Tag: Clare Chambers

Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have had my eye on ‘Shy Creatures’ by Clare Chambers for quite some time, mainly because it had one of the most beautiful covers I had seen in 2024. As well as the fact that I had loved ‘Small Pleasures‘ when I had read it for book club.

‘Shy Creatures’ did not disappoint. I love that Clare Chambers finds a story from the past that intrigues her and she uses that to inspire her to write her beautiful stories. And this is a beautiful story, taking us back to the 1960s. We meet Helen, who is an art therapist at Westbury Park, a psychiatric hospital, who hopes that her art will help those who have to spend time in the institution. However, Helen has her own secret: that she is having an affair with the charismatic Gill, one of the doctors who works there. She thinks that this is all she wants but, as she encounters a new patient, William, his hidden past forces her to reflect on her life and her relationships – and, as William goes on a journey to heal, Helen finds herself on a similar journey. Are they both ready for a fresh start and to embark on the new life they deserve, and remove the barriers that have held them back?

I absolutely adored this book from the moment that I started reading. Helen is a wonderfully strong female lead character, and a woman ahead of her time in 1960s Croydon. It tackles ideas about the role of women, mental health and relationships of all kinds. William is a man that needs someone to understand, to see how what he has experienced has made him the man that he is – and maybe that those who thought that they were keeping him safe, stifled him instead.

I loved how the title of this book had so many different meanings: who really are the shy creatures in this book? The badgers that William and his childhood friend Francis spot one wonderful summer, or the boys themselves away at their boarding school, or the characters we meet in the book who have never quite shown all they are to the world?

This will be a book that I will be recommending to anyone who will listen – especially if they like a thoughtful, emotional and powerful read with characters that come to life from the page, right from the very first word.

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This book has been on the wishlist for quite some time. I was so excited when ‘The Book Taster‘ treated us to this as our June book club choice.

‘Small Pleasures’ is set in the 1950s and Clare Chambers evokes this beautifully through her writing. You are fully transported to the Britain of the 1950s as Jean meets Gretchen and her family. Their relationship forms as Jean invesitgates Gretchen’s claim that she had a virgin birth. However, their lives become entwined as the story unfolds, and friendships and relationships develop.

Although there are a couple of potential surprises for many of the characters, nothing will ever prepare you for the end of the story. Chambers leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions and, as out book club chat revealed, different readers did almost create their own ending – and that is the beauty of reading; it sparks discussion.

I enjoyed this book and feel it being left off the Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist is a mistake. Have you read this book and if so, what do you think?