BLOG TOUR: The French Vendetta (Charles Holborne Legal Thriller Book 11) - Simon Michael

When London barrister Charles Holborne travels to rural France in 1970, he is hoping for a quiet escape. Instead, he finds a village still ruled by old loyalties, buried secrets, and unresolved guilt. 

A woman has disappeared. Accusations resurface. And the past,shaped by fear and silence during the Nazi occupation, begins to intrude on the present. As Holborne is drawn deeper into a case the village believes it has already judged, he discovers that justice here is fragile – and truth can be more dangerous than lies. 

Moving between wartime France and the uneasy peace decades later, The French Vendetta explores how communities rewrite history to survive, and what happens when moral compromise is mistaken for justice. 

A gripping historical crime novel about memory, prejudice, and the long shadow of war.

 

What did I think?

As a huge fan of the Charles Holborne legal thrillers series, I couldn't wait to read book 11, The French Vendetta, and I was not disappointed.  It's another outstanding instalment in this fantastic series and it also works particularly well as a standalone with it being set in France.

Charles and Sally are newly married and they are taking a well-deserved break in France with their young daughter Leia.  Things don't go quite to plan and when Sally is taken ill Charles contacts his father's old friend who offers his cottage in the countryside to recuperate.  Well this doesn't sound much like a legal thriller, I hear you say, but it wouldn't be a Charles Holborne book without a court case and this very unusual one is well worth waiting for.

The whole village is brought to life through Simon Michael's exquisite descriptive writing and I felt as if I was there with the Holbornes.  Tensions are high in post-war France as friends and neighbours became enemies during the war.  It is difficult to read about anti-Semitism but it's important to be reminded of such horrific prejudice and Simon Michael writes about it with sensitivity, honesty and respect.

I always love catching up with Charles and the balance between his personal and professional life is perfectly weighted as always.  Charles and Sally are characters that I have grown to love over the years and I feel very protective of them, especially when they are put in harm's way and Charles doesn't half get himself into some scrapes!

Bursting with intrigue and suspense, The French Vendetta is an unforgettable, thought-provoking and powerful novel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.  To quote myself from book one, The Brief, The French Vendetta is "absolutely unputdownable", as is the whole series.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the online book review tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Sleep No More (The Shakespeare Murders Book 4) - Guy Hale

Act IV: The Way To Dusty Death

Sir Morris Oxford lies critically wounded in Stratford Hospital. Oliver Lawrence, whose cunning plan put him there, thought his revenge was complete but it takes a lot to kill a King

Boundless ambition collides headlong with the cold fury of revenge as we enter the final scene of this tragedy. There can be no hiding place for those that harbour secrets. As Toby Marlowe and Fred Williams try desperately to catch their killer, a huge storm surges into Stratford and drowns all hope of a happy resolution.

On the dark streets of Stratford, something wicked this way comes! 

What did I think?

After the huge cliffhanger in Act III of The Shakespeare Murders I couldn't wait for Act IV and it not only did not disappoint, it completely exceeded my expectations.  Sleep No More is possibly the last book in the series and what a thrilling ending to a fabulous series.

Oliver Lawrence is still eluding the police as he takes revenge on the people he sees as responsible for ruining his acting career.  He is picking them off one by one as he re-enacts his own versions of Shakespeare's famous plays.  Sleep No More is Oliver's version of Macbeth and we all know you've got to watch out for Lady Macbeth.  I'm saying no more about the plot as it would spoil it, but it is absolutely breathtaking.

It's impossible to put this book down once you pick it up and it just gets more gripping as the story progresses.  The weather even plays a big part and my heart was pounding as the storm raged overhead, which just goes to show the talent of Guy Hale for evoking such a response from his carefully crafted words.

Whilst I'm sad that this may be the last book in the series, I am actually looking forward to reading all of the books again.  Sleep No More is without doubt a five star read in a five star series.  Very highly recommended and completely unmissable.

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Colletta Cassettes - Bruno Noble

Liguria, Italy. Summer 1978.

The Kentish family are on holiday in idyllic medieval village of Colletta. Sixteen-year-old Sebastian is smitten with Rosetta, the hotel cleaner and waitress, much to his snobbish mother's dismay, while his younger brother and their fellow hotel guests are obsessed by the World Cup, hosted by the murderous military junta in Argentina.

