Sarah's Key - A Book Review

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay is a dual narrative containing both factual history and fiction. I found it to be a heart-wrenching, absorbing, emotional and informative book about the darkest time in France’s history - the Holocaust.

Paris, July 1942. Sarah Starzynski is ten years old when she and her parents are arrested by the French police. Before leaving, Sarah secretly locks her younger brother, Michel, in their childhood hiding place, a cupboard in the family's apartment. She pockets the key and promises him that he will be safe and she will return in a few hours to let him out. They are then taken to the Vélodrome d'Hiver as part of the Jewish roundup.

Paris, May 2002. Julia Jarmond is a journalist and on 60th anniversary of the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup, she is asked to write an article about this bleak event in France's history. Shockingly she discovers that this cruelty is mainly carried out by the French police. Through her investigations, she stumbles upon a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia is compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from the atrocity of the Vel’ d'Hiv roundup, to the camps. Julia probes into Sarah's past, travelling from France to America and Italy searching for answers. Her search for answers leads her to question her own place in France and to reassess both her marriage and her life.

Sarah's Key is a disturbing, enlightening and touching, with well-developed characters. Tatiana de Rosnay offers her readers a subtle yet compelling portrait of France under occupation during WW2 and she reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

A Review of The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler

I must mention that the delightful front cover of this book is what first attracted me. The white-washed buildings and terracotta rooftops of a hillside town reminded me of a wonderful visit to atmospheric Prague.

Robert Seethaler’s, The Tobacconist, is a coming of age story about seventeen year old Franz Huchel. It’s 1937 in pre-war Austria and Franz leaves his mother on the calm shores of the Attersee for an apprenticeship with a Viennese tobacconist. People are wearing swastikas on their clothing and there are Nazis on the Ringstrasse. However, Franz soon settles into a monotonous routine with the one-legged tobacconist, Otto Trsnyek. Before long, he falls in love with a Bohemian showgirl called Anezka, whose erratic behaviour leaves him excited, exhausted and eventually, heartbroken. Who better to befriend than an ageing professor who’s a regular customer to the shop - Sigmund Freud. As fanciful as this sounds, Robert Seethaler creates an engaging and credible friendship between the two and as a reader, I quickly accepted this incongruous camaraderie. Suffering from homesickness and heartache and in exchange for a couple of good cigars, Franz receives regular, informal therapy sessions from the father of psychoanalysis, even as the Anschluss* is declared and war looms.

If I were to highlight something that didn’t ring true, it would be that Franz appears to be strangely unaware of what’s happening to the Jews under Nazi rule, or at least oddly detached from it. He is made to read newspapers every day from cover to cover as part of his apprenticeship, so I imagine he would be up to date with all wartime developments.

Otto is arrested and killed by the Gestapo and then Freud and his family leave Vienna and escape the country. Franz is alone and for a while runs the tobacconist by himself. Eventually he perpetrates an act of rebellion against the state, which seems more personal than political. He seems motivated by a sense of injustice at the circumstances of one particular event rather than by disgust at the brutal system that caused it. In my opinion, if you’re looking for an enjoyable book or deeper understanding of the early years of the 20th century, The Tobacconist is a great read.

* The joining of Austria with Nazi Germany.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Everyone is talking about the book and the film is about to be released with huge media attention. If you haven't read the book yet, here is my review of Jojo Moyes' latest bestseller. This post doesn't contain any spoilers.

Me Before You is a story about Louisa Clark, a bright young woman who is growing bored of her fitness-obsessed boyfriend and is fed up when the café in which she's worked for years, closes down. Reluctantly she accepts a temporary six month post as a carer to a young man who has been left in a quadriplegic state following a road accident two years earlier. It was either that, or work at a local chicken factory!

Will Traynor used to have an exciting well paid job, buying and selling businesses. He’s travelled the world, skiing, parachuting, diving and climbing. In the blink of an eye, his life was turned up-side down one morning as he crossed the road to hail a taxi. Will is bitter and angry, especially when his glamorous girlfriend moves on and dates a mutual friend of theirs. His family are at the end of their tether and shortly after Louisa is taken on as his carer, she hatches a desperate plan to try to convince Will that his life is worth living.

This storyline may sound a bit grim and depressing - I thought the same when I read the blurb, but I’m so pleased I overlooked my initial misgivings. Jojo Moyes writes with sensitivity and humour. She tackles the subject of quadriplegia and the rights of disabled people with great perception and compassion. The descriptions of Will's day to day existence which involves relying on others for almost every aspect of his personal care, was written with warmth and understanding.

