So, this post marks the beginning of my foray into book blogging. Which, as I understand it, is basically me wittering on about books, and saying what I thought and whether I enjoyed it or not.
I am not going to write about every single book I read otherwise I would never stop typing, but I will write about the ones I enjoy the most, or the ones that speak to me the most.
This month, for the first time in absolutely ages, I went to the library and borrowed two books, both brand new (and I have a horrible feeling I might have jumped the queue on them, but you can take that up with the librarian!): Midnight in Everwood by M A Kuzniar and Lily: A Tale of Revenge by Rose Tremain.
I’ll start with Midnight in Everwood. This is a partial retelling of The Nutcracker. Set in 1906, it tells the story of Marietta, a twenty year old woman who loves to dance. She is about to take the lead role in the upcoming Christmas ballet Sleeping Beauty, but she has been told by her rich socialite parents that this is her last dance; after that she is to stop dancing and get married and do the “right thing” by society. But Marietta just wants to dance. She sees her brother Frederick trying to squash who he really is (a gay painter) and become the straight, married lawyer his parents expect him to be. She sees his pain and doesn’t want that to be her life.
Shortly before the performance, a new man moves into the area, a German named Dr Drosselmeier who is an inventor, a creator of the most amazing mechanical, clockwork toys. He offers to build the set for the show, which is being held in the Grand Ballroom of Marietta’s family home.
On Christmas Eve, Marietta sneaks into the ballroom to see the set before the show on Christmas Day. Drosselmeier appears and asks her to marry him. Marietta, who finds Dr D rather creepy (because he IS!) says no. Dr D is very insistant, and in an attempt to escape him, Marietta climbs into a large grandfather clock (as you do…) and just like Lucy, suddenly realises that the ground beneath her beslippered feet is crunchy snow….
She finds herself in a snowy wood at twilight. She wanders through the wood, and comes across a beautiful little village, looking just like something off a Christmas card – all thatched roofs and snow and what have you. However, as charming as it all seems, she is told to “get out of town” by the townsfolk. Before she can do so, however, she is found by the castle guard and taken to the palace which over looks the village. The palace is beautiful, made from spun sugar and held under a spell to keep it in place. The king is delighted to see her and insists that she stay and dance. Marietta agrees, despite everyone telling her to get away as soon as she can, to leave, to go home. She soon comes to learn that she should have listened…
What follows is a story of fear and danger, of love and friendships and loss. Marietta finds true friendship for the first time, and discovers what it is to be a friend, to risk yourself for others, and have others risk themselves for you.
She falls in love and is loved in return and it is a beautiful relationship – but there is SUCH an awkward sex scene towards the end that just didn’t work and was sooooo jarring within the context of the book, and the writing itself; it was clunky and awkward, like the author just shoe horned it in – possibly because this was her first “adult novel” and she suddenly remembered that she could put in a sex scene if she liked. It didn’t work (for me anyway!).
I would love to have a sequel to this, sex scenes aside, as the ending, while tying things off fairly well, in general, sort of leaves a few things hanging and it would be good to know how they all end.
Nonetheless, this book gets a solid 4 stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lily by Rose Tremain was totally different. Lily is a murderer.
Actually, Lily is a foundling child in Victorian London. She is discovered, less than a day old, in a park about to be eaten by wolves, by a local policeman and taken to the foundling hospital. She is then send to live with Nellie and Perkin Buck in the middle of nowhere in Suffolk where she spends six happy years growing up as one of the family, the youngest of 4 – the other three are Nellie and Perkin’s real sons, but they love Lily as their own. but sadly, as the rules state, at the age of six, Lily is sent back to the hospital to be trained ready for a job – in service, or as an apprentice of some kind. Poor Lily has no idea what is happening and what follows is a a few years of terrible abuse at the hands of evil Nurse Maud. Lily does her best but she won’t be cowed by the woman. No one will listen to these “unwanted, sinful children” and Lily and her friends just have to put up with it.
The story jumps back and forth between the current day (in the book, not today!) and lily’s childhood. So we start with Lily admitting to herself what she has done, then gradually as the book goes on, we understand what she has done and why, and how.
It was a sad story, and I think it had a happy ending of sorts but it was very moving and beautifully written. Another solid 4 stars here! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So there we have it, an attempt at a couple of reviews of two very good books. Hope you enjoyed them, and feel inspired to read them!
Jackie's jottings 