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.Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (Persephone Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Winifred Watson

April 24, 2008
We read books for many reasons and sometimes for comfort.
This book is a comforting book, to read while snuggled up in front of the fire on a cold day, or under the blankets on a Saturday afternoon.

The perennial problem of the poor who need work to provide food, clothes and a shelter is experienced by Miss Pettigrew and fortunately (and because of her determination and strength) she finds the right job.
This requires fortitude and a moral fibre which is most admirable and all is rewarded at the end, like a true fairy story.

The fact that there is a 'tongue in cheek' tone to the novel makes it real, and not a syrupy little tale.
It is set in a certain time in London's history but it rings true of today ... Read More:
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.Jane Eyre (Penguin Popular Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Charlotte Bronte

January 13, 1994
This is one of my favourite books and one I constantly re-read. I love all the characters, especially the way they are neither beautiful or perfect people. But the main reason I love this book is the character of Rochester and the way he loves Jane. He is definitely my favourite hero of all time.
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.A Thousand Splendid Suns
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Khaled Hosseini

May 22, 2007
A Thousand Splendid Suns left me emotionally drained - but in a good way! I had tears rolling down my cheeks for the last couple of chapters. Although I had a couple of very minor gripes (for instance, I don't think it was fully explored why Mariam felt so hostile to Lalia at first given what a tyrant she was married to) this book certainly affected me on a very deep level. There were certain descriptions that have stuck in my mind as being so simple but so powerful. Hosseini is a great story teller and a master of words, that's for sure. A novel like this reminds you of why nothing beats a great book - rarely can a film affect you in this way or play on your mind for days.
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.The Business
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Martina Cole

October 16, 2008
This book is dreadful! I've always been a big fan of Martina especially Goodnight Lady, The Ladykiller and Dangerous Lady but this book is just terrible. Martina seems to think all her book have to have gangsters, prostitutes, domestic violence and paedophiles in order to be successful, but this book is now almost identical to the last few she wrote, so much so that I actually almost didn't buy it as the synopsis made it seem identical to the previous book. Danny Boy was a pointless character and it was an excruciating read. Please Martina, if you can't think of something original to write, don't write anything at all!
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.Engleby
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Sebastian Faulks

March 27, 2008
Having only read Birdsong by Faulks previously and not having enjoyed it much I was reluctant to try this until a friend positively forced it on me. It is very, very different in style and content from Birdsong. It is dark, lucid and modern in tone unlike the Proustian romance of Birdsong.

This is the first person, diary account of the life of Mike Engleby a strange, anti social young man from an impoverished background who through his peculiar intellectual skills manages to rise from obscurity to secure a good place at university and then later as a successful journalist. The story mainly concerns Engleby's obsession with a young woman he meets at university, her disappearance in his final year and what impact this has on him in his future life. ... Read More:
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.Angel Uncovered
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Katie Price

July 17, 2008
I got this book as soon as it came out! i'm such a fan of her fiction stories! I've also read angel and crystal but this was BY FAR the best so far! i nearly cried at the end of the bokk- because i had finished reading it! i just wanted it to go on forever! - I no waht your thinkin oh my god what a SADDO. - I think that this book is her best SO FAR....... ,

just give it a chance... you'll never no unless you read it!.


Hopes shes writes other fiction stories!

:)



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.Notes from an Exhibition
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Patrick Gale

January 07, 2008
I found this rather an intriguing and absorbing book. Notes From An Exhibition centres around Rachel Kelly, an artist with Bipolar disorder. The story and family secrets unfold as you read each chapter. At first I must admit I didn't know If I would like this book as the chapters jump backwards and forwards through the decades but I actually found it quite easy to read (reading The Time Traveler's Wife helped I think!) I was enveloped by Rachel and her passion for art and I loved the notes about her paintings all the way through and how they linked in to chapters throughout the book. I was engaged by the other characters in the book and would liked to have known more about Petroc who's character didn't appear to be as fully fledged as Hedley or Morwenna's. I empathised ... Read More:
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.The Clothes on Their Backs
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Linda Grant

February 07, 2008
A rather insipid tale, though Grant is a good enough writer to hold the attention, it's hard to really say what 'The Clothes on Their Backs' is really about. Maybe there's some hugely deep inner meaning that I've completely missed. Although not a lot happens and it's not particularly complex, I still felt that it never really came together to make a consistent whole.

The central character, Vivien, I found very hard to empathise with. Even when tragedy touched her life it was hard to care. It wasn't that she was unpleasant, just rather uninteresting. Vivien's timid immigrant parents and larger-than-life uncle are more vivid characters although they were just a bit too extreme and contrasting to ring true.

The actual writing is good, with nice descriptive ... Read More:
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.The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Paulo Coelho

September 06, 1999
I read this because it appeared on the BBC 100 Best Reads list and had some good reviews. I was rather disappointed to say the least. The writing style is simple and lacking in depth, although it may just not translate well. The story is a parable with a message about 'following one's dream'. Although this message is repeated frequently the story line is a bit forced and ends as something of a shaggy dog story. It's a bit like a cross between an Aesop's fable and a self-help book, with a bit of half-baked philosophy in the mix. I think it would appeal to older children and those who like something cheerful and unchallenging.
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.Devil May Care (James Bond)
City Travel Guides > Books > By Period
by: Sebastian Faulks

May 28, 2008
It's my own fault that I really didn't enjoy this book. Faulks makes it clear that he is writing as Ian Flemming. Whether he achieves this I will leave to those more qualified than I. However from reading other reviews opinions seem to be mixed. I suppose I had hoped that he would inject a bit of the Faulks magic into Bond.

Devil May Care is almost completely devoid of insight or interesting observation, the plot is thin and unconvincing and place description so cursory you felt you could be virtually anywhere. The characters are superficial and the twist frankly risible.

One might feel that Faulks attempts to rehabilitate Bonds reputation as a sexual predator was worthy except for the way in which he then associates this with a loss of secret agent prowess. ... Read More:
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