Unlike our usual reading material, this book is not a novel; there was no “story” as such - we felt it to be more of a travelogue -which made it difficult to review from our book club’s point of view.
Varanasi is a colourful city on the banks of the Ganges river. The author had stayed there briefly previously and fallen in love with it but then had the opportunity to live there for a year.
The book was well written and easy to read in the main. However, there was heavy use of Indian words and terms throughout which some liked as there was a glossary to explain them but others found they interrupted the flow of the writing and would have preferred the English translation to be used in the text.
The stories and personalities he encountered were fascinating; however, the book was generally considered to be interesting rather than engaging due to his lack of personal involvement or interaction with his subjects. It was also notable that, although the book covered an entire year, there were no obvious markers to indicate the passage of time. We found it difficult to locate the area within India and felt that a map of the area and its surrounds would have been helpful.

Overall we felt that it was a competent travel book but lacked sufficient personal information about the author’s time there although one of the group felt it was one of the best books our book club had read!
We gave the book a mark of 5 out of 10.

The Prison Book club - Ann Walmsley

It was agreed that this book was fairly easy to read and enjoyable. In parts it did cover the same ground over again and this became rather tedious.
Several members commented on the relationship between Ann and Carol -It seems that Ann rather hero worshipped Carol. We would have been interested in their families and home life but we heard little of this.
Another lady commented that Ann and Carol worked long and hard for these book clubs, however, it was thought that there were more worthy charities to which time could be given. Many others agreed with this. Ann’s work was mainly an attempt to get over the trauma of getting mugged, and this seemed to work. It was agreed that many of the prisoners had been abused themselves and the book club could possibly help them to stop their offending. We were surprised at the lack of security Ann found when walking through the prison.
It was thought that if it had been a novel we would have found it rather unbelievable, as the prisoners were so articulate. We did not have a favourite prisoner as they all seemed so similar. We were aware that their names had been changed, but wondered if anything else had been changed about them. We also questioned the popularity of a book club in a halfway house.
Our members enjoyed the book reviews and found the book lists useful – some members have already purchased or re-read books from this list.
In all, most of us enjoyed the book and it scored 5.5 out of 10

From Mandi D:
I have just finished reading The Prison Book Club by Ann Walmsley and wanted to share my first impressions of it. I am pleased that it is a true story and that people like Carol exist. She sets a precendent when her team’s efforts establish a successful and popular reading group in a maximum security prison. Carol nutures her project and new groups in many other prisons build on the lessons learnt and skills implemented on the original project. I was impressed at the speed with which some of the Prison Group members read and yet absorbed the smallest details. The different and sometimes damning perspectives stem perhaps from the privileged backgrounds of Ann and Carol’s home-owning group of lady readers compared to the grim realities of the childhood of men. Amongst them were those who might remain locked behind bars until they died. It was an absorbing read that was designed to share a love of the written or typed word with all walks of life.

From Carolyn W:

I enjoyed this book. I
was intrigued by the idea of a book club in a prison. It felt like something
different.
.
I wasn't particularly drawn to any of the prisoners. I would have
liked to have found out more about them as for me it was the descriptions and
reviews which dominated the book. I liked this part of it a great deal. It made
me want to read some of them and it was good to have the book list at the
end.
I was impressed by the prisoners reviews. I thought it showed how
thoroughly they had read the books and how committed they were to the book club.
It was interesting that the book club seemed to help the author as much or maybe
more than the prisoners themselves.
It fulfilled my expectations in that it was
an interesting read and it gave an insight into how the prisoners thought. I'd
recommend it to anyone who likes to read about real people living in different
situations from most of us.

Sonia B:
I enjoyed the book for the most part but it would have been more interesting for me if the characters had been fleshed out a bit more - I was having some trouble distinguishing them from each other. (I think that probably reflected Ann's actual lack of interest in them as people rather than aids to her "recovery" and the raw material for a book). I was surprised at the type of book they read but that may be me being a literary snob! They must have selected their participants quite carefully for them to be able to read and critically review most of the titles that they read and they did seem to be more insightful than I would have thought most prisoners would be - presumably if they had had more insight they wouldn't have ended up in prison!. I would also have found it more interesting if I had actually read more of the books myself. I think I expected more of a difference between the prison book club and other book clubs which would have been interesting. I have to say that I found both Carol and Ann's attitudes (particularly Ann's) to be patronising and condescending and they seemed to have the feeling that they personally were lifting the prisoners out of their lowly lives and improving their lot by running the clubs. Not sure about their motives - Ann wanted to write a book and Carol was intent on building a book club empire - but perhaps that doesn't matter. Strangely, although the books reviewed were different in each chapter I began to find it repetitive too. Not as good as I had hoped but I have definitely read worse! I would have given it a 5 out of 10.

Our book club had quite a wide diversity of views on this book with some really enjoying it and others finding it unmemorable. The explicit and violent parts were unexpected on the whole and felt to be unnecessary.
The inconsistent style of writing made it confusing and although the story was intense the main characters Greg and Alice were stereotypical and unbelievable. Their families are dysfunctional and every one of them has their own demons to fight.
Greg’s father is a plastic surgeon who escapes from everyday reality into the arms of his secretary. By studying x-rays of breast tissue at the kitchen table he can drown out the voice of his wife fully outlining her next majorly expensive decorating project, or pretend not to notice the meal has been exactly same and inedible for a week while she perfects her next dinner party menu.
Alice’s father is a butcher and Greg works in his shop. It is left to the imagination what awful things Alice has to endure at home, but it seemed clear that the relationship between her and her father was abusive. When Greg starts to spy on her at home it does not take him long to form his own damning conclusions.
Greg’s mental health instability seems to resemble epilepsy more than the diagnosed schizophrenia. We found it surprising that he was allowed so much freedom in spite of it. He is basically labelled a ‘Psycho’ by his schoolmates and his family who either ignore him or plead with him to be ‘normal’. He is allowed to travel to school and is left to get on with school life since he is academically sound, except a well-meaning teacher tries unsuccessfully to provide some help. This takes the form of after school talking sessions – “psychotherapy” for which she is not qualified.
There is a police transcript that explains a major incident through the responses of the different characters in the story. Without this most of the group’s readers said they would have struggled to finish the book. We wondered if its target audience who we thought might be young adults might have enjoyed it more than most of us did.
Average score 5/10

About 50% of our members managed to finish this book, although it was quite a struggle for most of them. In particular the extreme bad language at the beginning of the book most of us found offputting and unnecessary. It added nothing and seemed out of step with the rest of the book.
It was thought that this book was difficult to retain; the problem was mostly the changing of times, although some of our members do like this style of writing it was felt that it did not go smoothly in this case.
It was felt that the characters were not particularly likeable, leaving our members not really caring as to the outcome of the story. They had not been very well developed and were not easy to visualise.
The grandmother was a stereotypical Jewish mother and the mother seemed to be determined to stay married, whatever her husband did. As a couple they did not connect and the whole family were isolated from one another. Did the husband regret the affair? no we felt that he did not, he only regretted getting caught.
It was commented that the happenings in their lives were not really interesting and it seemed that the mother did not look after her children after the arrival of the emails. We felt that she would have been more caring towards them.
We did read reviews indicating that the novel was about loneliness, we did not agree with this; we felt it was more about isolation.
Although this book mirrored real life more than some books, we felt that the characters were not compelling. The time movement did not add to the story and we felt, was not particularly well done. The ending, which was in the middle of the book, fizzled out, we felt.
We also thought that health and Safety would have something to say about the art installation!
Our score out of 10 was 3½

Many of our group found the writing too flowery for their taste and there was general consensus that the writing style was not popular.

As we were all aware of the Manson story, we found ourselves waiting for something in a similar vein to happen and after waiting until almost the end of the book we found the events to be rather anti-climactic

This book focussed more on the personalities involved. Evie was not happy with her life, her best friend Connie had a new best friend and she felt excluded Evie wanted to be the centre of attention and did most things for the effect that they would have on others so it was not suprising that as a 14 year old she was flattered by the attention given to her by the older girls. This was to have a profound and mostly negative impact on her life.

We felt that the mother was odd as she was not in the least concerned about the whereabouts of her daughter and did not check on her. Evie’s father was too involved with his new life to be much help, he was more concerned with his new young wife.

Russell, who seemed to be the centre of the cult that Evie was introduced into, had the girls running around after him, but did not seem concerned with them as individuals.

When the events at the end of the book finally happened we were unsure of Suzanne’s motives in excluding Evie at the last moment. We could not make up our minds whether she was helping Evie by not allowing her to be there, or perhaps she was fed up with the younger girl and just wanted rid of her. Whatever the reason, as it turned out Evie was lucky not to be involved.

Altogether most of us found it an unsatisfactory book on many levels and most of our book club members would not want to read another book by this author. This was very disappointing as it was hyped up to quite a degree so expectations were high.

Out of 10 we gave the book a score of 4.5.

