Review: Daughters of Time - Anthology (+ Extract from Sue Purkiss)

Be surprised, as you look afresh at the stories of some of history's most remarkable women, as imagined by the finest female authors of historical fiction for children.

Be enthralled, as you encounter both famous figures and lesser-known heroines from across the ages from warrior queens to anti-nuclear activists.

But most of all . . . be inspires.

With stories by members of The History Girls blog: 
Penny Dolan, Adele Geras, Mary Hoffman, Dianne Hofmeyr, Marie-Louise Jensen, Catherine Johnson, Katherine Langrish, Joan Lennon, Sue Purkiss, Celia Rees, Katherine Roberts, Anne Rooney and Leslie Wilson.

Visit the The History Girls blog for more informtion

Review:
Daughters of Time is an anthology containing thirteen stories about extraordinary women throughout history, some you will have come across before but also more than a few who you've probably never even heard of before. After each story there is also a short note from the author explaining what inspired them followed by some true facts about the historical figure they wrote about.

I thought it would be nice to include a list of the stories here for you so you can see which famous characters you'll get to read about:

1. Tasca's Secret by Katherine Roberts (about Queen Boudicia)
2. The Lady of the Mercians by Sue Purkiss (about Athelflaed)
3. The Queen's Treasure by Adele Geras (about Eleanor of Aquitaine)
4. All Shall Be Well by Katherine Langrish (about Julian of Norwich)
5. Learn to Die by Mary Hoffman (about Lady Jane Grey)
6. The Phoenix Bride bu Dianne Hofmeyr (about Elizabeth Stuart)
7. A Night at the Theatre by Marie-Louise Jensen (about Aphra Behn)
8. An Unimportant Woman by Penny Dolan (about Mary Wollstonecraft)
9. Best After Storms by Joan Lennon (about Mary Anning)
10. The Lad that Stands Before You by Catherine Johnson (about Mary Seacole)
11. Return to Victoria by Celia Rees (about Emily Davidson)
12. The Colours of the Day by Anne Rooney (about Amy Johnson)
13. Please Can I Have a Life by Leslie Wilson (about The Greenham Common Women)

The anthology has stories ranging from approx c.30 AD right through until the 1980's so it really does span the ages. It's not often you come across such a variety in one book so I really enjoyed dipping in and out of the different eras that it covers. You'll find stories about warrior princesses and queens next to stories about famous female writers and campaigners for women's rights. Not to forget a pilot, a nurse and an archaeologist!

What I enjoyed most was getting to learn something about women who I'd never even heard of before, I'm definitely going to have to do some research now to find out more about them! Daughters of Time is a fab anthology for anyone who is interested in history, especially if you want to learn more about some of the women who have had a huge impact on society throughout the ages.

Source: Received from Templar in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback:



Extract:

Thanks to Templar I also have this extract from Sue Purkiss talking about why chose to write a story about Aethelflaed for her contribution to the anthology.

Extract: Daughters of Time Anthology

Bloomsbury Event with Celia Rees - 2nd March 2012

Celia Rees

I'm very late posting about this event but I thanks to Bloomsbury I had the pleasure of meeting Celia Rees back in March to celebrate the launch of her latest novel This Is Not Forgiveness (this is an awesome book & you can read my review here if you haven't already read it). I was completely useless that day and forgot to take my camera with me so thanks to Viv for letting me use the above photo of Celia (Viv has included lots more pictures in her write up which you can read in full here).

