Literary Brooding

American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld Paperback, 638 pages  Published July 2nd 2009 by Black Swan  (first published September 2nd 2008)  Alice is married to one of the most powerful men in the world, the President of the United States of America, Charles Blackwell but how did she get there? This is what Curtis Sittenfeld explores in her fictionalised account that is loosely based on Laura Bush. You follow Alice as young woman through to a 60 year old woman living in the White House.  As the narrator, Alice takes you into her confidence as she reveals her secrets, hopes, desires and short-comings.  Alice is interesting character as at times you are not certain if she really is naïve, unaware or just plain stupid! The reason for this is primarily the relationship she develops with Charles Blackwell.  You find it quite infuriating that a woman of this calibre is with a man like Charles Blackwell. He is not a character that you develop much empathy for. He is childish, selfis

The Bricks That Built the Houses  by Kate Tempest  Paperback, 400 pages, Published January 1st 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC  Kate Tempest has written a novel that is hard to place. It is realistic, gritty, and brutally honest. It focuses on a group of people as their lives intertwine over a period of about a year.  The two primary characters are Becky who loves to dance and Harry who is seeking a financial escape by pedalling drugs. You are dropped into their lives and you spend time with them as they navigate family, friendships, lovers, work, broken dreams and endless hope for a life that is better than what they have now. Each character’s life, their history is beautifully realised as you develop an intimate understanding of who they are and what makes them tick. You discover their families and you understand the foundations that have crafted the main characters. The writing is quite sublime and I love the way in short bursts Tempest is able to capture a sense of place,

City of Shadows (London Fae #2) by Pippa DaCosta Published July 7th 2016 by Bloomsbury Spark  This is the second book in the London Fae series and I have to admit I have not read the first book. To be honest you there is no real need to read the first in the series and DaCosta does a great job of bringing you up to speed. However, if you want to lose yourself in the series, go back to the first book and discover the detail behind how we came to the second novel. It will certainly enrich your reading experience. Alina is the protagonist who has betrayed a friend Andrew by consuming his draiocht which seems to pass on memories and allows a person to become bespelled. As an act of atonement for her behavior Alina commits to finding his missing sister. To discover the sister's whereabouts Alina joins the organization that is also determined to destroy her and she becomes involved in a high stakes game of life and death. DaCosta has built a believable world with a group of characte