JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

Have you ever imagined running away from your life? Well Birdy Finch didn’t just imagine it. She did it. Which might’ve been an error.

And the life she’s run into? Her best friend, Heather’s. The only problem is, she hasn’t told Heather. Actually there are a few other problems…

Can Birdy carry off a summer pretending to be her best friend (who incidentally is a world-class wine expert)?

And can she stop herself from falling for the first man she’s ever actually liked (but who thinks she’s someone else)?

Funny and witty, The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent is an incredibly fun read. Full of heart and humour, I devoured this book in one day, savouring the story and the characters and relishing each chapter.

When Birdy Finch’s roommate — a world-renowned sommelier and wine expert — turns down a summer job in Scotland to spend the summer in Italy with her boyfriend, Birdy thinks it’ll be fun to take her place at the Michelin star restaurant. Birdy’s just found herself job-free, her ‘relationship’ doesn’t seem to have much promise, and she could use the escape. But what starts as a joke and something to pass the time, soon turns into a venture that overwhelms Birdy and it’s clear she’s way out of her depth. After all, Birdy knows nothing about wine.

“That’s the problem with ten hours of uninterrupted sleep — rigor mortis begins to set in. So much for brushing up on my wine knowledge; I could barely type the word ‘wine’ into Google, I was so exhausted.”

The plot is something a lot of young readers will be able to relate to — Birdy has absolutely no idea what she’s doing with her life, both in a personal sense and a professional one. And when she pretends to be her housemate Heather — who has no idea she’s done this — the ‘joke’ quickly envelopes her and Birdy finds herself in over her head.

With gorgeous scenery and a well-captured setting, The Summer Job is a breath of fresh air — an absolute gem of a novel. It’s an uplifting rom-com, full of wit. The dialogue is quick and clever, and the story is heartwarming and enjoyable. The storyline contains character growth, emotional depth, and the possibility of redemption.

“Her voice trails off and she looks across at me, her face contorted with a mixture of concern and confusion. Concern, I think, that a human being in real life — and not in a black-and-white slapstick film — had pointed a bottle of champagne at her face while trying to loosen an extremely stubborn cork.”

The first person POV allows an intimate insight into how Birdy is struggling with the direction of her life. Her parents are conspiracy theorists, her father an alcoholic, and she’s never had a stable relationship. When she meets James, and the other wonderful people who work at the Scotland restaurant, she starts to feel like she belongs. But she’s living a lie — how is she going to weave her way out of this? The novel builds slowly, taking readers to a rather tense, climactic ending.

Birdy’s voice is instantly inviting. She’s warm, charming and quick-witted, but she also possesses a certain level of maturity that allows her to reflect on her situation and understand how to survive in it.

I did find the final couple of chapters a little disappointing. There’s a big confrontation, and then most of the resulting chapters skip ahead in time. I almost felt like there was 50 pages missing — an entire chunk of the book that got condensed into mere pages. But I guess wanting more pages in a book is a good sign.

“She gives the impression that nothing is ever a secret around her, and if it was, it would be sensible to fess up straight away. She stands up and wanders over to the wine rack, reaches behind one of the bottles and pulls out a packet of Marlboro.”

Fabulous, escapist and fun, The Summer Job is one of my favourite reads of 2021. Highly recommended alongside a nice glass of red. Readership skews female, 25+

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

The Summer Job
Lizzy Dent
April 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur – Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother – demands blood every year.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods – drawing their attention can cost you everything.

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?

ARIADNE gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths, and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this is an exceptional debut novel.

An enchanting retelling of ancient Greek myth, Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne is an absorbing, dual POV tale of two forgotten Greek sisters — Adriadne and Phaedra, daughters of the cruel and malevolent King Minos.

Infatuated and desperately in love with the handsome Theseus (Prince of Athens), the young and naive Ariadne betrays her father and passes along the secret to defeating her brother, the Minotaur. Afterwards, Theseus’ promise to whisk her away to Athens turns out to be a falsity, and Ariadne soon finds herself abandoned on the island of Naxos. Elsewhere, we follow Ariadne’s sister Phaedra, who also comes to experience Theseus’ deception and betrayal.

“Later, would I want to claim that I was possessed of a madness, that I didn’t know what I was doing? That I moved through my story as the Fates directed, that I bore no responsibility for it myself?”