Jojo Moyes has written a novel which has left me emotionally exhausted, inspired and incredibly impressed. Me Before You gripped me like a spiny teasel clings to clothing. I resented being drawn away from the story by household chores and the necessity of sleep and work. I frowned at the dogs as I sensed the hues outside the window become darker because a dog walk would tear me from Will and Lou. It took three days to finish Me Before You due to daily commitments, but even at work or trudging around the village green, with my spaniels, the story never left my thoughts. I found myself grinning inanely at a page one minute and wiping tears from my cheeks the next. It was an emotional, uplifting, life-affirming read. I became emotionally involved with the characters and in the storyline.

Jojo Moyes has written a book which will stay with me for a long time.

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

If I was to tell you that this book is about a family of misfits and their story mainly takes place in a car with a flatulent dog, you may think twice about buying it. If the story had been described to me in this way, I too may have passed it by as a holiday read. Oblivious to its contents and having loved Me Before You and The Girl You Left Behind, I packed The One Plus One into my case, along with several other novels, and set off to the Greek Isles last week. Once I started this book, I became instantly absorbed with the storyline and its characters.

Jess Thomas is a flip-flop-wearing single mother who works several jobs to make ends meet. She has two children; a daughter called Tanzie who has a talent for mathematics and a make-up-wearing stepson called Nicky who's addicted to playing video games. Unfortunately, Nicky's eccentric appearance singles him out and he's picked on by bullies. Nicky’s story is perhaps the most heart-breaking. “You looked like a freak, you got battered," he says of his neighbourhood. Even away from home Nicky can't escape the bullies thanks to the Internet. He's quiet and reserved but he releases his anguish in a blog, as suggested by Ed. Ed Nichols is one of Jess' clients who she cleans for. He's a millionaire who's made his own fair share of mistakes and is about to lose everything.

When Tanzie is offered a chance to compete in a Mathematics Olympiad with a chance to receive 90 per cent funding to study at a top school, Jess, Nicky and Tanzie, along with their smelly dog, attempt to drive to Scotland from the south of London to the competition. Unfortunately Jess' ex-husband's car in untaxed and she doesn't have any insurance. Before long, she is stopped by the police and the car is towed away.
Ed Nicholls just happens to be driving past when he spots the family on the roadside with the police.

Here starts a touching, emotional, yet hilarious journey to Scotland, a journey that takes several days because Tanzie is sick if the car goes above 40 mph! After a few days travelling, magic begins to take place. This quirky, makeshift family grow closer and begin to save each other. Ed uses his technological know-how to teach Nicky how to fight back against the bullies and Jess persuades Ed to face his demons and visit his dying father.

The One Plus One is a beautifully written, poignant and utterly compelling novel. I laughed out loud on my sunbed and also wiped away a tear. It's a charming, life-affirming story that I found difficult to put down. Who'd have thought that I'd be totally absorbed in a story about travelling in the rain in England whilst lying on the beach in 30 degrees?

Jojo Moyes is a novelist and a journalist. She worked at the Independent for ten years before leaving to write full time. Her previous novels have all been critically acclaimed and include The Ship of Brides, Foreign Fruit, The Last Letter From Your Lover, Me Before You and The Girl you Left Behind. She lives in Essex with her husband and their three children.

Jojo Moyes

My holiday reads and some photographs too!

It's said that if you're writing a novel of a certain genre, you should read as many books as you can of that particular style. I'm currently writing a book called The Midday Moon, a dual narrative set in Limoges, France. It's a story about two women who are related but have never met. Rachel Blaise inherits a farmhouse in Limoges in 2014, left by her great-aunt Arlette. She takes a sabbatical from nursing in London to project manage the renovation. However, she makes a shocking discovery on her first visit there and sets out to find out what tragic events led to that discovery. She finds the answers as she unearths the secrets of what happened to her great-aunt Arlette Blaise, during World War II.

I've already immersed myself in many books, both fiction and non-fiction relating to Vichy France, but decided to take the following novels on our special anniversary holiday to The Maldives, just before Christmas. Although I have a Kindle and read one Kindle book to every two 'real' books, I took my holiday reads in paperback so I could high-light dates, facts, time-lines and anything else which would add to my knowledge of what life was like during the war in France.