Most enjoyed this book thoroughly and liked the painting having it's own voice. Perhaps too many characters introduced who were not developed so could be a little confusing at times. On the whole a good read Score 7 out of 10

The African Equation - Yasmina Khadra

Everyone agreed that this book was beautifully written and easy to read however the majority of readers did not find it particularly interesting.
Some of our members were gripped from the beginning and enjoyed the book to the end. They felt they had been transported immediately into the heart of the story and were kept enthralled up to the rather disappointing ending. Others were switched off at the moment of the kidnapping so opinion was very split on this one.
Many of the group did not like the main characters and therefore were not engaged in their stories
It was slightly disappointing for some that the obvious clichés of magical happenings and romantic interest had not been avoided and it was felt that they detracted from what was an extremely good story.
Out of 10 our average score was 6

Most of our number, who started this book, did finish it, as it was quite an easy read. Some thought it became a little tedious at times, but it picked up again. We wondered how Jill Dawson managed to imply that Ms Highsmith committed a murder – or did she. It was not clear if the events were real or written as a dream sequence.
We all thought it was clever to have written the book in the style of Patricia Highsmith and we understand that many of the small details in the book were correct, for example, her fascination with snails and the fact that she went to a function with a rotting head of lettuce and snails in her handbag. She was a complex character and this came through in the writing. It appeared that she had a troubled childhood and did not get on with her mother. On the one hand Patricia was reported to be mean, cruel, unloved and unloving but on the other more positive side she was considered plain spoken, dryly funny, difficult, but a brilliant writer.
Most of the characters were really quite unlikeable but we did like the character Ronnie, as he came across as sympathetic to her, perhaps the only person in the book who liked her, not just for what she could give them. We were confused however as to how he became such a close confidante so quickly as she appears to have only met after recently moving to the village
To sum up, we quite enjoyed the book and did feel inclined to find out more about Patricia Highsmith. Writing in the style of the main character, we thought was clever. Out of 10, we scored it a 6.

We found the characters in this book interesting and well drawn. It was easy to read, although perhaps a little slow to start. Most of us read the book to the end.
Fergus Bloggs has had a severe stroke and, going through his belongings, his daughter Sabrina finds boxes of marbles. This coincides with a rare day off from work for her and she sets about finding out more about her father and the marbles both of which were a mystery to her.
Fergus was a secretive man. He was ashamed of his family, even of his wife later in life so he invents a different life for himself, using the name of his idolised dead brother. He was a champion at marbles, but his family knew nothing of this side of his life. Sabrina’s character developed during the book as she was struggling to find out what had happened in her father’s life and what had happened to the two valuable marbles she had discovered were missing from his collection that she had found. It seems for a long time that these missing marbles had been sold – and indeed it seems that Fergus believed this to be the case as he had given them to his last love - Cat - to sell to make the money that he was desperately in need of but it transpires that Cat had not sold them and had given him the money herself. She knew how much the marbles meant to Fergus so kept them for him.
There were several passages that we felt were well written and that we enjoyed. We found the passage at the start of the book, where Fergus’ mother loses her longed for baby girl at birth, very sad and well written and we liked the fact that she got on with life after this tragedy. Fergus’ stroke and subsequent loss of memory was also sad but we found his brothers coming to the care home to see him in the end very pleasing and again well written.
Sabrina’s husband was interesting as he seemed t be making up for his extra marital affair by being kind and supportive during Sabrina’s search for her family history. Sabrina was able to let go of this and finally answer some questions about herself too. We felt that Sabrina would have been keen to search her family history, as she did have a rather boring job, although we did like the elderly man who kept trying to drown himself.
We found the story character driven and interesting, delving in to the subject of family secrets and lies. We learned about the games and making of marbles and felt that the loose ends were well tied up at the end if the book. Some of our readers were interested enough in the subject to Google’ Marbles as a game for adults,’ which we had not come across before, it being a game for children as far as we were concerned. One striking and perhaps slightly odd note was that although the cover makes much of the fact that the story takes place in one day we none of us felt that this came across at all in the reading.
Our score for this book was 6.5 out of 10

This is a story of a little known woman, Arbella Stuart, who was born as an heir to the throne after Elizabeth I died childless and of Amelia, a poet, who met her at court and later fell on hard times. For the most part we enjoyed the book and most of us finished it although some found it slow and a little boring with nothing much happening until the latter part.
The book showed the intrigue of the court and the people in power. No-one was a true friend or to be trusted and as Amelia found out it was easy to be banished from the court and left with nothing. really trust. Amelia found out how easy it was to be ousted from court, and left with nothing.
There were many interesting facts around the court and the times including how the ladies in waiting were expected to fund themselves and the – to us – unknown fact that anorexia existed in those times and is not merely a modern complaint.
Some of us found it difficult to follow as people were referred to very often by their title rather than their name which made it too impersonal. We thought Arbella’s life was rather sad. She was only of importance because of her links to the throne and once it was obvious that she would not become Queen she was cast aside.
The escape and the consequent happenings were interesting but we felt we would have liked to know more about what happened to Will Seymour. Most of us would like to read other work by this author and would probably recommend the book to others.
We scored this book 6.5 out of 10

This book provoked a majority of negative responses with the exception of one member who loved it. For that person it was a slow starter but once the characters and story were established they found it really interesting and engaging.
More of us did not get past the first 50-100 pages however and it was generally agreed even by those who did finish the book that it was a confusing and disjointed read, moving backwards and forwards from character to character and backwards and forwards in time too.
On the whole we agreed that Buddy was probably the only likeable character but he could not make up for the deficiencies of the book as a whole.
A very disappointing read as the cover “blurb” made it sound interesting and different – it was certainly the latter but not necessarily in a good way!
We gave it a score of 4.5 out of 10.

Behind Her Eyes was a difficult book to get into but, once there, the majority of our members really enjoyed.
We found the beginning parts quite slow and tedious and it was difficult to keep track of who was who and what time zone we were in. None of the characters were particularly likeable and David seemed an almost shadowy figure compared to the others. However we found the story as a whole unusual and interesting and we all thought the twist at the end was particularly clever and unexpected.
We all thought it was well written but it was suggested that perhaps it had been written “backwards” i.e. the author had started with an ending and then written the rest of it.
We thought it was cleverly marketed and the cover was particularly striking and would have tempted us to buy off the shelf.
All in all we enjoyed it and gave it an average mark of 6 out of 10.

This book had varying reviews from our book club. Some really loved it and scored it 8 out of 10 while others did not and scored it only 2. The story was confusing most of us felt, with times and characters moving backwards and forwards very rapidly – not just between the past and the present but between multiple time zones in each of those. The storyline was interesting but the characters neither likeable nor particularly well developed and it did not appear that any of the particular story threads were properly explored or concluded. It would have been helpful if the ending was less trite and better explained – some of us were left not really knowing who was dead and who wasn’t! The reference at the end to “the Other Mrs Walker” was not relevant some felt as that was not actually the name of the person being referred to. Overall it could have been much clearer and more interesting if the characters had been more defined and some felt that the number of coincidences made it a little less believable.

The average score was 6 out of 10

This book divided the group into two distinct groups – a small group that really loved it and “couldn’t put it down” and another larger group who regretted picking it up! The “likers” thought it was exciting, gripping, and kept them wondering to the end. The “others” thought it formulaic, predictable and quite silly in its expectation that the readers would be intrigued. The characters were two dimensional at best and the “surprises” signposted and with a klaxon announcing them!
Those who liked it thought it was a timely and prescient book in this facebook world; those who didn’t had expected it to be timely and prescient but were sadly disappointed.
The few who liked it would seek out other books by this author and would recommend it to their friends; those who didn’t would not do either.
Unfortunately all those who professed to enjoy the book were unable to be at the meeting and had submitted their reviews by email so there was no opportunity to explore in more depth the reasons for and against which may well have led to a more interesting discussion.
The average score was 5.5 out of 10

Only 1 out of our book club group really liked this book and only she and one other would be interested in reading more by this author. Most were very disappointed by the storyline, lack of character definition and lacklustre writing, and most had been expecting much more from this book and this author.

We felt generally speaking that it was a bit of a “nothing” story – middle class affluent women, all with what appear to be very similar careers, experience a setback but triumph over this minor adversity and end up much where they started. The only exception to this was Beth the academic lesbian but the ending to her story left us all perplexed and unsatisfied. Unfortunately we neither liked nor sympathised with any of them and we gave it an average score of 4 out of 10.

This book was of a genre not usually read by our members so it was with some caution that we chose it. However, most of us really enjoyed it once we had got past the “science” - I think most of us quite quickly realised that to enjoy the book properly it was necessary to “ignore” the “science” and concentrate on the story and this tactic generally0 paid off.

We all agreed it was well written and an interesting concept being set on another planet in another time . Although the central character Jazz was not particularly likeable, she (and that surprised most of us as we thought “she” was a “he” to start with) was interesting and the concept of the “slightly” crooked operator saving the planet from the “really crooked” operators was a unique one. We liked that although she did not make her fortune as anticipated in the beginning she kept going and was ever hopeful.
Most of us thought it would perhaps make a better film than a book where the “science” would be more easily understood.
Altogether an interesting and enjoyable read for most of us – we gave it an average score of 6 out of 10.

