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Janet S

Janet S

has 24 followers and is following 24 people

40 something part-time working full-time mum whose favourite thing in the world (apart from her family) is reading! Too many books, too little time!
  • So, UK
  • member since January 15, 2011

Reviews

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Displaying 1-10 of 107 reviews
  • Kiskadee girl
    • Rated 3 stars

    “3½/5”

    Janet S wrote this review Monday, April 22, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Girl from the Fiction Department: A Portrait of Sonia Orwell
    • Rated 3 stars

    “(I am referring to Sonia Orwell as Brownell (her maiden name) – or just Sonia - in my review, to distinguish her from George Orwell).

    Being a massive George Orwell fan, I picked this up on a whim when I spotted it for £1. I didn’t really know much about Sonia Brownell, although I had read that she was a gold-digger who married Orwell for his money. Hilary Spurling, a friend of Sonia’s, determined to set the record straight in this biography of Sonia’s life.

    The earlier parts of the biography are interesting, detailing Sonia’s early life in India and the UK, and her entry into literary and artistic circles in London and Paris. Originally though of as a ‘hanger-on’, she showed her true abilities after getting a job editing Cyril Connolly's literary magazine ‘Horizon’ in the 1940s. After a number of failed affairs, she married Orwell, who immortalised Sonia as Julia in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and, after his death, she was fiercely protective of his works and estate – although she died penniless due to a number of bad decisions. It is Brownell who was responsible for Orwell’s essays and letters being published. Orwell stipulated in his will that no biography was to be written. Eventually Brownell did commission one, but only because an unauthorised version was due to be published and she wanted a more reliable version of Orwell’s life to balance things.

    After Orwell’s death, Brownell had other relationships and eventually married Michael Pitt-Rivers but he was gay so naturally their marriage didn’t last. Brownell continued to be fiercely loyal to her friends until the end of her life but to my mind never achieved real happiness and died virtually penniless.

    Obviously Spurling portrays Brownell in a favourable light. Some people will still think of her as an opportunist who married Orwell for her own gain, but Spurling’s side of things shows her as someone who enriched what little life Orwell had left, and it seems she really did love him. I’m not sure to whom this biography would appeal, but as an Orwell fan I found it very interesting, if a little dry in places.
    ”

    Janet S wrote this review Friday, March 8, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Third Miss Symons (1913)
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Henrietta ‘Etta’ Symons is the titular Miss Symons in this short chronological novel by F M Mayor, who is probably better known for The Rector’s Daughter. Etta is the third daughter in a large, upper-middle class Victorian family. She’s overlooked by her family and is a loner, despite initially having a great capacity for love and desiring affection.

    The novel follows Etta from birth to death – she never really makes much of an impression on life. Her one attempt at finding love is thwarted and as she gets older and becomes more belligerent her siblings tolerate her, but are grateful that she never stays too long. She, in turn, finds it hard to put down roots and so travels extensively. She has one redeeming feature – her generosity. Despite the family’s neglect of her, she’s always ready to be a shoulder to lean on or to bail them out with monetary gifts.

    The main thread running through the novel is of how older unmarried women in the Victorian era were deemed worthless. If they were unable to find a man to love them then that must be due to some failing on their part – and like a self-fulfilling prophecy this happens to Etta.

    I enjoyed reading this book, despite the rather pessimistic nature of it. At times I wanted to shake Ella and tell her to get a grip, but at the same time I felt an inordinate amount of sympathy for her – she had so much love to give, but love bypasses her. She shows strength by refusing to feel sorry for herself despite her lack of spouse and leads a successful, if ultimately unfulfilled, life. I will definitely try one of Mayor’s two other novels. ”

    Janet S wrote this review Monday, March 4, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Gilbert Markham is fascinated with the mysterious Helen Graham who moves into some rooms in a nearby run-down manor house, Wildfell Hall located on a bleak moor, with her young son and faithful servant. As Gilbert falls for Helen she becomes the subject of local gossip and Gilbert in turn becomes jealous of another man who he believes is also in love with Helen – so she asks him to read her diary…

    Told through letters from Gilbert Markham to his friend and brother-in-law, the reader learns the reason for Helen’s occupation of the Hall – she has fled her unhappy and abusive marriage. This novel is widely considered to be one of the first feminist novels and caused quite a stir on publication due to its portrayal or a woman who breaks with convention, leaving her alcoholic husband, taking their child with her. It took me a few weeks to read it, but that has nothing to do with the content – it was very enjoyable and easy to read and Brontë’s portrayal of the mental cruelty Helen receives at the hands of her husband must have been really shocking at the time. It’s no wonder that after Anne’s death, Charlotte prevented further publication of the novel! ”

    Janet S wrote this review Monday, March 4, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • Petals in the Ashes
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I thoroughly enjoyed the prequel to this book and this picks up where that left off. Sarah and Hannah have fled from London by using a health certificate belonging to a dying woman and her servant, taking with them a baby girl in order to deliver her to her Aunt’s house in far away Dorchester after her family have perished in the plague. But Hannah has left behind her sweetheart Tom and can’t wait to get back to London. After visiting their family in Chertsey, it is decided that Sarah will stay on to help her mother who is expecting a baby, and so Hannah persuades her mother and father to let her take her younger sister, Anne, to help out in the shop.

