The hand that first held mine

I love composite titles whose meanings are revealed by the conclusion of the novel. Maggie O'Farrell is good at this; her previous novel was The vanishing act of Esme Lennox .

In The hand that once held mine two stories run parallel to each other finally converging to make sense of all the previous problems and misunderstandings. Admittedly I was aware of the solution before it was actually revealed but I was captivated by way the action developed and the characters interacted and still satisfied by the ending.

At first I thought that the stories were about the two women, Lexie in the Fifties and Elina in the present; in fact the second story is about Ted, Elina's partner and father of her new son. Jonah's birth is the starting point for Ted's reconsideration of his life so far. Lexie is a great character; clever, independent, wise and a wonderful mother. Elina is an inexperienced new mother and she is poignantly drawn. The other characters are well-rounded and credible and along with the plot structure make this novel a compelling read.

Ooooby

Move over Annabel Langbein and Barbara Kingsolver, here comes Fionna Hill!

A Green granny's garden: a year of the good life in Grey Lynn is a charming, readable book by Fionna Hill subtitled The confessions of a novice urban gardener. Covering similar territory to the big names mentioned above: produce from the garden to the table, month by month descriptions of planting and harvesting, and comments on the benefits of locally grown food, Fionna Hill writes however with a refreshing realism about her venture. We hear about her gardening problems and failures; we hear about the differences in her approach to the idealist organic ethos and we hear about far more gardens than her little patch in Grey Lynn.

Ooooby (Out of our own backyard) is an organisation connecting growers and eaters in communities. Fionna Hill took her microgreens to exchange there but didn't have many takers, but that's another story. I loved this book for its gardening and cooking tips, its wry comments on people and society and isms and its personalised information. I just wish that it had an index so that I can quickly find again the recipes for preserved green figs and pickled olives; my post-it notes keep dropping out of the well turned pages.

Beach reads

What wonderful weather for sitting and relaxing with a book. If you like a varied cast of characters, some interesting back stories and a satisfactory ending then The Widower's tale and The good daughters fit the type very well.




Novels by Julia Glass, including The Three Junes and I see you everywhere, have been described as "panoramic multi dimensional stories". The plots unfold from several points of view and explore the complexity of family and social relationships. There is always someone or something to relate to. In this latest novel Glass turns usual or expected events upside down with life-changing results.







The good daughters in Joyce Maynard's latest novel actually refer to the propogation of strawberry plants but the metaphor holds thoughout the novel as it describes the lives of Ruth and Dana who were born on the same day in the same place. Spanning a whole life time and ultimately revealing destiny-determining secrets this is an absorbing read.

Words chosen carefully

What a good title for my first post of the new year; I hope that is what I will be able to do in 2011.

Also a very apt title for an edited book of interviews with writers about their art and their inspiration. Three of my favourite New Zealand authors are included in this book: Elizabeth Smither, Kate De Goldi and Fiona Farrell and their interviews by David Hill, Kim Hill and Iain Sharpe respectively are considered, articulate, insightful and enlightening. Siobhan Harvey's introduction is well worth the read too for its discussion of literature as part of a nation's heritage.

Her revival in this book of the literary interview should appeal to all who like to attend literary events and book festivals.