Past Caring by Robert Goddard

When I was at my IRL book club in January, one of the lovely members recommended the books of Robert Goddard to me – thrillers with a link to history sounded like a great read to me. And one that involves the Suffragettes sounded even better. So on my return from book club, I looked up ‘Past Caring’ by Robert Goddard and thought I would give it a go. Especially as I am trying to read books recommended to me a little more, and a little more timely (rather than waiting for months).

This book was fantastic. Considering (as I have said many times) I do not read the blurb, I was not entirely sure what I was expecting other than the words used when it was recommended to me. This is a historical mystery: why did Cabinet minister Edwin Strafford resign when his career seemed to be on the up? That is what Martin Radford is asked to find out. And it takes him on quite an adventure – and one that becomes a little more dangerous and thrilling than he could ever expect.

Edwin Strafford introduces us to his story through the pages of his memoir; Martin Radford’s job is to find out if Strafford is a reliable narrator or not. This leads Martin into a web of lies formed by the new family of Strafford’s former fiancee’s family – a family that Martin is closer to than he realises. Although there was one secret or twist I worked out as I read the book, this did not spoil the story. In fact, I was so invested in Strafford’s story and how he had been treated that solving that one mystery felt like an achievement (and made me dislike the villain of the piece even more).

This was so well plotted, with so much history entwined with the fiction of the thriller, that I found that I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Dual timelines enriched the thriller as there were actually multiple mysteries that needed solving. I can see why Robert Goddard is a popular author and I have added yet another author to my must-read-the-backlist list. There are just so many good books and so little time…

The Foundling by Stacey Halls

It has been far too long since I read ‘Mrs England‘ – in fact it has been over two years – which means that ‘The Foundling’ has probably been on the tbr pile for almost as long. (I really do need to get it under control.)

But, after seeing one of my Bookstagram buddies having a real Stacey Halls phase, I thought it was about time I picked ‘The Foundling’ up. And what a lovely read it is. I think I had been putting it off, as historical fiction is not always my top choice of genre, but that attitude has slowly been changing over the last couple of years, as it is a genre that seems to be getting so much better.

‘The Foundling’ focuses on the Foundling Hospital in London and the experiences of those who were forced to leave children there, and those who adpoted children from there. This is a fascinating study of relationships: those between families and those between different social classes. And, of course, how wealth can bring freedom to many, and poverty can bring restrictions to so many others.

You are swept away to London in 1754 from the moment you start reading this book; it has been 6 years since Clara left her daughter at the Foundling Hospital, and now she is returning to collect her after saving what she believes is the fee to buy her daughter’s freedom. In a cruel twist of fate, Clara’s daughter has gone, apparently taken by Clara herself just days after she left her there. So where is Clara’s daughter now, and how will she ever see her again?

After this, I will definitely be returning to the books of Stacey Hall very soon. This is historical fiction that is well-researched, well-plotted and does not rely solely on lots of description to create an atmosphere of the time. It feels a little like time travel in a book, and I really enjoy that.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Now, I am very late to the party with reading books from the pen of Kristin Hannah. (I only started watching ‘Firefly Lane’ last month – so, I have been late to that party too). But I have seen so many people reading the novels of Kristin Hannah, and enjoying them, that I thought I should give them a go, and it appears I had ordered a copy of ‘The Four Winds’ – so, that seemed like that would be my starting place.

I was intrigued by this book (as you know, I do not read blurbs) as it was clearly about America and its west – a historical fiction novel about something that has always fascinated me seemed like a good choice to me – and, oh my word, it was.

This is a beautifully constructed novel. It’s a stunning piece of historical fiction that takes you straight to the Great Plains of America as families struggle to farm the land during times of extreme drought known as ‘The Dust Bowl’, and against the backdrop of the great economic depression of the 1930s. Elsa makes a decision that the best way to save her family (after her husband has made the decision to abandon them) is to move them to the ‘promised land’ of California – a place that is guaranteed to offer them salvation. But does it?

This is a stunning book about strength, tenacity, family and love (of so many kinds). You feel you are there with the family; that their experiences are your experiences. You feel all the emotions as you understand the injustice of so many of the situations, but also the hope that so many had to keep them surviving every day. This is a slow-burn story that you can’t help but keep reading, as you just have to know what happens to Elsa and her family, and you are rooting for them at all times.

I suspect that you will also be ready to find out more about this chapter in American history too, as Kristin Hannah explains herself she has researched it and fictionalised the events, but there is so much out there to help you find out more.

This was my final read of 2023 and it was great one, although this is another author with a backlist that I need to investigate (including ‘Firefly Lane’). So many books, so little time…

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

I was kindly added to a readalong for ‘The Wind Knows My Name’ by Isabel Allende. So, I was gifted a proof of the book to allow me to join in, so thank you again Tandem Collective UK. I was very excited, as this was my first encounter with Allende’s work; I have seen it around a lot but I was not sure that her books were for me. They always seemed to be something that may be a little highbrow for me. Yet again, how wrong I was – in fact, I am now going to be trying to read her backlist (along with all those other books I promise myself I will read).

