This is my own personal list of the books which I read in the second half of 2003. I usually read several books every month, fiction and non-fiction.  Most of the non-fiction ones fall under one of the categories of the other pages on this site, so these pages are devoted solely to fiction. 

July 2003

Cyril Abraham - The Onedin Line

Robert Onedin inherits his father's shop; his brother James wants to buy a boat; their sister Elizabeth hankers after riches and love. Apparently this is the first in a series (and it certainly became a TV series much later). I found it rather too business-oriented with a lot of detail about shipping, which didn't interest me. Nevertheless it was quite interesting in places, although I doubt if I'll read it again.

Rosamunde Pilcher - The End of Summer

Jane lives in California with her erratic father, whom she looks after. However when he brings someone new to live with them, Jane decides to accept an unexpected invitation to stay with her grandmother in Scotland, whom she has not seen for some years. There she meets her childhood sweetheart, her cousin Sinclair, but her feelings about him are uncertain. It's a well-written novel, as with all Rosamunde Pilcher's, although much shorter than her later saga novels. I felt it had rather an over-dramatic and sudden ending, and it's not one of my favourites by this author. 'Realistic and Relaxing Reading' is the title of a longer review I wrote at the Ciao site.

Rosamunde Pilcher - The Carousel

This one, on the other hand, is a lovely book! Prue goes to stay with her eccentric aunt Phoebe, who has broken her arm. On her way, she meets a ten-year-old child called Charlotte who clearly feels neglected by her parents, and is going to stay with her grandmother, in the same village that Phoebe lives in. Soon after they arrive, a now-famous artist called Daniel arrives. He's a past student of Phoebe and her late common-law husband Chips. The interactions between this unlikely set of characters and growing emotions lead to a lively plot, albeit rather beset by coincidences. I find this a very relaxing, and often moving book and wish it were longer. See 'An evocative and moving story' for a longer review of this book.

Jane Gardam - Bilgewater

Marigold, also knowns as Bilgewater, is the plain, dyslexic (but otherwise very bright) daughter of one of the housemasters in a boys' school. This book looks at her teenage years, her growing awareness of how other people live, and her honest thoughts and feelings. It's oddly written in places, but enjoyable anyway. It has a slight surprise in the epilogue, referring back to the prologue which I had almost forgotten by that stage, and this leads to the clever revealing of several neatly tied threads from the book.

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban

Yes, sometimes I read children's books for enjoyment too! This is the third in the Harry Potter series, and probably my favourite of the series so far. Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner, is on the loose - so dangerous that even the Muggle (non-wizard) world is aware of him. Harry soon learns that Sirius is looking for him, although he has no idea why. He meets dementors, the evil guards of Azkhaban (the wizard prison), plays Quidditch, and is involved in an exciting climax where a villain is unmasked, and several surprises are in store for him and his friends. An excellent book, and I look forward to the film! 'Yet more surprises for us all' is the title of my longer review of this book, written for the Ciao site.

Noel Streatfeild - The Painted Garden

Even more relaxing than Harry Potter, Noel Streatfeild was one of my favourite authors as a child, and I still enjoy her books. Rachel, Jane and Tim are a typical Streatfeild family: Rachel is a gifted ballet dancer, Tim an extremely talented musician, Jane the irritable un-artistic middle child. Their fatehr has been ill, and the family have the chance to spend the winter with his sister in California. When they get there, it's Jane who is offered a remarkable opportunity. Family dynamics push this book forwards: it's a lovely, gentle read with humour and moving moments as well as some excitement. All the family mature and develop in their months away, and there's a satisfying conclusion for them all.

Maeve Binchy - Silver Wedding

Desmond and Deirdre will shortly celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and their daughter Anna knows it's up to her to organise something. Teh book starts with her chapter, then cycles round the other family members, and friends, introducing new subplots and revelations, while moving towards the culmination of the Silver Wedding party. An enjoyable book with a pleasant ending.

Georgette Heyer - Charity Girl

Viscount Desford sees Cherry, ward of the arrogant Lady Bugle, and - feeling sorry for her - befriends her. Before long he is involved in a chase around the country searching for her grandfather, and has involved his old friend Hetta and her mother in looking after Cherry. Fast-moving, with humour and action, and the usual clever and satisfying conclusion we expect from Georgette Heyer. I've read this at least twice before and enjoy it just as much on re-reading.

