REVIEW: The Talented Mrs Greenway by Tea Cooper

The Talented Mrs Greenway by Tea Cooper

Genre: Historical, Colonial History, Fact with Fiction, Australia

Read: 21st January 2025

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Published: 1st November 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

From a bestselling Australian author, this compellingly realised novel brings to life the story of an enigmatic figure, wife to feted colonial architect Francis Greenway, and asks, whose hand really shaped Sydney? Who is the talented Mrs Greenway?

1814 Sydney:When Mary Greenway, freshly arrived from the old country, steps into the maelstrom of Sydney Town with three children at her skirts, she has high hopes of a new beginning, despite having little money and a husband in irons. After all, the sudden death of her sadistic first husband has meant freedom from her gilded cage and Francis Greenway is an architect of some promise, under the protection of Admiral Phillip himself.

Mary herself is a woman of great resources and an even greater creative passion, a passion that will surely burn through anything that the filthy, burgeoning, vitality of colonial Sydney can throw at her. Soon ensconced in a tiny cottage in George Street, Mary sets about moulding a life for her family from the unpromising clay of this new colony, with a determination fired in equal parts by guilt for her disastrous past action that nearly brought ruin to them all and desire to see her true calling realised.

When she is befriended by Elizabeth Macquarie it seems that fate is smiling on them with the promise of a better life in her grasp. But fate is a difficult mistress and with past secrets to keep, and current betrayals on the brink of discovery, the stakes are higher than ever. With Mary's grip on this new life slipping, will her past lies come back to haunt her?

MY THOUGHTS:

I came across this book at the nursing home my father is in and thought it sounded interesting with a story based on fact and real people woven into the fabric of our colonial history. I've not read Tea Cooper before but after enjoying this tale I am certainly interested in reading more by her.

Mary Greenway was the little known wife of convict architect Francis Greenway, whose many structures still stand today over 200 years later. So little was known about his wife that the author was fascinated by her and the role she played as Mrs Greenway. But of course, she didn't begin as Mary Greenway. Her story begins in an arranged married to a brute of a man, Captain James Fripp, who viewed his wife's sole purpose in life was to produce him with an heir and a spare and yet after several years of marriage she hadn't even managed that. He spent more time away from the stunning home in Bath her father had built for his daughter in memory of her mother, squandering her father's wealth with his lavish lifestyle.

She first met young Francis Greenway when he came to the house to discuss some plans for extension with her husband, who had forgotten the appointment and was not there to meet him. Mary, however, spent an entertaining time with Mr Greenway discussing their shared interests in architecture and design. But her husband disagreed with Greenway's vision and thus tore up their handshake agreement and refused to pay him for the designs he had already made. When Mary finally produced an heir in young George, Fripp soon lost interest and it was when she was pregnant with her second child that Fripp suddenly dies in a tragic (but rather fortuitous) accident.

Upon hearing of Fripp's demise, Greenway pays Mary a condolence visit and thus hears of the difficulties he had with her husband. Mary shares Greenway's vision and offers to sponsor him but then she learns of the dire financial straits Fripp had left them in, squandering her inheritance and requiring the sale of her beloved home her father had loving built her. Greenway's business falls into bankruptcy and upon declaring his love for Mary, the couple marry but their financial woes are far from over.

Francis adores Mary but he can be arrogant and stubborn, so when a client also refuses to honour their contract, Francis tears the place apart searching for his copy to produce as evidence of their agreement. When he does so, he is then arrested for and convicted for forgery of the said document. As forgery is a hanging offence, he is sentenced to death but only through the social influence of certain people saves him from the gallows and he is transported for a term of 14 years to the Colony of New South Wales where he will be given the position of government architect under Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

Devastated by the sentence but relieved he will not hang, Mary determines that she and her sons will follow Francis out to the colony to make a life there as free settlers. The sea journey is tough and upon arrival at Sydney Town there are yet even more challenges. Mary soon learns to navigate the rough and ready streets of the colony, discovering unwritten rules as well as tensions that arise. But her unexpected friendship with Elizabeth Macquarie, wife of Lachlan Macquarie, soon proves to be an advantage through his designs as the government's architect and his ticket of leave as a convict. Sharing her love of architecture with Elizabeth, Mary finds that her ideas are soon incorporated into many of Francis' designs that become peppered throughout the colony and beyond.

Tea Cooper delivers a wonderful engaging story that weaves fact with fiction in this tale of the little known Mary Greenway with the sights, sounds and smells of colonial Australia. From the affluent cities of Bath and Bristol to the primitive colony of Sydney, Cooper paints a vivid picture of the undeveloped primeval dusty streets littered with sewage and rats to the hot and humid climate so foreign to that which she was familiar with. She also depicts Francis as hot headed and sometimes arrogant, clashing with his superiors in defence of what he terms as "his art" whilst the strength behind the man responsible for so many of Sydney's earliest buildings was that of his wife Mary. The talented Mrs Greenway.

The title comes directly from the words of her husband Francis, published in the Sydney Monitor after her death as "the mild unobtrusive but talented Mrs Greenway".

A light read that is as delightful as it is captivating. I devoured it in a day and I think historical fiction fans will enjoy. The author's historical notes at the end also made for interesting reading as well which helped to make sense of her depiction of Mary Greenway and what endeavoured to be her story.

Map of Sydney Town in 1824 during the Greenway's time

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Téa is an established Australian author of contemporary and historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling. She is published by HQ, a division of HarperCollins, in Australia and New Zealand and since 2020 by Harper Muse in North America.

For many years writing remained the stuff of fantasy. Her family, a herd of alpacas, a protea farm and a full time teaching job kept her occupied until one day she decided it was time to do or die. No more procrastination. The characters and plots that had lived in her head for so long were clamouring to escape.

