Carol Naylor's REVIEW it...

Kate Atkinson is a gifted writer who has easily established herself as one of the finest British writers of the 21 Century. This is her eighth novel, the fourth one starring  the infamous and addictive ex-detective Brodie Jackson with a colourful past-duped by his second wife, beaten up to a pulp for asking the wrong questions to uncover the truth about how "prozzie" Carol Braithwaite was murdered during the seventies. Atkinson places the novel in a historical context and there are frequent references to Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper who went on the rampage at the same time. Hope McMaster is Jackson's latest client having been adopted and currently living in New Zealand. His mission is simply to discover her natural parents prior to the adoption. Sounds simple enough until we find out there has been a BIG police cover-up operation over Braithwaite's murder and this jeopardises the investigation and endangers Jackson's life. Tracy Waterhouse, once a sup...

  I cheated, yes I did. I watched the film then I read the story. Isn't it supposed to be the other way round? Oh well. I loved both of them and admit to having a bit of a cry when it seemed that Joey wasn't going to pull through. This is the second Morpurgo story that I have reviewed and I am already searching for the next one in keen anticipation. He is a wonderful writer. In a tv interview he talked about his motivation in writing War Horse to show how the second world war has torn the world apart and this comes across poignantly in the film with the massacre of human as well as animal life. Morpurgo was in the Duke of York. He was asked if he was writing anything at that time. He told the man he had come across an old painting of a cavalry charge during the first world war.One or two of the horses were caught up on the barbed wire. Morpurgo explained that he was trying to write a story about this war seen through the eyes of a horse.......    Albert works on a...

To experience excitement in the world we live in must be an utopian dream. Wonderful. To understand and experience evil, danger and to be terrorised through political supremacy and religious fanaticism leading to total annihilation of human life is not only a violation of human rights it reeks of insanity. Terror. Sheer terror. Cope sums it up in his intense depiction of Middle East politics and religion in the 70s and how it affected the major powers in the world. In layman's language it is simply "dog eat dog" but with the sophisticated weaponry such as weapons of mass destruction coupled with human knowledge and expertise then it is murder en masse and you'll find plenty of that to engage your interest with espionage, terrorism and an abduction seasoned with touches of romance and sex. Calling it a political minefield is an understatement. When the stakes are high in this cold war, governments and secret services around the world would justify murder, The me...

Reading and reviewing this novel has been a "pleasure" but also painful. It is a cathartic experience for Kambili and the readers. The hibiscus plant grows all over the world and is important symbolically. In places such as S.Korea and Malaysia it is the national flower. The red hibiscus is the flower for the Hindu goddess, Kali. Adichie wanted to use it as the symbol of freedom, a new beginning away from the oppression of society and family life. Kambili is the protagonist, a young naive girl who loves her father even though he intimidates her and constantly punishes her. On one occasion she is hospitalised, fighting for her life. Eugene, her father is a wealthy business man showing benevolence towards the poor but abuse and malevolence towards his family. He has been indoctrinated by the fervour of post-colonialism after independence was declared and the turmoil of civil war through his views on Catholicism. He is depicted as a religious zealot, an extremist and shockingl...

                            HER FIRST BALL.   KATHERINE MANSFIELD . This is one of fifteen stories taken from The Garden Party and Other Stories written in 1921 and published the following year. I vaguely remember the girlish excitement of applying warpaint, donning the shortest of minis and the highest of heels to my father's displeasure at my tarty attire, heading down to the Mecca or Cinderella Rockerfellow's ( one of Pete Stringfellow's clubs ) in Leeds, during the 60s and early 70s. Nostalgia seen in Before You Were Mine by Carol Ann Duffy poet laureate, replicated. The connection? Dancing, having fun, being irresponsible. wasn't it wonderful? Mansfield recaptures that excitement, particularly for Leila a village recluse who has not experienced the pleasure of ballroom dancing before and the old-time professionals who dance on a wee...