The boys' father, Peter Kentish, has very different motivations for the trip. An investigative journalist, he spends much of his time interviewing a mysterious American, a disillusioned ex-CIA agent.

As Kentish uncovers the shocking extent of Operation Gladio, he delves into some of Italy's darkest secrets. Darker still is the involvement of the USA. Those complicit will do anything to ensure that the truth is buried. For good.

 

What did I think?

I really enjoyed my virtual trip to 1970s Italy in Bruno Noble's tense and enthralling novel, The Colletta Cassettes.

The Kentish family's visit to Colletta is both business and pleasure.  Peter Kentish has come to interview an ex-CIA agent and he's brought his wife and sons along for a holiday.  The story is set in the summer of 1978 during the World Cup in Argentina.  As a football fan, I loved this layer of the story and I was too young at the time to remember that England had failed to qualify.  The excitement and atmosphere of people gathered round a small TV to watch the match made me feel as if I was actually there with them.

While Peter is interviewing a whistleblower on his trusty cassette recorder, his 16 year old son Sebastian is falling in love with a girl working at the the hotel.  The two strands of the story are dark and light so they balance everything out nicely.  Reading about Operation Gladio is very disturbing and it's even more mind-blowing that it is actually true; it's well worth doing further research if, like me, you've never heard of it.  

It's very clever of Bruno Noble to balance such a heavy storyline with romance, family and sport as I think I would have found the intelligence storyline going a bit over my head.  Even the identity of the ex-agent has another layer to it that is surprisingly poignant.

Intelligent, atmospheric and entertaining, The Colletta Cassettes is a riveting and intriguing novel that is both a coming of age romance and a spy thriller inspired by real events.  It's well worth a read.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/4oO4JUj

About the author:

Bruno Noble study Philosophy and French literature at Southampton University.  A circuitous route selling advertising space in financial magazines took him to the City where, amongst other things, he wrote markets and investment reports while impatient to write a novel.  His first, ‘A Thing of the Moment’, was published by Unbound in 2018, and his second, ‘The Colletta Cassettes’, was published by Indie Novella in 2022 before being re-published by Inkspot Publishing in 2025.  

Having enjoyed working collaboratively with other writers when he joined the Collier Street Fiction Group in 2021, Bruno started a part-time (two-year) Creative Writing M.A. at Birkbeck University in 2024.

Social Media Links – 

Instagram: @inkspotpub 

Facebook: Inkspotpublishing

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Giveaway to Win 3 x Stacks of 5 Inkspot Publishing books (UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Win 3 x Stacks of 5 Inkspot Publishing books (UK Only)

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BLOG TOUR: Rainforest - Michelle Paver

The jungle watches. The dead remember.

The virgin rainforest seems a paradise to Englishman Simon Corbett. A last chance to salvage his career. A final refuge from a terrible secret.

But the jungle is no Eden. It hides secrets of its own. It does not forgive.

As Simon is drawn deeper into its haunted shadows, he learns to his horror that the past will not stay buried. For there are places in the forest where the line between the living and the dead is thinner than the skin of water.

 

What did I think?

Rainforest is the first Michelle Paver book I have read, although I've had my eye on her back catalogue for a while.  It was the stunning and mesmerising cover that drew me in but it was the vivid and immersive writing that kept me turning the pages.

It is set in the 1970s and follows Dr Simon Corbett to the South American rainforest where he is studying mantids.  Simon is a tortured soul, clinging on to a creepy talisman of his lost love, and he is a brilliantly unreliable narrator.  I wasn't sure what was real and what was in his head.  I was desperate to find out what had happened to Penelope and couldn't read fast enough to discover both Simon's and the rainforest's secrets.

Dark and disturbing, Rainforest is a haunting tale of obsession and regret, set in a location that is filled with mystery and secrets.  Secrets that must remain hidden at any cost.  It's a great book for the dark nights as it definitely creeped me out!

