Friday, March 19, 2010

Friday Finds!



My Friday Finds are from the Orange Prize 2010 longlist that was announced this week. Of the twenty listed I've only read three and have one on hold at the library. So plenty to add to the TBR but as I limit my finds posted to only three the cover junkie had a say!

The Wilding by Maria McCann

In her second novel Maria McCann returns to 17th Century England, where life is struggling to return to normal after the horrific tumult of the Civil War. In the village of Spadboro Jonathan Dymond, a 26-year old cider-maker who lives with his parents, has until now enjoyed a quiet, harmonious existence. As the novel opens, a letter arrives from his uncle with a desperate request to speak with his father. When his father returns from the visit the next day, all he can say is that Jonathan's uncle has died. Then Jonathan finds a fragment of the letter in the family orchard, with talk of inheritance and vengeance. He resolves to unravel the mystery at the heart of his family - a mystery which will eventually threaten the lives and happiness of Jonathan and all those he holds dear.

The Still Point by Amy Sackville

the turn of the twentieth century, Arctic explorer Edward Mackley sets out to reach the North Pole and vanishes into the icy landscape without a trace. He leaves behind a young wife, Emily, who awaits his return for decades, her dreams and devotion gradually freezing into rigid widowhood. A hundred years later, on a sweltering mid-summer's day, Edward's great-grand-niece Julia moves through the old family house, attempting to impose some order on the clutter of inherited belongings and memories from that ill-fated expedition, and taking care to ignore the deepening cracks within her own marriage. But as afternoon turns into evening, Julia makes a discovery that splinters her long-held image of Edward and Emily's romance, and her husband Simon faces a precipitous choice that will decide the future of their relationship. Sharply observed and deeply engaging, "The Still Point" is a powerful literary debut, and a moving meditation on the distances - geographical and emotional - that can exist between two people.

The Twisted Heart by Rebecca Gowers

A literary murder mystery : When Kit goes to a dance class she is hoping simply to take her mind off her studies. Soon it looks like Joe, a stranger she meets there, might do more than that. But when Kit uncovers a mystery involving the young Charles Dickens and the slaughter of a prostitute known as The Countess, she is sucked back in to the world of books, and discovers how Dickens became tangled up with this horrendous crime.



Hope you've had some great finds this week, too!

14 comments:

  1. These look really good! I am especially interested in The Wilding.

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  2. These all sound good especially The Twisted Heart, that one would appeal to me. Have a great week and happy reading!

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  3. Gee, Cat. Thanks for making my wish list that much longer! :) All three of these are going on it. Thanks for sharing!

    My Friday Find is at The Crowded Leaf. I'm also seeing if anyone would be intersted in an Alice Hoffman challenge!

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  4. Nice finds! I added the Still Point to my wish list.

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  5. The Twisted Heart sounds fantastic. I will be adding that to my TBR list. The Wilding also looks interesting to me. Great finds!

    Here are my Friday Finds.

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  6. I love the first cover :)

    I found you through the blog hop :)
    -Juju
    Tales of Whimsy.com :)

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  7. Alayne - it is my pleasure - lol. Must keep those lists growing.

    The Twisted Heart is the only one my library holds at present so hopefully it will be on the shelf when I next visit.

    Hi Juju - welcome and thanks for hopping by.

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  8. Great finds! They all sound wonderful... and I get to watch my TBR stack grow!

    I found your blog through the book blog hop. :)

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  9. These all look good, especially The Wilding. Found throught the book blog hop!

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  10. Found your blog through the blog-hop - I've long been curious about Arctic explorers, so the Still Point sounds intriguing!

    - Christy

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  11. You have some good finds! I haven't heard of any of those. So I have to check them!

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  12. WonderBunny, Maxine , a goodstopping point - hi and welcome. Glad you hopped by.

    Aths - I hadn't heard of these ones either but they sound good and so do others on the list.

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  13. These all sound very good and I've never heard of them before! Still Point particularly interests me. It seems that Arctic expedition gets some attention, story-wise!

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  14. Twisted Heart looks fascinating! Love it!

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