The Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer

Having not really enjoyed Cousin Kate, I was pleasantly surprised by The Grand Sophy. The titular heroine, Sophy Stanton-Lacy, stays with her aunt, uncle and cousins in London while her father, Sir Horace, is travelling in Brazil. Of course, she refuses to fit in with conventional polite society, but ends up changing their lives for the better.

Sophy is a likeable (if exhausting), confident and well-meaning main character, and we are given a villain you love hating in her cousin’s sly and manipulative fiancée, Miss Eugenia Wraxton. Also included in the colourful cast are a wonderfully distracted poet and a pompous know-it-all suitor. No character misses out on their share of amusing quirks, and the convoluted schemes Sophy comes up with lead to some really bizarre and funny situations.

This is Heyer at her best – sparkling, light-hearted and full of fun.

Next up: Guard your Daughters by Diana Tutton

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

This one is quite simply incredible. I don’t normally choose to read things just because they’re popular, but I really can see why The Kite Runner became the best-seller it is.

It tells the story of the young boy Amir and his friend Hassan, the son of his Hazara servant. We see them growing up together, their separation, and how their destinies ultimately intertwine. This very personal, human story is set against the harsh inhumanity of the Afghan war, from which Amir escapes as a teenager, and revisits the country later in life.

Hosseini’s stark, direct style somehow conjures up vivid images far more effectively than florid description could have done, and what is left unsaid is at least as important as what is stated openly. Hope and love go hand-in-hand with searing heart-break throughout, sometimes even within the same paragraph.

The use of foreign words in the text, for food, clothing, religious terms, and so on, isn’t intrusive or confusing, and very much adds to the flavour of the novel. On a personal level, I grew up with family friends from the Afghan area, and filling in some of the blanks about the dangers and hardships they’d seen and escaped from on coming to the UK really hit home for me.

As I’ve said before, I don’t usually go for modern novels, especially those with a political or war-based setting, but this one’s amazing. If you haven’t already read it, do so. You won’t regret it! (Unless it makes you burst into tears in public, that could be awkward. Try not to do that.)

Next up: The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

Book haul

I've just been to Bath for the day, and came back full of delicious food and a bag of second-hand books I really shouldn't be spending money on, but just can't resist.

Today's haul cost just over £5 and consists of Georgette Heyer's Cousin Kate and The Grand Sophy, Larry Niven's Ringworld, and Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie. Now to find space on my bookshelves!