I have lived a thousand lives
Synopsis: In Baxter's Beach, Barbados, Lala's grandmother Wilma tells the story of the one-armed sister, a cautionary tale about what happens to girls who disobey their mothers. For Wilma, it's the story of a wilful adventurer, who ignores the warnings of those around her, and suffers as a result. When Lala grows up, she sees… Continue reading How The One-armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
Synopsis: Marguerite Demers is twenty-four when she leaves Paris for the sleepy southern village of Saint-Sulpice, to take up a job as a live-in nurse. Her charge is Jerome Lanvier, once one of the most powerful men in the village, and now dying alone in his large and secluded house, surrounded by rambling gardens. Manipulative… Continue reading Review – Nightingale by Marina Kemp
Synopsis: When Catherine left London for the US with her husband James, to introduce her family to their newborn son, she could not have envisaged how that trip would end. Catherine would find herself in an involuntary psych ward in New Jersey, separated from her husband and child, unable to understand who she was, and… Continue reading Review – Inferno by Catherine Cho
Synopsis: In this collection, Seán Hewitt gives us poems of a rare musicality and grace. By turns searing and meditative, these are lyrics concerned with the matter of the world, its physicality, but also attuned to the proximity of each moment, each thing, to the spiritual. Here, there is sex, grief, and loss, but also… Continue reading Review – Tongues of Fire by Sean Hewitt
Synopsis: Jay Bernard's extraordinary debut is a fearless exploration of the New Cross Fire of 1981, a house fire at a birthday party in which thirteen young black people were killed. Dubbed the 'New Cross Massacre', the fire was initially believed to be a racist attack, and the indifference with which the tragedy was met… Continue reading Review – Surge by
Rebecca... “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is one of my very favourite books of all time. It is often the first book I recommend to people when they want to start reading classics. It’s such a great introduction to that genre. It is dark, it is… Continue reading Movie Review – Rebecca
Synopsis: In The Lamplighter award-winning poet and Scottish Makar Jackie Kay takes us on a journey into the dark heart of Britain’s legacy in the slave trade. First produced as a play, on the page it reads as a profound and tragic multi-layered poem. We watch as four women and one man tell the story of… Continue reading Review – The Lamplighter by Jackie Kay
Synopsis: Based on real events brilliantly reimagined, this is an epic story of love and courage, desperation and determination, and three people who are inescapably entwined in each other's lives. Henry O'Toole sails to America to escape poverty and famine in Ireland, only to find anti-Irish prejudice awaiting him. Determined never to starve again, he… Continue reading Review – A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf
Synopsis: AN INTIMATE, STIRRING PORTRAIT OF A COUNTRY AT WAR AND A FAMILY'S BATTLE TO SURVIVE Set against the backdrop of the Việt Nam War, The Mountains Sing is the enveloping, multi-generational tale of the Trần family, perfect for fans of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing. Hà Nội, 1972. Hương and her grandmother, Trần Diệu Lan, cling to… Continue reading Review – The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Synopsis: Jussi, the young Sami boy Læstadius has rescued from destitution and abuse, becomes the preacher's faithful disciple on long botanical treks to explore the flora and fauna. Læstadius also teaches him to read and write - and to love and fear God. When a milkmaid goes missing deep in the forest, the locals suspect… Continue reading Review – To Cook A Bear by Mikael Niemi
