The Finding of Martha Lost, R308
(Doubleday)
Author: Caroline Wallace
For something altogether different, this sweet story about a baby abandoned at a train station and unclaimed for 16 years hits all the nails on the head. Martha has lived her life at the station, solving mysteries of the lost and found, and wondering about people like the Roman soldier who arrives at the station every day at the same time, with a packed lunch. The little she knows about herself was that she arrived on a train from Paris, but when her home is rattled, she needs to solve a very personal mystery of who she is.
I’ll See You in Paris, R408
(Thomas Dunne)
Author: Michelle Gable
This curious romance begins with Laurel Haley who starts an unexpected love affair after losing her fiancé in the Vietnam War. The whirlwind romance whisks the young couple off to Paris where they discover a new meaning to love. Thirty years later, Laurel’s daughter, Annie, is engaged to be married. She’s never known her father, but the urge to find out who he is overtakes her, and her journey, which starts off with a book about a mysterious Duchess, ends in Paris where it all began. A brilliant second novel from the author who brought us A Paris Apartment.
No, Thanks! I’m Quite Happy Standing!, R306
(Quercus)
Author: Virginia Ironside
This latest offering, like its predecessors No! I Don’t Need Reading Glasses, and Yes! I Can Manage, Thank You!, observes the funny side to ageing. Marie is almost 69, and is set on going on a trip to India. But it’s not as simple as booking a ticket, when life’s surprises burst in unannounced yet again. Her home is burgled, her cat’s looking worse for wear, and she seems to be in a constant wrestling match with her iPhone. It’s just the thing to brighten up a dreary autumn’s day.
The Scattering, R202
(Penguin Random House)
Author: Lauri Kubuitsile
This proudly African novel from the Botswana author is rich with culture and history. It begins in the early 1900s and surrounds Tjipuka, a young mother who seeks refuge with her daughter in the harsh Namibian landscape after a brutal battle claims her family. Her story meets that of Transvaal newlywed Riëtte, who is marched off to a concentration camp after her husband is taken captive. Although from very different backgrounds, the two women share a will to live and inner battles of betrayal, loyalty and hope.
- Lauren Mc Diarmid
