Books Blog : English

The Wedding Girl

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:54:00 GMT

Are you a fan of the Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella? If so, let me introduce you to Kinsella's alter ego, Madeleine Wickham. Both personas write about English women who have found themselves in a predicament. Whether it be money (Shopaholic series), quitting a job and winding up in the country (Undomestic Goddess), or having a marriage from ten years ago come back and haunt her (Wickham's newest novel), women in all of the novels have an obstacle to overcome. The difference, however, is the slapstick humor that can be found in Kinsella's books. When she writes under the alter ego of Wickham, Sophie Kinsella approaches subjects more seriously and tackles some difficult issues.

In the newest book by Wickham, The Wedding Girl, Milly Havill is just four days from marrying the man of her dreams. It seems, however, that Milly has a secret that she has been hiding for ten years and the secret is threatened to be revealed by her wedding photographer. When she was 18, Milly married an American student to allow him to stay in England with his partner. Thinking no one would ever find out, Milly continues to live her life for the next ten years. A few days before her wedding, however, the photographer shows up to take her picture, and Milly discovers it is the same young man that snapped a shot of her first wedding on the courthouse steps.

Milly's story is just one of the storylines in The Wedding Girl. Each character has issues that he or she is struggling to resolve. While there are multiple storylines occurring in this novel, Wickham manages to keep the reader invested in all the characters. It isn't her strongest, or funniest, but for fans of Kinsella or Wickham, it will be another good read.

Lucky "Thirteenth"

myzticrhythmz@evpl — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:59:00 GMT

I'll admit when it comes to literature, I am something of a late bloomer. It took a book group assignment last year for me to finally read Jane Eyre, and of course, I fell in love with it. Recently I followed some friends' recommendations of a book that's reminiscent of that classic novel.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a dark, Jane-Eyre-on-a-roller-coaster kind of book. In the story, renowned English author Vida Winter is dying, and has called upon a bookseller's daughter and sometime-biographer, Margaret Lea, to write Winter's life story. What follows is a well-paced, very Gothic, sometimes creepy tale, replete with twins, ghosts, a governess, mistaken identities, and a bit of madness thrown in for good measure. Though parts of the ending seemed a bit contrived, there were still enough surprises to be satisfying.

If you haven't tried The Thirteenth Tale yet, by all means do so--and let us know what you think!

Cedar Green by Rose Boucheron

HRevvdon@evpl — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:31:00 GMT

Cedar Green (2008) by Rose Boucheron is my first read by this author. A few years ago I was transferred by my employer to a nasty little town that I disliked very much, as an escape I started reading the Mitford books by Jan Karon and then the Miss Read books. I wanted to live in the little villages and know the quirky residents that are the mainstays of those books. They are all light fast reads with humor. I stopped reading the Mitford books when they got a little too preachy and repetitive - but I still like the characters. I have collected and read all the Miss Read books, and still like the characters. These books are not what I normally read, more likely what my Mother or Grandmother would, but they give what is expected if you need that little bit of escapism.

So, when I was searching for something similar with funny little caricatures of village people, I found Cedar Green. The blurbs from the publisher and on Amazon.com sounded like what I wanted. Even the book jacket projected what I was looking for. I am afraid I was disappointed. The story line is disconnected and the characters are not in the least interesting, they could live next door to me and not in a quaint English village. I finished the book, but I don't believe I will read another of Boucheron's.