Book Review: The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, Hodder & Stoughton and Sceptre, for the advanced reading copy. It was published on 5 March 2020 and you can get your copy here.

The Blurb

Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education.
As the only daughter of a broke father, she is a valuable commodity. Removed from school and sold as a third wife to an old man, Adunni's life amounts to this: four goats, two bags of rice, some chickens and a new TV. When unspeakable tragedy swiftly strikes in her new home, she is secretly sold as a domestic servant to a household in the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, where no one will talk about the strange disappearance of her predecessor, Rebecca. No one but Adunni...

As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless servant, fourteen-year-old Adunni is repeatedly told that she is nothing. But Adunni won't be silenced. She is determined to find her voice - in a whisper, in song, in broken English - until she can speak for herself, for the girls like Rebecca who came before, and for all the girls who will follow.

My Review

We may be only just into January (at the time of writing my review!), but The Girl with the Louding Voice could well be my favourite book of 2020 - if not ever!

From the very start, the voice of Adunni sings in her wonderful broken English, making me smile with her way of phrasing her observations and thoughts. Despite the sometimes heartbreaking and brutal way of life, Adunni's joyous spirit is never broken - it just builds her determination. She has a sharp humour, and her intelligence, empathy and compassion shine through the pages.

The other characters are as equally brought to life by the writer, from the old man she is forced to marry, to Big Madam, who, despite her treatment of Adunni, still elicits some semblance of sympathy.

I absolutely loved this book, and will be telling everyone I meet to read it! It is simply wonderful.

About the Author

Abi Daré grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and has lived in the UK for 18 years. She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an M.Sc. in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University. Keen to improve her writing, Abi completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck University of London, achieving a Distinction. 

Her first novel, The Girl with the Louding Voice, won The Bath Novel Award in 2018 and was selected as a finalist in The Literary Consultancy Pen Factor competition in 2018. Abi lives in Essex with her husband and two children.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abidare_author

Book Review: The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse

With her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter thinks she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect.

But becoming parents proves much harder to achieve than Lucy and Jonah imagined, and when Jonah’s teenage daughter Camille comes to stay with them, she becomes a constant reminder of what Lucy doesn’t have. Jonah’s love and support are unquestioning, but Lucy’s struggles with work and her own failing dreams begin to take their toll. With Camille’s presence straining the bonds of Lucy’s marriage even further, Lucy suddenly feels herself close to losing everything…

This heart-wrenchingly poignant family drama from bestselling author Amanda Prowse asks the question: in today’s hectic world, what does it mean to be a mother?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, and the author, Amanda Prowse for the review copy.

The desperation of one woman to have a baby is the overriding theme of this heartbreaking story. Lucy has the perfect life; a wonderful husband, Jonah, a cosy home, and a great career. The only thing missing is a baby.

Unfortunately Lucy seems to be unable to carry a baby to term; and we feel her sheer heartbreak when she miscarries. Miscarriages are fairly common, we are told, but the grief and despair felt by would-be parents can be all-consuming. The author writes with a great deal of sensitivity, with no mawkishness or huge drama, depicting Lucy as a strong, capable woman who has to suffer what so many women go through.

Her life is further complicated when Jonah's daughter. Camille, comes to stay with them. Lucy struggles to bond with the girl, who is so dismissive of her stepmother, but of course Jonah cannot see how cruel and rude his daughter is, alienating Lucy and making her feel even more useless in her ability to be a mother.

Her relationship with her own mother is a complicated one too, and their story shows how much families need to communicate.

The author has created a great character in Lucy; I just wanted to give her a hug! Jonah and Camille are both great in their supporting roles, the latter being wholly understandable as a stroppy teenager. It is undeniably an emotional read, but heartwarming too.

Motherhood can be so important to a woman, sometimes the very essence of being female, and when that is held back from you, it's hard not to feel inadequate. But there are other ways to realise your potential, even if it's not quite what you had mapped out.

You can buy The Idea of You from Amazon or other retailers.

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author who has published sixteen novels in dozens of languages. Her recent chart topping No.1 titles ‘What Have I Done?’, ‘Perfect Daughter’ and ‘My Husband’s Wife’ have sold millions of copies around the world.