In August 2011 Tea joined Romance Writers of Australia and her debut novel The Horse Thief was published in November 2015. She  she has become enmeshed in twisty historical mysteries that mix fact and fiction. 

Tea is a member of the Historical Novel Society of Australasia, The Australian Society of Authors, and Sisters in Crime. She is currently working on her next historical mystery. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Sign Up to Tea's Newsletter | Goodreads

REVIEW: Hannah by Raymond W. Clarke

Hannah by Raymond W. Clarke

Genre: Historical, Colonial History, Fact with Fiction, Australia

Read: 19th January 2025

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Published: 3rd July 2011

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Hannah is based on the life story of Hannah Stanley, a convict woman who is sentenced to death for Grand Theft before her sentence is commuted to transportation for life to New South Wales.

She survives the brutality and filth of English prisons and the long six months in the convict ship Canada before arriving in Sydney Cove in September 1810.

After many adventures in the wilderness of the early colony, she raises a large family and takes a rightful place in the society of the new world.

She never again saw the shores of England but learnt to love the beauty and the uniqueness of the Australian bush.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book has been sitting on my kindle for some years and I finally decided to check it out yesterday. It's a quick read, having devoured it easily in a day. 

The story of Hannah Stanley/Clarke is based on facts on the life of the author's great great grandmother who, ostracised from her own family in Kent, took up a maid's position nearby. Influenced by her fellow maidservant Hannah Porter, the pair attempted to steal some clothing from their employer with the intention of selling it on. But having been caught, the two Hannahs were arrested and convicted for grand theft and up before the visiting justice of the Kent Assizes and thus sentenced to death. Their sentences were later commuted to transportation to New South Wales, Australia for life and thus began their journey.

We follow Hannah's stay in Maidstone Prison and then on the Prison Hulk before boarding the convict transport ship Canada for the long six month sail to Sydney Cove. Upon arrival, the convicts are then subject to a selection process during which each are selected - by age, appearance and ability - as servants to landowners or the like to work out their sentences. The remaining are sent up the river to the Female Factory in Parramatta. Hannah was given the latter due to her "condition", a result from the voyage across the seas.

Hannah, and her partner in crime Hannah P, befriended a young Irish lass on the journey over named Rosie O'Donaghue who was barely 14. She was fortunate enough to be granted a kind landowner to work for whom she later married. Hannah P. continued to be feisty which landed her in a world of trouble. She was selected for work in Sydney Town at the ouset but after an altercation with an officer she was sent to Newcastle. Hannah was sent up river to the Female Factory where she befriended Sarah. After a year in the Factory she was granted a Ticket of Leave supported by the local vicar who became her sponsor and she lived with them at their home in Parramatta for the next three years before returning to Sydney Town to seek out her friends. Having a Ticket of Leave gave the convict some freedom in which they could move around freely and earn a small wage but they had to remain in the area, seeking approval to move to another area. Hannah had to gain approval to return to Sydney Town with a job and lodgings already lined up before it was granted.

In Sydney Town, she met Daniel Clarke who remembered her from the selection process upon her arrival four years before. He had never forgotten her and was thrilled to happen upon her again. A seaman by vocation he was prepared to give it all up for Hannah, marry her and raise a family. But their path to marriage was not an easy one, thwarted by an officer who had his sights on Hannah. a convicts required permission to marry. But with references and a close friend of Macquarie on side, their path to marriage was paved and the couple settled on the Hawkesbury, South Creek near Windsor, where they remained for many years raising their family. 

The story continues following their move to the Southern Highlands where Hannah bore four more children and rasied them until her sudden death. There is a summary of the family with a short description of Hannah, Daniel and each of their children detailing their births, marriages and the ages they lived till. The book ends with an epilogue of the author visiting Hannah's grave in Suttons Forest, where she lived out her remaining days.

Based on fact, the author has given embellishment through detail and dialogue without really knowing what exactly transpired and thus giving Hannah a good life, if not an easy one, here in Australia. I have always been fascinated by Australia's colonial past and how the town and places I know and frequent were once penal colonies, built on the blood, sweat and tears of many many convicts that came to our shores.

There was a discrepancy in the facts of this story (and it is a big one). In the book, Hannah is sent up the river to the Female Factory in Parramatta BUT the Female Factory wasn't built until 1817 and not opened until 1821 by which time Hannah and Daniel were already married and living in South Creek near Windsor with their children. Hannah was said to have been there in 1810 which is impossible as it wasn't built yet and the architect who designed it, Francis Greenway, hadn't yet been transported. All female prisoners were sent to Parramatta Gaol where they were housed until the Female Factory was opened. I feel as though the author should have known this.

I would have loved to have rated this book higher but I feel it could have benefitted from better editing as there were many typos and scenes seemed to change mid-paragraph without any break or warning. It made it hard to follow at first and having just a simple embellishment to break between scenes would have made it much easier to follow. But that aside, it was an easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

An enjoyable journey into Australia's convict past and tribute one of the women who birthed an entire generation and thensome as a result of her petty crime which saw her transported for life.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Raymond W Clarke was born in Sydney and is the author of material for the Australian Government archives, five novels and two non-fiction books. As a lover of early history, his articles have been published in a variety of magazines, journals and newspapers. He served in the Australian Army for nine years and travelled extensively as a Radar Senior Technical Officer with the Australian Government as a Supervisor of major electronic installations.

He lives in Brisbane, Australia and welcomes reviews and feedback on all his work. 

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: Hold On, Edna! by Aneira Thomas

Hold On, Edna! by Aneira "Nye" Thomas

Genre: Historical, Biography, Non-Fiction

Read: 2nd January 2024

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Published: 12th March 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

THIS HEARTBREAKING, HEARTWARMING, TRUE STORY FOLLOWING THE HISTORY OF A FAMILY IN WALES IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS EVER WRITTEN.

