Sunday Wrap Up: Week ending March 9, 2014

Hello and welcome to our newest in a new series of weekly wrapping up of the week's worth of activity. This time round we have a gorgeous display of variety, what with Regency romance, historical fiction with focus on the Great War, fantasy and New Kingdom Egypt filling our pages. Very keen to explore a diversity of genres and topics, The Review Group welcomes author submissions for review; details can be found above at our submissions tab. 

Whether you are a returning or new reader, we welcome and encourage your comments, especially as many of our entries are accompanied by giveaways--and the best part is entry involves only commenting on the same blog as the review! Typically there is also a link for Facebook users. Wherever you comment, please ensure we will be able to contact you in the event you're our winner--we want our giveaways to go far and wide and see lots of winners! 

Relax and peruse the posts for the past week, feel free to comment, and enjoy the ride!

Jayne's love of Regency romance shines through in this review of a novel that opens with a tragedy resulting dire circumstances for our protagonist. A further tragedy leads to greater burden for Letty, who plans for the future to regain some of the past. Will it work out? Well, Letty will lead you to that answer, but Jayne states, "I have read many Regency romance books and this one compares favourably with the others. Letty is a character that I could empathise with and I admired her strength which comes over very well in the book." To see more of what Jayne says and information about the book, click right here. 

Currently there is a giveaway for a FREE copy of The Widow's Redeemer; please follow blog link above for details and to comment. 

First in a series, In Foreign Fields tells of two British officers sent during the Great War's Battle of Mons into enemy territory to complete secret missions. Stuart writes, "David Hough does a terrific job in recreating the image of a nation in ruins as the tide of war sweeps over it leaving destruction and grief in its wake. It is an old fashioned, edge of the seat page turner that holds your attention as Wendel and his friends finally reach the château and prepare to complete their mission. . .  as the book reaches it climatic finale where through the flames and smoke of a night of high drama and horror crimes are avenged and hopes for a fresh start are tantalisingly close." Hold onto your seat and click here for more details on this page turner that Stuart declares he shall follow as the series progresses. 

An exciting fantasy, Deep Echoes brings us further into the week with "a world unto itself. . . complete with annals, geographical features and. . . underlying threat." Well, if the story seems to come alive with that idea reaching out from its pages, your further interest is sure to be piqued by Anna's continuing description: "What follows is a nice combination of a coming-of-age story and a War of the Worlds scenario." And who doesn't want to grow up with their world at war and fighting to defend those whose rejection has placed them at the parameters of society? Fortunately for you, dear readers, and us as well, we can "live" (read: adventure) vicariously through the pages of the book--with hint of a sequel, so reviewer Anna confides--from the safety of our overstuffed chairs. 

Travel to ancient civilizations has also never been so easy! Margaret wraps up our week with a review for Richard Abbott's Scenes From a Life--which by the by entails a giveaway--as Makty-Rasut searches for his roots. Readers are likely to be drawn in by Abbott's progression of the tale, as Margaret elaborates on: "The structure of the book is also interesting – alternate chapters take us to Makty’s present and past – with the chapters in the present moving forwards, those in the past taking us progressively further back. If this sounds complicated, it isn’t. I found it an effective way of structuring the story and had no problem following the timeline." A sort of reverse linear, as it were, seems as if bit by bit the clues to who Makty is and the roots of underlying questions (his and our own) are answered, not unlike how they would be for Makty himself. Engaging indeed!

Currently there is a giveaway for a copy of Scenes From a Life; please follow blog link above for details and to comment. 

Missed last week's wrap up? Reader dear, never fear, click right here!

Scenes From a Life reviewed by Margaret Skea

Scenes From a Life by Richard Abbott                             

Reviewed by Margaret Skea

The author Richard Abbott is giving a copy of this book away. Please see below for details.

The back cover blurb of this book promises a quest – the main character Makty-Rasut searching for his roots. A scribe who designs and oversees the building of tombs for the elite, Makty’s life is comfortable but he is unable or unwilling to settle in one place, despite encouragement from others and a succession of women with whom he has the potential for a life-long relationship. Although structured in an unusual way (see below) this is his story from birth to eventual fulfillment - not so much a coming of age tale, for much of the book is concerned with Makty as an adult, but rather his journey to an understanding of what really matters in life. This is always a good premise for a story and it delivers. Add to that the exotic setting – I knew very little of New Kingdom Egypt, so was very much looking forward to reading this.

The setting is well realized, both in the background details – how the work of painting tombs would have been done, the wider culture, religious beliefs etc and in the use of language –the term ‘inundation’ for example to establish the changing seasons - Abbott knows his period and place and does a good job of transporting the reader there.

The structure of the book is also interesting – alternate chapters take us to Makty’s present and past – with the chapters in the present moving forwards, those in the past taking us progressively further back. If this sounds complicated, it isn’t. I found it an effective way of structuring the story and had no problem following the timeline.

The storyline itself is simple, but there is an additional level of interest provided by the fact that towards the end of the book deeper connections between the main characters are revealed. The ending is not unexpected but is fitting – and is the one point at which the main character shows development. It was in the characterization that I found the book less satisfactory - throughout it Makty seemed rather two-dimensional – undoubtedly talented as a designer of tombs, but otherwise a stereotypical male – his life consisting of working and making a series of sexual conquests without any level of commitment, and able to leave them behind as he moved from job to job without any apparent regret. Though several other characters comment on this facet of Makty’s character I was left with the impression either that they thought it didn’t really matter (Khaem) or that they cared only for Makty’s sake and not for the women concerned (Sanedjem). I imagine we are supposed to feel that this behavior is as a result of his early life experiences and therefore sympathize with him, but it didn’t work for me. I was also a little disappointed in the level of Shunaya’s passivity in  response to Makty’s actions towards the end of the book. I’d be interested to know whether male readers would react differently.

What did work for me was the lyricism of the writing, unfortunately marred by occasional clumsy phrasing or repetitions (for example ‘just now’ occurs in two adjacent sentences) but these are problems that a good editor could / should have spotted. (Probably my English teacher background coming out here.) Those aside, there is lovely description - evocative sentences or phrases that add so much to the atmosphere of the book. To give just one example - ‘hovered like a bird of the reedy marshes around the borders of their conversation.’

This is an easy read (it took me only two evenings) and one that gives a glimpse of a culture and period that I suspect most readers will know little about. I feel I know much more of New Kingdom Egypt now and I would certainly read another book by this writer.

To get your name in the hat for a free copy of this book, please comment below or at our Facebook link for this blog entry! (Please ensure we have a means to identify and contact you in the event of a win!)

From the exhibition The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt,  on loan to Kimball Art Museum , 2003

 Margaret Skea is the author of numerous short stories and of Turn of the Tide. Her latest short story, "In sha’Allah" was placed third in the Rubery International Short Story competition and is published in their new anthology On the Bench.