I received a gifted ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Put Out The Light - Guy Hale

Act III 

Stratford-upon-Avon, Spring 1972 

On the streets of Stratford four murders remain unsolved. For DC Toby Marlow there is only one potential killer: Oliver Lawrence. But nobody has seen Oliver for over fifteen years. They don’t even know what he looks like, they are chasing a shadow. 

Oliver’s first act is complete. As Spring turns to summer, Act III is about to begin. Like Othello, he is poisoned by lies from the past. Revenge has consumed him…Now is the time to put out more lights!

 

What did I think?

Put Out The Light is book three in The Shakespeare Murders series and what a cracker it is.  I am absolutely loving this series!  I do think you need to have read book one, The Croaking Raven, to enjoy this one though as it explains the motivation behind the murders.  I highly recommend book two, All Our Yesterdays, which is a prequel and further expands on the history of the characters.

This is a really clever crime novel in that both the reader and the police know who the murderer is; they just don't know what he looks like.  Oliver Lawrence hasn't been seen in Stratford for so long that even people who once knew him fail to recognise him.  This killer hides in plain sight as he picks off his victims one by one.

Revenge is a strong theme throughout the book as Oliver's victims aren't random.  They are all people who he deems to have ruined the acting careers of both him and his father.  Revenge is indeed a dish best served cold and Oliver is enjoying every morsel of his murder feast.

With quotes from Shakespeare's plays woven into the prose, Put Out The Light is a fantastic read for book lovers.  Although I don't know Shakespeare's plays that well, I love how Guy Hale writes one of The Bard's plays into the method of Oliver's killings in each book; in this case it's Othello.  I think if I was more familiar with Shakespeare I would pick up many more references so I might have to swot up before I read the next book.

Highly original and intelligent with lashings of humour, Put Out The Light is a fantastic instalment in this outstanding series.  It's a magnificent crime caper for lovers of literature and one I would highly recommend.

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Croaking Raven: 1 (The Shakespeare Murders) - Guy Hale

Stratford-upon-Avon, May 1972

DC Toby Marlowe has just landed his dream posting but the quiet streets of Shakespeare's Stratford are about to suffer a reign of terror. A name from the past has returned, intent on revenge.

A series of murders go unsolved but Toby realises that the killer seems to be following the plot of Hamlet.

Can Toby and his boss, DS Fred Williams, find the killer before all the actors at the RSC are dead? The Croaking Raven doth bellow for revenge.

 

What did I think?

Guy Hale may well have come up with the most ingenious plot for a book!  The Croaking Raven is absolutely brilliant and although I'm not overly familiar with Shakespeare's plays, I loved spotting the clues that our clever killer has left behind.

If DC Toby Marlowe hadn't transferred to Stratford, I think the police (DS Fred Williams in particular) would have been beating up a lot of suspects and getting lots of fake confessions while the body count continued to rise.  Toby very astutely notices that the clues relate to Hamlet so the police just need to read the play to predict where the killer will next strike.  This killer is very clever though and is intent on revenge.

I loved everything about this book: the ingenious plot, the 1970s setting, the engaging and compelling writing and the wonderfully well-developed characters.  I think anyone who has read Shakespeare will pick up lots of references to the Bard's plays but even if you're only vaguely familiar with Shakespeare (like me), it's still a hugely enjoyable novel.

It's also interesting to take a step back into the past and see how different is it to today.  It doesn't seem that long ago (for me, anyway) but it's quite shocking to think how discriminatory people were.  Whilst we may have made leaps and bounds in tolerance, I think we've taken a step back in humanitarianism with our ability to wound others through thoughtless comments on social media.

 

Incredibly clever and surprisingly witty, The Croaking Raven is an exciting start to a new and highly unusual series.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the Love Books Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Dark Remains - William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin

In this scorching crime collaboration, bestselling author Ian Rankin and Scottish crime-writing legend William McIlvanney join forces for the first ever case of DI Laidlaw, Glasgow's original gritty detective.

Lawyer Bobby Carter did a lot of work for the wrong type of people. Now he's dead and it was no accident. Besides a distraught family and a heap of powerful friends, Carter's left behind his share of enemies. So, who dealt the fatal blow?

