No more dying then by Ruth Rendell

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book cover
Author: Ruth Rendell
Publication date: 1971
Publisher: Arrow Books
Pages: 276
My opinion: 
*John Lawrence is safe and well with me. He is happy playing with my rabbits on the farm. To show you this is not a hoax, I am enclosing a lock of his hair.*

On a stormy February afternoon, little Stella Rivers disappeared - and was never seen again. There were no clues, no demands and no traces. And there was nowhere else for Wexford and his team to look. All that remained was the cold fear and awful dread that touched everyone in Kingsmarkham.
Just months later, another child vanishes - five-year-old John Lawrence. Wexford and Inspector Burden are launched into another investigation and, all too quickly, chilling similarities to the Stella Rivers case emerge.
Then the letters begin. Horrifying, evil, threatening letters of a madman. And suddenly Wexford is fighting against time to find the missing boy, before he meets the same fate as poor Stella...
No more dying then starts in a simple way: a five-year old boy simply vanishes while he is playing outside. This is an ordinary beginning for such a book. However, what first seems to be a straightforward disappearance soon turns out to be far more complicated than expected. The inhabitants of Kingsmarkham are inevitably reminded of Stella Rivers' case, which took place only a few months before. Although there is no proof that there is a link between these two cases, Inspector Wexford has to examine every possibility.
The story is extremely well organised. Everything starts with John Lawrence's disappearance but the reader is then led to discover Stella's case little by little. The investigation is clearly the main interest of the story but the characters have an important role as well. So we also get to know the disappeared children's parents and Inspector Burden's family.
Ruth Rendell cleverly alternates suspense, moving scenes and moments of expectation all through the story. Going from John’s case to Stella’s, we discover how their parents react to their disappearance. The relationships between the characters are well developed and we have two completely different reactions to compare: Mrs Lawrence refuses to let go of her hope to see her son alive again, while Stella’s parents decided that life went on, even without her.
Inspector Burden’s life is unveiled little by little. As he is one of the most experimented investigators in Wexford’s team, he has an important role in the story but the scenes of his family life are extremely moving as well. Ruth Rendell uses him to show how difficult it may be for a policeman to set the limit between his job and his private life.
The reader can explore the relations between the police and the media, especially in the scenes with reporter Harry Wild. Wexford’s team needs to work in collaboration with various people to solve the mystery: the people living in Kingsmarkham, the press, and even disreputable individuals. The author guides us through a sea of faces and characters. We are never lost in it though, because we are just given the right amount of information to know who is who without being confused by too many details.
By meeting so many different characters, we do not only follow the police’s investigations. We discover everybody’s hypotheses, which give us different clues to solve the mystery… still, the suspense is kept all the way through the book and the end is unexpected.
No more dying then is a great book to read for those who want a little more than just a thrilling detective story.

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Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

laraemilie


book cover
Author: Ann Patchett
Publication date: 2001
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
Pages: 318
My opinion: 
*Maybe the private life wasn't forever. Maybe everyone got it for a little while and then spent the rest of their lives remembering.*

Kidnappers storm an international gathering housed by a poor Latin American country to promote foreign trade. Unfortunately their intended target, the President, has stayed home to watch his favourite soap. The takeover settles into a siege, bringing together an unlikely assortment of hostages, including a beautiful American opera diva, a Japanese CEO who is her biggest fan, and his unassuming translator, Gen. Two couples, complete opposites, fall in love, and a horrific imprisonment is transformed into an unexpected heaven on earth.
Bel Canto is Ann Patchett's fourth novel and its ingenious plot is based on real events: the Lima crisis in 1996 during which the Japanese embassy was taken over. After the first chapter where the takeover is described, we expect a book full of suspense and political themes. What a surprise when we discover how the story actually goes on. The author focuses mainly on the characters, their feelings, how they react to being hostages, how they organise their lives together and their relationships. Instead of the thriller that such an event would naturally lead to, the reader discovers a subtle psychological novel that puts together comedy, romanticism, tragedy, and a little bit of suspense.
The siege gives the opportunity to the characters to evolve more rapidly than they would in the real word, first of all because nobody else is admitted in their small community and because they are forced to live together. The main characters are clearly Mr Hosokawa, a rich Japanese CEO, Gen, his translator, Roxane Coss, a famous opera singer, and Carmen, one of the terrorist, but they are supported by a wide range of people. Ann Patchett uses stereotypes, which brings humour to the novel and shows the differences of culture between the different countries represented by the guests.
As most of them are foreigners, communication is difficult. This is the reason why Gen has such an important part in the book: as a translator, he is polyglot and so everybody uses him to communicate. It is an ingenious strategy to subtly let the reader know about everybody's thoughts.
After a few chapers already, we notice that the situation has completely turned around: the hostages enjoy their captivity and want the situation to last forever and the terrorists cannot escape after their mission failed and start to enjoy the situation as well. As the story goes on, the rules fade away and routine settles into their lives. The relationships develop between the terrorists and hostages and some of the characters find love. Pure and intense love that they would probably not have found in the outside world.
Music is another important theme. As we have a famous opera singer in the house, everything is linked to music. The reader discovers a rich world of operas and songs of which the author demonstrates the importance in everybody's life. 
The end happens quickly - maybe a little too quickly even - but with no real surprise, as we know from the beginning how it is going to end up. However, an epilogue gives us perspectives to think about and a quick overview of the main themes that have been dealt with in the book. 
I recommend this novel to all readers interested in psychology of the characters and to those who want to see a political affair from a different angle. The plot is interesting, the characters well developped and Ann Patchett's style is extremely enjoyable to read.

