Marika Cobbold

Completed, but it took me longer than many books of a similar length......Perhaps if I was in a more upbeat/less tired place I could have gotten through this quicker.[return][return]Pleasant story where Linus and Esther grow up hearing about each other (their step/mothers are friends), they never actually meet until well into adult life where their respective jobs bring them into conflict. There are plenty of great characters, some great humour (one of the things that kept me reading to be honest) and a reasonable story… (mais)

On Hampstead Heath may be a relatively short read at 248 pages but it's certainly a mighty one. Thorn Marsh is a journalist, a news editor at a London newspaper when she finds that all of a sudden her face no longer fits with the new managing editor. She's cast aside to a supplement focusing on cheery stories, not her thing at all. In a fit of pique and in the throes of a drunken haze she writes a piece that has only a vague semblance of truth to it. The repercussions of Thorn's deception ripple down through the book.

The plot of this novel is inspired, focusing on how much truth there is in the press (or lack thereof), the advent of the digital age slowly killing off the newspaper, and all that social media has to answer for in the current news climate. It's the writing and the characterisations that really stood out for me though. Marika Cobbold's narrative for Thorn is a work of genius, the dialogue sublimely sharp and her inner thoughts so astute and perfectly observed. I found it so darkly funny. There is one scene in particular where Thorn visits her mother whose old friend, Joan Pyke, is there. Thorn's acerbic thoughts on seeing Joan were thrown at me like knives from a knife-thrower, one after the other, never letting up, and I just couldn't stop laughing. I kept re-reading certain sections of the book as a whole, marvelling at the way they were written and the pointed scrutiny of everyday situations and human foibles.

Thorn is a brilliant creation but every character in this book is perfect, slotting into their places in Thorn's life, however large or small a part. Her relationships with her family, her friends and her colleagues all seem to be rather complicated but also very real, and I found them absolutely compelling.

I thought this was a fabulous read. It's wise and perceptive, honest and witty. I think that whenever I need a good laugh I will think about Joan Pyke! This is the sort of book that belongs on prize lists.… (mais)

I downloaded this audiobook on a whim, mainly because it was available and sounded fun. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was well-written, quirky, and clever. It also turned out to be a book that really had a lot to say about relationships, and I found myself mulling over much of the content for days after finishing the actual book. So it had a deeper side that I was not expecting.

I was a little disappointed in the ending, which seemed very abrupt and rushed, as if someone had told the author she should wind things up now. However, it still ended the way I hoped it would, so I can't complain too much. ;)… (mais)

Amelia's relationship with her boyfriend is ending although she doesn't know it when the book opens. Meanwhile, her grandmother has been placed in a convalescent/nursing home. Her uncle has sold the grandmother's home and moved to Brazil but no one has told the grandmother that she will never go home again. And her mother is obsessed with cleanliness. It's a poignant novel descibing what life is like in a nursing home that it's almost depressing when one considers many people eventually go there. Amelia herself is rather flighty, thinking and planning but not acting upon her plans. Still, she promises her grandmother that she'll be home by Christmas. And sets out to accomplish this even though the house belongs to someone else now.

This is a first novel and I enjoyed the author's writing; I'll probably get some of her other books to read.… (mais)