Book reviews

Not sure what to read next? Then take a look at some of the books reviewed by the people of Balderton...

Lucilla Andrews
No time for romance
What a gem of a book. Autobiography - now I have to find her hospital romances and that will be something I have never touched before. Lucilla Andrews is very much of my generation but what a different war. We all know nursing was a lousy ill paid job - no vocation - but what an eye opener.

Roopa Farook
Bitter sweets
This is a novel spanning three generations starting with an arranged marriage in Bengali in the 1950s to London in the 1980s. It is based on secrets and lies, in each generation, and normally I wouldn't have bothered to finish it, but it kept me engrossed, and I had to know how their lives panned out. I enjoyed reading this book.

Roopa Farook
Bitter sweets
Initially I believed this story would be a classic post-colonial tale set against a backdrop of wonderfully rich landscapes and foreign lands. However, it shifts quickly to an English setting and although this was slightly disappointing, I soon became heavily involved in the characters as they grew and changed over the course of many years. I agree with the first review in that the author really wants you to connect with the characters, and it is this above all that keeps you turning the pages. Although the story is largely concerned with secrets and deceptions. I could really relate to some of the everday problems and concerns of the characters. There is little action but the story doesn't really need it as it flows seamlessly from one emotional trail to another. The ending was a little too neat for my liking.

John Grogan
Marley and me
A delightful book. Well written and easy to read, difficult to put down! The story of the growing up of a dog and a family. Full of beautifully described incidents usually funny occasionally sad. I shed a few tears on a couple of occasions. Took me back to life as a child with our dogs.

J.K. Jerome
Three men in a boat
A most enjoyable novel. Three men decide to take a rowing boat for two weeks on the River Thames and the novel describes the mishaps and events that occur to them. As they pass various places of history they give an account of the events that took place there. Lots of humour.

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