mppilk's reviews
350 reviews

The Giant on the Skyline: On Home, Belonging and Learning to Let Go by Clover Stroud

reflective slow-paced

2.75

This book really wasn’t for me but having said that I’m glad I read it. Clover is living with her 5 children in the rural countryside of England. Within view of the famous chalk White Horse on the hillside. She has a remarkable affinity with nature and her local community and her love of this shines through in the book. However her husband is working in the US and it applying pressure to make the family move to Washington DC so they can be together. Although how that will make that much of a difference to them I don’t know as he seemed to be working all over the US.
I found both Clover and Pete very annoying people. He reckoned he couldn’t afford to keep a family of 5 children afloat by working in the UK…….really!! Plain selfish I thought, his career was far more important to him than his family or at least this is how it comes across. And Clover never seemed to be able to spell out how she felt, what sort of a relationship was that? In the end it all worked out for the man and I hope it works out for them. 
Rounded up to 3⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and the publishers for this ARC

A Short Walk Through a Wide World: A Novel by Douglas Westerbeke

emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’m finding it difficult to gather my thoughts on this book. I’m willing to suspend belief and dapple in magical, mystical even Sci-fi genres and am often pleasantly surprised. This book however brought me on a roller coaster. 
9 yr old Aubrey finds a magical puzzle ball and then refuses to sacrifice it a well. She then develops a strange illness that causes to to constantly move from place to place around the world. What follows is a summary of those travels with visits to strange libraries along the way. 
I really feel there was a message somewhere in the middle of all this but I just couldn’t grab hold of it. The stories meandered at times and I found it difficult to hold my attention to it but then it would bounce back and the ending left me feeling glad I had stuck with it. 

A solid 3.5 ⭐️ but not quite the 4. 

Thanks to Netgallry.co.uk and the publishers for this digital ARC.

The Bay by Julia Rampen

emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The opening chapter of this book immediately brings back memories of the Morecambe Bay cocklers tragedy. While it takes until the end of the book for that tragedy to happen along the way the author brings us on a remarkable journey about the difficulties of the illegal immigrants and also the difficulties of aging in our society. 
Suling is seeking a better life for herself and her family but to get to the U.K. she has accumulated a large debt and realises the job of picking cockles in the bay won’t settle that debt. Arthur is grieving the loss of his life and has a daughter suggesting he reside in a nursing home. The two meet and neither hesitate to help the other. This gives a poignant and at times disturbing look into the lives of illegal immigrants. It also examines loneliness, prejudice and aging. Yet out of it all the value of friendship and simple humanity shines through. A thought provoking and heartwarming story. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. 

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was my first time reading this author’s work but I will be back and seek out her previous novels. This is an intriguing mystery centering  around the disappearance of a teenager from a summer camp. However this particular teenager is the daughter of the wealthy influential family that own and run the camp and her brother had also mysteriously disappeared some years previous. 
The book travels between time frames and people. The main difficulty I had was the number of characters involved although I’m not so sure too many could have been removed. Several twists along the way holds the readers interest, however the ending kind of drifted off which leaves one wondering what exactly was the point. 

Overall a good read and thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and the publishers for an ARC.

A Portrait of the Piss Artist as a Young Man by Tadhg Hickey

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

Black Wolf by Juan Gómez-Jurado

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I was looking forward to the follow up to Red Queen and Black Wolf, for the most part, delivered. Antonio and Jon form an interesting and indeed intriguing partnership. This time they are dealing with Russian mafia, human trafficking and assassins all in the popular holiday resort of Marbella. This is a classic thriller in some ways with a little comedy thrown in but it is really focussing on the two lead characters. 
There is good character development in this novel and the relationship between the two is well portrayed. Unfortunately I found Jon’s continual reference to Antonio as “angel” or “honey” patronising and seriously irritating. After all she is the brains of the operation, he is portrayed as her “minder”, in charge of her meds etc. 
This cost the book a star or two but it is still to be recommended and I look forward to the next in the series. 
Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and the publishers for a DRC in exchange for this honest review. 

True Love by Paddy Crewe

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

4.5

This book was close to a 5 star as I was drawn into Keely’s life. She lives in a camp on the coast with her father and younger brother as they try to cope with the death of her mother. When her brother drowns both father and daughter struggle to come to terms with it. Her story is heartbreaking yet hopeful as Keely, underneath it all, displays a remarkable resilience.
Then we meet Finn, living with his grandparents having been abandoned by both parents. He doesn’t talk much or make friends and is perhaps neurodivergent. He eventually does find his voice through music. As a character I found him somewhat introspective and infuriating at times. 
When Finn is abandoned by his bandmates after a gig he meets and moves in with Keely and maybe just maybe the tide will turn for these two characters. 
This is certainly an emotional read from an author able to draw you into the lives of these two characters. My frustration with Finn is no doubt due to how well the character was portrayed and developed. It’s not always an easy read but I would wholeheartedly recommend it. 

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and the publishers for this DRC in exchange for this honest review. 

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is a gem of a book. Set on a remote Welsh island just before the start of WW2, it explores the life of the small population of islanders battling nature and the draw of the mainland. The story is told through the eyes of 18 year old Manod who lives with her father and sister but dreams of a better life and further education in England. The arrival of 2 anthropologists from an English university appears to offer hope of a way off the island but all is not exactly what they claimed things to be. 

The writing is beautifully atmospheric and descriptive and although I found it initially somewhat confusing it soon feels as if you are indeed inside Manod’s head as it wanders through her dreams, the reality, the stories and most importantly her mother’s presence and passing. 

A wholehearted recommendation for this book. Sit down and soak it all in. 

Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and the publishers for this DRC in exchange for this honest review.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was looking forward to another great Kristin Hannah book. As an author she has a remarkable ability to weave social and political affairs with the lives of women. Again here we have the Vietnam war told through the eyes of volunteer nurses or in this case one nurse. I think this is the first issue I had with this book, I think she picked the wrong nurse, Barb was a far more interesting character and had more to deal with in the Civil Rights movement when she returned to the US. Frankie McGrath, the lead, was a one dimensional character craving her father’s approval and a space on his wall of heros, family members who had served their country. 
I found the 1st half of the book rather boring and repetitive. Everytime they got in a helicopter and the scene below was described it was the same as were all the medical scenes. And most disappointing, for a young woman aiming to carve her own way of life against her society’s expectations it was still all about having a man and fashion. There was so many descriptions of the clothes they were wearing and interestingly the men and a “large woman” were always in polyester until Connor was coming good near the end and started wearing knits and double knits. Likewise the constant referral to music playing, in bars, the second they got into a car etc. emerged to be overdone. 

And yes a lot of issues were dealt with like the treatment of the Vets when they returned home and the changing attitudes of the American public against a backdrop of the Civil Rights movement and Watergate. Also the realisation that PTSD was very really and the beginnings of treatment. All very worth. 

It is a decent read and a page turner just for me not up to the author’s usual standards.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this DRC.

Things Went T*ts Up by Dearbhaile O'Hare

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A must read for anyone who has received a breast cancer diagnosis or indeed any cancer diagnosis. Dearbhaile, with her poems and stories, will take the reader through all the stages and emotions of cancer, from the initial diagnosis through the treatments and their effects to recovery and beyond. Genuinely thought provoking and inspiring.