'I am a proud supporter of our National Health Service which has shown yet again what an important and valued institution it is in the UK. As the first NHS baby through to her work today, Aneira's story shows her dedication and passion for protecting this phenomenal service for future generations.' KEIR STARMER

'This book speaks from the heart about a passion to preserve our NHS - as powerful a symbol of goodness as we have. Nye's own experience and that of her family represents our deep need to fight for a society where all are equal in worth and value. And how the NHS stands fast as a symbol of equality, of fairness, and of compassion for all.' MICHAEL SHEEN

'Aneira has written a memoir which is a deeply personal, richly researched and incredibly timely tribute to Britain's commitment to provide free and equal healthcare to all.' - DAILY MAIL Book of the Week, 22 May 2020

'Moving tribute to the NHS.' - WI Life

_____________________________________________________________

'Edna,' says the doctor, coming to stand beside her bed. 'You need to wait. It's not long now. Don't push. Just hold on, Edna!'

The birth of the National Health Service coincided with the birth of one little girl in South Wales: Aneira 'Nye' Thomas, the first baby delivered by the NHS.

This is the touching story of Nye's family - their loves and losses - and the launch of a treasured public service that has touched the lives of every family in the nation.

MY THOUGHTS:

'Congratulations...your mother truly did make history that night.'

'Well, I might well have been born just before midnight, but I expect the attending doctor would have pushed me back in - just to make sure a Welsh baby was born first!'

These words were exchanged with the then future king, Prince Charles of Wales, at a function honouring the NHS, and the author and first baby born under the scheme, Aneira (Nye) Thomas had me chuckling, not just the notion but the sheer forwardness of doing so with someone so public and from the Royal family. I may have thought it but I'm not sure I would have been so bold as to utter them.

This book is something different from my usual fare but its concept and history so fascinated me that I opted to do something I don't usually do - spend so much on a book by an author I've never read and therefore have no idea if I will like. But HOLD ON, EDNA! is not just a walk through time peppered in facts and history but it's also a story of one woman's family who, interestingly enough, has a long history in healthcare of the day with her own great-grandmother a midwife to the women of Glamorgan. Even her own parents were working as nurses when they met. And many of her sisters and aunts were also nurses. And yet it didn't end there. Aneira herself also became a nurse and her daughter a paramedic. Her entire life is thanks to the NHS - from her very first breath till no doubt her very last.

On 5th July 1948 at just one minute past midnight, baby Aneira is born in a village hospital in South Wales. The first NHS baby - born under the very scheme that was the brainchild of a Welshman himself (Aneurin "Nye" Bevan) - and Aneira was named in his honour. Her mother, having birthed all of her previous six children at home under the guiding hand of the local midwife, Edna and her husband Willie have some difficulty comprehending this new service being offered to them that will cost them nothing. "It's free!" But it's not charity. It's paid for by the taxpayer and is based on need not wealth. At last a healthcare that is for everyone and not just the rich.

Aneira, also called Nye, details her family's origins as far back as 1834 when her great great grandmother was but a 9 year old child in a Somerset workhouse. But she retells it in such a way, as told to her by her own mother Edna, that you could be reading a Catherine Cookson or Lindsey Hutchinson novel. She keeps it real and yet interesting throughout whilst peppering her own input along the way. One baby, so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, whose birth was also that of the UK's National Health Service that for over seventy years has serviced millions of people that 100 years ago in Edna's time would surely not have thrived or even survived. Her story about the generations of her family from the workshouse to the mines, we follow their daily struggles most of which we take for granted today.

Aneira reflects on how had the system been in place in her ancestors' times, the mortality rate would have been considerably lower. Fewer women would have died in childbirth. Fewer children would have succumbed to illnesses that are eaily treatable today. Had the tools available today been available then life may well have been a little easier. But as it were, healthcare wasn't readily available to those unless you could pay for it. So if you were poor, as most were, then had to muddle along as best you could until the inevitable. It wasn't ideal but it was all one could do.

HOLD ON, EDNA! isn't just Aneira's story. That comes later. This is about her family, their struggles, their lives. And she tells it beautifully drawing parallels with history alongside today, painting a picture that is sure to leave readers thankful that they are lucky to have such a system in place. 

Healthcare based on need, not wealth. That is the basis of the NHS and why Nye Bevan fought tirelessly to pass the bill through parliament to ensure that no one need suffer needlessly because they cannot afford basic healthcare. Today we see it as a basic huamn right but it wasn't always. This book reminds us just how lucky we are to have our a public healthcare system in place, where ever we are in the world. It's also a sobering reminder that not every country in the world is lucky to have a health system like the NHS. In Australia, we have Medicare which has only been in place for 40 years (this year) and while it is flawed it is the best system we have and we are lucky to have it...because not everyone does.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which is not long-winded or bogged down in factual text. It is a quick read that is kept interesting through Aneria's anecdotes as told to her by Edna and is a wonderful compelling read. I loved immersing myself into the era from 1834 through to the 1960s. Despite it being a biography, it doesn't have that droning and boring biographical feel. It is more like Lindsey Hutchinson cross Catherine Cookson peppered with Call the Midwife.

A truly wonderful read.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Aneira and her mum, Edna

Aneira Thomas was born at one minute past midnight on 5 July 1948, making her first baby in Great Britain to be born into the NHS. She was named after Aneurin Bevan, the minister for health at the time who led on the plan for the NHS. Aneira spent her career working in the NHS as a mental health nurse (her four sisters were also nurses, and her daughter is now a paramedic), and continues to be an active supporter of the NHS, speaking out on a range of issues in the media and at public rallies.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Maiden by Kate Foster

The Maiden by Kate Foster

Genre: Historical mystery

Read: 23rd June 2023

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Published: 26th April 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Inspired by a real-life case and winner of the Bloody Scotland Pitch Perfect Award, Kate Foster's The Maiden is a remarkable story with a feminist revisionist twist, giving a voice to women otherwise silenced by history.

