Trashionista

BOOK NEWS: Going It Alone

I might be judging a book by it's cover (so to speak), but I've just seen the synopsis for Clare Dowling's new book and couldn't help but feel that a plot concerning a woman and her ticking biological clock is a little tired...

Millie's biological clock has been ticking for some time, and on the eve of her fortieth birthday the alarm bell starts ringing. She needs to have a baby and fast, but after months of fruitless trying, her husband Andrew is feeling like a walking sperm bank and their marriage is in crisis. Matters come to a head when Andrew's job relocates to London and Millie decides that if he won't stick around to get her pregnant, then she'll do it without him.

What do you think? Exciting plot or been there done that?

BOOK REVIEW: Always and Forever by Cathy Kelly

I have read a number of Cathy Kelly books in the past. Some I've liked and others I was frustrated with. She is, because she is Irish and writes about women in Ireland, compared, perhaps unfairly, with Maeve Binchy. However, she's a talented and bestselling author, and if you choose the right book you can really get sucked in. The thing is, was Always and Forever going to do that?

Based in the beautiful town of Carrickwell we have Mel, Daisy and Cleo. Mel is a high flying career woman and mother of two who is busy and stressed trying to keep all the balls in the air. Daisy is in a settled relationship with her boyfriend and longing for a child. Cleo, fresh from her hotel management degree, is frustrated with the way her family is running the family hotel. When Leah opens Clouds Hill spa (which, incidentally, makes me think of wine every time I read it) their lives are eventually thrown together, giving them the courage to find out what really matters.

Or at least that is what the blurb on the back of the book says.

What I found was we had three women, each with separate lives and with their own individual struggles they must battle against. They finally get to know each other well over two thirds into the book and by then two of them have already decided what it is they are going to do. This in no way detracts from the quality of the story, far from it, it just wasn't quite what I was expecting. You know - three women getting together and putting the world to rights sort of thing.

Because of their individual stories we get to know the women really well and I could identify with each character. Leah, I found a little too good to be true, but by then I was well enough into the story not to care.

This is what is described as a feel good story. Warm, engaging, slightly formulaic and stereotypical perhaps, but a good yarn nevertheless.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Heart & Soul by Maeve Binchy

BOOK NEWS: This Year It Will Be Different

If you have never read any Maeve Binchy before, but would like to, then this selection of short stories is an ideal introduction to her work. The book evokes the lives of wives, husbands, children, friends and lovers, all set during the one holiday when feelings cannot easily be hidden. Christmas.

I have got a copy and will review it soon. I've been warned however, that if you have read some of her short stories before in other collections they may be repeated in here.

Related posts: The Maeve Binchy Writer's Club review | Heart & Soul review

BOOK REVIEW: Heart & Soul by Maeve Binchy

I love Maeve Binchy. I know this is a cliche (or two), but her books are like a mug of hot chocolate, a roaring log fire, a favourite jumper, all enfolding you into a comforting embrace. Her last few books though have been a bit of a disappointment to me. Nights of Rain and Stars and Whitethorn Woods didn't have the same Maeve Magic as her earlier ones such as Tara Road, Circle of Friends and Quentins.

So, Heart and Soul. Disappointment, or a return to the Maeve I love?

Heart and Soul contains many characters. The story revolves around a specialist heart clinic in Dublin. Clara Casey is the senior cardiac specialist in charge of the clinic with two grown up daughters and an ex-husband. Declan is the doctor, a quiet unassuming man who still lives with his parents. Then there are the two nurses, Fiona and Barbara, Ania the polish girl, various patients and Father Brian Flynn. All of whom have their own little story that Maeve weaves together with such humour and warmth.

As I am writing this review I am thinking of what to say, but all I want to say is that I loved it and cannot say anything bad at all. The way Maeve brings the characters together, the way she writes as they talk, you feel right in the heart of the story like you are part of it all and not an outsider looking in.

The women are strong, independent types which I love and we are reintroduced to characters from some of her previous novels. Quentins the restaurant, of which there is a novel of the same name, appears. The main character from Evening Class is there. The caterers from Scarlett Feather. It is great to see these characters again, but if you haven't read any of her previous books you won't think you have missed out on anything.

Simply put Heart and Soul is a great story. (Do not be put off by the cover which makes it look a bit fuddy duddy.)

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try It Must Be Love by Sharon Owens

BOOK REVIEW: Feels Like Maybe by Claire Allan

Normally I wouldn't be thrilled to be stuck on a train for the best part of the day, but that's what happened earlier this week and I was absolutely fine because I had Claire Allan's Feels Like Maybe to read (and plenty of snacks to eat).

Feels Like Maybe is former Trashionista columnist Claire's second novel and, although I loved her first, Rainy Days and Tuesdays, I enjoyed this one even more.

It's the story of two friends - Beth and Aoife - who run an interior design business together. Dumped after telling her on-off rock star wannabe boyfriend, Jake, that she was pregnant, Aoife finds herself giving birth alone and looking forward to a life of single motherhood. Unbeknownst to Aoife, Beth (along with husband, Dan) has been trying for a baby for a while now and, although doctors can find nothing wrong, nothing's happening.

