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Book Review: That Bligh Girl by Sue Williams

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 I really enjoyed, Elizabeth and Elizabeth by Sue Williams and was eager to read another of her books. which is steeped in historical detail putting the reader in the centre of early colonial life.

That Bligh Girl, steeped in historical detail putting the reader in the centre of early colonial life, is a fantastic novel about the daughter of Governor Bligh, Mary Putland. She’s a feisty woman forced to accompany her domineering father on a horrific voyage to Australia where she comes face to face with numerous challenges of a new colony.

I’d heard of Bligh from mutiny on the bounty fame, but little else. He was an autocratic, pig-headed, and dogmatic man and despite what she thinks Mary had some of those very qualities. She needed them to stand up not only to her father but to the soldiers of the rum rebellion led by none other than John McArthur, whose wife Elizabeth was featured in Williams earlier novel, Elizabeth and Elizabeth (see my review https://sckarakaltsas.com/2021/07/16/book-review-elizabeth-elizabeth-by-sue-williams/.)

Williams is deft at portraying the strength of women, not only of Mary but her convict maid, Meg Hill.  The historical narrative is rich in detail and whilst life was hard for everyone, it was more so for women.  This is not just about the privileged however, as Williams delves into the difficulties of life for convict women.

We learn more though about Mary’s life, her marriage to her great love, John Putland, his heart-wrenching death and her second marriage.

If you don’t know a lot about early colonial life in Sydney then this might just be the book for you. I’d highly recommend it.  

Book Review: Lessons by Ian McEwan

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This book could have been very good, brilliant even.

Roland Baines wife walks out leaving him with his two-month-old baby. He reflects on his life starting with the trauma of being left at boarding school, far from his mother and military father. His vulnerability and talent is noticed by his piano teacher whose influence is long lasting and life changing.

The reader is taken on a journey through Roland’s life, his missed opportunities, his restlessness and  failed relationships. World events also make an impact on him too. There is detailed analysis of Roland’s parents, their marriage as well as their history which Roland pieces together. He is shocked to learn their secrets and how World War Two affected the course of their life as well as his.

The story is a fascinating one around the disappearance of Roland’s wife and the impact of the piano teacher on him. However, after the first quarter of the novel, the story fell away beneath the telling style of narrative, the dumps of historical information and the remoteness of the characters. No-one was particularly endearing and Roland did not provide any empathy or relatability. In fact I grew terribly bored with him and his life story as it droned on and on.

The women in the story from his mother, his wife and the piano teacher were not painted in a good light either. His wife’s total abandonment of her son was difficult to fathom and her relationship with her own mother and her desire to write was barely believable to be convincing. Sorry, I just didn’t buy it. The piano teacher’s motivation and behaviour was puzzling and I found it hard to take the leap of belief about her motivation despite the author’s slant about her mental instability. Yes, it probably does happen but I couldn’t help wonder if this was mere wishful thinking from a man’s point of view? Alternatively, perhaps Roland was just an unreliable narrator which would indeed be more plausible. However this doesn’t make me like Roland any better.

The writing as always is wonderful where it’s not buried under a telling scenario. And while I did appreciate the historical events particularly the Berlin Wall coming down, the historical asides served to constantly remove me from the actual story. I lost interest particularly in the second half of the book and it was a chore to finish it despite the interesting twists about his family towards the end. But at that stage I’d had enough.

Sorry but this one was not for me.

Book Review: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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This novel tells the epic and heart-breaking story of one young boy growing up in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia.

Damon is ten when his drug addicted mother dies from an overdose. His father was killed in an accident before his birth and he is left homeless and without anyone to care for him other than the kindly, yet elderly next door neighbours. He ends up in the foster care system, which in America is a devastating system which Kingsolver explores in depth.

The story told from Damon or Demon’s point of view is blunt as it is brutally honest making the reader sympathise, worry and cheer for this boy. It is not without hope when Damon having had enough of adults who care only about his money earning potential, takes matters into his own hands to search for a long-lost grandmother.

It is a journey of poor choices and loss for Damon who despite finding his grandmother fails to find the thing he want most and that is to belong and be loved. And even when he does find it he fails to recognize it.

Kingsolver also explores the growth and abuse of prescription drugs as well as the community in which Damon lives. A coal mining area, investment is targeted in providing labour for the industry not for educating people to better themselves. A vicious cycle is perpetuated and when coal mining is no longer lucrative the community is left without anything. Kingsolver exploration of this cycle is sobering showing some of the disastrous and  sad consequences.

I really enjoyed this book with all it had to say about the foster and education systems as well as the social impacts at ground level not just for Damon but for everyone he comes into contact.

The only thing that I couldn’t quite buy was the behaviour of his grandmother. What she did made no sense to me particularly given that she had come looking for Damon when he was born. To say anymore would be to spoil the plot.

Nevertheless, it’s a powerful book, the voice so authentic sounding and the writing as always, superb. This is one to put on your list.

Book Review: Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

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I’d heard a lot about this one, saw it in a book store and grabbed it. Had I read the blurb on the back I might not have read it but I gave it a go.

The first page captured my interest when Hera reveals that in her twenties, she fell in love with a married man who wouldn’t leave his wife. The first fifty or so pages is a diatribe of her background story, her degrees, her schooling, her friends and the fact that at twenty four, she had no career aspirations. Living with her father, she feels compelled to find a job, landing one as a comment moderator at a major news outlet where she meets ‘the much older married man.’

To be honest that first part of the book was a little boring and I’d have liked a more condensed backstory. I know it was establishing her character but we see it anyway. I became more invested in this story at the point when she gets her first job which I think might have been a better starting point.