It was a pleasure to meet with Celia and talk to her about This Is Not Forgiveness and her writing career. I may not have taken pictures but I did take lots of notes so here are some of the things that we talked about:

• When asked why she decided to change from writing historical fiction to writing a contemporary thriller Celia said that she hadn't written a contemporary story for a long time but it was the genre that she first started in. Her first book was a YA contemporary thriller called Every Step You Take. As a teacher she knew her pupils wanted to read gritty thrillers that were like adult books so she decided to write one for them. She heard a true story about students who were caught up in a murder investigation that gave her the idea for Every Step You Take.
• Her second book was called The Baby Game and was a story about bullying that her younger daughter suggested she write. After that she wrote a few more thrillers and even a vampire book. She actually spent 10 years writing contemporary books followed by 10 years writing historical ones so felt it was time for a change again.
• Celia was inspired to write This Is Not Forgiveness after watching an old French film called Jules et Jim. The film was set in the war and was a story about two boys and a very charismatic and free spirited girl that they both fell in love with. She was fascinated by the young girl and wanted to write about someone similar.
• She wanted to update the story for modern times rather than set it during the war, she started by making Caro a goth type but changed her mind and instead made her interested in politics. Celia knew that she wanted to make Jamie a normal, average boy but she wanted Rob to be very different to him. It was when she decided to make Rob a soldier that everything really fell into place.
• Celia pointed out that teens can be very intolerant readers - you have to grab their attention early and keep it throughout the whole story.
• One of her biggest tips for writers is to always have a notebook with you to jot down ideas. Celia (like a lot of women) has a lot of handbags so she is always having to buy new notebooks so she can keep one in each bag!
• She uses spider diagrams to keep track of her ideas and when she starts writing a book she types it straight onto her computer rather than handwriting it first. As she's writing she prefers to write the book chronologically from beginning to end. Even if she gets stuck she refuses to skip forward - she writes each stage in order.
• Celia also confirmed that she only works on one book at a time. She said it would be too easy for her to mix the different voices and styles if she was working on multiple books at the same time and that both books would end up reading like one single story.

Celia was absolutely lovely to talk to and happily answered all of our questions. It was great to meet her and I'd definitely recommend you check out This Is Not Forgiveness if you haven't already. I'm actually looking forward to working my way through some of her back list - I'm particularly interested in trying Witch Child which a lot of other bloggers were raving about during the event.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Emma at Bloomsbury for inviting me to the event and for spoiling us all with cakes, nibbles and books!

Who was there:

Emma - Bloomsbury

Celia Rees - Website

Alice - The Reader Room

Hannah - My Book Journey

Hayley - Dark Readers

Laura - SisterSpooky: Book Fangirl

Megan - The Book Addicted Girl

Michelle - Much Loved Books

Raimy - Readaraptor

Sammee - I Want To Read That

Viv - Serendipity Reviews - Event Report

Winner: This Is Not Forgiveness - Celia Rees

With the help of Rafflecopter I am happy to announce the winner of a SIGNED copy of This is not Forgiveness by Celia Rees is:

Kirsty (email address starting pukkapad29@...)

Congratulations Kirsty!  You should have already received an email from me asking for your addresses so please make sure you look out for it.  If I don't hear back from you within 48 hours then a new winner will be chosen.  Your prize will be sent out by my contact at Bloomsbury so you'll need to give permission for me to forward your address to them.  I'd like to say a massive thank you to Bloomsbury for allowing me to host this giveaway for them.

Review: This Is Not Forgiveness - Celia Rees

Everyone says that Caro is bad . . . but Jamie can’t help himself. He thinks of her night and day and can’t believe that she wants to be his girlfriend. Gorgeous, impulsive and unconventional, she is totally different to all the other girls he knows. His sister, Martha, hates her. Jamie doesn’t know why, but there’s no way he’s going to take any notice of her warnings to stay away from Caro.

But as Jamie falls deeper and deeper under her spell, he realises there is more to Caro – much more. There are the times when she disappears and doesn’t get in touch, the small scars on her wrists, her talk about revolutions and taking action, not to mention the rumours he hears about the other men in her life.

And then always in the background there is Rob, Jamie’s older brother, back from Afghanistan and traumatised after having his leg smashed to bits there. Jamie wants to help him, but Rob seems to be living in a world of his own and is increasingly difficult to reach.

With Caro, the summer should have been perfect . . . but that isn’t how things work out in real life, and Jamie is going to find out the hard way.

This taut psychological drama is the brilliant new novel from acclaimed Celia Rees.

