My Book Reviews

Yet another novel by Kate Atkinson that I truely loved. Isobel, the main character and often the point of view is one of the amazing interesting characters that fill this book. The playing with time and different ways the story could develop in, might be a bit confusing but I can see how all these possibilities really cry out loud that they need to be written out in the book. I do not mind at all. Often I can be a bit of a puritan, prefer just one point of view in a novel most of times. In this book there are different layers that make it impossible to write it in such a way. What strikes me most is the effect that it has on life when the nature of people is not compatible and yet they are forced to live together. I can recommend the book very much and 5 stars is very much deserved.

A good read! I certainly can recommend it. The gritty feeling of Glasgow is really gripping. Maureen, the main character certainly came to life for me. Just like most of the other characters. The plot works and I certainly can see this novel being made into TV series. I am afraid to give something away, I don't want spoilers, this will have to do.

I very much enjoyed this crime story. Tuva Moodison is a great character, I think all writers would have liked to invent her. I am familiar with Värmland in Sweden, where the story is situated. Years ago I had a cycle holiday in the region. Very pretty and an amazing trip to make, from Sunne to Sunne. From one gästgiveri to the next family hotel. I was there in the summertime and it is very enjoyable in that period, winters are obviously quite harsh. The descriptions of shops, hotels and such are quite like I experienced them. I will not go into revealing the plot, don't want to spoil the chilling story for other readers. Will Dean knows how to tell a story. The 5 stars are more than deserved.

The book was a bit disappointing, I had expected a lot more from it. The characters were stereotypes, none came to my mind as a believable person that could have been met in real life. Maybe I should make an exception for the elderly woman in prison, Sarah. This character is clearly based upon the writer's own past. I do respect Linda Calvey for her achievement in writing her novels. But if I am honest I did not like the almost staccato-style of the writing. It is possible that I am not the right person who read this book. For me it is not possible to give it more than 3 out of 5 stars.

An amusing read, something for a holiday or when you are al little bit ill and bored. It is not going to change the world, but it is quite nice. The plot of this crime story is well figured out. The sleuths are quite different from the average and I can see it easily made into a TV series that problably could become as popular as Death in Paradise. I am not giving away more, as I don't want to be a spoiler.

Nice to be able to compare the TV series The Field of Blood with the book it was base upon. The series was quite okay, but in my opinion the book "Field of Blood" by Denise Mina is much better. I love the weaving in of the story of the crook Paddy Meehan with the main story, the quest for the truth by Patricia (Paddy) Meehan and her search for an independent life away from the suffocating social life in an overly catholic society. Denise Mina did a good job in her description of the newsroom in the eighties. It all comes to life very well. I will not tell you about the murder case, don't want to spoil anything. All in all I think 5 stars is fully deserved for this book. I enjoyed reading it.

The debut of Kate Atkinson is certainly worth the 5 stars I am giving. It is the history of Ruby Lennox and all of her family. There are a lot characters and all are coming to life in front of our eyes. Almost at the end of the book the writer gives Ruby the great words that describe life like I know it, like I see it and I think a lot of people will agree "...words are the only things that can construct a world that makes sense".  The book shows something that I know is fully true, it's not only your nature that shapes a person, it's also where you are born and have been living and certainly the history of your parents and all who came before them. I had to get used to the structure Kate Atkinson is using, normal chapters alternated with "footnotes". Be certain that without them the "sense" in the being of the characters would be lacking structure.  For some time I thought this book was a sort of beginning of an evolution of growing into the write...