Book Review :: The Bolter by Frances Osbourne

The Bolter: Idina Sackville - The Woman Who Scandalised 1920s Society and Became White Mischief's Infamous Seductress by Frances Osborne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really liked this book. My mum recommended I read it, I dismissed the idea but then got hooked on all things "between the wars" and read some reviews, remembered she had the book so started to read.



What a woman Idina was. Scandalising British upper class society with 5 marriages, she certainly led an "interesting" lifestyle. I can't imagine what her parties were like. Descriptions of them being cocaine and morphine induced, guests being greeted by a naked host and bathing in champagne are far beyond my sphere. It was the days of excess - well for those with land and privilege.



After Idina's first marriage and having had two children she disappears off to Kenya with new husband in tow. Sadly her two sons aren't allowed to join her and she doesn't see or contact them for another 15 years. Kenya is possibly the main focus of the story. To be honest I knew next to nothing about The Happy Valley set (I was more familiar with life in the Raj and Indian subcontinent where similarly the English upper class led a life of interesting times, in a similar time frame). It was quite illuminating to understand another aspect of British history. I also knew nothing of The White Mischief storyline and that fact that Joss was one of Idina's husbands. I will be reading The Temptress which describes in more detail some of the characters surrounding Joss and his murder. As the story progressed there were a number of sad incidents, not including her own demise. Quite tragic really.



Overall I suppose I like Idina. I think she had "balls" to break with convention. She might not have been party to women getting the vote, and I don't especially agree with her leaving her children as she did, but the "not giving a damn" attitude is kind of interesting.











View all my reviews

Book Review :: The Group by Mary McCarthy

The Group by Mary McCarthy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I took this book out of the library and thought I would really like it but made it to 100 pages and didn't really enjoy the read. I actually found the text slightly difficult to follow. I'm not sure whether it's the mix of 7 main characters or just the writing style. Maybe it's a book I have to return to at a different time in my life...



View all my reviews

Book Review :: The Unfortunates by Laurie Graham

The Unfortunates by Laurie Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Laurie Graham as an author - have read many of her books and found them very funny and this was no exception. This is a light-hearted review of the last century but the references to 1920s - -1930s I particularly liked. What I particularly liked was the way the book was written in what I assume is authentic language of the day.

I've got a bit of a thing for the 1920s - 1930s at the moment so this book was perfect for me. It told the story of a woman and her family who were Jewish, living in NYC. She was born pre-war, bit of a rebel, parents sort of practicised Judaism but were a bit lax (but later some members were much more dedicated). They are a wealthy family and so she enjoys the trappings of this wealth, travelling to Paris, the UK, becoming an aviatrix. References are made to various historical events including the sinking of the Titanic and WW1 / WW2 and effect it had on home front in NYC. The story then continued into the 1950s / 1960s / 1970s documenting the ups and downs in the life of the main character.



View all my reviews

Book Review :: Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first read of a book by Jennifer Weiner and I really enjoyed it - so much so I have another couple list on my Xmas list :-)

The story concerns three women - one mother and her two daughters. As the blurb says on the back of the book the girls father, a US Senator, is revealed to have had an affair with a much younger colleague. The mother / wife finds this out live on TV, as do the daughters. The eldest is a Doctor and going through her own unhappiness and seeks solace elsewhere. The younger daughter has her problems but she is recovering from them. All three women face some interesting choices and I enjoyed the twists and turns. I like the characters and felt sympathetic for them. There was one occassion where I did think "that could only happen in a book / film" but otherwise the story seemed plausible.

View all my reviews

A good book :: A soak in the bath

Nothing I love more after a day at uni reading academic journals, is a good book to relax with, and a hot bath to soak in.

I am enjoying reading Jennifer Weiner's Fly Away Home. It's chick lit with substance. Three women (a mother and her daughters) each having a crisis - the mother has found her husband is having an affair with a girl younger than her daughters; elder daughter married a dull bloke so seeks a young, hot bloke for fun; and younger daughter is recently out of rehab and seeking stability. Now I am waiting to see how the story unfolds...