JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Spanish Promise by Karen Swan

Charlotte, a wealth counsellor who knows from personal experience the complications that a sudden inheritance can bring, helps her clients navigate the emotional side effects of sudden wealth syndrome. When she is asked by Mateo Mendoza, heir to a huge Spanish estate, to fly to Madrid to help resolve an issue in his father’s will, she’s confident it will be straightforward. The timing isn’t great as Charlotte’s due to get married the following week, but once her client signs on the dotted line, Charlotte can return to her life in London and her wedding, and live happily ever after. Marrying Stephen might not fill her with excitement, but she doesn’t want to live in the fast lane anymore – safe and predictable is good.

But Carlos Mendoza’s final bequest opens up a generation of secrets, and Charlotte finds herself compelled to unravel the mystery. As Charlotte digs deeper, she uncovers the story of a family divided by Spain’s Civil War, and of a love affair across the battle lines that ended in tragedy.

And while she is consumed in the drama of the Mendozas, Charlotte’s own tragic past catches up with her, threatening to overturn everything in her life she’s worked so hard to build.

The Spanish Promise is the latest novel from Karen Swan, a book with a split timeline and two grand love stories that transcend decades. The dual narratives in the book take place in the present day, but also 1930s Spain. The book explores relationships, family, war, wealth, privilege, legacy and secrets.

Charlotte, a wealth counsellor, is due to be married in a week. Her husband is rude and bossy, and her mother expects very little of Charlotte’s career and encourages her to quit her job. But Charlotte is very good at her job, and when a wealthy man in Spain is set to give his entire fortune to an unknown woman, Charlotte is given the task of tracking down the women and uncovering what secrets are hidden in her past.

“Nene pulled the brim of her hat low. She had stolen it from a peg in the maids’ quarters, the thin shawl and dress too. The dress was slightly too tight across the bodice and a fraction too short in the arms and length — she was so much taller than most other women — but comfort mattered for nothing right know.”

I have to admit, this wasn’t my favourite of Karen’s novels. Perhaps it was the complex and — at times — convoluted storyline or just the overall plot that had me feeling a little bored with the book. I finished it, and I didn’t mind it, but I wouldn’t say I loved it.

The two storylines didn’t feel like they realistically gelled together, and I struggled to relate to Charlotte. A wealth counsellor actually seems like quite a mundane job, and in this book, she shares very little chemistry with her fiancé and so it was pretty predictable what was going to happen with that. I think I just wasn’t the target market for this book, and my disinterest in the storyline was nothing to do with the quality of the book, and everything to do with my reading tastes.

“And then she saw that Montez still had his gun raised and pointed towards the rest of the men — that none of them dared move, neither to save her nor join her. In a flash she understood why.”

As always, Karen is particularly skilled at capturing glamorous settings. No matter the location, you always read her books and feel like you’re on holidays. She captures the feel, the atmosphere, the temperature, and the essence of the place that her books are set in.

Karen is also really great at capturing realistic dialogue and sexual tension between long lost love interests. Charlotte reconnects with an old flame in Spain, and the two of them have a lot to work through if they’re going to overcome their differences and work together on this project.

The Spanish Promise wasn’t for me, but there have been — and will continue to be — many readers who will adore this latest book by Karen Swan.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Spanish Promise
Karen Swan
April 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

A Universe of Sufficient Size by Miriam Sved

I have wished so many times that I had acted differently.
I wish that I had been more worthy of you…
Eventually the war will end, and then we will find each other.
Until then, remember me.

Budapest, 1938. In a city park, five young Jewish mathematicians gather to share ideas, trade proofs and whisper sedition.

Sydney, 2007. Illy has just buried her father, a violent, unpredictable man whose bitterness she never understood. And now Illy’s mother has gifted her a curious notebook, its pages a mix of personal story and mathematical discovery, recounted by a woman full of hopes and regrets.

Inspired by a true story, Miriam Sved’s beautifully crafted novel charts a course through both the light and dark of human relationships: a vivid recreation of 1930s Hungary, a decades-old mystery locked in the story of one enduring friendship, a tribute to the selfless power of the heart.

A Universe of Sufficient Size by Miriam Sved is a literary novel that takes the reader through multiple narratives — pre-war Hungary in 1938, Brooklyn in 1950 and Australia in 2007. It’s a complex and tender novel that I couldn’t help but adore.

