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bluefairybug's reviews
381 reviews
Rembrandt's Promise by Barbara Leahy
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This is such a beautiful book, which makes sense seeing as it's about Rembrandt. I did wonder if the cover art was a Rembrandt painting, but if it is I couldn't find it. Either way, I think it's stunning and the more I look at it the more I notice.
I have to admit that I don't know anything at all about Rembrandt, other than him being an artist. I couldn't have told you that he was Dutch, or that he lived in the 17th Century. But I love learning new things, so this book was wonderful as I feel I've learned a little bit about him. Rembrandt's Promise is historical fiction, but is based on true story, and real people.
I loved the writing style of this novel. There were enough historical, and Dutch words to keep it firmly rooted in 17th Century Amsterdam, but it also felt modern enough that I wasn't left wondering what anything meant. The short chapters were easy to read, meaning I could pick it up and read a chapter or two whenever I had a spare few minutes.
They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and I have to admit that this story seemed so incredibly modern in some ways, that I had to Google to see how much of it was true. And, in terms of the bare bones of story, it all seems to be. Geertje was a truly astounding woman. The strength of character, and sense of justice, that she showed in standing up for what she believed in, against a man who had wealth and standing, was just remarkable.
Historical fiction is my favourite genre to read, and whilst this isn't a period I read about often, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was (pleasantly) surprised to realise that this is Barbara's debut novel, and I certainly hope there will be more books to come.
I have to admit that I don't know anything at all about Rembrandt, other than him being an artist. I couldn't have told you that he was Dutch, or that he lived in the 17th Century. But I love learning new things, so this book was wonderful as I feel I've learned a little bit about him. Rembrandt's Promise is historical fiction, but is based on true story, and real people.
I loved the writing style of this novel. There were enough historical, and Dutch words to keep it firmly rooted in 17th Century Amsterdam, but it also felt modern enough that I wasn't left wondering what anything meant. The short chapters were easy to read, meaning I could pick it up and read a chapter or two whenever I had a spare few minutes.
They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and I have to admit that this story seemed so incredibly modern in some ways, that I had to Google to see how much of it was true. And, in terms of the bare bones of story, it all seems to be. Geertje was a truly astounding woman. The strength of character, and sense of justice, that she showed in standing up for what she believed in, against a man who had wealth and standing, was just remarkable.
Historical fiction is my favourite genre to read, and whilst this isn't a period I read about often, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was (pleasantly) surprised to realise that this is Barbara's debut novel, and I certainly hope there will be more books to come.
The English Wife by Anna Stuart
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I feel like I should start this review by saying "we all know all about Sir Winston Churchill, but we know much less about his wife Clementine" but in actual fact I don't know much about Churchill, other than him being Prime Minister during World War II and then again in the 1950s (?). I know that he led a Tory government and liked cigars. So I feel that by reading The English Wife, I've gotten to know him a little better too. Although officially fiction, this book is deeply rooted in historical fact, and many of the events depicted really did take place. The historical notes at the end lay out clearly what is fact and what is fiction.
It seems that Clementine was a truly remarkable woman, and I hope that her strength and forward thinking becomes better known.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved the friendship between Clementine and Jenny, and the dual narrative telling from these two strong women worked so well.
This book is technically part of a series, but as far as I can work out they are books with similar themes and some of the same characters, and as such can be read as standalone books, or in any order. I haven't read the other book in this duo (The President's Wife) but will be adding it to my TBR.
It seems that Clementine was a truly remarkable woman, and I hope that her strength and forward thinking becomes better known.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved the friendship between Clementine and Jenny, and the dual narrative telling from these two strong women worked so well.
This book is technically part of a series, but as far as I can work out they are books with similar themes and some of the same characters, and as such can be read as standalone books, or in any order. I haven't read the other book in this duo (The President's Wife) but will be adding it to my TBR.
The Wartime Chocolate Maker by Gosia Nealon
emotional
informative
slow-paced
4.0
This is my favourite genre of book, and I knew from reading some of Gosia's previous work that I would be in for a treat. It felt like a refreshing change to read a book set in Gdansk, rather than the more written about Warsaw or Krakow. The Wartime Chocolate Maker is a dual POV story, and I liked reading both Kasia and Feleks stories.
I also enjoyed the descriptions of chocolate, which I could almost taste as I was reading.
