The Interpreter by Brooke Robinson #TheInterpreter @Brookwrote @HarvillSecker #BookReview

 

Single mother Revelle Lee is an interpreter who spends her days translating for victims, witnesses and the accused across London. Only she knows what they're saying. Only she knows the truth.

When she believes a grave injustice is about to occur, and a guilty man is going to be labelled innocent, she has the power to twist an alibi to get the verdict she wants. She's willing to risk it all to do what's right.

But when someone discovers she lied, Revelle finds the cost might be too high... and she could lose everything, including her son.

Discover the shocking, unguessable debut thriller for fans of Louise Candlish, Harriet Tyce and Sarah Vaughan

The Interpreter by Brooke Robinson is published on 8 June 2023 by Harvill Secker. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

What I liked most about this book is the fact that the main character is an interpreter, a totally new concept for me. I haven't come across a crime novel from this point of view and the story offered a different view to the usual execution of crime fiction. 
Apart from working with sign language interpreters when I worked in mental health, I have never come across a language translator (except for those who translate books!), in real life, and it was so interesting to read about how they work.

The novel is narrated by two people; we have Revelle, the interpreter and then a mysterious, anonymous voice who is woven in between Revelle's story. These snippets from someone who is obviously unhinged and dangerous add to the tension throughout.

Revelle is a complex, complicated and at times, infuriating character. Her nomadic childhood, accompanying an cold and distant mother around the world has obviously impacted her adult life. It certainly gave her a career, as she managed to learn and then speak ten languages. As an interpreter, she is well respected. Known as one of the best, and rarely out of work. 

Revelle is in the process of adopting a six year old boy, Elliott. It's unclear at first, just why she is so determined to have someone call her Mum, but the reader realises at the end, just why she feels that she has to do it. 

Revelle's life appears chaotic and unorganised, dashing from one job to another. Dealing with court cases one day and boring departmental paperwork the next.  The author cleverly explains how an interpreter could easily change the outcome of a case, just one changed word could alter the verdict, and the next few years for a defendant. 

There's such a lot going on in this book. Not only does Revelle become too emotionally involved in at least two of the cases she's involved with, she also has to deal with strange things happening at home. Who is sending things to Elliott? Why would they send such things, and how can Revelle protect him? 

This is a well-paced story, with a lead character who certainly frustrates the reader at times, but who is ultimately a good person who has made some pretty bad choices in life. 

Keeps you on your toes for sure. Entertaining and a little bit different. Recommended. 

Brooke Robinson grew up in Sydney and as a playwright, has had numerous plays
commissioned and produced in her native Australia. 

In the UK, her work has been shown at the Old Vic theatre and London's Vault Festival. She studied drama at RADA (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) and City, University of London. 

The Interpreter is her debut novel.

www.brookerobinsonwriter.com

Twitter @Brookewrote

Instagram @brookewrote

Fragments of a Woman by Emma Venables BLOG TOUR #FragmentsOfAWoman @EmmaMVenables @AderynPress @WriterForster #BookReview

 

Five women, trapped by duty, fighting to survive...

Gentle Ingrid puts her life at risk when she tries to save her beloved daughter from her husband’s zealous beliefs. 

Liesel, a lesbian, marries a gay man in hopes that they can feign the ideal marriage and, in doing so, protect each other from persecution. 

Lovesick Greta, spurned by Liesel and lost, joins the Resistance, then disappears. 

Gisela, a prostitute once contentedly in control of her own destiny, is incarcerated at Mauthausen, where she must fight for a future she cannot yet imagine. 

While Lore, craving a life beyond Berlin, wifedom and motherhood, steps down a dark and dangerous path.

Exploring themes of motherhood, identity, trauma, fascism, and survival, Fragments of a Woman offers a nuanced and heartbreaking exploration of what it meant to be a woman living under National Socialist rule.

Fragments of a Woman by Emma Venables was published on 1 June 2023 by Aderyn Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour

I am extremely impressed by this small independent publisher. Late last year I read another of their books; The Sandstone City by Elaine Canning which went on to become one of my top books of the year. I think Fragments of a Woman will most certainly be getting a spot on this years top books. 