Janette Oke - The Tender Years

This book is set in the West Coast of the USA, about 100 years ago. Virginia is thirteen, confused about life and peer pressure, frustrated with her upright, godly family - and yet not wanting to upset them. Her friend Jenny seems to go looking for trouble, and Virginia is torn between her beliefs and her longing to please Jenny. A tragic accident changes everything; Virginia begins to grow up, learning about love and loyalty, and helping to solve a crime. A pleasant book, one which I'd read before, and which is really intended for teenagers. The author is Christian, but her beliefs are fairly low-key in the book.

JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

This is the first, and shortest of JK Rowling's famous books - and a pleasant read for a hot summer's day! Harry is bullied by his aunt and uncle, who look after him. He believes his parents died in a car crash when he was a baby. Then on his 11th birthday he meets Hagrid, a giant who is gamekeeper at Hogwarts School. Hagrid tells Harry who he really is, and how his parents actually died. Then he shows him the money he's been left, and introduces him to Diagon Alley, the hidden part of London where magical books and other equipment can be bought. Harry makes friends and gets used to the idea of being not just a wizard, but one which almost everybody knows about. The book ends with a climactic battle which Harry wins (inevitably), learning a little more about himself afterwards. I first read this book several years ago, before they had become internationally famous, and thought it well-written and enjoyable, similar to Roald Dahl, but with more humour and less caricatured people, other than Harry's relatives.

August 2003

Jane Austen - Sense and Sensibility

The story of two sisters, set in the late 18th century. Elinor is quiet and sensible, rarely expressing her emotions, while Marianne is much more effusive, talkative, and easily hurt. both fall in love, and both experience rejection from the men they would like to marry. Eventually 'sense' - in this instance - is shown to lead to greater happiness than 'sensibility', although it's done in a gentle way, and without the overt criticism of Marianne's passions that might be expected of a novel in this era. There's rather a lot of detail, in the style of the period and a little moralising, but there's also a great deal of ironic humour, and some delightful cameos exposing some of the worst traits of caricatured minor characters. Not my favourite of Jane Austen's books, but I enjoyed it more reading it for perhaps the third time, and it certainly gives a good picture of life amongst the impoverished gentry of the time. I wrote a longer review of this book entitled 'A classic with great ironic humour' at the Ciao site.

Barbara Taylor Bradford - Angel

Four high-powered friends feature in this exciting book, which has some surprises and a shocking climax before a tidy, happy ending. Unfortunately it's padded with a lot of detail about the past lives of all the characters, which in my view was boring and unnecessary. The main characters are rich and famous, yet sympathetic and likeable - but somehow too flat to relate to as truly believable.

 

September 2003

Anya Seton - The Hearth and the Eagle

This novel opens with Hesper, a young girl in about 1850, wh is scared by a major thunderstorm raging around her mother's taproom in New England, USA. She comforts her almost senile grandmother, and sees her dreamy, literary father Roger once again upsetting her hardworking, practical mother Susan. Tragedy strikes the family, and as Hesper weeps, the book flashes back to 1630 and their ancestors, Mark and Phebe, who first sailed out from the UK to start a new life in the West. After another chapter, the book moves forward to see Hesper as a young woman, and the rest of the book shows her growing up, falling in love, suffering loss, and eventually finding contentment. There are good word pictures of the life of the times, and sympathetically drawn characters. I felt Susan's frustration with Roger through Hesper's growing awareness of his limiations, and her mother's good traits. A believable book with some drama and excitement, though not so gripping that I couldn't put it down.

Anne Tyler - Saint Maybe

Ian is the youngest of three siblings in an apparently very ordinary American family, who always look on the bright side of everything. At eighteen, he suddenly feels the need to tell his older brother that he thinks his wife is cheating on him - with disastrous results. Ian is forced to grow up rapidly, has to quit college, and takes on a great deal of responsibility for his family. He feels horribly guilty about what he said to his brother, and almost by chance joins a rather odd church, which gives him a focus for his life, and suggestions for trying to atone. As ever, Anne Tyler creates believable people, in particular Ian who shows great maturity as he begins to learn more about adult life.

Joanna Trollope - A Spanish Lover

Lizzie and Frances are twins, close and yet quite different in personality. Lizzie is domesticated, organised, and settled with a husband and children. Frances is single, and runs a travel business. In her travels, she meets and falls in love with a Spaniard. As Lizzie's secure life starts to develop problems due to the recession, Frances begins to consider long-term security and settling down. As the balance is upset, Lizzie becomes quite disturbed and the twins' closeness is threatened. There are good characters in addition to the two main ones: Alistair, a nerdy teenager; Harriet, a moody teenager, and other children. A crisis develops, a little ironically, when Frances decides not to come and stay for Christmas. The ending is encouraging and the book believable and enjoyable.

