sarahmatthews's reviews
67 reviews

A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym

funny reflective medium-paced

A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym

Read on audio

Narrator: Mary Sarah for Listening Books

Pub. 1958, 234pp

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Wilmet Forsyth is a rather disappointed woman, though she lives very comfortably with her husband Rodney and likeable mother-in-law Sybil and also spends time with her friends Mary and Rowena. Rodney, who works for the Ministry, doesn’t approve of wives working so she spends her days trying to find ‘good works’ to do in her local parish, though she doesn’t seem too successful. She attends church and is well known and liked by the various clergymen who she finds amusing and fascinating.

The assortment of characters in this delightful novel are typically Pymian in their quirky ways and, as the story is told from Wilmet’s perspective, we hear her witty and often cattish observations which made me laugh out loud! Here she is giving blood for the first time, where she encounters a demanding woman with a rare blood type:

“‘This precious blood’ she murmured, and began muttering to herself, first about her blood and then about irrelevant things that I could only half hear - a quarrel with someone about a broken milk bottle and what they had said to each other, it seemed like a ‘stream of consciousness’ novel…Virginia Woolf might have brought something away from the experience, I thought; perhaps writers always do this, from situations that merely shock and embarrass ordinary people. And after all, Miss Daunt was probably only a little odd, nevertheless, I was glad when I was lying down in another room, drinking rather too sweet tea.”

Wilmet’s husband, who she met while serving as a Wren in Italy during the war, isn’t the most attentive and they don’t appear to have a huge amount in common so when both Rowena’s husband Harry and brother Piers separately invite her to lunches and long walks she indulges in their attention and finds herself a bit carried away. She imagines their romantic feelings towards her, but in no way intends to do anything more disloyal than mild flirtation. The scene where she and Piers stroll by the river and contemplate the furniture repository they pass is so well written and an unlikely highlight but I always remember it. There’s a lightly comedic feel to the book overall, though Wilmet does examine her own shortcomings including her self absorbed and judgemental nature, and we see her grow in subtle ways throughout the book.

This was a reread for me and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Pym’s world which is always more progressive than you might imagine for a novel centred around church life; here we find a gay relationship heavily hinted at well before it was legalised. I enjoy spotting characters from Pym’s previous novels mentioned in passing; Rocky Napier, Julian Mallory and Prudence Bates all appear.

Oh, and Wilmet’s unusual name was taken from one of Charlotte M. Yonge’s novels which her mother had adored. Interestingly, I’ve just read The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene which includes quotes from one of her novels, The Little Duke, at the start of each chapter, a nice coincidence.

 

The Cheltenham Square Murder by John Bude

mysterious medium-paced

The Cheltenham Murder by John Bude 

Read on audio 

Narrator: Gordon Griffin

Pub 1937, 256pp

Reissued by British Library Crime Classics,2016

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This book opens with a dispute between neighbours about the removal of an old elm tree which serves to neatly introduce the cast of characters who live in a quiet square of 10 houses, the focal point of the story. They’re a generally quiet upper middle class group who’re mostly retired, but resentments and distrust simmer under the surface. They include Miss Boon and her many dogs, Arthur West who has both marital and money trouble, Fitz and his young wife, doctor Pratt, the Watt sisters who live next door to Reverend Matthews and the most recent resident who’s caused a lot of upset, Captain Cotton.

They’re summed up at the end of Chapter 1:

“Thus the inhabitants of Regency Square – diverse, yet as a community, typical; outwardly harmonious, yet privately at loggerheads; temperamentally and intellectually dissimilar, yet all of  them chiselling away at the same hard block of granite which, for want of a better word, we call life.”