Whilst this was a enjoyable story overall, I did find there was a little something missing for me personally. I didn't get that sense of danger that I've become accustomed to within this genre. However, I think it was an engaging storyline which showed some of the dangers of living under Nazi occupation.
I also enjoyed the descriptions of chocolate, which I could almost taste as I was reading.
Whilst this was a enjoyable story overall, I did find there was a little something missing for me personally. I didn't get that sense of danger that I've become accustomed to within this genre. However, I think it was an engaging storyline which showed some of the dangers of living under Nazi occupation.
Sister, Liar, Suspect, Sleuth by Lisa Nicholas
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
What I love about cosy crime books is that they are so often completely bonkers, a bunch of amateur sleuths putting two and two together and coming up with 27. The other thing I love is that they are so totally implausible, real escape from reality fiction. And Sister, Liar, Suspect, Sleuth definitely fits into that category, so of course I loved it. At times there was almost too much going on, the search for Mila’s killer and children, the scandal surrounding Fabien and the search for the truth about his father's death, but it all came right in the end.
The writing was perfect for this genre. I really felt like we got to know the characters, odd as many of them were. I instantly disliked Chloe, I don't know why though, she just annoyed me.
I think Lisa has done a really good job of capturing how difficult it must be for refugees coming here too. The feeling of not really fitting in, and people being nice to your face whilst also thinking you shouldn't be here.
Overall, this was a fun, cosy mystery read which is just what I needed on a chilly Sunday afternoon.
The writing was perfect for this genre. I really felt like we got to know the characters, odd as many of them were. I instantly disliked Chloe, I don't know why though, she just annoyed me.
I think Lisa has done a really good job of capturing how difficult it must be for refugees coming here too. The feeling of not really fitting in, and people being nice to your face whilst also thinking you shouldn't be here.
Overall, this was a fun, cosy mystery read which is just what I needed on a chilly Sunday afternoon.
The Spanish Daughter by Soraya M. Lane
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
This is book 6 in a series, but, as far as I'm aware, they all work as standalone stories and can be read in any order. They are linked by Hope House. This is the only Lost Daughters book I have read, and I didn't feel anything was missing by not having read previous stories.
The Spanish Daughter is a dual timeline, dual POV book, told by Valentina in the 1930s-1940s, and Rose in the present day. This is the kind of book that I refer to as a "you know what you're getting" kind of story. I don't mean that the entire story is obvious, or that it is boring. But it feels comforting, like an old blanket. There's an air of mystery, but ultimately you know that there will be a happy ending and that nothing overly terrible will happen. Of course a young woman being forced to have a baby adopted is terrible, but you know what I mean.
The writing was wonderful and transported me to Argentina, I could almost see and smell the flowers, I could feel the warm breeze on my face and hear the horses in the stables.
The plot was a nice, gentle easy read which everyone needs from time to time. I absolutely adored Valentina, she was a strong woman who must have been very unusual for her time. I'm sure women like her were few and far between, but they must have existed. The romance in this kind of book is always slightly too perfect to seem real, but maybe that's just because I've never experienced it myself!
This isn't my first book by Soraya, and it won't be my last.
The Spanish Daughter is a dual timeline, dual POV book, told by Valentina in the 1930s-1940s, and Rose in the present day. This is the kind of book that I refer to as a "you know what you're getting" kind of story. I don't mean that the entire story is obvious, or that it is boring. But it feels comforting, like an old blanket. There's an air of mystery, but ultimately you know that there will be a happy ending and that nothing overly terrible will happen. Of course a young woman being forced to have a baby adopted is terrible, but you know what I mean.
The writing was wonderful and transported me to Argentina, I could almost see and smell the flowers, I could feel the warm breeze on my face and hear the horses in the stables.
The plot was a nice, gentle easy read which everyone needs from time to time. I absolutely adored Valentina, she was a strong woman who must have been very unusual for her time. I'm sure women like her were few and far between, but they must have existed. The romance in this kind of book is always slightly too perfect to seem real, but maybe that's just because I've never experienced it myself!
This isn't my first book by Soraya, and it won't be my last.
The Return of Frankie Whittle by Caroline England
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I love the cover of this book, as soon as I saw it I got spooky abandoned mental institution vibes. Which isn't exactly the setting for the book, but it's close enough. The pages were lovely and thick, and the font was the perfect size for me.
