Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy

OMG!!! I don't usually say this about a book but what a story. I loved this book. True there were parts of it when I wanted to shout at the main character, Jane and say 'what are you doing?' but once I got into it I could not put it down. The book is set in America and Canada which was interesting for me because as you know the books I have posted about so far have all been set in rural England. Mr Kennedy dives into the character amazingly and as 'The Times' has noted on the back cover the of the book is 'famous for insightfully writing about women's lives'. I had never really thought about a man writing from a woman's perceptive before but I must agree with the Times, he is absolutely fabulous at it.
The book is divided into four parts, each of which focuses on Jane's stages in the story. Jane is not such a complex character but is portrayed as being very knowledgeable about the world from the start. However like many of us she is taken on a roller coaster ride which keeps the reader gripped.
Who is it for? Anyone but not for those who are struggling with bereavement.
Score: 9.5 out of 10.

Stolen by Lesley Pearse

Well this book took me all of three days to read, I could not put it down! I was gripped from the start. The story is set mainly on the south coast of England in Brighton and it's surrounding area and is about two characters Lotte and Dale. Woven into the story of how they met, became friends and went through a harrowing time together is life, romance and those difficult relationships some of us have.

As I said I was hooked from the start. The book is about a girl (Lotte (or should I say woman)) who is found washed up on a beach and she can't remember how she came to be there. Although I loved this book there was one chapter that I was not so keen on (spoiler alert: the chapter where Lotte and Howard are united) and for this reason alone I am going to reduce my scoring for the book.

Who is it for? ladies and book clubs who want something that isn't just about the middle class way of life in Britain.

Score: 9/10




Going Dutch by Katie Fforde

Well I read this book in less than two weeks which is not bad going for me. It was a good read with lots of thought provoking moments along the way. I liked the fact that Katie Fforde has two main characters that are of different ages and from different stages in their life's. This is a good read for anybody who wants to read a feel good. If you have read as many 'love stories' as myself the plot was fairly easy to grasp from early on (but sometimes isn't that why we read them?) but there were some little twists that made this book interesting. Well done Katie Fforde.

Score: 8/10