Book review - The Red House by Roz Watkins

 Different - and I liked it...

Considering I can be quite a fussy reader and often have a 'type' of book I prefer, the reason I really enjoyed The Red House is for its differences.

Perhaps due to age, I can appreciate references to older style computer games better and therefore it was nostalgic... Or, perhaps it was just that I was drawn into the mystery and trusted nobody apart from the main character.

For this review, I will provide my likes and then a few even better if thoughts. There will not be any major spoilers as such:

Likes:

1. The computer game...

2. The use of snakes (I used to hate them but in this book the use of and imagery associated added a creepiness that worked well - I have written my own piece previously with such imagery)!

3. The idea that anyone could be guilty...

4. The different character sections and varied timelines due to this.

5. The ending and the twist (although I had guessed some of it).

6. The main character - I find this REALLY helps me to enjoy a story!

Even better if:

1. I don't know much about Prosopagnosia (aka face blindness) but I DO know from my teaching experience that I learn voices, not just faces of my students...so it bugged me that Eve couldn't use this to help her...because if she could, well...I said no major spoilers! This element seems a bit of a stretch, and, from research I have carried out, the use of voices IS one of the techniques it suggests sufferers to use. I understand why Eve doesn't (the story needs this) but I wish it was referred to more specifically as there were a few times, during reading, that this frustrated me. 

2. This happens in many stories and was something that a Uni tutor once fed back on during my own work...be careful not to remove the reader too far from the action. As much as I DID enjoy the different timelines and sections, there were times when I wanted to stay with Eve, see what would happen next. So much so, I skipped one Joseph chapter and then returned to it after I had read the next eve part! I am all for keeping the reader guessing, but not if enjoyment is altered.

3. Bizarre imagery. I could not work out HOW to get to somewhere important in this story (or back again) from descriptions provided. What it meant...or how some of the final scenes in a particular setting worked. I needed pictures! This would work for viewers (if a show) or people with previous knowledge, but - personally - I was a little lost for some of the climatic near-end parts and this seemed a shame as I am sure Watkins knew what she meant.

Overall, it's very worth a read if you want something different. It's a slow burner...nothing fast paced to start with. I found it was from about 62% on (very specific, I know) that I was more gripped and then from the about 75% on, I didn't want to put it down.

I haven't ever read Watkins before, but I certainly will again.

"What the?!?!..."

 Seeing things?

My Mum was telling me about something strange that happened the other night. She was in their garden, having her last cigarette of the day. when she saw blue flashing in the sky. She waited to hear thunder, but there wasn't any - nor was it raining. She thought that lightning was a possible explanation as that's the direction she often sees it in, when it does occur.

She went inside and told my Dad and they looked it up on a lightning radar, this showed that there hadn't been any nearby or further away...

I said, when she told me, that I think it was aliens in a space ship and imagine if they had taken her away - it would be a real mystery as Dad would have known that she had gone out of the back door, the gate was locked from the inside and their garage too. Plus, the fences either side too tall to climb!

Not that I want(ed) her to be taken by aliens!

Dads explanation was space debris!

Book review - Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

 What. A. Book! I NEED to read it again - WOW

This is one of those books where you finish it…then want to go back and read it all over again!

 

I have always been a keen reader of Alice Feeney and ordered Daisy Darker on my Kindle without even worrying about the plot! I will come back to this below…

It wasn’t until I saw an image (I think it was on Instagram) of a different front cover to the one that I had downloaded that I realised the plot synopsis immediately reminded of my favourite ever Agatha Christie novel – And Then There Were None.

This was the point at which I made it my next book to read. Now, I have to be honest, this was back in November at a point where I was busy with various things (see blog post about life throwing curve balls in October) and I was still collecting up these metaphorical balls then. However, I DID zoom through this book at every opportunity…I just didn’t get time to write about it, until now: committed to other reviews and editing my own anthology due to be published later this year. Title etc to follow.

 

Anyway…here is my review:

This book is FANTASTIC! I know it’s one that I WILL re-read. There are only a few books where I have had goose bumps reading and this literally covered my whole body from head to toe in them when I reached the ending. 

Some reviews say that the twist isn’t worth it, it's obvious etc…but I entirely DISAGREE! The twist is brilliant, and I DID NOT SPOT the main one…although I was suspicious of a couple of other elements, which I guess are part of the twist. I think this book is TOO GOOD to provide spoilers, so I will not explain myself. I did, however, miss the clues that were there - but I didn't mind as this wowed me more. As a fan of unreliable narration, I am all for the trickery!

