Hobbies and Crafts

Tess, people in NZ have only in recent years met up with their siblings that remained in UK or went to other countries.

I knew children at primary school that were housed in an orphanage but at least they were in a good orphanage. The building was removed and I have no idea where these girls went from there, they would have been about seven or eight when they were moved on.

There are also children that led a hard life here. Some families (not all) treated the children as servants or farm hands, some never attended school which surprised me as we were all meant to have free schooling.

It is only in recent years that all this has been brought to light. I often wonder if my parents would have taken another child - I was an only child but they got married after the war was over.

At last a review of. "Throwaway Children". By Disney Costeloe. The title of the book carries with it a warning of how sad this story is.A moving story with in turn made me feel upset and angry.More so because things like this actually happened, even post WW11.

Mavis, a mother of two young children has been widowed the war. She managed to bring up Rita and Rosie, with some help from her mother, Lily, till she falls under the influence of a violent bully, and becomes pregnant by him.
This has dire consequences, for Mavis and her daughters. Domineering " Uncle Jimmy". soon has Mavis completely under his thumb, obeying his every demand, and feeling unable to protect Rita and Rosie from his cruelty.
Going for help yo "the welfare". brings the girls into the clutches of Emily Vanstone, who was jointly left a considerable amount of money, from her father for " the benefit of those in need". Emily set up a charity, - "EVER-Care, taking children to a better world and a better life". according to her brochure for the EVER-Care homes in Australia.

However, the overriding plan seemed to be " keeping the lower orders in their place", here seemed to be little or no sign of this "better world".
It was lost under downright lies, deception, cruelty, and abuse.
I couldn't work out what made Emily Vanstone tick, did she always intend on being so cruel to those under her control? She condemned those children under her "care" without hope, joy or laughter.
I do wanted the "baddies" in the story tale to get their comeuppance, and the families torn start by them to have a glimmr of hope and happiness - but don't give the plot away by saying if I got my wish.
My thoughts go out to all the families that were received such terrible treatment, and hope that for a lot of them there was light at the end of the tunnel.
The book comes too as a timely reminder not to be judgemental towards people going through difficult times and finding it difficult to cope.

A gripping story.

Truth About You -Susan Lewis

Lainey is the person that tries to keep her family together no matter
what is thrown in her way....He family are far from perfect...From a badly behaved
Daughter, a self obsessed deceitful,spoilt stepson who blames her for everything
that goes wrong in his own life and family life and a stepfather who is suffering from Alzheimer's.

Lainey has had a tempestuous relationship with her Italian mother who has kept
Many secrets about her biological father....When her mother dies and she finds a part letter which intrigues her so plans a trip to where her mother comes from and investigate her own family secrets...
I was gripped from beginning to end and have to say the ending I'd not disappoint,certainly makes me want to read more of her books

Firstly I would like to apologise for my delay :-(

Out of Focus Muriel Bolger

At the age of 13 Sandra becomes pregnant and holds the secret of who the
Father to her child is....secrets and lies are twisted within the pregnancy
and she is determined not to tell anyone her secret..
At the convent see has been scents to all communication,messages is withheld
not thorough a lack of trying on both parts...but because of such actions
Within the convent and in be known to both Sandra and her family the heartache
lives on through past and present....years go by she is married now and her husband knows about her past, she has 2 children when out of the blue her son makes contact due to his child needing bone marrow medical attention....He always thought his mother was a totally different person due to what he had been told....
Positive and negatives in this story and I did get a little peeved at the back and forth
Of the storyline too much imo....but still I enjoyed it

I couldn't get. Sleep Tight, do instead reviewed

A Bespoke Murder. By Edward Marston.

A who fun it set in WW1, I enjoyed the book on two levels, the historical context and trying to find out who committed the crimes, I have yovonfes that I didn't solve it!

The book draws on the horrible and terrifying anti- German and oftrn therefore anti- Jewish riots in England, (I hadn't previously known anything about them)following the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, people with German founding names were targeted - even those that had been in the U.K. for generations, and had family members on the front line.
Using the riots as a cover a tailor is murdered while his shop is bring ransacked by the rioters.
I found the characters to be believable, once I'd accepted how different it was in society for women in those days.

They earned either m support, sympathy and admiration, or on the other hand, my dislike and antipathy.