Visit Celia Rees' website or the This Is Not Forgiveness website for more information

Review:
This Is Not Forgiveness is the first book I've read by Celia Rees so although I've been told it is very different to her usual books I can't make any comparison.  The story is mainly told by Jamie with occasional chapters from his brother Rob or his girlfriend Caro's perspective.  I've seen some people say that they found the switches in narrators confusing but I have to say I felt the author gave each character such a clear voice that I didn't have a problem keeping track of who was narrating at any one time.  I think you actually needed all three characters to tell a portion of the story, if you hadn't got to know each of them quite so well then it would have been very hard to empathise with any of them - Rob and Caro in particular.  That isn't to say I agree with what they were up to but seeing inside their heads at least gives you more of an idea how they ended up where they did.

It's been a long time since I disliked a character as much as I did Caro.  You do get to see that she hasn't had the best upbringing but really there are a lot of people out there who have had things a lot worse than she has and don't turn out so selfish and uncaring.  To a certain extent she has also been manipulated by the crowd that she falls in with who prey on her as a young, idealistic girl but I still found it hard to forgive her actions and wasn't happy with the secrets Jamie kept at the end (I can't say more about that without giving spoilers).  Although I didn't like her even a tiny bit she did manage to surprise me at the end of the book - I never would have expected her to act in the way she did and that did go a little way towards redeeming her character for me.

Rob has returned from the army a broken man but although physically injured it is the emotional scars that have the strongest impact.  The things that he has both seen and done have left their mark on him and it was quite disturbing to see how little help he had trying to adjust to civilian life.  The more you learn about him and the way he acted even as a child the more you start to see that his problems didn't begin in the army though.  I was actually left thinking that he probably should never have been allowed to sign up in the first place and that training him to use a gun wasn't really the best thing for him.

Jamie was completely different to his brother and has a very naive outlook on things.  He was far too trusting and when it came to Caro he was easily manipulated into doing whatever she wanted.  No matter how badly she treated him he kept coming back for more and while I can remember doing stupid things in the name of love as a teenage as an adult I find it hard to empathise with someone who is so weak willed.  I felt sorry for Jamie but I spent a lot of time feeling incredible frustrated with him for not walking away from Caro while he had the chance.

The story is hard hitting and raises some interesting questions, it isn't a comfortable read but it is an interesting one.  If you're looking for a YA book with a political edge to it that will make you think then I would definitely recommend This Is Not Forgiveness.

Source: Received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

This Is Not Forgiveness Blog Tour - Guest Post from Celia Rees and UK Giveaway

I'm excited to be taking part in the blog tour to celebrate the release of Celia Rees' latest novel This Is Not Forgiveness.  The book is like nothing else I've ever read and is a chilling story with themes of war, terrorism and much more.  I'll be posting my review later today so make sure you come back and read it. 

If you haven't already heard of the book here is the book cover and blurb:

Everyone says that Caro is bad . . . but Jamie can’t help himself. He thinks of her night and day and can’t believe that she wants to be his girlfriend. Gorgeous, impulsive and unconventional, she is totally different to all the other girls he knows. His sister, Martha, hates her. Jamie doesn’t know why, but there’s no way he’s going to take any notice of her warnings to stay away from Caro.

But as Jamie falls deeper and deeper under her spell, he realises there is more to Caro – much more. There are the times when she disappears and doesn’t get in touch, the small scars on her wrists, her talk about revolutions and taking action, not to mention the rumours he hears about the other men in her life.

And then always in the background there is Rob, Jamie’s older brother, back from Afghanistan and traumatised after having his leg smashed to bits there. Jamie wants to help him, but Rob seems to be living in a world of his own and is increasingly difficult to reach.

With Caro, the summer should have been perfect . . . but that isn’t how things work out in real life, and Jamie is going to find out the hard way.

This taut psychological drama is the brilliant new novel from acclaimed Celia Rees.

Visit Celia Rees' website or the This Is Not Forgiveness website for more information

Let me hand you over to Celia Rees who is going to be talking about some of the best fictional deaths . . .