Agatha Christie - Elephants can Remember

A Poirot mystery rather spoiled (in my view) by lengthy and irrelevant ramblings. Ariadne Oliver, the crime writer, is approached by a stranger and asked about the death of two old friends, some years previously. She decides to investigate, and talks to her old friend Poirot. The couple who died were supposed to have had a suicide pact, and their daughter Celia was Ms Oliver's godddaughter. There was a suspicion of insanity in the family, as Celia's mother had a twin sister who had a nervous breakdown. The plot is clever, with an unexpected ending, but very rambly and long-winded in places, as Ariadne Oliver interviews several 'elephants' - people who haven't forgotten what happened many years previously, and who want to tell her every detail!

Elinor M Brent-Dyer - Eustacia goes to the Chalet School

This book is set in the early 1940s. Eustacia Benson is the daugher of a very clever professor, and is sent to the Chalet School in Austria after he dies. She considers herself rather superior to everyone else in the school, and this leads inevitably to some clashes. Unfortunately Eustacia decides to run away, but plans her escape just before a major rainstorm. What happens afterwards transforms her life amid a great deal of pain. This is one of the earlier books in the lengthy series, and while there's an obviously moralistic agenda, it's not too overt, and the book is fast-paced with plenty of believable interactions between the various characters. A pleasant light read for a Summer day.

Elinor M Brent-Dyer - The Chalet School and Jo

Jo Bettany has to be head girl of the Chalet School, although she doesn't want to. However she accepts the position and makes the best of it. Robin, her ten-year-old adopted sister, is very frail, and the family is afraid that she might develop TB, which killed Robin's mother. Juliet, an older friend, is snubbed by the sister of the man she loves, and the middle school girls find an orphan urchin called Biddy O'Ryan, whom they adopt. The school goes to Oberammergau to see the Passion Play. I read the Armada (abridged) version of this book, and although it was interesting, and Jo's increased responsibity and maturity is well-written, it seemed rather a bitty book, made up of incidents rather than an over-riding plot. I read the hardback version many years ago and can't remember if it was any better.

Elinor M Brent-Dyer - The Chalet School in Exile

This, by contrast, is a moving and very exciting book. Naziism threatens Austria, and the authorities decide that the Chalet School must leave for the UK. A 'peace league' is signed, and a few girls go on a picnic to hide it. Unfortunately they're followed by a small boy who greets them with 'Heil Hitler', so they realise he may be a spy. Robin and Hilary are separated from the rest of the party, and Jo is frantic - collapsing eventually in the arms of Jack Maynard, a young doctor who works at the Sanatorium connected with the school. An incident with an old Jewish watchmaker forces Jo, Jack, Robin and some others to become refugees; there is an exciting escape while the school closes and is eventually re-established in Guernsey. Jo not only matures and grows up rapidly, she produces several sensations that startle her family and friends. This is one of my favourites of all the Chalet School books, and gives a good background to the terror that was felt by ordinary people as Nazi Germany gradually took over more and more of Europe. I read the hardback version of this which is fuller than the Armada paperback.

Apostolos Doxiades - Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture

The aged Uncle Petros lives alone and is considered a failure by his family. His nephew is intrigued, and finds out that his uncle is brilliant at chess, and was a great professor in number theory. He spent much of his life trying to solve the famous Goldbach's Conjecture: the theory that every even number can be expressed as the sum of two prime numbers. The nephew forces his uncle out of his lethargy, after being put off maths himself by his uncle. This book is claimed to make complex maths accessible to ordinary people, but I didn't find the book all that exciting, although it was mostly well-written and the characters made it interesting. The conclusion is very much an anti-climax, and makes the book seem a little pointless in my view.

Elinor M Brent-Dyer - The Highland Twins at the Chalet School

Another very moving book in the Chalet School series. Jo is now happily married with children of her own. Flora and Fiona, ten-year-old twins, go to stay with Jo in her huge house in Guernsey, after their house in one of the Highland islands is taken over by the admiralty for war use. They make friends and settle down despite a very sheltered upbringing prior to this. Excitement happens when an important chart they're looking after is talked about - and the enemy try to get hold of it. Fiona has 'second sight' - she knows when one of her relatives dies, and then is able to bring comfort to Jo when it seems that she will suffer tragedy. There are light-hearted moments as well as deeply emotional sections of this book (which I read in hardback) and it's unquestionably one of my favourites in the series.

