A Touch of Paradise in Hell by Jan Louagie

 

                                

Hardback:  388 pages                                                                                                

Genre: Non-Fiction, History, WWI

Publisher: Helion and Co Ltd.

Source: Personal Copy

Setting: Poperinge, Belgium.

My Opinion: 

My partner and I purchased a copy of ‘A Touch of Paradise in Hell’ when we were visiting Poperinge last summer. Originally published in 2015, reprinted in 2020, it is a fascinating history of a very special place, Talbot House in Poperinge, Belgium.

Having now read in full I can assure you that having visited for ourselves, the book conveys the atmosphere extremely well. Through the medium of letters, anecdotes and illustrations you will gain a good understanding of its ethos.

If you have an interest in WWI history or just want to learn more about a period in history you know little about, I can highly recommend reading this. Even better if you can read the book and visit Poperinge for yourself it is worthwhile. We were fortunate to have visited during a tour of Belgium and had we known in advance, we could have even stayed at Talbot House as it also operates as a Guesthouse.  

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Away from the turmoil of battle in the Ypres Salient, the town of Poperinge developed into the nerve centre of the British sector. In the heart of this bustling town, the Army Chaplains Philip ( Tubby ) Clayton and Neville Talbot opened an Every-Man s Club . It was an alternative place of wholesome recreation where all soldiers, regardless of their rank, were welcome. The inspired way in which Tubby ran this home from home , turned Talbot House, or Toc H , into the best-known soldiers club of the British Army a sanctuary for half a million men on their way to or from the Front.The first part, Portrait of an Every Man s Club, paints a graphic picture of Talbot House against the immense background of the waste and horror of war, from its early beginnings at the end of 1915 till the private owner s return early in 1919. The connecting thread is provided by a wide selection of Tubby s letters, mostly to his mother. These are supplemented with extracts from his diaries and other wartime writings, as well as letters and accounts from dozens of other eyewitnesses. Together they provide an intimate, vivid and complete picture of what life at the House was like. They give us a fascinating insight into the lives that Tubby and his guests were living, the kind of thoughts they were thinking, and the visions, hopes and ideals that gripped their minds. Indeed, they tell the authentic history of Talbot House. In the second part, A Home from Home, Tubby shows us around the House so that we get a clearer picture as he passes from room to room, from the lively and noisy gaiety in the canteen to the peace and serenity in the chapel. This guided tour is flavoured with recollections of some 40 officers and other ranks relating how they experienced the unique atmosphere radiating from the various parts of the remarkable building. In A House of People, the focus is first put on the Padre and his batman, Private Arthur Pettifer. Then follows a colourful palette of stories by the innkeeper , each about one particular customer who, for one specific reason or another, stood out in his experience. But also a number of Talbotousians have a tale to tell. Browsing through their memories, five of them relate a significant incident that will forever be associated with Talbot House or Tubby. The final chapter takes us beyond the walls of the Old House. In a few poignant sketches it describes Tubby s visits to his parishioners in the slums of warfare. It portrays the comradeship of shared experiences, the excitements and the miseries, and the triumph of the human spirit over unimaginable suffering. Some rare reminiscences of the short-lived and much-tested daughter-house in Ieper complete the picture. The appendices, all wartime documents produced at Talbot House, shed further light on its early history, management and day-to-day working. "A Touch of Paradise in Hell" can not only be enjoyed by the reader at home but also can be used as a guidebook during a visit to Talbot House and serve as a Talbot House guide to the Ieper Salient and the Somme, as it links people and stories to locations. The annotations contain a wealth of interesting background information. Contains 203 b/w & 68 colour photos, & illustrations

Author Profile:

 

                                                  

                                          Courtesy of OldTalbotHouseFoundation.

Jan  has been working with Talbot House for most of his life and is the House's historian and Secretary to the Talbot House association.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Talbot House - Everyman's Club.    Tubby's Talbot House - Twitter

The Old Talbot House Foundation.     Talbot House Guesthouse

My Darling Daughter by JP Delaney

                                        

Hardback:  385 pages                                                                                                

Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller,

Publisher: Quercus 2022

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: It all starts with a message on social media.

Review Quote: A well-researched and sensitive account of the most painful kind of parenthood ― Literary Review

Setting: South of England

Main Characters: Gabe, Susie and Anna/Sky

My Opinion: 

Having read and enjoyed a previous novel by this author, ‘Playing Nice’ which was about a child swapped at birth I was drawn to this one. Especially when I discovered the theme was similar, this time about an adopted child contacting her birth mother out of the blue via social media.

