Archive for 'Book Review' Category
Review: ‘The Return of the Soldier’ by Rebecca West
Title: Author: Rebecca West Published: Virago, 1984, pp. 188. Originally published 1918 Genre: Fiction Blurb: When the soldier returns from the front, he returns to three women who love him. His wife, Kitty, with her cold, moonlight beauty, and his devoted cousin Jenny wait in their exquisite home on the crest of the Harrow-weald. Margaret [...]
Review: ‘The Sign of Four’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Title: Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Published: Headline Review, 2006, pp. 146. Original publication 1890. Genre: Classic mystery fiction Blurb: As the seamy streets of London drown in a sea of smog, Sherlock Holmes sinks into a drug-induced stupour. That is, until Miss Mary Morstan presents him with a most intriguing case. A terrible death, [...]
Review: ‘A Study in Scarlet’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Title: Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Published: Headline Review, 2006, pp. 164 Genre: Classic mystery fiction Blurb: Arriving in the wilderness of London and in need of lodgings, Dr John Watson finds himself living at 221b Baker Street with one Sherlock Holmes. When a corpse is discovered in a derelict house Watson, fascinated by his [...]
Review: ‘Twist of Gold’ by Michael Morpurgo
Title: Author: Michael Morpurgo Published: Egmont, 2001, pp. 300 Genre: Young adult historical fiction Blurb: Sean and Annie have fled the potato famine in Ireland for America, leaving their dying mother behind. They are the only O’Brien children to have survived their family’s suffering. The worst is not over as they embark on a hard [...]
Review: ‘The Woman in White’ by Wilkie Collins
Title: The Woman in White Author: Wilkie Collins Published: Penguin,1974, pp. 648 Genre: Classic mystery fiction Blurb: Wilkie Collins’ sixth novel took the fashionable world by storm on its appearance in 1860 when everything from dances to dresses was named after the ‘woman in white’. Its continuing power to fascinate stems in part from a distinctive [...]
Review: ‘Offbeat Bride’ by Ariel Meadow Stallings
Title: Offbeat Bride – Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides Author: Ariel Meadow Stallings Published: Seal Press, 2006, pp. 219 Genre: Wedding planning Blurb: Unenthused by a white wedding gown and bored by the hoopla of the Hollywood-style reception, Ariel Meadow Stallings found herself absolutely exhausted with the nuances of traditional nuptials. So, she chose to [...]
Review: ‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’ by Brian Selznick
Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret Author: Brian Selznick Published: Scholastic, 2007, pp. 533 Genre: Young adult historical fiction Blurb: Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks — like the gears of [...]
Review: ‘Mary Anne’ by Daphne du Maurier
Title: Mary Anne Author: Daphne du Maurier Published: Pan, 1979, pp. 381 Genre: Historical fiction Blurb: In the glittering, corrupt world of Regency London, Mary Anne Clarke had beauty, brains and wit — but no money. Spurred on by the demands of a drunken husband, a wastrel brother and four children, she chose an exacting [...]
Review: ‘Crash’ by J. G. Ballard
Title: Crash Author: J. G. Ballard Published: Vintage, 2004, pp. 224 Genre: General fiction Blurb: In this hallucinatory novel, the car provides the hellish tableau in which Vaughan, a ‘TV scientist’, experiments with erotic attrocities among crash victims, each more sinister than the last. Ultimately, he craves a union of blood, semen and engine coolant [...]
Review: ‘Oops!’ by Darrell Bain
Title: Oops! Darrell Bain’s Latest Collection of Short Stories Author: Darrell Bain Published: LL-Publications, 2010, pp. 207 Genre: Short stories Blurb: Oops! is the third collection of stories by Darrell Bain. When Cupid and a Gremlin bump heads, the sparks fly in a rare fantasy story by the author. Other stories in the collection include [...]