Book review: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

I have a flurry of book reviews waiting in a line to be published. I chose The Age of Miracles to go first as it pushed its way to the front wearing a sparkly feather boa, tapping its watch.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: June 2012

I enjoyed this book so much that I let friends borrow it, and they in turn told their friends, and so the ripples of reader recommendation slowly widened like the hours of the day in this apocalyptic novel.

What would happen if the day grew longer than 24 hours? This is the question at the heart of this novel, and it is a very clever, original concept. I especially like the way the author told the story from a 12-year old child’s point of view, as in a way a child has to be more accepting – they have to fall in line with however their parents have chosen to deal with the situation. So we see life from our narrator’s narrow angle – how school would continue, how those all-important first romances still blossom, how the adult world strives to keep control. Perhaps using a child protagonist saved the author some headaches – as a child isn’t expected to understand or explain the scientific realities of such an event – and so we never know why this happened, what caused it, or how it can be solved, either. Like the child, we have to also fall in line with the part the author wants to focus on – the actual event, referred to as ‘The Slowing’.

As epic dystopias go, or even disaster fiction, The Age of Miracles is surely up there on a grand scale. I realised that halfway through I couldn’t remember the protagonist’s name – but it didn’t matter, really. This is one of those stories where the idea eclipses the characters. There is a part where the narrator feels the need to mark her name in wet concrete to show she was there – and this to me is allegorical of her character’s part in the story – I as a reader need to remember she’s there, too, despite my fascination with discovering how civilisation adapts to a precarious situation. But the author understands this, and so she gives her characters compelling but quiet parts to play – from skateboarding pragmatic Seth to Sylvia, the hippy pianist trying to continue on clock time.

There is page-turning build up of tension throughout this novel, although the inevitable ending swiftly becomes apparent – an idea so rooted in reality cannot conceivably support a fantasy conclusion. The movie rights have been optioned by River Road Entertainment (Brokeback Mountain, etc) so it will be interesting to see how they approach it, as there isn’t a hero, or a satisfactory Hollywood finale. Instead we are left to imagine what happens after, and as such the premise lingers for a very long time.

As a debut, this was a fantastic read, and I’ll definitely be looking out for the next story from this author.

The author's website: www.theageofmiraclesbook.com

Book reviews

I once decided to review all the books I read in a year. 

It was really fun - especially as my reading tends to wiggle from contemporary books to some real old treasures. I also enjoyed doing it – there is a nice art to reviewing, in that you share the essence of the book but don’t give away too many clues. This helps massively with synopsis writing, as you’re looking for the big themes within a book, not the minute detail.

So I’m going to start doing it again, here and there, and am looking forward to keeping a record of what takes my fancy this year.

Do you like reading book reviews on blogs? 

And what are you currently reading? 

Always good to have recommendations!

Book reviews: Anita Brookner and Roald Dahl

Am in midst of Christmas bustle, so, like Santa’s reindeer, I’m dashing in with the next two reviews:

Latecomers, by Anita Brookner
Switch Bitch, by Roald Dahl


Latecomers, by Anita Brookner
First published by Jonathan Cape, 1988
This edition published by Grafton Books (a division of Collins Publishing Group) 1989

Elegant prose tells the story of two men who, as young boys during the Second World War, were thrust away from their previous lives into a new country. Both now in their sixties, they have very different attitudes to life - one always looking ahead and the other afraid to stop searching the past. They, and their families, are the latecomers – all of them late to life in some way, be it security or happiness.

There is no real drama in this book. It is a quiet tale told with loving dignity, with thoughtful character studies and a heightened awareness to surroundings and mood. Although at first I was waiting for something to happen, very soon I just enjoyed the calm pace, luxuriated in the rich descriptions and wallowed in the words. The depth of understanding in this book is immense, especially as I recognise some of these traits within myself. It is very easy to identify with the characters, and to wish them well as they pass out of our lives when we close the book. From one latecomer to another, you could say.


Switch Bitch, by Roald Dahl
Stories originally published in Playboy magazine, no date although copyright date is 1965
This edition published by Penguin Books, 1976

Roald Dahl’s children’s fiction is a bit dark and twisted in places (and didn’t we just love it!) so it’s no surprise to find his stories for adults play out in much the same way, although you wouldn’t want a child searching for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to stumble across Switch Bitch. The clue is that these tales were written for the one-handed audience of Playboy, although they are not exactly sexy (or even vaguely attractive). Rather they deal with moral questions regarding sex –and in nearly all of them the joke is on the person who thinks they are in control.