Ariadne positions its lens on forgotten women of Ancient Greece. Some readers may recognise or be aware of Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, but most will not. Their stories are often wrapped up within the tales of heroic men — other tales of might. This time, Jennifer is shining the spotlight on the sisters.

Both sisters are fierce and determined, and grow into adulthood with confidence. Ariadne takes control of her story and learns of her own strength, refusing to accept what’s expected of her. When Theseus betrays her, she finds a life for herself that makes her far happier and full of purpose than his love ever would’ve given her.

Phaedra may be more reserved and timid, but she knows when to pick her battles. She takes refuge in the shadows, protecting herself and collecting information. She builds on her suspicions about Theseus. Over time, she grows into a headstrong character who is determined to pursue her true desires, rather than simply accept the life she has.

Side note: this book has a gorgeous, gold-foiled cover that shines on a bookshelf.

“What could I say that would ever make him listen? That would ever turn his head and yank his attention sharply away from his important preoccupations — the affairs of the court, the rule of the peasants, his cool calculations that whirred away in his brain, endlessly weighing up the options before him to find what would bring him the greatest value.”

Whilst this novel far outshines criticism, there are a few faults of note.

The novel has a beautiful slow build, and readers will appreciate the character development and plot progression — the whimsical, magical feel of the story and its contents. The ending, however, feels very rushed, particularly around the conclusion of Phaedra’s story. It felt brief and sudden, and I couldn’t help but feel a little cheated.

Additionally, and I have seen this noted in many reviews, but there is a lot of info-dumping in the novel. Mostly through dialogue. Great long historical tales that go for pages and don’t feel natural in discussion. It contributed to a rather stiff and silted dialogue at times, and I found myself skimming those parts, or skipping them altogether.

“Where would one find the courage to do such a thing? I wondered. To cast away a life of riches and power and anything he desired; to give his life in the very prime of his youth for his people. To go knowingly and willingly into the snaking coils of our dungeon as living meat for our monster.”

Lyrical and gorgeously written, Ariadne will please fans of historical and mythological fiction. The novel will leave a lasting impressing on its readers.

Readership skews female.

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

Ariadne
Jennifer Saint
April 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

The Emporium of Imagination by Tabitha Bird

Welcome to The Emporium of Imagination, a most unusual shop that travels the world offering vintage gifts to repair broken dreams and extraordinary phones to contact lost loved ones.

But, on arrival in the tiny township of Boonah, the store’s long-time custodian, Earlatidge Hubert Umbray, makes a shocking realisation. He is dying . . .

The clock is now ticking to find his replacement, because the people of Boonah are clearly in need of some restorative magic.

Like Enoch Rayne – a heartbroken ten-year-old boy mourning the loss of his father, while nurturing a guilty secret.

Like Ann Harlow, who has come to the town to be close to her dying grandmother. Though it’s Enoch’s father who dominates her thoughts – and regrets . . .

Even Earlatidge in his final days will experience the store as never before – and have the chance to face up to his own tragedy . . .

Enchanting and evocative, Tabitha Bird’s The Emporium of Imagination is a heartwarming story about confronting past mistakes, missed conversations, and lost loved ones. Set over a period of 21 days, we glimpse into a magical world of possibility, within the four walls of an impossible store.

Set in the rural town of Boonah, Queensland, we meet Earlatidge Hubert Umbray as he’s setting up the new Emporium store one evening. He’s the custodian of the magical shop, which among other wonderful things, allows visitors to receive phone calls from family and friends who are either deceased or astray. It allows visitors to confront and overcome long-held secrets and anxieties.

As we soon learn, Earlatidge’s time as custodian is almost over, and he must find someone new to take over his work.

“I want to scream that word all over the house. Yell it at the walls that are scuffed up because he let us play soccer in the hallway. Yell it in the backyard where we used to wrestle and where he rescued Nipper from the top of the water tank. Yell it in his empty bedroom…”

A sweet tale with a gorgeous cast of characters. We meet three boys grappling with the recent death of their father, and their exhausted grandmother who is desperately trying to raise these boys the best she can. We meet a woman who has recently lost a close friend and is about to lose her beloved grandmother, and we come to understand Earlatidge’s story and how — through great loss — he came to be custodian of the Emporium store.

