Book Review: House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon #BRPreview

House on Endless Waters

by

Emuna Elon

Translated by Anthony Berris & Linda Yechiel

Publisher: Allen & Unwin 
Publication date: 3rd March 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction / WWII
Pages: 320
RRP: $29.99AUD
Format read: paperback uncorrected proof
Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Better Reading

At the behest of his agent, renowned author Yoel Blum reluctantly agrees to visit his birthplace of Amsterdam to meet with his Dutch publisher, despite promising his late mother that he would never return to that city. While touring the Jewish Museum with his wife, Yoel stumbles upon a looping reel of photos offering a glimpse of pre-war Dutch Jewish life, and is astonished to see the youthful face of his beloved mother staring back at him, posing with her husband, Yoel's older sister Nettie…and an infant he doesn't recognise.

This unsettling discovery launches him into a fervent search for the truth, revealing Amsterdam's dark wartime history and the underground networks which hid Jewish children away from danger-but at a cost. The deeper into the past Yoel digs, the better he understands his mother's silence, and the more urgent the question that has unconsciously haunted him for a lifetime-Who am I?-becomes.

Part family mystery, part wartime drama, House on Endless Waters is an unforgettable meditation on identity, belonging, and the inextricable nature of past and present.

 

Yoel’s discovery on a trip to Amsterdam, the place of his birth, of old picture of his parents, his sister Nettie and a baby boy too young to be himself, sets off a crisis; of who am I?

Suddenly he feels he doesn’t know his mother. The woman he was so close to had secrets from him that went to the grave with her. With this new revelation he starts to question their close relationship.

Piecing together scraps of information from older sister, Nettie, Yoel returns to Amsterdam to write his greatest book ever and in the process discover his past.

Through her haunting prose Elon delivers a story of a displaced Yoel Blum, a man who is sensitive and deep feeling however finds he is unable to give of himself to others.

“…..only he alone is alone. So transparent and voiceless that he often thinks he doesn’t really exist.”

As Yoel writes his story it becomes a story within a story and at times his characters blend into his real life. Yoel, so immersed in his story, experiences bouts of paranoia and a sense of persecution when out in public.

Elon describes the beauty of present day Amsterdam whilst not denying the underlying horror of the past that still lingers. Through Yoel’s story we learn how slowly every freedom was taken from the Jewish citizens, first their rights, their passage and then their possessions.

I enjoyed the unique way Elon tied the two timelines together. They are not expressed in separate chapters however blend into each other blurring past and present, fact and fiction.

The character of Yoel is hard to connect with at first and I took pleasure in his growth from a closed man to one who appreciates those around him and started to open up a little.

House on Endless Waters is a fascinating tale of one man’s journey to unlock his past and discover his true self. Elon, in her unique writing style, brings to the fore stories that must never be forgotten. 

House on Endless waters has been impeccably translated from Hebrew by Anthony Berris and Linda Yechiel and a  big kudos must go to the translators for how seamlessly the story flows.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

My rating  5/5

This review is part of the Passages to the Past Historical Fiction Challenge 

 

 

Emuna Elon is an internationally bestselling, critically acclaimed novelist, journalist, and women's activist. Born in Jerusalem to a family of prominent rabbis and scholars, she was raised in Jerusalem and New York. She teaches Judaism, Hasidism, and Hebrew literature. Her first novel translated into English, If You Awaken Love, was a National Jewish Book Award finalist.  

#BRPreview #2020HFReadingChallenge 

 

Book Review: The Wolf Hour by Sarah Myles

The Wolf Hour

by

Sarah Myles

A gripping thriller set in Africa

Publisher: Allen & Unwin 
Publication date: 1st September 2018 
Genre: Crime / Thriller 
Pages: 352 
RRP: $29.99 AUD 
Format read; Paperback 
Source: Own read

Thirty-year-old Tessa Lowell has a PhD in psychology and is working in Uganda to research the effects of PTSD and war on child soldiers. She joins a delegation travelling across the Congolese border, deep into the African bush, for peace talks with Joseph Kony, notorious leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.? 
At the camp Tessa meets thirteen-year-old Francis, already an experienced soldier and survivor of shocking violence. The talks stall, and the camp is attacked by other rebels who take Tessa. Isolated in an increasingly volatile situation, she tries to form a bond with Francis. 
In Melbourne, Tessa's parents are notified of the kidnapping, but learn there is little that government agencies can do. Desperate, they contact their son Stephen, an astute if manipulative businessman based in Cape Town. He agrees to search for his sister but has other reasons to contact the rebel forces.
As Tessa's time runs out, her family begins to fracture. Her parents arrive in Uganda to hear awful news about what she has endured. They also learn the devastating truth about the kind of man their son has become. Only they have the power to stop a terrible injustice. But at what cost to their family? 

