Here’s a sample from the diverse range of books that have been keeping me busy in my non-internet writing days of recent weeks.

Wives and daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. This novel follows the life of teenager Molly as she learns to cope with life beyond her sheltered home and her father’s remarriage. It’s a novel focussed around family relationships and growing up in a small town (including a sweet romance). I enjoyed it, but less so than North and South, perhaps because I found the social observations in the latter more interesting. When I read Wives and daughters I didn’t realise it had been written as a serial, but I wasn’t surprised as it definitely feels like a drama that has been stretched out further than is strictly necessary (however as I read it on a long train trip I certainly didn’t mind!). I also didn’t realise Gaskell died before completing the story and so was very shocked when I reached the last chapter and read “and here the story ended” with another writer finishing up the book!

Melusine by Sarah Monette was recommended to me by Checkers and other people and it was a very different type of book! (Lots more swearing for one thing!) The setting is a fairly typical fantasy world with magic etc but with an abundance of small details and interesting politics and social problems of its own. Melusine is very fast paced book and is narrated by two very different characters. I often find this type of storytelling difficult and want to keep skipping ahead to stay with one narrator but in Melusine I was interested enough in both stories to read it all in order! It finishes fairly abruptly with lots of preparation made for the sequel, which is already out (thank goodness!).

I only heard about Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits and a very interesting boy when I read a review of the sequel (not out yet) at Bookshelves of Doom. The references to Nesbit and Enright were enough to get me trotting around to the library. Having read the book, I agree that the story of a family’s summer adventures did have that lovely old fashioned and happy feel - I can see why it might be too cozy and sweet for some readers. For me, though, it was a really enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the sequel to come out later this year!

Tags: birdsall, books, fantasy, gaskell, monette, romance