Here, I will tell you WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT:

1.     Feeney is a master of using the appropriate amount of description to add to the story, to paint the scene in your mind without over doing it.

2.     Feeney isn’t afraid to try something new – see the ‘poems’ included.

3.     Feeney was bold enough to take on Christie but add her own twists to it.

4.     The characters are interesting.

5.      The mystery WILL have you puzzled…

6.      You will want to re-read it all over again when finished (and you will see why when you read the end).

 

One thing lingered with me more than just the story though. 

They say NOT to judge a book by its cover...

I had purchased this: 

Then saw this:

 

...and decided to make it my next read. It was also perfect timing having just been Halloween!

And have now seen this – the French version:

 

If you look for images of this book, there are many a front cover. Yet, the island and the cut off notion instantly drew me in and to want to make it next in my reading queue far more than when it was the yellow and black version and just another Feeney novel that I knew I would enjoy.

So…the question remains: Should we judge a book by its cover? I know I AM drawn to covers and would be interested to know thoughts from others on this – especially as I prepare my own cover! Thoughts appreciated...

I spoke too soon...and 'Hello?!?!?'

 A short blog post and a request:

(Not actual image)

Last week, I decided to put up the planned blog post as I wanted to observe traffic to my blog. Firstly, Instagram has stopped me scheduling my post advertisements (it just keeps whirling) and, secondly, I wanted to see the views without a post again: how many/where from.

Here's what I would have posted:

The other week, X and I went for a walk in the fields and down to the - what we call - abandoned house near where we both live. It was an uneventful walk and, noticing this, I remarked on how well behaved we had been and how calm everything was. We never LOOK for trouble...it just FINDS US!

Anyway, X was like "Shh, don't say that. We're not home yet!" And I laughed.

She walked me to my house to get a few extra steps in and there was a fencing company repairing a fence opposite me that had fallen down in the wind recently.

I HAD spoken too soon as the company had decided to park on the grass and the truck was stuck! They eventually got going (leaving behind large mud holes - grass ruined - and then promptly got stuck on the next bit of grass!

X remarked that I really shouldn't have said that things had been calm and we giggled (despite feeling sad for the grass) as it was typical us to be right there at the moment it got stuck, twice!

I said goodbye to X and went to watch them try to get unstuck from the second stuck point and they then took a branch off a tree with a 'whack' as they reversed back, finally moving. Later, X text and said she heard the branch snap as she was crossing back to go to her house.

I really must learn to be quiet!

REQUEST:

As mentioned above, I am interested in viewing numbers to my blog as my stats page shows healthy views from across the world. I am sure that some (from certain locations) are bots but it would be great if you could pop a 'Hello' in the comments if you are a regular/new reader so that I can further understand my genuine engagement here. Thanks :)

STILL trying to get lunch!

 And, still no room at the inn!

The other week I mentioned that my friend and I hadn't managed to get lunch at a posh restaurant when away on a girls trip before Christmas. This week, here is what happened next!

Firstly, we tried a pub that we remembered seeing when we had visited the area earlier in the year. No room. Then we tried another pub...no room there either.

So, we decided to try and find the branch of a well-known pub chain. Putting the name into X's phone map, the directions started up and within a few steps I knew that it was sending us in the wrong direction as it had us heading towards the pub in the direction of the museums...but the museums were BEHIND the way we were walking!

We turned around, the map re-calibrated and a while later we were in said pub. It was HEAVING! Thankfully, we found a table. So far so good... Then X (who is celiac) tried to find something she could have. They were running a reduced menu! She ordered for me (which I wouldn't have minded if she didn't) at the bar whilst I was unaware up at the table.

Now, this would be a VERY long story if I tell it all, so I will skip through. At least twenty minutes had passed and there wasn't any sign of my food. Nothing tricky, chicken strips and chips. I told X to save time that I didn't mind if she found the well-known fast food chain in the area whilst I waited here and that she should just bring her food back in seen as they couldn't serve her here.

She loaded the map (we knew the fast food place wasn't far) and set off. She was gone longer than expected as, again, her map played up!

