BOOK REVIEW: Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds.

It is a morning's lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy trek through the woods.

It is an eternity waiting for news. Or a countdown to something terrible.

It is 180 minutes to discover who you will die for and what men will kill for.

In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. Told from the point of view of the people at the heart of it, from the wounded headmaster in the library, unable to help his trapped pupils and staff, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the parents gathering desperate for news, to the 16 year old Syrian refugee trying to rescue his little brother, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the students taking refuge in the school theatre, all experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption. 

Publisher: Viking

Pages: 320

This book is intense from start to finish. Three Hours is an astonishing read from Rosamund Lupton, I cannot stop thinking about it. A school in rural Somerset is under seige in the middle of a snow storm. We follow different characters as they are terrorised for the next three hours in a horrific ordeal which could quite easily happen in real life. Each chapter is told from a different perspective, the wounded headmaster being cared for in the library by the students he is unable to protect; the drama teacher hiding children in the school theatre and distracting them by rehearsing Macbeth; the pregnant detective tasked with getting this extraordinary event under control and the Syrian refugee desperately trying to find his frightened younger brother within the school grounds without getting caught.

Lupton has you gripped and does not let go for the entire book. I was so impressed with the feelings she was able to evoke in me as a reader from shock and fear to admiration and awe. This book is about both sides of the story, Lupton explores fear and courage and how one can very easily lead to the other and sometimes with extremely negative consequences.

It is easy to tell that Three Hours has been impeccably researched, Lupton describes the processes carried out by the different members of the police force, the devastating effects of PTSD and the ways in which fragile minds can be manipulated. This book is so relevant to the times we live in and I think it particularly shows the importance of how we educate our children about the issues faced within society. They are the ones who are going to grow up and shape the future; the headmaster in the book has been trying to do just with his pupils but he comes to see how difficult that is and how easily his message can be undermined. 

Rosamund Lupton has written a realistic and terrifying thriller that will leave you with so much to consider. I was so invested in the story and felt terrified for those trapped within the school, the twists and turns towards the end are astonishing and beautifully executed. Do not miss out on this heartbreaking and thoughtful book.

BLOG TOUR: All the Rage by Cara Hunter

A teenage girl is found wandering the outskirts of Oxford, dazed and distressed. The story she tells is terrifying. Grabbed off the street, a plastic bag pulled over her face, then driven to an isolated location where she was subjected to what sounds like an assault. Yet she refuses to press charges.

DI Fawley investigates, but there's little he can do without the girl's co-operation. Is she hiding something, and if so, what? And why does Fawley keep getting the feeling he's seen a case like this before?

And then another girl disappears, and Adam no longer has a choice: he has to face up to his past. Because unless he does, this victim may not be coming back . . . 

Publisher: Viking Books

Pages: 442

All the Rage is the fourth book in the DI Adam Fawley series by Cara Hunter. I love these books and I’m always so excited when I learn that Hunter has a new one coming out, they are such a refreshing breath of fresh air within this crowded genre.

DI Adam Fawley is still trying to move on from the tragic death of his son Jake and he and his wife Alex are expecting a baby so he should be looking forward to the future. However when a young girl is abducted and viscously attacked, a bag put over her head and her hair pulled out, it sends Fawley looking back at the past. He provided evidence that saw a perpetrator put away for a long time for a series of crimes early on in his career. When another girl goes missing, Fawley must question whether he got the right person all of these years ago or have they still been out there all this time. 

Cara Hunter writes at a terrific pace, you can’t help but be completely engrossed by the story she is telling. All the Rage is so relevant for the time we live in, she addresses several different issues, sexuality, bullying, sexism, social media and much more. The narrative is interspersed with interview transcripts, newspaper reports, twitter feeds, voicemail messages and internet forums. This is what really makes Hunter stand out, these details greatly add to the story as they are so realistic. Nowadays if there is a publicised murder investigation occurring then it is not merely reported on the 10 o’clock news. Instead information is made available 24 hours a day, people will discuss it on Twitter, facebook groups will be set up and a lot of false information will appear as well as snippets of truth. Hunter goes a long way to show how this can hamper police investigations as well as help them. They have less control of what the public know so they are constantly battling to stay one step ahead. 

Hunter has some cracking twists in this one, I was very impressed with how she linked it all together and I did not see the final twist coming.  All the Rage is a real treat and I would highly recommend it as well as the rest of this fabulous series. Cara Hunter has a fabulous newsletter which you can sign up to here! I also have a copy of All the Rage to give away on my Instagram page, my username is: dotscribbles and you simply have to leave a comment on the post to be entered into the competition!

