At the weekend it was a real pleasure to share details of the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitkin Trust Young Writer of the Year Award shortlisted books in a post you’ll find here. I’m thrilled that every one of those books is on my TBR and today I’m sharing my review of one of them – My Darling From the Lions by Rachel Long. My enormous thanks to Zara Gillick at FmCM Associates for sending me a copy along with the other shortlisted books.

My Darling from the Lions is published by Picador and available for purchase here.

My Darling From the Lions

Rachel Long’s much-anticipated debut collection of poems, My Darling from the Lions, announces the arrival of a thrilling new presence in poetry.

Each poem has a vivid story to tell – of family quirks, the perils of dating, the grip of religion or sexual awakening – stories that are, by turn, emotionally insightful, politically conscious, wise, funny and outrageous.

Long reveals herself as a razor-sharp and original voice on the issues of sexual politics and cultural inheritance that polarize our current moment. But it’s her refreshing commitment to the power of the individual poem that will leave the reader turning each page in eager anticipation: here is an immediate, wide-awake poetry that entertains royally, without sacrificing a note of its urgency or remarkable skill.

My Review of My Darling from the Lions

A collection of poetry.

My Darling from the Lions is not always an easy read. This is because Rachel Long is unafraid to present her poetry with shocking images, forthright language and brutal truth. I found the collection disturbing and though provoking, not least because there is a feeling of personal honesty that made me feel I had been given an intimate insight into the world of a woman I’ve never met. There’s also humour, affection and gentleness so that this collection feels well balanced, nuanced and engaging. The characters presented by Rachel Long in her poems are vibrant and real, woven into her words every bit as much as I suspect they are woven into her life. I loved meeting her mother particularly.

There’s a fascinating variety in the presentation and structure of the writing. The repetition of Open throughout the first half of the collection with its slightly changing format and pronouns made me realise how interpretation is everything, how we adopt different personas for different audiences, so that My Darling from the Lions has the ability to teach the reader as well as entertain them.

Whilst I found some of the poems challenging, unsure if the meanings I derived from them were the intention of Rachel Long, I found the themes in My Darling from the Lions absolutely universal. The role of women, sexuality, relationships, matriarchy, love, challenge, race, society and so on are as tightly threaded into the poetry as the personal stories behind them, so that they resonate completely with the reader. Here we uncover what it is like to be a person of colour, a female and, curiously, an outsider who also belongs completely. I found this aspect of Rachel Long’s writing fascinating.

My Darling from the Lions is a startling collection that doesn’t give up all its secrets easily. Rather it needs, and deserves, several readings and much thought. I fear I have only scratched the surface of Rachel Long’s writing and I’ll be returning to this anthology again and again to learn more about what it really is to be My Darling from the Lions. I really recommend exploring it for yourself because it’s fresh, exciting and intriguing.

About Rachel Long

Rachel Long is a poet and the founder of Octavia – poetry collective for womxn of colour which is housed at The Southbank Centre, in London. Long’s poetry and prose have been published widely, most recently in Filigree, Mal, The White Review, The Poetry Review and Granta.
Her debut poetry collection, My Darling from the Lions, is forthcoming from Picador in August 2020.

You can follow Rachel on Twitter @rachelnalong.

I think there’s a certain magic about short stories because they allow the reader a real sense of satisfaction in completing a read even when life is challenging, and a full length novel might feel too much. Consequently, I’m delighted to welcome Miriam Burke to Linda’s Book Bag today to start off the blog tour for her debut collection. Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Miriam Burke

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Miriam. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

It’s a pleasure to be invited into your world of great thoughts and fine feelings.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought my collection of short stories called Women and Love. It’s my first published book of fiction and the wonderful Renard Press are just about to publish it.

How exciting. Congratulations on your debut fiction. What can we expect from an evening in with Women and Love?

The stories are set in contemporary London and they explore how women deal with different kinds of love. The women come from very diverse cultural and social backgrounds.

I grew up in the West of Ireland when it was culturally very monochromatic and I was fascinated by the cultural and social diversity of London when I came to work here as a clinical psychologist in hospitals and GP practices. One of the joys of working in the NHS is that you can see someone who is homeless in the same room on the same morning as someone who is extremely privileged. So the collection was inspired by the richness and diversity of life in contemporary Britain.

