Microreview 27 (2025)

 

Jellyfish Have No Ears by Adele Rosenfeld, translated by Jeffery Zuckerman (McLehose Press)

This was an interesting read, and while I don't think that it will feature in my top 10 books of the year it will be hovering just outside...

The book is about a young woman who has had hearing problems for years but suddenly these have worsened and she is becoming profoundly deaf. She is told, however, that some of her hearing can be saved if she has a cochlear implant.

Louise has always felt adrift between communities: not deaf enough to be a part of Deaf culture, not hearing enough to be fully within the hearing world. Hearing, for Louise, is inseparable from reading other people's lips. Through sight, she perceives words and strings them together like pearls to reconstruct a conversation.

Then an audiology exam shows that most of her hearing has gone, and her doctor suggests a cochlear implant. With this irreversible intervention, Louise would gain a new, synthetic sense of hearing - but she would lose what remains of her natural hearing, which has shaped her unique relationship with the world, full of whispers and shadows.

As she weighs the prospect of surgery, she must also contend with the chaotic reality of her life as she falls in love, suffers through her first job, and steadies herself with friends.

A masterclass in wordplay and language's possibilities and limitations, this fiercely original debut plunges readers into Louise's world as she grapples with loss, and considers what she might gain in the process.

I found the book to be an immersive read into the life of someone wrestling with the decision regarding undertaking treatment that will be life changing - and possibly not all in a positive way.

However the reason that I have been thinking about this book so much since finishing is that I realise it is in fact a double translation. 

As well as Zuckerman having to tackle the translation from French - including making all of the very clever wordplay work, the book has also had to try to translate the experience of being D/deaf in the real world to non hearing impaired readers. While this book is only the protagonist's experience of the latter I felt like I had a much better understanding of the struggles faced in day to day life in France and the alienation not being 'normal' causes.

It came as no surprise to read that both the author and translator are deaf - I think that this must make a difference from a hearing person writing a deaf character. 

Time Flies again (micro reviews 1, 2, & 3 for 2024)

 

How can it be February already?

The adage about time speeding up as you get older is definitely true and while January did feel like it had about a 1000 days it also rushed past in a flash and I just haven't had time to blog. 

Its not that I've not been reading, January was quite a productive month book wise but many of the books are very advance copies that I can't talk about yet and to be honest after a crazy busy work month the last thing I wanted to do afterwards was open the laptop and spend more time in front of a screen.

Anyhow here's a quick review of 3 books that have stuck in my mind since reading them...

Christ on a Bike by Orla Owen (Bluemoose Books)

I'd seen lots of chat about this one on social media for a while and was really pleased when my library copy came in the day after publication - the blurb was very intriguing too:

Cerys receives an unexpected inheritance but there are rules attached. Three simple rules that must be followed.

As she settles into her new life, she begins to feel trapped: the past is ever-present. She convinces herself that the villagers are watching her and, desperate to control her own future, she tries to break free...

The tension in this grew and grew with every chapter and I found myself snatching every opportunity to read this book available - I'm loathe to say too much about it as I think the blurb tells you as much as you need to know...

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint (Headline Publishing Group)

I'm very pleased that the trend for retelling myths and legends is continuing, and that they are often putting the women back in to the story front a centre. I'd heard of Atalanta but didn't know much about her story, even after reading Mark Knowle's Argo and Rosie Hewlett's Medea in the past couple of years - both novels which cover some of Atalanta's story.

I am also hopeful (thanks to some of my secret advance reading projects) that this trend for retelling myths will branch out into other cultures beyond the Greek/Roman world.

Clara Reads Proust by Stephanie Carlier/Tr. Polly Mackintosh (Gallic Books) & The Iliad - translated by Emily Wilson (W.W. Norton)

Clara isn't  out for another few weeks and my advance copy was provided by Gallic Books, but while I very much enjoyed the story and the writing/translation what struck me about this book was the timing...

The book is about Clara as she starts reading the novels of Proust for the first time and how while she was aware of them the details were all new. At the start of January I joined an online reading group to read The Iliad and very much like Clara I was familiar with a lot of the story but only the highlights. The synchronicity of the novel and my life definitely added to my appreciation of Clara!  

Micro Review 41

 

The Writer's Cats by Muriel Barbery. Ilus. Maria Guitart & trans. Alison Anderson (Gallic Books)

Gifted copy

Following on from my recent review of Muriel Barbery's A Single Rose the kind people at Gallic Books sent me a copy of her new volume  The Writer's Cats- a book about writing, books and cats how did they know it would appeal to me?