"In the end, it did not matter what I said at my trial. No one believed me."

Edinburgh, October 1679. Lady Christian is arrested and charged with the murder of her lover, James Forrester. News of her imprisonment and subsequent trial is splashed across the broadsides, with headlines that leave little room for doubt: Adulteress. Whore. Murderess.

Only a year before, Lady Christian was newly married, leading a life of privilege and respectability. So, what led her to risk everything for an affair? And does that make her guilty of murder? She wasn't the only woman in Forrester's life, and certainly not the only one who might have had cause to wish him dead . . .

'Threat hangs over every page like the awaiting guillotine, but the women in this book gleam sharper. Witty, gritty and full of heart, their voices rise through the brutality and hardship of 17th century Edinburgh, battling to be heard' – Cari Thomas, bestselling author of Threadneedle

MY THOUGHTS:

"In the end, it did not matter what I said at my trial. No one believed me."

I was excited to read this. I love historical fiction and set in 17th century Scotland intrigued me. Based on the real life case of a woman name Lady Christian Nimmo who was convicted of the murder of her lover, THE MAIDEN thus delves into the life of the adulterer turned murderess told in various perspectives of the women in her lover's life.

The year is 1679. Edinburgh, Scotland. And Lady Christian Nimmo stands accused of the murder of her lover James Forrester. The news is shocking; the trial scandalous. The lives and loves of the murderous whore splashed all over the new broadsheets leave little room for doubt. But how could this have happened? Just a a year ago Lady Christian was a respectable woman of society. Why would she just throw it all away and risk everything for such an act?

But alas, as it turns out, Lady Christian is not the only woman in Forrester's bedchamber to wish him animosity. So then who?

There was another lover who believed all his tales of love and that she was truly special. That she was the one he truly loved. Violet is an orphan who was taken into a brothel at a young age and she vows she will not go back to that life of depravity after a glimpse of the luxuries offered by Forrester, who was at first a client. But to Violet he became her ticket out of depravity.

But both women are the victims of exploitation by Forrester, used only for his needs, as he used many other women. He grooms them, exploits them, lies to them and uses them as he sees fit.

THE MAIDEN is an interesting tale, if a little drawn out in parts. I like the concept and idea but as with many based-on-fact tales can get a little bogged down in historical fact. But I do especially like the line "In the end, it did not matter what I said at my trial. No one believed me." Because in the end, it didn't matter. Women didn't have a voice in those times no matter how loudly they shouted. Men were the ones who held all the power. I am not a feminist by any means but I do believe the scales should be balanced a little more so - not one way or the other. To me, everyone is equal. And at the end of the day, our graves will be the same size as the next person. No one is above another.

An intriguing mystery that did hold my interest for the most part.

I would like to thank #KateFoster, #Netgalley, #MantleBooks and #PanMacmillan for an ARC of #TheMaiden in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kate Foster is an author and journalist.

Her debut novel, The Maiden, (Mantle Books, 2023) is a feminist retelling of a 17th century Edinburgh murder. It won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect award 2020 and went on to become a Times and Waterstones bestseller. Kate was inspired to write the novel based on the local folklore of her childhood.

Kate has also been a journalist for around 25 years writing for national newspapers, specilaising in investigating and writing news and features mainly as a Health Editor.

Kate has extensive experience in pitching, writing and editing both in fiction and journalism and she loves working with other writers and readers. She has appeared at events and panels and enjoy taking part in talks, Q&As, book groups, workshops and mentoring. Kate became a debut author at the age of 48 and is happy to talk about her experience of the writing and publication process as an older debut. She enjoys exploring themes of historical retellings and women in history.

Social media links:

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REVIEW: The Girl Behind the Gates by Brenda Davies

The Girl Behind the Gates by Brenda Davies

Genre: Historical fiction, Contemporary fiction, Women's fiction, True stories

Read: 27th December 2021

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Published: 23rd July 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

1939. Seventeen-year-old Nora Jennings has spent her life secure in the certainty of a bright, happy future - until one night of passion has more catastrophic consequences than she ever could have anticipated. Labelled a moral defective and sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act, she is forced to endure years of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of those who are supposed to care for her.

1981. When psychiatrist Janet Humphreys comes across Nora, heavily institutionalised and still living in the hospital more than forty years after her incarceration, she knows that she must be the one to help Nora rediscover what it is to live. But as she works to help Nora overcome her past, Janet realises she must finally face her own.

Based on a true story, The Girl Behind the Gates is perfect for fans of The Girl in the Letter and Philomena.

MY REVIEW:

Wow! There are no words to describe how this book made me feel. Well, there are...but where to start? THE GIRL BEHIND THE GATES is compelling, haunting and chilling in the first half while poignant, raw and redeeming in the second half. Like the two halves, it is divided into two parts that each tell a different story of the same journey. It is heartbreaking and harrowing but so completely touching by its end.

I have long been familiar with the archaic concept of committing young women who find themselves pregnant out of wedlock to mental asylums and while in today's society we cannot comprehend such treatment, it was once a common occurrence. One has to remember that psychiatry was a relatively unknown field and the treatments given were pretty much all they knew, however that was no excuse for some of the treatment and abuse dealt out to patients for no reason whatsoever but to exert a sense of power. This story is a fictional account based on actual events of an idealistic and privileged young girl who finds herself in the most harrowing of circumstances through which most of us could probably never survive.

