Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

My rating: 4/5

I was frustrated at times by the author’s voice slipping in instead of Kya’s, which distracted me from the moving plot and beautiful narrative. I wonder why Owens didn’t write this in the first person. But, I still really enjoyed this immersive read. I love a coming of age story, as well as a novel with a really rich setting, and this has both. My heart broke for Kya every time somebody left her. Owens explores isolation vs loneliness, and what happens when somebody refuses to change in order to fit in with society. Though the very ending didn’t sit comfortably with me – but I’m not sure it was meant to!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

My rating: 5/5

This is one of the books that I read once a decade or so. I think this must be my third read through. I don’t know why I’m so drawn to this bleak, tragic novel, but I find it so compelling. I think the heart of Nelly Dean makes up for the unlikeability of pretty much everyone else. The mirroring of relationships through the generations is clever, with hauntings on so many levels. The creepiness is there, but under the surface, which I love. And the wind-blown moors are such a rich setting, making their presence known on every page, almost as a character themselves. It just qualifies as a happy ending, too, which is key, for me.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

My rating: 5/5

I loved this book! It truly was an enchanting read from cover to cover. Written and set in the early 1920s, the novel tells the tale of four women (previously unknown to each other) who escape to an Italian medieval castle for a month to rest and ‘get away from it all’ – ‘it’ being mostly men! But the setting works its magic and all four women leave changed, with a good dose of joy. It’s often very funny, and von Arnim skillfully weaves the third person narration from the viewpoint of one character to the next with us hardly noticing. A real joy-filled read that I know I’ll comeback to again and again!

Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford

My rating: 4/5 stars

A fascinating and engaging novelabout the interconnectedness of people’s lives, and the universality of both suffering and hope. A clever third-person narrative tells the stories, over decades, of a number of different ‘main’ characters from childhood in WW2, right up to their old age. We see their specific joys and struggles, from the mundane to the profound. I particularly enjoyed reading about how faith helps a number of the characters. Spufford starkly shows, through one character, the all-encompassing capabilities of intrusive thoughts that is an uncomfortable read, but it is dealt with sensitively, with compassion and hope. I don’t usually include trigger warnings in my reviews, but there are a number of things in here that are especially hard, so do check them out if there might be an issue for you.

Dance of the Happy Shades by Alice Munro

My rating: 5/5

Alice Munro has a rare talent for observing everyday people and drawing out stories that are beneath the surface. This short story collection is full of characters I feel I now know better than some members of my own family! Munro focuses here on themes to do with expectations and pressures from family, on coming of age, of being forgotten. Much lurks under the surface of these richly observed tales.