1989 The Berlin Wall (My Part in its Downfall) by Peter Millar

   (Book received from, and review written for, TripFiction.com)

A fascinating and clear explanation                       My rating:  4 out of 5

This excellent autobiography of Peter Millar's life as a reporter takes the reader through the years before, during and after the collapse of the Berlin Wall in a clear, easy to read manner.

Although this book is primarily about East / West Berlin, it includes what was going on in the rest of the Eastern bloc before the Wall came down.  In doing so Peter takes us through his early days working for Reuters at Fleet Street, before moving to East Berlin as their correspondent.  There he meets many people, mostly at his local bar, who give him the story of the building of the Wall, and the appalling outcomes.  He mentions, almost in passing, the surveillance and bugging of his flat - although this becomes much more scary when, many years later,  he actually gets to read his Stasi file. 

It is not all horror and misery though, we are given amusing anecdotes about the reality of Germans versus the British stereotype of them.   There are some laugh out loud moments when the author returns to the UK and works for the Daily Telegraph foreign desk where life was not as exciting as he had imagined it would be, despite the revelation that they had "a special way of using paperclips". 

There are references to the marital strain that being a frequently travelling reporter brings, including an instance of attempting to put snow chains on their stuck in the mud vehicle in the -10C Soviet Union - and the annoyance that just when you need a surveillance team to be following you, there isn't one.  I would have been interested to hear more detail of what it was like for his wife living in East Germany, but this is very much Peter's story and not seen from the perspective of his wife.

The story moves between Germany, Poland and the birth of the Solidarity Trades Union, to the Soviet Union plus many other countries in the communist bloc, giving the full picture of  the lead up to the fall of the Wall and "The Domino Effect" the Wall's coming down had. 

For the visitor to Berlin there are lots of references to places and monuments, including the bar the author frequented which is, according to the book, still there, "substantially unchanged, and remains the best bar in Berlin."

At a first glance into the book my heart sank at the print style used, but this was soon forgotten when I started reading.  There are some great photos included.  Any German words/phrases used are immediately translated afterwards (thank you!).

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in how the Wall came to fall, and about the events going on around that time. 

The Girl with No Past by Kathryn Croft

(I received the Kindle version of this book, free of charge, from Netgalley in return for an honest independent review.)

Gripping, a real page turner                      My rating: 4 out of 5

A psychological thriller, based in London,  with plenty of twists and turns and mystery.   What happened in Leah's past and why is it catching up with her now?   The narrative moves between  Leah's school days and the present, when she is aged 30.  Excellent plot, and gripping stuff, that keeps the reader guessing until the end. 

Sadly I found the writing style very irritating.  However the storyline was so good that I forgot about this when about halfway through the book, and raced to the end to find out what was happening and how it would all end.   Glad I read it - what a storyteller Kathryn Croft is!

The War Came Home With Him by Catherine Madison

(I received the Kindle version of this book, free of charge, from Netgalley in return for an honest independent review.)

Moving, Positive and Totally Gripping Memoir               My rating:  5/5

This is the story of Doc, a Korean War survivor; how he survived the War (and being a POW) and family life during his absence and on his return.  It is also the story of his daughter Cathy, the author. Useful background information for readers unfamiliar with the Korean War is given as part of the narrative.  

The book starts in the 1950s and continues up to 2002.  Chapters alternate between the father's story in Korea and the daughter's story growing up, mainly in the US, with her returned father's authoritarian parenting style.  The changes between timelines are smooth and work well - there are no sudden break offs, or cliff hangers at the end of chapters.   There are only 3 main characters, Cathy and her parents.  Other family members, friends and POW survivors and non-survivors play a peripheral, albeit essential, role in the book. 

Themes that stood out for me included  the chaos of war (from the soldier's perspective), the importance of friends, how a positive outlook at times of unimaginable suffering really does make a difference, and of course an insight into the Korean War.   Also, of course, how to survive growing up with an overly strict, and often frightening, father.     

