The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Aug12

Leave A Window Open

The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna is a very charming contemporary fantasy novel that I adored.

As the novel opened, I sank into its’ pages, cocooned with love, and enchanted by the tale to the very end.

The setting is mainly at Nowhere House in Norfolk, which “was… a place made up of fractured pieces that, somehow, had come together to make something whole and wonderful.” It is a house that has become a home to its’ various inhabitants from all sorts of different walks of life. Love is the glue that binds them all together.

Into this atmosphere comes Mika, a young woman who has been hurt throughout her life. For her safety when she was young, a variety of nannies were employed – the result has been isolation and a lack of love. Mika draws away from feelings, knowing that hurt will follow (in her experience). “Mika has been so deeply hurt that she has taught herself to run before she can lay down roots… all you can do is leave a window open… so that one day, if [she chooses], [she] can come back.” Mika is crying out to be loved and to know that there are people who will love her and want her to love them too. “It’s leap of faith to love people and let yourself be loved.”

We learn about the desire not just for a house but for a home. “I want one place I can be myself. I just want a home.” We all long to belong and be loved.

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My Great Aunt’s Diary by Laura Sweeney

Aug8

Choose Love

My Great Aunt’s Diary by Laura Sweeney is a marvellous dual timeline novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the second book in the Dovecote Cottages series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set in 1943 and 2016. We ‘hear’ about the action in real time and also via an old diary. The diary is about forbidden love. It ends abruptly, causing the Great Aunt’s niece to search for the end of the story. The search takes her across the sea to Ireland and then back again to Dovecote.

The novel opens in Brighton in 1943 and London in 2016. Both time periods see the characters ending up in Dovecote, unexpectedly. 1943 sees a family bombed out of their Brighton house. In 2016 a cottage is left to a character in a will.

There is loss within the novel. “Grief never really leaves you; you just get better at living with it.” The journey of grief is not linear. There are both good and bad days, one just has to cope the best one can.

In 1943 we see characters having to hide their true selves as social norms of the day mean that certain relationships cannot come to light. “I wanted her [Mum] not to pity me or see me as something broken, or deviant. But I didn’t know how she’d react if I told her.” It is heartbreaking to read, especially as the reader learns, along with the character, that her Mum loves her unconditionally.

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Waves Of Change In Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

Aug5

Totally Charming

Waves Of Change In Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen is a very charming contemporary novel that I adored. It is the sixth book in the Pelican Crossing series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the books in order for character progression and the background stories to the characters.

Pelican Crossing is a place we would all love to reside, where the welcomes are warm and the coffee is flowing. It is a place where people go to heal. “Pelican Crossing was a good place to heal.”

Home is the place that calls us – whether we are in a good or a bad place, we all long to return home “Livvy began to feel better. Nothing had changed but she was home in Pelican Crossing.” Home is the place where people love us.

We see that the worst hurt comes from those we thought we could trust. ‘Friendly fire’ really pulls the rug out from under a character. The storyline reminded me of Joseph’s story in Genesis – what others meant for harm; God used for good. Sometimes our biggest disappointments can turn into our biggest triumphs.

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By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

Aug4

There Was Once A Girl

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult is a marvellous dual timeline novel that I really enjoyed. It has its’ roots in fact and will educate you as you read.

There are actual historical figures including Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. The leading lady in the sixteenth century is Emilia Bassano who we know actually existed. Jodi Picoult’s notes at the end of the book are fascinating. Emilia Bassano is the focus of the novel and has links to present day author Melina who is researching her as she is her ancestor.

There are many parallels between the two women as they are both seeking to write, and both are marginalised in favour of men.

Jodi Picoult has created a fascinating tale around the subject of invisible women. “There was a girl who became invisible so that her words might not be.” Women, it seemed, were invisible in all sorts of walks of life. As they aged, they were passed by.

Writing about Alice Arden who murdered her husband Thomas, Emilia Bassano says: “For a woman to have status, she must be married. Yet a married woman loses everything – her name, her body, her property, her money. It all belongs to her husband. A widow… is given back all that rightfully belongs to her… It is a wonder there aren’t more husbands murdered.” It is very sad to see women “sidelined because of gender.”

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