Tag: Reading Challenges

My Week in Books – 22nd July ’18

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MyWeekinBooks

New arrivals  

The PromiseThe Promise by Michelle Vernal (ebook, review copy courtesy of Rachel’s Random Resources)

Two women from different generations brought together by another’s wrongdoing.

When British backpacker, Isabel Stark happens across a car accident on a lonely stretch of road in the South Island of New Zealand her life changes forever. The sole passenger, Ginny Havelock asks her to make a promise before she passes away – to find Constance and to say she’s sorry. Isabel’s a lost soul who’s been drifting through life unsure of where she fits, and the promise she made in New Zealand haunts her upon her return to the United Kingdom. Her only clue as to finding Constance lies within a conversation held at Ginny’s funeral. It takes her to the Isle of Wight.

In the 1940’s sixteen-year-old Constance’s life on her island is sheltered until the death of her brother; Ted brings the reality of war crashing down around her. He leaves behind his pregnant young widow Ginny. When Constance meets a handsome Canadian airforce man, she’s eager to escape her grief and be swept up by first love. It’s a love which has ramifications she could never envisage.

When Isabel and Constance’s paths finally cross will Ginny’s last words be enough for Constance to make peace with her past? And in fulfilling her promise will Isabel find a place she can call home?

The ExperimentalistThe Experimentalist by Nick Salaman (paperback, review copy courtesy of The Dome Press)

Marie is a child with a dark past – a secret family history that her guardian protects her from. She’s not sure what the dark secret is: was her father a criminal, a Nazi, both?

Unpleasant lawyer Brickville seems to hold all the cards, until she meets a kindly American, Felix Middleburg. When her life takes a turn for the worse, he steps in to look after her. But he knows more about her her than he should and exercises a control she finds oppressive.

Where does his wealth come from? What has happened to her family? Who, in fact, is Marie? And can she ever escape her protectors?

Island on FireIsland on Fire by Sophie Schiller (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)

In the lush, tropical world of Martinique where slavery is a distant memory and voodoo holds sway, Emilie Dujon discovers that her fiancé, a rich sugar planter, has been unfaithful. Desperate to leave him, she elicits the aid of a voodoo witch doctor and is lured into a shadowy world of black magic and extortion. When the volcano known as Mount Pelée begins to rumble and spew ash, she joins a scientific committee sent to investigate the crater. During the journey she meets Lt. Denis Rémy, an army officer with a mysterious past.

At the summit, the explorers discover that a second crater has formed and the volcano appears to be on the verge of eruption. But when they try to warn the governor, he orders them to bury the evidence for fear of upsetting the upcoming election. As the pressure builds, a deadly mudslide inundates Emilie’s plantation and she disappears. With ash and cinders raining down, chaos ensues. Left with no choice, Lt. Rémy deserts his post and sets off on a desperate quest to rescue Emilie. But with all roads blocked, can they escape the doomed city of St. Pierre before it’s too late?

The Girl From VeniceThe Girl From Venice by Martin Cruz Smith (ebook)

A World War II love story set against the romance and danger of occupied Venice.

Cenzo is a world-weary fisherman, determined to sit out the rest of the war. He’s happy to stay out of the way of the SS, quietly going about his business of fishing in the lagoons of northern Italy. Then one night, instead of pulling in his usual haul, Cenzo fishes a young woman out of the canal. Guilia is an Italian Jew who has managed to escape capture and is determined to find her family. This meeting results in them both taking an entirely unexpected journey, and Cenzo suddenly finds himself thrown headlong into the world of international wartime politics, where everyone has their own agenda and nowhere is safe…

The Ashes of LondonThe Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor (ebook)

A CITY IN FLAMES

London, 1666. As the Great Fire consumes everything in its path, the body of a man is found in the ruins of St Paul’s Cathedral – stabbed in the neck, thumbs tied behind his back.

A WOMAN ON THE RUN

The son of a traitor, James Marwood is forced to hunt the killer through the city’s devastated streets. There he encounters a determined young woman, who will stop at nothing to secure her freedom.