A family drama unfolds when happily married Susie and Gabe unexpectedly find out that a fifteen year old daughter, whom Susie had given up for adoption at birth, wants to get to know them. Told from each of Susie, Gabe and Sky’s perspective in often short but punchy chapters. It is suspenseful reading that involves some serious issues around adoption.

As I had expected this well researched novel was a disturbing but thrilling page turner. Recommended to fans of psychological thrillers.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

The child you never knew
knows all your secrets . . .

Out of the blue, Susie Jones is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago.

But when they meet, Anna's home life sounds distinctly strange to Susie and her husband Gabe. And when Anna's adoptive parents seem to overreact to the fact she contacted them at all, Susie becomes convinced that Anna needs her help.

But is Anna's own behaviour simply what you'd expect from someone recovering from a traumatic childhood? Or are there other secrets at play here - secrets Susie has also been hiding for the last fifteen years?

Previous Review: Playing Nice

Author Profile:

 

                                            

                                                      Courtesy of Author Website

JP Delaney is a British writer of psychological suspense. His novel THE GIRL BEFORE was an instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller which sold over a million copies in 40 countries. It was adapted by him for the BBC and HBO Max in 2021. His second thriller, BELIEVE ME, was also an international and Sunday Times bestseller, as were his subsequent books THE PERFECT WIFE and PLAYING NICE. His fifth psychological thriller, MY DARLING DAUGHTER, was published in 2022.

JP Delaney has previously written bestselling fiction under other names. The Carnivia Trilogy, a series of three standalone but interlinked thrillers set in present-day Venice and written under the name Jonathan Holt, was published in more than 20 countries. 

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Author Official Website   Amazon Author Page

Madwoman by Louisa Treger

                                                     

Ebook:  304 pages                                                                                                

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Source: My Kindle

First Sentences: The barge pulled away from shore, pitching and rolling. Some of the patients were whimpering or crying out, but the guards barked at them to shut up.

Review Quote: Treger provides a moving story, particularly powerful in its depiction of Bly's desperate efforts to retain her sanity in the midst of institutional madness. ― SUNDAY TIMES,

Main Characters: Nellie Bly

Setting: Pennsylvania and New York

My Opinion: 

Always interested in reading a fictional account based on a real life character I have really been looking forward to ‘Madwoman.’ What a remarkable story Louisa Treger has created around her heroine, Elizabeth Cochran born in 1864 in Pennsylvania, USA.  Showing tremendous determination as a young woman she manages to successfully get work in, at the time, the male dominated world of journalism. Adopting the pseudonym Nellie Bly she decided to progress her career by moving to New York. 

Once there though she discovers just how hard it is going to be to get herself taken seriously as a female investigative journalist. She comes up with the astonishing idea of getting herself committed to a lunatic asylum, so that she can then write an in-depth expose of the conditions.  It is a horrifying experience and the descriptions of the cruelty and humiliation that the residents endure makes very disturbing and harrowing reading.

What a brave thing this young woman was prepared to do, not just to prove herself as a journalist but to benefit society. The author has presented the story of Nellie Bly in such a manner that you cannot fail to be throughly moved by this absorbing and emotional novel.  Once I finished reading this novel I looked into the historical background, as I knew very little about Nellie Bly. It is obvious that Louisa Treger did very through research and has produced a novel I can highly recommend with her excellent blend of fact and fiction.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Based on a true story, a spellbinding historical novel about the world's first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly.

In 1887, young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take.

But life in the city is tougher than she imagined. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous plan: to fake insanity and have herself committed to the asylum on Blackwell's Island. There, she will work undercover to expose the asylum's wretched conditions.

But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a cruelty she could never have imagined. Cold, isolated and starving, her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will - but will she ever get out?

An extraordinary portrait of a woman ahead of her time, 'Madwoman' is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world.

Previous Review: The Dragon Lady

Author Profile:

Born in London, Louisa Treger began her career as a classical violinist. She studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music, and worked as a freelance orchestral player and teacher.

Louisa subsequently turned to literature, gaining a First Class degree and a PhD in English at University College London, where she focused on early twentieth century women’s writing.

Married with three children, she lives in London.



Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Author's Official Website   Goodreads Author Profile  Amazon Author Page. 