There are four stories in this little collection – The Visitor, The Great Switcheroo, The Last Act, and Bitch. Although they are well-written tales, there seems to be a streak of misogyny through them as the attitudes to women seem rather callous. However, considering he was writing for a specific audience (the 1960s Playboy audience) maybe this isn’t too surprising. Not my favourite collection of his, but worth seeking out all the same.

Book review: The Hating Game

This book gets a review post all of its own as it is Talli Roland’s debut novel, and today is her web splash – hoorah! Come on – get wet!

The Hating Game, by Talli Roland
Published by Prospera Publishing (e-book Dec 1, 2010)

The Hating Game zings along at a cracking pace, with humour to match. Mattie Johns, her recruitment business teetering on the brink of despair, is seduced into appearing on a dating show for a dizzying amount of prize money. Unbeknownst to her, the conniving folk behind the reality show, SiniStar Productions, have lined up four of her ex-boyfriends to star as the contestants. The contestants could be looking for love or revenge, but SiniStar Productions are only looking for ratings – and will stop at nothing to get them.

Author Talli weaves great humour with her playful take on names – SiniStar Productions just one of them – and each chapter accelerates the action, highlighting the dark side of reality television. Some of my favourite lines:


A faded sign with greying letters spelled out ‘Cliff Top Holiday Park’. Scrawled underneath was a demented-looking happy face beside the words ‘is shit’.

***

She expected him to be in servitude somewhere along the M25, asking: ‘Do you want fries with that?’

***

Her mocking eyes and dismissive tone reminded Nate of his Granny Edith, who was forever grabbing handfuls of his puppy fat and cackling.

***

The Hating Game is a fun, escapist read, and you find yourself rooting for Mattie, hoping that once the reality show is over, her real life can begin.


And now over to you, folks!
Subtitle: How You Can Help A Fellow Blogger!

Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.

No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more.

The Hating Game is coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at www.talliroland.com and at her blog.

Good luck, Talli!

Book reviews: George Orwell and Muriel Spark

Reviewing all the books I read in a year is a nice record of my reading habits but hard to keep up with the amount of books I seem to get through! Without further ado, here are the latest two to be reviewed…

Animal Farm, by George Orwell
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark

Animal Farm, by George Orwell
First published by Secker & Warburg, 1945
This edition published by Penguin, 1973

Books that were on the school curriculum suffered as much as I did from forced reading. I still shudder when thinking of metaphysical poetry, for example. But slowly I am returning to the fiction made dusty in classrooms, and this is one of them – George Orwell’s ‘fairy story’ of a tainted revolution.

The book’s premise is achingly simple and oh-so clever. The animals stage a coup and drive out the farmer, proposing to work for themselves. Their success hides the fact someone has to be the leader, a mantle assumed by the pigs, and over time a terrible transformation takes place.

This is the sort of fairy story of which the Grimm brothers would have been proud. Each animal has a role that reflects our society – whether it is the honest everyman of Boxer the horse or the blind obedience of the sheep. It’s not a mirror one cares to linger in front of for too long in fear of what you may see.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark
First published in Great Britain by Macmillan, presume 1961
This edition published by Penguin, 1969

This is a fascinating story of a woman teacher desperate to make an impression, to appear cultured and charming, and the impressionable girls who she taught at school. We are told early on that one of ‘the Brodie set’ betrayed her by bringing about her dismissal as a teacher. But which one?

Is Miss Jean Brodie in her prime? You’d never know from the prose. It’s only repeated about a hundred times, but Muriel Spark likes to hang tags on her cast of characters and invokes them with nearly every mention. In this way the characters become slightly two-dimensional as we only ever see one trait – Sandy’s small peering eyes, Rose ‘famous for sex’. But knowing one trait opens our eyes to details that surround the characters - 1930s Edinburgh, the era preluding the Second World War.

