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The Tangled Leaves of Anniseed

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Tag Archives: Friendship

The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue

20 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by Anniseed in Book Review

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Friendship, Historical, Relationships, Victorians

I loved the controversial Room, which is why I picked up The Sealed Letter to read – again it’s a story inspired by real-life events, but totally different in style. It’s the tale of a Victorian divorce, replete with scandal, duplicity and betrayal. Fido Faithfull is a successful independent businesswoman in a man’s world; Helen Codrington, her best friend, is by contrast a pampered “man’s woman” always on the lookout for her main chance. When Helen’s affair with an army officer is revealed to her husband, Vice-Admiral Henry Codrington applies for a divorce – a very shocking action in Victorian Britain, where they were fewer than two divorces a year – and the intimate details of their marriage are made public in the papers, to the titillation of society. Helen implores Fido to help her restore her reputation, but to do so Fido must lie in court – will she place her best friend above her principles?

It’s always bizarre to read how strictly controlled polite Victorian society was, at the same time a dark underbelly was scratching just underneath; the speech and actions of the characters are in many ways alien to a 21st century reader, but no less compelling for this. The convoluted nature of a marriage in crisis, whilst the details are strange, the emotions and manipulations are very much not. Friendship is revealed to be as much a deception as marriage in this world where propriety is more important than honesty. Women’s place in society is depicted as precarious, and the infighting between the members of the women’s movement to which Fido belongs is frustrating yet so believable. I like the way this novel takes what is essentially a small event – one marriage – and turns it into a microcosm of Victorian society as a whole. Rating: ***

Picador, 2011, ISBN 9781447205982

At Yellow Lake by Jane McLoughlin

27 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by Anniseed in Young Adult Fiction Review

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Friendship, Relationships, Thriller

Reproduced with kind permission of Frances Lincoln

Reproduced with kind permission of Frances Lincoln

Etta’s on the run from her mum’s creepy boyfriend; Jonah is in flight from his past; and Peter is trying to fulfill a promise to his dying mother. When the three teenagers collide at the cabin at Yellow Lake, the scene is set for a turbulent love triangle. Add in some murderous thugs, and you have a tense, sometimes uncomfortable read about survival, independence and sacrifice. Difficult decisions must be made and there’s no telling who will live to tell the tale… An excellent first novel, with just the right amount of “hold your breath” moments, without being too graphic. Recommended for 14+. Rating: ***

Frances Lincoln, 2012, ISBN 9781847803603

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly

10 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Anniseed in Book Review

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Crime, Friendship, Relationships

Reproduced with kind permission of Hodder

Reproduced with kind permission of Hodder

I loved this story. It’s told by Karen, an unassuming wallflower who is swept up in the unlikely friendship of Biba, a free-spirited aspiring actress, and her buttoned-up brother Rex. Drawn into their hedonistic party lifestyle and their circle of daring bohemian friends, Karen is besotted with both siblings, but it is Rex who wins her love completely. Karen’s initial entrancement with Biba slowly becomes tempered by the realisation that her friend is self-centred and high maintenance, but it takes a horrifying crime and its terrible consequences before Karen can finally stand up for herself and break free. It’s a sad story but one easy to identify with – who hasn’t been starstruck with someone more exciting, confident and outgoing than themselves? It’s easy to identify with Karen as narrator, and as the twists in the plot slowly unfolded to reveal the full picture, the ending felt inevitable and utterly believable. A cast of very intriguing characters and a sympathetic, plausible heroine made this a very enjoyable crime novel, something a little different, and one to curl up with in the evenings, getting lost in the world of these carefree spirits. Rating: ***

Afterword: it’s also about to become an ITV drama….

Hodder, 2011, ISBN 9781444701050

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