‘The Excitements’ by C J Wray was one of the book recommendations from Matt Cain when ‘The Book Taster’ treated us to a little bonus social last month. This book just sounded like a bundle of fun, and that is exactly what it is.
Our lead characters, Penny and Josephine, are two elderly sisters who love to have a bit of ‘excitement’ in their day. And it is often down to their dear nephew to ensure that something of the kind is planned for them. Little does he know that these two wonderfully colourful characters have had their fair share of excitement over the years…and still continue to do so, even if it can occasionally be a little risky.
Our adventure with them takes place in Paris, where they are to be honoured for their work during World War Two. And, as a rather dramatic set of events unfolds in Paris, we are also sent back to the past through Penny and Josephine’s memories to see what exactly has brought them to this moment – and it is certainly a life of excitement, love, loss, danger and heroism.
I found this book a true joy to read, for a number of reasons. There is humour amongst the pages of this book as the ladies really do enjoy life, and have a little bit of a cheeky side to them – but, also, we are given some fantastically creative characters who bring humour to the page, even in some of the darker moments. It is always nice to see older characters represented as being full of life, and liberal, and having appreciated their past adventures. And the historical fiction element of the book keeps you reading as you want to know all the secrets about all the characters.
This is a story that will be a hug in a book if you are a fan of the characters and stories of Richard Osman and A J Pearce. I think this will be a great read for the summer when you want a real piece of escapism with a bit of adventure thrown in. I would probably not have found this book without the recommendation from Matt Haig, so I am so glad that I took the plunge and gave it a read on a whim, because it is a treat that I would not have wanted to miss out on.