What really drew me to this book, was the author's writing style.  She uses brevity to give the information pertinent to the action, but does not embellish it.  There are moments of total awfulness in some of the Korean scenes, and moments of wit - such as when Cathy has to clear her plate of unwanted asparagus "Chewed until I couldn't chew anymore, then swallowed.  ... When it wouldn't go down, its friends came back up."  Few emotions are described as the writing is so clear that the reader knows how the person is feeling. 

I found this book totally gripping.  I empathised with Cathy trying to cope with her parents, enjoyed the scenes of her growing up, felt sad at the struggles her father was obviously going through, and was shocked at many of the Korean scenes.  However, despite all,  this is a positive book - and quite possibly the best book I have read so far this year!

Baptism by Max Kinnings

(Book received from, and review written for, TripFiction.com)

488 pages of non-stop excitement!                              My rating:  5/5 

A dramatic start to this thriller, followed by the murder of a monk in Snowdonia which  leads to 16 hours of fast moving action.

For George it is just another ordinary, albeit hot, start to a day.  All his life he has felt a failure, his dreams have come to nothing, and life, apart from his wife and children, has been a bit of a mundane disappointment to him.  However today will be different, but he has no idea of this as he commences his day as an underground driver and leaves Morden station.

Tommy, unlike George, is on a high.  Today, guided by God (he believes), is the day to make a difference.  He, along with his sister, will perform a great deed.

Ed Mallory, Special Branch, has the role of trying to stop the deaths of over 300 people stuck on an underground train somewhere between Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road.  But can he make the right decisions to satisfy the police, the government, the military, those stuck in the tunnel and their families? 

This is a fast moving book, with short chapters, and action all the time (not just cliff hangers).  There is quite a bit of violence, but this is in keeping with the story, and not overly gory.  Each chapter is headed by the time of day, and, apart from the first chapter/prologue, moves in chronological order.   I can't say anything more about the story, for fear of giving any of the plot away.

Most of the action takes place on the underground in London, which is depicted well.  I would be surprised if anyone using the underground shortly after reading this book, is not unnerved by it.  I just hope your underground train does not stop between Leicester Sq. and Tottenham Court Rd!     Action takes place in Snowdonia at the beginning of the book, but gives almost no information about the area for visitors. 

I was riveted to this book from page one, right to the end.  It is  great to read a book where the action continues right to the penultimate page, no long winded explanations to the reader by a detective here!  I loved the fast paced action, and having commuted on the London Underground for many years was right there with those people in the tunnel.

I thoroughly recommend this book if  you enjoy a true thriller, and are ok with the views of a religious psychopath!

You Think You Know Me by Clare Chase

(I received the Kindle version of this book, free of charge, from Netgalley in return for an honest independent review.)

My rating:  5 out of 5

                

A great thriller that starts gently, builds up and then stampedes to an exciting end.

Based in London Anna attends an Art Gallery launch party one evening, and meets an attractive man.   However it appears he is acting oddly and Anna is warned to stay away from him  - but she can't quite leave him alone.  And that's only Chapter 1! As Anna says much later on "He seemed like a nice man", but is he who he seems to be?     As the story progresses Anna has to decide should she listen to her long time friend from University or to the man of her dreams that she has just only just met.  Naturally it's not as simple as that, as the author weaves her modern day thriller. 

This is a book that draws you in, and keeps you reading just a little bit more than you had intended to each session.  Anna 's character is well drawn, helped by her chats with her house mates (bit like "Sex in the City" minus the sex and based in London) and I felt really involved in her dilemmas.     There were many instances I wondered what I would have done in her situation - until well into the book when I would have fled the scene very fast (Anna fortunately has more bravado than me).   The mystery builds with each chapter, with lots of twists and unexpected turns, and many cliff hanger chapter endings.  This is a book that you won't want to put down.

Clare Chase's writing style is fun, often humorous and makes for a great light, but engrossing, read. 

