inferior and ridiculous and Hen seems to be reporting to Art every little move she makes, then there is the strange Charlotte West who seems desperate to imitate Gen in terms of her lifestyle and appearance. As Gen and Lorcan grow closer and the mystery takes them to the West the danger posed to them grows more intense. Blood is spilt and eventually the truth is revealed. There are several twists before the conclusion is reached and although I did guess the identity of the culprit the way the truth is shown and the final conclusion were a surprise to me.

 

The book is well written and the anguish and hope Gen experiences poignant and sympathetic. This book is a real page turner and it seems plausible. It was an enjoyable book with vivid locations and lots of intrigue. Recommended 4/5

Review of Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

This book was entertaining, compelling and emotive. The lead characters, especially Johnny, Meg and Christian as well as the supporting cast, particularly Dana, Lena, Bess and Joseph make up a world that is believable and interesting. They are well developed and the reader often takes side. The first person narrative makes the story more immediate and it is seen though the lead character, Meg’s eyes making us privy to her varied emotions and helping us to side with her. My one criticism of this book is that at the start it seemed to take a long time to get going. Whilst I expect it to take me a couple of chapters to get to know the characters and work out their motivations I felt that establishing Meg’s feelings of guilt and worry about the paternity of her child got in the way of the plot.

Having said that once the plot got going it was brilliant and I found it very difficult to put the book down, often sneaking upstairs to read a few more pages while the kids were busy as I wanted to find out what happened next. The storyline is fast moving, takes in France, LA and Oxford and the pace suits the story and the complications in the characters lives will make you cross, happy and move you all at the same time. I won’t give too much of the plot away as that would ruin it for you, if you read the blurb you know that there is going to be emotional upheaval and difficulties for all involved. The settings are convincing and the first person narrative really helps to involve the reader in the story. The ending is convincing and fitting.

I hadn’t read a Paige Toon book before but on the strength of this one I shall be sure to seek out more.