More on books! - 5/10/25

I only managed to finish 2 books in September:

The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley and

Nobody Told Me - by Hollie McNeish.

I normally love a family sage that contains a mystery and is set in different locations and at different times.  Lucinda Riley is usually a good writer of such a saga.

The Midnight Rose follows Anahita’s early life in India and then her time in England where she was educated as the companion of an Indian Princess.  It followed her subsequent move into nursing, during WW1 and her love for Donald, the Lord of Astbury Hall.  Donald’s Mother is a scheming busybody and consequently Donald marries a rich American heiress and Anahita returns to India.

I was enjoying the book but then there is a subject introduced into the book that made no sense to me at all.  It seemed totally unnecessary and wasn’t handled very well at all.

There was also another event mentioned in the epilogue that didn’t ring true to me either.

The story of Anahita and Donald was enough but in trying to add another layer to it I feel Riley went too far.

Nobody Told Me is a very different book but I loved it.

Hollie kept a diary from the start of her pregnancy until her "Little One" reached the age of 3.  But more than just a diary, it's also full of poems.  She really captures the ups and downs of parenthood and manages to convey in words so many of the trials and tribulations and the joys of becoming a Mother.  Great poems but her prose is beautiful too. 

I also started another book in September but I didn't finish it until yesterday:

A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Violet is 38, she is also single having lost her fiancé in WW1.  This books charts her life as she attempts to make a new start in Winchester, away from her domineering Mother.  Life is not easy for her as “a surplus woman” after the war but Violet is determined. 

She signs up for the embroidery group that are making kneelers and cushions for the Cathedral and she also meets Arthur, a bell ringer.  They become friends despite Arthur being married.

I must admit I found this book very slow. It was interesting to learn about the embroidery processes and the details about the Cathedral are clearly well researched. But Violet is a complex character and not particularly endearing.

The book is a good study of how hard it was for a single woman to make her way in the world in the time between the two world wars and also the difficulties of family relationships. But the book did not grab me. The blurb on the book says “when whispers of another world war surface, she must live with a secret that could change everything….” So misleading. I was waiting for something earth shattering to happen but the secret was not dramatic and although it did result in change for Violet and others, it was small.

There was also one part of the storyline that I felt totally unnecessary.

I probably would have only give it 2* were it not for the detailed descriptions of both the embroidery projects and Winchester Cathedral.

It will be interesting to hear what the other members of the book group think of it as it was the afternoon library book club choice.  We're meeting on Wednesday to discuss it.

As always you can see all the books I've read/want to read/reviews etc on my Goodreads page here View all my reviews