And now to BOOK 20!!! YAY ME!!!! This years challenge has been an absolute blast to take part in and I’m really glad I chose to do my own twist on it with the LITTLE and LARGE element – even if I didn’t stick totally to the original list!! It made for some fun discoveries of books I’d not normally have considered and gave me a really big push to pick up those chunksters of books that often get left behind! Thanks as always to Cathy at 746 Books for hosting such a wonderful challenge…. roll on 2020!!
And what a book to finish off with!! At 998 pages long I think it probably could have counted for the last 5 books of my total! With it being so big it took me much longer to read as I had to keep putting it down to digest the goings on (so.many.words!!!) but the challenge kept me coming back for more!!
Latticing one cherry pie after another, an Ohio housewife tries to bridge the gaps between reality and the torrent of meaningless info that is the United States of America. She worries about her children, her dead parents, African elephants, the bedroom rituals of ‘happy couples’, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and how to hatch an abandoned wood pigeon egg. Is there some trick to surviving survivalists? School shootings? Medical debts? Franks ‘n’ beans? A scorching indictment of America’s barbarity, past and present, and a lament for the way we are sleepwalking into environmental disaster, Ducks, Newburyport is a heresy, a wonder – and a revolution in the novel.
Extraordinary! That’s the simplest way I can think of to describe my time with this book! And at 998 pages long it’s not going to be one of those books you race through – not that you’d want to!
I think the author has achieved an amazing thing with this book – once you get your head round the style in which it is written, the lack of chapters/pauses…. the places you normally get to catch your breath! I found myself having to stop every now and then to take in what I’d read and then come back to it later as all those words took their toll!
It’s a book of information overload – the thoughts of a mother in America and how they take over your mind. How you think of one thing and a million other things race into your head – well, they’re all written down here so you’re left in no doubt as to how she views the world around her, the beauty, the brutality, the inane, the injustices, the horror, the humour – and everything in between. I’d find myself laughing loudly one minute at a thought she’d have, and then close to tears the next as she’d recollect events from the news or her past.
It’s often very bleak and full on but that reflects perfectly the world we live in now – it’s 24/7 and there is no escape. We’re bombarded with thoughts, news and how do we process it all? It plays on our minds constantly, building up fear, resentment, anger…..
Cleverly mixed in with the story is a side tale of a Lioness taking care of her cubs and this was beautifully written and observed, and brilliantly worked into the world created.
It all builds so ingeniously and I slowed down my pace even more reading the final few pages so that I could spend just a little bit more time in the head of this woman. This isn’t going to be for everyone because of the length of the book and the writing style, but I’m very happy to have experienced this clever and stunning book.
Heartbreaking, Humorous, Emotional and Endearing….. genius!!
And to book 19 of the #20BooksOfSummer. This had been sitting on my shelves for a while after I’d been sent a signed copy by the lovely Susanna Bavin, and at 477 pages long it was perfect for the long part of my reading challenge! And what a mighty fine story it was too! Loved it!!
ABOUT THE BOOK
After losing her family in the Great War, Nell is grateful to marry Stan Hibbert, believing she can recapture a sense of family with him. But five years on, she is just another back-street housewife, making every penny do the work of tuppence and performing miracles with scrag-end. When she discovers that Stan is leading a double-life, she runs away to make a fresh start.
Two years later, in 1924, Nell has carved out a fulfilling new life for herself and her young children in Manchester, where her neighbors believe she is a respectable widow and a talented machinist. But the past is hard to run from, and Nell must fight to protect the life she has made for herself and her children.
PUBLISHED BY Allison & Busby
MY REVIEW
I’m a recent convert to the genre of Sagas and if they’re all going to be this good then I’m glad to have finally started reading them! I found this to be such an enthralling read that I had to read it in one sitting and have taken the character of Nell to my heart as she had to put up with so much heartache but still found the strength to pick herself up and carry on.