The story is based in the art world, so gives brief glimpses into that; whilst mostly set in London there are occasional forays out into the Lake District.

I loved it, and would recommend this book to anyone looking for a gripping thriller.

When the Doves Disappeared by Sofi Oksanen

(Book received from, and review written for, TripFiction.com)

My rating:   4/5

Set in Tallinn and the countryside of Estonia this novel takes place during the turbulent years of 1941 to 1944 and 1963 to 1965.  Before WWII Estonia was an independent  country, which then became occupied by the Soviets and the story starts in the thick of a (1941) battle with Estonians fighting the Red Army, just before liberation (as they thought) by the Germans. 

 We follow the, very different,  lives of Juudit and her husband Edgar, and how their lives intertwine with Edgar's cousin Roland.  The story moves, clearly,  between the 1940s and the 1960s, as Edgar changes sides from the Germans to the Soviets as the power shifts, and thereby follow the course of the occupation during the Word World by Germany and then the Communist control in Estonia during the 1960s.  Meanwhile Edgar's cousin Roland is leading a very different life, coping with tragedy and the silence that surrounds it, and hunting for the cause in the 1940s.  In the 1960s he is working with the underground in Tallinn - totally opposite to Edgar's life, who is attempting to rewrite (literally) events that may not show him in a good light to the Russians. 

Through the telling of this interesting, and often exciting, story, we see the celebrations that follow the liberation by the Germans in the 1940s, and the gradual realisation that this does not mean the ending of the war.    Repression moves from the Soviets to the Germans and back again to the Soviets and we see the fear that so many people lived in, as they tried to survive these terrifying years by conforming to the regime of the time, and then being terrified that the current regime will hear of your actions under the previous regime.  And then of course there are the people who will give anything to escape out of the country. 

Through the very different courses of the main protagonists lives we see how it is to live in Tallinn and the countryside during these times, and how a struggle to survive and do the right thing can lead to danger and great personal risk.  This is truly a story of heroism, love, betrayal and great sadness. 

For the tourist this is a fascinating history of lives in turbulent times in Estonia.   It provides excellent background history for anyone visiting Tallinn, and though has little in the way of descriptions of places and buildings, it has plenty of atmosphere and vivid imagery of what it would have been like to live through those times. 

There is a useful glossary at the end of the book - worth glancing through before starting the book. 

Though a very  interesting book from a historical viewpoint, for me the characters lacked depth, and so I did not find the book a terribly gripping read.  However I am very pleased that I read it as I had no idea of what took place in Estonia during these terrible times, and this book will add depth to any visit to Tallinn that would otherwise have been missing. 

A Bargain Struck by Liz Harris

(Book received from, and review written for, TripFiction.com)
Married Life  in 1887 Wyoming     My rating:  5/5

A year after Connor has been widowed he decides he needs a new wife to help with the work on the farm, look after his 8 year old daughter and bear him sons, so he places an advert in a newspaper.  From the many applicants he chooses Ellen, without having met her, as the list of attributes she mentions in her letter seem to make her the best candidate.  However Ellen has omitted to mention something, and that lie of omission may be too great to allow her the happiness she longs for.   And anyway is Connor the man to offer her happiness?  After they are married he says "I don't ever think about her.  She's got her work to do, I've got mine, and that's the way it is."  However Ellen is desperate, a widow herself, she has little (or no) choice but to marry a man she has never met, and put herself at his mercy.  She is grateful for a roof over her head and food to eat, and tries to put up with the resentful daughter and the flirtatious attentions the beautiful Miss Quinn pays her husband.    Then an unexpected visitor arrives.   Does "A Bargain Struck" always need to be kept?