Twitter Profile

Haven by Emma Donoghue

                                                   

Hardback:  252 pages      

Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion,                                           

Publisher: Picador 2022

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Trian's stomach growls. He's not twenty yet, still growing and always hungry.

Favourite Quote: ““To travel is to turn the pages of the great book of life.” 

Review Quote: Brooding, dreamlike . . . it’s in descriptions of the physical world that Donoghue’s prose soars . . . Likewise, among themes that include isolation and devotion, its ecological warnings are its most resonant. ― The Observer

Setting: Skellig Michael, Ireland

Main Characters: Artt, Trian and Cormac

My Opinion:

 

With this latest novel Emma Donoghue has written a story with all the emotional intensity that we now tend to expect from her writing, but this one is so very different from her previous work. The setting for ‘Haven’ is the hostile environment of the island known as Skellig Michael off the coast of Ireland. The island is best known for its Gaelic Monastery, founded between the 6C and 8C and its colonies of gannets, puffins, razorbills and grey seals. The landscape is far from welcoming as it is extremely steep and inhospitable.

Very much character driven as the reader follows the growth and development of the three characters, Artt, Trian and Cormac. The Prior, Artt and his two chosen monks are thanks to a dream of the Prior’s destined to set sail to find a remote, uninhabited island on which to set up a monastery.

A haunting tale of belief and how the men cope, or don’t as the isolation impacts on them.

It was not an easy read but I am glad I persevered, as the author’s ability to depict atmosphere and mood makes it worth the effort. 

                              

                                          Skellig Michael       

Links to Previous Reviews:  Room  The Wonder  The Pull of the Stars

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

In seventh-century Ireland, a scholar and priest called Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. Taking two monks—young Trian and old Cormac—he rows down the river Shannon in search of an isolated spot on which to found a monastery. Drifting out into the Atlantic, the three men find an impossibly steep, bare island inhabited by tens of thousands of birds, and claim it for God. In such a place, what will survival mean?

Three men vow to leave the world behind them. They set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them. What they find is the extraordinary island now known as Skellig Michael. Haven has Emma Donoghue’s trademark world-building and psychological intensity—but this story is like nothing she has ever written before.

Author Profile:

                                           
                                                              © Una Roulston 2021. 

Born in Dublin, Ireland, in October 1969, she is the youngest of eight children of Frances and Denis Donoghue (the literary critic). She attended Catholic convent schools in Dublin, apart from one eye-opening year in New York at the age of ten. In 1990 she earned a first-class honours BA in English and French from University College Dublin (unfortunately, without learning to actually speak French). She moved to England, and in 1997 received her PhD (on the concept of friendship between men and women in eighteenth-century English fiction) from the University of Cambridge. From the age of 23, she has earned her living as a writer. After years of commuting between England, Ireland, and Canada, in 1998 she settled in London, Ontario, where she lives with Chris Roulston and their son Finn and daughter Una.


Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Emma Donoghue - Official Website   Twitter Profile.   Facebook Profile

Wikipedia - Skellig Michael

The Elopement by Tracy Rees

 

                                       

Hardback: 417 pages

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction 

Publisher: Macmillan 2022

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Thursday, the middle of February. It was cold and dark, the wind and rain battering the attic roof. A most begrudging sort of day.

Setting: London 1897

Review Quote: A beautiful book. Powerful and captivating, the story will transport you to another time and place, plunging you headlong into the lives of its characters' - Hazel Prior, author of Away with the Penguins

Favourite Quote: Brown bread ice cream is wonderful but it is simply not enough.

My Opinion:  Until I started reading ‘The Elopement’ I had no idea it was a sequel to ‘The Rose Garden’ with some familiar characters making a reappearance. The story stands alone though as Tracy Rees makes sure the reader is filled in on the back story where necessary.

The story is narrated from the viewpoints of the three female protagonists in alternating chapters. Olive Westallen, a wealthy spinster running a successful charitable foundation and as an adoptive single parent, a very independent woman. Rowena Blythe is a young lady, approaching twenty-four whose place in society means her parents are anxious for her to marry well and soon. Finally Pansy Tilney a housemaid in service, for the last seven years to the Blythe family. There is so much more to this novel than the historical romance I was expecting and was taken by surprise, in a good way, in the direction the storyline took. These young women were rebelling against the constraints of a females role in society in Victorian England. The introduction of two real life women of the period, Eliza Orme and Cornelia Sorabji into the novel added an excellent historical reference. Hence enabling the author to share with the reader the positive changes of the period for women wanting to work in the legal profession. 