As a bookseller I had a love/hate relationship with little volumes like this, especially at Christmas time. They had to be ordered so far in advance and you could never quite gauge the quantities needed, plus the run away best seller was always one that you'd not predicted.

As a consumer I've become very much more of a fan of this type of book, they do cheer you up and there's always so much detail making rereads a pleasure. It is also  nice to have a picture book for grown ups that isn't just 'adult' in nature.

I know several people who this book would appeal to (and who read this blog) so I am not going to review the book in case it spoils any Christmas surprises but this was a delight to read and so whimsically funny that it left me smiling for a long time after reaching the end.

Should we ever get another cat (or 2, or 4) then I'll definitely refer back to this book for name suggestions.

Many thanks to Isabelle and the team at Gallic Books for the copy - the book is published this month and will make a lovely gift for cat loving authors/readers.

Blog Tour - A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery

 

A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery. Trans. Alison Anderson (Gallic Books)

Advance reading copy for Blog Tour

I was delighted to have the opportunity to read a new book from Gallic Books in advance of publication, and to take part in this blog tour. The stars really did seem to align for me with this one...

• Book in translation - check
• Book set in Japan - check
• Book from an independent publisher - check

The book's blurb added to my interest in the book and I was delighted when a copy dropped through the letter box a while ago, especially as the parcel was so pretty!

Anyhow back to A Single Rose I can't think of a better way to explain the book than to use the official blurb, which was written by a professional after all!

The temples and teahouses of Kyoto are the scene of a Frenchwoman’s emotional awakening in the stunning fifth novel by international bestseller Muriel Barbery. 

Rose has turned 40, but has barely begun to live. When the Japanese father she never knew dies and she finds herself an orphan, she leaves France for Kyoto to hear the reading of his will. 

In the days before Haru’s last wishes are revealed, his former assistant, Paul, takes Rose on a tour of the temples, gardens and eating places of this unfamiliar city. Initially a reluctant tourist and awkward guest in her late father’s home, Rose gradually comes to discover Haru’s legacy through the itinerary he set for her, finding gifts greater than she had ever imagined. 

I will now confess that this is a book I had to read twice - the first time I was just so immersed in the narrative that I just had to keep reading to find out why Rose didn't know her father, and also what his legacy was. 

By the time I reached the end of the book I realised that this isn't really the point of this book, it isn't about the destination at all, it is all about the journey and the discoveries that you make en route.

On the second read I found myself revelling in the traditional Japanese tales that preface each chapter, and wandering around Kyoto with Rose as she toured around the shrines, shops and eateries in the area. It is so beautifully written and descriptive that I felt like I was taking a walking tour of the area myself while I was reading and I did have to keep stopping to Google the locations Rose visits just to see them.

As I said at the start there was so much to draw me to this book and I am pleased to say that it didn't disappoint and in a time when travel is practically impossible still a book that is this visual is a treat.

Part of me wishes that I had read the book more slowly the first time around, but when a book grabs you like this then it isn't really a hardship to start from page one all over again!

To my shame I've not read any of Barbery's other books but I'm definitely going to rectify this soon - but possibly not until I've read this one for a third time!

Do look out for what other Bloggers and Bookstagram reviewers thought of A Single Rose I'm hoping they liked it as much as I did!

Micro Review 22

 

Civilisations by Laurent Binet. trans. Sam Taylor (Harvill Secker)

eProof from Net Galley

I have to thank the radio 4 programme Start the Week for bumping this book to the top of my reading pile, rather than letting is languish on my list marked 'potentially sounds interesting' for years.

This book has been called 'counter-factual' but that sounds a little press speak to me - I prefer to call it a 'what if' alternative history novel:

c.1000AD: Erik the Red's daughter heads south from Greenland
1492: Columbus does not discover America
1531: the Incas invade Europe

Freydis is the leader of a band of Viking warriors who get as far as Panama. Nobody knows what became of them...
Five hundred years later, Christopher Columbus is sailing for the Americas, dreaming of gold and conquest. Even when captured by Incas, his faith in his superiority and his mission is unshaken.

Thirty years after that, Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, arrives in Europe. What does he find? The Spanish Inquisition, the Reformation, capitalism, the miracle of the printing press, endless warmongering between the ruling monarchies, and constant threat from the Turks.

But most of all, downtrodden populations ready for revolution. Fortunately, he has a recent guidebook to acquiring power - Machiavelli's The Prince. It turns out he is very good at it. So, the stage is set for a Europe ruled by Incas and, when the Aztecs arrive on the scene, for a great war that will change history forever.

I loved this book from page one, each section takes the story further through history and is written in a style that mimics actual works from the actual historical period, thus the section set around 1000 is written like the Norse/Icelandic sagas and so on.

