Young Gwenni Morgan has a gift. She can fly in her sleep. She’s also fond of strawberry whip, detective stories and asking difficult questions. When a neighbour mysteriously vanishes, she resolves to uncover the secret of his disappearance and return him to his children. She truthfully records what she sees and hears: but are her deductions correct? What is the real truth? And what will be the consequences – for Gwenni, her family and her community – of finding it out? I picked up this book when I was visiting my daughters family in Cornwall. It was 50p on one of those charity book tables and I was drawn to…

Set in the deep American south between the wars, this is the classic tale of Celie, a young poor black girl. Raped repeatedly by her father, she loses two children and then is married off to a man who treats her no better than a slave. She is separated from her sister Nettie and dreams of becoming like the glamorous Shug Avery, a singer and rebellious black woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually Celie discovers the support of women that enables her to leave the past behind and begin a new life. I saw the movie of The Color Purple when I was in my early…

A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley. Firstly, I’d like to say that I’m not sure how accurate this is as a portrayal of Ernest Hemingway & Hadley Richardson’s marriage as I’m not exactly an Ernest Hemingway historian, nor have I read any of his books. I did however enjoy it very much. I’ve had this book on my shelf since my birthday in March, I had picked it up in Waterstones about a month prior to this (being automatically attracted to any book with Paris…