******************************

Celia Rees

Best fictional deaths

Lucy Westena in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, because she gets to die twice. I’m strictly old school when it comes to vampires. They have to be scary and they have to mean it, no veggie ‘will try to do better’ vamps for me. Once Dracula picks her out as a victim, there is no escaping; she’s destined for the family vault in Highgate Cemetery, living her vampire half life as the ‘booful lady’ preying on young children, until men with sharp stakes come to put her out of her misery. Perfect! They don’t write them like that any more, more is the pity.

Thelma and Louise in Ridley Scott’s film Thelma and Louise because they have put themselves outside the law and they don’t have any choice, which makes their deaths heroic and romantic, and maybe, just maybe, they didn’t die at all, but their car just flies, or else it lands gently on the other side of the canyon and they quietly drive away.

Anna Karenina in Leon Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina because she dies so needlessly. Throwing herself under a train for a cad and bounder – you feel like giving her a good shaking and telling her to get a grip.

Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary because she dies so badly. Given to romantic fantasy and self delusion, trapped in a suffocatingly boring provincial life, she is living inside her head, embarking on affairs, spending money she hasn’t got. When it all goes hideously wrong, she takes arsenic and lies back waiting to die a nice death. That doesn’t happen. She dies in horrible agony. Anyone who thinks there is anything romantic about suicide should read Madame Bovary.

Sydney Carton in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Set at the time of the French Revolution, Carton is a dissipated English barrister who tries to redeem himself by going to the guillotine in the place of French aristocrat, Charles Darney, who is the husband of Lucie Manette, Carton’s unrequited love. He steps up to the blade with the words:

‘"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.'"

I re-read it when I was writing Sovay, and had to wipe a tear way. Deaths in Fiction don’t get much better than that.

******************************

Thanks so much for a fabulous guest post Celia, I have only read (or watched) the first two stories that you mentioned but completely agree with what you said about them.  You got me thinking about the fictional deaths that have had the biggest impact on me and the first one that comes to mind is in Forbidden by Tabatha Suzuma, I can't go into detail without giving a major spoiler so I'll just say that the ending of that book made me sob like a baby.  Another one that really broke my heart was the death of Tessa in Before I Die by Jenny Downham.  You know right from the beginning that her leukemia is going to kill her but the ending had a massive impact on me because it brought back memories of my Nan's death.

Giveaway Details:

Now how would you like the chance to win a SIGNED copy of This Is Not Forgiveness? 

• Courtesy of Bloomsbury I have a signed paperback of This Is Not Forgiveness to giveaway to 1 lucky UK winner.
• The winner's prize will be sent out directly by my contact at Bloomsbury so the winner must give me permission to pass their address on.
• The winner will be chosen at random from all entries received. 
• To enter please use the rafflecopter below to confirm that you are a UK resident, there are optional extra entries for following or tweeting about the giveaway but these are not required to enter.
• The giveaway will close at 12:01am EST on the 25th of February 2012 and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards.  You will have 48 hours to reply to me with your address or a new winner will be chosen.

Publisher Spotlight: Bloomsbury - January - March 2012

I thought it would be fun to start spotlighting new releases that different publishers have coming up over the next few months for us to look forward to.  I'm constantly looking for new books to add to my wish list and thought it would be a nice way of spreading the bookish love with other bloggers.  I'm not sure how regular the posts will be yet but I have quite a few lined up already and we'll see how things go over the next few months.  So in the spotlight today we have . . .

Bloomsbury always seem to have exciting titles coming out and the beginning of next year is no exception.  They have some fabulous YA books that I can't wait to get my hands on!  Check out the Bloomsbury website for more information.

January 2012:

First up we have debut novel Fracture by Megan Miranda which will be available on the 5th of January.  As a huge fan of anything supernatural I love the sound of this one, it sounds very different from anything else I've read & I'm looking forward to reading it.  For more information visit Megan Miranda's website.

If you had one day left to live, what would you do?

