Reviews: Springfield Road Revisited & The Madonna Secret

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Springfield Road: A Poet’s Childhood Revisited by Salena Godden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely adored this book. I think the author was born just a couple of months before I made my own appearance into the world so it took me right back to my own childhood in 1970s Britain. The detail and nuance of this particular time is very well evoked with many references that had me squealing 'ohh, I remember that' or 'yes that happened to me too' - favourite music, TV programmes, playground games etc. are recollected viscerally.

There are extremely sad and depressing elements to the story and these are told with clarity and grace. The realities of life for anyone who felt different from the norm in any way as a child, and the often horrifying difficulties that resulted, are not swept under the carpet in this memoir, but exposed deliberately, with sensitivity and without denying the deep disappointment that Life and the decisions made by people around us, can enact upon us.. continue reading.. 

The Madonna Secret by Sophie Strand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So much to love in Sophie Strand's The Madonna Secret. Here is the story you've been yearning for, the missing pieces to a confusing, bedraggled, ancient jigsaw which though it will always remain incomplete, can now, thanks to Sophie and other writers like her, at least give a sense of clarity if not a conclusion.

I listened to the audiobook version which is narrated by Sophie herself and so beautifully captures the feeling of living, loving and being in that potent time, of Miriam / Mary's passions, desires, fears, anguish, love and joy, of her deep knowing and connection to the land around her, the ecology, wildlife and memories of the women who came before and those yet to come.. continue reading.

Review: Mary And The Rabbit Dream, Noémi Kiss-Deáki

With Mary And The Rabbit Dream, Noémi Kiss-Deáki gifts us a disturbing yet exquisite portrayal of 18th century misogyny and the plight of women (and poor men) locked within the cultural confines of severe male aggressiveness, obsessive hierarchies and the dismissive rejection of females as equal beings.

In Noémi's tale, Mary, an ordinary poor working class woman finds herself at the centre of a controversy regarding whether or not she (ergo women in general) is able to birth creatures other than humans, in this particular case, rabbits. As news of this improbable situation spreads, Mary is physically, emotionally and mentally abused both by those wanting, for a variety of reasons, to prove that she has indeed birthed rabbits and by those determined but not completely convinced that humans birthing rabbits is an impossibility. The appalling behaviour of 'learned' men towards Mary and women in general, is deplorably shocking and the rage of injustice draws this reader to contemplate how far, or not, we have come 300 years later.

I'm not entirely sure that enough has changed since those times. Although in 2024 many women have a good degree of comparative autonomy over their lives, there is still too much of our health, bodies and personal authority that is both given and taken away especially in our so-called modern medicine arena. Take the over medicalization of labour and childbirth for example - the way it has oh so unsubtly become 'the norm' for a woman to lie on her back in a hospital during both phases of birth, be regularly interfered with by a rolling progression of practitioners, undergo frequent (often unnecessary) interventions, be 'assisted' in giving birth by pathology-obsessed doctors rather than natural-birth-focused midwives, be injected with numbing anaesthesia, obliged to remain still and hooked up to monitors rather than being able to move around freely as her body and her baby most often need to do in order to birth gently and well.

Published by the wonderful Galley Beggar Press, Mary And The Rabbit Dream is written in a series of short sentences that remind me of a long thread of modern text messages yet the frequent repetition of phrases and characters' thoughts seem to slow us down so we can more readily absorb the action and intention taking place. It is kind of the opposite of doom scrolling and I enjoyed this seemingly deliberate and effective way of writing which was easy to get through. A fascinating, enjoyable read. 

Goodreads Review

Review: NW by Zadie Smith

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NW by Zadie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book so much because it took me right back to glorious and gloomy London days; encouraged me, in loud whispers, to re-start reading at night instead of watching tv and because it is written so beautifully, authentically with a deep urban wisdom.
The stories and lives of the main characters feel like eavesdropping on neighbours, hearing their deepest secrets and failed pretences. It is an entrancing book that I found hard to put down.

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Review: An Artist Of The Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro

Although I'd previously very much enjoyed the film adaptations of Kazuo Ishiguro's work - The Remains Of The Day & Never Let Me Go - this was my first reading of one of his books.