I don't want to hive away yo much of the story line and the ins and outs of yh plot, but I found it to be interesting, informative and challenging, would recommend.

Will look out for more E.M.'s books.
†*********************

The second book I read was. -
The Truth about. You. by Susan Lewis.

I really enjoyed this book, easy reading but griping story to. I stayed interested right up yo the end.... and beyond.
This despite guessing correctly abut a few of the "surprises" in the plot eg about Julie and also about the mystery of Laineys. probable father, quite early on in the story.
Perhaps the reader was supposed to have a have chance of working it out correctly, to
give them the feel good factor, when everything is gradually revealed.
Realised that Lainey was in a highly emotional state, do was unable to be rational about the Julia story. However, wanted to yell at her friends to make her stop and think it through, one step St a time.

Was totally prepared for the extra. Bit of good news at the end too.

However none of this spoiled my enjoyment of the story.
A good story, well told.

Ok Mersey.

Hi all.....

Will be posting later tonight if thats ok, just posting on thread and then will finish off
what I have started :-D <3

I didn't do very well this time and only read one book.

Sleep Tight

A great story, intriguing right from the beginning. I found the characters well drawn and believable,especially the way Olivia was drawn in by Robert, and enjoyed all the twists and turns. Of course, as with all good mysteries, just when you think you have worked out the solution the twist in the tail appears!
I won't say any more in case someone hasn't read the book but I shall look out for more by this author.

Greaders review The Truth about you by Susan Lewis
Loved this book, it is very well written. A story about relationships on many levels. Lainey, or Elenora is of Italian descent, born in Italy brought up in England by her mother who was Italian, mother not long died and always refused to talk about life in Italy, who Lainey’s father was etc. Lainey finds part of a letter after Mother’s death, she doesn’t know who it is from but it hints at a mystery to do with her life.
Lainey is married to Tom, fourteen years her senior, for sixteen years, having left his wife for her. They have two children, Tierney, fifteen and full of teenage hormones and Zav, eleven. Tom also has a son, Max aged 21, full of resentment at the break-up of his parent’s marriage and blaming Lainey for it. They live in the house they bought off her parents near Stroud. Lainey’s stepfather still lives there as well. Peter has dementia, he is a gentle, albeit confused, soul who loves nothing more than to spend time with his faithful Labrador, Sherman who watches over him.
It is a happy marriage, or is it? Then Lainey receives a text from someone she doesn’t know which causes her to doubt her husband, who, at the same time starts to spend time away from home, not saying where he is or who with. At the same time Lainey has booked a family trip to Italy to trace her roots. She goes, taking the children, Tom can’t. She is determined to find out who she really is.
I found the whole book spellbinding, a real page turner, she draws her characters so well, I couldn’t wait to finish it, but didn’t want to get to the end. It made me smile and, I don’t cry at many books these days but a couple of places in this story really had me near to tears. The story gets more and more intriguing as you get towards the end, more intense.
I am not going to say any more except, if you like Jodi Piccoult, she has met her match in story telling here.

review Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott

A worthy winner in my opinion and, even better, a bargain at 99p for the Kindle. This is not a book I would have chosen for myself I am sure, so I am pleased that others chose it for me.
From the first page I was gripped and for much of the book I was on the edge of my seat. I don’t think i should relate too much of the plot as it is the not knowing that makes it a page turner.
Lots of twists and turns in the life of Olivia and her three little children and her controlling and psychopathic husband Robert who is determined that she is the one and only wife for him and nobody else.
The characters are beautifully written, I immediately felt on Olivia’s ‘side’, and Robert made my skin crawl, but, even then i wasn’t sure who was telling the truth, or even what the truth was.
The style of writing made the story stronger as it switched sometimes from third to first person. This took a bit of getting used to at first. But I actually liked it then.
I believe that this is not her first book and the back story of Tom, Detective chief Inspector was started elsewhere, and it certainly looks to be continued so my mission now is to search out her other books.
So, yes, I really enjoyed the book, great choice, thank you.

Greaders review Life saving for beginners by Ciara Geraghty

At first I was not sure what to make of this book, Set in London and Ireland, told in the first person by two narrators it was strange at first but after a couple of chapters I ‘got it’. It was a story cleverly told by Kat in Ireland a 39 year old single author, and Milo in London, an eight year old with an older sister and two older brothers and a single divorced Mother.
Nothing very unusual about their two stories until an event changes both their lives.
It is refreshingly different and I enjoyed it. I won’t say it was a gripping ‘what will happen’ story but it kept me turning the pages and i would probably read more of her books.

from Persephone who is momentarily not on the internet because she has moved and is waiting for connection.

