Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty

Reviewer : Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore, False Lights & Sacred Lake (www.gillianhamer.com)


What we thought: Superb thriller written in a really interesting style, where the narrator weaves between present and past to bring to life an intensive court case and its background. This was the first novel I’ve read from this author and I found it engaging and a complete page turner.

Written from the POV of Yvonne Carmichael a successful scientist who has risen to the top of her field, spends time lecturing at the House of Parliament, and enjoys a loving marriage and excellent home life. When she falls for a stranger and begins a passionate affair, she believes she is intelligent enough to cope with both separate threads of her life. But after an attack by a colleague at a work’s party, her life takes a dramatic turn she would never have envisaged in her wildest dreams.

I particularly enjoyed the law court house and the way the author used the first person POV to make the reader feel every twist and turn right down into their gut. Unsure at first the whys and wherefores of the case, it’s not long before the reader is predicting what will happen next.


I listened to the audio version of the book and thought Juliet Stevenson did a wonderful narration, able to bring out every nuance and emotion. From a female perspective, the careful way the author took us into darker side of Yvonne’s character was fascinating, and I found the whole story believable.

I’ve already downloaded another book by this author and hope it’s as thrilling a read as this one!

You’ll enjoy this if you like: Gillian Flynn, Jo Jo Moyes, B.A.Paris

Avoid if you don’t like: Sex with strangers.

Ideal accompaniments: Chardonnay and cheese nibbles.

Genre: Contemporary

Available on Amazon

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Reviewer : Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore, False Lights & Sacred Lake. (www.gillianhamer.com)


What we thought: “I tattooed a number on her arm. She tattooed her name on my heart.”

If that line doesn’t trigger a mix of emotions and a need to know more, then do not read this book. If it does, then prepare for one hell of a journey.

Based on the true story of Lale Sokolov who found himself at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1942 and through a series of unfortunate circumstances was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival - inking numbers into his fellow victims' arms to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.

The job became his private hell and his private salvation in equal measures, and probably resulted in him surviving the war to go on to tell his story – although death came very close on more than one occasion. He used the tiny amount of power his job gave him to help feed many hundreds of prisoners by bartering goods found in inmate’s clothing for food and essentials which he shared amongst the camp.

But this is also a love story. What gave him the real strength to survive was his love for fellow camp mate, Gita. And their story will lead you on a rollercoaster ride of emotion that you will never forget – and nor should you.

I read this book over one weekend, so gripped was I by this story of love and despair, hope and compassion, encased by some of the worst human atrocities known to man. I’ve read many war stories before, but getting this direct from the horses’ mouth from a close up POV, gives a new perspective to the time. I’d urge anyone with an interest in history to read this book, and hope it serves to help us never forget.


You’ll enjoy this if you like : John Boyne, Wilbur Smith, Andrew Turpin.

Avoid if you don’t like : Wartime stories and human cruelty.

Ideal accompaniments: Weak vegetable broth and soda bread.

Genre : Historical


Available on Amazon

This Small Cloud: a Personal Memoir by Harry Daley

Reviewer: David Dawson

What We Thought:

It’s unusual to review a book that’s out of print, but I highly recommend this fascinating dive into England’s social history, and a time when being gay was punishable by imprisonment. This Small Cloud was published posthumously in 1987. There are second hand editions available, and I’m willing to lend my copy. It’s an important book.

Harry Daley was born in Norfolk in 1901. He knew from an early age that he was gay. During his life he was a merchant seaman, a London policeman, a member of the Bloomsbury Set, and E. M. Forster’s lover.

He encountered many famous people, including Prime Minister Bonar Law, the women’s rights campaigner Marie Stopes, and media magnate Lord Beaverbrook.

Daley’s writing is candid and direct. In life he was honest and open, and never hid the fact that he was gay. He writes about the prejudice he faced, both in youth and later in the Metropolitan Police in London. He never denied his sexuality, but importantly, he never allowed senior officers in the police force to get the better of him, or hold back opportunities from him.