The unusual murder in question is the reason I read the book - someone is shot in the back of the head by an arrow through an open window! A fabulously ridiculous set up and the ensuing puzzle is a lot of fun for the reader. It turns out that 5 of the inhabitants of the square are keen and talented archers who’re members of a local club, giving a small set of clear suspects from the start. the addition of Aldous Barnet, a writer of detective stories, who contacts his friend Superintendent Meredith to begin the investigation was a nice touch though a bit more of the writer would have been my preference as the last section of the novel is very much given over to the twists and turns of the sleuthing by Meredith and Inspector Long of the local police, which I found less enjoyable than the early part where the speculation and gossip of the characters themselves was the focus. Perhaps Long was written to be an irritating character to contrast with the more senior Meredith but he did get on my nerves a bit by the end!

I guessed elements of the mystery as it progressed, including one key point that they took forever to get to, but the solution was great when it came. I enjoyed this mystery overall and would definitely read another by John Bude in this series.

I red this book on Audible and was pleased to find the introduction by Martin Edwards was included which isn’t always the case.

Read for the #1937Club hosted by Karen and Simon.   

Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard

emotional reflective medium-paced

Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Book 3 of 5  of The Cazalet Chronicles series

Read in Braille

Pub. 1993, 352pp

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The third book in the Cazalet Chronicles series, set in London and Sussex, was just as gripping as the previous two. It covers a longer span of time, starting in 1942 and ending on VE Day, 8 May 1945.

So much is packed into this wonderful novel with  frequent perspective changes which can sometimes catch the reader out, though that in itself serves to add to the feeling of disorientation felt by the characters. The upheaval of the war affects the family in different ways and the pressures on them all are carefully explored.

I don’t want to give any spoilers as I’m so glad I knew nothing about what was coming as I read. I’ll just say that the storylines which I found most powerful were those of Louise and Zoe. Elizabeth Jane Howard continues to get to the heart of how women of this period were feeling; the restrictions on their freedom and choices in life. I read that she was a teenager during the war and she’s brilliantly drawing on those experiences to tell this family saga. The period details are fascinating too, like how Zoe bought pretty curtain fabric from Liberty’s to make into dresses as it wasn’t rationed.

I’ve tried to explain to a friend recently how great this series is but when I try it just comes out sounding incredibly melodramatic! I guess the extraordinary circumstances faced by people during wartime and the large set of characters in these books make this somewhat inevitable. I was swept away by the writing style and in awe of her skilful pacing. 

There’s laughter, tears, lust, tragedy, deceit, hope… and a whole lot of Spam!      

The Fortnight in September: A Novel by R.C. Sherriff

reflective relaxing medium-paced

The Fortnight in September by R C Sheriff

Read on audio

Narrator: David Thorpe for RNIB 

persephone Books

Pub. 1931, 304pp

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I chose this book when I was in need of some comfort and it’s so wonderful I already know I’ll be reading it again in future. The story follows an ordinary family from Dulwich on their travels down to Bognor Regis for two weeks’ holiday, which they do every year. The routine ordinariness is the appeal and I related to many of the situations and feelings of the family, both in remembering being a child and now as a parent of a 12 year old. It’s staggering really how relevant the concerns expressed are to modern family life, given it was written in 1931. I definitely related to their anxiety about getting the train:

“There was plenty of time as there always is, if you panic sufficiently early and get it over with… there were so many little things that might happen, something forgotten that must be gone back for, a queue at the booking office window, a hich in labelling the luggage…one remote reason always haunted Mr Stephens with unreasoning and ridiculous fear; it was the possibility of a passing lady fainting or accidentally falling down. it would mean stopping and helping her up, brushing down her dress, picking up her umbrella and bag, possibly her spectacles. it was not that Mr Stephens lacked humanity or courtesy, it was simply the agonising delay that might be caused; for under such circumstances you cannot leave a lady with the cold blooded statement that you have a train to catch.”

The writing continues in this delightful way throughout their journey and, as there’s so much to say, they finally manage to get to the beach during Chapter 13!

We hear the anxieties and observations of each of the family as the story progresses and the characters are so beautifully written. the three children are growing up and there’s a melancholy atmosphere as they all reflect on their times at Bognor and wonder if this year will be their last.

I’ve been enjoying this gentle read at breakfast over the last couple of weeks and have loved every minute, I’m really going to miss it!

