Synopsis from the book cover:

Born a girl to parents who expected a boy, Jihad grows up treated like the eldest son, wearing boys’ clothing and sharing the finanacial burden of head of the household with her father.

Now middle-aged, Jihad tells her daughter a story from her life each night. As Maleka prepares to leave home to attend university abroad, her mother revisits the past of their Palestinian family, tenderly describing their life in exile in Kuwait and her own experiences of love and loss as she grows up.

Huzama Habayeb weaves a richly observed and affectionate potrait of a family displaced from their homeland, and of the women at its heart: women with too much to do, too many mouths to feed, and too many thwarted dreams. Told with humour and poise, this is a story of the love and betrayal that pursues Jihad and her family from Kuwait to Jordan to Dubai.

Thoughts on the book:

The female protagonist in this novel is a second generation refugee who was raised in Kuwait. The book explores a series of memories that build to give an overall view of Jihad’s life. I enjoyed that the chapters were themes rather than in chronological order. We know that Jihad and her daughter are safe and we are slowly learning the trials and tribulations that led to them being in that eventual place of safety and security. Despite the serious story of a displaced refugee there is a lot of humour in the book.

I would recommend this book. It is a difficult subject matter but I found it easy to read. However many others in the ShelterBox Book Club struggled to read the book and some of the group were unable to finish reading it.

Synopsis (from book cover):

Summer, 1942.  A spirited and courageous young woman, Sandrine, finds herself drawn into the world of the Resistance in Carcassonne under German Occupation.  Her network –  codenamed ‘Citadel’ – is made up of ordinary women who risk everything to fight the sinister battles raging in the shadows around them.  as the war reaches its violent and bloody conclusion, Sandrine’s fate is tied up with that of three very different men.  But who is the real enemy?  Who is the real threat?  And who is the true guardian of the ancient secrets that for generations have drawn people to the foothills of the Pyrenean mountains?

This is the story of  ’Citadel’ – an epic tale of passion, loyalty, courage and betrayal.

Review:

This is the third and final book in Kate Mosse’s Languedoc trilogy, the previous two books being Labyrinth and Sepulchre.  Labyrinth was set in the walled city of Carcassone, Sepulchre was set in Rennes les Bains and Citadel is set in the Bastide, the city just outside the walled city of Carcassonne.

I found the setting particularly enjoyable, having visited the places on my holiday to France last year. For me the book was a page turner.  It crosses two time lines, the period of world war two and the much earlier period of AD 342.

Like the first two books in the series, the two time lines eventually connect together.  The descriptive writing takes the reader back to what it must have been like during the war time occupation.  It tells of the resistance and in particular the role of women in that movement.  I won’t say any more, I don’t want to spoil the plot for anyone who has a desire to read the book.

Although the trilogy is complete I hope that Kate writes another novel based in the Midi area of France.  I thoroughly recommend the series and now feel the urge to read them from the beginning again.  Now where did I put Labyrinth…

• You can read my review on Sepulchre here.

Synopsis (from book cover):

Set in the turbulent times of twelfth-century England when civil war, famine, religious strife and battles over royal succession tore lives and families apart, The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the building of a magnificent cathedral.

Against this richly imagined backdrop, filled with intrigue and treachery, Ken Follett draws the reader irresistibly into a wonderful epic of family drama, violent conflict and unswerving ambition.  From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, the dreams, labours and loves of his character come vividly to life.  The Pillars of the Earth is, without doubt, a masterpiece and has proved to be one of the most popular books of our time.

Review:

Despite having over 1000 pages it didn’t take me long to read.  I was gripped by the characters and the many twists and turns in the story line.  I enjoy visiting grand cathedrals and churches so reading about the lives of the people who built them in the context of  the cathedral being built was particularly interesting for me.  I have a board game of the same name and reading the book has added depth to that too.

It’s 1928, Freddie Watson is still grieving for his brother, lost in the Great War.  Driving through the foothills of the French Pyrenees, his car spins off the road in a snowstorm.  Freddie takes refuge in an isolated village and there meets a beautiful, captivating woman.  They spend the night talking of love and loss and war.  But by daybreak, Fabrissa has vanished and Freddie realises he holds the key to an ancient mystery that leads him deep into the mountains, to a cave that has concealed an appalling secret for 700 years…

Review:

I found this book by chance when I was looking for different book to read over the Christmas period.  I am glad I did, it is the perfect time of year for a  Christmas ghost story. The main character Freddie, is well drawn and the reader can feel the hurt and grief that he has been left with since the loss of his brother who declared missing in action during the war.

After a bout of illness a doctor suggests that Freddie tour the castles and ruins of Ariege to recover his shattered nerves.  The descriptions of the Pyrenees transported me there, especially as I had traveled near that area earlier this year.  Freddie starts to hear whispering in the hills and following a car crash this leads him on and unexpected journey and discovery.

I found the book a fun light read with interesting characters and setting.

PS: The book I had intended to read over Christmas turned up today.  It wasn’t where I thought I had left it…

Synopsis (from book cover):

Welcome to Eden population:  Zero

Off the coast of Madagascar and on the run, underwater archaeologist Daniel Knox is searching for the wreck of a Chinese treasure ship.  But when and old friend and her father vanish from the idyllic Eden nature reserve, he breaks cover to go and investigate.

It is the opportunity for Georgian gangster Ilya Nergadze has been waiting for.  His two hit men close in fast on Knox, eager to settle and old score.  Also bound for Eden is TV zoologist Rebecca Kirkpatrick, determined to find her missing family and solve a mystery from her past.

As Knox and Rebecca chase their answers it becomes increasingly clear that Eden’s beautiful reefs and forests conceal more than a multitude of dangers and ugly truths – they also hide a lethal secret that could just rewrite the history of the New World.

Review:

This is the first book that I have read by Will Adams and although I found it a little slow to start off with it soon became a page turner.  The story continues on from where the storyline of the previous novel finished.  I didn’t find it a problem that I hadn’t read the previous novel because this story stands on it’s own. The plot has it’s share of twists and turns as the two main characters are drawn together from their separate lives.  Along the way it also covers some aspects of maritime history which is interesting in itself.

I found it an easy read with just enough plot twists to keep it interesting until the last page.  If you like this type of thriller it would be an ideal holiday read.