The novel unfolds making good use of prolepsis / flash forward – this technique allows us to know events before they happened and gives a sense of fatality to the story even before we pass the first chapter. But what we lose with suspense we gain with attention to detail, and try to pick up on clues as to why the story unfolds like it does. At first Miss Brodie’s influence over ‘her girls’ seems beneficial but as they grow older it is revealed as manipulation.

Incidentally, great cover, isn't it? It shows Maggie Smith as Miss Jean Brodie in the 1969 film, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Book reviews: Mark Haddon, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Nell Dunn

Poor little book reviews. They have really fallen by the way-side! I keep stacking the books up for when I have time to review them, as I do like keeping a record of what I am reading, but the pile is starting to look the same size as my printer. So here are the latest four…

Up the Junction, by Nell Dunn
Blaze, by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon
Appointment with Death, by Agatha Christie

Up the Junction, by Nell Dunn
First published by MacGibbon & Kee Ltd, 1963
This edition published by Pan Books Ltd, 1966

‘Up the Junction’ is a slice of gritty sixties realism, far from the beautiful people. Nell Dunn uses colloquial speech of the time in her sketchy portraits of Battersea residents – girls with scuffed shoes and messy beehives, boys with leather jackets and crow-bars in their back pocket. There is no real story as such, but each chapter works as a vignette, giving us a glimpse into working-class life.

This book still has the power to shock now, so I can well imagine it was a bit of an eye-opener back when it was published. Controversial subjects are brought into the light, such as back-street abortions, slum clearances, living on higher purchase, casual sex, and teenagers with no prospects. Nell Dunn made her name from writing such truisms, alarming the Establishment. ‘Up the Junction’ was awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, adapted for television, and made into a film. To say it touched a nerve for entire generation is an under-statement.

Blaze, by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman
First published in Great Britain by Hodder & Stoughton
This edition published in 2008

As much as we are Stephen King’s Constant Readers, he is our Constant Writer, a prolific author who can bring out a book under his name and that of his pseudonym in the same year. This is what happened with Blaze, released alongside Stephen King’s novel ‘Desperation’.

Richard Bachman books nearly always see life from the bitter slice of the lemon. Blaze is about a mentally challenged man who hasn’t had much luck in life. He pairs up with a con-artist called George who plans to kidnap a millionaire’s baby and live off the reward money. After George dies Blaze attempts to continue the kidnapping, all the while asking George for guidance. And eventually, George starts speaking to him again…

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon
Published by Jonathan Cape, 2003
This edition published by Vintage, 2004

This novel won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book. After reading it you can see why – it is a refreshingly unusual story. It is told in the first person perspective of Christopher, a fifteen-year old with Asperger’s Syndrome and the tight viewpoint mirrors his condition. The story starts with his investigation of who killed a neighbour’s dog but reveals far much more than anyone intended.

I found it a clever book that is more of a galloping read than a story to linger over, although curiously (how apt) the impression of the story, and what isn’t told, is something to ponder long after the book is closed. It really gives you an idea of what it is like living with a child who sees the world in such literal terms – you feel for him and his parents. The only note that jarred for me was when Christopher hides in the luggage compartment of a train. On trains these are simply tiny, a small shelf in which to stow suitcases, and try as I might I cannot see how a fifteen-year old could possibly hide and be undetected in such a small space, not on a busy train to London. But then again we see things from Christopher’s perspective, so maybe because he didn’t notice anyone, we didn’t as well. It’s that sort of book!

Appointment with Death, by Agatha Christie
First published by William Collins Sons & Co Ltd, 1938
This edition published by Fontana Books, 1980

Oh how I love Agatha Christie books – she leads us neatly up the garden path when all along we should have been looking in the house, or rather, at the red cliffs of Petra. Appointment with Death takes us on a journey to Jordan where we meet the monstrous Mrs Boynton, a woman who likes to pull the reins of power tight around her family. Too tight, perhaps?

Poirot shines as ever, despite the dust and the heat wilting his magnificent moustache. I find Agatha Christie books are ‘comfort-reads’ for me – odd considering they are murder mysteries!




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Book reviews: Bernard Ashley, Stephen King, William Trevor

These are overdue reviews from books read way back in July. It seems July was a book-reading bonanza month for me!