The book explores trauma, war, family and relationships, but it’s also about a devoted group of young Jewish mathematicians in 1938 and how their choices and decisions shape not just their future, but their families’ futures decades later. Mathematics is one of the strongest links between the two timelines, connecting two major characters and allowing them to bond over their shared love and knowledge.

There’s a fair bit of detailed mathematics in the book that I didn’t understand, so I developed a habit of skipping over it. I imagine most readers would do the same, given that many people won’t understand the complex equations and formulas that the characters are discussing. But Miriam takes something that many people would find uninteresting — mathematics — and weaves a story that’s inviting and evocative.

“The day the photo was taken was stamped bright in my memory: an early autumn day in our first weeks at the university. We went on a hike in the hills around Buda: not just the five of us but the whole large crowd in which we moved during those week. I felt very glum around that time.”

The characters are one of the biggest strengths in the book. They’re three-dimensional, relatable, engaging and Miriam Sved has crafted a book that completely draws you in.

In 1938, Europe is engulfed by Nazism and they’re on the brink of war. These Jewish university students don’t quite realise just how much their lives are going to change. They’re experiencing a shift in how they’re being treated and what they’re allowed to do because of the Hungarian government’s anti-Jewish laws, but of course they don’t realise the scale of change that’s coming. They’re idealistic, hopeful, and actually really naive.

There was a small flaw I couldn’t help but come across in the story. Every now and then there was something in the 2007 timeline that didn’t quite work with the time period. For example:

“Josh strokes the phone screen. If he could just get the phone out of his pocket and download some more apps — there’s supposedly one for Myspace and another for Facebook — he might even be able to update his page here and now without leaving the reception.”

I’m fairly certain apps didn’t exist in 2007, much less the ability to download an app on an iPhone. In fact, The App Store wasn’t launched until July 2008. I’m not even sure if Myspace had its own app until much later on.

Despite this, I really enjoyed the novel. I’d recommend this book to anyone with a particular
interest in wartime novels — novels about love during difficult times, and how circumstance plays a
huge role in friendships and relationships.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Universe of Sufficient Size
Miriam Sved
April 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer


2019: Life changed beyond recognition for Alice when her son, Eddie, was born with autism spectrum disorder. She must do everything to support him, but at what cost to her family? When her cherished grandmother is hospitalised, a hidden box of mementoes reveals a tattered photo of a young man, a tiny leather shoe and a letter. Her grandmother begs Alice to return to Poland to see what became of those she held dearest.

WWII: Alina and Tomasz are childhood sweethearts. The night before he leaves for college, Tomasz proposes marriage. But when their village falls to the Nazis, Alina doesn’t know if Tomasz is alive or dead.

2019: In Poland, separated from her family, Alice begins to uncover the story her grandmother is so desperate to tell, and discovers a love that bloomed in the winter of 1942. As a painful family history comes to light, will the struggles of the past and present finally reach a heartbreaking resolution?

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer explores the legacy of war and the far-reaching effects of family secrets.

Like most historical fiction novels, this story has two dual POV storylines threaded together. The first, set during WWII, and the other, set in the present in 2019. The women are the centre of both storylines.

In the past, there’s Alina, a young girl whose fiancé has left for college and whose future is in doubt. And in the present, Alice is a mother of two. Her son has autism and she’s the main caretaker of her two children. She feels unsupported by her husband, who works long hours and leaves Alice to do most of the work.

“I plan out Eddie’s visual calendar, lay out his clothing and then pack his school bag — the dreidel, which he’s still taking with him everywhere he goes, his stuffed Thomas the Tank Engine toy just in case he wants it, six Go-Gurts, one can of soup and six pairs of spare underpants, each with a matching ziplock bag for the inevitable accidents.”
ALICE

I felt more emotionally invested in Alice’s storyline that Alina’s. Alina’s story felt slow. Perhaps it was the events that took place, or perhaps it was the pacing. Part of me suspects it was both. But I felt that Alina’s chapters could’ve been more succinct and punchier. There was enough emotion and heartache to keep the reader invested, but the pacing did lag a little.

Although this particular storyline is very rich with hope. Alina loves Tomasz and is desperate to see his safe return. Alina may be young, but she’s also smart, resourceful and very aware of her surroundings. She’s helpful and trusting, and she learns how to survive the sad and grim situation that she’s in.