Everyone agreed that this was a very suitable book to read over the Christmas period although not everyone enjoyed it as much as they had hoped. Those who did not like it thought the writing was not as good as it might have been and that there were just too many characters with too many different story lines to make a cohesive whole. None of the characters were particularly likeable and some thought that the portrayal of the role of women at that period of time was perhaps exaggerated. However, we all felt that the depiction of the living and social conditions prevailing at the time in which it was set was realistic and well described and we enjoyed the part at the end where the author displayed her knowledge of the real history of Quality Street confectionery itself. It was easy enough to read overall although it would not encourage us to read any other work by this author. We gave it a 6 out of 10.

Our bookclub found this - with only one exception - to be a very disappointing book. The most often used adjective was “boring” unfortunately and overall there was very little of any interest in it for us. Even the farmers amongst us did not warm to either the characters or the storyline - the characters being one dimensional and the storyline uninspiring. The writing was good enough but sadly did not make up for the overall tediousness of the story. We gave it an average score of 3.5

This book was difficult for our book club to review. We were encouraged by the praise heaped on her first novel and expected much of this one. Almost all of us thought it was well written and wanted to read to the end to find out what happened; however, that is where the problems began. We enjoyed the narration of the different timelines explaining how events had led up to the current crisis - Aimee’s husband Ben has disappeared along with the contents of her bank account. It appears that she herself emptied the account although she knows that not to be true. There begins a tail of mysterious and puzzling events which Aimee struggles to understand until the final denouement explains everything: except it doesn’t. The whole group found the ending very rushed, disappointing and completely unbelievable. None of the characters were likeable unfortunately and some of the incidents from “Aimee’s” childhood were distinctly unpleasant but these could have been forgiven had the story blossomed into something more credible. We would not recommend this book to others sadly and the score given was 5 out of 10.

We found this a gripping story and well written. Even though no-one character was particularly likeable the story itself we found interesting. Although the group had guessed some of the revelations at the end we all thought it was a little too neatly and quickly tied up. Kept us all interested to the end so a success as far as our group was concerned. We gave it a 7 out of 10 on average.

This book split our group clearly into two camps; half of us really enjoyed it and the other half were not at all impressed. The 3 thread story for some was too confusing and disjointed but others found it very interesting, especially to see how all stories came together in the end: the reporters following the Arab Spring and the locals assisting them; the civil servants in London and the contentious arms sales; and the two Eritrean brothers being promised a golden future as refugees in the UK. A well written and easy to read book about events happening within our lifetime made for an interesting read for some but with not enough interest to engage the others. Overall we scored it a 7 out of 10.

Michelle
I tried so hard to like this! I enjoyed Kathryn Hughes’ last two books. This one, I read as far as when the Spanish lad proposed (I can’t even remember his name ????) and I put it down. Picked it up again a few days ago to try again and I just couldn’t get in to it. I feel it wouldn’t be fair to give it a rating as I did not read enough. But on Goodreads.com I have it 1* because I could not finish it!

Helen
This is not the type of book I typically select but I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it a lot. It was very easy to read and with likeable (or dis-likeable as intended!) characters. I found it was a perfect book for an afternoon in the garden. I liked the jumps between time periods, I’m interested in the social history elements that were scattered through. Although the plot was to an extent predictable there were enough tiny twists to keep my interest. My mum would also have loved this one! 8/10

Chris
Not one of my favourite books, I managed to finish it but only because I wanted to see how it could all possibly come together. Didn't like the different time lines, found it confusing, and found the story very improbable.
I would give it a 4

Margaret M
I confess I read it as soon as I got it so it’s all a bit hazy by now
I enjoyed and and liked the different threads - do all books do this now rather than have a linear story?
I found the characters likeable and their strong relationships well drawn
Quite fancied the monk!
I’ll give it 8:10

Gill
The book is difficulty to read in short spells as time zones change and I think it’s taken ages to figure out the story line
I will finish it although not found it gripping as the cover says
So far I’d give it 5 but as I say I’ve not finished it

Mabe
It was an easy read, which in the times we find ourselves is a plus for me.
I wasn't blown away by it but having said that I was wanting to know how the Italian and Tara's story came to be linked. I liked Alf and her Man very much, I wish it had gone a bit further into the future and gave an insight of how things worked out between her and her Mum. I'll give it a 7

Yvonne
Her Last Promise was an entertaining, easy read which kept my attention throughout. The dates helped to keep me focussed on the characters and events as they unfolded. Tara and Violet's enduring bond was central to the book's theme and underpinned all subsequent events and developments which took place.
An excellent holiday read.
I give it a mark of 7.

Carolyn
A nice quick easy read and no loose ends. I give it 5.

Steph
I finished this book this morning. I’m slightly worried as it’s another book that I’ve finished. Initially I struggled, and was ready to give up, slightly too jumpy for me, but it all came together at the end and sort of made sense. Two things completely confused me though. The first was that monk Isidore, is he the one that found Leo and Gabriella at their engagement? But then he found violet and turned into Leo at the end? The other is Matteo and Leo we’re always close so I didn’t understand why Leo would kill Matteo by running him over in the car, it kind of spoilt it.
Think I’ll give it an 8

Eve
I found this book very light and easy to read, quite a page turner.
I did read it on Kindle, which was not a great idea, as at first the stories did get a little mixed up and there were times when it would have been useful to be able to flick back a few pages to check where I was in the story. However, the mixing of the time frames I found interesting and did not get who things were until the end, or nearly.
I thought the characters were likeable and did not change too much during the story. Even the ‘baddie’, Larry got his comeuppance in the end and there were no loose ends to wonder about. At the end of the book, I did wonder if there was some fault attached to Diablo, the horse, but it seemed that he lived a good life and was buried with love. The story about killing the child was sad and it is understandable that his brother totally blamed himself. I did feel that the mother was over the top in her love for him and should have been glad that his elder brother also loved him. I liked the character of Alf, who took them in and they became a surrogate family.
This was a light book, which suits me at the moment, so I would award it an 8

Arleen
Read it a while ago so couldn't remember much except that she loved it and would give it an 8

Sonia
I am afraid this was not my kind of book at all. I found the timeline difficult to follow, the characters stereotypical and the plot formulaic so definitely not an enjoyable read. Left to my own devices I would not have finished it but felt I must to be fair and to be able to comment. It promised a lot but delivered very little so I can only give it a 3 out of 10.

Average score : 6 out of 10

This book elicited a very diverse range of opinion from our book club; some really enjoyed it, others felt it was a mediocre read, and some did not enjoy it at all. The style of writing split opinion, as did the storyline, and opinions on the end “twist” were equally divided. No-one was familiar with the author’s previous work so could not make any comparison but very few were encouraged to seek them out. The average score was 6 out of 10.

As usual the group were divided in their opinions but overall the feeling was that it was a page turner, well written, atmospheric and well plotted. Counter views were that the number of characters introduced made it confusing and difficult to follow for some. Our average score was 7 out of 10

Our book club's reviews as follows

Yvonne
A well written novel with vivid descriptions of the Tuscan property and landscape. I particularly enjoyed the historical aspect and the mystery and intrigue surrounding the events associated with the Fascist era.The tensions within the family on several levels were well depicted but I did not find the main characters to be particularly interesting especially as the story unfolded.The ending was intriguing and left a sense of betrayal.
An enjoyable read all in all. I give it 8.

Carolyn
I found it difficult to get into this book. There were lots of bits that weren't interesting. The parts set in the 2nd World War were ok but there wasn't enough story for the length of the book. It felt like the writer had an idea for the book but hadn't developed it.

I give it 2

Margaret
Found this book easy to read and loved it being set in Italy
Found the characters believable but it was strangely dissatisfying in that it lacked understanding of the motivation of most of the Italian cast
6/10

Eve
Apologies for the fact that yet again, I have failed to finish this book. I read for a while, kept re-starting, but just could not get involved.
It seemed easy enough to read, but for the life of me, I could not find a story. It seemed to me to be a cross between a travelogue and a history of Mussolini, neither of which were of interest to me. I will be interested in the opinions of others, maybe I should try again.
I would only give a score of 3, but not really fair to register this as I don’t feel I read enough

Chris
I am really enjoying this book, I thought before I started it that it might be hard going as it didn't seem to be plot based but I got into it straight away. The characters are well described and it was interesting to find out about Italian history and the landscape.
I will give it 8

Gill
I did enjoy reading Who owns the story .
It was in parts a dreamy read of the demise of a grand Italian family but the ending of the story was disappointing
It was almost a quick conclusion!
But I’ll still give it 7

Mabe
On the whole the book held my attention. I did love the fact that it was set in Italy the description of the countryside took my thoughts back to that beautiful scenery, the Italian history in the Second World War was also interesting . I enjoyed the story of the demise from being a wealthy powerful aristocratic family to having nothing. I liked the description of family members and felt for poor Uncle Sandro so harshly treated by his father and brother.

For me a disappointing ending . Because of that I mark it a 5.

Steph
This is a book I should have like but gave up at page 124. It wasn't a very long book, but it couldn't keep me engaged .