Break in the Sun, by Bernard Ashley
The Running Man, by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman
The Children of Dynmouth, by William Trevor
More of Milly-Molly-Mandy, by Joyce Lankester Brisley


Break in the Sun, by Bernard Ashley
Illustrations by Charles Keeping
First published by Oxford University Press, 1980
This edition published by Puffin Books, 1981

‘Break in the Sun’ was serialised by the BBC and shown in schools, at least I watched it in my junior school. Thirty years later, I buy the book. Is it because the story stayed with me throughout those years or because I saw the cover and felt nostalgic? In a way it is a curious combination of both.

The story is about Patsy, an eleven-year old girl who feels displaced living with her mum, step-father, and their new baby. Her step-father is cruel and lazy; her mother harried and exhausted, and they have recently left behind a nicer life in Margate to live in a small flat in London. Walking home from school, Patsy gets into conversation with the theatrical owners of a barge. They need a young girl for a touring stage play that is heading to Margate. Patsy sees a chance to escape and convinces them she is a budding actress. When she runs away her step-father is forced to look at himself and re-evaluate the real reasons for his cruelty.

This story is a kitchen-sink drama updated to the 1980s, reflecting those troubled times of unemployment, as well as new family dynamics and the universal issues associated with being eleven-years old. Patsy is gutsy and fearless, and you feel for her so much, struggling to find a sense of belonging.

The Running Man, by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman
First published by New American Library Inc. 1982
This edition published by New English Library 1988

Stephen King’s Richard Bachman books usually concentrate on a dystopian futuristic society. (Or should that be Richard Bachman’s Stephen King books? The author himself would probably like that sentence!) ‘The Running Man’ continues in this vein, twisting elements of George Orwell’s ‘1984’ alongside a scary vision of gruesome reality television shows aimed to subdue the masses. These shows in the book play on people’s desperation, greed, and fascination with horrific spectacle - akin to those who picnicked around the gallows on the day of a hanging. Sadly the reality shows on our television screens now don’t seem a million miles away. Maybe this book should be read in schools alongside George Orwell.

It is the law that every apartment has a ‘Free-Vee’ – a television bolted to the wall – and every day it shows big money game shows such as Treadmill to Bucks, a show that only accepts chronically ill patients in the hope that they will die on air before the payout. But the real prize money can be found on ‘The Running Man’ contest – where contestants run and are hunted down, by both officials and members of the public. Forget the image of the muscle-bound Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film version of this book, the real ‘running man’ is lanky, lean and clever enough to realise the truth behind the shows.

The Children of Dynmouth, by William Trevor
Cover designed by Zandra Rhodes, part of Penguin Decades celebrating seventy-five years of Penguin Books.
First published by The Bodley Head, 1976
This edition published by Penguin Books, 2010

This book follows awkward teenage loner Timothy Gedge on his wanderings around the seaside town of Dynmouth. Timothy enjoys spying on his neighbours, who only realise the true purpose of his interest when it is too late.

The story is delightfully unsettling. You feel deeply sorry for Timothy’s lack of social understanding and yet at the same time appalled and repulsed by his selfishness, his single-minded view of life. He is so desperately alone and that is the crux of the matter – as without this you would hate him, and yet with it he is curiously vulnerable. The neighbours, several of whom he blackmails, each emerge from their encounter with him saddened by the mirror Timothy holds up to reflect their lives. Tension builds throughout the book but the quiet finale is not what you’d expect, leaving the disturbing notion of having glimpsed the under-belly of real life, where a million Timothy Gedges await, as opposed to a dramatic film.

This novel won the Whitbread Award in 1976, and reading it you can see why – brilliant characterisation and description every step of the way.

More of Milly-Molly-Mandy, told and drawn by Joyce Lankester Brisley
First published by the Christian Science Monitor, 1929
This edition published by George G Harrap & Co, 22nd impression, No 2.
It’s a hardback with dust jacket, but I cannot find a date. I suspect 1962 or earlier.

Milly-Molly-Mandy books have a special place in my heart. I have written before about the author, but this collection follows again in the small-village adventures of a small girl and her friends. What is lovely is that the adventures are the sort that means so much to a five-year old – getting stuck climbing a tree, going for a picnic, going to the seaside. Joyce never talks down to her small audience, either, but seemingly captures their delight for the small pleasures in life and her stories feel like such an antidote to our materialistic society.


Scanner broke, so am missing two pictures! Will add them if I can fix scanner. *ponders scanners innards*
Update - November. Fixed printer!