He was bullied by some of his colleagues, and describes in the book how the bullies “were ex-Guardsmen who looked on homosexuals as a source of extra income. They couldn’t resist telling of their adventures with rich old queers but anxious not to give themselves away completely always ended with ‘Of course – directly he touched me – biff bang wallop.’ Of course!”

In the mid-twenties he became a part of the Bloomsbury Set and began a relationship with E. M. Forster. The writer was not the only person to fall for Daley, and Daley is clear that his preferences were for what he called “normal men” who were older, rougher and stronger than himself.

This was a surprising book in many ways. Daley gives fascinating descriptions of a side of early twentieth century Britain I had not read about before. His writing style is accessible, and he tells a good story. This is first-hand social history, and it’s first-rate.

You’ll enjoy this if you loved: Fighting Proud by Stephen Bourne

Avoid if you dislike: Some limited descriptions of gay sex

Ideal accompaniments: A spam sandwich and a pint of stout

Genre: Autobiography LGBTQ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Small-Cloud-Harry-Daley/dp/0297793586

The Worst Journey in the World by John R McKay

Reviewer : Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore, False Lights & Sacred Lake. (www.gillianhamer.com)

What we thought: I was keen to read this novel when it became available for a Bookmuse review as I am a big fan of this writer and enjoyed his earlier novel 'The Absolution Of Otto Finkel'. And I have to say I was as captivated by this latest offering.

George Martin is an inexperienced 19-year-old Navy recruit who finds himself part of the mission to protect supply boats trading with Russia during World War II across some of the most inhospitable oceans in the world. We get to know George before he signs up, and meet his friends and family in his home town of Liverpool. We see how he acclimatises to life in the Navy on his first posting to Malta, and how he develops and matures as Navy life becomes more gruelling. When George’s frigate is hit and he’s forced to abandon ship, the reader is taken through his lowest period when injuries and the cruel conditions threaten to end his life.

Although this is a work of fiction, it has roots in the stories of wartime sea journeys to and from Russia, and the untold of stories of the normal men who were left to survive in some of the worst conditions imaginable. The story is cleverly told from George’s POV and although the attention to detail has obviously taken many months of research, the reader never feels bogged down with information and the story progresses at a balanced pace. Characterisation is superbly handed and the dialogue of the period feels completely natural.

I soon found myself engrossed in George’s life and eager to turn each page to see when the story would take us, especially in some of the most tense episodes. Another excellent book from this talented writer and I very much look forward to reading more books from him in the future.

You’ll enjoy this if you like : Alexander Fullerton, Wilbur Smith, Andrew Turpin.

Avoid if you don’t like : Wartime stories and cold weather.

Ideal accompaniments: Powdered egg and a mug of Bovril.

Genre : Historical

Available on Amazon

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

Reviewer: David C Dawson

What We Thought:

There are some writers whose writing is so beautiful, and so profound, that you have to pause and reread sections of their work. Did he really pinpoint exactly how I felt in a similar situation, over thirty years ago? Did he reawaken that profound memory, locked inside my mind, and phrase it with such exquisite elegance?

Aciman is one of those writers.

This is his first novel. And yet the writing is confident, spare, and pin sharp in its depiction of a six-week romance between a seventeen-year-old boy and a twenty-four year old man.

It is the mid 1980s, and Elio is a precocious teenager on holiday with his academic, liberal parents on the Italian Riviera. His summer routine of reading, composing at the piano and lazing by the pool is shaken by the arrival of Oliver, a young American lecturer from Columbia University. He has come to assist Elio’s father with his academic work. Oliver is bright and brash. He sometimes irritates Elio with his use of the dismissive word “Later” instead of “Goodbye”.

Elio first swoons, then makes clumsy, naïve passes at Oliver. We are unsure whether Oliver is interested, or is even gay. Aciman creates an intricate cat and mouse game between the two, viewed through the eyes of the hormonally charged Elio.

A large part of the book paints an accurate picture of teenage insecurity and frustration. Then the passion kicks in, and things really heat up. The writing is very sensual, and very beautiful. There is a speech delivered by Elio’s world-weary, seemingly all-knowing father towards the end of the book that had me welling up at its poignancy. “Right now there’s sorrow,” he says. “I don’t envy the pain. But I envy you the pain.”

