WeeklyPrompts-PC-Review-3

~~~~~~

~~~~~

review

a critical appraisal of a book, play, film, etc.

published in a newspaper or magazine.

My book reviews are generally published

on WoollyMuses at

0600 Tuesday Mornings

(Melbourne Time)

~~~~~

The Tailor’s Girl

by

Fiona McIntosh

The Tailor’s Girl by Fiona McIntosh is the best book I have read this year; maybe all time.  Romance is combined with the trauma suffered by a returned World War 1 soldier who is suffering amnesia and shell shock, as it was known back then.  Jonesy, as the staff called him, is hospitalised towards the end of World War 1, and has no memory of anything prior to waking up in this establishment.

A friendly visitor (Eden) helps him escape from the hospital and he begins life again. Romance blooms, followed by marriage and a pregnancy.  Suddenly Alex is reborn with only flashes of memory and noises to remind him of those lost years.

The Tailor’s Girl was a thoroughly enjoyable novel.  It was well-paced and more than once I found myself sitting in our garage listening to the end of a chapter.

Narrator, Madeleine Leslay, made the nearly sixteen hours of this novel pass so quickly, it seemed more like a 7-8 hour book.

The only negative comment is that I enjoyed The Tailor’s Girl so much it has been difficult to find a ‘next read’ that will hold my attention.

The Tailor’s Girl is definitely a five-star audiobook

Other Goodreads readers have rated

 The Tailor’s Girl

an average of 4.09 stars,

from 1,135 ratings

and 138 reviews.

Definitely a

read.

The Tailor’s Girl

is the first novel to make

‘my favourites’ list in 2019.

The Tailor’s Girl

can be purchased on-line at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon.

~~~~~

WeeklyPrompts-PC-Review-2

~~~~~~

~~~~~

review

a critical appraisal of a book, play, film, etc.

published in a newspaper or magazine.

~~~~~

Nightingale

by

Fiona McIntosh

 

Fiona McIntosh’s Nightingale was my sixth of this author’s offerings. However, it was not my favourite.   Good, but not ‘up there’.  

While stationed off the shores of Gallipoli during World War I, Nurse Claire Nightingale meets and falls madly in love with Australian Light Horseman Jamie Wren. 

Jamie is patched up and sent back to the front where he is again wounded.  Upon reaching the hospital Jamie is told that Claire’s Hospital Ship sailed for the Western Front theatre of War shortly after he was declared fit for service and returned to the front some weeks earlier.

Still searching for each other in peacetime Claire receives notification of Jamie’s death, from his father.   Her world is shattered.  She has one last hope; a promised meeting for afternoon tea in London.

I enjoyed Nightingale, however, I felt it was a three-and-a-half-star book, but not a four-star read.   Therefore, instead of bumping my three-and-a-half stars to four, I felt relegating it to three stars was the better choice.

Overall an enjoyable love story set against the backdrop of World War 1.

I thoroughly enjoyed

Nightingale

and rate it a three-star story.rating.

~~~

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

Nightingale

an average of 4.00 stars

from 1,086 ratings

 and 123 reviews.

Nightingale

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon.

~~~~~

Weekly Prompt Photo Challenge:…Review-2

~~~~~

Book Review-Nightingale

Nightingale

by

Fiona McIntosh

 

Fiona McIntosh’s Nightingale was my sixth of this author’s offerings. However it was not my favourite.   Good, but not ‘up there’.  

While stationed off the shores of Gallipoli during World War I, Nurse Claire Nightingale meets and falls madly in love with Australian Light Horseman Jamie Wren.  Jamie is patched up and sent back to the front where he is again wounded.   Upon reaching hospital Jamie is told that Claire’s Hospital Ship sailed for the Western Front theatre of War shortly after he was declared fit for service and returned to the front some weeks earlier.

Still searching for each other in peacetime Claire receives notification of Jamie’s death, from his father.   Her world is shattered.  She has one last hope; a promised meeting for afternoon tea in London.

I enjoyed Nightingale, however I felt it was a three and a half star book, but not a four star read.   Therefore, instead of bumping my three and a half stars to four, I felt relegating it to three stars was the better choice.

Overall an enjoyable love story set against the backdrop of World War 1.