Arleen
Well, not sure what to say about this book.
The start of the book reads more like a
travelogue, but then I got more into the story. I enjoyed the story but found I got lost when there was a time change. It wasn't always easy to know which person was writing it. Because of this I will only give it a 5/10

Sonia
I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engaged throughout. The descriptions of the Italian locations were very evocative and the storyline during the war years was interesting and informative. Above all it was a story of friendship that endured over the years but faltered badly at the end - mainly due to the intervention of third parties. A typical misunderstanding that could have been righted with better and more direct communication. I found it sad that it came to the ending that it did. A well written and thought provoking story for me. I give it 7 out of 10.

The average score was between 5.5 and 6 out of 10.

Eve
This is a simple case of “Be careful what you wish for” I found this book easy to read, although maybe not as exciting as I would Have hoped.
I felt that the author was trying very hard to make more of the plot than was actually there. The plot was twisting and turning, but still coming back to the beginning. There are only so many ways to go with this scenario and I think the author tried them all.
On getting herself into this situation of this plot, Marie could not have known that Nina’s seemingly perfect life was not as straight forward as she thought. It was set in the South of England, although it felt more like a small town in America, with the book club and mothers meeting outside the school, and everyone having an opinion on the lives of others.
It was an interesting book to read, however, I feel it could have been made to be more exciting towards the end when Marie found out about Charlie’s death. I also felt that Greg was a ‘nothing’ type of character.
I can’t think of any reason to give this book a bad mark as it was – all right, maybe a little disappointing. I would give it a score of 6

Margaret
A very easy read
But although I like twists this seemed excessive!
The character of Greg seemed to me to be introduced solely so Camilla could be a murderer
7/10

Mabe
I tried my best but I just couldn't get going on this book, it might be my frame of mind right now the more I read the less I wanted to carry on.

I haven't read enough to qualify to score it, I'm sorry Sonia .

Yvonne
When I read the prologue I thought here was a promising start. Unfortunately, I found the book to be slow, uninteresting and long winded. I did not care for the bland characters who did not convince me at all.The mystery of Charlie's death was protracted and I lost interest. The ending tied everything up neatly and the phrase "revenge is sweet" comes to mind.
I give it a 4.

Arleen
When Nina died of Cancer her friend Marie took over the task of looking after her children. Taking them to school and generally stepping into her friends shoes.
Marie was always jealous of the perfect life Nina had. A good husband, lovely children and a beautiful house. While she was living with Ben and was trying so hard to have a baby of her own.

What Marie didn't know, was the grass in the other field isn't always greener. She marries Stuart and thinks everything is going to be wonderful. She now has his two children to call her own. Things are not so perfect as she finds Nina had a terrible secret. Nina and another friend had gone out in a boat taking Marie's boy friend with them. They have a lot to drink and the boyfriend is struck on the head, dropped overboard and is drowned.

As the book continues, there are many twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages. I enjoyed it very much and I give it 8/10

Carolyn
It was easy to read and I wanted to find out what happened in the end. I thought Marie getting pregnant with Stuart was a bit predictable. She had wanted Nina's life but wasn't so happy when she got it. None of the characters were likeable, even Stuart turned out to be controlling. A nice quick read though. I give it a 6.


Helen
I would only give it a 4. The writing was clear and I wanted to know what happened, but I didn’t like any of the characters and found the plot to be totally unbelievable. I’m still unsure as to what the big secret/ promise was so was left feeling that a book that started with promise finished leaving me unfulfilled.

Chris
I'm 3/4 of the way through and although I got into quite easily I'm now finding it a bit long winded and boring. I don't like any of the characters and know that there are still twists and turns but I don't really care enough about any of them to want to know what they are. Will finish it though as its quite well written.
I will give it a 5

Gill
I’m not sure this book The Last wife was a thriller .It was rather an adult fairy tale but.......
It did engage me and it was easy to read and hopefully the princess lived happily ever after !!!!!
I would score it five out of ten as I really didn’t get into the plot for a long time.

Sonia
I read this book early in the month and remember quite enjoying it, thinking it was well written and scoring it around 5 out of 10 - however when I came to write the review at the end of the month I could not remember a single thing about it - not one single thing!! Now whether that is me or the book I have no idea - even skim re-reading it I still had no recollection so, obviously, although enjoyable enough at the time, a completely forgettable book!!


Average score for this book is 5 out of 10.

This book was very well received by the majority of our book club. They thought it well written, easy to read with a lovely storyline and characters. The portrayal of Dan was particularly well done and showed a side of people on the spectrum which is not normally evident in literature in that he was so very kind. The rest of the group found it unrealistic and formulaic as a story and the characters apart from Dan were unlikeable and the book did not live up to the hype. The ending split opinion in the same way that the rest of the book did. Everyone found the description of harp making interesting particularly the wood involved and the different sounds it makes. The average score we gave was 6 out of 10.

This book was enjoyed by most of the group and one member loved it so much she has already read two more by the same author although no one else in the group would rush to do the same!

Most agreed it was a little confusing to start but that the pace picked up in the middle section; however the ending was felt to be a little rushed. A few found the ending implausible. The majority found the characters to be unsympathetic and the lead character to be over dramatic. Some felt that to a certain extent the plot was given away early on by the quote by Arden/Olivia's mother that "she knew she was gone before she knew she was gone" which brought up possible comparisons with a similar disappearance of a child in the UK.

We felt that the writing was good but that the storyline could have been clearer and the ending less rushed. It seemed that random characters were introduced to act as red herrings and not much else.

Our overall score out of 10 was 6.6

With the exception of one, our group really enjoyed this book although a few of them did think they should have realised what was going on a little earlier. They found the story around Porton Down believable and were interested in the characters and the storyline. One member found the central premise unbelievable and compared it unfavourably to Shutter Island. Overall our score was 7 out of 10

This book was enjoyed by the majority of our readers but it seemed to separate those who are interested in politics and those who aren't. All to believable for most of us unfortunately. Good characters, interesting plot and interplay between the various factions but let down in part by spelling and grammatical errors - need a better proof reader! Average score was 7 out of 10

#This book was loved by the vast majority of our bookclub and scored very highly. They thought the depiction of the various grandmothers or surrogate grandmothers was well done and the whole book was thoroughly enjoyed by most. The average score was 7 out of 10.

Yvonne
I warmed to Hope's character from the start and appreciated her way of seeing the world. I had limited knowledge of FASD and it's effect on a child's development. The book was an easy read written with understanding of the challenges faced and the coping strategies which helped Hope to cope with day to day living. I enjoyed the book and give it a 9

Ffion
I’m sorry I didn’t connect with the book at all from the get go. I only got a few chapters in before I couldn’t go any further. The repetitive narrative- though it was explained why, I just didn’t get along with it. No score

Kirsty
I really enjoyed the way this book was written as it felt like not only was Hope talking directly to me but I liked that she also said her thoughts out loud which I do quite a lot too!!! However, I did start getting a bit fed up with some of the repetition in regards to her internal dialogue.
Not many people have heard about FAS so this is a great way for people to not only discover it but to see how it feels from someone who was born with it. I have previously worked with someone who has FAS and he was also abandoned by his mother. It is sad that they are the ones who have caused damage and yet they are the ones who escape. I found the storyline itself heartwarming, thought provoking, heartbreaking and funny at times (so quite a large range of emotions). It was quite slow to begin with but did start getting a bit more fast paced later on when certain events started taking place.
The characters were strong and realistic with the main ones being Hope and her mum Jenny but the secondary characters were all realistic with a mix of personalities. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a while. I would have to rate this book 7/10

Rachel
I adored this book. It took me a couple of pages to orient myself because of the internal monologue, but once I got in tune with Hope, I loved it. Her character is heart-warming and captivating, and most of the other characters are likable and interesting, too. There were plenty of unanswered questions that kept me turning the pages, and I really liked how everything was wrapped up in the end. Beautifully written - I highly recommend it! 10/10

Cat
I loved this book! Taking on a neurodivergent voice was a risky thing to do and could have gone horribly wrong but as the blurb at the back of the book showed, Caroline Day clearly did her research and the genuine tone of the book was appreciated by people who have FASD. I found the story absorbing, funny and emotional. It felt refreshing to be looking at the world through a different perspective. 8/10

Carolyn
I found the book very slow to start with and it didn't have much story. It could have been a bit shorter.
On the plus side I didn't know much about FASD before I read it and if the book makes more people aware that would obviously be good. I give it 5

Eve
This is another book that I thought I would not like – but I loved it.
I felt for the mother – Jenny – she had a very hard life bringing up Hope, and yet she succeeded very well. I know little about FASD, but it sounds difficult. I imagine that Caroline Day did a lot of research into this condition. Even when Jenny was very ill, Hope was really only concerned with her own life, living with this and still loving Hope would not have been easy.
The Novel explored friendship, as the writing group really seemed to get behind Hope to help her with her ambitions. The only one that did not was the man with the knotted scarf, who quite reasonably I think; thought as he had paid for the writing course, was entitled to full attention from the tutor. Hope likes words; she translates the names of the other course members into funny words or something she can relate to. Eventually, she relies on Connor Flynn, not such a good idea, as he has his own problems. Again, difficult situation to be coped with by the rest of his family, which they also do with love.
I liked the way that this novel was written in Hope’s voice, it made it all seem more realistic. It certainly made you think about your own life and how lucky you have been not to have these problems. Charming though Hope was, she certainly made her mother’s life difficult. The golden rules at the back of the book were very good and could very well apply to most children. I am sure we could all write a set of golden rules, with kindness being right at the top. I did enjoy this book and would give it a score of 10