Goodness. I expect you see all kinds of life in your day job Miriam. Has that influenced your characters?

Quite a few of the characters are gay or lesbian, but the stories aren’t about being gay; they portray the gay and lesbian characters dealing with the challenges everyone faces in love and life.

That sounds as if you’re writing about people rather than labels to me. Brilliant!

Many of the stories involve characters from one social world having to interact with characters from a very different world. And if the pandemic has taught us nothing else, it has taught us that our lives are interconnected. We have a responsibility towards each other.

Oh I couldn’t agree more. The fragmentation of society concerns me. We need to support one another because we are, as you say, interconnected. Why did you choose to write short stories rather than a novel?

I love short stories and I hope the genre becomes more popular, because it is very well suited to fast-paced lives and new technologies. Irish people and Americans love short stories, but the British haven’t been so keen on them, so you’ve been missing out on the hidden treasures and pleasures of the form!

Not me! I love short stories and they often feature here on the blog. You’re right, though. Too many readers dismiss them and they are missing some simply wonderful writing.

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I’ve brought along a song called ‘Streets of London‘. It’s by Ralph McTell and he asks listeners to look around them at the other people with whom they share the streets. His song focuses on people who are down on their luck, but my stories portray people who are up on their luck as well as characters who are struggling. All lives have their challenges and we’d probably be very bored if they didn’t.

I agree and I love that song. It’s timeless. Thanks so much Miriam, for staying in with me to chat about Women and Love. I think it sounds just my kind of read and I’m delighted it’s on my TBR pile!

Women and Love

‘I couldn’t sleep that night; our conversation was like a trapped bird flying around inside my head. The next morning, I texted to say I wouldn’t be coming back. I lied about having to return to my country to nurse a sick relative. I couldn’t bear to see my story mirrored in his eyes, and to see what we never had. I knew he’d understand.’

Women and Love is a thought-provoking collection of seventeen tightly woven tales about the power of love, all its trials and complications, and the shattered lives it can leave in its wake.

The stories explore a huge variety of sorts of love surrounding women in wildly differing settings, and features an unforgettable cast including GPs, burglars, inmates, emigrant cleaners, carers, young professionals, and many more. Navigating heavy themes, with a par­ticular focus on LGBTQ+ experiences, including gender dysphoria and searching for a sperm donor, the stories leave the reader burning with indignation, full of empathy and wonder.

Published by Renard Press on 23rd February 2022, Women and Love is available for purchase from Waterstones, Blackwell’s and directly from the publisher.

About Miriam Burke

A writer from the west of Ireland, Miriam Burke’s short stories have been widely published in anthologies and journals, including The Manchester Review, Litro Magazine, Fairlight Shorts, The Honest Ulsterman, Bookanista and Writers’ Forum. She has a PhD in Psychology, and before becoming a writer she worked for many years as a Clinical Psychologist in London hospitals and GP practices. Women and Love is her debut collection.

You can find out more about Miriam by visiting her website.

There’s more with these other bloggers on Twitter and Instagram too:

 

In 2019 I was privileged to be a shadow panel judge for the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitkin Trust Young Writer of the Year Award. You can read all about my experience here. All the details about this year’s 30th anniversary books and events are available here.

The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award is awarded for a full-length published or self-published (in book or ebook formats) work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, by an author aged 18 – 35 years.

The winner receives £10,000. There are three prizes of £1,000 each for runners-up.

The winning book will be a work of outstanding literary merit. The award is an annual prize, sponsored by the Sunday Times and the Charlotte Aitken Trust. The prize is administered by the Society of Authors.

You can follow the award on Twitter @YoungWriterYear, Facebook and Instagram.

I’m thrilled to have been sent a copy of all of this year’s shortlisted books by the lovely people at FMcM and soon I’ll be sharing my review of the poetry collection My Darling from the Lions by Rachel Long, but first, I’ll give you a few more details about the featured books.

You might also like to know that tickets to an exciting event featuring all these up and coming young writers to be held at Waterstones Piccadilly on Wednesday 23rd February 2022 are available here, before the winner is announced on Thursday.

