I have something to tell you … about a book that contains 56 chapters in which there are around 160 instances of ‘I’m sorry’, i.e. an average of three times per chapter, some of which are barely a few pages. (Found via e-book search function.)

All these sorry expressions pretty much sum up this novel.. Over-written and overwrought with two plotlines that trample over each other, I only persisted to the end to find out what the final twist was. Interestingly enough it involves an innocent dog.

Jess (Jay) Wells is a high-flying Bristol solicitor who takes on the case of architect Edward Blake who's been arrested after he comes home to find his wife Vanessa has been murdered in a guest bedroom.

The police are convinced Blake is guilty although he swears innocence. Doubts soon creep in and Jay is sure he didn’t do it. As other evidence about a tragedy in the couple’s past and Vanessa’s sordid extramarital activities come to light, the case against Blake becomes less certain.

Parallel to this, Jay is having her own relationship issues. She suspects her husband, fellow lawyer, Tom, has revived a previous affair with a younger woman and a new discovery will send her into a tailspin.

Blake’s character is perhaps the most interesting, as are his honest motivations, which are reinforced by the ending. Most of the other family members and friends are shallow English ‘Midsomer Murders’ county types, boozing, bed-hopping and with few redeeming qualities.

Tom is guilty of most of the grovelling ‘sorry’ dialogue to the point where it becomes meaningless. Jay’s behaviour in her dealings with Blake are affected by her personal problems and, although this is fiction, it is this type of writing that persists with the idea that women lawyers are vulnerable to their emotions and unable to stick to professional ethics and standards. It is for this reason my early admiration for Jay really waned by the end of the book.

The criminal case would have been a good story on its own. The author’s end notes say that it is based on a real case and perhaps another writer could have made better mileage out of it.
 
Two stars
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amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

Booktopia

Jess is a librarian who’s had major life changes, having lost both her job and her cherished grandmother, Mimi, who raised her.

While driving around Devon, Jess comes across a ramshackle cottage in the village of Middlemass that instantly appeals to her and she decides to buy it, even though it needs considerable work. Her only close friend, Hannah, lives overseas and she knows she must force herself out of her comfort zone and take a gamble on fitting into this new community where she knows no-one.

At the end of her garden is a decommissioned red telephone box, and Jess sees the opportunity to turn it into a free lending library using the many books left to her by Mimi.

Jess swiftly makes friends with residents such as the flamboyant Diana from the parish council and Becky, a harassed mum who was once a hot-shot lawyer. Then there is Aidan, the grumpy single dad and local bat authority who may turn into an unexpected romantic interest.

Before she knows it, the little library is a success, drawing people together in a new way and even, in one case, ending a lifetime feud. Although it’s not all smooth sailing when someone thinks the telephone box would be better served to house a defibrillator.

Naturally, the plot is predictable in that you know everything will turn out well in the end, but that is the intention of any cosy reading journey. The descriptions of Devon are delightful, the characters are charming and at the conclusion Jess has newfound happiness and gained a confidence that she didn’t have before.

It’s not surprising that escapism has been part of our lives during the recent worldwide pandemic. I’m sure many of us have foregone our usual favourite fiction genres such as dystopian sci-fi or gory crime drama, preferring to lose ourselves instead in other kinder and gentler spaces. This delightful book fits that feel-good bill perfectly.

Four stars

(With many thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC)
 
 
Amazon.com
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Amazon.co.uk

Booktopia

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of audiobooks, certainly in fiction. It depends very much on the narrator's voice and as I also tend to scan ahead and speed-read any sections that I sense are slowing down the pace, this is impossible with audio as you have no way of knowing what lies ahead in the text. Non-fiction and autobiographies can be a different matter and when I saw Michelle Obama's own reading of her book available through my library, I took up the offer.

​There is not much more one can say about a book that has been read by millions and has around 60,000 reviews on Goodreads alone, so I won't repeat here what can be read elsewhere, save to say that it has to be one of the best autobiographies I've read (listened to) in years.

Although I was already biased in favour of the Obamas, her wisdom, warmth, generosity and honesty came through to me loud and clear in her distinctive and laidback speaking voice, and I am even more of an admirer of her than I was previously for how she coped with the challenges she had no idea lay ahead of her when she fell in love with Barack Obama.

Her life on the Southside of Chicago in a close-knit family that encouraged education, hope and dignity is just so beautifully related, as is her later life as a lawyer, her early days with Barack, the birth of her daughters and then later how they lived in the White House. (Anyone who makes a kitchen garden where there was none before always gets a big tick from me!)

There were passages that nearly brought me to tears, quirky bits of humour, and an overall sense of someone who admitted to her mistakes but always tried her best to do things right, to help people and bring fractured communities together. It is still baffling that America chose to replace this wonderful couple with a bully and a thug to lead them. Michelle doesn't pull any punches on what she thinks of him!

This book is a great testament to a remarkable woman who is a credit to her country and is thoroughly recommended.

Five stars.

amazon.com (audio)

amazon.co.uk (a new younger readers version)

booktopia