With twists and turns aplenty, a strong sense of time and place and peppered throughout with vivid images of both the Basque region and its cuisine The Assassin's Mark is extremely well written and obviously thoroughly researched, the authors knowledge and passion for his subject shines through in this his second novel.

Set in 1930's Spain at the close of the civil war, alas, as it turns out, not a chapter in history that I found myself particularly fascinated by (I suspect that on this account I may well have fared better with the authors first book, The Jacobites apprentice) whilst I did enjoy this as a Christie-eque thriller I admit that I did find the political element more than a bit daunting and on occasion a bit long-winded.

Impressed that it did work on so many levels, perhaps more than the plot itself it was the wonderful cast of eccentric characters that made this such an enjoyable read for me. Quirky if not always likable, the author did a wonderful job in capturing the psyche of the Brit abroad.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of the author, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
The Assassin's Mark

May's Reading Group read and just like March I'm afraid it's another nul points from me (yes, I know, I've rated it 1 here but that's just because the site does not allow for less).

Woman is left by husband after 30 years of marriage (he wants a pause), said woman turns into a lunatic (the authors words and not mine) and, diagnosed with Brief Psychotic Disorder, ends up spending time in a psychiatric hospital before going home where she tutors a group of young girls in poetry ...... so far, so good.

But, pretentious in the extreme - full of philosophising (that I for one could never quite fathom), terrible poetry and, oh, the occasional pen and ink illustration - I'm afraid for me the whole novel lacked any real insight

Not altogher without merit though. I did quite like the elderly eccentric widows known as the Five Swans but, just as with the rest of the characters, I felt that all of main character Mia's constant musing meant that we never really got to know them as we might have.

At best, a chore to read. At worst? Largely self-indulgent ramblings.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.
The Summer without Men

A debut novel from author Michelle Granas which, once I'd got used to the wonderful but highly implausible idea of thirty plus polio survivor Cordelia with her withered leg and hand as the most unlikeliest of action heroines ...... ever, I quite enjoyed.

Though essentially a story of politics played dirty, of corruption in high places, of the abuse of power, if like me you aren't a huge fan of this genre please don't dismiss this quirky novel out of hand as Zeremba has much more to offer.

A story of relationships - I did enjoy the contrast between Cordelia's highly academical, Shakespeare quoting, father and her 'mentally absent' mother, between Cordelia with her unshakable honesty and Zaremba whose own honesty wasn't always so evident - at the heart of which is a tender (and thankfully non-soppy) love story.

At times a bit far-fetched and perhaps at over 500 pages a tad too long but, worth persevering with, this is a novel for those who enjoy strong (and generally eccentric) characters and good character development.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of the author, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
Zaremba: or Love and the Rule of Law

Perhaps a bit slow to begin with but certainly well worth persevering with, translated from the French by Christopher Moncrieff, overall I thought The Silence Of Gethsemane, a fictionalised account of the ministry of Jesus up until the time of his arrest in Gethsemane, as interesting as it was controversial.

Written by former unordained Benedictine monk Michel Benoît, the thirty years spent researching and analysing certainly show in what is one of the most thought provoking books I'm ever likely to read.

Taking great pains to portray the 'historical' Jesus as opposed to Jesus 'the son of God', I loved the fact that the author went to such lengths to portray and explain Jewish life and the religious laws of that time thus putting the 'miracles' into a different context. That, written in the first person', he had the Jesus of the novel describe himself as an ordinary man, a rabbi, and never the Messiah.

Powerful stuff and so very different from any of the other 'Life of Jesus' novels I've ever read, I can't begin to put into words all of the thoughts this book conjured up for me but I will say that as a non-believer it opened my eyes to the possible ministry and teachings of Jesus the man which makes a lot more sense to me than that of the divine Jesus of the bible.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of the publishers, Alma Books Ltd, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
The Silence of Gethsemane

If like myself you haven't read the first book in Eve Houston's Prior's Ford series, Secret's In Prior's Ford, please don't be put off reading this, the second book, as it really does work perfectly well as a stand-alone novel.

