The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

“Listen. The trees in this story are stirring, trembling, readjusting themselves. A breeze is coming in gusts off the sea, and it is almost as if the trees know, in their restlessness, in their head-tossing impatience, that something is about to happen.” 

Maggie O'Farrell has a singular knack for sensing the magnetic fields that push and pull people in love, and in The Hand That First Held Mine, she summons those invisible forces to tell two stories. 

The first is the spirited journey of Lexie Sinclair, a bright, tempestuous woman who finds her way from rural Devon to the center of postwar London's burgeoning art scene. Her force of personality makes her a natural critic (she's a wonderful tour guide to Soho's Bohemian circles), and she soon falls deeply in love. 

Fast forward fifty years and you'll meet Ted and Elina: a contemporary London couple who've just had their first child, both afflicted with a crisis of memory--Elina can recall only bits and pieces of her life before the baby, while Ted fights off memories he can't even recognize. 

O'Farrell alternates these plots artfully, always keeping the incorrigible Lexie in forward motion, while letting Ted and Elina wade further back in time. Inevitably, the two stories collide, and the result is a remarkably taut and unsentimental whole that embraces the unpredictable, both in love and in life.

Right from the opening paragraph (above) you could tell Maggie O'Farrell was going to take us on a special poetic journey with this book. Everything was described in such lyrical detail that you could see it all painted clearly in the back of your eyelids as you are reading along. 

I liked how the two stories were woven together. The 'bizzy spells' were cleverly aligned with the counter story and but it wasn't until towards the end that I saw what was happening - it was done in a way that wasn't glaringly obvious which was nice for a change. 

All the characters played their part well (even though some of them weren't particularly likeable), but my favourite character was definitely Lexie - smart, bold, and confident - I loved seeing her character develop over time (towards the end of the book when she is swimming in the ocean thinking of her son was really beautifully written).

For those who are thinking of reading this book - stick with it. It isn't until a few chapters in that you get the hang of the two story lines (and the memory loss of Ted and Elina) but once you see where they are heading and get a feel for the characters and time/setting, you will see it is worth seeing through until the end.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

“Perhaps the unattached, the unwanted, the unloved, could grow to give love as lushly as anyone else.” 

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

A book about flowers was not something I thought I would enjoy, and when this book was recommended to me the title gave me an initial vision of a different story, so I was surprised to start reading and see that Victoria's story was set in modern San Fransisco.

Although her personality was a little prickly to start off with, there were two stories of Victoria's life that moved along side-by-side; one about Victoria today, and one giving insight in to her childhood, so that as things were developing today, you could understand why or how they were happening. 

The characters were well written - even though most of them do not appear like conventional heroes, but they each have an endearing quality...that they all want to help the underdog (Victoria) using their individual means available and without expecting anything in return. If only more people were like this in real life!

When I got to the end I liked that it had a happy, yet realistic finish - where the main character is admitting that it is going to be a hard road to realise her ultimate happiness, rather than it all just working it out in the end magically.

I would definitely recommend this book, and as it isn't very offending I think it would suit most readers.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in an old people’s home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The Mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not… Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, we learn something of Allan’s earlier life in which – remarkably – he helped to make the atom bomb, became friends with American presidents, Russian tyrants, and Chinese leaders, and was a participant behind the scenes in many key events of the twentieth century. Already a huge bestseller across Europe, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a fun and feel-good book for all ages.


I loved this book, which to me was equal parts thriller, murder mystery, comedy and Forest Gump.

It moved surprisingly fast and it a lot in the story, there wasn't once when I got bored or skim ready over parts.

The characters were all very likeable and didn't fluff around too much - every word was true to their character and helped move the story along, keeping you engaged right until the very last page.

In high school history wasn't one of my favourite subjects but I loved the way this book creatively wove the major historical events together in a tall tale of the centenarians life. It covers a plethora of interesting and historical events that span the last one hundred years - communism in China, World Wars, The Cold War,  and much more. 
His interactions with various officials including sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle, teaching life lessons in an unbelievable but highly entertaining way.

This book will suit most readers and bring smiles and spontaneous laughter along the journey.