The Forger - review

Serving time in jail for art forgery, Ray Chambers arranges for him to get out early so he can spend time with his ill son. Reunited with his father Joseph and son Will, Ray knows he has to work hard to get back into their good books, but also has to reluctantly pull of a job in return for his early release.

Instructed to copy a Claude Monet so the real one can be stolen and sold, Ray does his best to keep his job secret while also spending time with his son, but when he realises the extent of Will’s illness, he also steps up as father.

Giving Will 3 wishes, Ray arranges for him to meet his mother, lose his virginity and also help out with his latest job, but when he learns the cops are on his tail, Ray alongside with his father, son and friend Carl must work together to pull off the job successfully while also keeping themselves clean.

I found this crime thriller a really great watch showcasing the skills of John Travolta & Christopher Plummer in a subtle way. With a bit of violence and swearing, but not too much for it to be overpowering, this movie was more about relationships and would be one which I would watch again.

The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke

For the past 13 years Faith has lived as an only child ever since her older sister Laurel was taken. Living in the shadow of her missing sister, Faith has had a lot to deal with since her disappearance including her parents’ divorce, her father’s new relationship with a man, her first boyfriend and when her mum receives a phone call from the police, she has a lot more to deal with.

With no sightings or leads ever since Laurel disappeared, Faith always had hope that one day she would return and her wish appears to have been answered when her mum receives a phone call one morning from the police informing them that Laurel has been found.

With so many questions and emotions to deal with, Faith and her parents can’t wait to reconnect with Laurel, but understandably she struggles with being back. Now 19 years old Laurel has to learn to live as part of a family again and while Faith does what she can to help her adjust, she eventually begins to resent Laurel’s place in the family.

As the press camp outside their house wanting to know Laurel’s every move now that she has her freedom after being captive for 13 years, Laurel embraces the attention by appearing on a chat show and agreeing to a book deal, but Faith isn’t as keen. Not wanting their family to be the subject of news again she refuses to take part until Laurel tells her how much it would mean to her to do something as a family and soon Laurel is in the spotlight again with all eyes on her.

But when Laurel seems to be spending more time than needed with Faith’s boyfriend Thomas, Faith gets suspicious of her motives and feels Laurel is lying about things. No matter how damaged she is, Faith is determined to find out what’s going on and as much as she thinks she is, she’s not as ready to learn the truth as she thought.

I couldn’t put this book down and was gripped from the start. Although I had my own ideas about how it would end, some of which ended up being correct, I wasn’t prepared for the ending and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys an intriguing read.

Carrie's War by Nina Bawden

As Carrie Willow and her children walk along the railway line where she and her younger brother Nick spent time in their youth, memories come flooding back reminding her of a lifetime gone by. With time spent in the Welsh valley during the 2^nd World War, Carrie and Nick had to adjust to the quiet village which was a world away from bustling London, but a change which would live with them forever.

Thirty years before, Carrie and Nick among other children are led onto the train taking them to a new life. With their father away at war and having said goodbye to their mother, they’re alone in the sense of being the only people each other know. Sent to live with Mr Evans, a strict and domineering grocer and his weak and quiet sister Auntie Lou, Carrie and Nick quickly become used to the running of the house and learn that Mr Evans isn’t someone to mess with.

As they start to explore their surroundings they discover Druids Bottom, a grove surrounded by fields and a pond housing a small cottage where Mr Evans’s other sister Mrs Gotobed lives with her housekeeper Hepzibah and Mr Johnny, a simple young chap who speaks his own language. Alfred Sandwich, a fellow evacuee also lives there giving Carrie and Nick an excuse to spend a lot of time at the cottage having lunch, spending time in the fields and listening to Hepzibah’s stories, although Carrie feels some of them are too young for her.

As time goes by, Carrie and Nick become used to living in the country, but can’t help feel homesick during times such as Christmas and birthdays, although their new found friends do all they can to make them feel at home. And when their mother writes to them asking them to join her in Glasgow, they find themselves sad to say goodbye to a village which for a short time had become home.

This is a book which I’ve had on my shelf since I was young, but have never had the urge to read it. Knowing it was set during World War II, being a young girl I had no interest in learning about the war or reading about children being sent away from their parents, but now that I’m older I find myself interested in what happened years ago, so was keen to finally give the story a break from sitting on the shelf and open the pages which had patiently waited years to be read.

I wasn’t completely sure what angle on the war this book would take, but I found Carrie’s War a great insight into how children must have felt during the war and how they adjusted to a different life despite missing their parents.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Laurel is a young girl who is struggling to find herself in the shadow of her older sister’s death. Having looked up to May her whole life, Laurel does all she can throughout her first year of high school to emulate her style and confidence, but while she makes friends and enjoys spending time hanging out with them, she still feels she can’t be her true self as she doesn’t really know who that is.

When her first English assignment is to write a letter to a dead person, instead of choosing a former president or someone she feels her teacher would recommend, Laurel writes to Kurt Cobain the lead singer of rock group Nirvana. In her letter she feels able to release her thoughts and innermost feelings as she knows it will never be read and soon finds herself reaching out to other deceased people such Judy Garland and Heath Ledger as she finally opens up about her struggles.