Shortlist

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

She’s twenty-three and in love with love. He’s older, and the most beautiful man she’s ever seen. The affair is quickly consuming.

But this relationship is unpredictable, and behind his perfect looks is a mean streak. She’s intent on winning him over, but neither is living up to the other’s ideals. He keeps emailing his thin, glamorous ex, and she’s starting to give in to secret, shameful cravings of her own. The search for a fix is frantic, and taking a dangerous turn…

We’re all looking to get what we want – but do we know what we need?

Acts of Desperation is published by Vintage and is available for purchase here.

Here Comes the Miracle by Anna Beecher

It begins with a miracle: a baby born too small and too early, but defiantly alive. This is Joe.

Then, two years later, Emily, arrives. From the beginning, the siblings’ lives are entwined.
Snake back through time. In a patch of nettle-infested wilderness, find Edward, seventeen-years-old, and falling in love with another boy.

In comes somebody else, Eleanor, with whom Edward starts a family. They find themselves grandparents to Joe and Emily.

When Joe is diagnosed with cancer, the family are left waiting for a miracle.

From one of our finest new authors, this is a profoundly beautiful novel about the unexpectedness of life and the miracle of love.

Here Comes the Miracle, is published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson and is available for purchase through the links here.

Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn

This is a book about abandoned places: ghost towns and exclusion zones, no man’s lands and fortress islands – and what happens when nature is allowed to reclaim its place.

In Chernobyl, following the nuclear disaster, only a handful of people returned to their dangerously irradiated homes. On an uninhabited Scottish island, feral cattle live entirely wild. In Detroit, once America’s fourth-largest city, entire streets of houses are falling in on themselves, looters slipping through otherwise silent neighbourhoods.

This book explores the extraordinary places where humans no longer live – or survive in tiny, precarious numbers – to give us a possible glimpse of what happens when mankind’s impact on nature is forced to stop. From Tanzanian mountains to the volcanic Caribbean, the forbidden areas of France to the mining regions of Scotland, Flyn brings together some of the most desolate, eerie, ravaged and polluted areas in the world – and shows how, against all odds, they offer our best opportunities for environmental recovery.

By turns haunted and hopeful, this luminously written world study is pinned together with profound insight and new ecological discoveries that together map an answer to the big questions: what happens after we’re gone, and how far can our damage to nature be undone?

Islands of Abandonment is published by Harper Collins and is available for purchase through the links here.

My Darling From the Lions by Rachel Long

Rachel Long’s much-anticipated debut collection of poems, My Darling from the Lions, announces the arrival of a thrilling new presence in poetry.

Each poem has a vivid story to tell – of family quirks, the perils of dating, the grip of religion or sexual awakening – stories that are, by turn, emotionally insightful, politically conscious, wise, funny and outrageous.

Long reveals herself as a razor-sharp and original voice on the issues of sexual politics and cultural inheritance that polarize our current moment. But it’s her refreshing commitment to the power of the individual poem that will leave the reader turning each page in eager anticipation: here is an immediate, wide-awake poetry that entertains royally, without sacrificing a note of its urgency or remarkable skill.

My Darling from the Lions is published by Picador and available for purchase here.

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British, both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong, both are now artists – he a photographer, she a dancer – trying to make their mark in a city that by turns celebrates and rejects them. Tentatively, tenderly, they fall in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence.

At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it. With gorgeous, soulful intensity, Caleb Azumah Nelson has written the most essential British debut of recent years.

Open Water is published by Penguin and is available for purchase through the links here.

****

I wonder which of these talented young writers most appeals to you?

It’s a real privilege to be trusted with reviewing for My Weekly. This time I’m delighted to share my thoughts on The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson.

Published by Hodder on 17th February 2022, The Little Wartime Library is available for purchase through the links here.

The Little Wartime Library

Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. While the world remains at war, in East London Clara has created the country’s only underground library, built over the tracks in the disused Bethnal Green tube station. Down here a secret community thrives: with thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a café and a theatre offering shelter, solace and escape from the bombs that fall above.

