Apple Tree Yard - Louise Doughty

photo courtesy:goodreads.com

A story about relationships or rather the truth of it.

I have always maintained that the onscreen version of a book pales in comparison to its written version. Not in this case.

I heard about Apple Tree Yard when I watched a trailer on the BBC. It sounded great, looked intriguing and I was looking forward to it. After watching the first episode, I couldn't wait for the next one. I headed straight to my local library and got out a copy.

Funnily enough, the beginning was slow, the style was a bit strange and the pace very lethargic. I did not enjoy the first chapter at all. The only thing that kept me going was that I had watched the first episode and could tell therefore where the story was heading.

Gist:

Yvonne Carmichael is a high flying geneticist. She is a middle aged woman with grown up children, enjoying all the hard work that she put in during her children's growing up years.

However, a chance encounter turns into a clandestine affair and then a compulsive habit. And then something happens that transports Yvonne at the Old Bailey court forcing her to defend herself and all that she lived for. Does manage to get off scott free or does she pay for the choices she made?

What works:

• The language. There is something very compelling about the way she uses words to build a sequence of events and the narrative. 

• The lead character is believable. It is easy to identify with her. Funny, how you would look at her as accomplished and successful whereas from the other side, it looks all tilted. I read a couple of reviews where the protagnist was berated for her choices. I can imagine that having an affair and expecting it to be something more may be delusional but then what happens to her is definitely not her fault. (I am trying hard not to give the story away!) The rationale behind the character's actions seem to be justified in the story and I could feel sympathetic for her by the end of it. The fact that the character's psyche was so accessible to the reader made me like the story and that is where the story gets another star for it. 

• The sequence. It is not linear and keeps shifting back and forth until the past catches up with the present. The scene opens in a court and then backtracks to what happened to before then. It is very well done.

• The suspense is well kept, making you turn that page, one more time.

• I am a hardcore fan of courtroom dramas and love the dynamics of how words are twisted and prodded to suit a version. It is a gameplay that keeps me hooked and this book did complete justice to it.

• I also loved the way the central character takes control of the narrative. How we women never take things at face value and tend to read much into it. Our tendency to analyse and overanalyse things can be often our unravelling. Doughty captures the psyche of Yvonne very well. 

• Her justifications for her actions are a bit unbelievable. However, Doughty makes it believable. How a careless act can then spiral out of control and complicate things. 

What doesn't:

• I don't think I would have read it, had not been for that compelling first episode. The very writing that bowled me over later, did not initially pull me into the story. 

• The initial chapters take some patience. The story moves slowly and at times the writing is so subtle, devoid of any emotion.  I suppose that tone of clinical detachment  is what makes the pace hard but it does create an impact. 

I have been reading many reviews where people have either loved or hated it completely. My favourite is where it says-  "Relationships are about stories, not truth." - what we tell ourselves rather than perceiving it for what  it is. Very true. Loved it.  

Churning the Wheels of Time

This post was written for Friday Fictioneers, a weekly challenge set by Rochelle Wissoff Fields. The writers have to write a 100 word story in response to the photo prompt provided.

PHOTO PROMPT © Al Forbes

Although inevitable, it was still shocking. Watching them strip down the proud mansion was like surgically removing a nostalgic memory.

The vintage cars were the first to go. As the metal machines were wheeled out, they took away with them, the glamour of those grand evenings.

Soon a battle of wills competed over the house and its fate: a stubborn, dwindling past versus a shiny and sniggering tomorrow.

Then the winds of change blew in, heralding a confident yet unpredictable future, snuffing out the archaic at last.

Little did they realise, that today’s future will soon be tomorrow’s past.

  

Let The Dead Speak - Jane Casey

photo courtesy:goodreads.com

 Great story. Superb characters.

Disclaimer: I received this book as a part of goodreads giveaway in return for an honest review. 

I love psychological thrillers. Having read so many, I realise it is difficult to come up with a distinct detective duo when there are so many of them in crime fiction. I had never heard of Jane Casey before and it surprised me to discover she had written so many in the Kerrigan series. I loved Kerrigan and the way she and Derwent are such different personas and yet they work great together when it comes to solving cases. 

I read somewhere, Casey's husband is a criminal barrister. So that explains how she get the police aspect of the story so well. It was a joy to read the inner workings of the police system. Reminded me of the TV programme "No offence". Although the only similarity between the two is its focus on inner workings of the police system, it makes you appreciate the constraints under which these police officers operate.

Gist:

Chloe, an 18 year old girl returns home unexpectedly to find herself in a blood stained home and no sign of her mum.

Kerrigan arrives with her new rookie partner Georgia Shaw to investigate. Derwent joins in soon after and you realise these guys have a history. Kerrigan takes on the neighbours as she pieces together what happened and finds out some unsavoury secrets.

What works:

• The plot. It is interesting and hooks you at the outset.

• The characters. A bit confusing at first because there is a lot of them. However, the personas become clear as Kerrigan sifts through them to find out the truth.

• The insight into how thw working of a police team is great. I loved the conversation between Kerrigan and Georgia about the importance of being a team player.

• I loved the personas of the characters who solve the case. The two characters are intriguing and their partnership a distinct feature.

• The writing. Even after who" is revealed, the "why" bit keeps you going. It requires a certain amount of skill to handle this and Casey is good at it. The underlying psychological aspects work so well to explain the motive.

