JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Six Tudor Queens: Anna of Kleve by Alison Weir

The fourth novel in the highly acclaimed SIX TUDOR QUEENS series by historian and Sunday Times bestselling author, Alison Weir.

Alison Weir, historian and author of KATHERINE OF ARAGON: THE TRUE QUEEN, ANNE BOLEYN: A KING’S OBSESSION and JANE SEYMOUR: THE HAUNTED QUEEN, paints a spellbinding portrait of Anna of Kleve, Henry VIII’s fourth queen.

A GERMAN PRINCESS WITH A GUILTY SECRET.

The King is in love with Anna’s portrait, but she has none of the accomplishments he seeks in a new bride. She prays she will please Henry, for the balance of power in Europe rests on this marriage alliance. But Anna’s past is never far from her thoughts, and the rumours rife at court could be her downfall. Everyone knows the King won’t stand for a problem queen.

ANNA OF KLEVE
THE FOURTH OF HENRY’S QUEENS
HER STORY

Acclaimed, bestselling historian Alison Weir draws on new evidence to conjure a startling image of Anna as you’ve never seen her before. A charming, spirited woman, she was loved by all who knew her – and even, ultimately, by the King who rejected her.

History tells us she was never crowned.
But her story does not end there.

This is one of my favourite book series’ and every year, I look forward to the latest Alison Weir Tudor Queens novel. Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets, the fourth book in this series, was just as fabulous as the books that precede it.

Anna is probably one of the lesser known Queens, perhaps because she was the least scandalous. She travelled from Spain to England to marry the King, but he never fancied her and so the whole marriage ended after just six months together.

Alison illustrates Anna as kind, compassionate and sensible. She is naive and a little too trusting at times, but she is determined and she’s intelligent. When she is very young, she falls in love with her cousin Otho von Wylich and gives birth to a secret child. Otho doesn’t even know about it, and Anna stays away from home in secret to have the child. The boy is then adopted to a loving family.

When King Henry chooses Anna to be his next wife, Anna must work hard to keep her secret.

“Picking up her mirror, she gazed into the burnished silver and appraised her image. Yes, it was pleasing, but beautiful? No. She had a rosy complexion, and a heart-shaped face with a pretty mouth and finely arched brows, but her eyes were too heavy-lidded, her chin too pointed, and her nose too long, too broad at the tip. Yet she was tall and graceful, with a good, slender figure and delicate hands.”

These books read like they’re a fictional story, but they’re based on some truths. Each Queen is portrayed so vividly that you feel like you really understand them and their motives. Very little is known about Anna of Kleve, so there’s a lot of fiction to this book, but that’s what makes it so fabulous.

It’s interesting reading about Henry VIII as the books progress. He’s now 46 years old, he’s overweight, and the sores on his leg are infected and oozing pus, and they’re causing him a great deal of pain. He’s no longer the seductive King he once was! Anna and Henry’s marriage was never consummated and from the sound of it, that was a huge blessing for Anna. Not sure Henry was very desirable at this stage.

“This could not be the man in the portrait she had seen at Calais! He had been in his prime, attractive and smooth-featured. He bore barely any resemblance to the man standing before her now. Why had no one thought to prepare her for the reality? For the King looked far older than a man not yet fifty; his ace was stern, and bore the marks of temper and ill health. And he was huge!”

From reading the author’s note at the end, it’s clear that this book has fictionalised her tale and added more to her story than the other Queens before here. There’s no evidence that Anna had an illegitimate child, or that she was in love with her cousin. But given Anna was Queen for only six months, and she was — as we understand it — the most liked Queen after her divorce and the least scandalous one, I imagine her story wouldn’t be that interesting if there wasn’t embellishments.

I was actually wondering how Alison was going to write this book without making it very short and very boring. I’m glad she embellished — it makes everything much more entertaining! You can always read Alison’s author’s note at the end to find out what is fact and what is fiction — those author’s notes are always really interesting.

“Anna felt a sense of relief seeping through her veins. How humiliating for a man as powerful as the King to suffer impotence. Perhaps he had been dreading this marriage as much as she! And yet, he had been aroused — she had felt it. Was it the sight of her body that had unmanned him?”

I love this series, and this latest instalment. For anyone even remotely interested in Henry VIII’s wives, I recommend you start at the beginning with Katherine and make your way through Alison Weir’s books. They read like fiction, but they’re researched and they’re all fascinating reads.

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

Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets
Alison Weir
May 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Biz knows how to float. She has her people, posse, her mum and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn’t be here but is. So Biz doesn’t tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn’t tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface – normal okay regular fine.

