Review: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

From lovereading.co.uk

On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents' attention, bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother's emotions in the slice. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother - her cheerful, can-do mother - tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes perilous. Anything can be revealed at any meal. Rose's gift forces her to confront the secret knowledge all families keep hidden - truths about her mother's life outside the home, her father's strange detachment and her brother's clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up, she realises there are some secrets that even her taste buds cannot discern. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a luminous tale about the heartbreak of loving those whom you know too much about. It is profound and funny, wise and sad, and Aimee Bender's dazzling prose illuminates the strangeness of everyday life.

First of all, what a title! It instantly piques the interest and intrigues ... but overall the story falls a little short of it's promise. This is a thoughtful tale of Rose, who can taste people's feelings through their cooking. The writing is gentle and flowing and the premise thought provoking - but what a burden to have to bear! Poor Rose discovers things she really doesn't want to know, and how awful would it be to be unable to enjoy food simply for what it is?!

I think this book suffered a little from lack of plot development. Rose as a character does not really develop through the story until the very end, and the whole mystery of Joseph's "special skill" is perhaps just a bit too bizarre and pointless. The conclusion felt rushed and sudden, and quite unsatisfying.

All this is not say I didn't enjoy the book - I did. But I think Aimee Bender missed a trick ... with a little more tweaking of the plot, this could have been an amazing and unusual read. As it is, it is just a bit strange.

My rating: 3/5

Review: The Woman He Loved Before by Dorothy Koomson

The Blurb (from
Libby has a nice life with a gorgeous husband and a big home by the sea. But over time she is becoming more unsure if Jack has ever loved her ? and if he is over the death of Eve, his first wife. When fate intervenes in their relationship, Libby decides to find out all she can about the man she hastily married and the seemingly perfect Eve. Eventually Libby stumbles across some startling truths about Eve, and is soon unearthing more and more devastating family secrets. Frightened by what she finds and the damage it could cause, Libby starts to worry that she too will end up like the first woman Jack loved...Tense and moving, The Woman He Loved Before explores if the love you want is always the love you need ? or deserve.

My Review
This book made my family grumpy. I was gripped from the beginning and could not put it down. The family were ignored for a couple of days, guests were given short shrift!

Dorothy Koomson manages to create such wonderful characters - lovable, likeable, beautiful, characters you want to be friends with ... and characters you love to hate too. She weaves a wonderful story around Jack and Libby, gently teasing out the sinister details, to create a tense, emotional and touching love story.

The details of Eve's life, told through diaries found by Libby, are sad and depressing. But ultimately the inner strength of both Eve and Libby is uplifting and wonderful. It is a rare book that gets a 5/5 from me, but for this one it was easy. Koomson's earlier novel, Ice Cream Girls, was one of my favourites, and she has done it again with The Woman He Loved Before. Absolutely one of my favourite authors.

Rating: 5/5

Not Really a Review ...

Oh, David Mitchell, why do I not get on with you? I tried, but failed miserably. I know I'm in the minority here - I have read so many glowing (gushing?) reviews about The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet. I saw David Mitchell interviewed on BBC News recently and thought he seemed like a really lovely man - this is what pushed me to try the book. I've had Cloud Atlas on my TBR shelf for ages, and I have even picked it up once or twice, but put it back after a couple of pages, thinking I wasn't in the right mood for it. I really wanted to like this new book but sadly it wasn't to be!

I managed to stick with it for 80 or so pages. Several things were irritating me. I had no idea what was going on - there didn't really seem to be any sort of plot developing, and with so many characters I was having trouble keeping track of who was who. The pigeon English of the Japanese characters was really getting on my nerves. But there was one small thing that was annoying me beyond belief, and that was Mitchell's style of writing ... the way he breaks up dialogue in the middle of a sentence ... some random examples:

"From what mouse-hole," Marinus glares "did you spring?"
"Where," the prisoner manages to croak, "am I to be incarcerated?"
"Did I" - Ouwehand consults the ceiling - "utter a single word?"

I just found the writing to be so disjointed and non-flowy (yes, it's a word ;)) and it BUGGED ME! Sorry, David, I'm afraid your writing is just not for me. 1/5

On a different subject ... boys and reading. I have a 9 year old son who is very clever. He is in year 4 and is attaining levels expected in year 6. Obviously, he can read. Very well. But it is so difficult to get him interested in a book! He went through a stage of devouring the Beast Quest books, but eventually got a bit bored with them, then discovered Football Academy books, but he zips through them in half a day. He enjoyed all the Wimpy Kid books. I know he hasn't read a book at home for a long time. So this Easter holidays I set him and his 12 year old sister (similar problems with her actually!) a challenge to read two books. Just two. I didn't want to push it. We went to the library and he chose the three books in the post below. He said he would count the two Football Academy books as one as they are so quick to read. Unfortunately Eye of the Sun didn't grab him. So earlier in the week we went shopping and stopped off in Waterstones where he chose this:

Seriously, get your 9 year old boys this book! He was engrossed! Yes, it was a quick read, he finished it the same day, but I didn't hear a peep out of him (except for a few chuckles). I've had a quick look at it myself, and it is FUNNY! There are more to come in this series and I can't wait for them to be published! Anything that gets boys reading makes me happy :)

Review: Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay

The Blurb (from Lovereading.co.uk)
It starts with a trip to a local amusement park. David Harwood is hoping a carefree day at Five Mountains will help dispel his wife Jan's recent depression, black moods that have led to frightening thoughts of suicide. Instead, a day of fun with their four-year-old son Ethan turns into a nightmare. When Jan disappears from the park, David's worst fears seem to have come true. But when he goes to the police to report her missing, terrified that she's planning to take her own life, the facts start to indicate something very different. The park's records show that only two tickets were purchased, David and Ethan's, and CCTV shows no evidence that Jan ever entered the park at all. Suddenly David's story starts to look suspicious - suspicious enough for the police to wonder if she's already dead, murdered by her husband. To prove his innocence and keep his son from being taken away from him, David is going to have to dig deep into the past and come face to face with a terrible childhood tragedy - but by doing that he could risk destroying everything precious to him.

The Review
Looking for a gripping thriller of a read? Linwood Barclay knows how to do it. Never Look Away is his fourth novel and I would almost say his best yet. In his previous books the plot has tended to run away with him a little, and there's always a point where you think "oh, come on, this would NEVER happen!". But that point doesn't really come in Never Look Away ... although there is one twist in the plot which does come close to being unbelievable, but I'll give Mr Barclay the benefit of the doubt. It did take me a little while to get into this one, but once I knew I was hooked I checked the page number and I was on page 101, so it didn't take all that long.

Never Look Away tells the story of a man looking for his wife. A wife who, he discovers, is not who she says she is and who he doesn't really know at all. The police, of course, think he has done her in and this is really quite a scary concept, being taken for guilty until proven innocent! I can only imagine the terror of being wrongly accused of murdering someone you love, someone you are desperate to find.

This is by no means a literary masterpiece, but it is most certainly a page turner with an absorbing plot and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller!

My Rating: 4/5

Review: No and Me by Delphine De Vigan

From lovereading.co.uk
Lou Bertignac has an IQ of 160 and a good friend called Lucas who gets her through the school day. At home her father cries in secret in the bathroom and her mother hasn't been out of the house properly for years. But Lou is about to change her life - and that of her parents - for good, all because of a school project she decides to do about the homeless. Through the project Lou meets No, a teenage girl living on the streets. As their friendship grows, Lou cannot bear that No is still on the streets when she goes back home - even if it is to a home that is saddened and desolate. So she asks her parents if No can come to live with them. To her astonishment, her parents - eventually - agree. No's presence forces Lou and her parents to finally face the sadness that has enveloped them. But No has disruptive as well as positive effects. Can this shaky, newfound family continue to live together? A tense, brilliant novel tackling the true meanings of home and homelessness.

One of the reviews on the back of this book describes it as being "funny and tender" (Yorkshire Evening Post). While I agree wholeheartedly with the "tender" description, I did not find it funny as a whole. There were some amusing moments, but there was always a slightly sinister feel in the background (perhaps "sinister" is too strong a word) and overall I found this to be a sad tale of homelessness, dysfunctional families and painful adolescence. This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book - it is a touching story and I raced through it, hoping for a happy ending ...

Delphine De Vigan draws wonderful characters with her words. I felt great sympathy for homeless No and desperately wanted things to turn out well for, though perhaps it says more about me than No that I was waiting for her to "slip up". Lou, the genius who doesn't fit in, is infinitely likeable even through her mistakes.

Oddly, this book reminded me of Eve Green by Susan Fletcher in the way it was written, although Eve Green is not one of my favourite books by a long shot! No and Me is a lyrical and thought provoking novel and one I would highly recommend. The fact that it is set in Paris is a happy bonus!

My Rating: 4/5

Mrs Lincoln

Title: Mrs Lincoln
Author: Janice Cooke Newman
First Published: 2009




My Rating: 5/5


From Lovereading.co.uk:

May 20th. Mrs Mary Lincoln admitted today - from Chicago - Age 56 - Widow of ex-President Lincoln - declared insane by the Cook County Court May 19th - 1875. This is the Patient Progress Reports for Bellevue Place Sanatorium.Incarcerated in an insane asylum after committal proceedings instigated by her own son, Mary Lincoln resolves to tell her own story in order to preserve and to prove her own sanity. Mary Todd Lincoln the original 'First Lady' is a figure of some notoriety in the USA: British readers introduced to her for the first time will encounter a fascinating, complex and captivating heroine of history.