 

Tessa goes to a community camp in Uganda with the aim of studying the child soldiers who have escaped from the LRA. The camp is trying to get these children accepted back into their villages. Tessa wants to write a paper on the children and PTSD. Tessa insists on joining a delegation on a dangerous mission of peace talks with Kony, leader of the LRA, deep in the Congo.

Personally I can’t understand why these academics, and journalists too, who know nothing about the traditions and superstitions of the tribes put themselves in such dangerous situations and expect to be safe. One character actually outs Tessa as a white saviour, doing what she does to ultimately benefit herself.

Myles descriptions of Uganda, the beauty and the horror, were exceptional. The heat, the mosquitoes and the smell of unwashed bodies was real. I fell into the story. There was a foreboding sense of danger as the delegation moved deeper into the Congo.

I easily empathised with Tessa’s parents, the fear they felt and also the utter helplessness when you are so far from your child. Although I didn’t like the way they, especially the father, treated Stephen. Calling upon him when Tessa was in danger then trying to bring him down after. I’m sure they could find another way around this moral dilemma.

Myles gives her readers a fully rounded look at what is happening with the LRA and the child abductions. There is no preaching as we see everyone’s point of view, leaving the reader to make their own conclusions.

The Wolf Hour is a rivetting and emotive read. Highly recommended! 

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

 

My rating   5/5

Photo credit: Goodreads

Sarah Myles grew up in rural Australia where she fell in love with reading, story and landscape. She has trained and worked as a nurse, travelled through Europe, the Americas and Africa.

She is the fiction author of two novels THE WOLF HOUR and TRANSPLANTED. Currently she divides her time between writing and family, living in inner Melbourne and on the surf coast of Victoria, Australia.

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge 

and the Australian Women Writers challenge

#AWW #AusBookBloggers

 

  

Storybook Corner Book Review: The Gruffalo's Child (15th Anniversary Edition) by Julia Donaldson

The Gruffalo's Child (15th Anniversary Edition)

by

Julia Donaldson

Illustrated by Axel Scheffler 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Imprint: Macmillan Children’s Books

Publication date: 24^th September 2019

Genre: Children’s / Picture Books

Pages: 40

RRP: $14.99 AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should
Ever set foot in the deep dark wood.

But one wild and windy night the Gruffalo's child disobeys her father's warnings and ventures out into the snow. After all, the Big Bad Mouse doesn't really exist … does he?
The Gruffalo's Child is the number one bestselling, much-loved sequel to the worldwide picture book phenomenon that is The Gruffalo. Julia Donaldson's trademark rhyming text and Axel Scheffler's brilliant, characterful illustrations combine once more to ensure that the Gruffalo's Child has followed firmly in her father's footsteps and that her story is one that children will ask for again, and again … and again!

Children have always enjoyed tales of dark, scary creatures and the Gruffalo’s child is no exception. The Gruffalo tells his daughter she should never go out in the deep dark wood or the Big Bad Mouse will be after her.

The Gruffalo’s child decides to find this Big Bad Mouse. She isn’t scared. The story follows her through the snow swept woods as she comes across different animals; a snake, an owl, and follows tracks to see who they lead to. Will she find the Big Bad Mouse?

The Gruffalo’s Child is told in rhyming verse and the use of voice variation gives depth to the story. Scheffler’s illustrations give the Gruffalo’s child a human like dimension as she carries her favourite toy, a doll made of sticks.

The Gruffalo's Child 15th Anniversary Edition features:

- A wrap-around snowy wood play scene and press-out characters for an interactive reading experience.

- Plus additional book content including letters from author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler.

- The Gruffalo's Child Song.

- A Gruffalo's Child quiz.

- And tips for putting on a Gruffalo's Child show!

We all enjoyed playing with the wrap around scene, acting out the story and also making up our own stories with the animals.

With this 15^th Anniversary Edition you can be assured the Gruffalo will delight yet another generation of children.

The Gruffalo’s Child is on the 2020 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge list for K-2.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Our rating  5/5

About the author 

Photo: Pan Macmillan Aus

Julia Donaldson is the author of some of the world's best-loved children's books, including modern classics The Gruffalo and the Gruffalo's Child, which together have sold over 17 million copies worldwide, and the hugely successful What the Ladybird Heard adventures. 
 

 

 

 

About the illustrator

Axel Scheffler is a star illustrator whose instantly recognisable, warm and witty illustrations have acheived worldwide acclaim and numerous awards. Axel is the illustrator of some of the world's best-loved picture books.

