Author: whatcathyreadnext

#BookReview The Outrun by Amy Liptrot #NonficNov

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the outrunAbout the Book

At the age of thirty, Amy Liptrot finds herself washed up back home on Orkney. Standing unstable on the island, she tries to come to terms with the addiction that has swallowed the last decade of her life. As she spends her mornings swimming in the bracingly cold sea, her days tracking Orkney’s wildlife, and her nights searching the sky for the Merry Dancers, Amy discovers how the wild can restore life and renew hope.

Format: Paperback (286 pages) Publisher: Canongate Books
Publication date: 2018 [2016]   Genre: Memoir

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My Review

The author describes in unflinching detail the impact of alcoholism on all aspects of her life and the harmful and reckless behaviour she engaged in as a result. Having reached the lowest of low points, she shows remarkable courage in embarking on a treatment programme and taking the first difficult steps to sobriety.

Returning to Orkney where she grew up (from where she had originally fled in search of a more exciting life in London) the author slowly starts to rebuild her life. The really interesting and engaging aspect of the book is the connections she makes between her observations of the natural world around her and her recovery process. For example: ‘When I first came back to Orkney I felt like the strandings of jellyfish, laid out on the island rocks for all to see. I was washed-up: no longer buoyant, battered and storm-tossed.’

Testing herself still further, she moves to one of the remote islands off Orkney – Papay – and becomes involved in the life of its small community of hardy souls. She discovers an interest in astronomy, wild swimming, snorkelling, folklore and the birds and other creatures that make the island and the sea that surrounds it their home. Or, as the author puts it, ‘In these two years I have put my energy into searching for elusive corncrakes, Merry Dancers and rare cloud; into swimming in cold seas, running naked around stone circles, sailing to abandoned islands, flying on tiny planes, coming back home’.

The message I took from the book is that, even at one’s lowest point, there is always the possibility of something better. I found that both moving and inspiring. I’ll leave you with a few quotes that will, I hope, give you a sense of this.

‘Since I got sober, I sometimes find myself surprised and made joyful by normal life… Life can be bigger and richer than I knew.’

‘Recovery is making use of something once thought worthless. I might have been washed-up but I can be renewed.’

The Outrun is the third book on my reading list for Nonfiction November.

In three words: Unflinching, honest, inspiring

Try something similar: The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

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About the Author

Amy Liptrot has published her work with various magazines, journals and blogs and she has written a regular column for Caught by the River out of which The Outrun emerged. As well as writing for newspapers including the Guardian and the Observer, Amy has worked as an artist’s model, a trampolinist and in a shellfish factory. The Outrun was awarded the 2016 Wainwright Prize and the 2017 PEN Ackerley Prize and was shortlisted for the 2016 Wellcome Prize and the 2017 Ondaatje Prize.

Connect with Amy
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#BlogTour #BookReview Entertaining Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift @swiftstory @AccentPress

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Headline Blog Tour final

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Entertaining Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift, published today in paperback by Headline Accent but also available as an ebook. Entertaining Mr Pepys is the third in the author’s trilogy bringing to life the women in Pepys’ diary. Each novel features a different character and can be read as a standalone book.

Entertaining Mr PepysAbout the Book

London, 1666. Elizabeth ‘Bird’ Carpenter has a wonderful singing voice, and music is her chief passion. When her father persuades her to marry horse-dealer Christopher Knepp, she suspects she is marrying beneath her station, but nothing prepares her for the reality of life with Knepp. Her father has betrayed her trust, for Knepp cares only for his horses; he is a tyrant and a bully, and will allow Bird no life of her own.

When Knepp goes away, she grasps her chance and, encouraged by her maidservant Livvy, makes a secret visit to the theatre. Entranced by the music, the glitter and glamour of the surroundings, and the free and outspoken manner of the women on the stage, she falls in love with the theatre and is determined to forge a path of her own as an actress.

But life in the theatre was never going to be straightforward – for a jealous rival wants to spoil her plans, and worse, Knepp forbids it, and Bird must use all her wit and intelligence to change his mind.

Based on events depicted in the famous Diary of Samuel Pepys, Entertaining Mr Pepys brings London in the 17th century to life. It includes the vibrant characters of the day such as the diarist himself and actress Nell Gwynne, and features a dazzling and gripping finale during the Great Fire Of London.

Format: Paperback, ebook (400 pages)    Publisher: Headline Accent
Publication date: 21st November 2019   Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase links*
Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Hive (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Entertaining Mr Pepys (Women of Pepys’ Diary, #3) on Goodreads

My Review

In Entertaining Mr Pepys, the reader gets a portrait of (at least) two unhappy marriages: that of Bird and her uncouth husband, Christopher Knepps; and Elisabeth, long-suffering wife of diarist Samuel Pepys who possesses a roving eye when it comes to the ladies.

Despite what you might expect from the title, it’s quite a way into the book before Bird and Pepys encounter each other in any meaningful way. (In the author’s historical note she records there are 108 references to Elizabeth Knepp in Pepys’ diary.) Once they do meet their relationship develops through a shared love of music and the theatre. Up to that point, this is largely Bird’s story and it’s a powerful tale of a woman trying to rise above the confines of marriage, domestic drudgery and social convention to exert her own independence.

The author gives the reader some insight into the past of the detestable Knepp in an attempt to make him a less unsympathetic character. I have to say it didn’t completely succeed with me and both he and his arch-rival, Viner, seemed to deserve each other.

Set against the backdrop of Restoration England, it’s a time of political intrigue, spies and the threat of war. There are a few nods to issues that have contemporary relevance such as gender identity, religious and racial prejudice.

I loved the descriptions of the theatre that so dazzles Bird when she first experiences it and the details of everyday life help to immerse the reader in the atmosphere of the period. Later in the book there are some dramatic and vividly depicted scenes of key events in London’s history.

Entertaining Mr Pepys has an interesting cast of supporting characters (some invented, some based on real people as the author’s historical note reveals).  These include maidservant Livvy, watchmaker Robert Hubert and troubled actor Stefan. They add background colour to the main storyline and, in some cases, will turn out to play a pivotal role in events.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author and Headline Accent.

In three words: Well-researched, spirited, dramatic

Try something similar: The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anne-Marie Crowhurst (read my review here)

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DeborahSwiftWEB-1001-e1471257229857About the Author

Deborah lives in North Lancashire on the edge of the Lake District, a beautiful area made famous by the Romantic Poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge. In the past she used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV, so she enjoys the research aspect of creating historical fiction, something she loved doing as a scenographer. Each book takes about six months of research before she is ready to begin writing. More details of her research and writing process can be found on her website. Deborah likes to write about extraordinary characters set against the background of real historical events. (Photo credit: author website)

Connect with Deborah
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