Eleven minutes might as well be eternity underwater. It only takes three minutes without air for loss of consciousness. Permanent brain damage begins at four minutes. And then, when the oxygen runs out, full cardiac arrest occurs. Death is possible at five minutes. Probable at seven. Definite at ten. Delaney Maxwell was underwater for eleven minutes. And she’s alive.

By the time seventeen-year-old Delaney is pulled out of the icy waters of a frozen lake, her heart has stopped beating. She is in a coma and officially dead. But Delaney pulls through. How? Doctors are mystified. Outwardly she has completely recovered. But Delaney knows something is very wrong. Pulled by sensations she can’t control, she finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her brain predicting death or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who lost his whole family in a car accident and emerged from a coma with the same powers as Delaney. At last she’s found someone who’ll understand what she’s going through. But Delaney soon discovers that Troy’s motives aren’t quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature – or something much more frightening?

Also released on the 5th of January is Alyxandra Harvey's new novel Stolen Away.  I have to admit I don't have the best track record when it comes to books about faeries but I'm a massive fan of Alyxandra's so if anyone can write a faerie book that I enjoy it will be her and I definitely want to try this one.  For more information visit Alyxandra Harvey's website.

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed.  Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won’t comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife, Eloise’s aunt, Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, Eloise must place her trust in Lucas, her handsome protector, and Strahan’s mysterious son, Eldric, and forge alliances with other Fae in a dangerous attempt to free Antonia for ever.

Next we have another 2012 debut The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan which will also be released on the 5th of January.  I've not read many verse novels so I'm really looking forward to this one, it sounds like it will be a beautifully written story.  Visit Sarah Crossan's website for more information.

Armed with a suitcase and an old laundry bag filled with clothes, Kasienka and her mother head for England. Life is lonely for Kasienka. At home her mother’s heart is breaking and at school friends are scarce. But when someone special swims into her life, Kasienka learns that there might be more than one way for her to stay afloat.

First love, friendship and quiet courage combine in this spare and beautiful story. The Weight of Water can be devoured in one sitting or dipped in and out of as a set of poems. Crossan’s style is as lyrical as Sharon Creech and will appeal to fans of Love That Dog. The intelligence and naivety of Kasienka’s voice is reminiscent of Christopher’s voice in Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Harrison’s in Stephen Kelman’s Pigeon English. This remarkable debut is thought-provoking, heartbreaking and uplifting. Sarah Crossan is an author to watch in 2012 and beyond.

The final January the 5th release I'm going to mention is In Darkness by Nick Lake.  This looks like it is going to be a fantastic read, I've never come across anything set in Haiti before and know practically nothing about the country so I'm really looking forward to reading it.  I couldn't find a website for Nick but you can find out more about his books at his author page on Goodreads here.

Shorty is given a choice.  But is he man enough to make it?

In darkness, I count my blessings like Manman taught me.
One: I am alive.
Two: there is no two.

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, a boy is trapped beneath the rubble of a ruined hospital, thirsty, terrified and alone.

Shorty is a child of the slums, a teenage boy who has seen enough violence to last a lifetime, and who has been inexorably drawn into the world of the gangsters who rule Site Soley; men who dole out money with one hand and death with the other.

But Shorty has a secret: a flame of revenge that blazes inside him and a burning wish to find the twin sister he lost seven years ago.  And he is marked.  Marked in a way that links him to Toussaint L'Overture, the Haitian rebel who led the slave revolt and faced down Napoleon to force the French out of Haiti two hundred years ago.

As he grows weaker, Shorty relives the journey that took him to the hospital, with a bullet wound in his arm.  In his visions and memories he hopes to find the strength to survive - perhaps then Shorty and Toussaint can find a way to be free . . .

February 2012:

On the 2nd of February we can look forward to This is not Forgiveness by Celia Rees.  I've been wanting to pick up a copy of her book Witch Child ever since Mary Hooper mentioned it at the Bloomsbury event a few months ago so although this is definitely very different to her historical novels I'm still really curious about it.  You can find out more at Celia Rees' website.