A KILLER SEEKING REVENGE

When a second murder victim is discovered in the Fleet Ditch, Marwood is drawn into the political and religious intrigue of Westminster – and across the path of a killer with nothing to lose…

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I published my reviews of The Road to Newgate by Kate Braithwaite, a historical novel set in 17th century London, and Song by Michelle Jana Chan, the story of a Chinese boy who travels to Guiana to make his fortune.

Tuesday – I joined the blog tour for The Emperor of Shoes by Spencer Wise sharing my review of this thought-provoking novel set in a shoe factory in China.    For Top Ten Tuesday I shared a list of ten recommended novellas and short story collections.

Wednesday – WWW Wednesday is the opportunity to share what I’ve just finished reading, what I’m reading now and what I’ll be reading next.   I also hosted a stop on the blog tour for Betty Church and the Suffolk Vampire, the first in a new series of historical mysteries by M. R. C. Kasasian.

Thursday – For Throwback Thursday I revisited my review of literary thriller, The Good Father by S. R. Wilsher.  I also shared the list of books I hope to read as part of the ARC August Reading Challenge 2018.

Friday – My Fact in Fiction Friday post brought together five of the fascinating facts I’ve learned from the novels I’ve read this week.

Sunday – I published my review of Hold by Michael Donkor, a character-driven story that transports the reader from Ghana to London and back again.

Challenge updates

  • Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge – 107 out of 156 books read, 5 more than last week
  • Classics Club Challenge – 16 out of 50 books read, same as last week
  • NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2018 (Gold) – 38 ARCs read and reviewed out of 50, 2 more than last week
  • From Page to Screen– 11 book/film comparisons out of 15 completed, same as last week
  • 2018 TBR Pile Challenge – 5 out of 12 books read, same as last week
  • When Are You Reading? Challenge 2018 – 7 out of 12 books read, same as last week
  • What’s In A Name Reading Challenge – 1 out of 6 books read, same as last week
  • Buchan of the Month – 6 out of 12 books read, same as last week
  • 20 Books of Summer Challenge – 8 out of 20 books read, 1 more than last week

Completed challenges

  • Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2018 – 50 books out of 50 read

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

 

 Planned posts

  • Blog Tour/Book Review: The Vanished Child by M. J. Lee
  • Book Review: Old Baggage by Lissa Evans
  • Blog Tour/Q&A: Blood and Ink by D. K. Marley
  • Book Review: The Secrets of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll
  • Book Review: The Story Keeper by Anna Mazzola
  • Book Review: The Assassin of Verona by Benet Brandreth
  • Blog Tour/Book Review: The Pagoda Tree by Claire Scobie
  • Blog Tour/Book Review: Smile of the Wolf by Tim Leach

Book Review: Hold by Michael Donkor

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HoldAbout the Book

‘You have to imagine. That’s how I told myself.’
‘Imagine what?’
‘Imagine that you are the kind of girl that can cope with it, even if you are not.’

Belinda knows how to follow the rules. She has learnt the right way to polish water glasses, to wash and fold a hundred handkerchiefs, and to keep a tight lid on memories of the village she left behind when she came to Kumasi to be a housegirl.  Mary is still learning the rules. Eleven years old and irrepressible, the young housegirl-in-training is the little sister Belinda never had.

Amma has had enough of the rules. A straight-A pupil at her exclusive South-London school, she has always been the pride of her Ghanaian parents. Until now. Watching their once-confident teenager grow sullen and wayward, they decide that sensible Belinda might be just the shining example Amma needs.

So Belinda is summoned from Ghana to London, to befriend a troubled girl who shows no desire for her friendship. She encounters a city as bewildering as it is exciting, and as she tries to impose order on her unsettling new world, Belinda’s phonecalls back home to Mary become a lifeline.  As the Brixton summer turns to autumn, Belinda and Amma are surprised to discover the beginnings of an unexpected kinship. But when the cracks in their defences open up, the secrets they have both been holding tight to threaten to seep out…

Format: Audiobook, hardcover, ebook (320 pp.)    Publisher: 4th Estate Books
Published: 12th July 2018                                             Genre: Literary Fiction

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

Find Hold on Goodreads

My Review

The prologue opens at the funeral of an unidentified person, lodging a question in the back of the reader’s mind as the events of earlier that year (2002) unfold in the rest of the book.