Along with her glamorous best friend and library assistant Ruby Munroe, Clara ensures the library is the beating heart of life underground. But as the war drags on, the women’s determination to remain strong in the face of adversity is tested to the limits when it seems it may come at the price of keeping those closest to them alive.

Based on true events, The Little Wartime Library is a gripping and heart-wrenching page-turner that remembers one of the greatest resistance stories of the war.

My Review of The Little Wartime Library

My full review of The Little Wartime Library can be found online on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that The Little Wartime Library is a thoroughly immersive, engaging story that celebrates the wonder of books and the lives of extra-ordinary ordinary people through a meticulously researched historical setting. I thought it was wonderful.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Kate Thompson

Kate Thompson was born in London in 1974, and worked as a journalist for twenty years on women’s magazines and national newspapers. She now lives in Sunbury with her husband, two sons and a Lurcher called Ted. After ghost writing five memoirs, Kate moved into fiction. Kate’s first non-fiction social history documenting the forgotten histories of East End matriarchy, The Stepney Doorstep Society, was published in 2018 by Penguin. Her seventh novel, The Little Wartime Library is published by Hodder & Stoughton.

For further information, visit Kate’s website, follow her on Twitter @katethompson380 or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Today I’m delighted to share the latest of my online reviews with My Weekly. This time it’s Five Days Missing by Caroline Corcoran.

Five Days Missing was published by Harper Collins imprint Avon on 17th February 2022 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Five Days Missing

‘I did this. The most awful thing…’

Romilly disappeared hours after giving birth, leaving behind her baby. Now, those closest to her rally around to look after the little girl, and to figure out what drove Romilly to do such a thing.

Her husband Marc has an explanation that makes total sense. But is the easiest solution always the right one? And does someone in Romilly’s tight circle know more than they are letting on?

As secrets spill out and old ties are tested to their limits, one thing is clear: the truth will come out. The question is, who will still be alive to hear it?

A twist-filled, emotional tale of dark pasts and even darker secrets – perfect for fans of Adele Parks and Heidi Perks.

My Review of Five Days Missing

My full review of Five Days Missing can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that Five Days Missing is a disturbing and exciting narrative that ensnares the reader from the very first page and doesn’t let go!

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Caroline Corcoran

Caroline Corcoran’s first novel, Through The Wall, came out in October 2019. It was a Sunday Times top 20 bestseller and translated into numerous foreign languages. Her second book, The Baby Group, published in September 2020.

As well as writing books, Caroline is a freelance lifestyle and popular culture journalist who has written and edited for most of the top magazines, newspapers and websites in the UK.

For more information, follow Caroline on Twitter @cgcorcoran and Instagram.

It’s far too long since I featured Veronica Henry here on Linda’s Book Bag and given how much I adore her writing it’s high time I remedied that situation. Consequently, it gives me great pleasure to share my review of her latest book, The Impulse Purchase. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to participate in this blog tour. I was thrilled to be sent two copies of the book and I chose to share The Impulse Purchase with my Mum. The characters of Maggy, Cherry and Rose are inspiring multigenerational characters and the book got me thinking about the people I value in my life such as my Mum, sister and nieces. It’s actually my youngest niece’s 40th birthday today which feels rather appropriate when reviewing a book containing several generations.

You will find my review of Veronica Henry’s A Night on the Orient Express here and of A Wedding at the Beach Hut here. A Wedding at the Beach Hut was one of my books of the year in 2020.

Published by Orion on 3rd February 2022, The Impulse Purchase is available for purchase through the links here.

The Impulse Purchase

Sometimes you have to let your heart rule your head.

Cherry, Maggie and Rose are mother, daughter and granddaughter, each with their own hopes, dreams and even sorrows. They have always been close, so when, in a moment of impulse, Cherry buys a gorgeous but rundown pub in the village she grew up in, it soon becomes a family affair.

All three women uproot themselves and move to Rushbrook, deep in the heart of Somerset, to take over The Swan and restore it to its former glory. Cherry is at the helm, Maggie is in charge of the kitchen, and Rose tends the picturesque garden that leads down to the river.

Before long, the locals are delighted to find the beating heart of the village is back, bringing all kinds of surprises through the door.