Many thanks to Viking for inviting me to be part of this blog tour and providing me with a review copy. 

BOOK REVIEW: Dear Edward by Anne Napolitano

One summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles. There are 191 passengers aboard: among them a young woman taking a pregnancy test in the airplane toilet; a Wall Street millionaire flirting with the air hostess; an injured soldier returning from Afghanistan; and two beleaguered parents moving across the country with their adolescent sons, bickering over who gets the window seat. When the plane suddenly crashes in a field in Colorado, the younger of these boys, 12-year-old Edward Adler, is the sole survivor.

Dear Edward depicts Edward's life in the crash's aftermath as he struggles to make sense of the meaning of his survival, the strangeness of his sudden fame, and find his place in the world without his family. In his new home with his aunt and uncle, the only solace comes from his friendship with the girl next door, Shay. Together Edward and Shay make a startling discovery: hidden in his uncle's garage are sacks of letters from the relatives of the other passengers, addressed to Edward.

As Edward comes of age against the backdrop of sudden tragedy, he must confront some of life's most profound questions: how do we make the most of the time we are given? And what does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?

Publisher: Viking Books

Pages: 352

I am so pleased to be part of the blog tour for this publication, I think it is a book that many will be talking about in 2020. Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano is beautifully written and one of the best books I have read about growing up.

Edward gets on a flight from New York to Los Angeles with his parents and older brother. The plane never makes it to the destination, it crashes, killing 191 passengers, Edward is the sole survivor. Physically and mentally broken, Edward leaves hospital to go and live with his aunt and uncle Lacey and John. He and they have been warned by medical staff how Edward will feel different in so many different ways after such a traumatic event but nothing can prepare them for the reality of his long and slow recovery. Edward has lost everything, he doesn’t feel like he fits anywhere until he meets Shay, a girl the same age living next door. They gradually become friends and Shay becomes Edward’s security blanket, with her by his side he feels as though he can start to face the world again,

Lacey and John have tried to shield Edward from as much publicity and knowledge of the crash as possible but Edward discovers hundreds of letters that have been sent to him. Most from the family and friends of those killed in the accident. Some asking for sightings of their loved ones, some begging him to fulfill ambitions that their relative did not get to accomplish. Edward with the help of Shay begins to use these letters as a way to move forward, he knows he has to find a place in the world, he does not need to fulfill someone else’s destiny but he does need to find his own.

Dear Edward is such a compelling story, Ann Napolitano flits between Edward in the present and Edward on the plane with his family. We get to know some of the other passengers in detail and then this is tied up with their relatives writing to Edward later in the book. I very much enjoyed Napolitano’s writing style, she is very observant and includes interesting details that give you such a vivid picture. I loved the way in which she explores and lays emotions bare too. Edward is experiencing so many different emotions and not just because of the accident but because he is a young adolescent boy. He is very sensitive to those around him and he cares deeply. His relationship with Shay is a crucial part of the book, Napolitano captured the easy nature of children especially in the first part of the book. The honesty and perspective that Shay has is vital to Edward, many of those around him are afraid to say what they think or feel in case they should upset him. Shay does not care which is why she is the perfect friend for him.

Dear Edward is one to watch out for this year! Many thanks to  Viking for sending me a review copy and inviting me on the blog tour.

BLOG TOUR: Grandmothers by Salley Vickers

Grandmothers is the story of three very different women and their relationship with the younger generation: fiercely independent Nan, who leads a secret life as an award-winning poet when she is not teaching her grandson Billy how to lie; glamorous Blanche, deprived of the company of her beloved granddaughter Kitty by her hostile daughter-in-law, who finds solace in rebelliously taking to drink and shop lifting; and shy, bookish Minna who in the safety of shepherd's hut shares with her surrogate granddaughter Rose her passion for reading. The outlook of all three women subtly alters when through their encounters with each other they discover that the past is always with us and that we go on learning and changing until the very end.

