The Yonahlossee Riding Camp For Girls by Anton DiSclafani

Anton DiSclanfi's debut novel The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is published by Tinder Press on 6th June 2013 in hardback and ebook.

"North Carolina 1930: Thea Atwell is 'exiled' from her family home in Florida after a scandal that she has been held responsible for.  She is to start afresh at the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls - an elite boarding school in the Blue Ridge Mountains where money, beauty and equestrian prowess count for everything.

Whilst Thea grapples with the events of the past that took her from her family home, she learns to negotiate the complex codes and social mores of a world that provides her with an education but also expects her to be married at twenty-one, in a world so rarified that it is almost immune to the devastating Depression sweeping the country.  Yet as she becomes closer to the Headmaster and his family, Thea's past returns to haunt her, is this her chance to learn from her mistakes or are some of us just programmed to put our desires above rational choices?  And if this is how life shaped us, how do we make the best of it?"

 There is something almost mystical and dreamlike about this book.  Told in the first person, Thea is something of an unreliable narrator.  Thea has spent her life cosseted by her family and its wealth, surrounded only by close family members, she has never had any contact with strangers before.
Thea believes that she will only spend the summer at the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, and although she finds it very strange, suddenly thrust amongst a group of girls she has nothing in common with, she welcomes the chance to go riding every day.

This is a coming-of-age story with a difference.  Not only does Thea discover things about herself, she learns that beauty, wealth and the ability to ride better than others can affect how people judge her.  Thea longs for home and her family, especially her twin brother Sam, she finds it difficult to understand the dress codes, the behaviour of these pretty, almost alien Southern girls.  Thea is not always the most pleasant of characters, she often appears selfish and self-centred, but she is also determined and quite daring at times.

Anton DiSclafani writes descriptive prose with ease.  From the Southern countryside, to the Florida heat, all beautifully drawn and very alluring.   Her handling of adolescent girls' relationships is impressive, detailing the jealously, the closeness, the adulation with ease.

Anton DiSclafani

This is a slow-paced, character rich novel that should be savoured for it's sense of place and fine detail.

The author has drawn upon her own childhood when writing this novel, she grew up in Florida and visited
her family's cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the real Yonahlossee.

For more information about the author, please visit her webpage here.  Join the conversation on Twitter: #yonahlosee

My thanks go to Helena Towers at the Headline Press Officer who supplied my copy for review.

Love In The Afternoon and other delights by Penny Vincenzi

Fans of Penny Vincenzi's novels will know that she usually serves up huge, sweeping stories that span generations and are usually at least 600 pages long, and often around the 800 page mark.  I adore her novels, they are the absolute perfect escape from daily life and usually feature glamour and glitz.  I got a surprise when her latest book, Love In The Afternoon and other delights dropped through my letter box a couple of weeks ago.   As always, the cover is beautiful, it's pure Vincenzi, but it's so slim!  Just under 200 pages.

Love In The Afternoon was published by Headline on 14 February 2013 and is a collection of ten short stories, some articles about life in general and then, at the back, a glimpse of her new novel.    I have something of love/hate relationship with short stories.  When they are done well, I love them, but must admit that generally I tend to feel a little let down by them.  I wondered just how Penny Vincenzi would fare, a short story is a long way from her trademark lengthy novels and she acknowledges in her Introduction how difficult it can be to write a successful short story.

In my view, Penny Vincenzi really has no need to worry.  Unlike other collections of short stories, there were none of these that I wanted to skip, none of them that I didn't enjoy and each one was a satisfying read.  I really love Vincenzi's world - she always creates characters that seem so realistic, even if they tend to live in a world of glamour and beauty and luxury.  These stories are all themed around love, but are not all romantic.  They explore every emotion that can be associated with a love affair, from jealousy to lies to passion and as the title of the collection indicates, they really are a delight to read.

There are ten short stories in all which are followed by a collection of Vincenzi's articles and snippets all about life.  There is her opinion of motherhood and how it can change a marriage; what she thought of the 1980s, and a really lovely insight into what it was like to work for Marje Proops.   And then, to really tantalise the tastebuds, included right at the end of the book, is the first chapter of her next novel.

Penny Vincenzi

I enjoyed every one of the stories, and the articles and despite my initial reservations, I was not disppointed in the least by this book, in fact I'd really love to read more of Vincenzi's short stories.

Spend a very pleasurable few hours reading this book, I don't think you will be disappointed.

My thanks go to Georgina Moore, Publicity Director of Headline Books for sending a copy for review.

Find out more about Penny Vincenzi at her website here, her Facebook page is here and her Twitter account can be followed here