Nell had faced heartbreak in her past – she lost her family in the Great War so was facing the world alone, until a soldier, Stan, walked into her life and seemingly was her knight in shining armour. She finds married life hard, with long hours working, trying to raise her son too while Stan seemed more interested in the opening hours of the pub. By chance she finds out the truth about Stan and his other family, so she does what is best for her and her son and runs away to Manchester to start over.
Life isn’t much easier up there but she soon finds somewhere to live, a lovely woman called Leonie takes her in and treats her like her own daughter, and Nell works her fingers to the bone as a machinist as she now has 2 children to provide for. All those who know her now think she’s widowed and admire her for her ability to stay so strong. All doesn’t run smoothly though in her new home as Leonies’ son in law doesnt’ seem to like the influence Nell has over his mother in law – being nice to someone seems alien to him and the more you find out about him and how he treats his own family, the more it made my blood boil!!
As she creates a new life for herself, she never shirks the hard work and also turns into a bit of a heroine but that notoriety may soon become her downfall as the press attention brings back her past and to see how women were treated, even in the court system, at that time was appalling and quite an eye opener. With the help of her new friends you always find yourself cheering her on in her battles but always fearful that the attitudes of the time would go against her.
There were some vile characters in this book that were brilliantly described, and the character of Posy was just a delight – the author really captured the children in this so well! Naive in many situations, but wise beyond their years in others and their storylines really added extra depth to this story of triumph over adversity.
Time for the rundown to the completion of this fabulous challenge! This was book 18 and, yet again!, not on my original list but I picked this one up as I was in need of a quick read – it’s only 156 pages long – and it also is the September choice for the GoodReads book club I’m part of so I’m getting ahead of myself already!
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the din and stink that is Cannery Row a colourful bend of misfits – gamblers, whores, drunks, bums, and artists – survive side by side in a jumble of adventure and mischief. Lee Chong, the astute owner of the fantastically well-stocked grocery store, is also the proprietor of the Palace Flophouse that Mack and his troupe of good-natured ‘boys’ call home. Dora, of the flaming orange hair and taste for Nile green dresses, runs the brothel with clockwork efficiency. Doc, who owns the laboratory, is the fount of all generosity and wisdom. Everybody wants to do something nice for Doc: the trouble is, he always ends up paying.
Packed with invention and joie de vivre, Cannery Row is Steinbeck’s high-spirited tribute to his native California.
MY REVIEW
My first John Steinbeck and not going to be my last! I was a little unsure what was ahead of me when I started this and did struggle with the first few pages, but I soon took the characters to heart, especially Doc and Frankie, and I loved seeing how things were going to pan out between this wonderful mix of outsider characters, and their quest to throw a party!
I loved the comings and going on Cannery Row – it really helped set the scene as these outcasts of society came together in their own world, none more so than Doc who the others adored as he was always there to help out. But as a man himself he was happy to dance his own tune, stay out of the ‘normal’ and was totally wrapped up in his work and helping others.
This was only a short novel but it really packed a punch and I could happily have read more as the characters lended themselves to so many storylines and avenues to explore!
And now for a review of Book 17 – it’s been a good bank holiday reading weekend for me and my 20 Books of Summer list! Except this was another one of those not on my original list haha!! I won a lovely proof copy from the bods at MYVLF and as Jenny Colgan is one of my favourites I just couldn’t leave this on the shelves for too long!
ABOUT THE BOOK
A grand baronial house on Loch Ness, a quirky small-town bookseller, and a single mom looking for a fresh start all come together in this witty and warm-hearted novel by New York Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan.
Desperate to escape from London, single mother Zoe wants to build a new life for herself and her son Hari. She can barely afford the crammed studio apartment on a busy street where honking horns and shouting football fans keep them awake all night. If she doesn’t find a way out soon, Zoe knows it’s just a matter of time before she has a complete meltdown. On a whim, she answers an ad for a nanny job in the Scottish Highlands, which is about as far away from the urban crush of London as possible. It sounds heavenly!
