Historical fiction with a side order of magic realism and the gothic. Glorious storytelling with well-developed characters, including the River Thames. My favourite was Rita, the nurse/midwife. Highly recommended.

unengaging characters and a very slow pace caused me to DNF around p.100

A fictional diary which despite covering the 20th century and name dropping on every page proved dull, unengaging, and lacked pace and direction - somewhat like the protanonist! Insufficiently literary for my taste.

A confessional novel of a disintegrating marriage whilst the wife is heavily pregnant. Interspersed with recipes from the protagonist's day job as a cook book writer. Wryly ammusing, but mostly bittersweet. A suprisingly enjoyable read, as i have not enjoyed other works by this author. Lent by a friend who correctly thought I would enjoy it. Thanks Liz!

Enjoyable romp albeit with some dark elements e.g. child abuse, sexual predation, murder. Well editted and enjoyable development of the characters. Ren is a credible 'hero'. The McGinty character and his mousetrap factory were a bit gothic villain, but overall a very enjoyable read.

did not enjoy the writing style, ditched around 80 pages.

thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the parallel time lines, the slow reveal of what happened in the past life/adolescence of the main character, Peri. Finely drawn and credible charaters who I was really invested in. Highly recommended.

tooslow, too 'tell not show' , unlikeable characters, implausible plotting, and ultimately just not literary.

Enjoyable read, which grabbed me about halfway. Would make for great discussion. great review here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/24/light-perpetual-by-francis-spuffor...

read as part of a book club challenge to read epistolary works. Fascinating read on the process of writing, what makes memorable novels, prize-winners and ultiamtely classic, or books that stand the test of time. Makes me want to read more of Weldon's ouevre .

Read for a book club challenge on Epistolary novels. Realised that I had never read this oft-referenced influence on Jane Austen. A magnificent romp of a novel with infinite twists and turns: babies swopped at birth; unknown siblings, romance and more.
Evalina is a naif and exposed to the belle monde relates her experiences through her letter to her guardian, her friend and a few others. Not perfect, and a bit long, but highly enjoyable.

Started well, became less convincing due to implausible plot twists and under develpoment of characters. Struggled to finish, but should have DNF'd.

Didn't work for me, very unlike the author's other works that I have read and enjoyed.

An enjoyable set of stories about a lost Vermeer painting. Deftly handled and with well researched historic details.

This started well, I wanted to know more about David and his missing grandfather, but as I progressed the story became less appealing and I struggled to finish. Could not recommend.

A good holiday read, but like many other readers, the supernatural elemnts ruined the book for me. Started as a page turner, but failed to deliver a satisfying conclusion. Most characters under develpoed.

Although the story is clearly told, the telling is repetitive and the reader is spoon-fed the details of Dolly's life. Somewhat underwhelmed, I was expecting more of a WPFF shortlisted book.

Disappointing read because of it's accolades. Failed to engage me fully because of the implausibility of the protagonist e.g. we never discover why he was adopted; some cringe-worthy sex scenes and the nicely tied up happy ending.

A dark comedy, set in the Anglo Irish 1930's, narrated by Aroon an unattractive and generally unlikable character who misunderstands almost everything going on around her with a startling naivete. Written from the POV of this character, the author shows not tells us Aroon's world and worldview, and maintains this method for the whole book, which in itself is quite a feat.
Enormously good fun to debate with my book club pals.

a family mystery unravels over the 20thC across Europe. Some well drawn characters, including the protagonist, Edouard. Recommended.

A light but enjoyable read. Characters based on historical characters. A writer to watch, as there was some quite good storytelling in parts.

like other readers I found the telling of this tale overly long, but nevertheless I wanted to finish. By the end Alison is able to remember what actually happened in her childhood, although there is no comfort to be had. would not recommend.

poor story telling with little character development and so little action - anything that does is off stage and requires a male character to 'report back' .Won't be seeking anything else by this author.

Enjoyable light read, but let down by the characterisation of the wealthy widow character, and the story relies on an almost implausible coincidence. Historical setting and development of the protagonist very convincing. Based on historical fact.

Initially engaging novel, nicely crafted, with an intriguing premise: Germany wins WWII...BUT the protagonist fails to grow in awareness and ends up being almost a cipher for 'woman needs a man to survive'. Abrupt ending, but there's a sequel, which for me won't attract unless the plotting improves considerably.

Great characterisation but a weak plot made this a bit weak. If I'd read the book I'd have DNF'd, but the audio was strongly performed by Robert Glenister. Guessed the red herring - I'm sure most people would!

Elizabeth Zott, Mad, Harriet and 6.30 make a great team , overcoming plagiarism, misogyny and single parenthood in the 1960's. 6.30, the dog, narrates, which is always a winner. Highly recommended.

Listen on Audible.; narrator had a screechy, whiny voice which detracted from the story telling,. Eeva, the protagonist was well developed, but not so much the other characters, with perhaps the exception of the doctor, Thomas and Anna-Lisa, the manager of the orphanage, who was a pragmatic realist. . Ending felt rushed and by then I didn't care about the 'baddie' Sasha.

a lightweight story of a pilgrimage told from several points of view. slow paced but engaging.

interesting reviews here: https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2019/winter/drive-your-plow-over-bones-dead...

https://www.npr.org/2019/08/16/751323423/drive-your-plow-is-philosophical-lament...

https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/all/drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead...

https://thehumandivine.org/2021/03/01/blake-misunderstood-review-of-olga-tokarcz...