JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Careering by Daisy Buchanan

careering (verb)
1. working endlessly for a job you used to love and now resent entirely
2. moving in a way that feels out of control

There’s a fine line between on the right track and coming off the rails.

Imogen has always dreamed of writing for a magazine. Infinite internships later, Imogen dreams of any job. Writing her blog around double shifts at the pub is neither fulfilling her creatively nor paying the bills.

Harri might just be Imogen’s fairy godmother. She’s moving from the glossy pages of Panache magazine to launch a fierce feminist site, The Know. And she thinks Imogen’s most outrageous sexual content will help generate the clicks she needs.

But neither woman is aware of the crucial thing they have in common. Harri, at the other end of her career, has also been bitten and betrayed by the industry she has given herself to. Will she wake up to the way she’s being exploited before her protege realises that not everything is copy? Can either woman reconcile their love for work with the fact that work will never love them back? Or is a chaotic rebellion calling…

Daisy Buchanan’s second novel Careering follows two career-driven women and their unhealthy relationship with their jobs — from toxic environments and underpaid roles, to unrealistic expectations around how many hours to work each day. Most of us will be able to recognise elements of this in our careers.

Careering moves between Harri and Imogen, reflecting opposing sides of the toxicity of a workplace. Harri, in her 40s and boss of the media outlet, feels hurt by management’s decisions to shut her out of Panache. She’s exhausted and perhaps spent too long drinking the company Kool-Aid – maybe now she’ll realise what she really wants.

And Imogen, young and hungry. Desperate for full-time work with the magazine she’s always adored. But perhaps it isn’t what she thought it’d be — mismatched information and feedback, no clear direction, little pay, and no certainty of job security or career progression. Perhaps she’s placed Panache on a pedestal, and it’s time to chase another dream.

“On Monday, Harri was hopeful. By Friday, she’s exhausted. She’s crashing out in the Cafe Cucina — again, terrible, but so handy for the office — and trying to listen to Giles’ long list of woes, complaints and grudges, and how Giles has effectively been left to run Panache single handed.”

Careering presents us with a situation most commonplace — how hard are we willing to work for our ‘dream job’, long after the passion has dissipated? And what is an appropriate sacrifice to make to try and achieve that dream job? How long is it acceptable to work for free, or for minimum wage? What about long hours when we’re still considered junior in the company, with very little chance to progress through the ranks.

The novel also explores the pressures we can feel to fit in at a job, particularly somewhere illustrious like the fashion industry. From changed names to expensive outfits, most of the characters in this novel are presenting a facade very far from who they really are behind closed doors.

“Still, I’m so tired of doing this dance. Sam’s excuses for the lack of this imaginary job have been so creative, inventive and impressively consistent that it’s almost baffling that he’s failed to find any critical acclaim as a novelist.”

Careering heroes female sexuality and empowerment — the novel zeroes in on the importance of media outlets adapting and growing with its readers. Understanding readership is integral to launching something new, something daring, and Imogen’s writing material proves popular and timely.

Over time, Harri grows too desperate to succeed that she starts to lose sight of what she’s actually wanting to achieve. She loses sight of quality, as she hunts down quantity. While Imogen feels like the clear protagonist of the novel, Harri brings a contrasting perspective into the story and opens up the readership to an older demographic.

“To be fair, Tabitha should not have to explain herself when her outfit works as a sort of living CV. There is so much to take in, my brain didn’t fully process it all as she walked through the door. From the waist up, she’s dressed as Gene Kelly in On the Town, in a puffy white sailor blouse, with a navy blue collar.”

Sharp and observant, Careering fits well alongside authors such as Dolly Alderton, Beth O’Leary Emma Jane Unsworth and Anna Hope. Another tale about a woman taking control of her situation, in career and in love. Readership skews female, 20+

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

Careering
Daisy Buchanan
March 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

PARIS, 1919.

Young, bookish Sylvia Beach knows there is no greater city in the world than Paris. But when she opens an English-language bookshop on the bohemian Left Bank, Sylvia can’t yet know she is making history.

Many leading writers of the day, from Ernest Hemingway to Gertrude Stein, consider Shakespeare and Company a second home. Here some of the most profound literary friendships blossom – and none more so than between James Joyce and Sylvia herself.

When Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Sylvia determines to publish it through Shakespeare and Company. But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous book of the century comes at deep personal cost as Sylvia risks ruin, reputation and her heart in the name of the life-changing power of books…

Effortlessly capturing the atmosphere and world of 1920s Paris, Kerri Maher’s The Paris Bookseller is set during a pivotal time for Western literature, following bookseller Sylvia Beach as she endeavours to publish James Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses, which had been banned in the United States. This is a fictional take on the events that transpired from 1919 through to 1936.

