Review of Girl, Women, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

 

***JOINT WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019***

'We the women,

Whose praises go unsung,

Whose voice go unheard'

This is Britain as you've never seen it.

This is the Britain as it has never been told.

From Newcastle to Cornwall. From the Birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl Woman Other follows the cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys to find themselves, throughout this country and the last hundred years. They are each looking for something - whether this is a shared past, an unexpected future, a place to call home, somewhere to fit in, a lover, a missed mother, a lost father even just a touch of hope. 

This book made me laugh, it made me cry and it had me amazed at the resilience of the characters for what they have to go through in life. It did have an unusual layout, Evaristo split this book into 5 sections; 4 sections each dedicated to 3 members of the same family and then one section used to link everything together. This method of writing is not my favourite and at one point I thought that i may not finish the book as this was putting me off continuing. It is based on real life and when i read the bio for it i thought this is the type of book that i would enjoy as i love true life/true crime novels. Some of the content made me feel awkward as it describes 12 individuals who are entwined together in a life of discovery and also exposes the difficulties that people go through in life and when growing up. 

One of the more awkward areas that i found Evaristo dealt with well, even if it made me feel uncomfortable, was how some of the characters come to terms with their sexuality and the stigmatisation that they experience during this time. It did however help me understand the difficulties people go through and help me understand my 18 year old trans MTF. One thing you could take from this is that the 12 individuals were amazing and strong women and i would have loved to be able to meet them in person and get to know them off the page. I loved that she has used very diverse characters and even through she had split these into 4 groups of four, you can see how each of these groups link into the others and i love that element of the book as it just shows how small the world is. 

To get your copy of this book, follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Woman-Other

Review of the City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) by Cassandra Clare

 

“I know it's wrong - God, it's all kinds of wrong - but I just want to lie down with you and wake up with you, just once, just once ever in my life.” (Jace)

To save her own mothers life, Clary must make the journey to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters. Never mind entering the city without any permission is against the Law and breaking the law could mean her death. To make the situation worse, she learns that Jace does not want her to go there. In his journey to the city he takes an injured Simon who has been thrown into prison as the Shadowhunters are deeply suspicious of a vampire who is able to go out in the sun.

Clary's journey will help her uncover more about her family's past and she find an unlikely ally in the City of Glass in the mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. Her father Valantine is mustering a full force of his power to bring about a war on the Shadowhunters which will destroy them forever ...... well that his plan. It is time for the Downworlders and Shadowhunters to try and put their differences behind them, if they are to stand any chance of defeating them - the eternal enemies must fight together. Jace during this time realises exactly what he feels for Clary and how much he is willing to risk for her. As for Clary, she needs to learn to harness her newfound powers to help save the City no matter what the cost.

To fall in love is a mortal sin for them and the secrets of the past prove as deadly to Clary and Jace while the face their father Valantine.

OMG .... I am loving this series more and more with each instalment, I haven't been as drawn to a book series since i started to read Harry Potter. This instalments story line took me on an emotional journey from the first page and this remained the same to the very last word on the last page. I like how we had a new location in this book as it has been set in Idris, the city which is the home world for the Shadowhunters and their families. It was good in a way that we saw and heard about the histories, cultures and the traditions of the Shadowhunters including what daily life is like for them. This book has lots of twists and turns during this story line and i am not going to spoil this for anyone who wants to go on and read this for themselves. As i read the book i could feel the tension build and build until we have the final battle in the city and Jace and Clary have to face their father and return the Mortal Instruments to their rightful place in the City of Glass.

To get your copy, click on the following Link: www.amazon.co.uk/City-Glass

Review of Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence

 

As the new century is approaching, Edinburgh is a city which is divided. The wealthy residents of the New Town all live in comfort all the while the Old Town's cobblestone streets are clotted with criminals, prostitution and poverty. Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton is no stranger to the darker crimes which happen in the capital city. He has been scarred by the mysterious fire which led to the deaths of his parents, he faces one of the toughest cases he has been assigned, when a young man is found strangled to death in Holyrood Park. 

With very little evidence aside from a strange playing card which was found on the body, DCI Hamilton enlists the help of his Aunt who is a gifted photographer and George Pearson, a librarian with a shard interest in the criminal mind. As he is investigating this the body count is rising. This then catches the newspapers who print tales of the 'Holyrood Stranger' creating a sense of panic across the city and the wider community. With each victim the murderer is starting to attack victim's which become closer and closer to him the one man who dares to stop him.

I liked this book as i am from Scotland and can understand the language and comments which have been used in the conversations. I also know the city so i am able to imagine the locations and how people are interacting in the story. The atmosphere which has been created during the story reminds me of the city during The Fringe Festival when the city is bustling with life and the community interactions are heightened. Even with the times differences between the time that the book is set in and now is over 2000 years you are still able to imagine yourself being part of it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a crime thriller.

To get your copy of the book, following this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edinburgh-Twilight-Hamilton-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B06X3V28MX/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=28G5U5966SCCQ&dchild=1&keywords=edinburgh+twilight&qid=1598188093&sprefix=edinburgh+twili,aps,247&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mystickt-21&linkId=faad4e2561c712e430a8107117dcaf84&language=en_GB

Review of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

 

Dorothy and her constant companion Toto are caught in a tornado which ruthlessly and savagely ransacks the Kansas Farm where she lives with her Aunt and Uncle. When the storm calms she finds that they have been transported to the magical land of Oz where the Munchkins live, monkeys can fly and Evil Witches rule the kingdom. As soon as she lands there she immediately want to find a way home desperately and finds that she has caught the attention of the Wicked Witch of the West, who is constantly on their trail. Dorothy and Toto make some new friends in the form of the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and a cowardly lion and they all embark on a epic adventure along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the Emerald City. Once they get there they hope to meet the legendary ruler the all powerful Wizard of Oz. The only person who holds the power they need to grant all of their wishes. 

This is a timeless classic which every child grows up having read to them or reading them selves. I have always held this story close to my heart and will always recommend this to families with children and to adults alike. I remember asking for a copy of this after sitting with my grandmother watching the film and it has been a firm favourite ever since. I love all of the characters and the way that they a developed and always wishing that i had best friends like the people Dorothy has in her life during an unsettling experience. No matter the things that Oz throws at them they band together and always find a solution whether it is to get round a blocked path or finding something for dinner. I love the way that during the story the character show the traits which link to the  things that they will be asking of the Wizard. One of the other things i liked about the story was that it builds the Wizard up to being a formidable character and then you find out that he is a fraud who has hoodwinked the whole of Oz into believing that he is more than he is. The way that the story builds on the character of the Wicked Witch makes the reader have some feelings of empathy as it is clear that she only behaves the way she does because she doesn't have the close bonds with people that Dorothy does. This is one of those books which i will always want to read every year at least once and it is one of those books which helps me get out of a reading slump.

To get your cop of this book please click on the following link:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wonderful-Wizard-Oz-Frank-Baum-ebook/dp/B01C4MLRT4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=1ZW73U1SSH9TE&dchild=1&keywords=the+wonderful+wizard+of+oz&qid=1598185460&sprefix=the+wonderful+,aps,177&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMFRPS1Q1SEY3R1pIJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjEyNzc2MlhNVTk5VjBFOEVBTiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTM3NDAwMUVSMlVRVVc1TFhJSSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=&linkCode=ll1&tag=mystickt-21&linkId=7debf4447e1613b650abaa9f4c20185e&language=en_GB