Tag Archives: Catherine Ryan Howard

‘The Book Of Harlan’ By U.S. Authoress ‘Bernice McFadden’ Is Quite The Story, Very Well Told — A True Tour De Force.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 16, 2021

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Click to ENLARGE. Click image or here for the ‘Amazon’ listing.
Click to ENLARGE & read here. Wikipedia link.

I have really, really lucked out over the last 15 months with my ‘Plus’ subscription to Amazon’s amazing ‘Audible’ audiobook service. I have got to listen to some stunning works & get to know some brilliant authors, well worth knowing.

‘Audible’ is the nearest thing I have come to, in 65-years as an avid, daily reader of books, to belonging to ‘anything‘ that recommends titles that might interest I. Prior to that it has always been kind of pot luck.

I, as I had with ‘Carl Goodman‘, ‘Catherine Ryan Howard‘ & ‘Rose Tremain‘ (just to mention but three), only discovered Bernice McFadden thanks to coming across her in the Audible ‘Plus Catalog’. I title I initially came across was ‘Tisoy‘ (slang for a mixed Filipino). I do pick books by their cover! I am not embarrassed to admit that. In this case the cover picture portrayed ‘Monument Valley’ (which I have visited 3 times) & an Arizona cactus. That caught my eye. Then I saw the reviews that accused it of being racist. How could I resist. I was intrigued. I downloaded it … The rest is history.

Click to ENLARGE. Click image or here for the ‘Amazon’ listing.

I just loved ‘Tisoy’. Was CRUSHED when it finished so quickly. Wanted it to go on and on. That is my main criticism of this book. It was too short. Yes, there are some improbable (& not properly thought out) scenarios BUT I can forgive those because the rest of the book was so good. SO, GOOD.

So, I went looking for other titles by her. That is how I found ‘The Book of Harlan’. I am sure glad, yet again, that I downloaded this book. WOW. What a story & furthermore, so WELL written. She writes like an angel.

Yes, I already have another of her titles downloaded. I plan to read/listen to a lot of her works. I think she is beyond gifted. I am glad. I wish her all the best. I hope she goes from strength to strength.

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’56 Days’, “Catherine Ryan Howard’s” Latest Book, Set In COVID-Era Ireland, Will Not Disappoint.

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by Anura Guruge
on August 31, 2021

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Click image to access Amazon listing.
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Click image to access this post, I wrote, in February 2021.
Click image to access this post, I wrote, in October 2020.

I just finished listening to ‘56 Days‘ this morning. I had been listening to it, during my daily 2-hour walk, for the last few days. I enjoyed it, thoroughly — but, as you can clearly see from my previous two posts (above), I am quite smitten by her. I think she is very clever & I like her uncomplicated, engaging style of writing. Others, including those in my family, disagree. They find her desire to tell a story by constantly changing the timeframe, from chapter to chapter, confusing — if not outright annoying. I kind of think it is clever. She took this timeshifting to the max. in her previous book, the aptly titled ‘Rewind‘.

Timeshifting is also an integral part of this book — each chapter dealing with a day within the a 56 day period (that gives us the title). Though the main story per se takes place within a 56-day (i.e., 8-week) window (when Ireland was in the initial throes of the COVID pandemic), there a couple of chapters that are from before & after this core period — not counting a key event that took place many, many years earlier. [I am NOT going to spoil the storyline for you. That is not my style.]

Some will claim that the story becomes predictable (& yes, by design, she has a LOT of repetition of scenes & dialogues — albeit portrayed from the perspectives of the two main protagonists). All I will say is that she has at least one major twist. Yes, she leads you down a path & you are well & truly suckered into that when she casually lets it drop that you got it wrong.

I think she is very clever & talented. It would appear that there are quite a few that agree with I. It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is whether you like her stories. So, please try to read one or listen to one. I am sure you will enjoy it.

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