Written in third person, Sylvia Beach is crafted with depth and layering. The real Sylvia Beach has long been considered a pioneer and champion in the world of literature not just because of her bookshop Shakespeare and Company, but her involvement in assisting James Joyce on his plight to publishing his now infamous novel Ulysses. I suspect many readers who pick up this book will be largely unaware of who Sylvia was and how involved she was in bringing Joyce’s novel to life.

“Whether his characters were sitting in an outhouse or discussing Hamlet, Joyce spared no detail, leveling the vulgar with the sublime. Here was a book that brooked no compromises, and was unwavering in its clear-eyed portrayal of Stephen’s and Leopold’s minds and bodies.”

The book follows two plotlines. The first is Sylvia’s relationship with fellow bookseller Adrienne Monnier, and the second is her determination to publish James Joyce’s banned novel Ulysses, which presents itself a wealth of complications and hurdles, even after it’s completed.

Sylvia’s relationship Adrienne is probably the least enticing element of the book, and that’s purely because there wasn’t any drama in that storyline and so it felt a little dull. They were both incredibly supportive of each other, and those around them were supportive of their same-sex relationship. Nothing was really at stake between them, so I never felt overly invested in their relationship.

Sylvia’s friendship with James Joyce was the most engaging in the novel — her selflessness and his encompassing talent. He comes across unsure, anxious and at times, obsessive over his writing. And Sylvia remains loyal to him, even when she doesn’t need to be. Even when she must make sacrifices — largely financial — to continue working with him. Over time, Sylvia starts to realise Joyce’s true nature as his ego inflates and his success grows.

“She wasn’t sure how Adrienne did it, but no matter how late she’d been up, she was always in her store by nine, awake and smiling. Sylvia sometimes didn’t drift in until eleven, at which time Adrienne would her tongue at her, then give her some task to complete.”

The Paris Bookseller is very much about the emotional journey for Sylvia Beach and isn’t intended to focus too heavily on the journey of those around her. Whilst I would’ve loved a bit more of an exploration into James Joyce’s character, I understand that’s not what the author intended.

Admittedly, sometimes it did feel a little like a convergence of genres — part historical fiction, part women’s fiction. This was about bringing to life the time period and the setting, but also the bookshop and its journey, the significance of some of the literature we come across. But it was also so heavily rooted in Sylvia’s relationship with herself, her family, her career, her own insecurities, and her relationship with Adrienne. At times it just felt a little like the book wasn’t entirely sure where it wanted to sit within genre.

“Sylvia was touched by this scene of domestic tenderness, and all her questions about the hitherto seemingly mismatched man and wife were suddenly and forcefully answered.”

Poetic and emotional, The Paris Bookseller is recommended for readers of historical women’s fiction. Readership skews female, 30+

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

The Paris Bookseller
Kerri Maher
February 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

Loving Lizzie March by Susannah Hardy

Life is not going to plan for failed fashion designer Lizzie March, and then she finds herself pregnant to super-hot bad boy Jake Wheeler.

Convinced that he’s The One, now all she has to do is make him realise that she is The One for him!

But is it possible she’s been looking for love in all the wrong places? Maybe everything she has ever wanted is right under her very own stilettos.

Susannah Hardy’s debut novel Loving Lizzie March is a romantic comedy about life, love and friendship in your 30s. Lizzie’s relationship history is a bit of a trainwreck and her fashion career is on hold. Actually, it seems like her friendship with best friend Clem is the only stable element of her life, but even that’s starting to blow up. Lizzie’s life isn’t heading where she thought it would, and she needs to learn to take control.

Most of the humour in the novel is situational comedy, rather than humour in dialogue. We meet Lizzie as she’s stalking her colleague and former one-night-stand, climbing on top of his bin trying to find out he’s home or not. That opening alone sets the tone for the rest of the novel, and gives us a clear picture of who Lizzie really is.

I would’ve loved a bit more humour in her workplace, if there was capacity. She sells wine over the phone, which is kind of quirky. Her job at the call centre is used as a setting rather than a plot device, so we don’t really get much of a sense of her actual work at the call centre and that could’ve been an opportunity for even more humour in the novel. But I did like how Susannah set up the tension between Lizzie and Jake at work, as well as the other colleagues who weave in and out of the story.

“Most conversations with my mother centre around the same subject: Mr Right. And how and when I’m going to meet him. As far as she’s concerned, being thirty and single is a tragedy. She simply cannot understand why I haven’t been snapped up.”

Pacing is a strength in this novel, and I think that’s an important factor in women’s fiction — especially romantic comedies. We need to move through the story at heightened speed, and it needs to feel like a lot is happening. The protagonist’s life needs to feel chaotic in order to trigger self-reflection, and eventually, self-improvement. Being written in first person allows Lizzie to reflect on her life choices and acknowledge her mistakes. It also allows for an authentic voice to come through, and it aligns with the genre really well.