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Shadow by Michael Morpurgo

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book cover
Author:Michael Morpurgo
Publication date: 2010
Publisher: Harper Collins (Children's Books
Pages: 288
My opinion: 
*Anyway, she just appeared, suddenly, from out of nowhere. She was just there, walking alongside us for a while, then running on ahead, as if she was leading us, as if she knew where she was going.*

Never has Aman needed a friend more than when a Springer Spaniel appears in the mouth of his Afghan cave. The dog becomes a constant companion, a shadow, and that's what Aman decides to call her.
But life becomes more dangerous by the moment. Eventually, Aman and Shadow find the courage to leave. But how far can Shadow lead them? And in this terrifying new world, is anywhere really safe?
Shadow is based on real facts. It is a great book for children, as it is light but examines serious themes: the war in Afghanistan and the lives of the refugees who have been able to flee. The cover is perfect: the lovely springer spaniel catches the eye but in the background we can see the dangerous world Aman lived in.
The story is told from three different points of view, which makes it interesting and unusual for children. The main storyline is about how Shadow helps Aman and his mother on their risky journey out of Afghanistan. However we discover this amazing story months after it happened, when Aman tells it to his best friend's grandfather.
So Aman tells us about the past while Matt and his grandfather describe the present. Because even if Aman and his mother managed to escape the turmoil of their war-torn country they are not safe. After six years in England they are considered as illegal refugees and they are kept in a centre, waiting to be sent back to where they come from. But Matt doesn't want to give up and with his grandfather, they prepare a plan to save Aman and his mother.
The fact that most of the story is told by young characters adds to its depth and is ideal for the audience the book is aimed at. The events are described in an innocent and simple way which probably moves young readers more than an omniscient narrator would have; the characters are easy to understand and use the words and way of speaking children are used to. Moreover, Aman and Matt could be their friends.
Despite the apparent lightness of the book, the story is moving and presents themes that are important in today's world. It is a good introduction to the war in Afghanistan and the refugees, whom children might meet in their real lives. And fortunately we have a "happy ending" - which seems a little bit unrealistic to older readers - as it is a children's book.
All children who love animals will probably enjoy this book. It is ideal for readers around 8 or 9 years old because even if it seems light, younger children will probably not fully understand the problems with the refugees. I personally started reading it as a bedtime story to an 8-year-old girl - so that normally means one chapter each night - but ended up borrowing the book the first evening and reading it to the end.

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The pilot's wife by Anita Shreve

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book cover
Author: Anita Shreve
Publication date: 1999
Publisher: Abacus
Pages: 293
My opinion: 
*And then she knew. It was in the way he said her name, the fact that he knew her name at all. It was in his eyes, a wary flicker. The quick breath he took.*

A pilot's wife is taught to be prepared for the late-night knock at the door. But when Kathry Lyons receives word that a plane flown by her husband, Jack, has exploded near the coast of Ireland, she confronts the unfathomable - one startling revelation at a time. Soon drawn into a maelstrom of publicity fueled by rumors that Jack led a secret life, Kathryn sets out to learn who her husbandd really was, whatever that knowledge might cost.Her search propels this taut, impassioned novel as it movingly explores the question. How well can we ever really know another person?

*But how do you ever know that you know a person?*
The pilot’s wife was my first Anita Shreve novel … and definitely not the last one. What kind of book it is? To be honest, it is hard to define it: a mix of drama, suspense, love and emotions is the best description I can think of.
When Kathryn Lyons is woken up in the middle of the night to be told that her husband died in a plane crash, her life is turned upside down. Especially when she learns by the media that he might have committed suicide and killed all of the passengers and staff present on board with him. With the help of Robert Hart, from the company, she decides to prove everybody that they are wrong and to find out who her husband really was, whatever it will cost her… And as the story unfolds, she realises that she did not actually know him at all.
Anita Shreve’s novel is moving and its organisation successfully organised: one chapter out of two tells about the present and explains how Kathryn deals with the situation. The other chapters tell about the past and recount moments of her life with her husband Jack, from their marriage to the last time she saw him. As a consequence, the reader feels involved in Kathryn’s thoughts and discovers her memories little by little, as they come back to her mind. At the same time, and without the reader noticing it, the author prepares the spectacular end which is about to come. It is only towards the very end, after tension built up in the last chapters, that we fully understand the connection between all the anecdotes – although a basic general knowledge is required to catch all the details.
The psychological aspect of the loss of someone dear and the rebuilding of one’s life after such a disaster is deeply explored, and subtly mixed with Kathryn’s investigation. The relationships between the characters are very interesting, in particular the ones Kathryn has with her daughter, Mattie and with Robert Hart. A fundamental question about relationships is thoroughly explored: how well can we know someone?
There is no definite answer to that question, but several clues are given to the reader to make his own interpretation of the events and of the characters’ future. The pilot’s wife is a very good novel although the story is rather sad. There is the physical disaster – the crash – of course, but several other aspects are explored as well: the psychological disaster caused by the loss of someone dearly loved, the disaster that Kathryn discovers little by little which caused by lies and secrets, the disaster caused by the betrayal of someone important…
It is extremely interesting to see how Kathryn and Mattie go through that ordeal and reach each step of grief. However, the evolution of Jack is interesting as well, as in most books dead characters do not really change. The memories and Kathryn’s investigation depict a character which changes nearly as quickly as you turn the pages. And in these moments of deep sorrow, the light of love never disappears.
I would recommend this book to anybody who likes psychological novels, family secrets and mysteries. Although some of the scenes are heart-rending, the story is great and extremely well told, with the right words and the right amount of emotion.


