Francesca Brindle

‘The Song of Achilles’ is a retelling of Homer’s the ‘Iliad’ and told from the perspective of Achilles companion, Patroclus. It focuses on the evolution of their relationship from the time they’re boys to full grown men, fighting in the Trojan War. It is never specifically stated in the ‘Iliad’ that Achilles and Patroclus had a romantic relationship, however there are quite a few moments where Homer hints at the fact. I’m glad that Miller’s retelling allows an exploration of their possible relationship in all its glories and failures. It’s a slow build and their relationship evolved with each other as they aged. Their love seemed as natural a progression as anything else in their lives and it was their biggest strength and weakness. Of course, it cannot be forgotten that there are other aspects to this novel other than their relationship. There is the ever looming threat of war, the purpose of which Achilles of trained and the prophecy that would befall him. Miller writes war, in such a lyrical and poetic fashion. It’s fast paced yet described in such a way that it seems like you’re visualising a painting. Every character has their own identity and voice and despite the chorus of many many characters in this novel, they are each given such care and respect that they all breath life on the page. This is the first book I have ever ‘ugly cried’ at. I thought I was in the all clear and then the last five pages hit me very hard and I had to pause to collect myself. A beautiful and tragic story. Truly timeless.

3.5 ⭐️ In Barkley Cove, North Carolina 1969, Chase Andrews is found dead and the locals believe it to be the work of the ‘Marsh Girl’. Kya Clarke has survived on her own for many years out in the marshes learning her lessons and companionship from the nature around her and is a lot more than what she appears. ‘Where The Crawdads Sing’ follows the life of Kya Clarke, starting in 1952 when she’s only 6 years old. This is juxtaposed with an investigation in to the death of Chase Andrews occurring in 1969 until eventually the past catches up with the ‘present’. Delia Owens made me fall in love with an environment I’ve never set foot in or been around. Her passion for nature and her expertise as a nature writer, is apparent. It was a true love story and celebration of the marshes and you could feel it coming off of the page. I could clearly see everything in my mind and it made me go and look up all of the different birds, sea shells and landscape. Using this love and the character of Kya as a vehicle for this voice, was masterfully done. Where I think this novel falls short, is that the ‘mystery’ in this novel probably only takes up about 10% of it, if that. The ‘1969’ investigation portions are usually so short and only a page and a half at a time that I found myself getting slightly frustrated. Especially as the finding of the body, is used as the opening chapter and used as a selling point in the blurb. Despite Owens having fantastic descriptions of nature, the surroundings and us getting drawn in to Kya’s world, I often found the dialogue to be very stilted and often times unrealistic in how people speak and voice their own thoughts, even if it is 50s/60s NC. I would have understood this to be a character choice, if it was all from Kya’s perspective, as her social interactions are very limited, however it was like this with any character no matter who’s perspective it was coming from. Despite all of this however, ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ is a fantastic ‘coming of age’ story, which is for the most part beautifully written and shows that there is a lot more to people than meets the eye. The emotions shown were relatable and as said previously, Owens made me fall in love with an environment that I would love to see in person one day. I think if you go in to this novel, expecting more of a ‘coming of age’ story than a mystery, you’ll have a much better time.

Set in the background of Regency London, ‘The Duke and I’ is the first book in the Bridgerton Family series. Each book follows the romantic life of each of the Bridgerton siblings and the first book centres around the eldest daughter, Daphne. I should start off by saying that I have never been so conflicted on how to rate a book before. Majority of the aspects of the book I adore, however there are some deeply troubling elements that nearly ruined the whole book for me. Julia Quinn is fantastic at painting a picture of her Regency London, the ‘ton’ and all of the social hierarchy that comes with being out in society. She writes with incredible wit, humour and I genuinely laughed out loud at several moments. Daphne and Simon have incredible chemistry and banter. The build up for their romance is fantastic and I became very invested. It’s very difficult for me to describe the troubling elements of this novel, without spoiling things but if you’ve seen the series on Netflix, I’m sure you know to what I’m referring. Its after their relationship reaches a head where everything becomes very toxic. I am aware that characters need flaws, in order to be relatable and believable but... some were too much. It nearly undoes everything that we’ve come to love about the characters. It did very nearly push this down to 2 stars but I kept it as three because the majority of the book was thoroughly enjoyable and the characters do seem to work through their issues.