DC Jack Laidlaw's reputation precedes him. He's not a team player, but he's got a sixth sense for what's happening on the streets. His boss chalks the violence up to the usual rivalries, but is it that simple? As two Glasgow gangs go to war, Laidlaw needs to find out who got Carter before the whole city explodes.

William McIlvanney's Laidlaw books changed the face of crime fiction. When he died in 2015, he left half a handwritten manuscript of Laidlaw's first case. Now, Ian Rankin is back to finish what McIlvanney started. In The Dark Remains, these two iconic authors bring to life the criminal world of 1970s Glasgow, and Laidlaw's relentless quest for truth.

What did I think?

I haven't read any William McIlvanney books before so when I saw this collaboration with Ian Rankin I just had to read it and what a gem it is.  It's dark, as the title suggests, but it's often humorous which makes it a well-balanced, highly entertaining novel.

The dark and dangerous streets of 1970s Glasgow are brought to life so vividly that I felt as if I was walking in DC Jack Laidlaw's shoes.  I absolutely loved Laidlaw - he really doesn't care what people think about him and he'll do whatever's necessary to get the job done.  

This is Laidlaw's first case and I am already chomping at the bit to read more.  I don't know how I haven't read any William McIlvanney novels before so thanks to Ian Rankin, McIlvanney will definitely pick up more new fans after reading The Dark Remains.

Flawless, gritty and gripping, The Dark Remains is a fantastic collaboration between two of Scotland's finest crime writers.  The writing is exceptional and completely seamless;  there's no way to tell where McIlvanney ends and Rankin begins.  I loved it - McIlvanney has a new fan here!

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the authors:

William McIlvanney is the author of the award-winning Laidlaw trilogy, featuring Glasgow’s original maverick detective. He died in December 2015.

Both Laidlaw and The Papers of Tony Veitch gained Silver Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association, while the third in the series, Strange Loyalties, won the Herald’s People’s Prize.

The McIlvanney Prize, named in his honour in 2016, is awarded annually for the best Scottish crime novel of the year.

Ian Rankin is the number one bestselling author of the Inspector Rebus series. The Rebus books have been translated into thirty-six languages and are bestsellers worldwide.

He is the recipient of four Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards, including the prestigious Diamond Dagger, and in 2002 he received an OBE for services to literature. He lives in Edinburgh.

@beathhigh  

ianrankin.net

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Songs in Ursa Major - Emma Brodie

To celebrate the paperback publication of Songs In Ursa Major today, I'm delighted to repost my review of this stunning novel.  You can buy a copy from Amazon, UK.Bookshop.org, Waterstones and many other retailers.  Make Songs of Ursa Major the soundtrack to your summer '22.

 

Behind every greatest hit, is an even greater love story.

THE SUMMER OF 1969

From the moment Jane Quinn steps barefoot onto the main stage at Island Folk festival, her golden hair glinting, her voice soaring into the summer dusk, a star is born – and so is a passionate love story.

Jane’s band hits the road with none other than Jesse Reid, the musician whose bright blue eyes are setting hearts alight everywhere. And as the summer streaks by in a haze of crowds, wild nights and magenta sunsets, Jane is pulled into the orbit of Jesse’s star.

 

But Jesse’s rise could mean Jane’s fall. And when she discovers a dark secret beneath his music, she picks up her guitar and writes her heartache into the album that could make or break her: Songs in Ursa Major.

Set against the heady haze of the 70s and alive with music, sex and sun-soaked hedonism, SONGS IN URSA MAJOR is an unforgettable debut and the soundtrack to a love story like no other.

What did I think?

Wow!  What a debut!  I simply couldn't put it down.  I loved Songs in Ursa Major from the start and not just because it starts in the Summer, the Summer of '69 - oh yeah!  (I just had to get a bit of Bryan Adams in there).  Partly inspired by the life of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, Songs in Ursa Major is set in the cutthroat music industry and filled with drama and beautiful music.  It actually reminded me a little of the tv show Nashville, although Jane Quinn is a LOT nicer than Juliette Barnes, and it really is the perfect cure for fans of the show who are suffering from a Nashville hangover.