Helen
I wasn’t sure I would enjoy this book - it felt like it was going to follow a very familiar plot and reminded me of other novels I’ve read before. However I found it impossible not to like Hope as a character. Although there weren’t many unpredictable twists and turns, the story itself was well written and enjoyable, not my usual genre but a nice change. The topic of FASD is something I’ve heard of but didn’t know a great deal about so that was also interesting. Plus no dog died! 8/10

Arleen
I found it a little slow at the start of the book and then it got more interesting. I found there was a lot of repetition but I certainly learnt more about what can happen if an expecting mother drinks alcohol when pregnant, and what could happen to her baby. I loved Hope and her lovely mother, and it was good that Hope found such a loving home. I also found it amusing that she thought she had a boyfriend but wasn't sure, as she didn't know quite what it meant to have a boyfriendat all. So bitter sweet, learning to be in an adult world.
I found the book was well written and went into the illness in great detail. I thought the author went into a lot of research for this book. 7/10

Mabe
I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about FASD and found it very educational and informative. A really interesting and enjoyable read. I would give it 8 out of 10.

Sonia
I found this a very disappointing book. The premise at the start was that Hope was writing a first person stream of consciousness account of part of her life; it was clear in the first few chapters that this was (as I had suspected as I have some knowledge of FASD) not something that would make a readable book. It was clear that Hope had a degree of brain dysfunction which made it impossible for her to write a comprehensible account. After the first 2 or 3 chapters the writing became much more fluent and the story became clearer which for me rendered the premise of the book null and void. It became a story written in the style of someone writing about someone who had FASD rather than the sufferer herself. For that reason I could only skim read the rest of the book and did not enjoy it at all. For me, the book has to live up to the original premise or it simply does not work. Had it started from the viewpoint of a storyteller recounting Hope's experience then I probably would have enjoyed it - I will never know! Very disappointing hence my score of 2 out of 10.

Average Score - 7.5

Chris
Not sure if I will become a big fan of "Cosy Crime mysteries " but it was an easy read and the characters were well described and mostly believable. The plot was a bit slow to develop and the police procedures seemed to be questionable but overall it was an enjoyable read. I will give it a 6

Carolyn
This would be a good holiday read if you wanted something light and easy. There was a lot about food in it especially cake. I don't mind reading about cake but not so much. I liked it being set in Scarborough, I have been there. I quite enjoyed and give it 5.

Cat
When I first started reading this book, I thought oh wow, she needs to read Hope Nicely's rule of 'show don't tell'. I thought it was going to be a painful read. However, even though the writing was stilted and generally cliched, I actually really enjoyed it. It was like comfort food. The plot was not remotely believable, but definately wasn't meant to be and it was actually quite gripping. The characters were fun and colourful. They were all so odd I felt like any of them could have been the killer so that kept the suspense going! I was mildly annoyed by the description of Jean the cook. I liked her as a character but describing Northerners as 'down to earth' is just boring. Also, the writer making a big deal out of veganism was also pretty silly. It's 2022 I think we're quite used to the idea of vegan sausages now. Overall though a lovely bit of escapism and has made me want to go to the library and get some more light-hearted murder mysteries. 6/10.

Ffion
As I continued to read I hoped that the story would move faster, but it continued to move at such a slow pace for me. There were many likeable characters from Helen to a few of the actors, but for me this didn’t save the book.
I’d give it a 4 out of 10.

Eve
I may be labelled as shallow but I did really enjoy this book. The author was not trying to prove how much cleverer she was than me, she simply told an entertaining story. The characters were easy to like or dislike and the story easy to follow. From the first chapter I was encouraged to read on and did not once feel like giving up. I understand that this is one of a series and would certainly be encouraged to read more by Glenda Young. Setting the series in a hotel seems to be a good idea as there would be a variety of characters and situations acted out there. I would assume that the relationship between the hotel owner Helen Dexter and the local policeman is an ongoing story and this works well.
I would give this book a score of 9 plus 1 for not killing the dog - a total of 10.

Arleen
I found this an easy book to read and an enjoyable one. There was a lot of twists and turns and something going on all the time.

The theatre group that was staying in this hotel took over the whole area and used the lounge to rehearse in. The owner of the hotel was called Helen and the director used her as prompter for the Actor's. The star of the show was what I would call a diva. Not an easy sort of lady to get along with. There was twist and turns in the plot after she was killed. Who killed her? There were a few Actor's in the frame with love and love triangles going on. Poor Helen so wanted to to have her hotel to become 4star rating but with all the problems of the police, and reporters that are camped outside she felt the 4 stars were not going to be hers.
There was also a lot of laughter and internal fighting. It was such a good book to read and I will give it a 8/10

Selina
I found this book very lighthearted, compared to my usual tastes. I could not really engage with the story or the characters and found the landlady, Helen, quite irritating, interfering and ‘nosey’. I was very impressed that the Cook managed to make all those breakfasts single handedly and still had time to bake wonderfully iced cakes and so forth all before coffee time! The woman was a marvel! It was readable enough, definitely not a page turner. Had I picked it up as a holiday read (and I’m guessing that’s the kind of market it’s aimed at) I’d have happily flicked through it, but not really cared if I’d not had time to finish it. Easily read and easily forgotten and would not tempt me to read more in the same series. Harmless, frothy, predictable and a bit silly. Characters more like caricatures. Taylor Caffrey with his ‘anyhoo’ and Gav with his ‘Missus” were particularly grating and seemed to belong to another era. One bit made me laugh out loud - Helen was walking Suki and the author mentioned that Helen was walking so fast that Suki was having difficulty keeping up….IT’S A GREYHOUND for goodness sake! Out of 10, 4 from me. I like something with a bit more depth.

Mabe
I thought it an enjoyable read all the characters were varied and interesting, the plot kept me guessing till the end and I got it wrong!
It was nice to read a straight forward story a perfect read for me .
Score. 8

Yvonne
As described on the cover this was a cosy club mystery. It was easy to read with an eclectic mix of characters.I enjoyed reading it but found very little mystery and intrigue.It was slow moving in parts. Nevertheless, I read it all!.
I give it a 7.

Rachel
I wasn't a fan of this book. I felt the characters were all a bit flat, and many seemed to be stereotypes rather than fleshed out people. I didn't really care for the main character, who I found annoying, patronising and hypocritical. Do most hotel owners even care if a guest brings someone back to their room?

A lot of the minor details also seemed very silly, like Carmen having an obsession with men with increasingly large moustaches, Paul having a mother and aunty who stalked him from a distance wherever he went, a policeman who was constantly mixing up the name of celebrities e.g Carmen Delray and Carmen Miranda, and emotional turmoil over whether someone can cook pancakes.

A major conflict in the novel, that in the relationship between Helen and Jimmy, hinges on failure to communicate, which is always frustrating to read. It's also quite a slow read, as the murder doesn't take place until over a third of the way through the book. Helen's decision not to listen to Jimmy, and his to be deliberately elusive, is almost as annoying as Helen's decision to withhold information from the police because she 'doesn't like to pry'.

I also found the constant description of clothing to be a bit tedious, and rolled my eyes at the suggestion that women who wear jeans and a t- shirt are dowdy.

The numerous romantic relationships were equally boring, and I found Helen and Jimmy being wrapped together by Suki's lead saccharine. 3/10

Helen
I found this book to be an easy read. I wanted to find out whodunnit and enjoyed the descriptions of Scarborough. The plot was undemanding, the characters were uncomplicated and the story followed a pretty predictable direction. I’m glad Suki saved the day. I wouldn't say that this book was thought-provoking, but I don’t think it intended to be, and overall I enjoyed the story. I would say the book cover describes this well as ‘cosy crime’ and would give it 6/1

Sonia
I could not get engaged with this book, the story or the characters, at all sadly. I could not work out in which era it was set as it seemed to me to be written in the fifties although of course it was 2022. The cliches and obvious set ups and denouements were too much for me so, although I finished it, none of it registered and I can only give it 3 out of 10.

Average score 6.5 out of 10

Helen
I found this book easy to read, and undemanding in terms of the following the plot. I did find it quite engaging as a light read, but I can’t say that I liked any of the characters at all. The parts about the school/ parental politics were believable, but I wasn’t so sure about the swinging. I’m not sure that added anything much to the mix. I read to the end but I wasn’t gripped. And of course, poor pup.
I’d give this a 5/10

Kirsty
This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonists being Amanda Blackland, Alice Daniels and Zoe Makin. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene and kept me on the edge of my seat. The cover and synopsis suited the storyline perfectly.

An absolutely must read, addictive, unputdownable and memorable page turner!!!