I really enjoyed the dual POV telling of this story, and loved both Frankie and Nina. I found it a real slow burn, with some fantastic scene setting for the first half and then a real ramp up of the storyline. I was drawn in instantly by the mystery of the prologue and just raced through the book to find out how we got to that point in the story.
The writing felt genuine and flowed nicely, although Frankie 'rotating' to look at someone/something was slightly irksome. Saying she turned or turned around would feel more natural I think. That's definitely personal preference though. Occasionally some parts of speech felt either too old fashioned, or too young for characters in their 30s, but then again Toby is of a very different social class, and maybe 30 year-olds in Manchester do say Peng!
I found the plot to be engaging and intriguing with a great level of edge of the seat mystery. The Pavilion seems too good to be true, and as the old saying goes, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. There were some potentially upsetting scenes including baby loss and su1cide, but I feel they were handled very sensitively.
I don't think I've read anything by Caroline before, but I'm definitely keen to read more in future.
I really enjoyed the dual POV telling of this story, and loved both Frankie and Nina. I found it a real slow burn, with some fantastic scene setting for the first half and then a real ramp up of the storyline. I was drawn in instantly by the mystery of the prologue and just raced through the book to find out how we got to that point in the story.
The writing felt genuine and flowed nicely, although Frankie 'rotating' to look at someone/something was slightly irksome. Saying she turned or turned around would feel more natural I think. That's definitely personal preference though. Occasionally some parts of speech felt either too old fashioned, or too young for characters in their 30s, but then again Toby is of a very different social class, and maybe 30 year-olds in Manchester do say Peng!
I found the plot to be engaging and intriguing with a great level of edge of the seat mystery. The Pavilion seems too good to be true, and as the old saying goes, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. There were some potentially upsetting scenes including baby loss and su1cide, but I feel they were handled very sensitively.
I don't think I've read anything by Caroline before, but I'm definitely keen to read more in future.
Newer by Robyn Abbott
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
I love the cover on this book, it's so pretty. And as its a short read at only 147 pages, it's the perfect size to slip in a handbag and read on the go. The only thing I did find is that the white text on the back cover was really hard to read, although I think black would have been too harsh.
I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot packed in, the world building was solid and really well done for such a short book. I instantly liked both Joseph and Kali, they'd obviously both lost so much and I just wanted to reach into the book and hug them.
Robyn's writing was just perfect. Not too simple, or too 'flowery'. It flows wonderfully and I found this to be a very easy read.
I thought the plot was unique and engaging, I always find other people's thoughts on how the future could look both fascinating and terrifying.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, and will definitely be recommending it.
I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot packed in, the world building was solid and really well done for such a short book. I instantly liked both Joseph and Kali, they'd obviously both lost so much and I just wanted to reach into the book and hug them.
Robyn's writing was just perfect. Not too simple, or too 'flowery'. It flows wonderfully and I found this to be a very easy read.
I thought the plot was unique and engaging, I always find other people's thoughts on how the future could look both fascinating and terrifying.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, and will definitely be recommending it.
Who Served Well by Lawrie Johnston
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Wow. What a beautifully poignant and heartbreaking story this was. It's fiction, but firmly based in fact and sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in a story and forget that, whilst Andrew, Tam and Kathleen are fictional characters, men and women really did fight that war, and their stories could so easily be real.
There were some rather gritty descriptions of battle wounds, and general war stuff, but I think Lawrie got the level of description just right. The writing was just perfect.
As for the plot, just devastating. This is the kind of book that will stay with me for a long time.
The title of this book is Who Served Well? And in answer to that, I say all the men and women who served. Whether they died "for King and country", were wounded, survived or deserted due to what we now recognise as PTSD. They all served well, and those of us who live in freedom owe them a great debt of gratitude.
There were some rather gritty descriptions of battle wounds, and general war stuff, but I think Lawrie got the level of description just right. The writing was just perfect.
As for the plot, just devastating. This is the kind of book that will stay with me for a long time.
The title of this book is Who Served Well? And in answer to that, I say all the men and women who served. Whether they died "for King and country", were wounded, survived or deserted due to what we now recognise as PTSD. They all served well, and those of us who live in freedom owe them a great debt of gratitude.