• I loved Maeve Kerrigan as a character: the not so perfect persona who is a great detective. 

• Also loved the equation between Kerrigan and Derwent. It is an interesting relationship and I am curious to know how they first got together. 

What doesn't:

• The reference to past makes you feel a bit lost especially if you haven't read the previous book. 

Overall a great book. It was great to find a thriller with such great characters and such a compelling story. Guess, I have goodreads to thank for it.

The Naughtiest Girl Collection - Enid Blyton

photo courtesy:amazon.com

A great read that I enjoyed again as a mother!

I bought this book when Cheeky was  a year old. As a bookworm, I was keen to pass on my love for reading to my daughter.

So after she turned six and became a fairly goaod reader, I introduced her to Enid Blyton. Naughties Girl Again, was her first book ever. We decided that I will read it to her as a bedtime story. As the story progressed, I could see Cheeky was first intrigued and then hooked on it.

The collection has three stories and we read them all back to back.

Gist:

The story begins when Elizabeth Allen grows to love the school she first hated. She is looking forwards to coming to Whyteleaf boarding school. But this girl has a tendency to get into trouble even when she resolves not to. Will she stay away or find herself in a muddle again?

What works: 

• It helped that the story is set in a British setting. Cheeky being a school girl herself could identify the school setting and dealing with naughty pupils.

• There is something endearing about the school series. It allows children to imagine them easily and enjoy them.

• She loved the whole boarding school setup with the school meeting and everything.

• The stories are very simple. There is a school and there are good children and bad children. Cheeky could relate to the friends sticking together and punishment for naughtiness bit.

• The stories have a "moral science" element to it. Blyton can be very preachy at times, rewarding good behaviour and condemning bad. But atleast at this age, the kids accept it without questioning it too much. 

What doesn't:

• The language is a bit archaic. Cheeky found it funny to see words like "jolly well" . Although, terribly British, such words are not common, certainly not something she uses.

• However, I realised that as a mature reader, I loved revisiting the story too. It was fun going through my earliest reading favourites and recall why I loved Blyton as a kid. 

Next mission: To introduce the St Clares/Malory Towers books to my daughter.

Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg

A fantastic read for those into creative writing.

photo courtesy:goodreads.com

I got this book when I was just about to start a writing course. As a journalist, academic writer, copywriter, I had dabbled in different forms of writing and found that creative writing is a different ballgame altogether. I had just started this Becoming a Writer Course and was required to read Dorothea Brande. The course allowed me to meet myself as a writer and demanded us to develop skills to become one.

When it comes to good books on writing, Natalie Goldberg and Brande are talked about in the same breadth. So while buying Brande, I procured a copy of Goldberg as well and found practical ideas that got me to open my notebook and start scribbling. 

It is said that nothing will teach you writing better than getting down to writing. But I have found, that dipping into this book now and again, has given me insight and many answers to queries about writing per se. 

Gist:

Goldberg analyses the craft and the whole mindset of writing - how to write and what to write. In short succinct chapters, Goldberg de constructs the myth of writing and talks us through the process with her no nonsense approach.

What works:

• If you are a writer who has dabbled in creative writing and worked towards constructing a story, then this book is great. It is great, inspirational and the book really talks to you.

• It also addresses various issues like where to write and when to write.

• It allows you to forget the world, inhibitions and get your thoughts on paper. It makes you take yourself seriously as a writer even if what you are writing at the moment is rubbish!

• I like to consult it when I am in the middle of writing a piece and find it boosts my morale and gives me direction in terms of writing.

• It was a book written in the 70s but it holds true even today. It is this element that makes this book timeless to me - a classic.

What doesn't:

• If you are thinking of becoming a writer and are looking for inspiration, then it is nothing but a good read.

But if you want to make it work for you, get down to writing and this book will help you get there!

Cruising through the Cracks

What started out as a random attempt is now becoming a fruitful association. Super thrilled to be published in Writer's Ezine latest issue. There is nothing like seeing your name in print!

Below is the entry for the picture prompt released for the magazine: 

The punishing sun burns everything in sight.
The battered land is now bereft of life
Forlorn farmer looks around, perks up,
At a wild weed, rising from its place of birth.

Her made up face is ready for the charade
That face of eternal beauty is just a facade
She is happy to strip it off, reveal the cracks
For that one soulful connection that her heart lacks.

The youthful heart was mourning love's loss
His ego bruised, his life up in knots,
Shirking life, he feels no reason to survive
Until, a new face walks by and he revives.

You Sent Me A Letter - Lucy Dawson

photo courtesy:goodreads.com

A promising title for an average plot.

A very arresting title and a tight plot. It sounded just like the right book to settle down for the weekend. The premise sounded very intriguing. I had never heard about Dawson before. I love a good story and even better if it is a thriller.

Gist:

Right before her fortieth birthday Sophie finds a man standing at the foot of her bed. He hands her a letter and tells her to open it right in front of everyone at her birthday party.

Sophie is confused, shocked and left wondering what secret does the letter contain.

What works:

• It ticks all the boxes. A great title, an intriguing premise and a good central character.

What doesn't:

• Unfortunately it did not hold interest. It starts off great the letter and all Sophie's attempts to get to the bottom of it. However, after a point, it became too twisty to keep a track off. It was as though the author wanted to keep the reader guessing and kept confusing her.

• However, so much for the twists in the plot, the end was quite predictable.

An OK read. But that would not deter me from looking out for Dawson's next.