This is a stunning debut, written out of frustration by the author who was tired of reading the stereotypical characters of German women during the war, so often depicted in fiction. I think this is the first World War Two novel that I've read that is told from the point of view of ordinary German people. All too often we assume that every German person during the war supported the National Socialist rule, but of course, the country was and still is, made up of a wide variety of people. People with varying views and beliefs and this wonderful novel concentrates on five German women, all very different, but each one is tenderly and beautifully crafted. 

Each character tells their own story and they all suffer hardship, pain and grief throughout the years. The novel begins in 1933, and runs right through to the end of the war in 1945. Each woman endures unimaginable torments during this time, and each of them change dramatically.

Mothers, sisters, wives. Gay, straight, good time girls and those who are forced into doing things that in peace time would never have been thought possible. This author has clearly done some incredible research when writing this book, there are events that I was unaware of, but are based upon truth, and the truth is often devastating and heart breaking. 

As the war continues towards the end, the feeling of the book and the characters within changes. From women who were confident, to women who are scared, hungry, homeless, tortured and grieving. There are some very very dark scenes, especially towards the end of the story, as Berlin falls and the Russians advance. At times, I felt as though I had to put the book aside, to contemplate what I'd just read, yet I was always desperate to continue to read and follow the lives of these normal, but extraordinary women. 

This is a masterful, important, richly detailed novel that will stay with me for a very long time. I applaud the author for her decision to cast off the stereotypes and to detail such horrors and pain. It is a difficult read in parts, but it is also filled with beautiful, spare prose that cannot fail to impress. Highly recommended. 

Emma Venables' short and flash fiction has been widely published in magazines and
journals.

Her short story, ‘Woman at Gunpoint, 1945’ was a runner-up in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize 2020. 

She has a PhD in Creative Writing and has taught at Royal Holloway, University of London and Liverpool Hope University.

www.emmavenables.com

Twitter @EmmaMVenables

Instagram @emmamvenables

The Orphanage Girls Come Home by Mary Wood BLOG TOUR #TheOrphanageGirlsComeHome @Authormary @RandomTTours @panmacmillan #Win #Prize #Giveaway #Competition

 

London, 1910

When Amy is chosen to be a part of a programme to resettling displaced children in Canada, her life changes overnight. Her great sadness is having to say goodbye to Ruth and Ellen, the friends who became family to her during the dark days at the orphanage. As she steps on board the ship to Montreal, the promise of a new life lies ahead. But during the long crossing, Amy discovers a terrifying secret.

Canada, 1919

As the decades pass, Amy’s Canadian experience is far from the life she imagined. She always kept Ruth’s address to hand – longing to return to London and reunite with her dear friends. With the world at war, it seems an impossible dream . . .

Separated by oceans, will Amy the orphanage girl ever come home?

The Orphanage Girls Come Home by Mary Wood was published in paperback on 25 May 2023 by Pan Macmillan. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour, I am delighted to have one copy to give away.

Entry is simple. Just fill in the competition widget in the blog post. UK entries only please.

GOOD LUCK!

One copy of The Orphanage Girls Come Home by Mary Wood

Born the thirteenth child of fifteen to a middle-class mother and an East End barrow boy,
Mary Wood's childhood was a mixture of love and poverty. 

Throughout her life Mary has held various posts in office roles, working in the Probation services and bringing up her four children and numerous grandchildren, step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

An avid reader, she first put pen to paper in 1989 whilst nursing her mother through her last months, but didn't become successful until she began self-publishing her novels in 2011.

Her novels include All I Have to Give, An Unbreakable Bond, In Their Mother's Footsteps and The Breckton Novels.

www.authormarywood.com

Facebook : MaryWoodAuthor

Twitter @Authormary

Instagram @mary.wood.7796420

The Broken Places by Russell Franklin #TheBrokenPlaces @RML_Franklin @Phoenix_Bks @orionbooks @_frankiebanks #BookReview

In 1931, Gregory Hemingway's life begins in Kansas City, Missouri. The third and favourite child of an overbearing father, Greg is a paragon: a star athlete, a crack shot, bright and handsome and built like a pocket battleship.