1939: Seventeen year old Nora Jennings is in love. She also has a secret. Finding herself pregnant by her cousin Robert, Nora tries to hide her growing stomach from her strict father who thinks nothing of beating her into submission and obedience. Upon discovering her condition, her parents call upon the local priest and family GP who, after a humiliating examination to ascertain the pregnancy, then drag her from the house, her parents giving her no backward glance, and is taken to Hillingsworth hospital known as the local mental asylum where she is sectioned under the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913.

Diagnosed as morally defective, Nora is then subjected to the harsh realities behind the walls which had until then seemed a surreal fantasy. She receives no visitors but for the family housekeeper, Mrs Lampeter, who doted on Nora like a mother and whom Nora loves like a mother. When her baby is born, as Nora is deemed morally defective any offspring she produces is regarded as such also, and so the cruel and nasty Sister Cummings leaves the little girl naked to die in the sluice room. Nora never even got to hold her baby or even know of its sex.

As the years progress, Nora makes a sort of peace with herself and is comforted by the thought that her baby was adopted and grew up feeling loved. But a shocking revelation brought the horrible truth crashing down sending Nora into a downward spiral from which she intended never to recover. That is, until a kind and caring doctor on her ward made it his mission to look out for her and upon learning of her catatonic state, attempted to bring her back from the brink. And yet despite this, the cruelties and harsh treatments doled out to the patients of Hillingsworth, Nora continued to suffer more indignities as every basic human right that we all take for granted was taken away from her bit by bit.

1981: Although she has the ability to fix others' fractured lives, psychiatrist Janet Humphreys' own personal life is in disarray. She works long hours, is never home and even when she is she is absent, leaving her husband feeling unloved and unwanted. In an act of desperation, he leaves her and despite this, Janet soldiers on. She has to. She has patients who depend on her. And one of them is Nora Jennings who, after over forty years at Hillingsworth, is completely institutionalised. Although life became easier in the later years when Sister Cummings was dismissed, Nora simply found it is easier to succumb to whatever was asked of her.

When Janet comes across Nora's case file, she is intrigued. She meets Nora in the hospital's "back ward" of long forgotten patients who have been there for decades. At first Nora is silent, apprehensive and untrusting. After all, the only people she had any form of contact with were cruel and abused their authority, aside from a handful of nurses who were at least kind. And Dr Stilworth who always stood up for her and helped her when all others took away any liberties she may have had. But then he retired. 

Now there is this new doctor...and Nora is unsure whether she can trust her. Because anyone she places her trust in usually leaves her in the end. Joe did, Patty did, Dr Stilworth, even her parents...and Robert. Can she trust this Dr Janet? Or will she betray her too?

THE GIRL BEHIND THE GATES is a harrowing tale of one woman's journey cruelly snatched from her privileged life and thrown into a life of abuse and torture at the hands of those who are meant to be caring for her. Deemed morally defective because she fell pregnant at 17 and was unmarried...as if no one else was to blame for the consequence of the act that creates a baby. Not only that, but any offspring she produces would therefore be also considered morally defective by the defective gene passed down from her mother. What rot! It angered me to read such rubbish but angered me even more that this was a fact that people actually believed. And sadly, as psychiatry was a relatively unknown field at the time, doctors simply had to go with what they knew...and this is what they knew. It was all the tools they had at the time. But that's not the only angering part of this story. It's the harsh treatment of patients, or inmates as they were often referred to like they were prisoners...and they were in a sense, because they could never escape the walls that bound them there. As if beating a patient and calling her a whore who deserved everything she got wasn't bad enough, but the wet wraps they were subjected to...for simply grieving a loss! It's barbaric. Wet wraps are a form of torture and it was heartbreaking to read that such treatment existed...and for what purpose?

Four decades of abuse, torture, humiliation and loss. Four decades of isolation, grief and adversity. Four decades of such harsh treatment it's not surprising Nora was well and truly institutionalised. But when Janet enters the story in 1981, she brings with her hope and in the journey that follows highlights Nora's resilience, her stoic endurance and her survival against all odds.

THE GIRL BEHIND THE GATES is a heartbreaking read that is harrowing and chilling at times but shines a ray of hope on even the harshest of circumstances. I doubt I could have lived through and survived all that Nora had done and yet she did...and though the scars remained, her ability to rise above her trauma is inspiring.

Horrifying, shocking and compelling, THE GIRL BEHIND THE GATES is a heartbreaking yet beautiful story with which one will need tissues. And plenty of them. I could not stop the tears from falling as I read of Nora's harrowing treatment and the rejection of her basic human rights. What also angered me was that the country was at war with Germany over the Hitler's discardment of human rights and yet here they were stripping an innocent woman of the same. It defied logic. And another thing that annoyed me was that Robert could have intervened due to his authority and yet he didn't. Nora had no one. She was stripped of everything she had and was left to rot in Hillingsworth until Janet reached out and allowed her to see her true worth.

While Janet's personal life was an aside to the main story, I felt it paled in significance to Nora's journey and, while others failed to see whether it played a part or not, for me it showed that not only are psychiatrists human but the point that the author made at the beginning in her "Author's Note" was that Nora taught her and inspired her a great deal as well. In my view, Janet was inspired by Nora and her strength to make peace with her own past and the issues that plagued her marriage. It was Nora who gave her that.

A very powerful story, THE GIRL BEHIND THE GATES is not one I will forget in a hurry. I loved it, I hated it and I was moved by it entirely. Thank you to Brenda Davies for telling Nora's story...a story that needed to be told because as is the case with history - its purpose is for us to learn from, to remember and to never let it happen again.

