Category Archives: British Literature

Ninepins by Rosy Thornton

British Literature July 9, 2012 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A single mother of a troubled pre-teen takes in a 17-year-old girl with a history of arson, and finds her image of herself as a mother challenged and strengthened. Review: I loved Rosy Thornton’s Tapesty of Love so I leapt at the chance to review Ninepins. Thornton is a gorgeous writer and in Ninepins she offers a compelling situation that reads like a thriller. Laura is an academic living in the fens outside of Cambridge. Her asthmatic daughter Beth is 12 and just starting…

Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton

British Literature June 1, 2012 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: An aging schoolteacher reflects on half a century at a boys’ school in England, starting in the 19th Century and spanning past WWI. Review: I had heard of Goodbye, Mr. Chips but had never read it before, and I’m so sorry I waited so long! The book is just lovely, a gem where every word counts. I was moved beyond compare. It was described as “sentimental,” and I suppose it is, but not in the negative connotation of the word. It’s poignant and reflective…

After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters by NT Wright

British Literature April 12, 2012 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: Theologian NT Wright’s powerful exploration of the dynamism of sanctification. Review: After You Believe just blew my mind. I never thought much about sanctification beyond feeling like I’m a failure because the fruit of the Spirit don’t come naturally to me and I suck at following the rules. According to Wright, a British theologian, I’ve fallen prey to a very common error. I really can’t do justice to the depth of this book in a short blog post, but basically he says that we…

Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 1)

British Literature November 25, 2011 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: A princess of Atlantis flees to ancient England where her paths cross with a mage-in-training whose parentage is unknown. Review: I was drawn to Taliesin (which I desperately want to be an anagram of Atlantis, but it’s not) because it’s a retelling of the King Arthur legend with historically accurate place names and details, and with the Christianity an important, unoppressive element. Several major characters are converted to Christianity in episodes that are emotionally and spiritually powerful, but Lawhead doesn’t make that the happy…

World Without End by Ken Follett

British Literature October 17, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: The intertwined lives of the inhabitants of the Kingsbridge priory and town, through the stories of four children who become keepers of a terrible secret. Review: I almost gave up on World Without End about halfway through. Ken Follett’s plotting is so mathematical that I felt like I could predict how all the story lines would resolve themselves. I am glad that a friend encouraged me to stick with it, because even though everything did tie itself up pretty neatly, I did find a…

Dark Parties by Sara Grant

British Literature August 3, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: In a dystopia under a sealed dome where inbreeding has left everyone looking very similar, one girl looks for the truth about the world outside. Review: Dark Parties has a decent enough concept, and is executed well enough, but Neva’s plight didn’t strike a chord with me. Perhaps it was the world-building which felt thin and undercooked. I love dystopian YA, but am growing fearful that the genre has played out. It’s not enough to have an idea and be able to write. When…

Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth

British Literature July 24, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When a body is uncovered near a memorial site for a dead teen, her former best friend reflects on the events of a decade ago that culminated in tragedy. Review: Cold Light was tremendously depressing. Lola, the narrator was mopey, passive, and largely unappealing. Her best friend Chloe is described as having a charisma that draws people to her, but she just seemed angry and petulant to me. I think that was the point, though, and that I’m just in a place where these…

The Prestige by Christopher Priest

British Literature June 13, 2011 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A feud between two magicians at the turn of the 20th century escalates into madcap trickery and violence. Review: I was very disappointed by The Prestige, which promised so much and then just took the easy way out.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

British Literature December 4, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: As she dies, a former lady’s maid reflects on the scandal that ended the family she served and reveals the truth that only she knew. Review: Kate Morton is rapidly becoming my latest favorite author. With her thrilling blend of Gothic melodrama and intricate plotting, she hits all my favorite buttons, much like her self-proclaimed influences Daphne DuMaurier and Barbara Vine. In The House at Riverton, Morton presents Grace, a lady’s maid who spent her youth in service with a titled family haunted by…

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

British Literature November 24, 2010 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: The lives of a prior, an earl, a master builder, two vengeful orphans, a “witch,” and the bastard son of a jongleur intertwine during the building of a cathedral. Review: I had several people recommend The Pillars of the Earth to me, and since I’m loving my Kindle I thought I’d see if I liked reading a long book on it. (I did.) The story is sweeping but the character journeys make it intimate. It really was an engrossing read. However, I grew a…

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