Ghostwritten - Review

Synopsis

She listens to everyone else’s story, but can she find her own?

Perfect for fans of Tenko and The Railway Man

A childhood mistake. A lifetime of regrets.

Jenni is a ‘ghost’: she writes the lives of other people. It’s a job that suits her well: still haunted by a childhood tragedy, she finds it easier to take refuge in the memories of others rather than dwell on her own.

Jenni has an exciting new commission, and is delighted to start working on the memoirs of a Dutchwoman, Klara. As a child in the Second World War, Klara was interned in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation – she has an extraordinary story of survival to tell.

But as Jenni and Klara begin to get to know each other, Jenni begins to do much more than shed light on a neglected part of history. She is being forced to examine her own devastating memories, too. But with Klara’s help, perhaps this is finally the moment where she will be able to lay the ghosts of her own past to rest?

Gripping, poignant and beautifully researched, Ghostwritten is a story of survival and love, of memory and hope.

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Review 

Ghostwritten is a well written, well researched and generally its a well thought out book. It is a story of Jennie and Klara. When Jennie agreed to ghost write Klara’s memoirs she find herself dealing with her own memories and dealing with her own failing relationship. It's too nice, there were surprises, no sense of doom, this book is like chocolate, nice and unoffenisve. 

Having said this I should point it I found it extremely hard to get into it. I receive a lot of review requests and this has meant that if a book is slow, I switch off and pick up another. This was slow to start. So slow I stopped reading and came back to it a week later. Admittedly it was the fact that I didn’t care enough about Jennie and her issues and her decision not to have children. She wasn’t a character that stood out as such, she very easily forgettable and Klara is a stereotype of a character I’ve read before.

Although this book is technically good, it’s not captivating. I found myself switching off and thinking of food. I’m saddened to say this but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  I tried but ultimately I forced myself to finish it and that’s never a good thing. 

After The Honeymoon

Synopsis

Two couples, one honeymoon destination, and enough secrets to end both marriages. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell

How can one honeymoon cause so much trouble?

Much as Emma loves Tom, she would never have got married if he hadn't insisted. But with Tom sick for the whole week, shouldn't she at least take advantage of the entertainment?

Winston married Melissa after a three-month whirlwind romance. As a breakfast TV fitness star, he's anxious to keep things private. But the arrival of Melissa's two children soon puts paid to that.

Rosie arrived at the Villa Rosa homeless and pregnant when she was just seventeen. Now, sixteen years later, she runs the place. However, the appearance of Winston throws her into confusion. He might not remember her, but she has never forgotten him.

By the end of the week, none of their lives will be the same. But how will they cope after the honeymoon is over?

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Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you Jenny. I loved the premise, two couples on their Honeymoon and the drama that ensues. The characters were great especially Winston.  It's so nice to see a black character in a book! We need more authors like these, who bring diversity into books. Note to future authors - if you want to impress HerbookList- have a bit of diversity in your books. Address issues that matter, no waffle about shopping and boys.

Emma was my least favourite character because she complained about everything, her insistent talk about about her children drove me mad, I skipped some of her chapters for that reason. And Tom, an annoying moron who sleeps for most of their honeymoon needs a slap across the face.Apart from that I thoroughly enjoyed After The Honeymoon. It was funny, charming and touching challenging my perception of marriage and honeymoons. 

A thousand Splendid Suns - Thoughts

Synopsis

Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter.

When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. 

Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

Thoughts

"Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman.'

Beautifully written, painful and gripping, A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of the best books I've read. I have to admit though, the violence got to me. For days after, the violence and physical aggression clouded my mind, vividly haunting my dreams. Khaled Hosseini made me question humanity, men and how I viewed Islam as a religion. 

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a book about two women, Mariam and Laila and their life with Rasheed, the controlling and angry  husband. Hosseini explores what life was like before and after marriage, narrating the story with ease and speed (although he has a fondness for pretty sentences).

I was watching a film last night, an African film about a husband and wife, the wife was a loud drunk, the husband depicted as the long suffering spouse who put up with her.  In one scene, the husband dragged his wife into a room and slapped her several times. There was a comedic air around the film and around the room, there were cheers supporting his form of discipline, laughter, egging him on to "discipline" her more. At the same time I was reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, the glass crunching scene and Rasheed's continued abuse popped into my mind.  I could see how this discipline could turn into full blown violence. It was uncomfortable and disconcerting. 

 That is the power of Hosseini as a great storyteller making you think and question the rule of men. Admittedly I wouldn't read this again, the brutality of the book, although truthful does not need to be revisited.