Hera’s observation of office politics and people dynamics was amusing as it was cutting and most people who have ever worked in an office whether it be the eighties or now will identify with the mind-numbing feeling of a dead-end job. The Green Dot is contemporary and immerses us into the everyday world of social media and internal messaging interspersed with the news of the day.

Under the bravado of Hera’s character lays a very insecure and vulnerable person who is not without self-awareness despite her often bizarre behaviour. There is mention of her mother and their estrangement but we never truly know what happened with the relationship although there is just enough information for the reader to make their own conclusions.

The Green Dot is quite well-written although some of the analogies were a little cringeworthy and might have been better left out. Talking about office workers she says, “They are just gurning to get inside and go sit at a computer. When you get an abortion you can then leave the building, and you might be really devastated or you might feel really free – either way it’s a decision you’ve made about your body and your life and you’ve had that choice.”

Nevertheless, I did enjoy this book hoping for Hera to find happiness and for her to make better choices. Does she? You’ll have to check it out for yourself.

Book Review: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

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This book is an epic family saga about the Padavano sisters spanning several decades. Much like their favourite book Little Women, the sisters are extraordinarily close. Julia the oldest is followed by Sylvie then twins Emeline and Cecilia.

Julia is the sensible and pragmatic sister leading the way. She meets a young man William who has been rejected by his parents and lives in the shadow of his dead sister. Julia decides he’s the man for her and goes about moulding him to become the ideal husband to fit the life plan she has made for them.

But when the sisters father dies, it creates a ripple effect fragmenting the family destroying the planned path set by Julia.

This is a complex novel about relationships and love with well-drawn characters primarily told through the eyes of Julia, William, and Sylvie. The family was clearly of Italian heritage but only because of their name. Nothing else gave a clue about it which I found unusual. The style of writing was bogged down quite a bit with showing us rather than telling and this became a little laboured for me. While I accepted everything which happened, I found myself wondering where the story was going.

There is scandal and sadness as well as darkness as William grapples with mental health issues which has profound effects on the entire family.  The bounds of love are stretched, snap and come back together, quite neatly. The book became somewhat repetitive in the last quarter leading to a predictable end and went on for a just a little too long.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel for the most part and it is very well written. If you like a family saga to get immersed in then this one shouldn’t disappoint.

Book Review: Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia and Bill Gifford

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This book was given to me as a birthday present. I thought it was a self help book which I’m not particularly keen on, but it was a revelation.

It’s described as “a manifesto on living better and longer that challenges the medical thinking on aging and reveals a new approach to preventing chronic disease and extending long-term health.”

It’s a long book and quite technical in parts some of which went right over my head. However, it sends a powerful message reminding the reader, me, that time is marching on and to look ahead and make some plans about what I want my health to look like as I age.

You know the drill. In your teens and twenties, you think of yourself as invincible. You eat, drink, and do what ever you please. Getting old is somewhere off in the distance. But Attia brutally points out that you’re probably already setting the stage for heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s or cancer.  “Globally, heart disease and stroke (atherosclerotic disease) … represent the leading cause of death.”

He goes into detail about cholesterol and the ins and outs and in particular the fact that LDL the bad one, is the one to worry about. The culprit that is atherosclerosis ‘is a slow moving, sneaking disease…some scientists believe the underlying processes are set into motion in late adolescence. The risk builds throughout our lives.”

Sobering indeed and it’s enough to make you put down this book and search for a wine or a chip. He goes into comprehensive detail about diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Attia backs it all up with scientific studies and that’s where it can be difficult but he summarises what it all means in layman’s terms. It’s not pretty. Nor should it be as he takes a swipe at how modern medicine deals with these diseases too late.

He also points to the following strategic areas to focus on for longevity.

  1. Exercise: the most powerful longevity drug
  2. Nutrition
  3. Sleep
  4. Emotional health

And while some of what he says are things the medical fraternity has been saying for years, Attia brings it all together. He reflects on his own health and what he has done to build his longevity forcing us to relate.

It’s a comprehensive book filled with explanation and ideas to implement toward better health. And sometimes you just need all the headlines and articles you scan over the years to be something comprehensive like this with an argument about health which just can’t be ignored.

But right now I’m off to the gym and to organize a blood test.

Book Review: Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

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Yellowface is a contemporary tale of two young women writers. Athena is Asian American and June is white and they forge a friendship spanning their college years until their late twenties.

Athena seemingly has it all, success and acclaim as a writer, a Netflix deal and a stunning apartment. While June with one unsuccessful published book under her belt, is struggling to gain any interest from her agent for a further book.

June is the only one present when Athena dies and takes the opportunity to do something with Athena’s unpublished and unseen manuscript, a first draft about Chinese labourer’s being recruited to the war effort in Europe. She begins reworking it, rewriting, and getting into a publishable state ostensibly as a tribute to her friend. But when the book is published under her new penname which sounds surprisingly Asian, a battle of conscious and guilt begins. Put that together with the fact that she is attacked in social media platforms and questioned about the authenticity of the writing and you have a manic story with themes of cancel culture, jealousy and the ugliness of twitter trolls.

I began reading this novel just as I was launching my own book, Sugar Creek and it probably wasn’t the right book to be reading at the time. The way Yellowface begins would put anyone off writing and looking to publish a book – ever! Kuang is brutal in her portrayal of the publishing industry and from my experience, she’s probably not too far off. Yet it was so fascinating that I couldn’t put it down.

Kuang admirably tackles themes of plagiarism and cultural appropriation, the mob mentality of negative social media and the effect on mental health. But it’s also a touching story of grief, vulnerability and the strength of friendship.

June is not a particularly likeable character but there were times when I was sympathetic despite being pulled into the dilemma of her theft and at other times so judgmental that even I was surprised. That’s what this book does to you as the reader is constantly asking themselves, what would you do?

Check this one out.