A bit like becoming a newcomer to the village of Prior's Ford itself it took me a while to get to know my fellow villagers but once I did I found myself engrossed in the lives of characters such as the wonderfully out of touch (as for as teenagers go anyway) Andrew Forsyth and, my only criticism, the under-used Reverend Naomi Hennessey (think a Jamaican Vicar of Dibley type character with a son) who I hope we get to see lots more of in future books.

Warm, gentle, and yet with just enough soap opera type drama to make it feel realistic and not too sugary-sweet, this really is perfect armchair reading that because of the somewhat open ending will leave you wanting more.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.

Drama Comes to Prior's Ford Houston, Eve ( Author ) Jan-15-2009 Paperback

An evocative reimagining of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights according to the outer back cover.

Hmm, though not totally unfamiliar with the story I've never actually read Wuthering Heights so I can't possibly comment on this BUT as comparisons with Gothic classics seem to be the order of the day I admit that for me the opening chapters of Black Spring put me in mind of Bram Stokers Dracula.

Rather disappointing all round. The dual narratives (the story telling is shared between Hammel and Anna) did nothing for me and whilst I thought it very brave of the author to combine witches and wizards with a Gothic-style love story, it just didn't work well for me.

Though written for the Young Adult market (for those 14 and over according to the cover) whilst I suspect it will be just as appreciated (or not) by those much older I wouldn't think it particularly suitable for younger readers due to the 'vendetta' which, without giving anything away, is quite harrowing to read.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.Black Spring

Like having a chat over the garden fence with a neighbour who has lots of colourful anecdotes to share, a neighbour who isn't beyond name dropping, a neighbour who doesn't always get her story straight in the re-telling, whilst Caravans And Wedding Bands held a certain appeal I wasn't always comfortable reading it.

Not nearly as good a read as The Girl In The Painted Caravan, apart from all the contradictions in the story (many of them revolving around the traditional Romany wedding) I found this book to be largely lacking the appeal of the first, the insight into the authors Romany heritage sadly sparse.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.

Caravans and Wedding Bands: A Romany Life in the 1960s

As the title suggests this is the second book in a series of books about the weird things people say in bookshops (mainly the one where the author works) and, in this case, libraries and book signings.

With more giggle-worthy moments than laugh-out-loud ones, call me a cynic but I really struggled to believe that rather than genuine questions some of these 'questions' were posed by individuals trying to come up with the most bizarre thing they could ..... in other words people trying to 'pull the leg of' (to dupe) these booksellers.

Much funnier (and probably more honest) were the comments from children - I love the thought of angels growing inside of clouds. A stark contrast with this being the parents who seemed to discourage the reading of books.

Worth a look BUT at just over 100 pages and given that it took less than an hour to read I think the recommended retail price of £8.99 is way too steep.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of NEWBOOKS magazine. I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.

Oh my goodness, what an amazing novel. A story of rediscovery, of rebirth, of finding oneself, its been a long while since I found myself on such an emotional rollercoaster, that I invested so much in a character - the charismatic war veteran Martin Diggs will stay with me for a long time to come.

A truly bitter-sweet read. Given that Last Train To Omaha is set in a palliative care hospital for the veterans of various conflicts (Vietnam and Afghanistan included) and is largely about James 'Jimmy' Milligan, a very damaged man scarred by the death of his childhood friend some 20 years previously, you could be forgiven for thinking it would be a relentlessly depressing novel when in fact its anything but.

Though, without doubt an exceptionally moving read (I'd be surprised if you made it through to the end without the need for a box of tissues) essentially its a story full of such hope. Wonderfully well written, the authors love and compassion for these characters shines through, I'd love to see it as a film.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.

Last Train to Omaha

An easy read (what I believe is an updated version of his first autobiography) Over the Moon begins with the stars formative years in the east end of London before quickly, very quickly, moving onto his rise to fame as a musician and star of the stage and screen.

What seems like a very honest autobiography, certainly this is a very down-to-earth, dignified and refreshing read in that there are no so-called 'kiss and tell' stories which feature in the biographies of so many 'celebs'.

Though I suspect this is a must have read for all of David's legion of fans (both old and new) it may well be of greater interest to his new fans, to those who know him primarily through his role as Eddie Moon in tv show EastEnders, as whilst there are one or two little documented facts much of the story is well known ..... even to someone who isn't a particularly big fan.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.

Over the Moon: My Autobiography