The book was a delight as history gets rewritten by the victors and when we meet famous people. like Erasmus, it feels natural and organic, not the author showing off what he knows. I am also sure that either Binet (or translator Taylor) are Monty Python fans....

I loved this book, despite it showing up just how insular my knowledge of history, and I wish I'd listened to Mr Norfolkbookworm and other friends earlier and read Binet before now.

Micro Review 20

 

A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean-Baptiste Andrea, trans. Sam Taylor (Gallic Books)

Free copy provided by Gallic Books

I've long been a fan of the quirky tales Gallic Books find and translate into English and this one is no exception.

It tells the story of one professor of paleontology and his quest to make the biggest fossil discovery of his life. 

Following on from what could easily be dismissed as a story told for children the unorthodox Stan draws together an unlikely band of helpers and makes for the high Alps to start his quest. The weather only allows a short window of exploration each summer so as well as financial pressures there are also serious time constraints. The isolation and impending sense of danger are almost characters in their own rights...

To say more would ruin the book, and I am pleased that I followed my instinct of a an enticing blurb and researched the book no further before reading:

When he hears a story about a huge dinosaur fossil locked deep inside an Alpine glacier, university professor Stan finds a childhood dream reignited. Whatever it takes, he is determined to find the buried treasure.

But Stan is no mountaineer and must rely on the help of old friend Umberto, who brings his eccentric young assistant, Peter, and cautious mountain guide Gio. Time is short: they must complete their expedition before winter sets in. As bonds are forged and tested on the mountainside, and the lines between determination and folly are blurred, the hazardous quest for the Earth’s lost creatures becomes a journey into Stan’s own past.

This breathless, heartbreaking epic-in-miniature speaks to the adventurer within us all.

The chapters are short, and almost breathless and I found myself eagerly turning the page to see where the story went next, in honesty I surprised myself by being less interested in Stan's back story - I was too eager to follow the progress on the mountain - but by the end I was reconciled to why it was needed.

Taylor's translation (strangely this is the 3rd translation from him that I've read recently) is brilliant and if you are looking for a quirky read then Gallic Books have come up trumps once more.

Many thanks to Gallic Books for offering copies to reviewers, the book is published at the start of May and I do really recommend it.

Micro Review 15

 

The Readers' Room by Antoine Laurain (trans. Aitkins, Boyce & Mackintosh) from Gallic Books

I've been a fan of Laurain's books since the very first one appeared in English and he has become one of the authors I look up regularly to see if there is a new book due. The problem with this eagerness is that once I get a copy in my hand I become really nervous that the book won't be as good as I hope and I put off starting it.

This time I had to read the book relatively swiftly as it was a library book with a waiting list of people also looking forward to it!

As with all of Laurain's books it is relatively short and really couldn't be anything other than French, the locations just really wouldn't (or couldn't) translate to anywhere else. This book was always going to appeal to me as it is set firmly in the book world and to be honest my dream job would be in Violaine's Readers' Room.

The mystery of this book is two fold - an anonymous book is taking the French literary world by storm and yet at the same time the events in the book are coming to life away from Paris. Can the two mysteries be solved before people lose their jobs or their lives?

I loved reading this book, I guessed very small details of the mysteries but regardless I loved spending time in the world of these people and like all the best books they lived for me. I could 'see' the book really clearly in my mind as I read which in no small way is down to the trio of translators who catch the whimsy of the writing so well.

Travelling through time and literature - book reivew

Vintage 1954 - Antoine Laurain (trans. Jane Aitkin & Emily Boyce)

It is hard to say whether I am a bigger fan of Gallic Books or Antoine Laurain. As a publisher they've introduced me (and countless other readers) to so many great new authors from around the world *and* they translate Antoine's books into English.

I was very happy when Jimena from Gallic press sent me a very advance copy of Vintage 1954 and even more excited when I was told I could talk about it now and didn't have to wait until nearer to official publication in mid June.

Laurain's books for me are total comfort reads, something to turn to when you are a little under the weather or just longing to be anywhere other than Britain right now.

This one brings together a disparate cast of characters from around the world, and throughout time who are all linked by a particular wine. It takes you to a Paris that you instantly recognise and then to another Paris that (if you're like me) you'd love to visit.

This isn't deep sci-fi although there are elements and while I'm not sure it would stand up to a lot of scrutiny from die hard fans of that genre I found that the 'rules' Laurain created worked and while it is a fantasy it didn't stretch my credulity. Of course if you time travel you want to interact with famous people but even here Laurain is pretty restrained and again it all feels natural.