Could Cherry’s impulse purchase change all their lives – and bring everyone the happiness they’re searching for?

Escape to the glorious Somerset countryside with this joyful and uplifting story of family, love and hope.

My Review of The Impulse Purchase

Cherry’s acting on the spur of the moment.

You know, sometimes a book come along that simply feels  – right. That is the case with The Impulse Purchase. It’s mature, thoughtful and beautifully written so that Veronica Henry’s words draw in the reader from the very first page, ensnaring them into this world of women and their relationships. And whilst men do impact on the lives of Cherry, Maggie and Rose, as well as some of the minor characters like Nicole, it really is women at the heart of this narrative.

It’s so refreshing to find women of three generations so perfectly balanced in the story. Here there is someone for any reader to identify with. Cherry, Maggie and Rose have their flaws, their insecurities and their vulnerabilities, but they are realistic in depiction, making what happens to them really important for the reader. The Impulse Purchase has feminism and independence threaded through it, but in a manner that is absolutely convincing so that whilst Veronica Henry teachers her reader that they really can do anything they set their minds to, there’s no contrived misandry undermining the lovely story.

Whilst I loved the plot and the effortless way the lives, backgrounds and hopes of the three main women were woven into the narrative, it was the gorgeous quality of Veronica Henry’s writing that I found so affecting. Her descriptions of nature, and the glorious sensuous presentation of food in particular, made reading The Impulse Purchase feel immersive and affecting. I found my visit to Rushbrook just wonderful.

The themes too are mesmerising. Confidence, mental health, addiction, family, responsibility, impulsivity and decision making are woven through the story with a deftness that is absolutely engrossing. Veronica Henry has compassionate insight into what makes us human and she presents her characters and their inner feelings with consummate skill.

Filled with warmth, humanity and love, The Impulse Purchase is the book we all need in our lives to give us a sense of belonging and connection. I loved it – and it gave me the confidence to make an impulse purchase of my own! Oh – and Mum thoroughly enjoyed it too!

About Veronica Henry

Veronica Henry has worked as a scriptwriter for The Archers, Heartbeat and Holby City amongst many others, before turning to fiction. She won the 2014 RNA Novel of the Year Award for A Night on the Orient Express and is a Sunday Times bestselling author of over twenty books. Veronica lives with her family in a village in north Devon and can often be found cooking up the perfect seaside feast.

Find out more by visiting Veronica’s website or following her on Instagram or Twitter @veronica_henry. You’ll also find her on Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I had the privilege of attending the online launch for The Whale Tattoo by Jon Ransom on 3rd February and was so completely mesmerised by Jon’s reading from the book and the story behind it that I simply had to invite him onto Linda’s Book Bag to tell me more about it. I’m delighted he agreed to stay in with me today.

Staying in with Jon Ransom

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Jon and thanks for staying in with me to chat about The Whale Tattoo.

Thanks for having me Linda, and for coming to the launch.

My pleasure. I loved hearing about the book. For those not lucky enough to be there, what can we expect with an evening in with The Whale Tattoo?

I hoped your readers might enjoy busting beneath the river where I’ve conjured a story about a lad who though imagined, is not unlike myself, queer and working class.

I think many writers draw on their own experiences Jon.

Called The Whale Tattoo, I wrote the first draft on my mobile phone while traveling to work on the bus, and am excited with early reviews: ‘A stunning achievement – one of the most impressive and assured debuts I’ve ever read.’ Matt Cain

Endorsement by writers like Matt Cain must be mind blowing Jon. I have to say, the part I heard you read makes me agree!

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I have brought my copy of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, because I have admired this story for as long as I can remember.

I imagine the sense of difference and the depth of emotions in this book have inspired your own writing. I’m absolutely thrilled to have The Whale Tattoo on my TBR and cannot wait to read it for myself. Thanks so much for staying in with me Jon. Let me give readers a few more details about The Whale Tattoo:

The Whale Tattoo

When a giant sperm whale washes up on the local beach it tells Joe Gunner that death will follow him wherever he goes. Joe knows that the place he needs to go is back home.

