Review: The Grass is Greener

Title: The Grass is Greener

Author: Loretta Hill

Publisher: 4 January 2016 by Random House Australia

Pages: 400 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: womens fiction, romance, chick lit, contemporary, Australian

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

From the author of The Girl in Steel-Capped Boots and The Maxwell Sisters comes a captivating novel about best friends, family and fighting for what you want, against all odds. 

The grass always seems greener on the other side . . . until you get there. 

For generations Bronwyn Eddings's family has thrived in the legal profession and a position at their prestigious firm is hers by right. Only problem is: she does not want it. 

Her best friend Claudia has always dreamed of being a lawyer, but tragedy struck and she took up the reins of her father's vineyard instead. It was supposed to be temporary . . . now there's no end in sight.

Bronwyn wants Claudia's life so badly. Claudia can't imagine anything better than Bronwyn's job. So the friends hatch a crazy plan to swap places.

Both are determined to be the person they always thought they could never be. But achieving your dreams isn't easy - and falling in love with the men who oppose them is not a good idea.

My Thoughts 

I was excited to finally try my first Loretta Hill book - and I loved it! The Grass is Greener by Aussie author Loretta Hill is a clever mixture of fun, family, a little intrigue to keep you guessing, romance of course and friends finding their own path in life.

"If I don't step outside my comfort zone for a minute I'll never find out who I need to be."

What a great story teller Loretta Hill proved to be as her book is not only entertaining but has an undercurrent of real life issues that are subtly addressed. Behind the veneer of chick lit musings you will find a range of characters dealing with real time issues: learning to assert your own identity, family obligations, older generation retirement, family businesses, family fallouts, people with disabilities - just to name a few. 

Why I think Hill is so clever is that she perfectly blends these issues against great Australian backdrops and flavoured with some Aussie sense of fun. The narrative easily flows that made me want to gobble it up in one sitting as I rode along with drama, wit and fun loving moments.

"This was her defining moment. This was the point where she realised it all had to change."

As Hill herself states, this is a book about starting again and that the adage of, 'the grass is always greener on the other side' has some flaws in it. She states in her conclusion that true happiness comes from being our best selves and not from somewhere or someone else. 

 

"The truth is, it was never about swapping our lives exactly. It was always about making the most of our own."

So you can see, if you dig a little deeper into this book you will find that The Grass is Greener has it all. Easy to read, perfect weekend escapism.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Edge of the Fall

Title: The Edge of the Fall

Author: Kate Williams

Publisher: 12 January 2016 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 432 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 2 cups

Synopsis:

For fans of DOWNTON ABBEY, ATONEMENT and Kate Morton - a compelling historical saga from the bestselling author of THE STORMS OF WAR.
In the aftermath of the Great War, the de Witt family are struggling to piece together the shattered fragments of their lives.

Rudolf and his wife Verena, still reeling from the loss of their second son, don't know how to function in the post-war world. Stoneythorpe Hall has become an empty shell with no servants to ensure its upkeep.

Celia, the de Witt's youngest daughter, is still desperate to spread her wings and see more of the world. To escape Stoneythorpe and the painful secrets that lie there, she moves to London and embraces life and love in the Roaring Twenties.

My Thoughts

I'll make this short. Reading the synopsis: Downton Abby! Kate Morton! Sounds perfect, however, in retrospect I guess too perfect. Sadly, it was neither. 

"It was as if the war had aged everything, dirtied it all, however much you hid things away."

Where did it go wrong for me? (and I'll say 'me' because this might just be right for others). Firstly, The Edge of the Fall is the second in a planned trilogy from historian Kate Williams. That I only learned upon closer inspection (not highlighted obviously anywhere), so I was behind from the get-go. Having picked this book up and not realising this fact, I was a little lost, and most likely, did not appreciate certain character developments. As an addendum, this book gets you ready for book three, so some answers you will not receive.

Given this, I don't believe it can really be viewed as a standalone due to the plot of the book. Maybe this book was suffering from middle trilogy syndrome? To my mind, the plot jumped around, everything from the narrative (two characters, first person), to the timeline itself. At times, the alternating viewpoints of Celia and Louisa are difficult to reconcile. In fact I found them in the extreme and bordering on major exaggeration. How could two people see the one event SO differently. 