I'm being very circumspect with describing this book because most of the charm is discovering the twists and turns for yourself, and I think that the blurb Gallic Books have on their website (where you can pre-order the book) is just perfect:

After drinking a bottle of vintage Beaujolais, a group of Parisian neighbours are transported back in time to 1954.When Hubert Larnaudie invites some fellow residents of his Parisian apartment building to drink an exceptional bottle of 1954 Beaujolais, he has no idea of its special properties. The following morning, Hubert finds himself waking up in 1950s Paris, as do antique restorer Magalie, mixologist Julien, and Airbnb tenant Bob from Milwaukee, who’s on his first trip to Europe.
After their initial shock, the city of Edith Piaf and An American in Paris begins to work its charm on them. The four delight in getting to know the French capital during this iconic period, whilst also playing with the possibilities that time travel allows. But, ultimately, they need to work out how to get back to 2017. And the key lies in a legendary story and the vineyards of the Chateau St Antoine…

I recommend that you settle down somewhere comfortable, open a bottle of something nice and enjoy this whimsical, fantastical story.

Many thanks to Gallic Books for providing me with an advance copy, I was under no obligation to review this book but it is so good I had to!

Mojo retained

All too often you find me on here bemoaning the fact that once I am back from holiday I find it hard to get back into reading again. I'm never sure if this is because I've read too much in a short period of time or if it is just hard to re-adjust to fitting in real life and books!

This year I don't seem to have been quite so bothered by this real first world problem and this is possibly due to the great books I have been sent by publishers in either physical form or via NetGalley.

Sing to Silent Stones: Violet's Story - David Snell.  (book out now)

This book was sent to me in physical form after I responded to a tweet offering reading copies. It arrived just before we went on holiday and it was just that bit too big and heavy for my luggage.  It was the first book I turned to on return but I wasn't gripped that night, a couple of week's later I picked it up again and promptly lost two days as I fell into the story straight away.

It is the first part of a sweeping family saga covering both World Wars and so was always likely to appeal to me, I loved the detail of the war scenes and the mixed view points. At times I felt like I was reading a biography not fiction but certain scenes do certainly ground the book in fiction, however inspired by family history.

My one criticism was that it seemed rushed through the 1930s but by the end I realised that this was necessary to get the book to a suitable end point ready for part two - which I can't wait to read when it is published.


Clover Moon - Jacqueline Wilson (to be published October 2016)

When I started out as a book seller Ms Wilson was the most popular author around, and while she has remained prolific and reasonably popular I started to find her formulaic and stopped following her publication schedule.  I wonder if this  response is not unique as a couple of weeks ago an advance copy of her next book, Clover Moon, dropped through the letterbox - I don't recall her being 'proofed' for well over a decade, and probably longer.

I was intrigued enough to read the book and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It is a historical book, and the content is pretty hard hitting - although not covering the same period in history (or themes) I found it to create images in my mind very similar to those shown in the recent film Suffragette.

I'm not sure that the overt links to another Wilson title, Hetty Feather, were needed and also the ending seemed so open that I wish it had been stated for certain that a sequel is in the works because it didn't word as a standalone for me as an adult reader.

French Rhapsody - Antoine Laurain (to be published October 2016)

I'm a huge fan of the translations of Laurain's work and I was so excited that Gallic Books made this new one available on NetGalley so early.  It is the typical mix of profundity and whimsy this time with more than a dash of politics.
This one took me a little longer to get into than the previous two books but I did fall in love with the characters I was supposed to and had sympathy for the others - what I'd have liked is for the book to have been twice or three times as long so I could spend more time with them all!

The French do it again...

Book Review:
George's Grand Tour - Caroline Vermalle (translator Anna Aitken)

I won this in a competition on Twitter but there was no obligation to review the book, however after finishing it I knew I just had t o share this book with everyone - in fact my sister already has the physical copy!

It starts like so many books currently, with an old man planning an adventure that will take him away from home and fussing family.  This time George and his friend Charles are going to follow the course of the Tour de France - not on bikes, they are over 70 after all - but by car.  They are going to take their time, seeing all of the sights that the commentators mention when the cyclists whizz by.

George's escape is almost thwarted when his estranged granddaughter gets in touch but thanks to the mobile phone all is not lost.

The account of the hit and miss nature of hotels when you are on the road really stuck a chord with me and the descriptions of food made me salivate and work out when we can have a trip to Normandy and Brittany.

This is another book from the Gallic Press and I think that they really have a talent for picking books that are beautiful, whimsical and with real heart. I haven't yet read one from them that I didn't like.

I'm not going to say any more about this book as I want everyone to discover it like I did, the twists weren't what I expected at all.  My one word of advice - possible don't read this on a crowded train...