Maddy's Book Blog

  Rebecca and Jack had an amazing life together. Both extremely busy with their work, but making time for the other. They were both adamant that they didn't want children in their lives. One evening the doorbell rings and it's one of Jack's ex girlfriend's, with a 4 year old child in tow, who she says is Jack's. Why has Cara appeared now with her daughter? Where was she for the last 4 years? Rebecca has a strong feeling that Cara is about to turn their lives upside down, but not necessarily in the way Rebecca expects. This is a wonderfully written book full of love, pain, friendship, hope, and a whole lot more love, because a mother will do anything for her daughter. A fabulous book, and a lovely story, but keep some tissues to hand.

This was a difficult review to write without giving too much away. I really enjoyed the book and it was far more complex than it appeared to be. Suffice it to say I really enjoyed it, and cared about the characters and what would happen to them, and had to read right to the end. However I did work out one of the main hidden premises in the book very early on, although this didn't detract from my enjoyment. Romily Kemp lives with her father, who adores her. He moves them out to Braër House, a remote country house when she is 9. She lives a very solitary life, especially when she ends up leaving school to be home schooled, and becomes friends with Stacey who lives with her single mum, but occasionally goes to stay with her Grandmother so Romily doesn't see her then. Romily's father Tobias is an artist, and paints pictures - mainly of Romily and her kitten Monty. Then Tobias decides to write a series of books about Romily and Monty, and illustrate them himself.  It becomes obv...

  This is not a long story, but nonetheless extremely harrowing. Not because it is written that way, it is actually written in an extremely matter of fact way, detailing the events, but because it is a true story and about a set of 10 year old twins who were caught up in the most evil of wars, and the most evil of atrocities, that completely shocks you to the core. You think these things couldn't happen now? They were convinced these things couldn't happen then, so they missed their chance to escape to freedom with others of their family. Eva and her sister Miriam grew up in Romania - the only Jews in the area as they lived on a remote farm. They got on with their neighbours, and must have thought life was good. When the war started they thought they were far enough away to be left untouched, but the attitudes of their neighbours slowly changed and they experienced antisemitism. One day, the family were rounded up and put on cattle cars to be taken to Germany, and no one spoke ...

Sue Moorcroft takes a cozy love story and elevates it to a whole new level with her amazing characterisation, her beautiful descriptive locations, and her twists and turns - we know the path of true love never runs smooth - even at Christmas! Hannah is in a dead end relationship in Stockholm, when her brother's best friend Nico (originally from Stockholm but living in the UK) walks in, sent by her brother to check up on her. He helps her re-arrange her window display and she is reminded why she had a crush on him as a child. Hannah sees him again at her brother's wedding in the UK, and they have a moment, but it all dissapears leaving Hannah very confused. When Hannah returns to Stockholm, resolving to speak to her boyfriend about their relationship, she finds he gets in first and she not only loses her accommodation, but her beloved shop.  When her Grandmother in the UK falls and breaks her arm Hannah sees it as a sign she should go home and look after her and she returns to ...

Despite it taking a long while to get into this book, I highly recommend that you stick with it. You won't be disappointed and you will see how all the stories entwine. Although the book is called Spirited, and there is a Spiritualism aspect, the main story is about 4 people who know what they want and have the spirit to go for it against any conventions of the day - the book is set in Victorian England and India where conventions were very strongly followed. Viola and Jonah were childhood best friends. She was the daughter of the Vicar, and he owned property in India, but was sent to live with Viola's parents as a child so much of his upbringing was in England rather than in India  and it was always assumed that Viola and Jonah would marry. Henriette had a very difficult start to her life, but re-invented herself, partly due to a fortunate marriage, as a world renowned Spiritualist - and travelled the world with the help of benefactors, giving reading and holding séances - al...

  This is the true story of a mother and son, and the evil illness which is depression. What happens when your lovely, sunny boy, in whom you have so much hope, love and expectation invested becomes so low with depression that their world turns grey, and they feel the only way out is suicide? How can any mother cope with the terrible pain and helplessness?  Amanda Prowse is an incredibly talented and prolific writer, and her son Josiah (Josh) is a very intelligent and likeable young man, and together they document their way through the darkest period in their lives, and how they eventually bring colour back to Josh's world with the help of Josh's incredible Stepfather Simeon, and the whole family. Amanda and Josh take turns at writing chapters, often telling the same incident from their different points of view, which is extremely inciteful. This is a book that had to be written, and will stay with me for a very long time. It should be compulsory reading in every Sec...

  Fredrik Backman is a genius! What a brilliant book!! Just when you think you know what is going on, you find you really didn’t at all. Firstly, don’t make any assumptions - you will be wrong! All those things you thought were nothing to do with the story - they were. So clever is Mr Backman, that you don’t see what is going on until it hits you. Genius!! This is the story of a failed bank robber who tried to rob a cashless bank for the price of a month’s rent. Who is so unlucky that when the robber runs away they find themselves in a flat viewing with a bunch of people who can only be described as “the worst hostages in the world “. Or it’s the story of a bridge and who does or doesn’t jump and how it affects everyone’s lives. You decide........... READ THIS BOOK!!!