In 2001, Gloria Hemingway's life ends in a Miami women's correctional institution. Complex and contradictory, radiant and resilient, it is a life that has flourished against the odds and been lived to the full.

Inspired by true events and spanning seventy years of the last century, this is the story of a miraculous existence, told with beauty and compassion. Transporting the reader back and forth in time, from Cuba to New York and Montana to Florida, The Broken Places explores what it means to grow up in the shadow of a man famous for his masculinity, to bear the weight of expectation and a tragic family legacy, and to finally step out into the light.

The Broken Places by Russell Franklin is published on 8 June 2023 by Phoenix. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I really enjoy novels that are based on real life people, and The Broken Places centres around Gregory Hemingway, the favourite son of famous novelist Ernest. I have to admit that I knew very little about the Hemingway family before I began to read this book, and have spent a long time on Google since finishing the novel, finding out more about them. What a fascinating and fearsome family this was.

The book begins in Key West, USA in 1939 when Greg was just eight years old and sets the scene for what is to come. Greg and his brother Patrick spent their childhood flitting between the home of their mother in the US and then staying with Ernest, and an assortment of new wives in Cuba. Greg spent much of his life trying his best to impress his father, who was highly critical at times, terribly dismissive at others. Greg also carried around feelings of huge guilt, blaming himself for many events that happen during his life, even though, we as a reader, can see that he was not at fault. 

Greg liked to dress in female clothing, and it was this that really caused so many issues with his father. Greg felt as though he really shouldn't be doing this, and tried to stop, but instinct took over.  As years progress, Greg develops the same symptoms as his father, that of a manic depressive and failed marriages, as well as the continuing desire to dress as a female. Many many years later, he finally allows himself to be known as Gloria, and whilst he can then freely wear the clothes that he loves, the impact this has on his life is devastating. 

Russell Franklin writes with such compassion. The portrayal of family relationships are stunning, especially that between Greg and Patrick, the brothers that grew up together, were thrust too early into adulthood and always seemed to have something to prove to others. Despite some tragic events, their relationship remains strong.

The sights and sounds of Cuba; the colour, the heat, the people, the community are all beautifully painted, the reader gets such a taste for this country and how unique it is. 

Structurally, the novel can be challenging at times as the author skips from era to era, one does have to ensure that a note is taken of the date at the top of each chapter as it's not chronological at all.

I really enjoyed this glimpse into an extraordinary life. It is sensitively written, exploring many issues and whilst there are dark times for the characters, there are sparks of joy and tenderness throughout. 

A fine debut from an author to watch. Recommended. 

Russell Franklin was born in Solihull, and now lives and works in London. 

He was selected for the prestigious London Library Emerging Writers Programme 2020-2021. 

This is his first novel.

Twitter @RML_Franklin

Sorry For Your Loss by Kate Marshall with Linda Watson-Brown #SorryForYourLoss @ kate_smarshall @lwatsonbrown @MardleBooks

 

Following Kate Marshall’s first year in the mortuary at a north of England NHS hospital, with each month exploring the people she meets, in life and death, as well as her own growing awareness of life behind the veil. 

Meet Mr X Found in his apartment months after his death, Mr X has no relatives that can be traced. He is the longest-serving resident of the mortuary, having been there for almost a year while the search for his elusive family continues. The staff talk to him like an old friend, but Mr X is disintegrating and a decision has to be made soon.

Meet Mary Her baby girl has been lost in the 15th week of pregnancy, Mary’s last chance to have a child. Mary won’t allow Abigail to leave the mortuary until she has finished reading a book to her. She visits twice each day, sitting with her baby, reading to her, speaking to no one, until she finally opens up to Kate.

Meet Joe A loving husband and father who has died suddenly of a heart attack. Joe is visited by his wife, his children – and his mistress. On the day that all his worlds collide, Kate witnesses how death can finally reveal the truth of years of lies.

Sorry for Your Loss is haunting, uplifting and informative, with many moments of laughter, and shows us that the way we approach death can make life all the more precious.