The job description asks for someone capable of caring for three “gifted children”, two of which behave feral wolverines. The children’s widowed father is a wreck, and the kids run wild in a huge tumbledown castle on the heather-strewn banks of Loch Ness. Still, the peaceful, picturesque location is everything London is not—and Zoe rises to the challenges of the job.
With the help of Nina, the friendly local bookseller, Zoe begins to put down roots in the community. Are books, fresh air, and kindness enough to heal this broken family—and her own…?
I adore Jenny Colgan and I adored her latest book that gave me all the feels and more!!
This is the story of Zoe who is a single mum doing all she can for the sake of her little boy, Hari. Life is tough and even tougher when Hari has never uttered a single word but nobody can work out why he’s suffering so badly with this social anxiety disorder. She soon finds herself being priced out of her flat in London and is running low on options for what to do next.
Desperate times call for desperate measures and she and Hari soon find themselves heading to Scotland to help run a local bookshop, as well as being nanny to 3 children while their father is often away travelling for work. The home they move into ‘The Beeches’ is a large mansion but very run down and very low on love – it’s just filled with children who have been left pretty much to their own devices so their reaction to Nanny Number Seven leads to some very interesting and humorous experiences!
I really empathized with Zoe – it was clear how much she loved Hari and she just wanted the best for him but often felt powerless to break him out of his silence. And the mix of her 3 new charges was also so fascinating – she clearly felt sorry for them having no routine or structure but finding the balance to get them onside was a frustrating process for her.
This book was also not afraid to approach some darker subjects around childcare, grief and anxiety and it all really struck a chord with the times we are living in now. Zoe had her own doubts over making the move and how it would impact on Hari and it was so heartwarming to see bonds that he made as he began to settle into country life. I just wanted to give him a big hug!!
Add in to the mix her new boss Nina and her worries over her pregnancy, Ramsay – the father of the 3 children and owner of The Beeches and his reluctance in letting go of the past, and issues with Jaz, her ex – it just made for such an entertaining and fabulous read that I couldn’t put it down once I’d started. Just wonderful!!
Back again! Time for me to review Book 16 – and guess what?!! another one that wasn’t on my original list! But it was Cosy Reading Night over the weekend and this one just spoke to me with its’ lovely gold cover and was around 200 pages so perfect for an evening of reading and scoffing of chocolate!!
‘Equal parts beauty and horror, and unlike anything you will read this year’ TEA OBREHT
‘Seethingly assured debut fuses magical realism with critical and feminist theory’ GUARDIAN
ABOUT THE BOOK In house in a wood, Ada and her father live peacefully, tending to their garden and the wildlife in it. They are not human though. Ada was made by her father from the Ground, a unique patch of earth with birthing and healing properties. Though perhaps he didn’t get her quite right. They spend their days healing the local human folk – named Cures – who visit them, suspiciously, with their ailments.
When Ada embarks on a relationship with a local Cure named Samson, and is forced to choose between her old life with her father, and a new one with her human lover. Her decision will uproot the town – and the Ground itself – for ever.
A poised and simmering tour-de-force, FOLLOW ME TO GROUND is a sinister vision of desire and freewill, voiced in earthy prose and eviscerating detail by an astoundingly original new writer.
‘Fierce, palpable, hynoptic. A dazzling, troubling dream’ COLIN BARRETT
I found this to be a dark, strange, absorbing and extremely enjoyable read! One of those books that didn’t always work for me, but the bits that did were so captivating that I just wanted to read on!
Ada and her father live in the woods and they aren’t human. But they’re ‘tolerated’ by the humans living nearby as they have gifts that means that they can cure sickness. It’s how they get by.
Ada was made from The Ground nearby, which is a patch of earth that has birthing and healing properties – it must also be respected as it can eat you up so you do wonder just what is the meaning of this ground – a double edged sword maybe?!