This is a great book, that has you enthralled from page 1 right through to the end.  It has mysteries, suspense, twists, historical details  and a great pace that just keeps you reading a little bit longer than you meant to.  The family live on a homestead near Laramie in Wyoming, and it is fascinating to read about the different roles the men and women take in order to survive in this harsh environment.   The most helpful neighbour lives 30 minutes away by horse and cart (in good weather), and  when a horse is heard approaching the farm the women rush in and lock the doors, and the men rush out with their guns.  Liz Harris' writing is so good that the reader can easily imagine the various scenes and the characters are so well drawn, you feel that you are almost there with them, sympathising with the viewpoints of Connor, Ellen and Connor's daughter Bridget.   Indeed at one point, I was so involved in the story that I gasped out loud at an incident.

Having spent a little time in this area, I love the way this book brought back memories of the small  towns and many homesteads I saw, and gave me an insight of how life was in the 1800's. 

This is the first book I have read by Choc Lit publishers, who describe themselves as publishing "quality stories with a romance at the heart."  That is exactly  what this book is, and I shall certainly be looking for more books by Liz Harris and by these independent publishers.

Grey Souls by Philippe Claudel

(Book received from, and reviewed for, TripFiction.com)

Life and murder in WW1 France            My rating:  2/5

The murder of a young girl in 1917 becomes "the Case" for the narrator as he struggles to understand who did it, the motives of the people he lives among and the war going on over the hill.

    

Whilst the cannons of war can be heard in the distance, a little girl is silenced for ever.   The narrator tells the reader  that this is an unusual occurrence at this time, as most killers have gone to the war to legitimately act out their aggression.  The book progresses from the murder scene to investigate the lives of possible culprits and those involved in the investigation.   The narrator, who investigated the original murder scene, takes us back to the years preceding the murder, and to events that took place shortly afterwards, and even 20 years later. 

We learn of the tragedies and pleasures amongst the people living so close to the French front line.    The  lives of those working in a factory essential to the war effort, are compared to the soldiers heading to the front to give their lives, or at the very least their limbs, for their country.  The author looks at the minutiae and the broad picture of town life looking at the individual lives being lived in the town in contrast to the mass of people over the hill fighting as one body.    Although the book wanders through many lives and down many paths of conjecture and thought, there is a solid ending and the main threads of the many stories within this slim book (205 pages) are tied up neatly.

Winner of the "Prix Renaudot" , this is a novel  that, I feel, deserves to be read slowly, with time to think about the superb imagery and expressive style of the author.   A perfect book for those who like to read a chapter and then ponder the messages within those pages.   There are so many wonderful  ideas and observations about life, for example "if man isn't like one of those pebbles that lie on the road, lying in the same place for entire days until someone kicks it and sends it sailing through the air for no reason.  And what can a pebble do?"  There are many such phrases and thoughts throughout the whole book, together with humour and great sadness.  The imagery is very strong, and the writing clear and easy to follow - though I did get a bit lost occasionally as to where in the timeline the narration was taking place. 

I certainly found I was drawn into the novel's  characters, and the horrors of lives lived such a short distance from the carnage of war (this is not a cheerful, feel good book).  The narration imitates a real telling of an event (like listening to a favourite uncle), where one is often taken back and forth between times, and then taken off at a tangent to bring in other events that were taking place at the time.  This is a book that I will certainly think about for some time to come, and would have liked to have read it when I was a student so that I could have been part of a group discussion on the many themes and wonderful images that are within this short book.

The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi

(Book received from, and review written for, TripFiction.com)

Two women's lives in Afghanistan             My rating:  5/5

A  gripping, exciting and shocking  insight into the life of many women, and girls,  in Afghanistan. 

This novel, which reads like a true story, tells the tale of two women, Shekiba and her great great granddaughter.   Shekiba, whose name means gift,  discovers that her name represents exactly what her life is going to be, as she is passed along like an unwanted present to whoever will accept her.  Rahima, her great great granddaughter  and the other main character, is born into a family where her mother has "failed" to produce any sons.  In desperation Rahima's mother allows her to spend some years  dressing and behaving  as a boy.  Rahima is thrilled to escape the harsh rules imposed  on girls, however she cannot always remain a boy and this time of  liberation is cut short by her forced marriage to a warlord at the age of 13. 