Book reviews: P.G. Wodehouse, Beryl Bainbridge, Mary Norton

For those new to my challenge, I am reviewing every single book I read during this year, regardless of whatever I pick up (as my reading tastes are fairly eclectic, and rather broad!). I am curious to see how many books I get through in a year, as although a fairly quick reader, I am limited to reading mainly on the commute to the full-time job.

So without further ado, here are the next three on the list…

The Borrowers Afield, by Mary Norton
The Inimitable Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse
The Bottle Factory Outing, by Beryl Bainbridge


The Borrowers Afield, by Mary Norton
Illustrations by Diana Stanley
First published by Dent 1955
This edition published by Puffin Books, 1970

This is Mary’s sequel to The Borrowers, the tale of tiny folk who live behind the cracks in houses. In The Borrowers Afield, the Clock family (Pod, Homily and fourteen year old Arrietty) have left the safe world of the house behind them and are pitting their wits in the wild.

What I like about this book is that Mary Norton doesn’t use any short-cuts; she thinks about what a tiny person would have to contend with, what they would eat, where they would live, how they would protect themselves – and it is all perfectly feasible. There are no diversions into magic or talking animals, and because of that The Borrowers feel quite real. There are also lovely touches of humour and description – you quite understand Arietty’s longing to see the world. Reading this book is like being wrapped up in autumn; you can taste the berries, smell the trees, see the colours. A gentle sequel in many ways, but very enjoyable.


The Inimitable Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse
First published by Herbert Jenkins 1924
This edition published by Penguin Books 1973

This was a delight from beginning to end. Although Jeeves as a character had been introduced in several short stories prior to this book, here he comes into his own. For those not familiar, Jeeves is the exceedingly clever valet to rich young Bertie Wooster, and is the man who constantly saves Bertie from various disasters, be they social, financial, or, heavens forbid, his Aunt Agatha paying a visit. Set in the era in which they were written, flitting between London and New York, these stories sing of gentlemen’s clubs, the Serpentine, ‘blighted tea-and-bun shops’, wearing the wrong socks, the theatre and what sport one may find in the country.

You sense that P.G.Wodehouse had fun writing these books, as he is a complete master of language and knows how to make words dance for him. Even the chapter titles give away the clue you are in for a treat, with gems such as ‘Jeeves Exerts the Old Cerebellum’ and ‘The Great Sermon Handicap’. There is a lovely subtle humour throughout the book that is never over-played, and the result is a real romp of a read, even if you spend the next few days talking like a Wooster.


The Bottle Factory Outing, by Beryl Bainbridge
First published by Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd 1974
This edition published by Fontana 1976

Here we are introduced to larger than life Freda with her love of exuberant drama, and Brenda who wants to creep around the corners of her life like a pale mouse. The unlikely duo share a flat in London, and both work at in the bottle factory. Freda is convinced that all the Italian men at the factory fancy her, and decides to arrange an outing to spice up her imagined entanglements. However nothing goes as she planned.

This is a strange unnerving story – it starts off in humour, but there is an air of unease from the start that the outing will go wrong in some way. When it does; the mood of the story shifts entirely into dark tragedy. It becomes less about Freda and Brenda, and more about society in general, how sad it can be when you realise some folk in this world have such flimsy anchors in life. If they break, who knows or cares?

It is good to have books that challenge you occasionally, and although the subject matter is a little bleak, the descriptions of the little flat in London and the characters themselves are very vivid without being over-blown. The contrast between the beginning and the end is very clever, and the writing is really magnificent. It’s not a long book so in a way it is an easy read, but is it really? Only you will know.

If you’d like to read more of my book reviews, please click here

And now for Blog Parties!

There are two fantastic blog parties continuing this weekend, and you can attend both from the comfort of your chair. Karen G is holding a lovely blog BBQ, and Donna a fab blog party. All you have to do to join the fun is to pop over to each, follow them, leave a comment and then browse through the comments already there and find some new fantastic people to follow! If you do pop over then please help yourself to a glass of the finest pink fizz at Karen's, which was my virtual contribution, and at Donna's tell Colin Firth to hold off from diving into the pond in his dress shirt until I am back there to ogle. Thanks!