At the heart of the book is Celia and, sad to say, I just did not like her. She is a sulky character and you never really feel like being on her side. She just whines way too much: 

"She's no fun. Always feeling sorry for herself, wandering around under a cloud."

Then there is her brother Arthur, and he is even worse. What a cad! Meant to be of course, however, I was most unhappy with the predictable outcome. In my humble opinion there was some much needed editing required as topics of conversation were repeated over and over, even events restated time and time again. We get it! Move on!

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Better editing would have cut much of the repetition and had an increased impact. For example, the inclusion of Jonathan visiting Emmeline's children: why include this? In fact I struggled with much of the plot structure/timeline: Celia's personal drama, suddenly switched to brother's drama (her's totally forgotten), switched to this Jonathan (old beau) on the scene - one hot potato dropped for another with no depth or relevance. 

I was bordering on a two and a half star rating, however, by the end, I had 'fallen off the edge' (pun intended) and she didn't care and neither did I!

"She didn't care. She hoped it poured down on her and everyone else for the rest of their lives."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: All the Stars in the Heavens

Title: All the Stars in the Heavens

Author: Adriana Trigiani

Publisher: 1 January 2016 by Simon and Schuster Australia

Pages: 464 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, romance, Hollywood, drama

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Clark Gable, Loretta Young, Spencer Tracy, David Niven, Carole Lombard lead a magnificent cast of characters, real and imagined, in Adriana Trigiani's new novel set in the rich landscape of 1930s' Los Angeles. 
In this spectacular saga as radiant, thrilling and beguiling as Hollywood itself, Trigiani takes us back to the golden age of movie-making and into the complex and glamorous world of a young actress hungry for fame, success - and love. With meticulous, beautiful detail, she paints a rich landscape, where European and American artisans flocked to pursue the ultimate dream: to tell stories on the silver screen. 

My Thoughts

Get comfy .... this review may take awhile. 

"All the Stars in the Heavens" is about the Golden Years of Hollywood: Clark Gable, David Niven, Spencer Tracy, and Loretta Young just to name a few. Reading it felt like being transported back to that time in history, or at the very least, sitting enthralled as if I were watching a riveting black and white movie of the time. And what a perfect title for this book, for it reads just like a movie. 

Now, the details. 

Firstly, you have to appreciate the Golden Years of Hollywood. I love this period in history (thanks to my Mother) and to see the more private side of such unforgettable characters was fascinating. For example: the scene on set with Clark Gable and Hattie McDaniel on the set of the 1937 Saratoga movie (where Jean Harlow died - Googled that - one of many that you will upon reading this book) was most memorable. And that is just one of many factual episodes that Trigiani details. It's poignant at this stage to pause and think about the amount of research that Trigiani must have gone into and, that then begs the question, how much of the story is fiction versus fact? More of that in a moment. 

Although the focus is on Hollywood 1930s, it does jump around a bit (especially towards the end - large jumps along the timeline) but I found it all just so engrossing, that I was prepared to overlook these shortcomings. Trigiani introduces you to the leading actors, their glamourous lifestyles but, also, the double edged sword of just how controlling the studios were and the hypocrisy that existed. This was a reflection of the tragic side of movie making - it's not all bells and whistles. 

"The studio controlled the actors' public and private life. Their personal time was not their own."

Now to the controversy (have a look at the Goodreads reviews!). Let me state from the outset, this is a work of fiction. Yes, factual people and events, but just one persons interpretation. Take that for what it is - and I found it fascinating, for Trigiani can write. You will laugh, you will cry and you will be enchanted. 

"She knew that when the bubble burst, the snow globe would shatter like blown glass, and there would be no putting the picture inside back together."

Reviewers have made Trigiani's tale a battle between 'true love' versus 'date rape' (story bought to light a couple of months ago, a recalled conversation with Young who died over 15 years ago) I don't want to get into that discussion, for those answers, we will never know. I am here to discuss what I found to be a really interesting book. Any book that has you running to Google to check places and faces is good. I was hooked. The novel takes real people and imagines what might have gone on behind closed doors. Creating dialogue for characters who were real people fascinates me. You would have to be naive to not appreciate that artistic liberties were taken with the storyline and of course, things may have been very different. However, I can tell you I enjoyed my time researching all of these characters and movies just as much as reading the story. 

