Reviews by Jenny (66)

Jenny 2023-11-08 Tin Man

Gentle story of friendship and loss

Tin Man

I remember Sarah Winman from 'When God was a Rabbit' This is another clever, tight and touching story about friendship. It starts with a 50's housewife, Dora, winning a raffle and defying her domineering husband, who wants her to choose the whiskey prize, by choosing an amateur copy of van Gogh's sunflowers instead. Dora encourages her son Ellis' artistic talent, and that of his good friend Michael who has arrived to live with his gran after losing his mum and is a writer. She teaches the boys that 'Men and boys are capable of beautiful things'. Through times of great loss and grief the friendships endure and ultimately help Ellis to find his heart again like the Tin Man in wizard of Oz. This was an engaging and heart-warming read.

Jenny 2023-10-03 Burnt Shadows

An epic saga

Burnt Shadows

This is a wonderful read. Starting in Japan where Hiroku survives the attack on Nagasaki but her German fiance does not, it moves through India, Pakistan, Germany, the USA and Afghanistan. Two families' lives are intertwined through many points of love and loss through the years between 1945 and 2001, and all the complex characters are real and engaging. Kamila Shamsie uncovers political and philosophical insights with nuance and humanity. I loved it. (Sorry I did not get it back to Richard in time for his book club!)

Jenny 2023-10-03 The Guest House by the Sea

The Healing Power of Place

The Guest House by the Sea

Esme runs a guesthouse on the coast of Ireland. She is over 80 and has a fall which confines her to a seat in the lounge, from which she dispenses humour, warmth and wisdom to her summer guests. The guests are all in times of transition or difficulty and all find at The Willows, the time and space to recover and rediscover themselves. One has to forgive it for being a bit cliched and twee, because the characters are drawn with complexity and sensitivity, making it an uplifting read. Only after completing it did I discover that Faith Hogan is also the author of 'The Midnight Ladies' Swimming Club' which many of us enjoyed.

Jenny 2023-10-03 The Last Tree

Beautiful

The Last Tree

This is a simple story / poem that imagines a world without trees, and explores a young child's need to connect with nature. The drawings are exquisite and entrancing.

Jenny 2023-10-03 Why Women Grow

The women remain in the shadow of the author.

Why Women Grow

I could not engage with this book. The author interviews various women gardeners to discover why they enjoy their gardens and what led them to become gardeners. It has received glowing reviews and even been punted as giving an empowering voice to women who are 'silenced and overlooked' (Waterstones ). But I could not find any of that in her interviews. At first I thought I was not relating to it because all the plants discussed are foreign and unknown to me, but later realised there was more to my antipathy than that. I never really developed any lasting impression of any of the interviewees - the women all seemed incidental to the author's desire to express her own ideas and opinions. After 'The Well Gardened Mind' that we had before, this was a disappointing read.

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