How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox is a captivating debut novel about a young teenager who is struggling to cope with the death of her father. The book explores mental illness, grief, family, relationships, and sexual identity.

Biz’s father died 10 years earlier, but she sees him all the time. At school, at home, in her bedroom. He speaks to her and they spend time together, and she blames herself for his death. Both of them share a history of mental health — her father was ill for a long time, and was often absent. Biz is very much like her father, struggling to cope with her undiagnosed mental illness. She often feels like she’s floating, and like she can’t control her life or her decisions.

17-year-old Biz is both strong and fragile. Her mental illness and depression manifests itself in the form of hallucinations, panic attacks and disassociations. She’s an unreliable narrator, because others remember conversations differently to how she told us the conversations went. She suffers from memory loss, or perhaps she’s blocking out her memories because it’s too painful to process what’s happening to her.

“The new guy’s name is Jasper Alessio. He is tall and narrow. He has a strange gait, a limp, like his right leg is too slow to keep up — a stubborn dog not done with its walk. He has longish hair like everyone else. It goes over his eyes.”

Biz is on a journey to better understand herself, but she’s also on a journey to better understand her father. Along with Jasper, her new friend from school, the two pair up to discover — both metaphorically and literally — more about Biz’s dad and where he came from.

The biggest strength of the book is the writing. It’s exquisite — gorgeous sentences crafted to perfection. You can’t help but sit and finish the book, devouring each chapter and paragraph. There’s a poetic rhythm to Helena’s words. They flow so easily, and the writing is so lyrical and beautiful.

“The twins pull on their uniforms and complain about their socks (too tight! too itchy!). Mum assembles a limp salad for lunch and tries to find her car keys. Sylvia calls – I haven’t spoken to her since class ended. She’s rung me and I haven’t replied, but today I see her name on my screen and in a rush of birthday goodwill, finally answer.”

How it Feels to Float also explores sexual identity. At the beginning of the book, Biz has just kissed her best friend Grace, but the feelings are unrequited. Biz isn’t sure of what (or who) she wants, but this isn’t a central focus of the story. She’s not sure of her sexuality, and that’s okay. It’s not something she needs to figure out right now, but when she’s ready.

“A heart is a mystery and not a mystery. It hides under ribs, pumping blood. You can pull it out, hold it in your hand. Squeeze. It wants what it wants. It can be made of gold, glass, stone. It can stop anytime.”

How it Feels to Float is an honest portrayal of life with mental illness. The book will appeal to all readers, young and old. The writing will lure you in, but the characters will keep you enthralled. It’s a gorgeous book — well worth the read.

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

How It Feels To Float
Helena Fox
May 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

A Dream of Italy by Nicky Pellegrino

Here is your chance to buy your own home in southern Italy for less than the price of a cup of coffee. The picturesque mountain town of Montenello is selling off some of its historic buildings for just ONE EURO each. To be considered as a future resident of Montenello contact the town’s mayor, Salvio Valentini.

Many people read Salvio’s advertisement with excitement. Elise is in her twenties and desperate to get on the property ladder. Edward wants to escape a life he finds stifling. Mimi is divorced and starting afresh. And there is one person whose true motivation won’t be clear for some time.

These four people all have a dream of Italy. And it’s going to change their lives. The passionate and gorgeous new novel by Nicky Pellegrino, the bestselling author of A Year at Hotel Gondola.

A Dream of Italy by Nicky Pellegrino is a romance novel about relationships, family, identity and the notion of throwing all your plans into the wind and taking a chance on something that seems utterly bizarre and crazy.

Oh my — this was such a fun novel. I had no idea I was going to love it as much as I did. I absolutely devoured it, and I churned through the chapters within hours of picking it up. The premise is fantastic, the characters are relatable and engaging, and the setting of Italy is captured so perfectly it made me want to book a holiday straight away.

“Mimi had to stop herself calling Salvio straight away. She would let what the architect had said settle in, allow herself to think and dream a little longer before making a commitment. Still, she was so close now and, even though it wasn’t hers yet, she had the urge to buy something for the house.”

All of the characters who’d been given a house in Italy had something in their lives they needed to work through. Whether it was a failed relationship or a failing one, or a life that just wasn’t what it was supposed to be. All of the characters were looking for a new direction, and the house in Italy offered that to them.

Over the course of the novel, the characters become more reassured of their decision. They learn to trust themselves more, to listen to themselves instead of others, and they grow in confidence.