I absorbed the slim yet satisfying volume over the course of a week and was almost immediately entranced by this quietly potent view of family life in Japan after WWII. Through the narrator Ono's considerations of his past reputation as a reasonably well known artist and how he fits into the new Japan, we are drawn into a world where past convictions, guilt & shame mix uncomfortably with newer more globalised sensibilities & ways of being.

I found the implicit misogynism in conversations between Ono and his grandson - in regard to Ono's daughters and their perceived inherent weaknesses - somewhat uncomfortable to read, yet it also felt authentic to have Ono express such views which reflect the culture & era in which he was raised and the competing attitudes between the older and younger generations.

The measured deference combined with careful defiance in the voices of Ono's daughters - Setsuko & Noriko - is well written and fascinating to read. The young women's strengths are palpable in Ishiguro's descriptions of their differing mannerisms and approaches in dealing with their father's often seemingly wilful & stubborn refusal to understand their perceptions. The pull & tug of changing times is drawn well.

I admire the subtle brush strokes of Ishiguro's writing, the way with just a few seemingly simple lines of observation & conversation, we are giving insight into a whole world of possible meaning & definition. Reading his work is akin to spending a series of sweet stolen half hours in your favourite gallery staring at the same beautifully mysterious piece of art, each visit opening up new layers of previously hidden-in-plain-sight depth, pattern & meaning.

Reviewed here on Goodreads.com

Review: Two Birds Tweeting

The Owl and the Nightingale by Simon Armitage
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this poem - Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's translation of one of the earliest recorded stories told in Middle English. The exquisitely rhyming verse (which I imagine must have been painful to update for modern readers whilst keeping the rhyme and staying faithful to the original text) follows an overheard conversation between the title characters.

As the birds argue about whose life and manner of living is more worthwhile and virtuous, the back and forth get very real, as heated as a Twitter debate and decidedly misogynistic in parts which for me sat a tad awkwardly with the fact that the birds are purportedly female.

Amongst other crimes, Owl blames Nightingale of encouraging licentious behaviour and extra-marital affairs with her saccharine song and all-consuming monologues. Nightingale in turn accuses Owl's screeching woeful dirges of striking fear into those unfortunate enough to hear. Peculiarly (or perhaps not giving the verses' human author) it seems important to them both to please and be of good service to God, the law, reigning King and humanity in general.

I read it over a few evenings, skipping over the more 'saucy' sections when my daughter was still awake! It benefits, like most poetry, from being read out loud, with specific voices for each bird if you please.

The illustrations by Clive Hicks-Jenkins are colourful and stunning and add to the Middle Ages atmosphere. Overall the verse is very laugh out loud funny, sometimes shocking, outrageously chauvinistic and objectifying of women and their role in society (which no doubt mirrors the sad times in which it was written) and ends with great humour which our original author and current translator must have revelled in writing.

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Review: Harry Potter Book 1 - The Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Glad I resisted reading the HP books when they came out and have just read the first 3 for the first time with my 7 year old. We loved them all. Great stories, well written, likeable characters (obvs).

This opening book sets the scene well for more adventures to come but also stands well on its own. The story telling is compelling and the plot is well thought out with a continuous stream of interesting situations for young Harry + his new friends to deal with. The magical v muggle world detail is impeccably thought out, described and tantalisingly believable culminating in the extraordinary game of Quidditch. A joy to read at 7 or 48 years of age!

p.s. We read the super lovely 20th anniversary Bloomsbury house edition - paperback, Gryffindor, non-stripy as seen here.

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Review: Song Of The Moon by Helen Laycock

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this lovely little book by Helen Laycock over a wild, windy and damp caravanning trip and was readily transported away from the persistent rain to the world of Izzy and her mysterious neighbour. When Mrs Moonsong disappears, it's up to Izzy and her cousin Joe to find her.
As well as having a delightfully entrancing cover, Song Of The Moon is an engaging tale with instantly relatable characters, beautifully painted scenes, believable situations and an exciting story-line that keeps the pages turning. I'm looking forward to reading it again with my 6 year old.

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