Book Review no: 14 The Mother's Group by Fiona Higgins

Set in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, The Mother's Group is the story of six women from different backgrounds thrown together via the shared experience of first time motherhood. Everybody knows motherhood is not easy and through these women the reader explores the way modern women approach the journey.

Right from the beginning, you get the sense that there is more to every character than meets the eye and as the story unfolds you get to know each woman through different POV chapters. As you would expect there is a varied mix of first time mothers - ranging from a high-flying lawyer who accidentally got pregnant at 39 to a young Balinese woman, who is struggling to adapt to her new life in a foreign country with a much older husband. I thought the different POV worked well and enjoyed a different take on each section of the story as it progressed.

The Way We Write

It's interesting how your habits change over the years. When I was younger (and computer technology wasn't as advanced), I was very much a longhand writer. When I was at uni for example, I would write all my assignments by hand first before typing them up. I would then print them (on my very slow dot-matrix printer!) and hand edit before editing on the computer. 

In my defence these were the days when Windows 95 was still in its infancy and I couldn't afford to upgrade. Computers really weren't as interactive back then - in fact you couldn't even shrink your windows, let alone go on the internet.
Anyway these days I am very much a computer writer - I don't think I'd have the patience to write anything beyond a couple of pages longhand. I also mainly edit on-screen. Although I do print out regularly and edit that way too - as you can miss a lot when skimming the screen.

 It's great to have the technology we do - I'm not sure there would be as many writers out there if we had to do it the old-fashioned way!

Love The Feedback!

Without doubt one of the coolest things about being an author is receiving reader feedback. Fortunately most of it is good! I guess people who don't like your book either (a) don't finish it or (b) just don't bother sending you a letter or email to tell you so. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that something you have written has connected with a reader. After all that's your hope as you sit at the computer for months on end and craft your story. It's amazing how one little email, Facebook comment or best of all - a handwritten letter - can really boost your spirits.

As a reader I often wondered whether authors read their mail or appreciated it, now I know they definitely do and there is no such thing as too much feedback. It is all absolutely welcome.

Book Review no: 13 Ghost Child by Caroline Overington

Back in 1982 a five year old boy dies after apparently being bashed by strangers on his way home from the shops. Immediate suspicion is cast on the story being told by his mother and her boyfriend and much speculation and scandal haunt the Barrett housing estate, west of Melbourne for years to come. Although the case is gradually forgotten, it is suddenly thrust back into the spotlight almost 30 years later when the sister of the victim faces court on an unrelated manner. Will the real story finally be revealed after all these years?
 In some ways Ghost Child is almost like a non-fiction book, as it tells the story through the veiwpoint of multiple witnesses - eg the investigating police officer, journalists, social workers etc. In saying that, it didn't detract from the story - in fact it worked quite well as you got a sense of the crime from many different perspectives. The writing itself is very good - well paced and tight. 

Book Review no: 12 Malicious Intent by Kathryn Fox

Dr Anya Chrichton has just started freelancing in the male dominated field of forensic pathology, but work is sparse - until she is asked to look into the seemingly non-suspicious death of a teenage girl from a Lebanese background. A few minor details from the case are disturbingly similar to another case she is working on....then another and another. Too bizarre to be a conincidence, Anya realises she has uncovered some kind of sinister plot and more frighteningly, that a serial killer is on the loose.
 I was a big fan of Patricia Cornwell's early work and this book reminded me a lot of that. With the strong female lead character working in the same male dominated field and the gory (yet fascinating) details of forensic pathology as the theme, I was hooked right from the beginning.

Book Review no: 11 At Home With The Templetons by Monica McInerney

The Templeton family live in a stately home near the Victorian city of Castlemaine. While the other kids get to have fun on the weekends, the Templetons have to dress up in period costume and run tours of their home (Templeton Hall) - which prove to be a surprise hit with tourists. Having only recently arrived from England, they keep very much to themselves. At first their neighbour Nina is happy to maintain a distance. But then, their lives become interlinked and she finds herself drawn into their family and all its dramas, not entirely willingly.

Beach Magic

What is it about the beach that is so instantly calming? Some say it is a perfect balance of yin and yang, others suggest that the salt water is very cleansing. Whatever the reason, a walk on the beach, or better still a swim always has a magical effect!

 

Book Review no 10: Come Back To Me by Sara Foster

Mark and Chloe are solicitors working for a London firm. They've shared a past, but Chloe is now happily married to Alex and life is good. But then, one night at dinner in a restaurant, Mark introduces his date Julia to Chloe and Alex and everything suddenly changes. Although they deny knowing each other, it's obvious that Alex and Julia have some kind of connection. Eventually it is revealed that they did know each other many years before and now have to face up to something that happened that has haunted both of them since.

This story drew me in right from the start. Chloe's life is going well, too well as it turns out, and now she is thrust in the middle of something she had no part in. It is obvious that whatever happened to Julia and Alex has scarred them both, but Julia much more so. But as the story moves on you learn of Alex's guilt over not being able to stop the event or protect Julia from harm.

Book Review no 9: Beyond Fear by Jaye Ford

Having recently read Jaye Ford's other book (Scared Yet?), I was really looking forward to reading this one and it definitely didn't disappoint. Once again the setting is in NSW, close to Newcastle - although this time it is a remote B&B in the middle of nowhere. This, of course, is a perfect setting for a thriller/suspense novel.

Four mothers set off for a weekend away from kids/husbands. Driving along a quiet, dark country road they are run off the road by another car - forcing them to stop and wait for help. While all the women are shaken by the ordeal, it is Jodie who is freaked out the most. Unknown to her friends she was a witness to a horrific crime years before and bears physical and emotional scars as a result.

Book Review no 8: Where Have You Been? by Wendy James

Having recently read Wendy's most recent novel The Mistake, I couldn't wait to read another one of her books and Where Have You Been was also a gripping read.

Susan Middleton is living a comfortable suburban life in Sydney. Married to the unexciting but stable Ed and with two young children, she has managed to overcome the trauma of seeing her older sister disappear more than twenty years before and watching her mother suffer mental illness until her recent death. Her mother's will, however, has a major twist. Before the estate can be settled, efforts must be made to locate Susan's missing sister Karen, so she can claim her inheritance. Similar to The Mistake, Wendy James has taken a compelling topic and spun it into a mystery that captured my attention from the first page.