My first holiday read was Citadel, the final volume of Kate Mosse's Languedoc trilogy. Thankfully I started this book at the hotel at Gatwick airport, the day before we flew. It's 1,000 pages long and took almost a week to finish having squeezed it in between dolphin spotting, sunset fishing, kayaking, big game fishing and a trip to a genuine deserted island. The focus of this story is the second world war in France, but the story of resistance fighters in Carcassonne is interwoven with that of a fourth-century monk secreting a Gnostic text in the mountains, where it stays hidden for centuries. Kate Mosse delves into the stark and bloody years of Vichy France, subjecting her mainly female cast to terrible pain and anguish. She has an unwavering sincerity of tone which lasts throughout the book, her scenes are vivid and when you eventually master the myriad of names of her characters, it's an enthralling and sometimes brutal mystery which makes you want to keep reading in the shade rather than lying in the sun!

My second holiday read was Fair Stood the Wind for France by H.E. Bates. It's a comparatively slow-paced novel to begin with as a British crew crash-lands their Wellington bomber in France, following a raid in Italy. They discover a farmhouse whose occupants agree to shelter them. The pilot is badly injured and a romance gently unfolds between him and the daughter of the family who nurses him back to health. The other airmen make their own way out of France but as the Germans advance ever closer to the pilot's hiding place, he must escape before it's too late. The storyline's pace increases along with the reader's heart-beat! The final chapters are nail-biting and culminate with a series of events which shocked me and left me with my mouth gaping at the unexpected turn of events.

My third book choice was Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky. Irène started this book in 1941 where she began to write of the magnitude of what it was like for ordinary families to live through the German invasion in France. Her book falls into two parts; the first being the incredible depiction of Parisian families fleeing the Nazis and the second telling of the struggles which the inhabitants of a small rural community have to face daily, under German occupation. You'll need time and peace to read this novel as it's teeming with characters with French names, (obviously!). It's painful to read because the reader knows it's based on the truth and the incredible cruelty mankind is capable of; but even in such extreme circumstances, love finds a place. What made this novel even more poignant, is that Irène Némirovsky was torn away from her husband and daughters in 1942, and died in Auschwitch without ever finishing her book. It's breathtakingly heart-breaking to read her own story at the end of the book. Incredibly moving and can't be read without a box of tissues close by.

My final holiday read was The Book Thief by Australian author Markus Zusak. The story is narrated by Death and is set in Nazi Germany, a place and time when the narrator notes he was extremely busy! It tells of a young girl's relationship with her foster parents, their neighbours and a young Jewish man who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. I felt pretty shattered having read it. It was brutally beautiful, searingly painful, poignant, tender - wow, it was colossal. I gave it five stars on Goodreads and was literally dazed when I finally closed the back cover.

Despite the subject matter of my holiday reads being traumatic to say the least, I did have a wonderful holiday and also managed to write another 12,000 words of my novel. Here are a few photographs to prove that I had fun and enjoyed the hot sunshine in December!

Flying in a sea plane. Our first view of our island.

Dolphin spotting!

Our private beach.

Water bungalows. Ours was No.136.

Reading in the sun.

Our water bungalow's ocean view.

Every evening a beautiful sunset ended another perfect day.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You is a story about Louisa Clark, a bright young woman who is growing bored of her fitness-obsessed boyfriend and is fed up when the café in which she's worked for years, closes down. Reluctantly she accepts a temporary six month post as a carer to a young man who has been left in a quadriplegic state following a road accident two years earlier. It was either that, or work at a local chicken factory!

Will Traynor used to have an exciting well paid job, buying and selling businesses. He’s travelled the world, skiing, parachuting, diving and climbing. In the blink of an eye, his life was turned up-side down one morning as he crossed the road to hail a taxi. Will is bitter and angry, especially when his glamorous girlfriend moves on and dates a mutual friend of theirs. His family are at the end of their tether and shortly after Louisa is taken on as his carer, she hatches a desperate plan to try to convince Will that his life is worth living.

This storyline may sound a bit grim and depressing - I thought the same when I read the blurb, but I’m so pleased I overlooked my initial misgivings. Jojo Moyes writes with sensitivity and humour. She tackles the subject of quadriplegia and the rights of disabled people with great perception and compassion. The descriptions of Will's day to day existence which involves relying on others for almost every aspect of his personal care, was written with warmth and understanding.

Jojo Moyes has written a novel which has left me emotionally exhausted, inspired and incredibly impressed. Me Before You gripped me like a spiny teasel clings to clothing. I resented being drawn away from the story by household chores and the necessity of sleep and work. I frowned at the dogs as I sensed the hues outside the window become darker because a dog walk would tear me from Will and Lou. It took three days to finish Me Before You due to daily commitments, but even at work or trudging around the village green, with my spaniels, the story never left my thoughts. I found myself grinning inanely at a page one minute and wiping tears from my cheeks the next. It was an emotional, uplifting, life-affirming read. I became emotionally involved with the characters and in the storyline.

