Tag: advance review copy

#BookReview Three Little Truths by Eithne Shorthall @CorvusBooks @ReadersFirst1

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Three Little TruthsAbout the Book

On the idyllic Pine Road, three women are looking for a fresh start…

Martha was a force of nature, but since moving to Dublin under mysterious circumstances, she can’t seem to find her footing.

Robin was the ‘it’ girl in school. Now she’s back at her parents’ with her four-year-old, vowing that her ex is out of the picture for good.

Edie has the perfect life, but she longs for a baby, the acceptance of her neighbours, and to find out why her dream husband is avoiding their dream future.

The friendships of these women will change their lives forever, revealing the secrets, rivalries and scandals that hide behind every door…

Format: Paperback (400 pages)        Publisher: Corvus Books
Publication date: 3rd October 2019 Genre: Contemporary Fiction

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My Review

I enjoyed Eithne’s previous book Grace After Henry so I’ve been looking forward to finding time to read Three Little Truths. To provide additional motivation I included it in my list for the 20 Books of Summer 2021 reading challenge hosted once again by Cathy at 746 Books.

Well, all I can say is that it’s hard work being a newcomer to Pine Road because, based on Martha’s experience, the female residents of the road will be all over you like a rash before you’ve even finished unpacking.  Or they’ll be exchanging snippets of information about you and your family in the Pine Road WhatsApp group.  As one of the characters remarks, ‘Pine Road makes the Spanish Inquisition look like an amateur operation’.

Speaking of which, the sections showing the messages exchanged between group members were a lot of fun to read with some real laugh out loud moments.  For example, when the subject matter of the “groundbreaking” newspaper column by Bernie, self-appointed matriarch of Pine Road, is revealed. Or the discussion about the precise specifications for an item to be procured for a planned street party which includes the instruction to ‘avoid gender specific shades’ of wrapping paper.  And who knew that arguments over parking could illicit comparisons with the Middle East conflict.

Before long it becomes clear that amongst the residents of Pine Road it’s not so much three little truths as a plethora of big lies, some of a more serious nature than others.

Of the three main characters, Martha’s story was the one I found most compelling and it was her I found myself rooting for as more about her family’s experiences before moving to Pine Road is revealed.  The author cleverly found a way to give the reader a direct insight into Martha’s thoughts and feelings about an event which was clearly traumatic for both her and her family, and has left her confused and uncertain about how to deal with it.

And this is where I began to have some reservations about the book. Although I enjoyed the humour, it made me slightly uneasy to be laughing at WhatsApp messages about stolen newspapers one minute and the next experiencing Martha’s obvious mental anguish or witnessing the curve balls life can throw for other residents.

Having said that, although I’d never want to live there, I did enjoy being introduced to the residents of Pine Road. ‘A curved row of twenty-one houses. Stacks of red bricks divided by iron gates. A collection of lives where the only automatic connection was a postcode. A place where families explanded, imploded and renewed. A place where people lived in company, alone and often, if they lasted long enough, both.’ 

I received an advance review copy courtesy of Atlantic Books and Readers First.

In three words: Witty, amiable, engaging

Try something similar: The Secrets of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll

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EithneShortallAbout the Author

Eithne Shortall studied journalism at Dublin City University and has lived in London, France and America. Now based in Dublin, she is chief arts writer for the Sunday Times Ireland. Her debut novel, Love in Row 27, published in 2017, was a major Irish bestseller, and her second novel, Grace After Henry, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards and won Best Page Turner at the UK’s Big Book Awards. (Bio/photo credit: Publisher author page)

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#BookReview The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan

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The Fair BotanistsAbout the Book

Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

It’s the summer of 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumours of King George IV’s impending visit. In botanical circles, however, a different kind of excitement has gripped the city. In the newly-installed Botanic Garden, the Agave Americana plant looks set to flower – an event that only occurs once every few decades.

When newly widowed Elizabeth arrives in Edinburgh to live with her late husband’s aunt Clementina, she’s determined to put her unhappy past in London behind her. As she settles into her new home, she becomes fascinated by the beautiful Botanic Garden which borders the grand house and offers her services as an artist to record the rare plant’s impending bloom. In this pursuit, she meets Belle Brodie, a vivacious young woman with a passion for botany and the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation.

Belle is determined to keep both her real identity and the reason for her interest the Garden secret from her new friend. But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don’t last long in this Enlightenment city . . .

And when they are revealed, they can carry the greatest of consequences.

Format: eARC (384 pages)              Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: 5th August 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find The Fair Botanists on Goodreads

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My Review

The Fair Botanists transports the reader to 19th century Edinburgh, a city divided into rich and poor areas, and undergoing rapid development with new housing springing up on land formerly given over to farming.

Of the main protagonists, Belle Brodie was my favourite character. Independent minded and ambitious, she is prepared to pursue a life of pleasure without concern for social conventions. Using the knowledge she possesses that others would not want made public, she determinedly pursues her aim of developing a scent that she hopes many will pay a fortune to possess.

Initially Elizabeth comes across as quite a passive character, although the more I learned of her past experiences the more sympathy I felt towards her. I found her kindness towards her late husband’s cousin, the eccentric Lady Clementina, very touching.

Alongside the fictional characters there are references to, or appearances by, real life figures. Some of these are fleeting, such as Lady Henrietta Liston who over afternoon tea with Belle and Elizabeth christens the three of them the fair botanists of the title. Famous author, Sir Walter Scott, has more of the spotlight, entrusted with organizing the itinerary for the King’s visit to Edinburgh. The author’s detailed historical note explains more about the mix of fictional and real characters, and the background to their inclusion in the story.

The book is clearly the product of extensive research but, at times, it felt as if the author wanted to cram in everything, with multiple storylines and an extensive cast of characters. As a result, although The Fair Botanists had some fascinating elements, the book didn’t quite capture my imagination in the way I’d hoped. However, I am sure others will adore it.

I received an advance review copy courtesy of Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley.

In three words: Fascinating, well-researched, detailed

Try something similar: The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

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About the Author

Sara Sheridan is a writer and activist who is interested particularly in female history. She has written more than 20 books.Sara Sheridan
Truth or Dare, her first novel received a Scottish Library Award and was shortlisted for the Saltire. Her novel On Starlit Seas, was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Prize in 2017. An occasional journalist, Sara has reported for BBC Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent and on ‘being a lady’ for Women’s Hour. In 2019 Sara re mapped Scotland according to women’s history for Historic Environment Scotland – the resulting book Where are the Women was listed as one of the David Hume Institute’s Books of the year 2019. In it, she imagined several monuments to the witches.

Sara mentors fledgling writers for the Scottish Book Trust and has sat on the board of several writers’ organisations. In 2015, Sophie McKay Knight’s portrait of Sara garnered media and critical attention at the National Gallery of Scotland. (Photo credit: Goodreads/Bio credit: Author website)

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