Elinor M Brent-Dyer - Lavender Laughs at the Chalet School

Another book I read in hardback - the Armada shortened version is called 'Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School'. Lavender is a rather spoilt girl who has travelled around the world with her aunt, a children's writer who produces travel guides in the series, 'Lavender Laughs...'. Lavender thinks highly of herself, but has had a very sketchy education - so she is enrolled in the Chalet School. She clashes with some of the girls in the school, but eventually makes friends as well as some enemies. In a way this book isn't all that different from 'Eustacia goes to the Chalet School' plot-wise; Lavender has an accident, and although it's not as dramatic as Eustacia's, and doesn't such a long-lasting physical effect, it's the catalyst that turns her into a nicer person.

Elinor M Brent-Dyer - Gay from China at the Chalet School

Jacynth, alone in the world but for her aunt, goes to the Chalet School and befriends Gay Lambert, partly through their shared love of music. Gay decides to teach Jacynth the cello, since Jacynth's aunt can't afford any extras. Meanwhile the two school Heads, adn two other staff are involved in a nasty road accident, and the unpleasant Miss Bubb is appoitned as temporary Headmistress of the school. Madge Russell, the owner of the school, can't be involved much since her five-year-old daughter Josette has had a life-threatening scald when a kettle of boiling water tipped over her. Miss Bubb effectively forces Gay to run away - however all ends well, although the school gets german measles, and Jacynth goes through a very difficult time. This book is moving in places, and is well-plotted, with several subplots running together nicely. Once again, though, I read it in hardback - the abridged version may not be so good.

October 2003

Maeve Binchy - Quentins

The story of Ella Brady, intertwined with the story of Quentin's Restaurant, set in Ireland. Ella is vry likeable, and falls in love with a smooth charmer who turns out (not surprisingly) to be a swindler. As Ella pulls her life back together, she gets involved with a proposed documentary about Quentin's. Little snapshot cameos follow, and Ella takes a trip to New York. A pleasant book, with a few 'guest appearances' from characters in previous books - which could be confusing to anyone who hasn't read them first. A satisfactory ending. I wrote a much longer review of this book at the Ciao site, entitled 'Easy and Enjoyable'.

 

November 2003

LM Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to Matthew and Marilla Cutherbert, an elderly brother and sister who wanted a strong boy to help them with their chores. Despite Anne's being a chatterbox who nearly drives Marilla wild at times, and makes a lot of mistakes, she soon endears herself to both of them, and makes friends locally. She's full of imagination and grand ideas, but often not very practical. The book charts her teenage years, and is very moving in places - excellent for all ages, and the first of eight books about Anne. For a much longer review, you can see one I wrote at Ciao called 'Anne the Imaginative Orphan'.

Gervase Phinn - The Other Side of the Dale

Gervase Phinn, who narrates this book in the first person, is appointed School Inspector for English in the Yorkshire Dales. He recounts his initial interview, the way he settles in, and several interesting incidents as he travels around visiting local schools, and often learning a great deal from both teachers and children. It's a very well-written book with a humorous eye for detail, and I found each chapter enjoyable. It was also nice to see the human - often humble - side to a school inspector. But somehow it felt like collected short stories rather than a novel, and as such I didn't find it really compared with the James Herriot books, although it's advertised as doing so. I wrote a longer review called 'School Inspectors are human!' which you can read at Ciao for more about this book.

 

December 2003

Charlotte Bingham - The Moon at Midnight

This book involves a rather large number of characters - so many that a family tree is printed at the beginning! It takes place in the 1960s in the fishing port of Bexham. The initial chapter is a bit confusing, introducing as it does just about every family in the book, and showing some discord which isn't entirely due to the Cuban crisis threatening the world at the time. Shortly after the crisis is over, some teenagers take part in a silly stunt which has disastrous consequences, and changes all their lives. One is sent to the USA, one to Ireland, and the third remains in Bexham trying to come to terms with some serious injuries. The community is divided over its reactions to this incident, but eventually becomes united again as the teenagers grow up, and the village is threatened by redevelopment. I found it quite readable and was certainly interested to know what happened, but would have preferred a gentler introduction to the cast! I've written a more thorough review of this book at Ciao, which you can find under the title 'Bingham on Bexham'.

Alexandra Raife - Sun on Snow

Kate, newly pregnant and rejected by her family, goes to stay at Allt Farr, a rambling - and often uncomfortable - old house in Scotland. There she meets 'Grannie', an irascible and arthritic old lady, Harriet - a busy, and sometimes confused spinster, Joanna who is always willing to help but concealing deep hurt in her past, and Max, their brother, who attempts to look after them all. Kate makes a lot of mistakes but her gentle, self-effacing character is the catalyst for many changes before a dramatic climax and somewhat inevitable happy ending, neatly tying up several threads. Not quite my favourite Alexandra Raife, but nonetheless a good and enjoyable read. See 'A Scottish Saga' for a longer review I wrote of this book.

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