"Powerless to change the circumstances, she plowed ahead, believing that someday the entire situation would change for the better."

I grabbed this book having read Trigiani before, and with the added attraction of Clark Gable and Loretta Young's tumultuous love affair, which I knew nothing about. I loved reading about them and many others - Spencer Tracy (his family situation), Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, David Niven and even Young's delightful sisters -  all who are long gone. Their lives, their loves, their flaws, their joys, their hopes, their sorrows - became mine. I felt angry at Young, felt sorry for Gable, then felt empathy for Young. 

"Loretta would explain why she had to hide the truth on paper. She was protecting her baby, Clark Gable's career, her own livelihood, and the reputation of her family."

A fascinating read that had me thinking long after I turned the last page. I highly recommended it and congratulate Adriana Trigiani on another winning book. I couldn't put this down and suffered badly from withdrawals upon completion, that's how involved I had become. 

"You know, Sister, we think we have the luxury of time. We figure that there will always be a moment to have the conversation that we meant to have, and then the moment passes and it's too late."

ps. this is similar to 'A Touch of Stardust' (click on title to go to our review of that book) that involved some of the above mentioned actors also.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Seafront Tearoom

Title: The Seafront Tearoom

Author: Vanessa Greene

Publisher: 1 December 2015 by PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW

Pages: 370 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: womens fiction, contemporary, chick lit, contemporary, romance

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

From the author of The Vintage Teacup Club.
 
The first rule of afternoon tea: never rush. Take time to savor it. Just like friendship…

The Seafront Tearoom is an insider secret in small-town Scarborough – a beach-front haven with the best tea and cakes in town – and  journalist Charlie Harrison would love to put it on the map with a feature in her magazine. But single mom Kat Murray doesn’t want to see her favorite sanctuary overrun by tourists, and begs Charlie to seek out other options. She offers her help, as a “tea obsessive,” and so does French au pair Séraphine Moreau, whose upbringing makes her a connoisseur of everything sweet and indulgent.

Together the three women will scour the countryside for quaint hideaways and hidden gems, sharing along the way their secrets, disappointments, and dreams – and discovering that friendship, like tea, takes time to steep. But learning too that once you open your heart, the possibilities are endless. 

My Thoughts

There is just so much to like about this book. Let's start with the delectable cover. It gives you a window into what to expect from this book. And what can you expect once you open the cover (or click the button) - tea, cakes, love, and friendship. What more could a person ask for, as these are most definitely some of the essentials in life. 

"With a good book you can enter into whichever world you want."

The Seafront Tearoom is a light-hearted, inviting novel about the growing friendship of three women who meet in a tea room. All three women are going through challenging times, having reached crossroads in their respective lives, and working together, support each other without too much encroaching angst or over the top drama. It's chick lit at its best with a good storyline, well crafted characters facing realistic problems. With perfect backdrops, the growing friendships, romances and challenges all come together nicely. Throw in tea and cakes and we have a winner!

"Kat sipped her tea slowly, gazing out of the window. Life moved on, and places changed. She'd find a way to move forward to."

It was a real attraction to read about all the tea and tea shops they visited: what tea they requested and scrumptious cakes they ordered. It made me want to embark on a similar journey. There is even the added bonus of recipes found in the back of the book. The whole concept of tea rooms is just so warming for the soul, finding a peaceful corner with your worries and concerns left at the door and indulging in some quiet respite. 

"The champagne of teas" Kat said, lifting the lid of the teapot and drinking in the aroma."

There are a few unexpected plot twists that keep the reader engaged and the expected, heart warming conclusion to satisfy everyone. The Seafront Tearoom is a lovely novel that I enjoyed and, as I stated, what could be more perfect for a light weekend read: tea, cake, friendship, with a little romance thrown in for good measure. 