I would like to thank #BrendaDavies, #Netgalley and #HodderAndStoughton for an ARC of #TheGirlBehindTheGates in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Dr Brenda Davies is Consultant Psychiatrist. She holds regular workshops around the world and includes many celebrities among her clients. Having been born and raised in County Durham, England, Brenda Davies now lives very happily in Wales. She spent many years living and working abroad, in Zambia, the USA, Germany and Rome. 

A lover of life and people, Brenda relishes challenge and adventure and believes that living all of our gifts simultaneously and loving doing so, is the epitome of life.

The Girl Behind the Gates is her first novel.

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REVIEW: A Letter from Pearl Harbor by Anna Stuart

A Letter from Pearl Harbor by Anna Stuart

Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime fiction, Contemporary fiction, WW2, Dual timeline

Read: 6th November 2021

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Published: 5th November 2021

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Ninety-eight-year-old Ginny McAllister’s last wish is for her granddaughter to complete a treasure hunt containing clues to her past. Clues that reveal her life as one of the first female pilots at Pearl Harbor, and a devastating World War Two secret.

1941, Pearl Harbor: On the morning of December 7th, Ginny is flying her little yellow plane above the sparkling seas when she spots an unknown aircraft closing in on her. She recognises the red symbol of the Japanese fighter planes almost too late. Somehow, she manages to land unscathed but the choices she is forced to make in the terrible hours that follow have tragic consequences…

2019, Pearl Harbor: Heartbroken Robyn Harris is reeling from the death of the strong, determined grandmother who raised her. Her only comfort is a letter written in Ginny’s distinctive hand which details a treasure hunt, just like the ones she used to set for her as a little girl. Except this time, the clues are scattered across the beautiful island of Hawaii. Despite her grief, Robyn finds herself intrigued as she follows the trail of letters, revealing the truth about Ginny’s service during the Second World War.

But Robyn’s whole world is turned upside down when she’s faced with a shocking secret which has the power to change the course of her own life…

Inspired by true events, this is a heartbreaking and unforgettable WW2 novel about love, loss and bravery. Perfect for fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and Kathryn Hughes.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Anna Stuart's dual timeline tale A LETTER FROM PEARL HARBOR.

After having totally loved Anna Stuart's previous dual timeline story "The Secret Diary" I jumped at the chance to read this one. A LETTER FROM PEARL HARBOR tells the tale of 98 year old Virginia "Ginny" Harris and her last wish - for her two granddaughters, Robyn and Ashleigh, to complete a treasure hunt containing clues to her past. I thought this a novel concept for a story and it certainly made it interesting, despite the constant bickering between the two sisters, as each clue revealed a little more about their grandmother's past. Set between England and Hawaii, A LETTER FROM PEARL HARBOR is mix of historical and contemporary fiction that is both an emotional and heartwarming story.

England 2019: Robyn Harris stands at the bottom of the driveway of her grandmother's sprawling Oxfordshire house - the house in which she and her sister had spent much of their childhood in while their humanitarian parents were off saving the rest of the world. Her sister Ashleigh beckons her to hurry up in her usual spiky way, an attitude that has become synonomous with her sister since her tragic accident some years previous which left her left paralysed and in a wheelchair for life. Something Ashleigh has had some difficulty in accepting. Despite their bickering, the sisters now sit at their beloved grandmother's bedside as they reminisce about the treasure hunts she used to send them on. 

Which brings Ginny to one final request. 

As they sit at her bedside she gives them her last wish - one final treasure hunt that she has created for them in which the two of them must return to Hawaii together and solve the clues that she has set out for them which will then in turn tell the story of her life and reveal the secrets that she has kept for eight decades.

Intrigued by what their grandmother's story might reveal, the sisters set out together to solve the mystery. But the journey doesn't come without its perils. Ashleigh, confined to a wheelchair, isn't excited by the prospect of such a long haul and then having to squeeze into Robyn's tiny one bedroom apartment for the duration of her stay. Fraught with misunderstandings, the sisters constantly squabble over just about every little thing but as they follow the clues Ginny set out for them, not only do they learn more about their grandmother but also about themselves and each other.

Pearl Harbor 1941: Young and vibrant Ginny Martin is pilot and flying instructor on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Oahu. Her brother Jack, also a pilot, is with the armed forces and recently engaged to nurse Penny. Despite the presence of the Navy and the Army on the island, no one is expecting there to be an attack there as Hawaii is too far from the enemy. Life on the island and is good and Ginny couldn't be happier. She has even made a friend out of the airfield where she works in Lili who she is determined to teach to fly in exchange for the spare room in the house she shares with her father. And as Lili takes to the skies it becomes clear that she is a competant pilot who was born to fly.

Then in the early morning dawn of 7th December as Lili takes to the skies solo, Ginny is instructing one of her brother's colleagues in preparation for his upcoming test...when she spots an unknown plane in her periphery. The horror she feels as she recognises the red symbol of Japan's rising sun adorning the aircraft realising that the attack no one was expecting was about to take place. Taking over the controls from her student, she manages to land unscathed despite the bullets fired at her plane and the sky is darkened as the Japanese swarm the skies above reigning bullets and, to her her horror, releasing bombs over the Naval ships currently in port in the Harbor. The sheer deluge of the Japanese reign of terror was both unexpected and catastrophic. And while only a relatively small number of locals were killed, most of the lives claimed were military on the battleships nesting in the Harbor - some two thousand or more. 

But what about Jack? He was a fighter pilot and surely he would be up there fighting off the Japanese and sending them scurrying back the way they came. Ginny couldn't bare to entertain the thought of losing him. Life would not be worth living if she did. And what about Lili? She last saw her in the skies above the island just moments before the attack. Had she gotten back to land safely? Or had she become another victim of this brazen attack?