Sorry For Your Loss by Kate Marshall with Linda Watson-Brown was published in July 2022 by Mardle Books. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Just like most people, I have never thought about what happens in a mortuary. I've never been in a mortuary and I don't know anyone who works in one. I absolutely love to discover new things through non-fiction, and Sorry For Your Loss is an eye-opening, tender, sometimes funny account of how bodies are cared for, after death and before a funeral. 

Kate Marshall previously worked with people who hoard. She cleaned up for them, and talked to them, but she knew that what she was doing was not making any difference at all. These people needed professional help to stop the cycle.

She found her true calling when she took the job in the mortuary. Her recollections of events, and people are so well written (ably done by ghostwriter Linda Watson-Brown), it's a joy to read this book. I feel as though I know Kate personally, and I'd certainly be more than happy for her to be in charge of looking after a deceased loved one, or myself! 

There are some eye-opening encounters for Kate and the rest of the team. There is no correct way to grieve and every single person will deal with things differently. What Kate does, and does so very well, is to allow people to be individuals, whilst ensuring that the deceased is given the respect and dignity that they deserve. Some families are incredibly difficult; wanting to FaceTime and take photographs, or look more closely at the body. Some families are just so so terribly upset that they don't take in what is happening, but Kate has time for all of these people. She comes across as such a caring and empathic person, she is full of humour too, but totally appropriate when in a professional situation.

Kate deals with the early days of COVID and there is no doubt that it was horrendous. It was like nothing ever seen before and the determination and dedication of the team in the mortuary is outstanding, I was exhausted just reading about it, and I really hope that they had support from above. 

A fascinating book, so well written and so informative. Highly recommended. 

Kate Marshall has worked in mental health, special needs and in the field of bereavement for many years with roles incorporating the coroner’s office, mortuary and Bereavement Services. 

She lives in Cheshire.

Twitter @kate_smarshall

Linda Watson-Brown is a ghostwriter and author based in Scotland. 

She has written more than 20 titles, and is currently working on three more ghosted projects as well as her own first novel. 

She can be contacted through her website at www.lindawatsonbrown.co.uk

Twitter @lwatsonbrown

Kill For It by Lizzie Fry BLOG TOUR #KillForIt #LizzieFry @LucyVHayAuthor @BooksSphere @RandomTTours #BookReview

How far would you go for the thing you want most?

Would you... kill for it?

Cat Crawford is not especially good at her job.

Erin Goodman is the woman Cat wants to be when she's older - smart, successful, and the best part? She's earned it - nothing was ever handed to Erin on a plate, or to Cat.

But Erin doesn't notice Cat. Not until something awful happens and Cat, finding herself in the right place at the right time, writes the article that goes viral. Now she's got Erin's attention.

The difference is, Cat knows Erin is onto her. And Cat is more than happy to toy with her colleague, especially if it gets her an even bigger story to report on.

In the game of cat and mouse, there can be only one winner.

Kill For It by Lizzie Fry was published by Sphere in November 2022. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour. 

Kill For It is a novel of intrigue and suspense that kept me gripped throughout. Whilst there are plenty of unexpected deaths, and it is most certainly a thriller, the main theme here is the struggles that women have in the workplace. Lizzie Fry incorporates the frustrations of sexism and misogyny into a nail-biting story, and it really works.

Erin and Cat come from similar working class backgrounds. They both work for the same large news organisation. Cat sits in a tiny cubicle, re-writing press releases and dreaming of becoming an investigative journalist, whilst Erin is a deputy editor, with her own office and tipped for the top. 

When Erin discovers Cat crying in the staff toilets one day, she takes her under her wing. Listening to her, offering her friendship and sharing her experiences. Cat is delighted to have finally been noticed, however, she wants more, and after writing a piece that goes viral, she is determined to stay above the radar.

Cat will do anything to make sure that she continues to be noticed, and slowly Erin realises that quiet, mousy Cat is not quite all that she seems. 

As the body count soars, and Cat slowly eases her way into the more influential circles, Erin realises that her own star is fading, and only she can do something about it. 

This is a fast-paced, tense and sometimes very dark story that details just how far someone will go to ensure that they are noticed. Both Cat and Erin are fabulous characters, well rounded and cleverly drawn. The toxicity of the workplace shines through the story, with numerous male characters who are either weak, but hold powerful positions, or downright sexist, with one saving grace in the shape of Erin's neighbour Asif.