I thoroughly enjoyed

Nightingale

and rate it a three star story.rating.

~~~

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

Nightingale

an average of 4.00 stars

from 1,086 ratings

 and 123 reviews.

Nightingale

can be purchased on-line at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon.

Book Review-The-Last-Dance

The Last Dance

by

Fiona McIntosh

Stella Myles has lost both parents and is sole parent to a younger brother and sister.  She is finding it hard to make ends meets and decides to join her friend at a dance where girls are paid to dance with men.

Set in the 1930s in England, The Last Dance follows Stella’s life as she struggles to come to grips with the fact that she is in love with her employer.

At the aforementioned dance, Stella meets a suave, sophisticated Monty.  Monty gives Stella the name of an employment agency where she lands a job as a Nanny to two girls.

Upon arriving at her place of employment, ‘Harps End’, she finds Mum to epitomise the upper class English wife.  Eldest daughter 16 year-old Georgie is a spiteful brat, while little sister Grace is adorable.  It is fortunate that Stella is out walking when she meets the girls’ father, Douglas.  There appears to be more to the bespectacled Douglas (aka Monty…from the dance hall) than meets the eye.  However, Stella joins the subterfuge and soon loses her heart to Monty.   She is dragged deeper and deeper into Monty’s world and ends up transporting vital information smuggled out of Germany at great cost, to the British Home Office.

The epilogue wraps up many lose ends to create a warm ending to The Last Dance.   The Last Dance is the type of story which will be enjoyed by readers or listeners (like me).

I thoroughly enjoyed

The Last Dance

and rate it a three and a half star story.

Narrator, Madeleine Leslay, did a wonderful job

of presenting both male and female characters

with easily identifiable voices

for an overall…

four star

rating.

~~~

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

The Last Dance

an average of 3.77 stars

from 855 ratings

 and 69 reviews.

The Last Dance

can be purchased on-line at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon.

Book Review-The-Tailor’s-Girl

The Tailor’s Girl

by

Fiona McIntosh

The Tailor’s Girl by Fiona McIntosh is the best book I have read this year; maybe all time.  Romance is combined with the trauma suffered by a returned World War 1 soldier who is suffering amnesia and shell shock, as it was known back then.  Jonesy, as the staff called him, is hospitalised towards the end of World War 1, and has no memory of anything prior to waking up in this establishment.

A friendly visitor (Eden) helps him escape from the hospital and he begins life again. Romance blooms, followed by marriage and a pregnancy.  Suddenly Alex is reborn with only flashes of memory and noises to remind him of those lost years.

The Tailor’s Girl was a thoroughly enjoyable novel.  It was well-paced and more than once I found myself sitting in our garage listening to the end of a chapter.  Narrator, Madeleine Leslay, made the nearly sixteen hours of this novel pass so quickly, it seemed more like a 7-8 hour book.

The Tailor’s Girl is definitely a five star audio book

 

The only negative comment is that I enjoyed The Tailor’s Girl so much it has been difficult to find a ‘next read’ that will hold my attention.

 

Other Goodreads readers have rated The Tailor’s Girl an average of 4.09 stars, from 1,135 ratings and 138 reviews.

 

Definitely a

read.

The Tailor’s Girl

is the first novel to make

‘my favourites’ list in 2019.

The Tailor’s Girl

can be purchased on-line at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon.

 

Book Review-The-French-Promise

The French Promise

by

Fiona McIntosh

I found the audio version of ‘The French Promise‘ thoroughly enjoyable and well worth a listen, or reading.

As mentioned last week I read this book before reading its prequel.   Though thoroughly enjoyable as a standalone, it does make more sense as the second of the series as many of the main characters (and their history) are introduced in The Lavender Keeper

A post World War II setting sees a whole range of themes ranging from romance to death and revenge.

The setting for this book is Tasmania, where characters established in The Lavender Keeper make a new home after World War II .

One of two criticisms I have with the audio versions is that the narrator’s voice is vastly different to my usual narrators, which is one I assume over which the author has no control.

My secondly grumble is that the book seemed to end abruptly.  However, the ending was appropriate…it was just that I was expecting a more, and a different ending.

I look forward to reading more of Fiona McIntosh’s books.

Definitely a

read.

And also one of my favourites.

 

Book Review-The-Lavender-Keeper

The Lavender Keeper

by

Fiona McIntosh

‘The Lavender Keeper’ is the precursor to its sequel ‘The French Promise‘.  This may appear as an odd statement; however, unlike some other series or sequels (which can be read as standalone novels) it is definitely better to read The French Promise as the second book.

Both books contain basically the same characters.  Some merely alluded to in one book and expanded upon in the other, hence the necessity to read the two books in order.

I read The French Promise first not knowing that it was a sequel and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I immediately followed with The Lavender Keeper which was as enjoyable.

The only spoiler I will add is that it was set during World War II

I look forward to reading some more of Fiona McIntosh’s books.

Definitely a

read.

And also one of my favourites.