This was an engaging read highlighting the social differences of the era and how Olive, Rowena and Pansy despite everything came together as friends. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction. 

Including 'The Elopement' I have so far read four of Tracy Rees's novels.  In 2016 I read Florence Grace, it was a further five years before I picked up  The Rose Garden  to read, then last autumn I read The Little House by The Sea on My Kindle during a long flight. 

Previous Reviews: Florence Grace   The Rose Garden    The Little House By The Sea

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A wealthy heiress . . .

1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday approaches, she’s expected to marry – and to marry well.

An unsuitable match . . .
Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before – wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness.

A scandal in society . . .
Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?

Author Profile:         

                                                                                        

                                                           Courtesy of Goodreads

Tracy Rees was the winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition and the Love Stories Best Historical Read award and was shortlisted for the RNA Epic Romantic Novel of the Year. 

Tracy was born in Swansea. She studied languages at Jesus College, Cambridge, then moved to London where she worked in medical publishing for years. She then did a second degree, in psychology, at London Metropolitan University before training and working as a counsellor for people with cancer and their families. She has also been a waitress, bartender, shop assistant, estate agent, classroom assistant, university lecturer and workshop leader.

Tracy and her partner divide their time between the Gower Peninsula of Wales and London.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

 Amazon Author Page    Twitter - Tracy Rees  Goodreads Author Page

The Tuscan Contessa by Dinah Jefferies

                                              

Ebook:  368 pages      

Genre: Historical Fiction                                           

Publisher:  Penguin 2020

Source: My Kindle

First Sentences: In the small piazza overlooked by shuttered windows, balconies and terracotta roofs, the heat hangs heavily, the air smells of smoke and the inhabitants are either asleep or hiding.

Review Quote: 'A stunning story of love and loyalty in wartime' Rachel Hore 

Setting: Tuscany, Italy

My Opinion: Dinah Jefferies is a favourite author of mine because she transports me to beautiful locations that come alive with her vivid descriptions. I have been a fan since her debut novel The Separation was published in 2014.

‘The Tuscan Contessa’ is set in my beloved Italy during the latter years of WWII. The descriptive narrative transports one to the hill top villages between Rome and Florence during the horrendous period of the country’s occupation by the Germans.  With the storyline weaving together historical fact and fiction the reader learns how the two main female characters Sofia de Corsi and Maxine are involved with the allied resistance movement. Suffering so much sacrifice and sadness these women are so brave and under extreme pressure, during this ugly period of Italys history.

Once again Dinah Jefferies has written a novel I throughly enjoyed and can recommend to anyone that enjoys WWII fiction.

Links to Previous Reviews:  The Separation.  The Missing Sister. The Sapphire Widow.

Daughters of War #1

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

In 1940s Tuscany, Contessa Sofia de' Corsi's peaceful home in a medieval villa among the olive groves has been upturned by the arrival of German soldiers. She is desperate to help her friends in the village fight back in any way she can, all while keeping her efforts secret from her husband Lorenzo, who fears for their safety. When Maxine, a no-nonsense Italian-American, arrives in Tuscany to help the resistance, the two women forge an uneasy alliance. Before long they find themselves entangled in a dangerous game with the Nazis, each trying to save the ones they love...

Author Profile:                

                                                  

                                                        Courtesy of Twitter Profile

Biography in her own words from her website

I was born in Malaysia but moved to the UK at the age of nine, going on to study fashion design, work in Tuscany as an au pair for an Italian countess, and live with a rock band in a commune in Suffolk.

A family tragedy changed everything, and I draw on the experience of loss in my writing, infusing love, loss, and danger with the seductive escapism of my locations. The sense of place, of history and of human nature is a heady mix in the novels.

Published in 29 languages in over 30 countries, I am currently writing an epic series for my new publisher Harper Collins (my 8th, 9th, and 10th novels) starting with Daughters of War set in 1944 in France (Sept  2021). I’ve always loved Italy but spent some years living in a tiny 16th Century village in Northern Andalusia, Spain. Now I’m delighted to have settled close to my family in the South West of England along with my husband and two enormous and very lovely Maine Coon cats.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile  Twitter Profile  Dinah Jefferies - Official Website

Amazon Author Page