I adored the main character of Jane Quinn and enjoyed reading about her warm and loving family along with an intriguing mystery about her mother's whereabouts.  Jane has such amazing natural talent but the music industry is definitely a man's world in the 60s and 70s.  Jane is thrust into the limelight by a twist of fate that results in her band going on tour with huge folk star Jesse Reid.  It feels like Jane and Jesse are made for each other as the pair get closer but Jane has a difficult decision to make as becoming Jesse's girlfriend will eclipse her musical career.  

Emma Brodie's writing feels incredibly authentic as the music industry is laid bare, warts and all.  There are tantrums and power struggles as well as some beautiful songwriting.  The whole book virtually vibrates to the beat of the incredible music within and I found myself composing my own melodies in my mind to match the wonderful lyrics.  Being both visual and audible is something I've never experienced in a book before, showing what an amazing writing talent Emma Brodie has.

An absolutely stunning debut, Songs in Ursa Major is a compelling and entertaining novel.  I felt rather emotional at the end but I know it's not the last I'll see of Jane Quinn as I plan to read Songs in Ursa Major again.  Songs in Ursa Major is definitely the soundtrack to my Summer of '21 - make sure to make it the soundtrack to your Summer of '22.  Highly recommended to all readers and one not to be missed by music fans.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Waterstones

BLOG TOUR: Songs in Ursa Major - Emma Brodie

 

Behind every greatest hit, is an even greater love story.

THE SUMMER OF 1969

From the moment Jane Quinn steps barefoot onto the main stage at Island Folk festival, her golden hair glinting, her voice soaring into the summer dusk, a star is born – and so is a passionate love story.

Jane’s band hits the road with none other than Jesse Reid, the musician whose bright blue eyes are setting hearts alight everywhere. And as the summer streaks by in a haze of crowds, wild nights and magenta sunsets, Jane is pulled into the orbit of Jesse’s star.

 

But Jesse’s rise could mean Jane’s fall. And when she discovers a dark secret beneath his music, she picks up her guitar and writes her heartache into the album that could make or break her: Songs in Ursa Major.

Set against the heady haze of the 70s and alive with music, sex and sun-soaked hedonism, SONGS IN URSA MAJOR is an unforgettable debut and the soundtrack to a love story like no other.

What did I think?

Wow!  What a debut!  I simply couldn't put it down.  I loved Songs in Ursa Major from the start and not just because it starts in the Summer, the Summer of '69 - oh yeah!  (I just had to get a bit of Bryan Adams in there).  Partly inspired by the life of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, Songs in Ursa Major is set in the cutthroat music industry and filled with drama and beautiful music.  It actually reminded me a little of the tv show Nashville, although Jane Quinn is a LOT nicer than Juliette Barnes, and it really is the perfect cure for fans of the show who are suffering from a Nashville hangover.

I adored the main character of Jane Quinn and enjoyed reading about her warm and loving family along with an intriguing mystery about her mother's whereabouts.  Jane has such amazing natural talent but the music industry is definitely a man's world in the 60s and 70s.  Jane is thrust into the limelight by a twist of fate that results in her band going on tour with huge folk star Jesse Reid.  It feels like Jane and Jesse are made for each other as the pair get closer but Jane has a difficult decision to make as becoming Jesse's girlfriend will eclipse her musical career.  

Emma Brodie's writing feels incredibly authentic as the music industry is laid bare, warts and all.  There are tantrums and power struggles as well as some beautiful songwriting.  The whole book virtually vibrates to the beat of the incredible music within and I found myself composing my own melodies in my mind to match the wonderful lyrics.  Being both visual and audible is something I've never experienced in a book before, showing what an amazing writing talent Emma Brodie has.

An absolutely stunning debut, Songs in Ursa Major is a compelling and entertaining novel.  I felt rather emotional at the end but I know it's not the last I'll see of Jane Quinn as I plan to read Songs in Ursa Major again.  Songs in Ursa Major is definitely the soundtrack to my Summer of '21.  Highly recommended to all readers and one not to be missed by music fans.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Space Hopper - Helen Fisher

 

This is a story about taking a leap of faith

And believing the unbelievable

 

They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect.

 

I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight.

And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here.

 

Right now, you probably think I’m going mad. 

Let me explain…

 

Although Faye is happy with her life, the loss of her mother as a child weighs on her mind even more now that she is a mother herself. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events, she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s. Faced with the chance to finally seek answers to her questions – but away from her own family – how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother?