Having stormed out two years ago, it won’t be easy, nor will returning to the haunted river beside the house where words ripple beneath the surface washing up all sorts of memories. Joe turns to his sister, Birdee, the only person who has ever listened. But she can’t help him, she drowned two years ago.

Then there’s Tim Fysh, local fisherman and long-time lover. But reviving their bond is bound to be trouble.

As the water settles and Joe learns the truth about the river, he finds that we all have the capability to hate, and that we can all make the choice not to.

Ransom’s fractured, distinctive prose highlights the beauty and brutality of his story, his extraordinarily vivid sense of place saturates the reader with the wet of the river, and the salty tang of the sea.

Published by Muswell Press on 3rd February 2022, The Whale Tattoo is available for purchase in all good bookshops and online, including directly from the publisher, from Bookshop.org and Gays the Word.

About Jon Ransom

Jon Ransom was a mentee on the 2019 Escalator Talent Development scheme at the National Centre for Writing. He was awarded a grant in 2021 by Arts Council England to develop his next novel. Ransom’s short stories have appeared in Foglifter Journal, SAND Journal, Five:2:One, and most recently in Queer Life, Queer Love. He lives in Cambridgeshire.

You can find out more by following Jon on Twitter @JonLRansom and Instagram.

It gives me enormous pleasure to share the latest of my online reviews with My Weekly. This time it’s The Staycation by Cressida McLaughlin.

The Staycation was published by Harper Collins on 3rd February 2022 and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Staycation

Travel agent, Hester Monday, has been keeping a secret …

Thanks to her fear of flying, she hasn’t been on a plane in years. Now Hester wants to make a good impression on her newest client, Jake Oakenfield, who was heroically injured saving an old lady, and is now laid up in a luxury hotel.

For Jake, unable to return to New York, binge watching Netflix just won’t do. He wants Hester to invent the ultimate escape and re-create her most magical holidays abroad from the confines of his hotel room.

As their perfect mini-breaks around the globe take on a life of their own, Hester wonders if her world of make-believe is all starting to feel just a little too real…

My Review of The Staycation

My full review of The Staycation can be found online on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that The Staycation is a joyous narrative fizzing with fun, romance and sexual tension that transports the reader away from the mundanity of life into an enchanting world.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Cressida Mc Laughlin

Cressida Mc Laughlin is the bestselling author of uplifting, romantic books including The Canal Boat Café, The House of Birds and Butterflies and The Cornish Cream Tea series.

She grew up in London surrounded by books and with a cat named after Lawrence of Arabia. She studied English at the University of East Anglia and now lives in the beautiful city of Norwich with her husband David.

Apart from writing, Cressy loves terrifying ghost stories, romantic heroes and Henry Cavill.

When she isn’t writing, Cressy spends her spare time reading, returning to London or exploring the beautiful Norfolk coastline.

You can find out more information on her website and follow her on Twitter @cressmclaughlin, Instagram and Facebook.

I’m delighted to share another of my online reviews with My Weekly. This time it’s of One Bad Thing by M.K. Hill. And no, we aren’t related!

Published by Head of Zeus Aries on 3rd February 2022, One Bad Thing is available for purchase through this link.

One Bad Thing

A twisty and chilling thriller about a woman who did one bad thing when she was young… and must now suffer the consequences.

She thought she’d got away with it. She was wrong.

Hannah Godley is an agony aunt on a London radio show Queen of Hearts. She’s warm and empathetic; a good listener. Her catchphrase is: Be kind, always. But when a stranger phones in to tell a tragic story about her brother who killed himself after he was the victim of a terrible prank by two people, Hannah goes cold. Because she remembers Diane’s brother well. In fact, all these years later, he still haunts her dreams. All because of that one bad thing she did when she was young…

Is Diane just a sad, lonely woman looking for a friend, or does she know what Hannah did, and is looking for revenge? Because as Diane insinuates herself into her life and family, Hannah is going to discover that you can never truly escape that One Bad Thing you did – sooner or later, you’re going to have to pay the price…

My Review of One Bad Thing

My full review of One Bad Thing can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that One Bad Thing is an absolute corker. I found it exciting, twisty and completely compelling. It’s gone straight on my list of books of the year for 2022!