Thank you very much to Florian for lending me this book! And for correcting the mistakes I did not even notice when I reread my review!

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Les fantômes de Century de Sarah Singleton

laraemilie


couverture livre


Auteur: Sarah Singleton
Titre original : Century (anglais)
Traducteur: Myriam Borel
Date de publication: 2005 (traduction française: 2006)
Editions: Plon (jeunesse)
Pages: 283
Mon avis: 
* Un fantôme. Mercy voyait des fantômes, échos de ceux qui avaient quitté ce bas monde.*

Mystère dans un manoir lugubre du XIXe siècle en Angleterre.
Deux jeunes soeurs, sous l'autorité d'une gouvernante revêche, y vivent dans une soumission absolue. Des fantômes mystérieux vont et viennent mais ne se montrent qu'à Mercy, l'aînée.
Un jour, un nouveau fantôme apparaît. C'est une jeune femme prise sous la glace du lac. Mercy, pour la première fois de sa vie, s'interroge: Qui sont ces fantômes? Pourquoi est-elle la seule à les voir? Qui peut l'aider à résoudre le mystère que leurs apparitions? Doit-elle faire confiance à sa soeur? Comment sortir du malaise et de l'oppression qu'elle ressent chaque jour davantage?

La propriété de la famille Verga est le cadre idéal pour un roman quelque peu gothique comme Les fantômes de Century. Au début de l'histoire, le manoir paraît réel et pourrait apparaître dans une nouvelle historique anglaise si on laissait de côté les fantômes aperçus par Mercy. Contrairement à la plupart des lives de fantasy, ces fantômes ne participent pas activement à l'intrigue. Ils sont extrêmement important, puisque ce sont eux qui mèneront Mercy sur le chemin de la vérité, mais ils dont partie d'un autre univers et ne peuvent donc pas interagir avec les personnages principaux.
Mercy est une fillette extraordinaire. Elle peut non seulement voir des fantômes, mais elle a surtout une grande force de caractère qui la pousse à vouloir connaître l'histoire de sa famille et obtenir des réponses à ses questions. Elle doit se battre pour y parvenir et elle ne peut compter sur personne d'autre que sur elle-même. Claudius est-il bon ou mauvais? Son père essaie-t-il de la protéger ou de l'emprisonner? Et peut-elle faire confiance à Charity, sa petite soeur? Les décisions qu'elle a à prendre sont difficiles et le chemin sur lequel elle s'aventure et semé d'embûches.
Nous découvrons petit à petit l'univers étrange dans lequel vivent les Verga et la manière dont leur vie reste la même jour après jour, glacée dans une obscurité et un hiver constants. Puis, nous recevons des informations concernant leur passé et les événements terribles, survenus des années auparavant, qui ont changé leur destin pour toujours. En voyageant à travers le temps, Mercy fait ce qu'elle pense être le mieux pour sa famille, mais elle a peu de temps car Trajan, son père, a mis en place un stratagème ingénieux pour l'arrêter.
Le suspense est conservé tout au long de l'histoire, pendant que nous voyageons entre les beaux jours de gloire d'antan de Century et le lieu froid et désolé qu'il est devenu. L'intrigue se met en route lentement, soulignant ainsi la monotonie de la vie de Mercy et Charity ainsi que le contraste entre leur présent et leur passé, mais les événements s'enchaînent ensuite  d'un rythme de plus en plus rapide.
Le thème de l'histoire de famille est abordé et Sarah Singleton se penche sur l'importance de l'écriture, des souvenirs et des histoires dans la vie de tout un chacun. Ce roman est très bien écrit, l'histoire développée avec art et équilibrée entre les éléments de fantasy et les faits plus réels, l'atmosphère plaisante et les personnages sont très attachants. La traduction est excellente, rendant fidèlement les différentes ambiances décrites dans l'histoire ainsi que la psychologie des personnages. Bien qu'écrit au départ pour un public jeune, les adultes qui s'intéressent à un peu de fantasy apprécieront eux aussi sans doute ce livre.

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