Life has come full circle as Ginny breathed her last in her Oxfordshire home in England with her last wish for her granddaughters to follow the clues she had painstakingly put together to slowly reveal the story of her life and a secret she has kept for so long. Now Robyn, now an aeronautical engineer, and Ashleigh must unravel the clues to uncover their grandmother's past.

A LETTER FROM PEARL HARBOR is a wonderful story about family, friendships, love and forgiveness set upon the beautiful islands of Hawaii. It is at times heart-wrenching but also unforgettable as the two timelines are seamlessly woven together to create a beautiful tapestry of a life well loved and well lived. I did feel as if it dragged a little in the middle but aside from that it was wholly enjoyable.

The story of the bombing of Pearl Harbor is a well known and well documented event but one I find that pales in significance to what the British endured for over two years prior to this. The Americans refused to have any part of the war up until this point but as soon as they were attacked in one fell swoop they jumped in guns blazing. And while they thought the attack on Pearl Harbor was horrific, they had not spared a thought for Britain who endured daily and nightly bombings in the Blitz for eight months...and they never complained. Even when Ginny arrived in England to ferry planes with the ATA (Air Transport Auxilliary), she was shocked at the devastation in each of the cities and the rationing that the country was living with. Even after they entered the war, America was still never under the threat of invasion or attack that Britain was for its duration of six long years.

The characters in this story are all well developed even if a little unlikeable in part. Ginny was delightful, Robyn was reserved and Ashleigh was complicated and spiky. The supporting characters in Lili, Jack, Maile and Zak were each of them remarkable in their respective ways. I enjoyed getting to know each of them and a few others along the way.

Overall, A LETTER FROM PEARL HARBOR is a wonderful read that brings an almost forgotten time to life through the detailed description and dialogue written by Anna Stuart's competent hand. There is so much more to be said for this book but to do so would be to spoil it.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction, wartime fiction and dual timelines.

Note...as someone who has been taught UK English, I found myself having to constantly correct my spelling of "harbor" to the American form for this review. In UK English, it is spelt "harbour" and somehow it just didn't seem right spelling it otherwise...lol

And who writes these book descriptions? Ginny's name wasn't McAllister, but Martin before she married when she became Harris. Where does McAllister come from?

I would like to thank #AnnaStuart, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #ALetterFromPearlHarbor in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name.

Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels.

Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. 

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REVIEW: When the Nightingale Sings by Suzanne Kelman

When the Nightingale Sings by Suzanne Kelman

Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime fiction, True story, WW2

Read: 20th October 2021

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Published: 21st October 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

1937, Europe and America. Based on a true story, this powerful novel about wartime courage and extraordinary friendship, tells how two women changed the fate of the Second World War and the course of history.

When an impossibly shy young woman named Judy Morgan finishes her studies in Physics at Cambridge University, it is with dreams of changing the world for the better.

Meanwhile, a beautiful, young Jewish woman decides to flee her beloved Austria, changing her name to Hedy Lamarr, and risking everything to get to America, as far away from the Nazi threat as possible.

A powerful friendship is formed when the two women meet in pre-war London—with Judy’s passion for science a perfect match for Hedy’s brilliant talent for invention. So when the world is gripped by a war that nobody could have imagined in their worst nightmares, both Hedy and Judy know they must act now.

As their lives repeatedly collide, in Cambridge, California, Pearl Harbor and beyond—throwing both their lives into danger and tragedy—Judy and Hedy both find themselves seeking ways to end the war.

But neither of them will know that one of them is on a path of tragedy. A path that could change the outcome of the war, but also threaten their friendship forever…

Fans of The Ragged Edge of Night, My Name is Eva and Beneath a Scarlet Sky, will love this unforgettable story about love, courage and devastation set in World War Two Britain, Hollywood and Pearl Harbor. Based on two true stories of amazing ‘hidden women’ who changed the world, this novel shows the power of friendship in the darkest hours of history.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Suzanne Kelman's unforgettable story of friendship and courage WHEN THE NIGHTINGALE SINGS.

This story begins in part in Cambridge where a young Welsh physicist studied for a degree she was not permitted to receive, gaining only a certificate to confirm her completion of studies. She went on to work at the Cavendish Lab in Cambridge, developing the technology to confuse the enemy through radar during WW2. That woman was Joan Curran, who was portrayed in this heartwarming and heartbreaking story as Judy Morgan. A woman of great courage, great spirit and great mind who found a special kinship in someone who loved science as she did. Someone who was known as "the most beautiful woman in the world" but largely unknown for the technology she herself invented.

Hedwig Keisler was an unknown Jewish woman from Austria, escaping not only the approaching Nazi regime but a husband with ties to the Third Reich. She found her way to Hollywood via London where she became known as "the most beautiful woman in the world" but she wanted to be known for than that. She had an analytical mind and an interest in physics and invention. It was her and a fellow inventor who came up with the idea of signal hopping - the very foundation upon which Bluetooth, WiFi and cellular technology is based. However, being a woman made it difficult for such innovations to be taken seriously and her "invention" was shelved until the patent ran out, which therefore meant she was largely unrecognised for the design and received no royalties for which she was entitled. She was finally recognised for it in the 1990s but died in 2000 without any royalties. That technology today is worth billions and billions of USD and it was all down to an idea that a woman came up with based upon a piano that plays itself in the 1940s. That woman was the famous actress Hedy Lamarr.

Both women made significant discoveries which would aid the Allies in the fight against the enemy but struggled to be taken seriously or recognised for their worth. Kelman has written before accounts based on true events and fictionalised them but each story is a powerful tale of courage, strength and resilience. WHEN THE NIGHINGALE SINGS is one such story in which a friendship is forged between two women who fought against the odds to be recognised for who they were and on their own merits.