‘The Wind Knows my Name’ is a beautifully crafted piece of historical fiction that takes use from the tragic night of Kristallnacht in the 1930s right up to the present day. This book explores the idea of displacement of people due to the difficult and dangerous social and political situations that they have lived through with their families, causing them to flee for the hope of a better life. And, what Allende does so cleverly is bring some of her characters together from very different backgrounds, but who all have the shared experience of displacement – allowing them to form relationships and support for each other.

This book is heartbreaking and hopeful in equal measure. It is incredibly thought-provoking as its timeline becomes more and more contemporary, and you see the issues we sometimes think are left in the past are still continuing, every day, around the world. And, in fact, you will be wanting to find out more about the events that she has chosen to pick out to create her narrative.

I think it is fairly clear that I will be trying more of Allende’s novels. So, if you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments.

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

‘In Memoriam’ is a book that I was totally influenced to pick up by my bookish friends, and it got bumped to the top of the tbr pile for ‘Pages of Pride 2023’.

I am not sure I can review this book, as I am not sure I can do it justice. There is so much to say about this book, but I am not sure I know how to put it into words – well, not in the way it truly deserves. This is an outstanding piece of historical fiction.

Gaunt and Ellwood are school friends; they attend the same private boys school and have a very close bond. Gaunt is of German heritage and Ellwood is a privileged member of English society, and of Jewish heritage. When Europe changes forever in 1914, the young men are thrown into war. Their relationship develops, and they are at war with what is seen as socially accpetable from their relationship, their own emotions and the enemy. I keep my reviews spoiler free so that is as far as I can go – other than to say that this novel is stunning.

This book presents the horrors of World War One; not to shock, but to allow the reader to understand the experiences of the men. This book studies the relationships of the men who were at war, and the relationship of Gaunt and Ellwood at a time that their relationship would not have been legal, let alone accepted with sensitivity. But, also, this book presents the impact that the war was having, not only on the men who went, but the men and families who were left behind. And, a couple of times, this book suggests that our characters felt the war was toughest on those at home reading the papers and guessing what was happening, which is another thought-provoking point (there are many in this book).

This book is beautifully written, clearly very well researched, and an emotional rollercoaster. I think this book will stay with me forever, and I will be encouraging everyone to read it (with a box of tissues for the tears).

A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe

I had seen ‘A Terrible Kindness’ all over the bookstagram world, and it was always getting so much love with every post and review that I saw. So, when Jo Browning Wroe was announced as one of the authors for ‘The Tasting Notes Live 2023’, I knew I had to read the book that had been sitting on my shelf.

And what an incredible read it is – inspired by the work of the embalmers at the Aberfan disaster in 1966, this tells the story of William, a young embalmer from the West Midlands who goes to help, and what he experiences but also tells us how William ended up on the career path he is on which brings him to that tragic event.

This is a beautifully told story, which Jo Browning Wroe has carefully researched and sensitively presented to the reader. This has not been written to shock but to remember and educate. The events of Aberfan are the start and end of the tale, with William’s childhood and early adulthood as the main focus of the story.

‘A Terrible Kindness’ brings to life some fantastic characters, examines how the people we meet influence our lives and how complex those relationships can be – but also how tragedy and the relationships we make throughout our lives can influence so much of what we do and who we become.

For me also, the fact there were some places I know very well mentioned in the book, I felt a connection to the book, or I could see characters in particular places which always brings a story to life just that little bit more.

This is a book that I will be recommending to everyone because I think we would all like to meet William and his family and friends. Also, having heard Jo Browning Wroe talk about this book, I know how much research and passion went into this book and I think she has treated the memory of what happened at Aberfan with such respect that it will ensure that those who were tragically impacted by the events will be remembered and acknowledged, and never forgotten.

These Days by Lucy Caldwell

This month’s ‘The Tasting Notes Book Club’ book is ‘These Days’ by Lucy Caldwell. This is set during the Blitz in Belfast, probably a piece of history that many of us forget when we consider the events of World War Two in the British Isles. Many of us may think of the bombings in London, possibly even stretch to Coventry – but do we remember how Northern Ireland was effected by these same events?

‘These Days’ is a well-written, slow-paced piece of historical fiction, told almost in real-time over four days of bombing in the city of Belfast in 1941. Focusing mainly on two sisters, Emma and Audrey, and their experiences, but also the experiences of some of the people that they meet along the way – as well as some of their extended family.

This is certainly a book about the characters that we meet; this is not about having some dramatic plot, but simply leading the reader to consider the stories of those who were impacted by war. But not just the struggles that war brings, also the struggles of a society that may not be as liberal and accepting as we may be used to now, or one that has expectations that not everybody wants to adhere to.

At times, this book will break your heart; at times, this book will leave you impressed by the strength of the characters, but mainly it will leave you with two incredibly strong female characters to consider and admire. You will be pondering how their story may have continued long after you have read the last line.

If you are a historical fiction fan, then I highly recommend this novel, because you will be swept away to Belfast in the 1940s – I am not sure it is quite right to say that you would like to have been there, but you would certainly like to have met the people of Belfast to congratulate them on their wartime courage.