My favourite storyline was Elise, whose been in a relationship with Richard for a number of years and they’ve worked so hard to buy their own property. When the home in Italy comes up, Richard is a complete killjoy. He wants to continue as they are, and Elise feels trapped. She wants to take a chance on something, and so she moves to Italy and buys the property on her own.

“Gino’s back stiffened immediately but nothing else changed. There was no lull in the conversation, the sisters didn’t remark on it, the husbands appeared not to notice. Only Gino’s father seemed to care. Edward met his gaze. The old man didn’t look unhappy, just watchful, as if he was waiting to see what might happen next.”

Just a slight negative about the book — there isn’t much renovating in the story. I thought the plot of the book would be about them getting the house, arriving, and then working on the renovation and making the houses their own. But, most of the book is the lead up to them arriving, and then the pacing starts to quicken. But we never really arrive too much at the ‘fix up’ part. I think perhaps that’s a missed opportunity, but I still enjoyed the book.

This is a fabulous read — fun and carefree, and just really fantastic. If you’re going on a holiday soon and you’re looking for the perfect vacation read, then this is it. If you’re looking for a book that’s light and carefree and will make you feel great, this is it. I highly recommend this.

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

A Dream of Italy
Nicky Pellegrino
April 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust by Heidi Fried

‘There are no stupid questions, nor any forbidden ones, but there are some questions that have no answer.’

Hédi Fried was nineteen when the Nazis snatched her family from their home in Eastern Europe and transported them to Auschwitz, where her parents were murdered and she and her sister were forced into hard labour until the end of the war.

Now ninety-four, she has spent her life educating young people about the Holocaust and answering their questions about one of the darkest periods in human history. Questions like, ‘How was it to live in the camps?’, ‘Did you dream at night?’, ‘Why did Hitler hate the Jews?’, and ‘Can you forgive?’.

With sensitivity and complete candour, Fried answers these questions and more in this deeply human book that urges us never to forget and never to repeat.

Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust is a compact, non-fiction title that is exactly as the title suggests. Heidi Fried was a prisoner in Auschwitz and has spent most of her life educating students and children about the holocaust. She has compiled a list of the most commonly asked questions, and answered them for any readers who are interested to know the answers.

There are 44 questions in total — questions about the war, Germany and Hitler. But mainly, the questions are about Heidi’s time in concentration camps.

“Why did Hitler hate the Jews?”
“What languages were spoken at Auschwitz?”
“Were you raped?”
“How many people from your hometown survived the war?”

The book isn’t very long — under 150 pages — so it’s a quick, brief read. Each question has an answer that takes up no more than a couple of pages. Some answers are very short. Half a page at best.

This would be a valuable resource in schools when covering the holocaust and World War II. It allows readers to better understand the experience of the prisoners, and how they processed what was happening to them.

At times, it’s pretty confronting. But mostly, Heidi explains her experiences very rationally and draws more upon her emotional response to things than physical description. There isn’t much graphic detail into what went on, more a factual description and then Heidi’s memory of how she felt during that time.

“Actively fighting back in 1944 would have been suicide. There should have been active resistance before the Nazis gained power. But passive resistance could still be found in Sighet. Communist cells were organised on the sly. It was all very secretive, and I, the youngest member, was allowed to participate in the ideological training.”

Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust also serves as a warning for the future — Heidi doesn’t want the holocaust to be forgotten, because then that allows for history to repeat itself. She wants what happened to her and the other prisoners to be remembered and reflected upon, so that it never re-occurs.

This book is fascinating because even if you feel like you know a lot of details about the holocaust and concentration camps, this book offers a new perspective. Some of the questions in the book you may have been too embarrassed to ever ask, and yet it’s a little comforting to know that other people have the same questions too.

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

Questions I Am Asked About the Holocaust
Heidi Fried
March 2019
Scribe Publications

REVIEW AND AUTHOR INTERVIEW: What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume

You know those movies where teenagers have the summer of their lives?
This summer is probably not going to be that.

Here lies Maisie Martin, dead from embarrassment, aged sixteen.

The last thing Maisie Martin thought she’d be doing this summer is entering a beauty pageant. Not when she’s spent most of her life hiding her body from everyone.

Not when her Dad is AWOL for Christmas and her best friend starts going out with the boy she’s always loved. But Maisie’s got something to prove. And she’s not going to let anything or anyone – including herself – hold her back.

What I Like About Me is the debut YA novel from Jenna Guillaume, exploring topics such as body image, self-love, feminism, body positivity, relationships and family turmoil. This book is perfect for readers aged 12+

Maisie goes to a lot of effort to hide her body from others. When everyone else is swimming on the beach, she’s on the sand wearing jeans. Maisie avoids the summer beauty pageant because she doesn’t feel like she’d get in, despite being very keen to be involved. She’s a kind, compassionate girl who has to learn to love herself, and above all else, she needs to learn that she is worth loving. Just because someone is a certain body size doesn’t mean they don’t deserve their happy ending.