Everyone says that Caro is bad news, but Jamie can’t help himself. He thinks of her night and day and can’t believe that she wants to be his girlfriend. Gorgeous, impulsive and unconventional, she is totally different to all the other girls he knows. His sister, Martha, hates her. Jamie doesn’t know why, but there’s no way he’s going to take any notice of her warnings to stay away from Caro.

As Jamie falls deeper and deeper under her spell, he realises there is much more to Caro than he first thought. She disappears for days on end, she has small scars on her wrists, she talks about revolutions and taking action, and then there are the rumours he hears about the other men in her life.

Always in the background is Rob, Jamie’s older brother, back from Afghanistan and traumatised after having his leg smashed to bits there. Jamie wants to help him, but Rob seems to be living in a world of his own and is increasingly difficult to reach. With Caro, the summer should have been perfect . . . but that isn’t how things work out in real life and Jamie is going to find out the hard way.

March 2012:

On the 1st of March you'll be able to pick up a copy of Drive By by Jim Carrington.  Although this isn't the kind of book I would usually pick up I like the sound of the themes of the story - guilt and facing up to the decisions you have made - it sounds like this is a book that will really get you thinking.  Visit Jim Carrington's website for more information.

Johnny and his friends have finished school for the summer. One sweltering day, on their way back from a water fight at the park, they spot an old lady who has wound them up by bursting their football. They make a bad decision. The boys pedal up to the old lady’s parked car and commit a drive-by soaking, before pedalling away as quickly as they can.

Revenge isn’t all that’s on Johnny’s mind, however, as he spots an impossibly cool, black-clad, pale-skinned girl on the bus. He can’t stop thinking about her, but has she even registered his existence?

When Johnny discovers that the old lady suffered a heart attack after the drive-by and subsequently died, he is totally guilt-stricken. And when Johnny wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, feeling a presence in his room, he believes that he’s being haunted and the strain starts to show . . .

An incredibly dramatic, pacy novel about getting in over your head, guilt and facing up to your decisions.

Finally I thought I'd mention that the paperback version of Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley will also be released on the 1st of March.  The hardback version was released back in October and I've heard really good things about it so it's one I'm looking forward to reading.  You can find out more at Chris Priestley's website.


Please note that this is the hardback cover, the
final paperback cover is currently unavailable.

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief. Mister Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets. Their relationship begins as pure convenience. But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target ...Victor Frankenstein.

Friendship, trust and betrayal combine to form a dangerous liaison in this moving and frightening new book from Chris Priestley.








So what do you think of the books Bloomsbury has lined up for us in the new year? Which of these are you most looking forward to?

Book Trailer: This Is Not Forgiveness - Celia Rees

In February 2012 Bloomsbury will be publishing This is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees, having read the book blurb and watched the trailer I can't wait to start reading this one so I thought I'd share the details with you so you can add it to your wish lists.  If you'd like to read an extract you can find the first chapter on Bloomsbury's website here.

Everyone says that Caro is bad . . . but Jamie can’t help himself. He thinks of her night and day and can’t believe that she wants to be his girlfriend. Gorgeous, impulsive and unconventional, she is totally different to all the other girls he knows. His sister, Martha, hates her. Jamie doesn’t know why, but there’s no way he’s going to take any notice of her warnings to stay away from Caro.

But as Jamie falls deeper and deeper under her spell, he realises there is more to Caro – much more. There are the times when she disappears and doesn’t get in touch, the small scars on her wrists, her talk about revolutions and taking action, not to mention the rumours he hears about the other men in her life.

And then always in the background there is Rob, Jamie’s older brother, back from Afghanistan and traumatised after having his leg smashed to bits there. Jamie wants to help him, but Rob seems to be living in a world of his own and is increasingly difficult to reach.

With Caro, the summer should have been perfect . . . but that isn’t how things work out in real life, and Jamie is going to find out the hard way.

This taut psychological drama is the brilliant new novel from acclaimed Celia Rees.

So what do you think?  It sounds fab doesn't it!  If you'd like more information about the book you can check out Celia Rees' website or find her on Facebook here