The nappy bag idea is cute, and the relationship between Lizzie and Clem is one of the strongest components of the plot. The majority of people who read this novel will be women and they’ll be able to relate to Lizzie and Clem’s friendship. It’s long-lasting and it’s secure, but there are also expectations that need to be met. Lizzie tends to railroad conversations and doesn’t really think about what Clem is going through, and Susannah has set up quite a complex dynamic between the two women that reflects everyday life. Their personalities certainly allow for interesting interactions — Clem is the sensible, emotionally secure, level-headed lawyer and Lizzie is…Lizzie.

“I’m thrilled with my idea. I’ve never had any sort of plan before so I’m already one step ahead. Now, all I have to do is be mysterious and aloof — occasionally resist the advances of a devastatingly handsome man to whom I’m pregnant, as well as incredibly attracted and desperate to marry. Piece of cake.”

There is a level of absurdity to the storyline, and things do feel like they wrap up a little too neatly. Whilst Lizzie does grow on the reader over time, she is quite unlikable in the beginning — and dare I say, certifiably bonkers. The segue into the drugs arrest was a bit bizarre, and shoe-horning the storyline about Cherie into the novel felt a bit unnatural. Sometimes the dialogue felt a bit inauthentic, like I couldn’t see the conversation playing out in real life.

But the intended audience for this kind of book won’t care about any of that. They’ll be glad to delve into an easy, light read. Something you could imagine reading on a plane, if we can ever go anywhere again. On a beach somewhere, far away. Loving Lizzie March will take your mind off all that’s going on in the world right now.

“After inheriting my nana’s sewing machine, I chose textiles as my elective and I loved it. My teacher, Miss Wilton, was fantastic. She was young, hip and inspiring, and encouraged me to really push myself and my creativity in all sorts of wacky directions.”

Heartwarming and heartfelt, Loving Lizzie March is for readers of women’s fiction and chick lit. Readership skews female, 25+

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

Loving Lizzie March
Susannah Hardy
July 2021
Pan Macmillan Publishers

My Daughter’s Wedding by Gretel Killeen

Nora Fawn’s daughter, Hope, disappeared four years ago. Nora has never known why. Refusing to answer her mother’s calls, emails or texts, Hope maintained contact only with her big sister, Joy. Having once considered her mothering to be the greatest achievement of her life, Nora’s spent these Hope-less years searching, aching, mother-guilting, working for a famous yet talentless artist and avoiding her own emotionally repressed mother, Daphne.

But … last night Hope rang out of the blue to say, ‘I’m coming home, I’m getting married, the wedding is in three weeks and it’s your job to organise it.’ Desperate to prove her worth as a mother and regain her daughter’s love, Nora commits to the task – assisted by her own increasingly dementia’d mother and her two best friends, Soula (an amateur bikini-line waxer) and Thilma (whom they found in a cab in the 1980s).

Contemporary women’s fiction about three generations of mother-daughter love, Gretel Killeen’s My Daughter’s Wedding is a fast-paced exploration into the complex family dynamics between women, and how broken relationships can always be mended.

I liked the structure of the novel, and the premise. My Daughter’s Wedding is formatted as a diary entry, which feels instantly accessible. You’re placed right in the centre of the action, and you’re involved in the journey the entire way. The concept of the estranged daughter allows Nora to reflect on her past mistakes, and we also witness a lot of similarities between Nora and her own mother.

The book is filled with a large cast of eccentric characters, all with interesting backstories and tiny quirks that make them memorable. This definitely feels similar to Gretel’s other fictional works — all quite out-of-this-world, wacky tales.

“Yes, it was after all that, when I was looking for Hope’s birth certificate in preparation for registering her wedding, that I found you, Dear Diary. And it was then that I decided to quietly start writing in you over the forthcoming wedding week as evidence of how perfectly I’ve behaved should anything untoward come to pass and anyone/everyone try to blame me.”

Unfortunately, this book didn’t live up to its potential. Yes, it’s a unique, funky story. No doubt about it. But I felt that the characterisation and the growth that’s required in a novel — even a comedic one — just wasn’t present in this. I think Gretel was going for a mad cap adventure, but the main character is in her 50s and the readership are adults and I’m just not sure that it works. No spoilers, but the entire storyline/premise about Aspen was too over-the-top to be enjoyable.

“I didn’t know what to say. Mum has always been great at winning arguments with me but appalling at confronting what we’re actually arguing about. I can’t blame her, I’m guilty of this too. I obfuscate and pussyfoot and hedge around the subject, for fear in fact of exactly what happened just now, an argument that leaves Mum feeling victorious and me feeling violated.”