This book allows you to see the complexities of a father/daughter relationship along with how those seen as outsiders are seen within the community and there’s always a fear of them despite their help when needed.
Ada grows close to one of the ‘cures’ she is treating, and when she spends more time with Samson the dynamics change with her father – is he being over protective? Or is she being blinded by the overbearing personality of Samson.
WE also get to see little thoughts on the pair from the people they’ve cured – the rumours, their experiences and this was a really interesting little side story.
As Ada grows in confidence in her own abilities she starts to think more for herself and that doesn’t always lead to the best decisions, and with Samson’s own sister showing concerns you are always wondering just who to trust in their judgement of characters.
A really interesting and twisted little story and one that I raced through and hope to re-read in the future!
Hugely delighted to be the latest stop on the fabulous blog tour for A TAPESTRY OF TREASON by ANNE O’BRIEN. My thanks to the author and publisher for letting me be part of it all!
ABOUT THE BOOK
‘Gripping’ The Times Her actions could make history – but at what price?
1399: Constance of York, Lady Despenser, proves herself more than a mere observer in the devious intrigues of her magnificently dysfunctional family, The House of York.
Surrounded by power-hungry men, including her aggressively self-centred husband Thomas and ruthless siblings Edward and Richard, Constance places herself at the heart of two treasonous plots against King Henry IV. Will it be possible for this Plantagenet family to safeguard its own political power by restoring either King Richard II to the throne, or the precarious Mortimer claimant?
Although the execution of these conspiracies will place them all in jeopardy, Constance is not deterred, even when the cost of her ambition threatens to overwhelm her. Even when it endangers her new-found happiness.
With treason, tragedy, heartbreak and betrayal, this is the story of a woman ahead of her time, fighting for herself and what she believes to be right in a world of men.
Giving voice to the forgotten women of history, this is the next brilliant historical novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Anne O’Brien.
Praise for A Tapestry of Treason
‘A wonderful novel . . . a rich, gripping, enchanting read. Anne’s vivid writing took me straight to the year 1400 and kept me wonderfully lost there throughout’ Joanna Courtney
Praise for Anne O’Brien
‘O’Brien cleverly intertwines the personal and political in this enjoyable, gripping tale’ The Times
‘O’Brien is a terrific storyteller’ Daily Telegraph
‘A gripping story of love, heartache and political intrigue’ Woman Home
‘Packed with drama, danger, romance and history … the perfect reading choice for the long winter nights’ The Press Association
The Queen of getting me more interested in history is back with another fascinating and gripping historical story that gives flesh to those names of the past that we’ve all heard so much about, but brings their stories to the fore and gives them a voice.
In this book that character is Lady Constance Despenser, who is a daughter of the influential House of York. Set in 1399 there are troubled times on the horizon surrounding the battle over taking the throne. I have to admit to knowing very little about the ins and outs of this period of history, but this book was so brilliant in explaining the power struggles, the family disputes and the lengths people were going to to make sure they were on the ‘right side’. There’s politics, plots and plenty of scandal to devour in this story and it all felt so relevant and relatable despite the complicated times they were living in! You got the feeling that many of the players were only interested in self preservation so would allign themselves strategically just to take care of themselves!
Constance is an enthralling character to follow and focus on – she’s very pragmatic, a realist but she’s very clever and very loyal to her family and that comes across forcefully in this story. In a time where women were not really heard from, she knew how to play the game, knew her role and was willing to make difficult decisions when needed. But despite her family loyalty she doesn’t appear to be that maternal, and not very emotional when it comes to matters concerning members of her family.
What I love about these type of books is the journey that the story takes you on, and that you can then do your own research afterwards to find out more about the times and characters. I loved that there were afternotes in this book that allowed you to find out what happened to certain characters along with places to visit that had connections with the time and events in this period of history.
I found this to be an intelligent, feisty and captivating historical story and I can’t wait to see what period of history and what character Anne turns her attention to next!!