“When we were younger, Eva and I talked about entering together. We couldn’t wait until we were both old enough. We’d do a joint talent entry and dance together. We didn’t care if that was allowed or not. We’d do it anyway.”

The novel takes place over one summer holiday. Maisie Martin accompanies her mum and her glamorous childhood best friend Anna to the beach, where she’s forced to face her unrequited crush on Seb. Unfortunately, Maisie’s dad can’t come on holiday because he has to work, but over the course of the novel her dad grows more and more distant and her parents are fighting and Maisie wonders if there’s more to his absence than he’s saying.

What I Like About Me is written in diary form, so the book allows for Maisie’s voice to really shine through the pages. She’s sassy and intelligent, but also really considerate. She wants to love and be loved, and she has always wanted that with the gorgeous Seb. But when Seb and Anna start dating, Maisie forms a bond with an unlikely friend — Beamer.

“If this were a montage in a movie, it would have been all romantic and cute. It would have been with the dreamy leading guy and the beautiful leading girl, not the smart-arse best friend the chubby sidekick. But Anna and Sebastian were off making out somewhere in the dark — probably next to a dumpster, let’s be real. Because life is not a movie.”

Maisie has poor self-esteem, particularly when she’s around her sister Eva. Her sister has always been a high achiever and popular, and thin, and Maisie’s confidence slips whenever she’s around her. When Maisie applies to be in the local beauty pageant and is accepted, she must learn to love the body she has and to stop comparing herself to others. She’s beautiful — inside and out.

One of the strengths of this book is how well Jenna has captured the glorious Australian summer and the teenage experience. Reading it, you can remember how it feels to hang out with your friends by the beach, but readers will also relate to how nervous and worried you got as a teenager whenever you had a crush on someone else and you weren’t sure if they felt the same way.

“Here lies Maisie Martin,
dead from embarrassment,
aged sixteen.”

Young YA readers will love this book, and there’s plenty of teen romance in these pages to satisfy young fans of romance. The most important relationship, however, is the one that Maisie has with herself.

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

What I Like About Me
Jenna Guillaume
March 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH JENNA GUILLAUME

How has your love of romance fiction evolved or changed since your teenage years?
I’ve been a sucker for romance ever since I was a kid. Even when I was 8 and reading The Baby-Sitter’s Club, my fave stories were ALWAYS the ones where one of the girls had a crush or went on a date. That never changed as a teen and has carried on through to adulthood – if anything, I’ve embraced my love of romance more and spend more time reading it! It’s my comfort reading and happy place.

Alongside writing your novel, you also have years of experience writing short-form pieces for outlets such as Girlfriend and Buzzfeed, and now many more through your freelancing career. What do you like about short-form writing, but also novel writing? How do the two compare?
I like writing about a variety of things, and sharing my thoughts and feelings on topics that are interesting me at any given moment. With short-form writing, it’s great to have an idea and quickly be able turn it around so you can see it published and immediately get feedback on it. Novel-writing is obviously a much bigger and much, much longer process. It’s a lot more work overall but it’s incredibly rewarding and satisfying. To have people contacting me about how much they love What I Like About Me, after years of hard work, means the world to me.

What I Like About Me explores many important messages and topics – self-esteem, body positivity, bullying, relationships etc. But it’s also about Maisie learning to love herself. How important do you think it is for a teenager to reflect on what they like about themselves? Is this something you wish you could tell your younger self, given the chance?
When I was a teen and even as an adult, every time I looked in the mirror, I’d automatically see the things I didn’t like about myself. I really wanted to challenge that all-too-natural instinct and make people stop and consider what they actually do like about themselves. I think girls in particular are socialised to minimise their accomplishments and strengths, when really we should be recognising and celebrating what makes us ALL great. I always say you should treat yourself like you treat your best friend – you point out all their good points and don’t criticise them, so you should love yourself like that as well. You deserve nothing less.

And finally, is there anything you can tell us about what you’re working on right now (either novel or freelance writing)?


I’m freelancing for a lot of publications – like the Sydney Morning Herald, Junkee, GOAT, Flicks and even BuzzFeed! It’s a lot of fun to be writing for different audiences and on a range of topics. In terms of novel-writing, I am working on a follow-up – I can’t say too much, but it is another YA rom-com standalone. It’s hopefully going to be a lot of fun!

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