At the beginning of the story, we meet an elderly woman now in her 80s ruminating over the years since past as she prepares for an honourary award of a degree she earned sixty years ago. Although now frail, Judy Jenkins ponders over what has gone before and longs for a reconciliation with her closest friend with whom she had lost contact just before victory over the Japanese was declared in 1945. So many years, so many memories, so much has already passed...but one thing Judy longest for before she too left this earth was to reconcile with Hedy. Just one more time.

Cambridge 1937: Young and shy student Judy Morgan was feeling excited and nervous about completing her studies. She knew she would not be awarded a degree, although she'd earned it, but her greatest wish now was to get a job at the Cavendish Laboratory as a research scientist. En route home to Wales, she decides to visit the Science Museum in London which she has never seen and there she meets Hedwig. The two women find a kinship in one another over their shared love of science and invention and spend an interesting afternoon in a cafe sharing thoughts and ideas. But as the time ticks on, Judy is aware of the last train home to Cardiff is approaching and bids farewell to Hedwig. Before parting, the women exchange addresses with the firm intention to correspond with one another.

Judy returns to Wales and to a letter awaiting her, offering her a position at the Cavendish Lab. She is ecstatic and upon arriving back in Cambridge to begin her new job she is shocked at the attitude of the man she is to be working under, Professor Finnegan, who believes a woman's place is in the home. He pairs her with Tom Jenkins, a similarly shy and self-confident man, but the two form a working relationship that soon becomes a friendship before Tom stutteringly proposes. Judy, of course, accepts and shares her exciting news with Hedwig in her next letter. But life isn't to be easy for Judy - neither in the professional nor the personal front and her struggles soon pave the way for an even bigger event that will change her life.

Austria 1937: Trapped in a loveless marriage to a cruel man, Hedwig Kiesler escapes its confines one night with the help of her maid. She flees first to Paris where she catches up with best friend Stefan, a journalist, before travelling to London in the hope to become an actress. There she meets Judy at the Science Museum and sees in her a woman with whom she shares more than just an interest. It was with a fleeting thought that she suggested they exchange addresses so as to correspond with someone who appreciated her mind and for who she was - more than just a face.

Using most of her the money she could glean from selling some jewellery her maid had expertly sewn into her coat, she bought a passage on the Normandie for America where she attracted the attention of Louis B. Mayer who immediately signed her up with a seven year contract with MGM Studios upon arriving in Los Angeles. But her name was a bit of a mouthful. And it was then that Hedy Lamarr was born.

Over the years, Hedy made a name for herself filming opposite already established and well-known Hollywood names such as Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart. But she longed to find someone to love her just for her. She rushed into a second marriage after a whirlwind romance with a scriptwriter lasting only two years. She swore off marriage instead focusing on her career but jumped into another marriage with a British actor she'd worked alongside in her first Hollywood movie Algiers some years before. That too didn't last and Hedy was once again left bereft.

Through it all she had her friendship with Judy and was thrilled when she and husband Tom moved to the US to work outside Berkeley on a top secret project for the US military. But in a cruel twist of fate, the two women came face to face with something that came between them and threatened to destroy their friendship. Both Judy and Hedy were strong and resilient and rose above whatever life threw at them, but each of them continued to struggle with things neither of them could or would share...except with each other. Except they couldn't. And so life went on...

I've been a fan of Suzanne Kelman since her historical WW2 fiction debut "A View Across the Rooftops" and have enjoyed each of them since. Well-researched and in a mix of fact and fiction, she weaves a heartbreaking tale of two women who struggled to be recognised for more than who they were seen as. WHEN THE NIGHTINGALE SINGS is an epic tale of their friendship, their resilience, courage and strength in a time when women were not recognised as individuals. While some of the scientific parts went over my head a little, I was still able to appreciate their contributions in the efforts both women made in the inventions of chaff (Judy aka Joan Curran) and signal hopping (Hedy Lamarr).

Of course, I knew the name Hedy Lamarr but I soon found myself googling several times to learn a little bit more about her since I only knew her as a famous Hollywood actress of the 30s and 40s. But as I was to discover, she certainly was more than just "the most beautiful woman in the world". WHEN THE NIGHTINGALE SINGS brings both women's story to life in a heartbreaking way as they each fought battles of their own.

A story of life-long friendships, love, resilience and courage against the backdrop of war, WHEN THE NIGHTINGALE SINGS is a fascinating re-telling of two women's fight to be more than they are seen as, their friendship and the inventions they developed that changed the world.

Perfect for fans of historical wartime fiction and those interested in reading about the unsung heroes of history.

I would like to thank #SuzanneKelman, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #WhenTheNightingaleSings in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Suzanne Kelman is an Amazon International Bestselling author in America, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Her WW2 historical fiction books "A View Across the Rooftops" and "When We Were Brave," together have sold over 150,000 copies and are published by Bookouture - an imprint for Hachette U.K. Her third WW2 Book, Under A Sky on Fire, publishes October 13th, 2020. Kelman's books have also been translated into five languages.

She is also the author of the bestselling book, "The Rejected Writers' Book Club", published by Lake Union, which is the first book in the Southlea Bay series. Other books in the series include, "Rejected Writers Take the Stage" and "The Rejected Writers' Christmas Wedding".

Kelman is an award-winning writer/screenwriter whose accolades include the Best Comedy Feature Screenplay Award from the L.A. International Film Festival, the Gold Award from the California Film Awards, and the Van Gogh Award from the Amsterdam Film Festival.

In 2015 her script, Held, was recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures and was shortlisted to the top ten in the Academy Of Motion Pictures Nichols Fellowship competition.

As well as a screenwriter and a published author, Suzanne is also a playwright, and her award-winning comedy play, "Over My Dead Body", had its World Premiere at Outcast Theatre in Washington, Fall 2019.

Born in the United Kingdom, Suzanne now resides in Washington State.

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