Anyone who has lost someone, or lost touch with someone, will be able to relate to this story. It’s beautiful and moving, but it’s also quite heartbreaking. We meet characters when they’re at their lowest point — they’re in desperate need of some guidance and direction, some wise words. The store offers them that.

“The key. A cantankerous key. Over the years, it has appeared in ordinary places like pockets, under doormats, in letterboxes and inside his shoe. But it has also hidden in more unusual places like the bottom of a maple syrup bottle in Canada or inside a pint of Guinness. Until the key makes an appearance, Earlatidge is always careful not to gulp his drinks.”

The Emporium of Imagination is about grasping the life you have left, and pursuing what you really want. It’s about accepting the past is in the past and moving on, but acknowledging the importance and necessity of grieving. It’s about the comfort you can find in those around you. With a little magic and imagination, you’ll get the answers you seek.

This book is reminiscent of children’s fairytales — whimsical, hopeful and enchanting. It’s a novel that will wrap you up and engage you until you’ve read the final page. Tabitha’s writing is descriptive and full of beautiful prose and general wonderment.

“Earlatidge is right about the note. No matter what I do with the phone invitation, it keeps coming back like a determined stray animal. I find it in my jeans pocket, on my bedside table and under the blankets. It even blocks the water coming out of my tap as I’m trying to brush my teeth. Reluctantly, I keep it.”

An enduring tale alive with possibilities, The Emporium of Imagination is recommended for fans of magical realism, family saga and literary novels. Readership skews female, 30+

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

The Emporium of Imagination
Tabitha Bird
April 2021
Penguin Random House Book Publishers

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly

Georgeanne Woolsey isn’t meant for the world of lavish parties and demure attitudes. So when civil war ignites the nation, she follows her passion for nursing during a time when doctors considered women a bother on the battlefront. She and her sister Eliza venture from New York to Washington, D.C. to Gettysburg, and while involved in the war effort witness firsthand the unparalleled horrors of slavery.

In the South, Jemma is enslaved on the Peeler Plantation, while her sister, Patience, is enslaved on the property next door. Both live in fear of LeBaron, an abusive overseer who tracks their every move. When Jemma is sold by the cruel Anne-May just as the Union Army comes through, she sees a chance to escape – but only by abandoning those she loves.

Anne-May is forced to run the Peeler Plantation when her husband joins the Union Army and her brother enlists with the Confederates. Now in charge, she uses the opportunity to follow her own ambitions and is drawn into a secret Southern network of spies . . .

Based on true events, Martha Hall Kelly’s Sunflower Sisters is an evocative and engaging historical novel set during the American Civil War. At over 500 pages, Sunflower Sisters takes us from the plantation homes where slaves were treated inhumanely, all the way to war-torn New York City and the horrors of the battlefield front. Not afraid to shy away from the tough realities of war, Martha places a female lens on a historical time in American history.

Since reading this, I’ve realised it’s the third book in a series set in this time period (After Lilac Girls and Lost Roses). However, each book is standalone and you don’t need to read either of the others to follow this one.

Sunflower Sisters is written in third person POV and switches between three women affected by the Civil War — nurse Georgy, Peeler Plantation slave Jemma, and the horrid homeowner Anne-May. Martha writes with intimate and unique POV, giving us incredible insight into how these women felt during this short snapshot of their lives. The writing is seamless and draws the reader in immediately, with three very different voices and three women whose lives will heavily intersect by the end.

“As my sister drove on, I opened the little leather book, the virgin paper smooth and white, to find an ivory-coloured silk bookmark, a pretty little magnolia embroidered at the top. I ran one finger down the silk, so much like the lacy underthings he sold at the shop.”

Despite Anne-May’s flaws, all three women are determined, bold and refuse to give up when faced with hardship. During a time when there weren’t very high expectations placed upon women, all three of these characters rose beyond those around them. They’re headstrong and fierce, and young women will find themselves falling for Georgy and Jemma in particular.

I read a lot of historical fiction and it’s rare to have a ‘villain’ as one of the main characters, let alone with their own perspective we follow. It felt quite refreshing to have Anne-May in the story — I feel like she added something unique to the genre and I liked finding out how her story would progress, the good and the bad.

From the detailed notes at the end of the book, it’s clear how much research went into writing Sunflower Sisters. The extensive work that Martha put in prior to writing is evident in every page.