★★★★★
My thanks to the author and Lily Capewell at HQ Stories for the advance reader copy in return for a fair and honest review.
It’s time for me to get my Christmas emoji’s out again as I’m delighted to be able to share yet another cracker of a cover with you courtesy of the lovely team at Ruby Fiction. I wish it could be Christmas everyday…….🎄🎅⛄
Here’s a little more info about the book to get you in the mood…
Struggling to find the perfect Christmas gift? Step into Romantic Daze …
Daisy Kirk is a sucker for a love story, which is why she opened up her gift shop – because there’s nothing that makes Daisy happier than when she’s helped a customer achieve their own ‘happily ever after’ by finding the perfect Christmas gift for their loved one. And she absolutely does not just sell ‘soppy presents and frilly pants’ as her brother’s infuriating best friend, Eli, is so fond of suggesting.
The sad fact is that whilst Daisy is helping others with their love lives, hers is non-existent. But when unusual circumstances take Daisy and Eli on a road trip from London to rural Wales, will she finally get the happily ever after to her own Christmas love story?
Daisy’s Christmas Gift Shop is published on 29th October by Ruby Fiction and will be available to purchase as an eBook on all platforms, as well as in audio.
So here it is – the wait is over…… 😍
❆❅❄
What do we think?! Hope it’s made you want to add this book to your must haves list – it’s top of mine!!
Hello! It’s hot!! So I’m indoors in the shade having a catch up with some reviews and seeing what’s been going on in my bookish world – and it’s been a busy one!! Managed to finish 5 books this week so happy with that, have managed to avoid going anywhere near Netgalley… but have managed to add 5 physical books to my shelves (one of which was a book I won!) so my hauling skills may need a little working on again!
Here’s a look back at my week…. grab yourself an ice-cream and get comfy for this one!
Another blog tour read, and a perfect piece of escapism
BOOK HAUL
The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan
Won a gorgeous proof of this from MYVLF and I’m so looking forward to reading this!
A grand baronial house on Loch Ness, a quirky small-town bookseller, and a single mom looking for a fresh start all come together in this witty and warm-hearted novel by New York Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan.
Desperate to escape from London, single mother Zoe wants to build a new life for herself and her son Hari. She can barely afford the crammed studio apartment on a busy street where honking horns and shouting football fans keep them awake all night. If she doesn’t find a way out soon, Zoe knows it’s just a matter of time before she has a complete meltdown. On a whim, she answers an ad for a nanny job in the Scottish Highlands, which is about as far away from the urban crush of London as possible. It sounds heavenly!
The job description asks for someone capable of caring for three “gifted children”, two of which behave feral wolverines. The children’s widowed father is a wreck, and the kids run wild in a huge tumbledown castle on the heather-strewn banks of Loch Ness. Still, the peaceful, picturesque location is everything London is not—and Zoe rises to the challenges of the job.
With the help of Nina, the friendly local bookseller, Zoe begins to put down roots in the community. Are books, fresh air, and kindness enough to heal this broken family—and her own…?
THE STARS NOW UNCLAIMED by DREW WILLIAMS
Having recently loved A CHAIN ACROSS THE DAWN I thought I’d read book one in the series!
In an effort to save the universe, she just might destroy it. THE STARS NOW UNCLAIMED is the incredible debut by a brilliant new voice in science fiction, perfect for everyone who loves READY PLAYER ONE, STAR WARS, MASS EFFECT or just a really huge battle…
AN IMPOSSIBLE MISSION
A century ago, a mysterious pulse of energy spread across the universe. Meant to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, it instead destroyed technology indiscriminately, leaving some worlds untouched and throwing others into total chaos.
AN UNSTOPPABLE ENEMY
The Justified, a mysterious group of super-soldiers, have spent a hundred years trying to find a way to restore order to the universe. Their greatest asset is the feared mercenary Kamali, who travels from planet to planet searching for gifted young people and bringing them to the secret world she calls home. Kamali hopes that those she rescues will be able to find a way to reverse the damage the pulse wreaked, and ensure that it never returns.