Publisher: Viking

Pages: 304

I am a big fan of Salley Vickers writing and Miss Garnett’s Angel is one of my favourite books. Grandmothers is Vickers' latest book and it is so beautifully done. It is the story of three grandmothers, Blanche, Nan and Minna and how they navigate their relationships with the younger people in their life. They are three very different characters but I found them all endearing and likeable. Nan is extremely close to her grandson Billy but has a strained relationship with her own son, she is very aware of her own mortality, going so far as taking Billy coffin shopping with her. She has had a secret career as a published and successful poet but she is most focused on giving Billy as much of her time as she can as well as teaching him a few things along the way. Blanche is the most glamorous of the three, but perhaps the most out of control. Her daughter-in-law is preventing her from seeing her granddaughter Kitty so Blanche deals with this by hitting the bottle and shoplifting expensive items from Harvey Nicholls. Minna is the quietest of the three, she resides in a little shepherd’s hut, surrounded by her toys and beloved books. She is a surrogate grandmother to Rose who she could not love more if they were actually related. Rose is having a tough time and Minna just wants to be supportive and provide her with as much happiness as she can. Gradually these three women become involved in each others lives and learn from each other as women always seem to do. 

Grandmothers is honest and tenderly written, it really made me think of the role that they play. Vickers alludes to the fact that grandmothers often have very little power yet their role can be pivotal within a family. It’s such a fine line to tread, grandmothers can’t step on any toes but they are only too aware of the mistakes they made with their own children. 

From my own experience I find that women are able to learn so much from each other and Nan, Minna and Blanche are the perfect example of this. They encourage each other to be braver and to be true to themselves, I loved watching their relationships developing as they worked each other out.

Vickers is just so good at portraying relationships and their many different nuances. It was interesting to see the three grandmothers watching the younger characters with the benefit of hindsight and experience. It made me consider just how much the parent can affect the relationship their child has with their grandparents. Blanche, Nan and Minna all have to acquiesce to their own children despite sometimes disagreeing with them where their grandchildren are concerned. This book has made me consider my own daughter’s relationship with her grandmothers and how I could be more supportive of their role in her life as they can both teach her so much. 

Grandmothers is a book that will leave you with a lot to think about, I can highly recommend it. 

Many thanks to Hannah from Viking for inviting me to be part of this blog tour, the book is out now!

BLOG TOUR: The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

1826, and all of London is in a frenzy.
Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie Langton, maid to Mr and Mrs Benham stands trial for their murder. The testimonies against her are damning- slave, whore, seductress. And they may even be the truth. But they are not the whole truth.
For the first time Frannie has the chance to tell her story. It begins with a girl learning to read on a plantation in Jamaica, and it ends in a grand house in London, where a beautiful woman waits to be freed.
But through her fevered confessions, one burning question haunts Frannie Langton: could she have murdered the only person she ever loved?

Publisher: Viking Books

The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a beautiful debut from Sara Collins. Gothic in nature, it is set in 1826 where Frannie Langton is on trial for murdering her master and mistress, Mr and Mrs Benham. The problem is that Frannie doesn't remember anything from that  fateful night. She was found sleeping next to Mrs Benham's body, her hands and clothes covered in blood. Frannie cannot believe that she would kill Mrs Benham as she truly loved her.
As she awaits trial in the infamous Newgate Prison, she writes down her life story. Born on a Jamaican sugar plantation, Frannie has always defied her position. She taught herself to read and write and she has always spoken her mind. She was originally the property of the Langtons in Jamaica, where she received much cruelty but also grasped at any opportunity. Frannie was taken to England and gifted to the Benham's as a maid and her fate was sealed. But the reader and Frannie have to decide if she really is a murderer?
Frannie Langton is a hugely complex character which makes for fascinating reading. Her fate is in the hands of others but she does all she can to retain some form of control. Teaching herself to read and write is a powerful achievement and leads her to different opportunities but in some ways it also makes her vulnerable as it causes her to stand out.
I loved the comparison between Jamaica and England. The searing heat juxtaposed with the cold and damp in London. Everything is alien to Frannie and she has no chance of fitting into society. Collins explores the emancipation of slaves and the many complexities and issues during this turbulent time. Frannie never truly has her freedom, she is passed from perso
n to person due to her sex and ethnicity.
I think this book will be very popular. I enjoy stories set during this time and it was refreshing to be taken somewhere other than just London which is where many of the books in this genre seem to be set. I enjoyed Sara Colllin's writing style, her descriptions and use of language, especially dialect, are excellent.
I can highly recommend The Confessions of Frannie Langton and I think Sara Collins is one to watch.

Many thanks to Viking Books for inviting me to be on the blog tour, don't forget to check out the other blogs.