Love, LOVE, LOVED this absolute page turner!! It may be the first book I have read by Ali but I can promise you it won't be the last!!! As soon as I've written this up I'm off to add all her books to my wishlist. The storyline is absolutely ram packed with mystery, tension, lies, romance, suspense and OMG the twists just kept on coming again and again!!! Every time I kept telling myself one more chapter the one I was in ended at a point where there was no way I could stop reading so I absolutely devoured it in one sitting!! I absolutely LOVED the school setting which made this book all the more realistic. I loved the unique storyline, an absolutely fantastic idea for a book. I WAS absolutely blown away by the twists and considering I read approximately 30 books a month that is certainly no easy feat so a HUGE congratulations on that Ali. If you are looking for something unique, filled with suspense and that will blow your mind then this is definitely the book for you!! This book really does go to show how one night and one idea can change so many lives.

I absolutely love the fact that this book is written in several different formats which is another reason it is so unique as I have never seen a book that does this. Amanda's perspective is written as if she is speaking to the reader, we see Zoe's perspective from emails that she has written to her sister and Alice's perspective is told to us via a transcript taken in the office of a Dr Martha Davis. It is a fantastic way to write a book and makes it all the more realistic. I also loved the addition of the table plan for the trivia night for table 6 at the start of the book.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT READING THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE CLEARED YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!

I wasn't just 100% invested in the storyline but also in the characters. Every single one of the characters were well defined, realistic and strong. They all had their good and bad sides and I enjoyed watching how the different women reacted to each other at the school, the event and afterwards. My heart absolutely went out to a few of the characters. I can't say I felt sorry for all the characters but I also won't say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I loved how Ali brought the characters to life and many are so realistic to what parents at school runs and events are genuinely like. However, you can't get along with everyone and each of these characters had the perfect personalities to make this book as addictive as it was!! These characters were so strong with such large personalities they won't be forgotten by me anytime soon!!

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Ali on what promises to be a massive best seller!!! I WAS absolutely blown away by the twist was absolutely shocking!!! I can't say anything else but when you've read it you'll know!!! Welcome to my favourite author list Ali and here's to your next explosive success ????!!!

Overall an absolutely addictive, mind blowing page turner filled with secrets, romance, family, friends, suspense, tension and everything you could want in a book that will keep you up with a racing heart until you've finished!!!
10/10

Ffion
Well I read this book in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down. I struggled a little with Amanda, I couldn’t quite workout what was going on with her, but connecting her story to her mothers cleared that up. I enjoyed moving between the women every chapter, getting to know their viewpoint of what happened at trivia night. The author did well to change the style of voice for the different characters narrating their chapters. Just for personal preference Zoe’s chapters annoyed me a little as she often wen off on a tangent, but overall I really enjoyed this book and loved the letter at the end written by the arch nemesis Victoria.
Overall an 8/10 from me.

Eve
I found this book very easy to read, but with a cast of unlikeable characters. During the course of the book, they changed from fun loving swingers to regretful self righteous housewives and husbands. Somehow they all regretted their part in the trivia night. I thought the story was fairly weak, the only twist being the murder of Victoria's husband at the beginning of the story.
This book would not encourage me to read any other book by this author.
I should deduct a point as the dog died, but will give it a 4 as I think it is an easy non-demanding read .

Carolyn
I didn't really like this book and found it hard to get into. I thought I might have to give up but it was a little better after the trivia night. I thought it was too long, unbelievable and the characters were unlikable. The ending was quite predictable as well. I give it 3.

Rachel
I couldn’t put this book down. I was drawn in by all the characters and their various problems straight away, and the writer very skilfully drip-fed the information, so we got the whole picture piece by piece. The protagonists were very flawed, but relatable and likeable. Victoria was a fascinating character, and you could tell from the beginning that there was more to her than met the eye. Even though I guessed the ending, it was still highly satisfying to read, and the foreshadowing was woven well into the story. I would definitely read more of this author’s work! 10/10

Cat
Well haha???? a lot happened in this book. I feel like it was terrible but so entertaining I enjoyed it anyway! The most (only?) realistic part was the portrayal of the cliquey school mum groups. I don't really know what Ali Lowe was aiming for. It was a strange mix of ludicrous and sad events. The explicit sex chapter was beyond cringe and I was so glad that didn't continue for the whole book. Victoria's character was the most bizarre of all. Why was she so demonic? Overall a page turner, but mainly out of disbelief. 6/10 from me.

Mabe
I don't know where to start with this review. The story line of partner swapping shenanigans was not my type of read at all but the actual story line was compelling as I wanted to see how it all turned out and so I read it to the end.
I give it 4.

Sonia
Well I'm not quite sure what to make of this. It was easy to read and I certainly wanted to know what happened in the end and it was interesting inasmuch as I have no experience of this sort of behaviour myself! I did find it difficult to keep up with who was married to who in the beginning and then when I had mastered that I got confused all over again by who was doing what with who. Found the ending quite trite. Overall well written and enjoyable in a strange kind of way so I will give it a 6.

Overall score of 6.5

Rachel
I loved this book! It was clever, fast-paced and had interesting characters. The main character, while sometimes frustrating in terms of the decisions he makes, feels very authentic, and his flaws feel human. Some of the secondary characters can feel a bit like caricatures, but then I think that’s the point.

I always find books that explore a certain culture or sub-culture fascinating, and this one did so expertly! I didn’t manage to guess who the traitor was in the end (I thought it was going to be Brian). One thing I wasn’t keen on about the ending is I didn’t think that Darren and Soraya should have resumed their relationship, given the message the writer was giving seemed to be that you can build a new future but you can’t return to the past. Other than that, the ending was excellent and highlights a real social problem while making great use of non-linear narration.

A couple of things seemed a bit unrealistic- like kidnapping an extremely wealthy and privileged person, torturing them, and there being no direct consequences - but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.

I would give it a 10/10 because the minor issues didn’t stop me being 100% immersed while reading and were simply things that occurred to me later upon reflection.

Arleen
I have to say I was not happy with the start of the book. Too many 'f' words for my liking. I decided to read a little more and wasn't impressed with the awful way people were treated as they joined the sales team.
My working life revolved around looking after children which I loved. I just couldn't understand the cut and thrust of sales. It was a living hell. Darren, or should we now call him Buck, as the story unfolds.

Buck worked in Starbucks and was very good at his job. He was 22 years and lived with his mother. He had a lovely girlfriend, and good friends, and life was good. That is until he meets a man who is impressed with his work and offers him a job in sales at a much higher wage than he was getting at Starbucks'. I was surprised how nasty and mean most people were. Now Buck was the only black man working there. He eventually started a new group of none whites to get them jobs so they were able to earn as much as the whites were earning.

Unfortunatly it didn't turn out too well and Buck ends up in prison. I won't go any further as I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't as yet finished the book. Still too much swearing for my taste.

I can't say I enjoyed this book but am pleased I did read to the end. I will give it 5/10.

Ffion
I must admit I found it hard work to read the first half of the book. I didn’t find many of the characters likeable and found the story rather unbelievable. The world of sales doesn’t appeal to me too much manipulation and fakery for me. The second half of the book held my attention much more. I did see a development of character in Buck and even Jason to a point. I was able to connect to the sadness in Buck with the loss of his mother but that was all.
On the whole it was a well written book, and I think the author wrote about ethnic minorities in the workplace very well. It isn’t usually a bio I’d have chosen to read and I don't think I would read something similar in the future.
I would give the book a 5 out of 10.

Mabe
I really tried to stick with it but I'm afraid it's just not for me. So I won't put in a review as I would bring the mark down unfairly.

Eve
I don't consider myself particularly PC - however, I did not like the language in this book, in the days when they are trying to rewrite Roald Dahl and even Agatha Christie, I wondered how it got to print. The author himself was coloured, of course. I fear I did not finish the book, mainly because there were times that I really could not understand what on earth they were talking about. This is probably not a book aimed at the South Wales community. I can only give it a score of 1, but only read half the book, so maybe unfair.

Cat
I didn't immediately click with this book as Askaripour made it clear this was a book for Black people, and to read it you should "picture yourself as Black". This made me feel slightly irritated as I don't normally think about skin colour when I'm reading. Then I felt guilty about feeling irritated. Then irritated that I felt guilty. So, after that battle however, I decided to read the first 100 pages and soon remembered that the reason I don't think about skin colour is because I don't experience racism. This is something I already knew in theory of course but which the book really made me actually feel - as it was supposed to! I became totally involved in the story. Darren, the main character, felt so real, I was really rooting for him. It was fast paced, funny and painfully sad at times. I think the writer challenged my perspective as a white reader and I appreciate that. It's good to be confronted and made to think about the world from other people's perspectives. 7/10.

Carolyn
Although this book wasn't what I'd usually read I did enjoy it. I liked Buck and felt his downfall wasn't all his own fault. He was bullied and manipulated and ended up in prison after being tricked. He was happy at the start of the book and happy at the end even though he was in prison. He was still trying to help other people. It was easy to read and I give it 7.