The Ministry of Fear: An Entertainment by Graham Greene

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene

Read in Braille

Vintage Books

Pub. 1943, 224pp

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This novel opens with a church fete, a cake and a fortune teller and, wow, does it take a turn from there! It’s a story of espionage during WW2, with a little romance thrown in and a great storyline about memory loss and trying to recover but also kind of enjoying the simple life where you’re sheltered from the horrors of the outside world.

Graham Greene evokes the bewildering everyday life of the Blitz and what’s astonishing about this book is that it was written in the middle of it all so he had no idea how the war would be resolved at the time of writing. It makes for a gripping depiction of wartime London:

“The walls suddenly caved in. They were not even aware of noise. Blast is an odd thing because it is just as likely to have the effect of an embarrassing dream as of man’s serious vengeance on man, landing you naked in the street or exposing you in your bed or on your lavatory seat to the neighbours’ gaze.” And he continues: “The awful thing about a Raid is that it goes on: your own private disaster may happen early, but the raid doesn’t stop. They were machine-gunning the flares: two broke with a sound like crashing plates and the third came to earth in Russell Square; the darkness returned coldly and comfortingly.”

This is quite a disorientating read at times and I found myself rereading sections so I didn’t get lost. The writing is superb. I liked the complex character of Arthur Rowe who certainly goes on an adventure, one he fell into unexpectedly and has to make the best of. At one point he loiters in an auction house near an office as he’s in hiding, trying to figure things out and this piece of observation is great:

“The weekly auction was to take place next day, and visitors flowed in with catalogues; an unshaven chin and a wrinkled suit were not out of place here. A man with a ragged moustache and an out-at-elbows jacket, the pockets bulging with sandwiches, looked carefully through a folio volume of landscape gardening: a Bishop –or he might have been a Dean–was examining a set of the Waverley novels… Nobody here was standdardized; in tea-shops and theatres people are cut to the pattern of their environment, but in this auction-room the goods were too various to appeal to any one type. Here was pornography–eighteenth-century French with beautiful little steel engravings celebrating the copulations of elegant over-clothed people on Pompadour couches, here were all the Victorian novelists… There was a smell of neglected books, of the straw from packing cases and of clothes which had been too often rained upon.”

A funny, strange and memorable read which I very much enjoyed.

  

Marking Time by Elizabeth Jane Howard

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Marking Time by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Read in Braille

Pub. 1991, 617pp

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This second instalment in the Cazalet Chronicle had me just as gripped as the first and I flew through it! It kept me company during some nights when I slept badly and kept me from settling down to sleep at other times as I was enjoying it so much. It’s a brilliant epic family drama set in 1941, mainly in East Sussex and London. 

I’m not going to go into the story as this is part of a series but here’s a lovely snapshot of the writing; a great diary entry from one of the children, Clary, capturing the randomness of what we include in our journals:

“They are getting people back from France now, but there are thousands to collect and quite a lot of them are wounded, which must make it terribly difficult.they are clearing out the people who are convalescent from Mill Farm in case the beds are wanted for soldiers. M R James is rather good: he writes as though he always wears a dark suit. One cannot imagine him in shirtsleeves. The stories frighten me just the right amount. Goodness, I hate knitting!”

Elizabeth Jane Howard is just so skilled at making you care about her characters and I’ve got the third book ready to dive into now…

   

Boundary Road by Ami Rao

emotional tense medium-paced

Boundary Road by Ami Rao

Read as ebook using a mix of Braille and text-to-speech

 Everything With Words

Pub. 2023, 239pp

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I knew I was going to read this one as soon as I found out it’s about a bus journey through London. As much as I hated my various bus commutes many years ago I did at least enjoy the opportunity to indulge in a bit of people watching and the odd bit of eavesdropping, curious about all the many lives around me. So this book gave me a slice of that nostalgia!