The film of this book came out last year, and captured the atmosphere well. But inevitably the screen adaptation omitted sections of the original. If you have seen the film and not yet read the book, I urge you to do so. There is a completeness in the original text which is missing from the film.

This is far more than a gay coming of age romance. It is a timeless evocation of love

You’ll enjoy this if you like: A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White

Avoid if you don’t like: Some limited description of gay sex

Ideal accompaniments: A fresh ripe peach

Genre: Romance, LGBTQ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Call-Your-Name-Andre-Aciman/dp/1843546531

Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon

Reviewer : Gillian Hamer, author of The Charter, Closure, Complicit, Crimson Shore, False Lights & Sacred Lake. (www.gillianhamer.com)

What we thought: I have been looking forward to this book since its release, having adored the debut novel from Joanna Cannon – The Trouble with Goats and Sheep. And I’m pleased to say this didn’t disappoint! I actually wiped away a tear as I turned the final page and said goodbye to a collection of wonderful characters.

From a teenage world of the 1970’s in the first novel from this author, here we’re taken to Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly and introduced into the life of some of the inhabitants, including our lead protagonist 84-year-old Florence - and her lifelong best friend Elsie.

This book makes the reader work, and that’s no bad thing. In one thread, Florence is lying alone, having had a fall in her flat, and the author cleverly uses this to introduce flashbacks and info needed to move the story along. In others, there’s a degree of confusion as Florence’s episodes of dementia muddy the water between reality and fiction. But as ever, she has her best friend Elsie at her side to hold her hand, calm down and say the right thing.

There’s also a degree of mystery when a strange man arrives at Cherry Tree, and his appearance rocks Florence to her roots. If this is the person she thinks it is, then he drowned over fifty years ago. And when odd things begin to happen to Florence – including a fire in her flat and a curious incident with Battenberg cakes – she knows some of her own secrets have come back to haunt her.

There is everything in this book; mystery, intrigue, compassion, humour and empathy. The characters are superb, the pace handled with a delicate balance, and the voice and tone are a lesson in the craft of writing. By the time you get to the end you will have experienced every emotion known to human kind.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll be pondering the third thing about Elsie for a long time to come.


You’ll enjoy this if you like : Kate Hamer, Gail Honeyman, Celia Imrie.

Avoid if you don’t like : Dementia and the strength of the human spirit.

Ideal accompaniments: Fish and chips with extra salt and vinegar and a can of Dr Pepper.

Genre : Contemporary.

Available on Amazon

Can You Brexit without Breaking Britain? By Dave Morris and Jamie Thomson

Reviewer: JJ Marsh

What we thought:

An interactive gamebook which puts the reader in to the Prime Minister's shoes. Every decision you make has an effect and you must deal with the consequences. For such a polarising issue, this is accessible to all and good fun while making you think.

You wake up on the morning after the Brexit vote and choose your first move. Flip to the relevant page and pick your next option. When you hit a dead-end, go back to the fork in the road and have another go. This is not just about running the country, but maintaining control of your party and shining a light on yourself.

The PM must deal with quandary after crisis, all the while keeping tally of one's score under four headings: Authority, Economy, Goodwill and Popularity. Who must you keep happy? Who do you listen to? Where can you find friends? What advice dare you trust?

While witty and acerbic with a sly dig at the contemporary players in the Brexit drama, this is well researched and intelligently thought out. Facts and realities underpin every move and you cannot claim a lack of knowledge as all the implications are there on paper.

Bear in mind the British media are watching, ready to criticise everything from your choice of holiday to frivolous footwear. Reading this while watching the reality play out on our TV screens is a bizarre experience.

Highly recommended for anyone who wonders what the hell is going on and why. Warning: might possibly make you feel sorry for Theresa May.

You’ll enjoy this if you like: Witty political drama such as The Thick of It; Yes, Minister; Dear Bill

Avoid if you don’t like: Politics, the British, having to deal with the fallout of your decisions

Ideal accompaniments: Full English breakfast, a pint of British Bulldog and Bach's St John Passion

Genre: Humour, Contemporary

Available on Amazon