    However, disaster strikes when a fire takes hold in the city, and starts to spread. As the Londoners try in vain to contain the fire, Hannah and Anne find themselves in grave danger, and Hannah once again risks losing all that is dear to her.

    This was as good as, if not better than, At the Sign of the Sugared Plum. Once again Hooper writes in a way that captivates the reader and draws them in. Her descriptions are excellent and one can almost feel the heat and fear of the terrible events of 1666. A great read for children and adults alike.”

    Janet S wrote this review Monday, March 4, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • INVITATION TO THE WALTZ (Virago Modern Classics)
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Invitation to the Waltz is a gentle coming-of-age novel, set in the 1920s, about a young girl called Olivia who has been invited to her first ball just after her seventeenth birthday. Neither she nor her sister, Kate, is worldly-wise and both worry that they will be wallflowers – left standing at the side of the room, hoping that at least some of the slots on their invitation cards might be filled in. They had invited their mother’s Godson so that they would have someone to dance with but he doesn’t turn out to be the godsend they’d hoped for. As the evening wears on, Kate finds her dance card full and so Olivia is left somewhat to her own devices and, as the evening wears on, she dances with all kinds of different people and tries her best to enjoy her first proper evening out.

    I enjoy social commentary books – most of those I’ve read have been about people from the lower end of the social scale from Olivia and Kate – people whose lives are lived in abject poverty. Olivia’s life is different. Although the family aren’t as well-off since their father returned from the First World War, their slightly reduced circumstances simply mean that Kate has had to give up horse riding lessons! Despite the very different social scale I did enjoy the class aspect of this book. It’s difficult to imagine today going to a dance and having to have an invitation card with you and to wait for someone to fill in a vacant slot!

    I’m not sure who I’d recommend this book to – it’s a very gentle story and I enjoyed the characterisation but some might feel the story unsatisfactory but I enjoyed it despite the slow pace – I think Lehmann’s characters are all believable and enjoyable and Rosamond Lehmann is an author whom I will definitely try again and I will definitely be reading the sequel. The Weather in the Streets.”

    Janet S wrote this review Monday, March 4, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • I, Coriander
    • Rated 4 stars

    “This young adult novel is set in the period following the English Civil War and Charles I’s beheading. Coriander lives with her father, a wealthy merchant and her mother in a house backing on to the River Thames. Life changes suddenly for Coriander the day she tries on a pair of silver slippers against her mother’s wishes and starts a chain of magical events that will have a huge impact on her family.

    Sally Gardner’s story cleverly integrates the fairy world with the mortal one in this Cinderella-style tale. The ending was a bit corny, perhaps, but nevertheless I enjoyed it. ”

    Janet S wrote this review Friday, March 8, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • Good-Bye, Mr. Chips
    • Rated 3 stars

    “The 2002 ITV dramatisation with Martin Clunes is one of my favourite DVDs - it's one of my regular 'ironing' films and I don't think I'll ever tire of it!

    I came across a free Kindle download for it so though it was about time I gave the book a go to see how it compares.

    Well, compare isn't the right word! The ITV version has the same elements, of course - most of the same characters appear but the ITV version is very embellished - the time frame, for example is very different - some of the events which take place are pretty insignificant in the book but have been made major points of the dramatisation.

    Did it stop me enjoying the book? No - it's a charming tale and I enjoyed it - I liked Hilton's style of writing. In this case, I did prefer the TV version - had I read the book first I might have felt differently! I will continue to watch, and love, the DVD - they just need to be treated as slightly different things!”

    Janet S wrote this review Friday, February 22, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Descendants
    • Rated 3 stars

    “I wouldn’t have read this book if it wasn’t chosen by one of my Book Club members – we’re going to discuss it after watching the film together. I’ve tried reviewing this book over the last few days, but really I don’t know what to say about it apart from that I feel a bit ambivalent towards it. It is hard to have any sympathy for Joanie, the woman in the coma. I felt little sympathy for her husband, Matt either. I think we’re meant to like Scottie and to find her endearing, but I just found her irritating. I much preferred her sister, Alex.

    My favourite character was Sid – Alex’s not-quite-boyfriend who was the one redeeming character in the book. There are enjoyable parts to the book and I didn’t hate it (even though my review might suggest otherwise!), but that’s about all I can find to say about it. I find that even though I finished it less than two weeks ago, the storyline is already fading.

    I wonder if it’ll be a rare case where I like the film more than the book*?!

    *It was!”

    Janet S wrote this review Monday, March 4, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
  • Tess of the d'Urbervilles
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I'm loathe to give my first read of 2013 a 5/5 but this one definitely comes close! Proper review to follow but for now I must just say that I loved it! 4½/5, maybe! :)”

    Janet S wrote this review Monday, January 7, 2013. ( reply | permalink )
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Displaying 1-10 of 107 reviews

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