Recipes for Love and Murder - Sally Andrew

I was recently sent a digital review copy of this book.

I enjoyed reading it very much but I'm not sure how to describe it?

Recipes for Love and Murder is a really good story, full of engaging characters, a murder (or maybe two), multiple suspects, red herrings, a bit of farce, some romance, delicious mouthwatering food and not forgetting a handsome Police detective who might just be causing Tannie Maria's heart to beat a little bit faster.  In fact is has a little bit of everything but overall a  very enjoyable read.

Tannie Maria is a widow who writes a recipe column in her local paper the Klein Karoo Gazette.  She loves food and she loves cooking, especially to share with friends.  Good news is celebrated with tea and cake; bad news is made less bad by tea and cake.  When it looks like her recipe column is to be replaced by an advice/problem page she keeps her job by combining the two.  When someone writes in with a problem she suggests a suitable recipe that might help them.

A woman had written to Tannie Maria asking for advice regarding her jealous, violent husband and her friendship with another woman Tannie Maria replies with a recipe and advises her that she should leave a man who abuses her. Although now a widow, Tannie Maria had been married to a violent, abusive husband.

Later Tannie Maria receives another note from the woman thanking her for the recipe and saying that she was making a plan that would allow her to leave.

When the woman is later found murdered Tannie Maria and her friend Jessie, a reporter at the paper, get involved in trying to get to the bottom of the crime.

There are multiple suspects (including the woman's husband and her friend), threats, red herrings and Tannie Maria and Jessie find themselves in dangerous situations as they seem to be getting closer to identifying the murderer.

Meanwhile throughout the book Tannie Maria answers the letters she receives with some advice and a recipe.

Oh yes, and at the back of the book are some of the recipes mentioned in the story. I haven't tried them out personally but I would love to have a go - some day!

The story is set in South Africa,  Tannie Maria is half English, half Afrikaans and some Afrikaans words are used in the book.  Don't let that put you off.  Most of these words are easy to understand, often the English translation being used elsewhere on the same page.  I found it slightly strange at first but I soon became used to the words and they didn't cause me any problems.

I think Sally Andrew has written a really good first novel.  I love the writing style.  It's a great mix of murder mystery, a little bit of romance, delicious food (with recipes) and friendship.

If you have read and liked Alexander McCall Smith's No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, you will probably like this book.  The books are not the same (apart from both books being set in Africa, albeit different countries) but both books have a main character who is big-hearted, friendly, welcoming and with a great common sense attitude.

This is the first Tannie Maria book but I'll be looking out for the next one!


Publisher:             Canongate Books
Author website:   http://www.sallyandrew.com/

Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist - Sunil Yapa

This is a brilliant book.  I loved it.  It blew me away in a way I didn't expect.  I didn't expect it to pull so strongly on my emotions.

The book is set in Seattle in 1999 and spans one day.  The city is getting ready for one of the biggest protests in the history of western democracy, against the World Trade Organisation meeting being held there.  The Police are ready for the protesters; the protesters are ready to do what they do. A delegate is desperately trying to get to an important meeting at the WTO talks but his way is blocked by Police and protesters.

The story revolves around a father (who happens to be the Police Chief) and his estranged son, two of the police officers involved, two of the protesters and the delegate from Sri Lanka.

It all starts fairly slowly, introducing us to the characters.  However the tension is cleverly built up as the story proceeds.  I could almost physically feel the build up of frustration, fear, anger, rage and desperation in the characters.  You can sense the tensions bubbling up and the situation ready to explode into violence.  I got a feeling the day was not going to end well although there was still a glimmer of hope that some of the problems might yet be resolved.

The story of the day's events reaches a climax but in the final chapters we also get a glimpse of how each of the main characters is affected by the events of the day

The story is told from the perspective of the various characters as it happens and also in flashback to previous times.  I quite like this format as I think, at least in this story, it gives us a better insight into the individual characters.

It is also a story about how decisions and incidents (big and small) taking place during one day can have a huge effect on lives.  For me the story made me think about some of the issues raised in the book.

Sunil Yapa has written a wonderful debut novel.  It's a very powerful but very readable book.

The the Kindle edition of this book will be available from 14 January 2016 and the hardcover edition is due to be published on 4 February 2016 by Little, Brown Book Group (UK).

[I read a review copy of this book via NetGalley].

My Name is Lucy Barton - Elizabeth Strout

Publisher's description:

An exquisite story of mothers and daughters from the Pulitzer prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge. Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her. Her unexpected visit forces Lucy to confront the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of her life: her impoverished childhood in Amgash, Illinois, her escape to New York and her desire to become a writer, her faltering marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable. In My Name Is Lucy Barton, one of America's finest writers shows how a simple hospital visit illuminates the most tender relationship of all-the one between mother and daughter.

I liked this book very much but I'm finding it difficult to put into words just why I liked it so much. Its beautifully written. The characters are believable, the dialogue flows. It's not a lengthy book but every sentence counts.

My Name is Lucy Barton is a work of fiction written by Elizabeth Strout. It is basically the autobiography of the 'fictional' Lucy Barton.

At its heart the book looks at the relationship between a mother and daughter. There is a lot of 'remembering' in the book, some of it heartbreaking and very poignant.

Lucy is a successful writer living in New York. The trigger for Lucy's story would seem to be a lengthy hospital stay some years previously during which time her mother came to visit unexpectedly and stayed in Lucy's hospital room for five nights, sleeping in the chair. Up until this time they hadn't spoken for many years.

During her mother's visit they slowly start talking and reminiscing. Her mother was a woman of few words and there had never been much communication in the past.  Lucy and her siblings had a very impoverished childhood – financially and emotionally – and her mother's visit forces Lucy to confront this and other aspects of her life. Through their conversations we learn of her strange upbringing; the events and incidents and people of her childhood and adolescence that have also had an effect on her adult life; her 'escape' to New York; her aspirations to be a writer and her family life, past and present.

When her mother left and returned home after 5 nights, Lucy didn't see her again until almost 9 years later when her mother was dying and Lucy paid a visit to her mother's hospital room. Lucy's story then continues and we learn of the other people who had an influence on her life: another writer, her daughters, her sister.

It is an emotional and beautifully written book. It is so well written it is easy to read even when there are leaps back and forwards in time.

It's the first book I have read by Elizabeth Strout. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it but I did - very much.

[I was sent an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a review]

twitter.com/lizstrout

www.elizabethstrout.com

Penguin Books UK, Viking, Feb 4.