Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEWS

In 2016, I began writing book reviews for a local newsletter in my home town of Ulverstone in Tasmania. It was always something I wanted to do, to voice my opinion because so many books do not come up to scratch and those that do, deserve to be praised. It’s so hard to find a good book unless you have some prior knowledge of the author, some feed-back from another reader or a good review to guide you.

I very rarely read book reviews now because most of them don’t do what they are meant to do, and that is to inform the reader of its readability. A synopsis is not a review and I see these all the time in newspapers and magazines. There are also those academic reviews that use adjectives that I have never heard of and leave me perplexed and wondering what in the hell I just read.

Then we have those books that have fantastic reviews on the back eg: Fast paced, impossible to put down. I once read a book that had the back page full of marvelous reviews. By the time I was halfway through the book I was struggling. Two thirds of the way through the book, I quit and wrote my own review in the back repudiating all the so-called reviewers. Honestly, they couldn’t have read the book.

Of course, everyone has different requirements in reading but there are some basics that need to be adhered to in the writing of a book, especially fiction. I really can’t understand why some books even get published by the big-name publishers, while other more genuine writers don’t get past the front door.

Poor characterisation and weak story telling is so common that I feel it is an epidemic of huge proportions that has somehow unleashed itself on an unsuspecting public and we continue to put up with it! Why do we continue to buy these books? Maybe it’s because we are fooled by the glitz of the cover and the marketing spiel by the publisher. The reader must be able to feel the pain, anguish, love and happiness of the character. The reality is very few writers are able to do this. It is a rare gift.

For example: I had to get one of my books edited by an editor who I didn’t know as my normal editor wasn’t available. After the edit, he said to me: ‘don’t you dare kill the key character off I’m in love with her.’ This is the sort of feedback on characters that all authors love to hear. There is much more I could say about reading, writing and books in general, instead, I will let you read some of my reviews and you can judge for yourself.

THE TAXIDERMIST’S DAUGHTER

Kate Moss

There are writers out there that stand out above the majority, who excel in being able to not only create a wonderful tale but are able to convey the characters and their journey to the reader in what I consider the modern idiom.

The Taxidermist’s daughter written by Kate Moss is of such a high standard that it leaves ninety-five per cent of other writers far behind. She is not only a great storyteller but a gifted writer, which for me, embodies the true essence of an acclaimed writer.

Constantia Gifford is twenty-two and lives with her father in Blackthorn House, a place that is in need of some repair. Her father was forced to sell his taxidermist’s business and now wallows in self-pity and alcohol. Constantia is worried about him as she fears something is troubling him. She has her own problems as an accident in her childhood robbed her of those memories.

In a churchyard, villagers gather on the night when the ghosts of those who will die in the coming year are thought to walk, superstitions still hold sway here.

Watching the procession, Constantia sees a woman in a blue coat, standing apart and also watching the people who enter the church. The next day, Constantia discovers a body in the estuary and it is the girl she saw the night before. With the help of a stranger, they retrieve the body and Constantia notices the blood, the garroted neck. The stranger goes off for help and eventually the body is taken away. It is thought to be a local girl who had been reported missing.

For some reason, this event with the girl is triggering memories for Constantia, memories of a women called Cassie.

Along with this, she is suspicious of the findings of the doctor who signed the death certificate for the girl, whose name was Eva, which stated that she had drowned. Nothing was mentioned about her being garroted, being murdered.

This is beautifully crafted tale. It moves on at credible pace and is not overloaded with what we call in the writing circles as padding. (Writing that has no relevance to the story.) Also, it does not have those speculative words that having you rushing off for the dictionary. It doesn’t need them. This to me is the modern-day way of writing, of enveloping intrigue in a fast moving and exciting story.