THE END OF THE UNIVERSE
But Kamali isn’t the only person looking for answers to unimaginable questions. And when her mission to rescue a grumpy teenaged girl named Esa goes off the rails, Kamali suddenly finds herself smack in the centre of an intergalactic war… that she started.
AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING
BLONDE by JOYCE CAROL OATES
In her most ambitious work to date, Joyce Carol Oates boldly reimagines the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of Norma Jeane Baker — the child, the woman, the fated celebrity and idolized blonde the world came to know as Marilyn Monroe. In a voice startlingly intimate and rich, Norma Jeane tells her own story of an emblematic American artist — intensely conflicted and driven — who had lost her way. A powerful portrait of Hollywood’s myth and an extraordinary woman’s heartbreaking reality, “Blonde” is a sweeping epic that pays tribute to the elusive magic and devastation behind the creation of the great twentieth-century American star
THE LODGER by LOUISA TREGER
The first biographical novel about Dorothy Richardson, peer of Virginia Woolf, lover of H.G. Wells, and central figure in the emergence of modernist fiction
Dorothy exists just above the poverty line, doing secretarial work at a dentist’s surgery and living in a seedy boarding house in Bloomsbury, when she is invited to spend the weekend with a childhood friend. Jane recently married a writer who is hovering on the brink of fame. His name is H.G. Wells, or Bertie as he is known to friends.
Bertie appears unremarkable at first. But then Dorothy notices his grey-blue eyes taking her in, openly signalling approval. He tells her he and Jane have an agreement which allows them the freedom to take lovers, although Dorothy is not convinced her friend is happy with this arrangement.
Not wanting to betray Jane, yet unable to draw back, Dorothy free-falls into an affair with Bertie. Then a new boarder arrives at the house—striking unconventional Veronica Leslie-Jones, determined to live life on her own terms—and Dorothy finds herself caught between Veronica and Bertie. Amidst the personal dramas and wreckage of the militant suffragette movement, Dorothy finds her voice as a writer.
The Lodger is a beautifully intimate novel that is at once an introduction to one of the most important writers of the 20th century and a compelling story of one woman tormented by unconventional desires.
THE MUSEUM OF BROKEN PROMISES by ELIZABETH BUCHAN
received a copy from Readers First
The stunning new novel from bestselling Elizabeth Buchan. The Museum of Broken Promises is a beautiful, evocative love-story and a heart-breaking exploration of some of the darkest moments in European history.
Paris, today. The Museum of Broken Promises is a place of wonder and sadness, hope and loss. Every object in the museum has been donated – a cake tin, a wedding veil, a baby’s shoe. And each represent a moment of grief or terrible betrayal. The museum is a place where people come to speak to the ghosts of the past and, sometimes, to lay them to rest. Laure, the owner and curator, has also hidden artefacts from her own painful youth amongst the objects on display.
Prague, 1985. Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Laure flees to Prague. But life behind the Iron Curtain is a complex thing: drab and grey yet charged with danger. Laure cannot begin to comprehend the dark, political currents that run beneath the surface of this communist city. Until, that is, she meets a young dissident musician. Her love for him will have terrible and unforeseen consequences. It is only years later, having created the museum, that Laure can make finally face up to her past and celebrate the passionate love which has directed her life.
And on to Book 15!! Another one not on my original list – I think this a theme now!! – but one that covers the #large element of my reading challenge at 480 pages long! Was prompted to pick this one up as the lovely author EliAllison has started a little twitter book club called #What The Fuck Book Club’ that will focus each month on weird science fiction and fantasy books so can highly recommend checking that out if it’s your thing! And if the first pick of book is anything to go by, then we’re in for some fun reads as I really enjoyed this one! What is it about a group of people in space that captures my imagination so much!!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Boots Elsworth was a famous treasure hunter in another life, but now she’s washed up. She makes her meager living faking salvage legends and selling them to the highest bidder, but this time she might have stumbled on something real–the story of the Harrow, a famous warship, capable of untold destruction.