Review the Girl from Nowhere.

I like Dorothy Koomson's novels and usually find them a little bit different and interesting but I kept thinking to myself why am I reading about this girl Clemency (or Smitty as she is known to her friends). By page 191 I gave up, just did not want to know, she was not a character I warmed to, though I did have a look at the ending.

Review

While I Was Waiting by Georgia Hill

Had not intended to read this book but after reading what Stella had said about "Sleep Tight" and saw that I could get this book, I thought why not, give it a go.

Thank you Mersey I was absolutely rapt. What a lovely story, an idyllic setting and more. Each main character was well described as though you knew them personally not just those in present day but those from the past in Hetty's diary and letters covering the times before WW1 and through to 1963.
Racchel who buys Hetty's old Clematis Cottage is house proud and fussy, and she falls for Gabe her builder who forever leaves mess about the place. It is not till Stan gives her a puppy after her break up with Gabe, that she begins to tolerate just how messy a puppy can be and how intolerant she was. Stan is an elderly gentleman who loves gardening and wants an allotment and tames Rachel's overgrown weedy area for little more than many cups of coffee and the odd cake. Rachel enjoys his company and offers to get a shed put on the back of the property for him to stay in when things get a bit much where he is living with his daughter and family. He even tells her where to put some paving slabs so they can sit on their deck chairs and dine "owl frisky." There is lots of little bits of humour, and sarcasm on Rachel's part toward Gabe the builder. Gabe calls round to see Rachel and notices the change in her and he then suggests marriage. (happy endings)

There is a village grape vine and they all know each other. Rachel in her search for Hetty's history, gets to meet people that know all about her before she has met them. It is history mixed with a bit of chick lit, mixed with an everyday style similar to Marcia Willet's. The little epilogue at the end brought tears to my eyes.

Sleep Tight

I had already ordered this but got While I was waiting, while I was waiting for it to arrive. In the meantime I also looked at the reviews of Sleep Tight and saw a lot of favourable ones.

I reckon Sleep Tight is an excellent psychological story, it got you thinking. I picked it up from the library on the Fri, had it finished Sun night fitting it in at cafes, petrol stops etc as we were moving stuff to our new house. It was a damn good read, Robert the husband was a nasty piece of works and whilst I did work some of it out as to what he had done and there were a few red herrings to try and make me think otherwise I was correct that Dan had been killed nine years earlier by Robert who yes one guessed he had done away with Olivia's (his wife) parents. Tom the police detective inspector was a liekable character and I could see him kicking himself over missing something nine years earlier when Robert had done away with the parents. It was an intense book and kept you wondering where you would be heading next. I would compare it to Breaking Silence.

However, I still think the book Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo has more twists and turns than a windy road you go all over the place with that one and even when it is all solved you find there is still a whole bunch of pages to go that knocks that theory for six.

Out of Focus by Muriel Bolger

Must be having a thing about adoptions but read this one right through.
Sandra fell pregnant as a young 13 year old, the father is a relative who is also the Principal of her school, but she never tells, does not even realise when she is pregnant. The priest even asks her if her father had caused this which she denies. There is a lot of heartbreak, her family write to her and she to them but the convent did not pass on the messages and the baby was given up. She is now married and her husband knows about her past. She has had no contact with her family through her married life but she has two children. Her son wants to find her because his baby needs bone marrow and he has always been against meeting his mother before this because he believes she had just given him up uncaringly. The story takes you from present day to past backwards and forwards. Her father and mother had split up because the mother's head is full of nonsense received from the Principal about who the father could be including her husband. The son and mother do meet and a lot of good comes from this and Sandra is reunited with her sister. The Principal dies and she does not tell her son who his father is. What happens to Sandra in her young life happened to a lot of young girls in Ireland where this story is set but in other countries as well, where a similar scenario is played and only over the last few years have these families been reunited.

Reviews please for:
Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott 1111

Then for
The Truth about you by susan Lewis 11
While I was Waiting - Georgia Hill 11
A Bespoke Murder by Edward Marston. 11

Then for any others you read.