Archives

The Surrogate by Louise Jenson

Feb17

Don’t Tell

The Surrogate by Louise Jenson is a contemporary psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat as your heart races to the conclusion – definitely a ‘wow, wow, wow’ moment. I really did not spot the ending coming.

As I read The Surrogate I prided myself that I ‘knew’ exactly what was happening – how wrong was I?! Louise Jenson cleverly drew me in before releasing me down a dead end road. She is a very talented author and I have the utmost respect for her ability to weave a tale.

The action alternates between ‘now’ and ‘then’ from differing points of view. It is all very cleverly done.

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Feb15

True Wealth

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is a contemporary novel about life, families, truth and lies.

The novel was a consuming read. I found it a slow burn at first but very quickly it became a ‘wow’ read.

Families are complicated affairs, especially where teenagers are concerned. The reader witnesses sibling rivalry, the pushing of boundaries, first love and the implications that follow.

People are hiding secrets. Some secrets will break them if they come out but the burden of carrying them is heavy.

How much can money buy? Some characters seem to think that money talks and they can buy anything – but money cannot buy you a loving relationship. The richest person in the novel has very little money but a heart full of love for her daughter and the vulnerable and the hurting.

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The Rules by Kerry Barnes

Feb12

Out Of Control

The Rules by Kerry Barnes is a contemporary crime thriller that will draw the reader in from the start.

There is a fine line between the villains and the heroes, with plenty of anti-heroes in between. It is a line that becomes ever more blurred as the novel progresses. Trust is high on the agenda but with crosses and double crosses the reader wonders just exactly who are the ‘good guys’?

Within the novel there are themes of drug taking, supply and demand, gangland wars and violence. It is not a novel for the faint hearted but it is a complex and well thought out plot.

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The Single Ladies Of Jacaranda Retirement Village by Joanna Nell

Feb9

Growing Old Disgracefully

The Single Ladies Of Jacaranda Retirement Village by Joanna Nell is the most delightful novel about love and friendship and life.

Life is for living whether you are eight or eighty. “The person inside doesn’t change just because a few years have passed.”

The novel explores how frustrating it can be when you are treated as old and infirm. Being older in years does not equal deaf and daft. If we are still breathing, we can have fun.

The residents of the retirement village are well past their first flush of youth and had forgotten how to live until a sprightly seventy nine year old breezes in and shows them how to grow old disgracefully. There are some very amusing moments as words are forgotten or substituted. Malapropisms are the order of the day.

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