Aron has just started a new job and is heading home on the No. 13 bus from Victoria to Boundary Road. He’s genuinely interested in other people’s lives and is an easy stranger to pass a few stops with. He takes the best seat on the bus – top left corner – and spends the ride pondering his life up to now and the possibilities for the future. His reflections on his early hopes as a talented footballer are woven in and we learn more about his family, his father’s arrival in England and struggles with alcohol, his grandmother Yvonne and mother Carol. 

In the present we meet all kinds of characters as he travels including a man who shares the story of his first love and is persuaded to visit Aron’s shop for some new clothes in a charming accidental way, and a pregnant woman carrying twins. He’s on a high from his first day at work which has given him a renewed optimism after a dark period and this could explain why he’s so open with people.

Early on a young woman enters who Aron spots before she even gets on as she’s dressed unusually, and we suspect she’ll play a larger role later on.

We learn this is Nora as the perspective shifts in the secon part of the novel. I was so invested in Aron’s story that I didn’t connect quite so well with Nora, though she meets some interesting people including an architect who shares a story about his surprising reaction to a client’s painting, and also reflects on her own upbringing, further exploring the diversity of London’s population. I enjoyed the sharp observations from her perspective concerning the reaction to Aron:

“The elderly white couple on the seats two rows behind them turn their heads around anxiously, eyes darting here and there.two black youths fist-bumping directly in front of them with only one row in between. The woman… turns around and tries to catch Nora’s eye. It is a plea of sorts, a plea, as Nora understands, seeking solidarity. Nora pointedly looks away in these matters, her loyalty is unwavering.”

The final section is gripping and brilliantly written. This is a book with a hard-hitting message and I thought it delivers it very successfully.

i red this for Karen and Lizzy’s #ReadIndies month

The Feast by Margaret Kennedy

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

The Feast by Margaret Kennedy

Read on audio 

Narrator: Colin Mace

Faber & Faber

Pub. 1950, 354pp

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This was my second go at reading this book, I got it on Audible last year but when I started it I must’ve tried to read it while doing too many other things as I was soon confused by all the characters and changes of perspective. This time I took it a little slower and made notes as new characters were introduced, soon got into the story and was gripped.

This is a morality tale, set just after the end of the Second World War, taking place in a seaside guest house called The Pendizack Manor Hotel which is run by the Siddal family. The story revolves around the various guests that come to stay and is told over a period of seven days. The reason for this is revealed in the prologue in which we find out that the cliff is unstable and that the hotel will be destroyed by a dramatic landslide in which some of the characters will be buried.

I enjoyed getting to know the families as we go along with the children being just as integral to the story as the adults. Class is explored through the contrast between the poor Cove children and the well off Giffords who spent the war in the US. I thought the scene on the train where the two families meet and argue over the ownership of the seats was very entertaining.

I also liked the storyline of Nancibel, Bruce and Anna who are all brilliantly drawn characters. As a reader you’re constantly assessing who you’d like to be spared from the disaster and I enjoyed this tension.

There are some great pieces of dialogue in this book, including this marvellous surprising outburst from previously timid Mrs Paley:

“You are not a whole person, nobody is. We are members, one of another.an arm has no integrity if it has been amputated. It is nothing unless it is part of a body with a heart to pump the blood through it, and a brain to guide it. You have no more integrity than a severed arm might have.’

And this stood out from a heated discussion:

“It’s not the government” said Anna, a little uncertainly “any other government would be just the same. It’s the class war, this whole country’s being bitched by anger and spite and intolerance and aggressiveness”

I’m glad I didn’t know the concept behind this novel before I read it as it was so rewarding to piece it together and start to suspect what was coming as the narrative evolved.

This edition is a recent reissue and on Audible Cathy Rentzenbrink is listed as an author so I was expecting to hear her introduction, however, when I pressed play it wasn’t there. Maybe I’m doing something wrong but I couldn’t find anywhere in the app to access it which is disappointing as I like to read the intro once I’ve finished the book.