"Spending all evening in the bath with a glass of wine and a good book - you can't beat that."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Spirits of the Ghan

Title: Spirits of the Ghan

Author: Judy Nunn

Publisher: 2 November 2015 by Random House Australia

Pages: 359 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: fiction, contemporary, Australian

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Master storyteller Judy Nunn has now sold over 1 million books worldwide. In her spellbinding new bestseller she takes us on a breathtaking journey deep into the red heart of Australia. 
It is 2001 and as the world charges into the new Millennium, a century-old dream is about to be realised in the Red Centre of Australia: the completion of the mighty Ghan railway, a long-lived vision to create the 'backbone of the continent', a line that will finally link Adelaide with the Top End. 

But construction of the final leg between Alice Springs and Darwin will not be without its complications, for much of the desert it will cross is Aboriginal land. 

Hired as a negotiator, Jessica Manning must walk a delicate line to reassure the Elders their sacred sites will be protected. Will her innate understanding of the spiritual landscape, rooted in her own Arunta heritage, win their trust? It's not easy to keep the peace when Matthew Witherton and his survey team are quite literally blasting a rail corridor through the timeless land of the Never-Never.

When the paths of Jessica and Matthew finally cross, their respective cultures collide to reveal a mystery that demands attention. As they struggle against time to solve the puzzle, an ancient wrong is awakened and calls hauntingly across the vastness of the outback.

My Thoughts 

I am always eager to sample some of my fellow countrymen's tales, and Judy Nunn has long been on my list. Nunn has a huge following here in Australia and now, after sampling my first read of hers, I can understand why.  She has a most engaging style and, always a sucker for personal history narrative genres, I found this one really well done. Nunn seamlessly combined well researched history, Aboriginal culture, the great expanse of the Aussie Outback, all weaved together in engrossing personal stories. 

Chapters alternate throughout, especially in the first third of the book as separate scenarios are established. There are generational groups, Indigenous groups, colonial pastoralists, Afghan cameleers,  jazz musicians- just to name a few! The author’s research  especially concerning the Northern Territory was well done. However, the overall focus in on Jess, the young Aboriginal researcher, and Matt, the Adelaide surveyor. A great couple to follow.

My few issues concerned keeping track of the separate tales and hoping that by around 30% of the book they would all come together soon - and eventually they did. So you need to have your wits about you when reading and establishing characters, time periods and places. It is thorough, complex and thought provoking. My second concern came towards the end. Whilst on the one hand I appreciated Nunn's research and attempts to capture Aboriginal authenticity, at times, I found it a little too far fetched to my mind. 

Overall, however, I very much enjoyed the historical references, the characters and the Aussie Outback. If I found some portions a bit too fanciful for my taste, I just had to remind myself that it is a work of fiction. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Prejudice and Pride

Title: Prejudice and Pride

Author: Lynn Messina

Publisher: 15 December 2015 by Potatoworks Press

Pages: 238 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: womens fiction, romance, chick  lit, retellings

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis: 

You know Darcy: rich, proud, standoffish, disapproving, one of the greatest romantic heroes of all time. But you don't know this Darcy because THIS Darcy is a woman. 

In PREJUDICE & PRIDE, Lynn Messina’s modern retelling with a gender-bendy twist, everything is vaguely familiar and yet wholly new. Bingley is here, in the form of Charlotte "Bingley" Bingston, an heiress staying at the Netherfield hotel on Central Park, as is Longbourn, transformed from an ancestral home into a perennially cash-strapped art museum on the edge of the city. Naturally, it employs an audacious fundraiser with an amused glint in his eye called Bennet. 

All the favorite characters are present and cleverly updated: Providing the cringe-worthy bon mots is Mr. Meryton, the nerve-wracked executive director of the Longbourn who’s always on the lookout for heiresses to join his museum’s very important committees. (Universally acknowledged truth: Any woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a social committee to chair.) Collin Parsons is still in obsequious, if ironic, awe of his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The wicked Georgia Wickham toils as a graphic designer at Redcoat Design by day and schemes against Darcy by night. 

With her trademark wit and style, Lynn Messina takes the genres she does best—chick lit, mashups, and Regency romance—and weaves them into one delightfully entertaining tale that doubles as a fun guessing game.

My Thoughts

"Seriously, Darcy, you have to dance. You can't stand here by yourself all night glaring at everyone. You look ridiculous."

