I have started The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty. I have read and very much enjoyed several other books by this author and suddenly realized that I had this one, still unread. Here’s the blurb:
‘I’ll tell you something, something important. Love is a decision. Not a feeling. That’s what you young people don’t realise. That’s why you’re always off divorcing each other. No offence, dear.’ So decrees the formidable Connie Thrum of Scribbly Gum Island. She is the chief decision-maker of a rather unconventional family and her word is law, especially when it comes to the important things in life, like cinnamon toast and profit margins. It’s been over seventy years since Connie and her sister Rose visited their neighbours and found the kettle boiling and a baby waking for her feed, but no sign of her parents. The ‘Munro Baby Mystery’ still hasn’t been solved and tourists can visit the abandoned home, exactly as it was found in 1932. But now Connie has passed away and the island residents ponder her legacy. Sophie Honeywell is looking down the barrel of her fortieth birthday and still hoping for that fairytale ending. Her beautiful new friend Grace, the Munro Baby’s granddaughter, can’t tell anyone what she hopes for. It would be too shocking. Meanwhile, a frumpy housewife makes a pact with a stranger, an old lady starts making her own decisions and a family secret finally explodes on an extraordinary night of mulled wine, fire-eating and face-painting – the Last Anniversary.
8 Nov 2015
The Road to Little Dribbling - by Bill Bryson
I was slightly nervous about reading this book, asking myself: Does Bryson still have it? The “it” being the undefinable skill that results in fascinating and enjoyable books. The short answer is yes. He still has it in spades.
This was a very enjoyable read. His travels took him to places very familiar to me, where it was interesting to see them through the eyes of another. He also went to many places that I have not visited, many of which sounded very interesting. A lot of the writing made me smile and, more than once, laugh out loud; this is not common. Often the source of amusement is his way of describing things and people, but there is also a lot of conversation that goes on inside his head, which is very amusing. As always with Bryson’s books, I was assailed with numerous random facts, as he goes off on long tangents, which are never distracting, always interesting.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an easy, but rewarding, read. I already look forward to more of the author’s work in the future.
This was a very enjoyable read. His travels took him to places very familiar to me, where it was interesting to see them through the eyes of another. He also went to many places that I have not visited, many of which sounded very interesting. A lot of the writing made me smile and, more than once, laugh out loud; this is not common. Often the source of amusement is his way of describing things and people, but there is also a lot of conversation that goes on inside his head, which is very amusing. As always with Bryson’s books, I was assailed with numerous random facts, as he goes off on long tangents, which are never distracting, always interesting.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an easy, but rewarding, read. I already look forward to more of the author’s work in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)