With her mother having left for California due to not being able to deal with her grief for May, Laurel spends alternate weeks with her dad who is struggling with the break-up of his family and her God believing Aunt Amy who seems to do all she can to prevent Laurel leading a normal teenage life.

When she starts her first relationship with a boy named Sky, Laurel wants to be honest with him, but when she learns he used to know May and went to school with her, she decides she can never be truly honest with him or tell anyone what happened on the night she died, so continues to only confide in her letters to those who can do nothing but listen.

But as Laurel find solace in her writing, she also begins to realise that she’s more than just May’s younger sister, she is her own person and it’s time to start learning who she is.

As with all the books I’ve read lately, there were a few gaps in between reading sessions meaning I did get a bit lost at times, but I managed to pick up the storyline and follow it through to the end. I like the idea of the whole book being written in a series of letters as it gave more opportunities to have a break from it, but also felt it helped it flow.

It was the author’s debut novel so there’s nothing else I can read by her at the moment, but at the last count – as I recently bought 5 more books – I have 153 waiting to be read, so I’m not desperate for a new read just yet!

The English Teacher - review

High school English teacher Linda Sinclair is shy and prefers to reading about relationships and love rather than experiencing it in real life.

But when she works with former student and failed New York playwright Jason Sherwood to adapt his play into something suitable for the high school to perform, she finds herself connecting with him and coming out of her shell.

After a quick get together, Linda revels in becoming more confident and inspiring students around her to aim high, but when she catches Jason with another student she finds her career in danger as well as her reputation with her students.

However as she slowly starts to gain respect again, she begins to realise that sometimes experiencing something – no matter how it ended – can be the making of you.

Starring Julianne Moore, Greg Kinnear and Michael Angarano, I found this light hearted drama quite sweet and wouldn’t mind watching it again.

Penelope by Rebecca Harrington

Unfortunately this book was a victim of my recent reading slump. Normally when I’m reading a book I fully invest in it and give it the attention it deserves, but for some reason lately I haven’t felt in the mood for reading, but I can’t take full responsibility for this.

When I saw this book on the shelf in Waterstones it reached out to me as a book I would possibly enjoy and even though I didn’t invest much time in prioritizing my reading, this was mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t get into it. In short, it bored me. The evidence for this is that when I was asked what I was currently reading, I couldn’t remember the name of the book – it’s the same as the main character!

Rebecca Harrington’s debut novel follows Penelope O’Shaughnessy as she begins a new chapter of her life at university. With a mum more excited about it than her, Penelope struggles to fit in with her very different room-mates Emma and Lan as she settles into life away from home, but tries to throw herself into university life by joining the play and talking to others in her dormitory.

After making a connection with fellow freshman Ted, Penelope hopes their friendship will develop into something more as they spend time together, but this idea is dashed when Catherine, confident and busty bounces in and steals his attention leaving Penelope trying to fit in elsewhere.

With her mum constantly asking her whether she’s made friends, Penelope finds herself attracted to Gustav, a posh and well connected German who seems to capture every girl’s attention by showing off his wealth, so when he shows an interest in her she’s over the moon. But what ensues isn’t what you’d consider a normal relationship – more a distant friendship with meetings taking place in the middle of the night and Penelope’s eagerness to fit in being taken advantage of.

Penelope’s first year through university included a social awkwardness which made it seem real – a refreshing look at life with the lead character not being the ever popular girl whose life is perfect. If I ever went to University I could see myself feeling the same as Penelope - not knowing where to fit in and ultimately not fitting in.

Despite my reluctance to pick up this novel every time I had the opportunity, with reflection I think I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t necessarily read another from this author in a hurry.

Because I Said So - review

Diane Keaton is Daphne Wilder, a widowed interfering mother of 3 grown up daughters. As her 2 eldest daughters get married and settle down, her youngest Milly continues to have failed relationships making Daphne anxious that she’ll never find a husband.

As Daphne continues to worry about Milly, she goes to the extremes of putting a personal ad on the internet without anyone’s knowledge and spends the afternoon interviewing potential suitors for her with only one standing out - Jason, rich, charismatic and perfect husband material.

Intrigued by Daphne’s intentions, bar musician Johnny approaches her to find out why she’s spent time with so many men and offers himself as someone to meet Milly, but with her sights set on Jason as the one, Daphne informs he’s not good enough for her leaving him determined to prove her wrong.

After a chance meeting, Milly ends up spending time with both Jason and Johnny causing her mum to try and push her towards Jason, little realising that no matter how hard she tries, you can’t plan love - she needs to let Milly decide for herself and in the process open herself up to love.

Co-starring Mandy Moore and Piper Perabo, this rom-com wasn’t the best. Often it was all over the place with over-acting from both the leads and there were times when parts of the story were referred to without us having knowledge of them.

The movie felt like it had been edited to within an inch of its life leaving gaps in the story and me waiting for it to end.