“It was the young soldier from that day in fall, the last time I wore a dress. He was back, and he was asking about me. I was too terrified to cry out, but equally, I was too terrified to control myself and I couldn’t think rationally enough to be sure of what I might do next.”
ALINA

Alice is a flawed character. She cares deeply for her son and she’s a good mother, but her attitude is, at times, constricted. She wants her husband, Wade, to help more, she wishes he understood more, but she doesn’t really allow him the opportunity to step up. She expects him to fail. Often, she keeps her mouth shut and seethes in silence. Other times, she waits until he makes a mistake and then snaps at him.

But Wade is not perfect either. He shuts himself off and focuses on his work, and as a result, he’s not the most attentive father. He allows his wife to do everything for the kids. So, when Alice goes to Poland to delve deep into her grandmother’s childhood, her husband finally realises just how much Alice has been doing for their family. He is defeated, and at a loss. But also, he learns to be the man he should’ve been all along.

This storyline is about family, marriage and sacrifice. It shows us how a marriage can change when a child requires more care than they thought. A child with autism does require a lot of attention, and that can strain any relationship.

“I still think about my big brothers. I sometimes wonder if I would have done anything different that day, if only I’d known that within a year they’d both be dead — and that those quiet moments by the train station would be the very last time I ever saw them.”
ALINA

Kelly Rimmer has captured two very different time periods — and two very different relationships. In Alina and Tomasz, we see young love torn apart by war and horror. In Alice and Wade, we see a love that has been clouded by exhaustive, complicated circumstances.

Readers will be able to relate to all of the characters in the book, even the ones who have lived through experiences that we could not possibly understand. I’d recommend this to readers of historical fiction, and those readers who love a family saga that spans decades.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Things We Cannot Say
Kelly Rimmer
March 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Natasha Lester, author of The French Photographer

How did you feel writing a character who was based on a real person? Do you prefer this over writing a character completely from scratch?
As I say in the back of the book, Jess was a real gift from the writing muse. She came to me more quickly and easily than any character ever has. I’m not sure if it is because she was based on a real person or whether it’s just because, in each book there’s something that comes easily and everything else comes hard!

Certainly basing her on a real person had its pros and cons. In some respects, it meant that I already had interesting plot points to include; I was initially fascinated by Lee Miler because her life was so very interesting. But real people don’t always do what you would want them to do to make a narrative work so that is why I chose to be inspired by Lee Miler rather than to write a story precisely about Lee Miller.

At present, you publish one book a year. How do you manage your schedule? What’s your writing routine?
I write while the kids are at school, so from 9am until about 2.45 each day. I’m pretty disciplined and I turn off the wifi and just sit down and get it done. I work another shift at night, which is for admin, social media, invoicing etc. I write better during the day, so I don’t want to waste that time on non writing work. I also work for a few hours every Saturday morning while the kids are at tennis, swimming etc.

It’s all about fitting work in to any available piece of time, and being focussed while doing it. It is possible to waste time, I find, if I don’t have goals and if I sit down for too long. I write in half hour blocks and I expect myself to get a minimum of 500 words written in that half hour block. Over the course of a regular day, this means I will write a minus of 3,000 words, but it’s usually around 4,000 words. Doing that each day adds up to a book pretty quickly!

But then comes the rewriting, which takes the most time. But again, I just set goals, establishing a certain number of pages that I have to rewrite each day to get it done.

Photography is such a huge part of this novel. How much research was involved in making sure the information was accurate and authentic?
Lots! I’m not a great photographer so I knew very little about the technical aspects. However, I didn’t do a lot of technical research but rather I read memoirs of war photographers because that told me more than the Rolleiflex manual would have, and was easier for me to understand.

More importantly, I specifically researched war photography because I think that is a very specific kind of thing. War photography can be about propaganda, about resistance, about showing the public what war really is, about so many different things. I wanted to understand all of those, as well as the effect that immersing oneself in those kinds of horrors might have on the photographer.

What is a genre you love to read, but would never write? 
I love a good memoir but I don’t think I would ever have the guts to write one! Nor do I think I have an interesting enough life.

What element of novel writing do you most struggle with?
Planning. I am not a planner when it comes to writing. I begin with a fragment of an idea – in the case of The French Photographer, it was to write a book focussing on a character similar to Lee Miller – and then I dive in and write and hope for the best: that a plot will emerge, that characters will develop, that a worthwhile story will fall out at the end. It’s a huge gamble, starting out not knowing if it will all work out but praying that it will.