A novel that has instantly become one of my favourite books of all time. Tw/ mental health, depression, anxiety, suicide. ‘The Midnight Library’ tells the story of Nora, a woman in her mid thirties who is filled with regrets of missed opportunities, ‘what ifs’ and never ending guilt of hurting and disappointing everyone around her for her shortcomings. After a day that had gone from bad to worse, she convinces herself that the world would be better off and so she decides to end everything. At the stroke of midnight, caught between life and death, she finds herself in a never ending library filled with books. Each book, a life full of her possibilities and ‘what ifs’, giving her the opportunity to experience each of these lives, had she chosen differently, on the quest to finding true happiness and fulfilment. This novel allows us to tackle the age old philosophical questions of life. Would your life really be better if you’d chosen differently? What is it that makes us truly happy and what are we seeking? Matt Haig’s first hand experience of depression is very apparent in this novel, as he navigates you through all of the thoughts, feelings and despair that gradually takes a toll on a person’s physical and mental state. His compassion, understanding and guidance give the novel its voice and optimism that could have easily been lost in a very heavy subject matter. Considering everything, this book is very easy to read and you get swept up in Nora’s journey sincerely wishing for her to find her happiness. This book brought me to tears in the first chapter, as I saw so much of myself reflected in Nora. My feelings felt justified, seen and happy that someone had been able to voice my chaotic thoughts clearly. I would recommend this to anyone who struggles with mental health or if you know anyone who does. Reading this book will give you great insight into their thought process and how they may be feeling at their most vulnerable.

A gripping tale of motherhood and the sacrifices that are made. Stacey Halls paints a vivid and bustling picture of Georgian London, as she incapsulates the stories of two mothers in 1754. Bess, being unmarried and with no means to care for her child, gives her daughter up to the Foundling Hospital to be taken care of. She knows even then, that she will save any money she can and collect her child when she is able. 6 years go by and as promised, Bess comes to collect her child only to find that she has already been collected. By someone claiming to be her! Not far from where Bess resides, a rich young widow lives in isolation with her daughter and two servants. Her world is shaken however, when she needs to hire a nursemaid for her daughter. Halls takes you on a journey of grief, isolation, desperation, love and all of the complex notions of motherhood. Each character is described so beautifully that they come to life right off the page. They all have their sense of identity, their way of speaking and ideals. Through both women, you get two different viewpoints of the same characters, which allows for good dimensions of them but also the scenarios presented. It’s not as black and white or easy to take sides as you are first led to believe. The only criticism for this book, is that the ending felt a little rushed and idealised. It’s expected for it to be fast paced, as it is coming to the end but the loose ends seemed to be tied very quickly without as much conflict as was expected, given the scenario. Still a fabulous novel, that I will be reading again.

A truly beautiful and lyrical piece of work by Maggie O’Farrell. ‘Hamnet’ takes you on a journey from two alternate timeline perspectives, with such ease and precision. One is set during the course of approximately several decades and the other over the course of a day, hurtling you towards the inevitable. The way that these two come together to form a parallel of life and death, is gut wrenching and a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare. ‘Hamnet’ tells the story of Shakespeare’s son Hamnet a fictional telling of his unknown life and death all set in their merchant town house in Warwickshire. O’Farrell writes in such a descriptive fashion, that dialogue is few and far between and yet all of the characters breath such life and you know all of their inner workings. The house itself becomes a character in her sea of poetry and lyrical descriptions, witnessing all of the happiness, confusion and tragedy. There’s always something unique about knowing the ending of a book before you’ve even read the first page. That Hamnet does die and in doing so, inspires his father to write one of the most beloved plays of all time, ‘Hamlet’. It’s as if you are watching life on the sidelines, a spectre that can see the future, yet cannot interfere. You know that what is waiting for them is pain and anguish, yet cannot do anything to stop it. This doesn’t soften the blow however. O’Farrell writes in such a way that, despite not having children of my own, that did not stop me crying real tears at the ultimate moment.