Nilah Brio is the top driver in the Pan Galactic Racing Federation and the darling of the racing world–until she witnesses the murder of a fellow racer. Framed for the murder and on the hunt to clear her name, Nilah only has one lead: the killer also hunts a woman named Boots.
On the wrong side of the law, the two women board a smuggler’s ship that will take them on a quest for fame, for riches, and for justice.
Fun, feisty and frenetic! I think that sums this book up well! And though it’s not perfect, it still has a really interesting blend of characters fighting battles with themselves as well as those they meet along their way.
Nilah, is the race car driver who seems to be caught up in a conspiracy to frame her for the death of a fellow racer and she finds herself on the ship the Capricious against her will, alongside Boots who is a bit of a loner and fraudster – not someone you’d want to mess with! Boots also used to be part of the Capricious crew so when she finds herself amongst her old ‘friends’ that stirs up a few memories and it was really interesting to find out her back story.
Boots and Nilah are very different characters but both are flawed and it’s good to see how the dynamics of their ‘relationship’ changes over time. They all soon find themselves being chased by ‘mother’ who is hellbent on destruction, and also trying to track down The Harrow ship to get answers as to what is going on!
Full of diverse characters and strong female leads, I found there to be plenty to keep me intrigued and entertained throughout – if you liked A long Way to small angry planet, or A chain across the dawn, then this will appeal to you as well as it had all the elements of a space soap opera with a bit of magic thrown in, and I’m interested in seeing how this series pans out!
Time to play catch up with some reviews!! And yet another one that wasn’t on my original list – I really don’t know why I bothered with that! – but the mood just grabbed me to pick this up on Cosy Reading Night, and it was perfect for the #little part of my challenge at around 200 pages long and all I can say is WOW!! I adored Grief is the Thing with Feathers, but loved this even more!
ABOUT THE BOOK
There’s a village sixty miles outside London. It’s no different from many other villages in England: one pub, one church, red-brick cottages, council cottages and a few bigger houses dotted about. Voices rise up, as they might do anywhere, speaking of loving and needing and working and dying and walking the dogs.
This village belongs to the people who live in it and to the people who lived in it hundreds of years ago. It belongs to England’s mysterious past and its confounding present. But it also belongs to Dead Papa Toothwort, a figure schoolchildren used to draw green and leafy, choked by tendrils growing out of his mouth.
Dead Papa Toothwort is awake. He is listening to this twenty-first-century village, to his English symphony. He is listening, intently, for a mischievous, enchanting boy whose parents have recently made the village their home. Lanny.
What a special book! Hypnotic, weird, heartbreaking, quirky, dark, spellbinding – just a glorious reading experience.. I’m beginning to expect nothing else but these kind of stories from Max Porter.
Told from different viewpoints it’s the story of a family – a couple with a young boy who is different to the other children in the village – he seems to have his own way of dealing with the world he lives in and is happy to be amongst nature rather than in the thick of things with children his own age. His actions are overseen by the presence of Toothworth, who watches over the happenings in the village with his own narrative of how the world is changing in front of him, but with special attention given o Lanny who is his favourite. He gets him!
I loved the viewpoints of Lanny and his mother and father – they both have different outlooks on life and how to raise their child – his father is always consumed by work and his commute, his mother is a writer who suffered with depression after Lanny was born so their move to the country was them trying to live a different way. They hire a local art teacher, Pete, to teach him and there is a connection between them. When Lanny goes missing he is the first under suspicion because he’s an outsider too. Watching on as the story unravels you really get to see how the assumptions on people fall under the microscope and how perception affects the reality of the situation.
This was a beautifully written story, the use of language and the way that Toothworth listens to all the dialogue of the villagers was just wonderful and often had me laughing with the randomness of the conversations. Just brilliant!!
Books and Me! 