What element of novel writing do you think is your biggest strength?
Writing interesting female characters. Because I love to research, I am always able to find anecdotes and incidents that bring the particular struggles my main characters face to life. I’m also fascinated by the things women did in the past, and how so much of that has been forgotten, and I’m passionate about bringing those stories to life. I think that passion comes through in my characters because I truly love what I do.

What are you working on next?
I’m working on the structural edit for a book called The Dior Legacy, which will be out in late March 2020. I can’t say too much more about that one at the moment unfortunately!

The French Photographer by Natasha Lester

Inspired by the incredible true story of Lee Miller, Vogue model turned one of the first female war photojournalists, the new novel by the bestselling author of The Paris Seamstress.

Manhattan, Paris, 1942: When Jessica May’s successful modelling career is abruptly cut short, she is assigned to the war in Europe as a photojournalist for Vogue. But when she arrives the army men make her life as difficult as possible. Three friendships change that: journalist Martha Gellhorn encourages Jess to bend the rules, paratrooper Dan Hallworth takes her to places to shoot pictures and write stories that matter, and a little girl, Victorine, who has grown up in a field hospital, shows her love. But success comes at a price.

France, 2005: Australian curator D’Arcy Hallworth arrives at a beautiful chateau to manage a famous collection of photographs. What begins as just another job becomes far more disquieting as D’Arcy uncovers the true identity of the mysterious photographer – and realises that she is connected to D’Arcy’s own mother, Victorine.

The French Photographer is another epic novel from Australian author Natasha Lester. Crossing a war-torn Europe from Italy to France, The French Photographer is a story of courage, family and forgiveness.

Natasha Lester is one of my favourite Australian writers. I’ve previously read and reviewed two of her other novels, The French Seamstress and Her Mother’s Secret. All of her novels are about brave women during key historical moments — women who defy the odds and prejudices against them, and work hard to earn their success. They’re inspiring for the readers and they’re also incredibly relatable, down to earth, determined women.

“Jess’s story about Victorine and the accompanying pictures were syndicated worldwide. I can’t thank you enough, Bel had written. You’ve given Vogue credibility during this period of war that it wouldn’t otherwise have. Jess’s name was one people now knew for something other than how she looked in a dress.”

Jess has always wanted to do more than just model. She’s smart, passionate, driven, and an incredibly talented photographer. When her modelling work is put on hold because of a devious boyfriend and an old photoshoot, she sets her sights on something a little different. War is raging and Vogue need a journalist on the ground to report for their magazine.

She faces challenges because she’s injected herself into a career dominated by men. They won’t allow women close to the war, and Jess is often at the mercy of superior officers who don’t feel comfortable with Jess being so close to the war. They feel threatened by her, and perhaps at times, intimidated. They make up rumours about her, deliberately making her life difficult.

“Dan laughed and suddenly it felt normal again: Jess and Dan sharing a drink and a joke the way they’d always done. Thank God! She knew her smile was too bright for a day of mourning but she was so relieved to have restored her friendship with Dan that she couldn’t wipe it away.”

Jess’ personality is a real asset to the story. She’s feisty and quick, but also witty and very funny. She doesn’t let anyone talk down to her and she certainly doesn’t let them get away with treating her like their property.

It’s evident that Natasha did a lot of research ahead of writing this book. Jess is inspired by real-life war photographer Lee Miller, who led an extraordinary life. And there is so much intimate knowledge about photography and the war, and I could really picture every scene from the book as if it were playing out in front of me like a movie.

“At her new home on French soil, she quickly became adept at diving into the slit trench behind her tent whenever the Germans flew over at night strafing, at pretending the enormous red welts of mosquito bites didn’t itch like the devil, at never being alone, not even on the toilet — the latrine had a row of six seats and more often than not at least one or two of the other places was occupied by nurses clutching their precious rations of Scott paper.”

Like Natasha’s other novels, The French Photographer follows a dual narrative. The main timeline is Jess in 1942 as she works hard to build her career as a recognised war photographer. The other timeline is D’Arcy in 2005. She’s an Australian curator who starts working with a mysterious photographer who is hiding many secrets. This mysterious photographer storyline was a little predictable, but still delightful.

I’d recommend Natasha’s novels to fans of historical fiction, romance, epic war tales, and family sagas. Her books are as gorgeous on the inside as they are on the cover.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The French Photographer
Natasha Lester
April 2019
Hachette Books Australia