I stilllll hadn't got my food and was thinking how much time we were loosing to get in the museums. I asked a waitress who said it should be about another ten-fifteen and that we should have been told it was a fort-five minute wait on food. We hadn't been...

Looking at the time, I realised that it was another ten to fifteen minutes that it would take my wait time to over forty five minutes as I knew what time we had ordered as I had sent a text on my phone. I cancelled the order and was told (as X had paid) she would need to show her card on returning.

When she got back with her food, I told her what had happened. She went to the bar for the refund and was told she'd already been issued it...when she hadn't!

At this point, we left. I got food from a bakery and we didn't make the museums either as only one was open (and we'd already been round there) and the other two weren't. Thankfully, the museum people were better than the pub as (the museums were linked) and allowed us a refund as we'd purchased a annual and  cheaper ticket for all three museums earlier in the year.

Thankfully, we had more success after that! We enjoyed the shops and I was served food (I needed a proper meal) back at the hotel and X got some snacks for herself too! What a muddle it all was!

Next week, some funny stories from Christmas!

The Ex-Wife by Jess Ryder

 

Television series and book comparison.

 

Please note - Slight spoilers included…

 

I recorded The Ex-Wife on Channel 5 before Christmas but (due to my love of daft Christmas films) only got around to watching this series the other week. It was originally shown on Paramount +

I binged it and watched all four episodes within two days. I was compelled by the events, suspicions about various characters and didn’t want it to end! I wondered if there was scope for a follow up with how it ended, although part of me knew it was wishful thinking as most dramas do not return.

 

Next, I decided to download the book to my Kindle so that I could make a direct comparison.

Well, you can imagine my surprise when it opened with a character that had NOT been in the show and a setting/scene that hadn’t been either. Puzzled, and thinking I could likely make 1 and 1 make 2, but equally I could be making 4, I read on…

Once I reached more familiar territory, I realised that there were a few key differences to the TV show. The husband is called Nick in the book, Jack on the television series. I mean, what’s in a name?

 

The Now and Then sections are how the familiar (Then) and the not seen on TV (Now) sections work and – personally – this worked well for me as I found myself thinking that buying the book was worthwhile as it was providing me with a new storyline and stopped me simply reading what I had watched.

Having said this, I didn’t just read what I had watched as there were some differences in the way that the main plot points play out. I suppose, for visual purposes, there were some changes made to condense it into the four shows. However, as a writer myself, I don’t know how willing I would be for someone to swap events and character names when transferring it to TV…

 

My biggest annoyance (aside from the pettiness of swapping the husband’s name…) was how for the TV show the way that one character is introduced/included THROUGOUT in an entirely different way to the book… This character is Sam.

Considering I loved the inclusion of Sam in the TV series (played by Jordan Stephens, whom I had never seen act before, but I was impressed) I think the way his character is used more mysteriously in the book is far, far better. There is a small element of mystery in the show with him, but this feels like a poor alternative compared to the book.

The way that Stephen’s plays Sam is hippy style, and this relaxed presentation would’ve needed to change in order to play the Sam in the book. I imagine – due to the driver role that Sam takes on – he would have needed to be suited and booted. Ironically, BOTH Sams drive! TV he’s a taxi driver that knows Natasha (the new wife) from BEFORE her meeting her husband to be and in the book…well, I won’t spoil it here.

Again, why as an author agree to this? This is NOT the story or the character you wrote? If anything, it was HIS name that needed changing!!!!

 

A criticism for both is that I don’t think the title fits either the TV show or the book (although the book perhaps a little better) as there is a lot of focus on the husband and his new wife in both. There is a film titled The Ex-Wife and surely it’s never a good thing to have identical titles?

I really like the new story shown in the Now parts of the book and truly hope that Channel 5 show this as a follow up – there’s certainly room to. I, however, doubt that they will as the TV show – again – had its own ending. Again, not the same as the book, but similar.

There was also a character missing from the show that – I think – would have made for interesting screenplay if included. This is the mum of Natasha. Maybe that's why these things get called 'adaptations' !!

 

I think that Channel 5 needed 6 episodes in order to present the book as it was initially written, which – considering I thought I loved the show – is a shame.

After reading/watching I read other reviews. There is praise and criticism for both. The biggest criticism for the show is the casting of Céline Buckens as Natasha. Personally, I thought she played the part well.

 

Overall, this experience left me thinking that I need to make MORE direct comparisons! So, watch this space…