Other books we've read by Julia Donaldson:

 

                                                                                           

   

The Winner of a paperback copy of Just an Ordinary family by Fiona Lowe announced

A big thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a copy of Just an Ordinary Family . The giveaway closed on the 25th February and I had an amazing 95 entries. The winner was randomly selected (using Random org) from all correct entries. 

Congratulations to.....    Naomi Pettit

 

Please see my Giveaway tab for more chances to win great books.

Book Review: Lovestruck by Bronwyn Sell #BRPreview

Lovestruck

by

Bronwyn Sell 

Publisher: Harper Collins Australia 
Imprint: HQ Fiction - AU
Publication date: 24th February 2020
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction / RomCom
Pages: 512
RRP: $29.99
Format read: Uncorrected ARC 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Better Reading

When a romantically challenged family gather at their Whitsundays resort for their first wedding in decades, Amy 'stuck in the friend zone' Lowery realises that her single tango-dancing mum and besotted groom-to-be dad have hotter love lives than she does.

But when she locks eyes with an alluring stranger, The Pull in her chest is undeniable. And the look in Josh Brennan's eyes definitely says 'more than friends' - but not in the way she hopes.

Loner Josh is ecstatic to meet his witty stepsister-to-be and stoked that the union of their two dads comes with the lively (if chaotic) family he's always wanted. No way will he admit to an inconvenient attraction to his insta-sister - not even to himself.

Elsewhere on the island, resident nice guy Harry is absolutely not going to fall for smart and sexy jilted bride Sophia, who is locked in the honeymoon villa trying to kickstart Operation Get Your Life Together. But a harmless flirtation never hurt anyone - right?

Throw in some sharp-witted siblings, a bevy of naval officers and a meddlesome gran determined to see at least one of her descendants happily wed, and the scene is set for a perfect storm that will leave no heart unscathed...

Lovestruck is a fun and witty RomCom with a large cast of quirky characters.

Gran owns the resort and also plays chief matchmaker to her three daughters and eight grown grandchildren. Cousins Amy and Harry plus newcomer Josh, who is soon to become Amy’s step-brother, and jilted bride Sophia are the main characters however the others make quite a few appearances and tell their romance woes also.

I found it hard to connect with some of the characters. Amy was always down on herself and Sophia came across as a bit fickle. One minute she is the dumped bride, inconsolable, then straight away she is falling for Harry.

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting location of the Whitsundays and Sells’ vivid descriptions highlighted the beauty of the area.

I loved the concept of the story and I know you need anguish for a good romance story but with two separate couples ruling the plot the ongoing anguish was too much for me.

Overall this book was fun and easy to read and devoted romance fans will find a lot to love in this book.

🌟🌟🌟 

My rating   3/5

Photo credit: Nicola Topping

 

Bronwyn Sell is many things—novelist, journalist, travel writer, bestselling non-fiction author, yogi, theatre nerd, soccer mum, wife, lover of wines in the sun with friends, perpetually terrified taker of creative risks—but at heart she's an eternal romantic and optimist who is happiest playing with words and imaginary friends.

Her journalism and travel writing have won national awards in her native New Zealand. Her romantic thrillers (under pen-name Brynn Kelly) were published in the US, earning critical acclaim and a RITA Award™, the most coveted trophy in the romance genre.

 

 

Mailbox Monday - February 24th

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog. Head over and check out other books received during the last week. 


Happy Monday!

I attended a wonderful bookish lunch with the Aussie Readers Goodreads group. We get together a few times a year to chat books and swap books and I always come home with a few extra books to add to my TBR.

It's been a relatively quiet fortnight, which is a good thing. My sister and brother visited from Interstate and it was nice to catch up over lunch on both Saturday and Sunday. We always tend to do lots of reminiscing and laughing over a few of my brother's antics when he was younger. 

Books received over the last two weeks:

 


From the publisher:

Symphony for the Man by Sarah Brill
1999. Winter. Bondi. Harry’s been on the streets so long he could easily forget what time is. So Harry keeps an eye on it. Every morning. Then he heads to the beach to chat with the gulls. Or he wanders through the streets in search of food, clothes, Jules. When the girl on the bus sees him, lonely and cold in the bus shelter that he calls home, she thinks about how she can help. She decides to write a symphony for him.

So begins a poignant and gritty tale of homelessness and shelter, of the realities of loneliness and hunger, and of the hopes and dreams of those who often go unnoticed on our streets. This is the story of two outcasts – one a young woman struggling to find her place in an alien world, one an older man seeking refuge and solace from a life in tatters. It is also about the transformative power of care and friendship, and the promise of escape that music holds. 

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
Claire is only seven years old when her college-age sister, Alison, disappears on the last night of their family vacation at a resort on the Caribbean island of Saint X. Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men – employees at the resort - are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives.

Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth - not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? 

I would love to hear what you received in the mail lately!