Shekiba's story is told at around the start of the 1900's.  Rahima about a century later.

There is so much interesting background of Afghanistan covered in this book.  So whilst the story races along, and the chapters end with cliff hangers,  the reader learns about  the patriarchal traditions of village life, and the contrasting lifestyles in Kabul.  The treatment of women, girls, and multiple wives in the family unit forms a large part of the story.  Also covered  are  education and forced marriages as well as the entrance of women into parliament.  The British occupation of Afghanistan is referred to, as is the fighting right up to the time of the Taliban and the warlords fighting against them .  It is hard to remember at times that this is a novel as you are pulled into the lives, and hardships, of these two women; as Nadia Hashimi (the author) says this is a "fictional work made up of a thousand truths".

I don't want to say I loved this book, because of the many of the truly shocking scenes, but it is a book that gripped me from beginning to end, filled me with many emotions, and made me think - and head to the internet for further information   The writing style flowed easily, and there was no sense of reading a history book (though key historical events are referred to, including one of Queen Soraya's speeches).  It is simply a fascinating  story of the lives of two women in a world where they have no rights. 

The story gave me an insight  to a world that I knew little about, but one that mirrors events that are frequently in the news.  Not being familiar with names used in Afghanistan, I worried in the first chapter about whether  I would get lost with the names, but actually there are not very many main characters, so the names were easy to follow.

At the back of the book there is an interesting interview with the author, and also a list of "questions for discussion" - useful for book clubs.   

 It is quite a long book, 450 pages, but I was engrossed throughout it and whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in the struggles of women in today's world.

Forgive Me by Amanda Eye Ward

(Book received from, and review written for, TripFiction.com)

A gripping excursion into South Africa's past        My rating:  5/5

This is a strong story of love and fear, political unrest and safety and finding out what is important in life against a backdrop of apartheid in South Africa.

The main character, Nadine, loves the thrill of chasing a good story to further her reporting career.   She thrives on the adrenaline hit of the next story and is not afraid of entering the scary worlds of drugs, wars  and unimaginable happenings that many of her colleagues shy away from.  Or is she just kidding herself that this manic dangerous lifestyle is what she really wants from life?

 Whilst recovering from being attacked in Mexico, Nadine spots an irresistible story unfolding in her old haunts of Cape Town.  Dropping everything, and everyone, she rushes off - thus leading the reader into an often disturbing tale of lives and relationships during the ending of the apartheid years.

The story line moves between the now and the past of Nadine's life, gradually discovering what occurred when she was in South Africa previously, and exploring her childhood, and her need to always run to her next reporting adventure.   Gradually her life history unfolds, and with it the reasons for her never stopping in one place for long.

There is a gripping side story unfolding along the main storyline, and I found it was hard not to skip ahead with the chapters covering this side story to find out what happens (but I am glad I resisted!) .

Given the setting of Cape Town and the subject of apartheid, there is violence depicted in the novel, but it is well written with just enough detail to let your imagination do the work, and no gratuitous detail.  The novel's main characters are graphically drawn, as you are pulled into the contrasting lifestyles in Cape Town at that time.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu is clearly explained.  It allowed victims, or their families, of political crimes to hear the truth about what happened, and the perpetrators of these crimes to be given amnesty in certain circumstances.    This TRC is a theme that runs throughout the book, offering no rights or wrongs, just a fascinating look into a different form of justice to that which most readers will be used to.

For the tourist there is little information about Cape Town, however for anyone with an interest in South Africa, or just a good story, this is an unforgettably good read.

I love books that I can get immersed in, and also learn from, and this is one of those books  - with an easy going writing style that drew me in, and held my attention throughout.  This is a book that explores a difficult, and terrible,  part of history, but in a sympathetic  manner.  The book is one of hope, love and trust, and about finding out what is important in life.