“I stood on the porch overlooking the tobacco fields that ran down to the river, Ma, Pa, Celeste, and Delly bent at the waist over the young tobacco plants. That scene from up there’d take your breath away, the wide river beyond, until LeBaron rode into view, up on his horse with his whip coiled at his thigh, and you remember it was all just a place to keep us chained for their own use.”

Admittedly, Georgy’s story does lag a little bit in the middle, and I felt unsure of her purpose in the book until her path crossed with Jemma.

Although I did really love the romance that budded between Georgy and Frank, Jemma’s love story felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped and I wasn’t sure if it was necessary in the novel. It felt like it was put in to please readers, and not because the story demanded it.

“To meet our ship, Eliza and I boarded the tugboat Wissahickon, whose captain agreed to deliver us…It all seemed peaceful enough below deck, neatly made beds, the sounds of a well-tended ward, sepulchral whispers and a few moans. But I could feel it coming. That peace would not last long.”

Raw, vivid, expertly written and filled to the brim with three-dimensional characters, Sunflower Sisters is highly recommended reading for fans of historical fiction. A sweeping saga indeed. Readership skews female.

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

Sunflower Sisters
Martha Hall Kelly
April 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

From the bestselling and Booker Prize winning author of Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, a stunning new novel – his first since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature – that asks, what does it mean to love?

This is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.

A thrilling feat of world-building, a novel of exquisite tenderness and impeccable restraint, Klara and the Sun is a magnificent achievement, and an international literary event.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s eighth novel Klara and the Sun imagines a polluted world where wealthy parents can buy their children Artificial Friends, state-of-the-art androids that educate and accompany their child as they mature. Klara, our protagonist, may not be the most recent model, but she’s observant, intelligent, watchful and remarkable in her own right. Klara is purchased by the young but ailed Josie, whose parents fear may die from her illness like her sister did years earlier.

Despite being set in the future, I didn’t read this as dystopian or science fiction. Admittedly the setting and world-building is deliberately kept quite vague but also, I read this as a story of humanity and connection, set in an alternate world where circumstances are harder to overcome — society has been tainted by pollution and technology has proved superior.

“Still, there were other things we saw from the window — other kinds of emotions I didn’t at first understand — of which I did eventually find some versions in myself, even if they were perhaps like the shadows made across the floor by the ceiling lamps after the grid went down.”

Whilst the plot may appear a little quiet and simplistic, Kazuo’s writing is filled with human observation — insightful description of how humans act, think, move and behave. Themes of loneliness run underneath the novel, subtle but present. Stylistically, Kazuo’s writing is stripped and bare, but poetic and layered.

Kazuo also explores notions of class and importance in the novel. There are numerous references to children being ‘lifted’, and therefore of higher class in society. Being lifted is to be genetically edited, boosting intelligence and academic performance. It’s considered normal, and preferred. Josie’s mother lifted both her daughters, and then both children suffered from side effects. Josie’s older sister died, and it looks like Josie is going to die as well.

Josie’s neighbour Rick is not one of the lifted, and his status is remarked upon quite frequently in the novel. It brings his mother great anxiety and stress, and there’s a scene where a group of women are expressing their disagreement with his situation. Why didn’t his mother ‘lift’ him?

“I found strange for a while not only the lack of traffic and passers-by, but also the absence of other AFs. Of course, I hadn’t expected other AFs to be in the house, and I was in may ways pleased to be the only one, since I could focus my attention solely on Josie. But I realised how much I’d grown used to making observations and estimates in relation to those of other AFs around me, and here too was another adjustment I had to make.”

Some reviewers have criticised the narrative voice in the story, but whilst Klara is at times a bit robotic, her point of view offers a rather unique perspective on Josie’s life and family dynamic. Truthfully, I found this book engrossing and enriching.

“As I say, these were helpful lessons for me. Not only had I learned that ‘changes’ were part of Josie, and that I should be ready to accommodate them, I’d begun to understand also that this wasn’t a trait peculiar just to Josie; that people often felt the need to prepare a side of themselves to display to passers-by — as they might in a store window — and that such a display needn’t be taken so seriously once the moment had passed.”

A haunting but warming tale that I’d highly recommend, particularly for fans of literary fiction. I’ve struggled with a few of Kazuo’s previous works but Klara and the Sun is very accessible. I imagine seasoned teenage readers might also enjoy this.

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

Klara and the Sun
Kazuo Ishiguro
March 2021
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers