Sand Keeps Secrets Better than Mud: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens My rating: 4 of 5 stars There was one line in the novel that for me represented all that is powerful and wonderful in this book. It was: ‘Sand keeps secrets better than mud.’ In this book, the marshlands that Kya inhabits are as much a character asContinue reading “Sand Keeps Secrets Better than Mud: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens”
Catherine Cookson’s The Girl
The Girl by Catherine Cookson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a difficult book for me to read, given the central character is presented as the illegitimate offspring of a middle class, relatively well-off family man. This is my second foray into Catherine Cookson as I read my way through a compendium ofContinue reading “Catherine Cookson’s The Girl”
Catherine Cookson’s The Mallen Streak
Having recently read the biography of the life of Catherine Cookson, and having moved close to Hexham, I decided it was about time to delve into some classic Cookson novels. I started with The Mallen Streak. I have a vague recollection of reading this when I was about ten or eleven years old but notContinue reading “Catherine Cookson’s The Mallen Streak”
‘Bleak House, the fact that Esther gets smallpox…’: Dickens in Ducks, Newburyport
This is the paper I gave at The Impact of Dickens conference on 17 September, with many thanks to Dr Pete Orford, Dr John Drew, my fellow panelists and the attendees for a brilliant discussion of all things Dickens over the two days. In 2019, the novel Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann was published toContinue reading “‘Bleak House, the fact that Esther gets smallpox…’: Dickens in Ducks, Newburyport”
Lovechild: A Sloppy Affair?
Reading over Our Mutual Friend again, one word (or two words joined by a hyphen) shook me out of my comfortable familiarity with the text: ‘love-child’. I suppose in some ways, I shouldn’t have been surprised. There is a long tradition of exploring illegitimacy in fiction. Indeed, the nineteenth century is awash with characters bornContinue reading “Lovechild: A Sloppy Affair?”
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: A Long Overdue Read
I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars Well, what a delight this book was. I think the only astonishing thing is that I had never come across it before. Told from the point of view of Cassandra as she writes her journal, she really does set out to captureContinue reading “I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: A Long Overdue Read”
The North Calls
I walked into the woods this morning, into the heart of the forest. The trees towered above me, still in full leaf, not yet ready to surrender their leaves to the siren call of autumn. In just a few steps it was though I was in another world. No voices, no traffic. Nothing to beContinue reading “The North Calls”
Book Review: The Other Girl by CD Major
The Other Girl by C.D. Major My rating: 5 of 5 stars I know I said I would not read any more books that had the word ‘girl’ in the title because I was sick of the infantilisation of women in contemporary fiction, but I might need to add some exceptions to my statement, becauseContinue reading “Book Review: The Other Girl by CD Major”
Review of The Binding by Bridget Collins
The Binding by Bridget Collins My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love it when I pick up a book from my TBR pile, having forgotten the reason why I bought it in the first place, and delve in with no expectations. I love it even more when the book is captivating, rich in detail,Continue reading “Review of The Binding by Bridget Collins”
Thoughts on Why Women are Blamed for Everything by Dr Jessica Taylor
This was a hard book to read, and an even harder book to write a review on. No woman gets through life without at some stage being confronted with the reality of male violence. Even if we are lucky enough to get through life without suffering a physical assault, we still shape our lives aroundContinue reading “Thoughts on Why Women are Blamed for Everything by Dr Jessica Taylor”
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