Jojo Moyes has written a book which will stay with me for a long time.

Take Note

Happy New Year

Now that the last mince pie has been eaten and we're trying to squeeze all that extra re-cycling into the bursting wheelie bin, it's time for getting into that writing routine again. Some of you will have my unstinting admiration for having written every day throughout the festivities, but although I've snatched the odd twenty minutes to read, I've not written - and I've missed it sorely! It was only when a friend asked me how much I'd managed to write over Christmas, that I realised I hadn't followed one of the basic rules I'd learnt when I first started out as a writer. That is to write every day.

We all have to start somewhere when we decide to become a writer. We're not born with the know-how so we must search for it. I'm fairly new to writing, having woken up one morning seven years ago with the idea for a book. I love deciding the fate of my characters and knowing it's me who can save them. They become my friends as if they were real people and I care what happens to them. It's me who can help them out of their difficulties and lead them to an achievement or to someone special. If I were to have one regret in life, it'd be that I didn't discover my passion earlier.

So back to some basic rules, or should I call them helpful hints? I've tried to learn as much as I can about writing techniques through reading 'how to' books, searching the internet, attending workshops and master classes, buying monthly writing magazines, joining a writing group and of course, reading other people's books. There are always a handful of tips which I read time and time again which I thought I'd highlight to all new writers.

Writing can be a lonely pastime. Develop a circle of writer-friends who can encourage you when you're struggling and celebrate with you when you're on a roll. Whether it's a local writing group or joining twitter and facebook, a network of friends can be invaluable at those moments when you doubt your ability.

Read. Keep up with latest trends and developments or your writing could begin to sound dated. By reading, you see what's selling. By understanding market awareness, you could sway a commissioning editor's opinion in your favour.

Keep feeding your imagination. Go for a walk, visit a gallery, sit in a cafe and people-watch or visit somewhere for the first time. Don't just see the day - smell it, listen to it and touch it. Look for inspiration and stock up on creative ideas.

Find time to write every day. Modern life pulls us in all directions but if we truly want to become a successful writer, we need to give ourselves time. Whether you're an early bird or a night owl, find a time that suits you and your family and make it your writing time. Forget the pile of ironing. If one thing is certain - it'll still be there waiting for you after you've finished a chapter! John Braine wrote Room At The Top from his hospital bed on a busy ward so unless both arms are in a sling, even 100 words will keep the grey cells working and the fingers flexible on those keys!

Keep a notebook and pen to hand. How many times have you thought of a perfect sentence, book title, idea or name whilst driving or lying in bed, only to later rack your brain for the forgotten information?

If you have any tips which help you and you'd like to share them, I'm all ears!! I hope you all find writing success in 2013.

Friendly Blogger Award

A big thank you to Rosemary Gemmell who has awarded me this cute green smiley award. Rosemary is a very busy lady, but always finds time to be supportive and encouraging. If you don't already, please follow Rosemary's blog! You won't be sorry.

Having happily received my Friendly Blogger Award, I now have to pass it on to people I deem to be friendly! Actually there are too many to mention, but the lovely friends below regularly comment on my posts. So...*drum roll*... I award this smiley face to,

Avril Joy I met lovely Avril at The London Book Fair, and we've been in touch for advice and support ever since. We both share the same literary agent and dreams of publication.

Kay Kay is a lovely friend from twitter. She's always just a little tweet away!

Keith Havers Keith attends my writing group in Nottingham. He's a talented writer and very supportive of my blog.

Maria Smith Maria is a lovely friend from twitter who I've meet up with for coffee and cake. It's good to have a friend to discuss our writing ups and downs with, over a few (hundred) calories!

Megan Taylor Megan was very welcoming when I first joined Nottingham Writers' Studio and continues to support my blog. She is a gifted writer, guests at literary events around Nottingham and has successful novels published.

Pam Pam is a gorgeous lady who runs The Broadway Book Club. She's a prolific reader and shares her knowledge with us at the book club. Visit her blog if you'd like to know more.

Carol Bevitt Carol is also a Nottingham Writers' Club friend and sits on the commmittee with me. Her blog is always entertaining as she shares her writing ambitions with her followers.

Thank you all once again for the support and friendship you have shown me.