Lizzie Fry is a debut author of high concept thriller The Coven (published by Sphere
books), but you might know her better as LV Hay.

LV’s books previous books were crime fiction: The Other Twin, Do No Harm (Orenda Books) and Never Have I Ever (Hodder).

The Other Twin is currently being adapted for the screen by Agatha Raisin producers Free@Last TV.

Twitter @LucyVHayAuthor

Instagram @lucyvhayauthor

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop BLOG TOUR #TheGirlsOfSummer @WhatKatieBWrote @TransworldBooks @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

Rachel has loved Alistair since she was seventeen.

Even though she hasn't seen him for sixteen years and she's now married to someone else.

Even though she was a teenager when they met.

Even though he is almost twenty years older than her.

Now in her thirties, Rachel has never been able to forget their golden summer together on a remote, sun-trapped Greek island. But as dark and deeply suppressed memories rise to the surface, Rachel begins to understand that Alistair - and the enigmatic, wealthy man he worked for - controlled much more than she ever realized.

Rachel has never once considered herself a victim - until now.

The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop was published in hardback on 25 May 2023 by Bantam / Transworld.  My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour. 

The Girls of Summer had me hooked from the opening pages, I was totally consumed by Rachel's character. She's a woman who is totally relatable, a woman with a past that she looks back on often. A past that she yearns for, a time in her life when she was happy. As the story evolves, the reader becomes aware that Rachel's recollections of that time may be skewed, and very slowly, she realises too. 

The story opens as thirty-something Rachel and her husband Tom are holidaying on the small Greek island where Rachel spent a summer back when she was just seventeen. When Rachel bumps into a familiar face from the past, she grasps the opportunity to re-connect with the love of her life; Alistair. 

Alistair was much older than Rachel and unlike most people, he noticed her, and made her feel special. Despite the age-gap, and Alistair's mysterious job working for a well-known wealthy property magnate, Rachel falls deeply in love. She stays on the island when her travelling companion returns home. She works in a bar, she drinks, takes drugs and attends many parties. There are a lot of wealthy, older men at these parties, and the girls of summer become the entertainment. 

Told in Rachel's voice, in two time lines; the then and the now, this is a darkly chilling story that will resonate with most women. As the rise of the #MeToo movement steadily increases, we have so much more understanding these days of what happened back then, and how men used women, especially young impressionable women, girls really, for their sordid pleasures. 

Slowly and steadily, with the help of some of the other women who were on the island with her, Rachel begins to realise that her memories of that long hot summer, and how she was in love are not the real truth. She has told herself for years that Alistair was the love of her life, she has imagined how life would have been for them as a couple. Her rose-tinted spectacles become blurred, until eventually, she has to remove them and face up to the reality of what her life has been. 

The Girls of Summer is a very impressive debut from an author who writes with authority and sensitivity. Rachel and her friends are never blamed by this author, they are depicted exactly as they were; young, naive and looking for fun. 

The sense of place is astonishing. The heat, the sea, the busy bar, are all described perfectly. There's a definite hint of Sabine Durrant's writing here too; another author that I admire. 

An eye-opening and very clever novel about perception and realisation. About manipulation and fear. This is a fabulous novel and one that I highly recommend. 

KATIE BISHOP is a writer and journalist based in Birmingham, UK. 

She grew up in the Midlands before moving to Oxford to work in publishing in her early twenties. 

Whilst working as an assistant editor she started writing articles in her spare time, going on to be published in the New York Times, Guardian, Independent and Vogue.

Katie started writing The Girls of Summer during the first UK COVID lockdown, after becoming increasingly interested in stories emerging from the #MeToo movement. 

The novel is inspired by her own experiences of backpacking, and by her interest in how personal narratives can be reshaped and understood in light of cultural and social changes.

In 2020, Katie moved back to the Midlands, and now lives in Birmingham with her partner. She is a full-time writer. 

Twitter @WhatKatieBWrote

www.katiebishopwrites.com

Instagram @katiebishopwrites