Overall a great read full of wonderfully observed details and one I’m so pleased I went back to.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

medium-paced

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Read on audio

Narrators: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan and Robin Miles

Simon & Schuster

Pub. 2017, 385pp

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I adored Daisy Jones and the Six by this author a few years ago and have been meaning to read another of her books since, so when I was ill and needed something to get engrossed in I got it on audio. I’d seen the press around the TV version of Daisy Jones winning at the Emmy’s (which I’ve not seen yet) and that reminded me of her novels.

This was the perfect choice for me as the story follows the life of a 50s movie star, Evelyn Hugo, told in flashbacks to a journalist, Monique Grant.

I knew there was going to be a twist at the end because it’s alluded to as you go along, and I did find myself trying to figure out what it would be, but mostly I was loving the gossipy nature of the story of an actress trying to force her way into Hollywood using any underhand methods she can think of, and her beauty of course.sometimes you just need a decade spanning saga to take you away from the present and this book did that so well. Definitely a case of the right book at the right time.

i very much enjoyed all the references to fashion, popular culture, the depiction of celebrity scandals and the character of Evelyn herself. Glamourous, selfish and ruthless, she’s got that indefinable star quality.

You can tell that the author had the time of her life researching this book and I enjoyed all the fictitious news articles that popped up at intervals.

My hunch about the ending proved to be pretty much what I suspected but I didn’t mind a bit! Overall a great plot-driven read about the artificiality of fame.

This book was published a couple of years before Daisy Jones and the Six and it’s fascinating to see how her writing developed. The latter is, for me, a much more successful book but this one is a great read too.

The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Book 1 of 5 of the Cazalet Chronicle series

Read in Braille

Pub. 1990, 448pp

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I’ve seen this beloved series mentioned online many times over the past few years by bloggers who enjoy similar books to me, and so when the first two books came up on a hardcopy Braille book swap list I snapped them up. It wasn’t till they arrived that I realised just how long they are. I’m slower when reading Braille so was a little intimidated by 16 booklets to get through! Thankfully I needn’t have worried as I raced through it in about a month which is a similar length of time a 300 page Braille book typically takes me.

What I found so engaging was the brilliant characterisation and masterful handling of so many characters and stories. I thought I’d get lost so made a note of the main characters on my phone to refer back to but found I didn’t really need it. it’s perhaps because I read it over Christmas so had more time than usual for reading and was able to curl up with it for long stretches of time. this meant I didn’t lose track of the story by setting it down for days on end.

the story is set over the summers of 1937 and 1938 as the threat of war is building and that sense of unease, rumour and disbelief came across very powerfully. this is a story of an upper middle class family who’re in the timber trade. the head of the family, William (nicknamed The Brig) rules the family alongside his wife, Kitty (nicknamed The Duchy). But their stories are the less interesting of the many perspectives in this book. the lives of their four children; Hugh, Edward, Rachel and Rupert take centre stage. I loved getting to know them all, including their own children who’re depicted particularly well throughout. 

my favourite characters are probably Villy (who gave up her glamorous career as a ballet dancer to marry Edward), Rupert and Zoe ( who have a very interesting story that will hopefully continue to develop as strongly in the next books) and all of the children whose inner lives are written so beautifully and realistically which is rare. Their games, squabbles and inner thoughts and anxieties were excellently written and often so funny. Neville wanting to keep a jellyfish as a pet was so sweet! 

the depiction of women’s lives at this point in history is so interesting and we also get to see the stories of some of the servants’ lives too, adding another dimension. The governess, Miss Milliment, is another notably well written character; she understands the children she teaches and recognises something special in Clary which I very much enjoyed reading about. None of it felt corny or stereotypical. the writing sweeps you along and doesn’t shy away from the realities of life as a woman back in the mid 20th century. Access to contraception,  the dangers of childbirth, appalling behaviour from men, control over women’s careers and education and the covert nature of lesbian relationships are all included. The men are also very well drawn, with the shadow of the First World War affecting them in very different ways. I’m going straight on to the next book now, Marking Time, which begins in 1939 and I just know this series will be heartbreaking!