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About M.K. Hill

Mark Hill was a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer before becoming a full-time writer. The first novel in the Sasha Dawson series, The Bad Place, was described as ‘everything a police procedural should be’ by The Times, who also named it as their crime book of the month. He lives in London.

For more information about Mark, you can follow him on Twitter @markhillwriter, find him on Facebook or visit his website.

With Stacey Halls’ The Familiars still on my TBR and my review of her excellent Mrs England here, I was thrilled to find the U3A book group choice this month was another of her books, The Foundling as I’ve been meaning to read it since it was published. It’s a real pleasure to share my review of The Foundling today. I’m looking forward to hearing what the other book group members think too.

The Foundling was published by Bonnier imprint Manilla in 2020 and is available for purchase here.

The Foundling

Two women, bound by a child, and a secret that will change everything . . .

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at London’s Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the child she has never known. Dreading the worst, that Clara has died in care, Bess is astonished to be told she has already claimed her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl – and why.

Less than a mile from Bess’s lodgings in the city, in a quiet, gloomy townhouse on the edge of London, a young widow has not left the house in a decade. When her close friend – an ambitious young doctor at the Foundling Hospital – persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.

From the bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds . . .

My Review of The Foundling

Bess has given up her day old baby Clara to the the Foundling Hospital.

The Foundling is a fabulous book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What Stacey Halls does so well is to conjure her era and setting with such skill that it never interferes with the narrative, but enhances it so smoothly that the reader is entranced and swept along in the events. I thought the depiction of London in the late 1700s and the contrast of Bess and Alexandra’s lives and homes gave an atmosphere that was perfect, with the senses fully involved so that the sights, sounds and smells of London permeate the story. This is a book that has been meticulously researched so that reading it makes the reader somehow feel confident that it is authentic and accurate, enhancing the considerable enjoyment of reading it.

The plot of The Foundling races along, giving superb insight into the historical setting. There’s no sentimentality here, but instead a razor sharp understanding that wealth and power do not buy love and contentment. The actions of Ned belie the saccharine working class honesty sometimes presented in historical fiction so that he, as are all the minor characters, is realistic, vivid and believable. Even Daniel, who isn’t physically present in the story feels absolutely essential to its success as a novel. I finished the book feeling confused by my reaction to Daniel, unsure if I could forgive him his infidelities and the consequences of his actions. This added to my enjoyment in reading further as I love a book that makes me think and remains with me after I’ve finished it.

Whilst Clara is a highly effective catalyst for the action, and for whom I felt a surprisingly profound concern, given how little I really like children, it is Bess and Alexandra who are so compelling in The Foundling. Stacey Halls weaves herstory into history with incredible aplomb. It felt natural to lean towards Bess and like her the most, especially when life contrives against her, but Alexandra gradually penetrates the reader’s defences so that I ended the book feeling she deserved my pity and respect rather than initial dislike. Her brittle personality, her fragile and yet simultaneously strong mental state make her fascinating. More than any other character, and despite her privileged position, she is a victim of circumstance and the events of her past.

I loved the themes of The Foundling. The exploration of motherhood and family alongside themes of betrayal, fear, mental health, society, social class and love make The Foundling multi-layered and immensely satisfying to read. I found myself completely captivated by the excellent story-telling. It might be the story of Clara, Bess and Alexandra that entertains the reader, but the backdrop of 1700s London life flows behind the narrative as effectively as the Thames against which so much of the action takes place so that The Foundling is a rich, rewarding book.

I loved The Foundling. I thought it was atmospheric, touching and brilliantly entertaining and I really recommend it.

About Stacey Halls

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, the Independent, the Sun and Fabulous. Her first book, The Familiars, was the bestselling debut hardback novel of 2019, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ Debut Book of the Year. Stacey Halls is available for interview, to write features and events. Stacey lived in Hebden bridge where the book is set while writing Mrs England and has done extensive research include at the Norland Nanny school in Bath. Key themes include ‘gaslighting; women & power and the fetishisation of nannies.

For more information about Stacy, visit her website. You can follow Stacy on Twitter @stacey_halls, and find her on Instagram too.