Brooklyn- Colm Tóibín (4 stars)
Synopsis: Eilis Lacey has come of age in Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. When the opportunity arises she goes to Brooklyn, leaving her fragile mother and charismatic sister behind. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.
The writing was simple and understated in a beautiful way with a great build of character. This book has made me want to read all of Colm Tóibín's other novels. The only slight niggle is I can't quite decide what I think of the decision Eilis makes at the end...
Twenties Girl- Sophie Kinsella (2 stars)
Synopsis: Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. The spirit of her great-aunt Sadie appears, a flapper girl from the twenties who demands that Lara help her find a long lost necklace.
I nearly didn't finish this book. Lara is pathetic and obsessed with getting back together with her ex-boyfriend. Sadie is obnoxious and demanding. You can imagine what they are like together. However I stuck with it and there were some fun scenes where Sadie dressed Lara up in 1920's clothes and took her out dancing.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet- Jamie Ford (5 stars)
Synopsis: In 1986 in the basement of The Panama Hotel a startling discovery has been made: personal belongings stored away by Japanese families sent to internment camps during World War Two. In the crowd is Henry Lee a Chinese-American who, as a boy, had a forbidden friendship with Keiko Okabe, a Japanese-American girl.
I loved this book! The friendship between Henry, Keiko and Sheldon (a black street musician) is beautiful and you really care about what will happen to these characters who all face racism and prejudice for different reasons. A New York Times bestseller for over a year and translated into more than 30 languages I definitely recommend this book.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