Belinda and Mary are housegirls in the home of a wealthy Ghanaians couple who, following custom, the girls refer to as ‘Aunty’ and ‘Uncle’.  (Personally, I would have liked more background about the role and employment/legal status of housegirls in Ghanaian society to help me understand better the relationship.)   Belinda and Mary indulge in gentle, good-humoured bickering as they prepare and serve food to their exacting ‘Aunty’ and ‘Uncle’ alongside other daily household duties such as cleaning, laundry and shopping.  Mary, in particular, has a quirky sense of humour and an optimistic outlook on life while Belinda, a few years Mary’s senior, is conscious of her role as advisor and guide.

Soon, the two girls are separated when Belinda is sent to London to befriend Amma, the daughter of another rich Ghanaian couple, Mrs and Mrs Otuo.  Belinda’s arrival into the confusion of the airport is conveyed in an impressionistic way. ‘A gentle voice came down in a different language.  Then another.  And then another. […] Strip lighting overhead, black arrows on yellow, corridors with moving floors.  […] Queuing.  Strip lighting overhead, black arrows on yellow, corridors with moving floors.  […] The beeping.  The thing to do next: reach the gathering at the tracks that went in a big loop.  Stooped older women stood behind concerned men.  Bored toddlers harassed teddies’ limbs. Lots of tutting at watches, followed by sighing when suitcases came through the lazy mouth.’  Admit it; you’re there with Belinda at the purgatory that is Baggage Reclaim.

On the journey to her new home, Belinda wonders at the unfamiliar sights of London. ‘…London was one big black road with cars.  The motorway gradually thinned out into smaller roads, where there were stores selling rows of plastic bodies – some naked, some clothed – frozen in the middle of dances.’ 

The author takes the reader through the trajectory of the two girls’ relationship from Amma’s initial suspicion of Belinda’s motives, expressed through a sullen refusal to communicate – ‘…the idea of a visitor itched at her.  No privacy.  Someone watching, asking questions.  Someone else to think about.’ – to Belinda’s gradual breaking down of the emotional barriers Amma has erected, guided by Mary’s sage advice in their periodic funny, chatty phone calls.  ‘My sister, if one is a quiet, you have to find clever tricks for to stop them being as that.  Sneak into her to make her chat properly.’

In fact, soon the roles seem to be reversed as Amma becomes a support to Belinda as she struggles to cope with inner demons of her own.  These promising developments are swiftly halted when a revelation by Amma conflicts with everything Belinda has been taught about right and wrong.   Soon after, a tragic event sees Belinda return to Ghana and in the final section of the book the story picks up the narrative from the prologue.

The book is liberally sprinkled with Ghanaian dialect words that had me making frequent use of the glossary.  Conversations are rendered in a distinctive style that I’m aware some reviewers of West African heritage have criticised as inauthentic.  I’m in no position to judge but I would say that, authentic or not, it did give me a clear sense that I was reading about characters whose background and ethnicity is different to my own.  On that subject, I did enjoy learning about Ghanaian culture: clothing, hairstyles, social customs, entertainment, commerce and food.

Hold is a character-driven story about female friendship, exploring your own identity – cultural, sexual, social – and finding a direction in life.  I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, 4th Estate, and NetGalley, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Absorbing, insightful, emotional

Try something similar…Gravel Heart by Abdulrazak Gurnah (read my review here)

About the Author

Michael Donkor was born in London, to Ghanaian parents. He studied English at Wadham College, Oxford, undertook a Masters in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway and now teaches English Literature to secondary school students. Many of the issues in Hold are close to his heart, and his writing won him a place on the Writers’ Centre Norwich Inspires Scheme in 2014, where he received a year’s mentoring from Daniel Hahn.

Connect with Michael

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