Sonia
I found this book hard going to read at the start and was only going to read 100 pages but then I got more interested in it and did finish it. The beginning with all the "black" speech I found difficult to read and the subject of sales and money is one that I find particularly uninteresting. The way Darren was initially recruited I found implausible and the emphasis on manipulation of people distasteful - I could feel myself cringing as I read. As that got even worse as the book continued so did my distaste and that Darren - Buck - turned that from customers to colleagues was unpleasant for me. Not a book I enjoyed I'm afraid. Some reviewers have likened it to The Wolf of Wall Street but for me it did not have the same level of humour nor did it have the benefit of being based on a true story and the results of which we had actually lived through. This book became more readable after the first few chapters but unfortunately not more enjoyable. I can only give it a 3 out of 10.

Chris
Found this book easy to get into and the way the storyline kept moving forward kept my interest. The story line seemed a bit far fetched although being American perhaps not!
The characters were well described and although not all were likeable, I did feel sorry for Buck at times.
I will give it 8

Helen
I loved this book. I found the storyline novel and engaging. It wasn’t something I would have picked from the shelf so it was an opportunity to explore some different issues. I was interested in seeing the journey Darren made throughout the story - and thought the ending was a good one. I really liked the style of the book - I thought Darren’s notes to the reader were sharply focused. 9/10

Average Score 6.75

Rachel
I absolutely loved this book and thought it was well worth it to pay a little bit more rather than get a 99p book on Amazon. The biography style prose with footnotes and links almost had me wondering if this was a real world event that I'd somehow missed. There was so much emotional depth to the story, and I really felt the protagonist's conflict and turmoil, and the insidious nature of the Community was so cleverly written. The moral message felt clear without being heavy handed.
10/10

Mabe
I'm sorry the silence project is not my kind of read.
I'm not into cults and I found it rather boring in parts .
Score 3

Eve
Another fairly easy to read book. Stupidly I started at the beginning and not read the bit at the end, where it tells you that this is a story when I started the book it was so convincing that I googled a couple of things I thought the book seemed very real. I can see it happening. It would have ruined the girls life and although she did it for good reason - it wasn't good for everyone working for the charity later in life was an error for her daughter as she was not comfortable with her mothers notoriety.
I enjoyed the book, it was well thought out and the author quite cleverly made it seem real.
I will score it 8

Arleen
I am sorry to say that I only managed 130 pages. I found this book so boring and unbelievable that I just couldn't read any more. I will give it 3/10

Carolyn
I didn't really enjoy The Silence Project. It took quite a while to read and I found it quite hard going. The last third was better but it just wasn't my thing. I give it 5

Cat
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, Hailey attempted to create a world with very different values from the one we live in. I just couldn't buy into the premise that a cult which promotes suicide would become mainstream and powerful in our society. On the other hand, I did enjoy some of her writing, specifically her description of the rainforest in the Congo.
I also never felt like I had properly understood - or that she had properly explained - what the actual purpose of the silence project was. Overall I think that although Hailey is a potentially good writer, the plot was too ambitious and required me to suspend belief too much for it to work. 5/10

Chris
A very different read for me and one which I enjoyed. I liked that it was written as a biography and was drawn into it from the start.
I will give it 8

Sonia
This was a very well written book, so much so that it really did feel as though I was reading about a real event and I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction! I found the story interesting and it held my attention until the end when it was extremely disappointing that the issue of Rachel's diaries came up again and it was clear that Emilia had not read them when they were first given to her. I found the fact that she had not done so frustrating and difficult to understand as they would have given her so much more of an insight into what Rachel really wanted to achieve rather than listening to her followers views without being able to correct them. It shows clearly that followers of any particular belief system can distort or pervert the teachings to suit themselves and explains how vastly different religions for example develop from one set of basic premises. So, it was interesting and different but the ending was so frustrating that I can only give it a 6 out of 10.

Average Score 6 out of 10

Chris
I found it slow to get into but once I got to know the main characters I quite enjoyed it. The fact that it was based on true events made it more interesting. I will give it an 8 out of 10

Mabe
I very much enjoyed this read as it was based on a true story about the London Blitz causing it's inhabitants to rush for safety in the underground tunnels .
I am happy to give it a 10

Helen
I enjoyed the historical elements, and wanted to know more about the real story behind the underground community. I thought the book was easy to read, and accessibly written, but that the characters were too stereotypical and the story was very predictable. Because of that I felt that I had read the plot before, just set in different contexts. However, saying that, I did want to finish it, and then enjoyed the additional information that was provided at the end.
I'd give it a 6

Arleen
I had never heard of the library in the under ground, and thought it was wonderful to think people could still be able to get the books they wanted to read. Not only books but a theater as well. I loved the humour of the Londoners and how everyone pulled together in times of hardship.
I was also so pleased to think all the children wanted to read books and they were well and truly catered for. I was an avid reader as a child but there wasn't a library until Boots the chemist opened up their upper room to be used as such.
I loved all the characters, well most of them!
The reality of war, the people who were bombed out of their homes and still kept going. Using the library as a place to keep warm and of course loose themselves in the books.
I was pleased the book mentioned the Channel Islands, so often they were overlooked
I enjoyed this book so much I will give it 10/10

Cat
I really enjoyed this book. Although sometimes it did feel a little formulaic and corny, it was also vividly written and very engaging. Clara and Ruby are both great characters and I loved the underground library. The fact that it was based on a true story felt quite inspirational too. It's nearly a 7 but not quite so 6/10.

Carolyn
The Little Wartime library was easy to read and I liked that it was based on a true story and the notes at the end were really interesting too. I hadn't heard about the underground library before but what a great idea it was. I liked most of the characters, especially Sparrow and Tubby. I was a bit surprised that quite a lot of men and even some women in the forties still thought reading wasn't good for women and girls. I enjoyed it and give it 7.

Eve
I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to escape into the world of clara Button. I enjoyed the chapters ar the end where we were told which parts of the story were based on real events..it is odd to realise the value of books then - when you think that now books are relegated to charity shops or even recycling. I felt sorry for the women of that time who were totally under the thumb of their menfolk , many of whom were self opinionated bullies .
The chapters about the channel islands were interesting as many books are not so realistic.
I would certainly read more books by this author and would recommend this book and give it a score of 10.

Kirsty
This book is very powerful and extremely well written. It is devastatingly heart-breaking and beautiful at the same time. The storyline of this book is fiction but the actual historical events are all based on facts and history which is another thing that drew me to read it. It is absolutely rammed with emotions that will make you smile, cry and laugh on the roller-coaster ride to hell that is World War 2 and the Blitz along with persecution and murder of the Jews and many others. Nothing is left out and Kate has done an immense amount of research and brings Clara and Ruby's stories to life along with the Little Wartime Library. Clara and Ruby's library story is based on that of the borough librarian George F. Vale and his deputy Stanley Smith who actually did set up and run the little wartime library on Bethnal Green Underground. Kate used her creativity to bring George and Stanley back to life through Clara and Ruby. I must admit that this book really has got to be one of, if not the, best historical book I have ever read!! As a bibliophile myself to find a book that is based on and in libraries and books really is a readers dream!! I was absolutely fascinated with not just the storyline itself which I found to be unique but also all the historical facts and information included both in the storyline and in the back of the book where Kate gives the reader further information, photos and details on where she found her information. The fact that she made the main protagonists female living during the war and in a time where, although women were doing the same roles that men would have done they were still not seen as being able to do a males role to the same standard and the discrimination and prejudice that Clara and Ruby receive, especially from a certain horrid Mr Pinkerton-Smythe is absolutely disgraceful but true to those times. I loved going back in time from 2023 , shortly to 2020 (thankfully) and then to 1944 and back again. The prologue and epilogue are both set during 2020 when the COVID pandemic kept us in lockdown and destroyed many lives and the parallels between how people would lose themselves in the fictional world of books during lockdown and also during the war are fascinating.

I absolutely loved the amazing idea that Kate had to start each chapter of her book with a quote from a real librarian which I found all to be very true but the ones that stood out the most to me just have to be 'If you have a book you have a friend. As an only child, reading gave me a friend ALL the time' quoted from Andrea Homer, former Saturday Girl At Cradley Library in Halesowen, ' That moment, where something clicks, and you know you've made a reader of a child. Pure magic' quoted from Donna Byrne, Reader Developmental Librarian for Havering Libraries (as a mum of three boys myself I can definitely relate to this one and absolutely love in when I see my eldest son lost in the magic of a book), I adored the story from Anne Cunningham who was told it was pointless her being given the job as library assistant as she would only leave to go off and have babies to then end up with her interviewers job years later, 'There's no such thing as a child who doesn't like reading, just a child who hasn't found the right book' quoted from Nicola 'Ninja Librarian' Pollard who is a school librarian in Harrogate (my partner who rarely reads actually agreed with this one and, again, as parents we both found this to be very true' and the final ones, which I am tempted to have tattooed to me next to my other book tattoos are 'Want to see the world? Don't join the army, become a librarian' from Denise Bangs, Idea Store Libraries in London and my final favourite and one I definitely agree with was spoken by the Mayor of St Pancras, London and is ' People Without books are like houses without windows'!!

