Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye.
Clarke by Holly Throsby
Why I have it: Because of Sue’s review (and the fact that I was GRIPPED by the Teacher’s Pet podcast).
Summary: One morning in the regional town of Clarke, Barney is woken by the unexpected arrival of policemen: they are going to search his backyard for the body of a missing woman. Next door, Leonie and little Joe watch the police cars through their window. Leonie has been waiting for this day for six years. She is certain that her friend, Ginny, is buried in that backyard.
I’m thinking: No.
Water by John Boyne
Why I have it: Have loved his previous books.
Summary: The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past.
I’m thinking: Yes.
Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt
Why I have it: Made Beck’s ‘Best of 2023’ list.
Summary: Ruth is a woman who believes in and despairs of the curative power of love. Her daughter, Eleanor, who is addicted to drugs, has just had a baby, Lily. After someone dies of an overdose in Eleanor’s apartment, Ruth hands her daughter an envelope of cash and takes Lily home with her, and Lily, as she grows, proves a compensation for all of Ruth’s past defeats and disappointment.
I’m thinking: Yes.
This post contains affiliate links.
Fair enough re Clarke. I enjoyed the read, but I would not have prioritised it if my reading group hadn’t done it. This would make some people say, “there, that’s why I don’t like reading groups” but I am not sorry I read it, and beyond that, the value of my reading group’s discussions plus the support we have provided each other over decades far outweigh the odd choice that would not have been my first.
I found Clarke a pleasant story, but as a detective mystery thought the ending was impossible in a country town.
Slightly mixed feelings about Water but it’s well worth reading. The second in the series, Earth, is better, I think. due out here later in the year.
I’m glad you’re thinking ‘yes’ to the Boyne, I loved The Heart’s . . .