I am thinking about putting up my book review of the books I am reading as I read them. I read a LOT of books but I think may be fun to write about them, what do you think? I read all different genres from horror and fantasy to things like to Kill a Mockingbird. And I love the old classics, so you will get a taste of a lot of different kinds of books in my book reviews.
I just finished a book last night called Iris and Ruby by Rosie Thomas. I figure I might as well start out my [tag]book reviews[/tag] with this one while it is fresh in my head.
It was a pretty good book which is why I am doing it for my book review first, I had never read anything from [tag]Rosie Thomas[/tag] before so I had no expectations going in. It was about a girl about 19 who basically ran away from her home in England and just showed up on her elderly grandmothers doorstep in Egypt. The grandma (Iris) was not really all to keen on it at first but soon it was breathing new life into her and she felt better than she had in years. The girl named Ruby was changing as well. She was learning to be more patient and to think of others besides herself.
The book bounced between the present and the past. A lot of the book took place in the memory of Iris back during World War Two when she worked in Egypt. She worked at GHQ which was where the intel came through and was passed alone the line of people fighting the war.
Of course she fell in love with a Captain who ran special ops in the desert, his name was Xan. They were head over heels in love and of course as all good war love stories end he dies tragically leaving her bereft. Of course we know she went on to have children because there is Ruby, but the way that the three generations of women–Iris, Lesley (Ruby’s mom) and Ruby– were affected by the loss of Xan is interesting and believable.
I liked that but it is the revelation by Iris herself in the end that is so powerful and this brings a form of closure to the daughter she has all but abandoned in childhood and even to Iris herself in a way.
The end left me teary, not weepy and I quite enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to those who like real life dramas or family dramas. This is my book review of Rosie Thomas‘ Iris and Ruby. I didn’t want to give you any spoilers or anything, it is hard to write a book review and not give things away!