I also received a book group kit with my book which I also found fascinating as it included information and photos of the areas mentioned in Kate's book as well as many other fascinating facts and things to do. My heart broke but at the same time soared at the end of this beautiful story filled with romance, passion, war, love, horror, suspense, tension, books, determination and just absolutely everything you could ask for in an emotional rollercoaster page turning historical novel. I cannot wait to read Kate's next guaranteed success and at the back of her book she mentions that after talking to Jackie Stanfield who is a librarian at HMP Hyde bank Women's Prison in Belfast she found talking to her so fascinating it made her want to set a book in a women's prison library and I really, really hope that she goes ahead with this as I for one would love to read that!!
I wont go into too much detail about the characters as I will leave them for you to discover, plus I have already written way more than I was planning to but there is just so much I could say about how absolutely amazing this book is that I really could carry on for hours! Each of the characters in the book came completely to life thanks to Kate's amazing evocative writing skills and several of them were based on people who lived during this time, their experiences and lives and a mix of their personalities and although I could not stand several of them such as Mr Pinkerton Smyth, Victor, Clara's joke of a mother and mother in law, there were characters that were absolutely amazing and unforgettable that apart from our main hero's Clara and Ruby, the Bethnal Green Bookworms such as Pat, Queenie, Irene and Dot, charming and aging Mr Pepper, ruthless but with a heart of gold Mrs Chumbley, handsome, brave and sweet Billy and GI Eddie, Ruby's poor mother Netty, the absolutely lovable and naughty Tube Rats including Sparrow, Tubby, Beatty and Marie along with the fantastic Minister Rupert Montague (especially after putting Pinkerton in his place!) and last but definitely not least the Library Cat!!!! These amazing characters made me angry, joyful, sad, blissful, hopeful and so, so much more in between!!! They most definitely wont be forgotten by me anytime soon!! Kate does an amazing job building her each of these truly amazing characters and her fantastic evocative writing skills brings each and every one of them to life.

Overall an unforgettable, unputdownable, absolutely beautifully devastating story from an amazingly talented author. This book is an absolute must read for anyone and everyone!! Most definitely a 10 from me!!

Sonia
I was looking forward to reading this book but in truth it was a little disappointing. The back story of the underground library was fantastic and is what kept me reading to the end but the characters were so stereotypical and the events and storyline so cliched and formulaic that it spoilt the overall enjoyment. It was easy to read and reasonably well written but could have been so much better if the personal stories had been more true to life and not required to have a sentimental happy ending. What a shame.
I had no idea that this library had existed and the author's story was really interesting as was the war story which was well written and believable. Although I was aware that Jersey had been invaded by the Nazis I had not known any detail so that was interesting too.
Overall I can only give it a 6 out of 10.

Average score : 8 out of 10

Eve
I found this book easy to read at first and liked the way that it was written in emails and texts. However, as the book went on I found it difficult. Again, at first I found the story easy, but after a while it seemed to turn rather supernatural and the story not so believable. I read some reports on line, but it seemed to have little sense . Although I read all the book , I did not seem to get much sense from it. Overall I found the book disappointing and would give it a score of 4.

Mabe
I'm afraid I didn't like this book I struggled with the format and I dislike books about cults.
So it a 0 from me.

Helen
I read this book and at the start I enjoyed the different sources that were used to tell the story. I have read one other book by this author which was similar in style. I thought the plot twist at the end was clever, it was unexpected and did like the exchanges with the person doing the interview transcriptions. However, I felt that the book was overlong and the style made it hard to follow at times, and so found myself skimming some sections. Overall I would give it 5/10

Chris/Arleen (via Eve)
5 of us met to discuss this book - 3 sent in separate reviews We were not keen on the format of the book as it became rather wearing after a while. The ending was quite difficult to understand, even with the help of Google. The duchess of Wessex was mentioned during the book and we discussed whether or not it was legal to mention an actual personal a book or do you need permission to use someone's name. Mostly we found the book disappointing and from just our number it scored 2.5

Carolyn
I was a bit unsure about the format of the book but found it easier to read than I initially thought. I was a bit confused by all the different people though and was never quite sure whether they were lying, misremembering or telling the truth. Also did Oliver kill Amanda or was that a cover up by the police as well? It was cleverly worked out. I give it 7.

Sonia
The format of the book was interesting and new but eventually ended up making it difficult to follow for me. So many characters introduced in so many different formats that I am afraid I lost track of who was who in the end. The story was interesting and enjoyable and the twists at the end were unexpected and clever. Not the type of book I would want to read again if it was in the same sort of format though. I give it a 5 out of 10.

Kirsty
Well, this book is most definitely unique!! When I first had a flick through it I was a bit concerned in the way it is formatted being entirely composed using WhatsApp messaging, Emails and other communications as well as scripts from other 'books'. I have never come across anything like it before and considering I have read hundreds of books that is quite a feat!! I became hooked on the storyline immediately and was surprised to find that I was actually enjoying reading the storyline in the different media formats as it gave a larger picture of what peoples thoughts and ideas were from many different perspectives!! It is definitely a gripping storyline and I was completely invested from the beginning to the end. Once I started reading it I just did not want to put it down and was glued to the pages every time I got a moment to read through. I love the fact that because of the way it is formatted that even though there are only 8 actual chapters you can stop the book at many different places without feeling lost as to where you were in the book. The storyline is packed full of mystery, the supernatural, manipulation, suspense, deceit, crime, cover ups, friendship and it really makes you question what is actually going on. Janice also uses the topic of manipulation and how easy it is for someone to manipulate somebody who is vulnerable with nobody to talk to and how it is so easy for crimes such as grooming and child abuse to go so unnoticed in the world we live in now. I love that everything is wrapped up in the end leaving no plot holes as that is a pet hate of mine when it comes to reading mystery books when something is mentioned then seems to be entirely forgotten by the end of the book. Janice weaves several links and storylines together absolutely perfectly keeping the reader drawn in hook, line and sinker!! Janice has a fantastic imagination and I was absolutely gobsmacked when the ending happened as well as some of the truths being revealed. There was no way I would have expected any of it, which is again another fantastic achievement as it does get harder and harder to shock me the more books I read!!! This truly is a fantastic work of art in book form and I will be recommending it to anyone and everyone!! An absolutely incredible, complex, twisted, addictive and explosive work of art written in the form of multiple media that will have you questioning yourself by the end. An absolute must read that I could never score less than a 10/10!! I cannot wait to read more books by this incredible author!!!

Average score : 4 out of 10

Arleen
This book was hard to put down once I started reading it. There was so many twist and turns and took the reader through the lives of the family's who lived in the house called Tall Chimneys. It was easy to follow the different era as each time change had the name at the top of the page of Elizabeth and Nancy. It was a book that I would recommend to friends and I will give it 10/10 it was a brilliant book.

Eve
I enjoyed this book. I like the time differences going through a story and the 3 generations of the same family. It did get a little muddled on occasions, but mainly it was easy to follow. It was also easy to either like or dislike, as appropriate, the characters. I would like to read more from this author and give it a 9/10.

Mabe
This story kept me gripped throughout. The modern day thriller was combined a suspenseful story of life during WWII. A great read. My score 9
Kirsty
I thoroughly enjoyed this brilliant page turner!! This is my first book from this author but I will definitely be reading more. I enjoyed the fact that it has the multiple narratives, timelines and protagonists. The story is told from the point of view of Nancy and in the present timeline and Elizabeth where Jane takes us to WW2. Jane weaves the storylines, protagonists and history together ensuring the reader gets the bigger picture of what is and was going on and how they are thinking and feeling. Jane discusses and includes some difficult topics which may be unsuitable and upsetting for some readers. These topics include the war, PTSD, sexual abuse, post natal depression and murder. Jane manages to weave these topics into this incredible storyline in a sensitive way while still ensuring the reader still sees the impacts of these things. Her evocative and emotive descriptions really brings the storyline to life making sure the reader sees and feels everything the characters are seeing and feeling from pain to love, happiness to despair. It is a story filled with history, tension, love, emotions that will keep you glued to the pages needing to know what will happen next. I am looking forward to reading more books by Jane and would rate this 8/10

Carolyn
I enjoyed the book. It was a good easy read and I liked the parts about WW2 and the secret army. I give it a 7.

Helen
I found this book to be well written, and it was an easy read in terms of following the plot and the style, although the issues covered were potentially harrowing. I wanted to know what happened to the characters, although I didn’t warm to any in particular. Although the story jumped about in time this was easy to follow. I thought that the parts of the story set during the war were the most interesting, but those set in modern times were less compelling, and less believable. I would read other books by this author. 7/10

Sonia
This was an easy read and easy enough to follow although written in two different time zones. However, the storyline of Elizabeth, set in WW2, was very much more interesting than that of the modern day Nancy although I thought none of the characters were particularly likeable. The book was spoilt for me by the constant trailing of the "trauma" that was the actual cause of the later dramatic events, and which ruined Nancy's entire life apparently, was not exactly earth shattering when it was finally revealed. I find this style of writing irritating so can only give it a (in my view generous) 5 out of 10