WORDS: ZOE WEST. PHOTO: REXBOOK club
BOOK CLUB CLASSICSICapture
theCastle
byDodieSmith
(£5.99, PB, Vintage)FiveSteps
toHappy
byEllaDove
(£14.99,HB,Trapeze)
Basedonherown
life-changing
experience,EllaDove
introducesustoHeidi,
whoseworldfallsapart
followinganaccident.Stuckinhospital
andunableto walk,heronlycompanion
is anelderlylady,Maud.ButMaud
hasanattractive,albeitratheraloof,
grandsonandHeidisoonrealisesthat,
despitebeinganamputee,maybeher
lifeisn’tover– it justlooksdifferent.
A beautiful and heartwarming novel.TheChain
byAdrianMcKinty
(£12.99,HB,Orion)
McKintyhaspushed
hisconflicted
characterstothedark
depthsofdesperation
toprotecttheirloved
ones.Rachelreceives
a phonecallsayingherdaughterhas
beenkidnapped.If Rachelwantsher
daughterreleased,shemustprovidea
suitablereplacement.Butif everyone
givesin totheseconditions,willthe
chainofextortionandmurderever
end? Convincing and full of suspense.REMEMBER THIS?Someone
WeKnow
byShariLapena
(£12.99,HB,BantamPress)
EveryoneknowswhoAmanda
Pierceis.Youngandbeautiful,
shehascertainlymadean
impressiononherfemale
neighbours– andtheir
husbands.Sowhenherbody
is foundat thebottomofa lake,
it doesn’ttakethepolicelong
tostartlookingforanswers
closetohome.ButAmanda’s
murderis thelastthingthat
housewifeOlivianeeds.When
secretsgetrevealed,andthe
policestartmakingarrests,
everyoneis outtoprotecttheir
own families, innocent or not.BOOK
OFTHE
WEEKDID
YOU
MISS...Our pick of the best reads aroundÉThisdelightfulcoming-of-
agestoryseesourheroine,
teenagerCassandra
Mortmain,livingingenteel
povertyina crumbling
castlewithherrather
bohemianfamily– two
sisters,a brother,her
eccentricfatherand
glamorousstepmother.
Cassandra‘captures’life
inthecastlebywritingin
herdiary,whichincludes
the arrival of a wealthyTheMother-in-Law
bySallyHepworth
(£7.99,PB,Hodder)
Lucyis desperateforDiana,
hermother-in-law,tolikeher.
Despitebeingdedicatedtothe
vulnerablewomenDianahelps
throughhercharitywork,she’s
distantandcoldwithherown
children.Nowsomethinghas
happened...Alternatingbetween
pastandpresent,thisbookshows
howsimplemiscommunications
in familiescanleadtounderlying
grumblingsandrows,which
festerforyears.A greatread
that grips you from the start.Canyounamethebookthis
2012 film was based on, along
with its author? by Deborah Moggach : The Best Exotic Marigold HotelANSWERAmericanfamily.Asidefrom
becomingtheirlandlords,
Cassandrafindsherself
fallinginlovefor the very
firsttime...
OurverdictThis
novelmaybeaimedat
youngsters,butit’sjust
aswonderfultoreadas
anadult.Whimsicaland
melancholy,Cassandra
pullsyouinrightfromher
openingline:‘Iwritethis
sitting in the kitchen sink.’