April's Picks from Flaxmere Book Chat

Myths and legends continue to inspire authors in all kinds of ways with new retellings coming out every year. Stephen Fry reveals his interest in classical literature with his modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. Recounting the end of the Trojan War and Odysseus’s 10-year struggle to make his way home, the story is very readable in Fry’s hands and still a great story. There are attractive images too.

Le Fay by Sophie Keetch is a new slant on the Arthurian legend, picking up the story of the much-maligned Morgan Le Fay, Arthur’s sorceress sister. The second in the series, we have Morgan escaping an unhappy marriage to turn up in Camelot with her young son. But she doesn’t get on with Guinevere, Merlin distrusts her and Arthur thinks she should go back to her husband. A brilliant feminist retelling that has you desperate for the next book.

We also read a wide variety of historical fiction, always a popular genre with the group. Set in 1936, The Artist’s Daughter by Catherine Law revolves around Aster, who learns about her late mother, Violet, through journals and pressed flowers. Violet's past, including her meeting and marriage to Jack, is explored in depth, but our reader felt like the focus was more on Violet and Jack’s story rather than Aster’s. It was an interesting take, though the emphasis on the mother’s life took away from the impact of Aster’s character.

Under a Jewelled Sky by Alison McQueen was such a heartbreaking read. It’s London 1957 when Sophie, the main character, ends up marrying a diplomat and moving to New Delhi. Her father had lived in India when she was a child, and Sophie remembers a time when she was in love, though it was a relationship she couldn’t pursue. The book also delves into the partition of India, and Sophie’s return to the country is a stark contrast to the India she once knew. The marriage starts to unravel, and the aftermath is both devastating and beautifully told. The setting, the cultural context, and the exploration of interracial relationships really stand out. Highly recommended but prepare for a heavy read.

A mixture of historical fiction and fantasy, Seven Stories to Stand and Fall by Diana Gabaldon is a collection of stories seven short stories from the Outlander universe. Our reader particularly enjoyed "Virgins," which provides background on Jamie and Ian before they meet Claire, as well as the story about how they discovered time travel. There’s also a touching story about Roger’s parents, including one where Roger ends up traveling back to the same time as his father. As a huge fan of the Outlander books, they're really enjoying these additional insights into the world Diana Gabaldon has created.

Welcome Home by Margaret Dickinson is set during WWII, and explores the lives of two families living next to one another. One family is sent to a farm, and the wife, while her husband is away, falls in love with someone else and becomes pregnant. This story really captures the hardships and emotional struggles of ordinary people during wartime, and it’s a powerful reminder of what life was like for many during that time. Highly recommended!

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff is a dual timeframe novel, with 1950s housewife Louise finding a necklace in a second-hand store she thinks she’s seen before. She looks to uncover the mystery. There’s also 1940s Helaine, a Jewish woman married to a non-Jew in war-torn France. A brilliant historical read.

Far From Home by Danielle Steel is a total doozy! Set in 1944, Ariel is caught in a whirlwind of secrets, as her husband is involved in the Valkyrie conspiracy without her knowledge. She ends up being sent to Paris under false pretences, with a French passport provided by her husband’s partner. Her journey takes her from high society to a small town, where she has to find a job and adapt to a completely different life. The story is rich in historical details and really draws you into the post-war period. It’s intense and incredibly moving.

Another Danielle Steel novel is the first of the contemporary reads the group enjoyed this month. Never Say Never by Danielle Steel begins when Oona plans a celebration for her 25^th wedding anniversary, only to discover her husband is planning to leave her. She travels to France, and while here, everything in her life falls to pieces. Slowly the countryside begins to heal her and she finds herself attracted to her neighbour. A pleasant, second-chances novel.

A Place of Hope by Anna Jacobs is a reread but still excellent. Emily Mattison has an unexpected inheritance, but after a bad accident is sequestered away in mental home and kept sedated by a nurse paid off by a ruthless nephew. Even when she escapes with another patient, she will have an uphill battle to claim what is rightfully hers.

There were wo books set in Australia, both with a watery theme. Di Morrissey is a favourite author, always reliable. Rain Music is her story about siblings, Ned and Bella, who have taken different paths in life after a family tragedy. When Ned disappears to work on his music, Bella begins to worry. The trail takes her to Far North Queensland and a remote house off the grid. The story follows how fate intervenes so that Ned and Bella keep missing each other. A really enjoyable read.

Downstream by Annika Johansson takes us to Lismore, and a major flood that has Rob and Sal, a couple in their sixties abandoning their home as the waters rise. The book shows what it’s like to suddenly have nothing but the clothes you stand up in as you find yourself relying on other people for a roof over your head. How does trauma affect a marriage? An interesting and different sort of read.

Among the mysteries and thrillers that kept us turning the pages into the night was The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths. This mystery is full of twists and turns. Claire, a biographer, might be either an expert or a suspect, given that she knows so much about the author of a note found by the body of a murdered woman. Claire writes a diary, but soon a new writer begins writing in her diary at her house. The repeated literary quotes keep the tension high, and Claire's knowledge of where each quote originates makes her an increasingly suspicious figure. It's an engaging read that keeps you guessing!

Burnt Echo and Lines of Inquiry by Rhys Dylan are both fantastic detective stories. The protagonist, Evan Warlow, feels like a real, fleshed-out character, and the author does an excellent job of weaving a gripping mystery. If you love detective fiction, you’ll enjoy these.

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha takes place on a Scottish island where the Agarwal family are holding a reunion. Patriarch Raj is a business tycoon, planning to hand over the reigns to one of his children, all of whom have secrets. When one of the family is murdered, the police think they have the killer, but do they? A terrific whodunit.

The Traitor’s Gold by David Leadbeater is a thriller that follows Joe Mason, ex MI5, and his mission to rescue a friend. There are ancient gold coins discovered buried by an earthquake in China, and a connection to gambling rings in Japan which beef up the tension. While the book had all the usual thrills of the genre, our reader found it too derivative, too similar to Lee Child and the Bourne novels to be more than an average read.

On the other hand a really original story was The Favour by Nicci French. The story starts with a love affair between teenagers, med student Jude and bad-boy Liam. Ten years later, and Jude’s a qualified doctor about to marry when Liam turns up asking for a favour. But after doing what he asks, she is contacted by the police, who tell her she’s a suspect in a murder investigation.

Left to Die by Lisa Jackson is a serial killer mystery involving Detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescole in a career making case. The particularly nasty deaths experienced by the targeted women add to the tension. Set in the woods of Montana this first in a series leaves you with a cliff-hanger ending and desperate for book two!

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