Other novels by Amanda Prowse include ‘A Mother’s Story’ which won the coveted Sainsbury’s eBook of the year Award and ‘Perfect Daughter’ that was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016. Amanda’s latest book ‘The Food of Love’ went straight to No.1 in Literary Fiction when it was launched in the USA and she has been described by the Daily Mail as ‘The Queen of Drama’ for her ability to make the reader feel as if they were actually in the story. 

Now published by Lake Union, Amanda Prowse is the most prolific writer of contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also score the highest online review approval ratings for several genres.

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda Prowse is a regular panellist on the Channel 5 show ‘The Wright Stuff’ and numerous daytime ITV programmes. She makes countless guest appearances on BBC and independent Radio stations where she is well known for her insightful observations of human nature and her infectious observational humour. 

Become friends with Amanda on Facebook: AmandaProwseAuthor and follow her on Twitter: @MrsAmandaProwse or Instagram: MrsAmandaProwse. For more information on her books, lifestyle and inspirational advice see www.amandaprowse.com

Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades...

Book Review & GIVEAWAY! A Song for Tomorrow by Alice Peterson

The Blurb
Tom fell in love with Alice the moment he saw her. He realises that being with her will not be easy, but she is a force of nature, a burst of sunlight in his otherwise ordinary world. 

Some people might look at Alice and think she has everything, but Alice knows she is not like other women. Her life is complicated, unpredictable, difficult. Alice does not like pity. All she wants to do, has ever wanted to do, is sing.

Alice has been told not to follow her dreams. So has Tom. But when fate has already dealt a tough hand, it’s time to stop listening to everyone else and only follow their hearts.

My Review

Thank you so, so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for an advanced reading copy of this inspirational, amazing book.

A Song for Tomorrow is an incredible story based on an incredible young woman, Alice Martineau, who wants to be a singer. 

She is beautiful, kind, has a fabulous voice, but there's just one thing in her way. She has cystic fibrosis. But Alice is an unstoppable force...

The story is told from three POVs; mostly Alice, but the occasional chapter from Tom, who falls in love with her at first sight in the opening of the book, and also Alice's mother, Mary, via her diary entries. I found these diary entries heart-rending; as a parent we can feel so helpless in protecting our children, so proud of them, and so very frightened for them.

Alice won't let herself be defined by her disease; she hates it when anyone calls her brave or pities her, but she bites her tongue and is patient with them, even when one vacuous girl envies her for being 'so skinny'. She is haunted by the words of school tormentor Daisy, 'She'll be dead soon!' and teacher Miss Ward 'You will never be a singer', and this drives her on to fulfil her dream.

Alice is supported by her wonderful family, doctor and friends, including the fabulous anti-support group. She convinces music mogul Peter Harris to help her, but will her determination to ignore her condition get in the way of her dream?

Seriously, you have to read this inspirational book. I'm desperate to get my girls to read it; to show them there is so much to live for. Life is precious, it's a gift. Don't throw it away.

You can buy A Song For Tomorrow from Amazon or Waterstones or other retailers....

OR

I'm giving away one beautiful brand spanking new copy of this amazing book! To be in with a chance of winning, follow @alicepeterson1 and me @Vikbat on Twitter AND follow and leave a comment (a nice one!) on this blog (it'll be worth it, I promise!). Entries close at midnight on Friday 17th February 2017.

About the Author 

'I have published two non-fiction books, and eight novels, including the bestselling title, Monday to Friday Man. My latest novel, A Song for Tomorrow, published by Simon & Schuster, will be released in paperback 9th February 2017.

My writing is funny, romantic, powerful and emotional. At the heart of each novel is a love story but I always will include hard-hitting and thought-provoking themes within my storylines – such as addiction and disability. My protagonists often have to overcome adversity, based on my own experience of a professional tennis career cut short at the age of 18 when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I have never played tennis again, a sadness that will always be with me, but I have very much filled that void with writing. I am drawn to true stories and aim to write with deep compassion, empathy and humour about issues that resonate with my growing readership and that I believe have the potential of reaching and touching millions more.

I live in West London with my handsome Lucas Terrier, Mr Darcy.'