How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff

Read for: Dewey's Books Challenge, YA Challenge

Meg Rosoff’s acclaimed novel tells the story of Daisy, a teenage American girl who travels to Britain, leaving behind her estranged father and his new family. Sent to stay with her mother’s family in the English countryside, Daisy has to juggle her family problems and eating disorder, while being swept up in a different way of life. She soon grows fond of her eccentric aunt and misfit cousins, especially bonding with the slightly younger Edmund. Everything changes however, when her aunt is out of the country on business. Britain is attacked by some unknown enemy, and left in a chaotic state of war, reminiscent of the country during WW2. The children are left to fend for themselves, providing food and shelter and hiding from the world outside, living and playing in their own little bubble. The war is never far away though, and soon the army arrive, building a base on the farm and separating the children. Daisy is left alone to care for nine year old Piper, and is tormented by her separation from Edmund, with whom she had fallen in love and is determined to find.

Although dealing with war and the delicate subject of love between blood relatives, neither of these is the focus of Rosoff’s story. Rather, they set the scene, and allow the story to follow as it will, through Daisy’s own experiences. She sees some true horror, yet finds in herself a spirit and courage unbeknownst to her.

It is easy to see why this extraordinary book won the Guardian Children’s Fiction award. Rosoff’s writing is remarkable and her storytelling is daring, yet she tackles her subjects with a gentle hand. I can imagine that some readers would be put off by a story that is, in places, quite violent, and that touches on the sexual relationship between two cousins. In Rosoff’s capable hands, this story is a touching one, brimming with emotion, full of beauty and hope. Although I never particularly became attached to any of the characters, the storytelling is so involved that I found myself open-mouthed in horror one minute and holding back tears the next. I'm not sure anything I can say will so this book justice, so you'll just have to read it and make up your own mind.

I for one have been won over by Rosoff’s writing, and will certainly be reading more of her work in the future. A moving read.

Other blog reviews:
A Striped Armchair

1 more chapter

Bold.Blue.Adventure

in Spring it is the dawn

The hidden side of a leaf

Leafing through life

Things mean a lot

Valentina's Room

The Written World

(have i missed yours?)

Reviews, tudors and soggy escapades

I’m back into the swing of blogging regularly again, but am still really behind on reviews, with 16 to catch up on for the last few months! But, thankfully my 7-month book buying ban (aside from a week in Seattle when I was allowed to buy USA titles difficult to get over here) is now over, and I celebrated by buying three books (oops), although they were on special offer and already on my TBR list! So hopefully now I shall finally get round to reading The Catcher in the Rye, which I shamefully have not yet read. Aside from that though, I am going to try and be good, though it doesn’t help when Waterstone’s keep sending me discount offers by email! The world is against me!

Somehow it is August already, and a year since I took an office job! I am still making the most of being onshore most of the time, and can’t shake the mentality of trying to fit it all in before I get sent away! Last weekend I travelled to London with a few friends, to take in the Henry VIII exhibition at the British Library. It was an absolutely fantastic exhibit and great value for money as we spent over 3 hours investigating every portrait, book, document and hand written letter, including a hand written love letter to Anne Boleyn, locked away in the Vatican for 500 years.. Excellently put together, even this history buff learnt a fair deal about the most infamous of Tudors.

After the exhibition and a delicious late lunch at the consistently wonderful World Food Café in Neals Yard, we trundled along the river to Shakespeare’s Globe for a performance of As You Like It. Possibly one of the best Shakespearean productions I have even seen, I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who can make it to London before the run ends this summer. Our visit was somewhat marred though by the persistent rain that began shortly before the play and ended long after we returned home, complete with torrential downpour that filled the yard with water, drenching everything in reach, destroyed my phone, and soaked us to our very bones. Not the most pleasant walk to the station afterwards I can tell you. My history passion knows no bounds however, and I hope to catch the exhibits of Henry and his wives at Hampton Court Palace, and Henry’s armour at the Tower of London in a few weeks.

A great weekend was ended at Thetford Forest, with mountain biking through the trees (gaining an impressive array of bruises in the process) and camping at the Larling Beer Festival, where the evening mist creeped over us as we danced away with many a pint of ale in our hands. Needless to say, I am still rather shattered…roll on this weekend!

In the meantime, I am slowly savouring Bill Bryson’s Shakespeare, which I am thoroughly enjoying, and I feel the need to reread Shapiro’s 1599, to continue my Elizabethan theme.

What are you reading?

The evening mist at Larling

Felbrigg Hall

Continuing my summer visits of old stately homes, two weeks ago I visited Felbrigg Hall, a 17th century country house and estate in north Norfolk, close to Blickling Hall. Also owned by the National Trust, Felbrigg is renowned for its unaltered (and somewhat mishmash) architecture. The estate covers over 1700 acres of parkland, including the 520 acre Great Wood, which I spent much of the afternoon walking through. It was a really unusual house, with a lot of character and a lovely cosy library compared to the grandeur I expect from most stately houses. We did the usual tour of the house followed by a lovely afternoon tea and cake (!) and a long walk in the woods.

But perhaps the best part was intentionally getting ourselves a little lost on the way there and back, through some of the most confusing and windiest lanes I have seen in a long time, all the while discovering some of Norfolk’s loveliest hidden villages.

Felbrigg Hall

View from a window at Felbrigg

The woodlands at Felbrigg

Meadows

Taking a break!

Making a new friend (with cake!)

Folk by the Oak at Hatfield House

A few weeks ago, I visited Hatfield House, a stunning stately home in Hertfordshire, best known for it's links to the royal Tudors. The house was built in the grounds formerly owned by Henry VIII, and the Old Palace, which still stands in the grounds, was the childhood home of his children, including Queen Elizabeth I. In fact, it was in the grounds of Hatfield that Elizabeth learned of her accession to the throne.