Admittedly, I just didn’t find this book as humorous as the blurb suggested. There were a few chuckles, but mainly, I found the voice to be quite impenetrable. Nora is supposed to be in her 50s but she reads like an adolescent — stream of consciousness, scatty, unfocused, and just a little too silly to be believable as a character.

Additionally, the plot gets more absurd as the book goes on. There are commendable moments of depth, and character development, but the absurdity of the storyline seemingly dilutes these profound, notable aspects in the book. And the pacing is so quick, there isn’t really enough time to get to the know the characters, and so you don’t really find yourself warming to them.

“It’s been said that a mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child. I know this to be true. When a woman becomes a mother she loses all emotional independence. And this can never be changed. The umbilical cord is never cut. The scissors just make it invisible.”

A very light read. Recommended as a beach read, or an airport purchase.

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

My Daughter’s Wedding
Gretel Killeen
February 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

I Give My Marriage A Year by Holly Wainwright

Lou and Josh have been together for 14 years. They share two kids, a mortgage, careers and plenty of history. Now, after a particularly fraught Christmas, Lou is ready to ask herself: is this marriage worth hanging on to?

Every month for a year, Lou sets a different test for their relationship – from daily sex to brutal honesty – to help her decide if she should stay or go. Secrets are exposed, old wounds reopened and a true-to-life suburban love story unfolds.

I Give My Marriage a Year paints a sharply accurate, often hilarious picture of a modern Australian marriage. Lou and Josh are a couple on the edge, and their efforts to bring their relationship back from the brink will resonate with anyone who has ever asked themselves: is this enough?

Whose side will you take? Who deserves a second chance? And will Josh and Lou stay together or split for good?

Holly Wainwright’s I Give My Marriage A Year is contemporary women’s fiction spanning twelve months. We meet Lou and Josh after they’ve been together for 14 years and are raising two daughters. Frustrated and exhausted, Lou is giving herself 12 months to decide if she wants to stay married to Josh.

Each month, Lou sets different tasks to help her determine the longevity of their relationship. Sex every day. Therapy. Fun. Positivity. Honesty. Etc. And at the end, she has to make a decision about the future of their relationship.

The novel is well-written, well-rounded, with brief but illuminating snapshots into Lou and Josh’s lives. Each chapter evokes sympathy and empathy for the characters, presenting alternate sides to the marriage and allowing the reader to delve into the foundation of their relationship.

“This was the kind of thought he used to share with Lou. Once, she would have laughed if he said that out loud to her. Looking towards the car, Josh could tell by the set of her shoulders that she would choose note to find that funny these days. Especially not now.”

Truthfully, the characters are wildly unlikable — Lou is probably the most unlikable. She’s bitter, unapologetic. And whilst her husband isn’t perfect, I couldn’t focus much on his character because I was so distracted by my own dislike of Lou. The only likeable character in the whole book was Lou’s best friend Gretchen.

And yet, I liked this book? I kept reading? I found myself incredibly invested in their marriage? I found myself recognising others in their relationship — in their fights, their arguments, their means of pushing through an uncomfortable moment. I don’t think you can write this kind of book with likeable people in mind. Relationships are messy and ugly, and your partner sees the worst in you. We’re seeing the worst in Lou and Josh.

“They used to talk about everything, the two of them, lying in bed. It was his favourite place to be in the world, on his side, looking at Lou, listening to her talk. He liked to play with her hair while she told him stories about the kids she was teaching, about her friends, about the news, and politics.”

Stylistically, the book is a bit overwhelming. Not only do we flick back and forth between Lou and Josh in the present, we also flick back and forth between Lou and Josh in the past. So essentially, it feels like there are four timelines working to construct the history of their relationship. Not every chapter felt necessary — not every chapter felt seamless.

It does feel like this is a unique addition to the contemporary women’s fiction genre. So many stories are written about the start of a relationship, or the end of one, but what about the middle? What about when it’s been fourteen years and you’re struggling to decide whether to stay or to go? Many readers, all at different stages of a relationship, will gravitate towards this novel.

“If Lou was curious about why Josh was suddenly making plans for them, after more than a decade of her being the one who made social arrangements, organised ‘date nights’ and controlled the calendar, she didn’t say so.”

The secondary characters contributed an added layer of depth to the story and its characters. Lou and Josh’s attitude towards love, relationships, and resolving conflict can be seen in their parents’ relationships as well.

Additionally, any readers pursuing some sort of creative career may recognise themselves in Josh. He was an aspiring musician but then took a job in carpentry to help Lou with bills, and building a family. Years later, he feels like he missed an opportunity to pursue a career he really wanted.

Absorbing and intoxicating. Readership skews female, 25+

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

I Give My Marriage A Year
Holly Wainwright
September 2020
Pan Macmillan Publishers