Now, I am a Brit girl with leanings towards being South African, and I know next to nothing about American history ... and must admit, have little desire to learn much more. My heart always sinks a little when one of the challenge in the GoodReads Seasonal Reading Challenge requires us to read a book about an American president, an American war, or some incident in American history. I have visited America, and loved it, and just about every American I have interacted with has been perfectly lovely. I admire their patriotism. I sometimes wish us Brits could be a bit more like our American cousins. But still, I'm not that keen on reading about American history. So when one of the Summer challenge tasks was to read a book about Abraham Lincoln or his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, my heart sank a little lower ...

I went to the library and was just browsing generally when I saw this book. It was set aside from the other books on its' shelf and looked a bit lonely. I looked closer and saw the title ... and it seemed like it was meant to be, so I checked it out. I started reading it the next day, and I was gripped from the first page!

The story is told from Mary's viewpoint as she looks back on her life from the lunatic asylum where her son has had her committed. Mary is a middle child, and although loved, somewhat neglected. Her beloved mother dies in childbirth, her father cannot give Mary the affection she needs, her younger siblings understandably require a lot of attention and her older sisters are disinterested and mean. Mary meets and falls in love with the poor, gangly and not very handsome Abraham Lincoln and they live in an environment of poverty and restrained passion until Abraham becomes President. Mary endures a difficult life full of sadness and loss which unsurprisingly causes her to fall into a depression. She overshops and overspends in an attempt to protect what she has left, attends seances to contact her beloved children and husband and is eventually committed to a lunatic asylum by her son who is a hard, dispassionate and cold creature.

Throughout the novel I felt huge sympathy for Mary, a warm and passionate character who was forced to deal with great losses and personal tragedy as well as the huge stresses of being the President's wife. Perhaps a woman born before her time. I found the portrayal of the other ladies in the lunatic asylum interesting and comparisons could be drawn with mental health issues that are prominent today. The ladies in the asylum were looked down upon by the rest of society, and not treated with the simple respect that was offered to "normal" ladies.

All in all, this is a very powerful and very readable novel of American history. I flew through the 500 or so pages and was engaged with the story and the characters from the beginning. I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading historical fiction - I think Philippa Gregory fans would really enjoy this.

The Story of Forgetting

Title: The Story of Forgetting
Author: Stefan Merrill Block
First Published: 2008




My Rating: 3/5



"Fifteen-year-old Seth Waller is devastated when his mother is diagnosed with a rare, early-onset form of Alzheimer's. When he was growing up, his mother always brushed aside questions about her past and family, and Seth realises that soon he will lose his chance to find out any more. He decides to uncover the truth about her life, their family history and the condition, and what he discovers is more surprising than he ever could have imagined.

Inspired partly by the author's own family history, The Story of Forgetting is a moving and exhilarating novel of love, loss, hope and genetic destiny."

I have literally just finished reading this book, and it is perhaps too soon to write a review of it. My initial impression is disappointment. It's one of those hyped up books that I was expecting big things from, but in the end it just didn't deliver for me. I empathised with the characters, but did not really like any of them. It is a devastating illness, but I was not moved to tears (as I am usually very easily, it has to be said!). I found the "science" bits rather too clunky and didn't feel they integrated into the story very well. I did like the story of Isidora, however, which reminded me somewhat of Narnia, and the (too brief?) glimpses of Jamie's deterioration and Seth's sense of loss were touching.

Perhaps I'm missing something deeper in this novel, but it just did not live up to its' promise. Moving? Exhilirating? Not for me. A disappointing 3/5.

Review: A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

Title: A Town Like Alice
Author: Nevil Shute
First Published: 1950

My Rating: 4/5








This is the story of Jean Paget and Joe Harman, Japanese prisoners of war, told through the eyes of Jean's trustee, Noel Strachan. Crossing the three countries of Malaya, England and Australia, we follow the characters through some tough times and harsh climates during and in the aftermath of the Second World War, where love endures.

It is an engrossing read, covering many fascinating facts and touching on several interesting themes that affected the people of this time. Most interesting to me was the contrast between the treatment of male prisoners and their children and female counterparts by the Japanese. I found the respect, care and attention (within their capabilities), shown to the women and children quite touching, and, I feel, still a true reflection of the Japanese culture of respect today. This also contrasted with the way in which the Australian cattle farmers treated the local "boongs" or Aborigines. Although they seemed to be well cared for within the story, they still had to be served in different shops and were not allowed to mix with the whites.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The characters were, for the most part, likeable and believable, although I did have one or two little niggles about Jean. I found her to be far too sensible for my liking and was willing her to some small frivolous thing with her new-found wealth. I also found the way she ended almost every sentence with "Joe" a little irritating! A small point, I know, but I am very tricky to please! These two small chinks stopped me from rating this a full 5/5.

I thought I had read this in my late teens, but none of it seemed at all familiar, so I think I must be thinking of a different book. I read this for the Spring Challenge on Goodreads - the task was to read a book written under a pseudonym. Nevil Shute's real name is Nevil Shute Norway.