Reviews by Jenny (66)

Jenny 2025-06-27 The Travelling Cat Chronicles

How we love our pets

The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Translated from Japanese, this little novella has a reserved, distant feel which was disconcerting at first. The story is dealing with highly emotional issues, but the parts written in the cat's voice are very cool and detached. Nana is a stray who is adopted by a young man and then goes on a number of road trips with him, visiting old friends from his past. The writing is beautifully simple and concise and its exploration of the relationships we have with our animals is lovely.

Jenny 2025-06-27 The Forgotten Bookclub

Little bit laboured

The Forgotten Bookclub

Grace is lonely and recently widowed. She revitalises a silent book club that was founded by her late husband - the members read any book in silence for an hour and socialise after. The characters are interesting but I found all of them to be slightly cliched and 2 dimensional. Also there is a pedantic angle pushing an ADHD awareness agenda that was heavyhanded. But in spite of these limitations it was a pleasant, easy read.

Jenny 2025-06-27 We all live here

Enjoyable and heartwarming

We all live here

This is the story of Lila who is the author of a bestselling guide to having a successful, happy and long-lasting marriage. Shortly after all the viral social-media, awards and TV performances, her husband leaves her for a young woman - severely compromising her career as a marriage guru. And her mother dies. She has two daughters who are struggling to adapt, and now has her stepfather, who brings his own challenges, move into her home. Finally her long-time estranged, arrogant, fun-loving, has-been Hollywood actor father appears out of nowhere and also needs somewhere to live. How Moyes resolves all the complicated relationships is a warm and funny comment on how modern complicated family arrangements can work really well. A clever and comforting read.

Jenny 2025-01-24 Old God's Time

Depressing

Old God's Time

More abused children in Ireland with a corrupt church and state sanctioning all the crimes. While hauntingly beautifully written, I found it too disturbing and after getting half way though, decide, in the interests of my mental health, to give up and not finish it.

Jenny 2025-01-24 Kairos

Too cold and bleak for me

Kairos

This won the Booker last year and I cannot dispute the quality of the prose and its translation. But I found all the characters to be morally bankrupt, and the story dry and soulless. With a setting in East Berlin acadaemia there is no place for beauty or fun or warmth - everything is intense and serious and the humourless love affair between a young girl and an older lecturer is confined to a grey city and grey apartments and offices. Not my cup of tea and again I gave up on it before half way through it. But it won the Booker ………

1 ... 4 5 6 ... 14