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

I have seen the ‘Seven Sisters’ books all over Bookstagram and the book community, but I was a little put off. One reason, the hype: would starting these books be as wonderful as everyone was telling me it would be? And secondly, they are bricks and sometimes page numbers put me off (after all, Wolf Hall has been on the tbr pile for as long as I can remember).

Thanks to another fantastic buddy read on the little corner of Instagram that we affectionately know as Bookstagram, I picked up book one in the ‘Seven Sisters’ series, also called ‘The Seven Sisters’. And, I have to admit that I am very late to this party, but I am glad that I have finally shown up to it.

I was absolutely hooked on this book once I started; I just needed to know more about these six women and their adoptive father, Pa Salt. Lucinda Riley has created characters with such a rich history that they get under your skin, as does the mystery that she surrounds these six women with as they start to find out their personal history, before they were chosen by Pa Salt and made into a new family.

We start with Maia, the eldest of the sisters and possibly the most reserved, and a bit of a home bird. However, after Pa Salt’s death, she is left a clue (as are her sisters), which will help her possibly unlock the secrets of her past. The reader is whisked off from Geneva to Rio de Janeiro as we follow Maia on her adventures to find out more about her identity and her past. And, through correspondences from her Great-Grandmother Bel and clues in the present day, Maia begins to unravel the mystery of her past.

Lucinda Riley has really created such a page-turner and I just could not put the book down as more and more was revealed about Maia and her family. Also, as a history lover, as the events of the past are set around the events that led to the building of the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, it sent me down a rabbit hole of researching more about that story, too, and the people involved.

So, as the book ended on a saga-like cliffhanger, I know I am destined to read the rest of the books, and hope they are just as engaging and fascinating as the first.

Mother’s Boy by Patrick Gale

I have always wanted to read a book by Patrick Gale, but I have been a little intimidated by his books, and to be honest that is simply because I may have judged them by their cover.

However, the fantastic ‘The Book Taster’ picked ‘Mother’s Boy’ for the February book club pick and I was really excited to have the chance to read a novel by Patrick Gale. And, spoiler alert, I absolutely loved it and will definitely be reading more of his books when I have the chance.

‘Mother’s Boy’ is a beautiful piece of historical fiction about the writer and poet Charles Causley, who grew up in Cornwall in the early twentieth century with his mother Laura (after sadly losing his father Charlie at a young age). Patrick Gale has focused on Charles and Laura Causley’s life until just after the Second World War, and I found it fascinating, of course keeping in mind that it is a fictionalised version of events but, clearly, well researched. Although Gale admits that he has to fill some gaps with the evidence he could find, I feel he has done this carefully and with respect. Nothing appears to have been written to sensationalise, shock or show any kind of disrespect to the Causleys.

I just could not put this book down, as it is so beautifully written and I just wanted to see how the characters would develop, and how their experiences were shaping them and their views of life. The relationship between mother and son was fascinating and though, at times, it clearly had its odd strains, it appears it was always loving and caring.

And, like all good books, this has sparked an interest in me for the works of Charles Causley, although he is mainly a poet, which is not always my go-to genre, I am intrigued to read what he has written and find out even more about this man. His life was not easy in those early years, and being drawn into World War Two as a member of the Royal Navy would have left quite an impression on him, and maybe offered him a connection to his father Charlie, who had experienced World War One.

Patrick Gale’s talent as a storyteller is obvious from the very beginning of this book, and his ability to really bring characters and places to life for his readers is something quite magical. And I am really looking forward to reading more of his books and discovering more of his stories.

So, again, thank you to ‘The Book Taster’ for bringing another author into my life that has brought me so much joy.

The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont

I am a huge Agatha Christie fan, which – if you have been reading my blog for a while – you will not be surprised by. And, having just watched the Lucy Worsley documentary about the Queen of Crime, I thought I would finally give ‘The Christie Affair’ a go.

This is a fictional version of the events when Agatha Christie disappeared in December 1926. Now, I am pretty sure we will never really know what happened in those eleven days 97 years ago, but it is definitely something that has fascinated all her fans over the years. Especially as it was immediately after she had found out about her husband’s infidelity. Nina De Gramont is clearly one of those fans.

I did find this story very readable, and I was keen to see where the story would take us. I also liked that it had an element of being a story similar to those that we love from the Queen of Crime, a murder mystery woven into the events. It was also interesting that it tackled that ever-present dark cloud of the homes for mothers that used to be found in Ireland, and the controversy that we all know surrounds those places.

To be honest, for me this book was a fascinating tale, but I think I would have preferred it if it had just been about some completely fictional characters. I am sure that nobody would finish reading this book thinking that it must be based completely on true events but, in some ways, it does not sit well with me that predictions are made about the actions of people who can not reveal the truth. This is an issue I often have with some books about real events or real people: is there a risk of confusing fiction with fact? I am sure that would not be the case with ‘The Christie Affair’, as it does seem fairly obvious that it is fiction, but it is always a niggle I have about some books I read based on real events.

However, I would still recommend this book to fans of crime fiction, because it is a page-turner if you like a good story.