Built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury, and the son of Elizabeth's chief advisor. Today the house stands in 1000 acres of park and gardens, and is home to some of England's finest oak. I have visited the house and grounds often as a child, and again each year for the annual Living Crafts fayre. But this trip was primarily to enjoy Folk by the Oak, the second folk festival hosted in the grounds, with two of my favourite musicians performing, Kate Rusby and Kathryn Tickell. I also got to see several other groups and musicians play for the first time, including the award winning Lau, The Shee and Karine Polwart. Armed with picnic and rainproof clothing, we had a fabulous day, enjoying the delights of the house and gardens in the morning and folk music in the evening. Summer doesn't get much better!

The Old Palace at Hatfield

Hatfield House

A Hatfield rose

Trying to be a little arty!

The friendly face of a green man

The Shee

Shakespeare at Norwich Cathedral

My year of Shakespeare continued recently with two evenings at Norwich Cathedral to see the British Shakespeare Company performing the comedies Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The first night was rather soggy as it rained after we began our picnic and pelted down during the interval. But we were well prepared, armed with rainproof clothing and waterproof blankets and bagged the grassy area at the very front of the stage ahead of the seats. The hot soup and homemade nibbles helped a great deal! The second night was a much more pleasant affair, as the sun came out all afternoon and shone throughout our picnic, which we celebrated by opening a bottle of wine (In a cathedral you ask?! They were selling…we were drinking!).

Much Ado was absolutely fabulous. It is one of my favourite plays, that I had never seen performed on stage before, and I was not disappointed it was excellently done and I laughed throughout, despite the unpleasant cold rain and sore knee (I fell off my bicycle on the way there!). A Midsummer Night's Dream was also enjoyable, though the play perhaps not quite as good. The acting was excellent though, and the set simple but elegant. I am still unashamedly enamoured with Shakespeare and outdoor theatre! I heartily recommend a viewing if the Company pass your way!

A rather soggy picnic

The Cathedral by day

Early evening light illuminated the mediaeval architecture

Seating in the cloisters

Celebrating the sun with a bottle of red!

The Cathedral by night

Puck and his fairies

In front of the spire

My Swordhand is Singing - Marcus Sedgewick

Read for: YA Challenge

I remember reading that one particular blogger was very disappointed by this book as the cover suggested to them that it contained a story about samurai. Although perhaps not disappointed, I too thought this book was about samurai until I read Rhinoa's review . However I was undeterred and read it regardless, as I have long enjoyed Sedgewick's elegant style of writing.

My Swordhand Is Singing is an imaginative spin on the vampire/zombie myth based on Eastern European folklore and legend. Set in the forests of seventeeth century Romania, the story revolves around two nomadic woodcutters, the young Peter and his troubled father Tomas. After settling somewhat outside a small village, Peter begins to make a life for himself, only to discover something sinister at work. The dead are rising and Peter finds himself, his father and his beloved Agnes in grave (groan) danger, but some secrets may be much closer to home.

I really enjoyed this story and the legends behind it. Sedgewick is masterful at suspense, unnerving the reader at every turn. This is far from the over the top horror I have seen of late, with Sedgewick invoking the same amount of menace and chill, with the mimimal amount of prose. Having said that, I did find it hard to really care much about the characters. Perhaps Sedgewick was too minimalistic and left some of his characters undeveloped, and thus did not win over this particular reader. Don't get me wrong, I would heartily recommend this story to any fan of horror, suspense or vampire literature, but perhaps the most lasting impression for me was a desire to know more about the legends that inspired this story, rather than the story itself.

An enjoyable read, though perhaps not one that will stick in the mind for long.

Other blog reviews:
Rhinoa's Ramblings

(have you reviewed this book?)

Inkspell - Cornelia Funke

A year after the events of Inkheart, the characters are still reeling from the effect this book had on their lives. Dustfinger, still desperate to return to the Inkworld, meets Orpheus, a somewhat shifty character also possessing the magical ability to read characters to life. Leaving behind the marten responsible for his future fictional demise, Dustfinger finally returns home, only to find the world much changed in his absence. His apprentice Farid, distraught at being abandoned in the real world, seeks out Meggie and a way into the Inkworld. Soon Meggie and her parents all find themselves trapped in the Inkworld, and a story that seems to ignore its own author, Fenoglio, changing in ways none of them could have predicted.

A complaint I heard regularly from Inkheart readers (and their parents), was that the story was too simple and not involved enough; the characters a little shallow. Inkspell should diffuse much of this criticism. The story becomes far more involved and complex, introducing a vast array of new characters with different agendas. The main characters are all developed more, with Dustfinger and Mo becoming more interesting by the page, almost becoming shadows of each other. Even by the end of this book though, I still could not bring myself to care a great deal about Meggie, which is a shame, but is a feeling I also had about Lyra in Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, thus is by no means limited to Funke’s writing. I did become quite attached to Farid, and even more intrigued by my favourite character Dustfinger, and his companion the Black Prince. The evil Mortola and Basta make a return, along with several new characters including the sinister Adderhead and his daughter, Her Ugliness.

The Inkworld itself is rich and vibrant, full of familiar creatures and ingenious new creations (the fire elves are fabulous, but why would a man made of glass ever seem like a good idea?!). Funke scrapes the surface of the world she has created but allows the reader to fill in the gaps.

My advice, if you enjoyed Inkheart, but weren’t quite satisfied with the character and story development, give Inkspell a whirl. By no means the best fantasy series out there, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. And I defy you to read this and not rush out to get hold of the last in the series.

(let me know if you have reviewed this book)