If you love 'Pride and Prejudice', and are not too much of a traditionalist, you will LOVE this book! I delighted in it and highly recommend it. This is a P&P adaptation set in today's world with all the pop culture #tags and references! Fun! I was a little bamboozled in the first thirty pages or so as there were many names and locations thrown at the reader. But persevere! It's modern with its "Instagramming selfies" and all!

What is most unique about this particular adaptation, is that nearly all the main characters from the original are flipped, that being, Darcy is a girl! (Elizabeth) Bennet is the boy! How original! This would have to be one of the most unique takes on a tale that has been told over and reinvented in so many forms; but this surely is an original and must be given credit for that. As much as an incentive as that may be, I just loved the whole mix together of flipped characters, humour, romance and thought it a great fun read that I tore through despite obviously knowing the outcome. Just goes to prove, it's all about the journey. 

"If that's really your definition of a well-rounded man, then I'm no longer surprised you know only six. I'm shocked you know any at all."

Messina cleverly parallels people, plot and circumstances and draws them into the modern world - you will recognise everything if you are a P&P lover. In fact, you will eagerly anticipate to see how certain famous confrontations are handled. This truly is a classic reinvented that I believe will appeal to both old and new readers alike. This is just a fun read! You get to see some favourite characters in a most fascinating way. Of course some of the characters and a few threads, lean on the somewhat exaggerated side, but I could overlook that, thinking how difficult it must have been to find a modern parallel for each and every situation. 

"And this", Darcy says...."is what you think of me! Thank you for explaining it so fully. Clearly, I'm an awful person."

If you love P&P and are open to a fresh and unique interpretation then this is the book for you. I loved it. 

"And your fault is a tendency to hate everybody."

"And yours," she replies..."is to deliberately misunderstand them."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: An Empty Coast

Title: An Empty Coast

Author: Tony Park

Publisher: 1 November 2015 by Pan Macmillan Australia

Pages: 480 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: fiction, mystery, thriller, Africa

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis 

Sonja Kurtz - former soldier, supposedly retired mercenary - is in Vietnam carrying out a personal revenge mission when her daughter sends a call for help.
Emma is on a dig at the edge of Namibia's Etosha National Park studying archaeology and she's discovered a body that dates back to the country's liberation war of the 1980s.
The remains, identified as Hudson Brand, are a key piece of a puzzle that will reveal the location of a modern-day buried treasure. A find people will kill for.
Sonja returns to the country of her birth to find Emma, but she's missing.
Former CIA agent Hudson Brand is very much alive and is also drawn back to Namibia to finally solve a decades-old mystery whose clues are entombed in an empty corner of the desert.

My Thoughts

Tony Park's novels are always page turners, set against an inspiring African backdrop. This one is no different. He uses his tried and true formula found in his novels - a fast moving thriller with deadly outcomes in exotic, yet often, dangerous African locations. This can be read as a standalone, however a couple of characters reappear after roles in previous books. 

'An Empty Coast' is set in Namibia and focusses on poaching and illegal international trade in rhino horn. I have read previous Park novels, but was particularly drawn to this one as I have lived in Namibia. So many memories came flooding back. He resounding details the beautiful, yet stark, landscapes of Etosha and Skeleton Coast National Parks. There is always an interesting plot, but I have to admit to being drawn to the lovingly described scenery and wildlife. 

"Etosha was starkly beautiful....a complete contrast to the lush bush and web of waterways that made up the Okavango".

These are fast paced reads - lots of action, leading to the ultimate major showdown between goodies and baddies, with a little sexual tension thrown in, making these not only readable, but engaging. Don't cast this aside as lacking substance. Tony Park novels contain much noteworthy commentary on a range of topics: the Asian/Russian involvement in illegal smuggling; Namibian history, the war of independence involving Namibia, Angola and South Africa; and, throwbacks to the original German occupation:

 "what we're doing here is confronting the past, not leaving it buried, where some people want it to stay".

It does take a little time for everything to fall into place - however, at about two thirds through, things really start to amp up and get interesting. I do enjoy his books and this was no exception.

"The small screen of the television didn't do justice to the majestic landscapes of Namibia, but all the same it moved something inside her to see the endless skies".

If you are intrigued about Africa and enjoy a well told thriller, then this is the book for you. Perfect mix. 

"Namibia has emerged as a beautiful, peaceful country and I'm proud to be here and proud to play a small part".

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.