Book worm reviews: July 2010

Oh life, you busy thing you. Awfully sorry for the prolonged absence – the longest time I have been away from my blog in three years. I was starting to dream of topics for posts and getting awfully sad on waking that there was no time to fling them into the world. Yup, am desperately searching for that mythical work/life balance again! One day, one day *she vows, misty-eyed*

But until that day – book reviews! I have been clocking up books at an alarming rate – it seems the less writing I do the more voraciously I read. So coming up over the remains of August are the following:

The Long Walk, by Richard Bachman (also known as Stephen King)
Absent in the Spring, by Mary Westmacott (also known as Agatha Christie)
Inside the Whale, by Jennie Rooney
The Borrowers Afield, by Mary Norton
The Inimitable Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse
The Bottle Factory Outing, by Beryl Bainbridge
Break in the Sun, by Bernard Ashley
Appointment with Death, by Agatha Christie
The Children of Dynmouth, by William Trevor
The Running Man, by Richard Bachman (also known as Stephen King)
More of Milly-Molly-Mandy, by Joyce Lancaster Brisley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon
Blaze, by Richard Bachman (also known as Stephen King)

Onto the Reviews!

Inside the Whale, by Jennie Rooney
Published by Chatto & Windus 2008

The title of this book neatly sets up the idea that this might be a story told in retrospect – as once you are inside the whale, then the worst has happened already and you are just waiting to see how you will be spat out the other end. At least that was how I matched the title to the book, and it did seem to suit the plot. Michael is an old man in hospital, and Stevie is an elderly lady living with her daughter. They are at the end of their life and yet the beginning won’t leave them alone, echoing in their thoughts and regrets, about how once they were almost together and then were spun off in different directions during the Second World War.

This is Jennie Rooney’s debut novel, and there are no huge dramatics in this gentle tale; it is a believable story of ordinary lives touched by coincidence. Her tone of voice throughout speaks with an understated humour, and her descriptions are very vivid. She writes short tight chapters taking turns with each character’s point of view, and in a way this is a love story, but not quite the love you may imagine. Poignant and bittersweet – this is a very well written debut, and I would be very interested to read what this author comes up with next.


The Long Walk, by Richard Bachman (also known as Stephen King)
First published by Signet, 1979
This edition published by Penguin, 1999

The books written under Stephen King’s nom-de-plume have a harder edge than his usual style. They are bitter about society, and often envision a totalitarian future run on extreme parallels in a brutal setting. Their endings generally have no comfort or feel slightly under-done. Having said that, I still love them, of course – as they have all of Stephen King’s brilliance and ability to make you see things you’d rather not – his writing turns over the rocks and reveal the heebie jeebies that lurk in the mud.

In this book The Long Walk is an annual walking contest for teenage boys. Feted by TV cameras and followed by huge crowds, everyone manages to skirt the reality of the walk which is that anyone who falls below a certain speed gets executed. As the walk continues and the numbers of participants fall, the psychological challenges supersede the physical, and the sense of futility grows for a society that accepts such a contest as ‘sport’.


Absent in the Spring, by Mary Westmacott (also known as Agatha Christie)
First published by Wm Collins Sons & Co, 1944
This edition published by Fontana Books, 1974

The Mary Westmacott novels are usually passed off lightly as Agatha Christie’s foray into romance, although affairs of the heart can be just as twisted and tangled as her who-dunnits, just as laden with all the heavy emotion love can bring. In a way these stories are Agatha Christie’s ‘chick-lit’ novels - more introspective, less of a cast of players, but yet still with that same economy of writing, those brilliant descriptions, and believable characters.

Absent in the Spring looks at the life of self-satisfied Joan Scudamore, so smug with her marriage and her children, her home and her friends. She is travelling back to Britain from staying with her daughter and the journey is derailed on the borders of Arabia. Stranded in the dessert, Joan has all the time in the world to contemplate her life, and the bright light of the sun slowly dissipates the shadows until all is revealed.

I really enjoyed this, much more than I thought I would. Afterwards I wonder why I didn’t seek these books out before – possibly the front cover of this one put me off – no disrespect to the actors, but this book would work better with an illustrated cover, and more to do with the emotional whirl in the dessert. But if you like Agatha Christie books anyway then these are a real find – such a treat to find an author you like stretching her writing wings in a different genre.