 

Space Hopper is an original and poignant story about mothers, memories and moments that shape life.

What did I think?

As a child of the 70s myself, and a previous space hopper owner, I couldn't wait to read Helen Fisher's debut novel, Space Hopper.  The must have toy of the 70s, I always found the grinning face on the space hopper to be a bit evil, especially when you consider that the handles look like horns.  I think the author and publishers are wise to keep the orange devil off the cover but also roller skates are pivotal to the story.

Faye is a 36 year old happily married mother of two but she feels as incomplete as a jigsaw with a missing piece.  Faye's mother died when she was 8 years old but Faye can remember very little about that period of her life.  Now that she is older, Faye has questions about her mother that her elderly adoptive father can't answer.  When Faye finds her old space hopper box in the loft she magically falls through it into the 1970s...right into her childhood home. 

Space Hopper really is as good as it sounds.  Actually, it's even better if you're a child of the 70s as it's filled to the brim with nostalgia; things like Enid Blyton books, skates that tie over your shoes, biscuits on plates and mothers with tissues up their sleeves.  I had forgotten about those skates and I got a warm fuzzy feeling remembering the noisy clattering sound they made and magic cream being applied to grazed knees after inevitably falling over.

Helen Fisher's writing is completely astounding; it's warm, incredibly vivid and almost interactive as Faye appears to talk to the reader.  I was so immersed in the book that I found myself about to answer her back at one point.  Faye's friend Louis is blind and there's a passage set on bonfire night where Faye describes fire to Louis and I just sat back after reading it and said: wow!  I was impressed, even if Louis wasn't!  With such beautiful writing, I'm definitely putting Helen Fisher at the top of my authors to watch list.

Without going into scientific details, Faye does explore the effect of her time travel.  Although it didn't even scratch the surface of the theory of time travel, I found this to be incredibly interesting and thought-provoking.  It should hopefully pacify those readers with more knowledge and opinions about time travel, whilst keeping those unfamiliar with it engaged and entertained.  

Space Hopper is astonishing, heart-achingly poignant and completely magical; I absolutely adored it and wholeheartedly recommend it.  It's a hugely entertaining nostalgiafest and if this isn't picked up for the big screen, I will eat my hat!

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for providing an ARC via NetGalley; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Between Here and Knitwear - Chrissie Gittins

These twenty-two cleverly linked stories, written over two decades, trace a life from childhood to middle age. Beginning in Lancashire in the ‘60s and ‘70s, they follow a young girl as she becomes aware of what it means to be a daughter, a sister, a lover and a woman in a family where the relationships are constantly changing. From a disappeared clutch of curlew’s eggs to the last piece of furniture left standing in a home, these bleak and funny stories bolster what is lost into poignant narratives; told with lyricism, economy and wit, they are observed with the unflinching eye of an incisive witness. 

What did I think?

Between Here and Knitwear comprises 22 short stories by Chrissie Gittins but they feel more like chapters than individual stories as they flow so nicely from one to the other.  I certainly couldn’t stop reading one chapter after another as each little snippet of Chrissie’s life emerges.  Each story is so poignant, emotional and heartfelt that at various times I laughed, I cried and I identified with the author.

Chrissie has set out chapters of her life in terrific detail, allowing the reader a glimpse into her thoughts and feelings.  She has picked up on things that others might have taken for granted yet will certainly have experienced in their own life, such as reminiscences of her first period, first kiss and first love.  I found myself getting quite emotional as Chrissie’s parents’ health was explored – her Mum’s frequent hospitalisations and her Dad moving into a care home.  I had really come to care about Chrissie and her family as so much emotion has been poured into this book.  As her writing-style is so lyrical, and Chrissie is not afraid to bare her soul, the reader is in no doubt that they are reading a very special book indeed.

Between Here and Knitwear is a frank observation of life and I’m sure that all women will identify with Chrissie in at least one of the stories – I certainly did.  It led me to reminisce about parts of my own life, remembering events I thought I had forgotten.  This is a book to not simply read, but to experience.

I received this book from the publisher, Unthank Books, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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