Hoping that Jake might come back and play happy families, Aoife put off telling her family about the impending arrival. But now baby Maggie has arrived and so she's got a bullet to bite. Understandably, they're not best pleased, particularly her mother and it seems like Aoife's family might fall apart.

Feels Like Maybe was a breeze and a joy to read. In fact, it's one of those books where you don't notice you're reading; when I think of it now, I feel like I watched it on TV. It addresses so many different relationships with warmth, wit and wisdom. At times, my heart hurt for both Aoife and Beth and at others I laughed out loud. Loved it.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Watermelon by Marian Keyes

BOOK REVIEW: Someone Special by Sheila O'Flanagan

Normally when I start to write a review I've already written it in my head and know exactly what rating to give it. But this one, Someone Special by Sheila O'Flanagan has put me in somewhat of a quandary. She is a great chick lit writer and I loved her previous book Yours, Faithfully but this one has left me shaking my head.

Our heroine is Romy, an Irish archaeologist living in Australia who is suddenly called home by her step brother, Darragh, because their mother is going to have a back operation. She has to leave her best friend Keith behind and then goes and confuses things by kissing him as she says goodbye to him at the airport.

Romy arrives back in Ireland and goes to look after her glamorous mother, Veronica. The two of them don't appear to get on and silences are loaded between them, issues are skirted around  and each one thinks the other doesn't like them.

We also meet Kathryn, Romy's step sister, who has a very successful career and marriage out in New York. Romy is irritated and upset as her family are dismissive of her own career and she always feels like an outsider. Her father is divorced from her mother and is now married again and it feels like it is just her, Romy. There are lots of family issues to be sorted out and many of them centre around the family business, which belonged to Darragh and Kathryn's deceased father, not Romy's.

As ever with a Sheila O'Flanagan novel, the scenes are well written and the characters are well described. I wrote some notes, however, whilst reading the book. The first one simply says "frustrated by Romy". Her step siblings think she has this chip on her shoulder and she does, but she doesn't do anything to help herself. She doesn't say what she feels, just wants to escape back to Australia. Eventually she does say what matters, but by then we are towards the end of the book and my frustration with her has been steadily building all the time to the point of not caring any more. Although the characters, including Romy, are well written, I didn't warm to any of them, except maybe Keith and he was barely in it.

Many of the chapters and paragraphs within the book are used to set the scene. Past history that has happened in the family. Whilst this was useful in order to understand what everyone was feeling, I was just itching to get on with the plot.

Once I had finished the book, I looked at it lying on the floor some ten minutes later and couldn't remember if I had finished it. I'm afraid that's the sort of impact it had.

Rating: 3/5 (I rounded up as I wanted to give it a 2.5)

Like this? Try How Will I Know? by Sheila O'Flanagan - she does write some great books.

HELEN'S HEROINES: Maggie Walsh

I find Maggie Walsh, from the book Angels by Marian Keyes, to be a fascinating character. She is such an excellent example of a person who people believe to be a certain way, but in actual fact has many hidden qualities and thinks completely differently to how they are perceived. Her sister, Helen, cruelly compares Maggie to plain yoghurt at room temperature, whereas Maggie thinks she is more like a trifle with hidden depths. I have to say that Helen, witty as she is, does not look beyond the cover and there is, in fact, more to Maggie than meets the eye.

The example of this is where Maggie, seemingly the most sensible one of the Walsh sisters, leaves her husband, loses her job and jets off to LA leaving her family behind open mouthed in shock.

Compared to her sisters, however, Maggie is the sensible one. She has a pension, she pays off her credit card most months and has a separate savings account for Ladies' Nice Things.  But just because she is sensible in certain ways this doesn't stop her from hurting when her husband talks about the chocolates as though they'd had them before, when really it was with another woman. It doesn't stop her hurting when her sisters treat her as a figure of fun or unfairly treat Garv, her husband, as a tightwad.

But she doesn't get all diva-ish. She doesn't slam doors, have strops or shout a lot as her sisters do and say how this is all unfair. Instead she keeps it inside, turning it over and trying to make sense of it. Something I'm sure a lot of us can relate to.

Believe me, I'm not saying she is perfect and her sisters aren't. I love her sisters (except Helen, at the moment, I can't wait for her story to come out so I can see what is really happening in her head) and Maggie does let many of these assumptions about her go by without contradicting anyone.

Like the other sisters, Maggie is a fighter. She shows no self pity when she leaves for LA and instead, gets on with her new life, throws herself into it and eventually wakes up to herself. Claire Allan, author of Rainy Days & Tuesdays, describes Maggie as one of her favourite heroines in this interview because, she proved that you can find happiness right under your nose. Along with her hidden depths, making Maggie a far more interesting character than what she initially appears, I have to agree with that. She also has the courage, not only to leave a bad situation, but also to come back when she realises what is really important.

BOOK REVIEW: The Bright Side by Alex Coleman

Alex Coleman is the pseudonym of author Damien Owens (Dead Cat Bounce). I'm always a teensy bit suspicious when male authors write chick lit (and The Bright Side is definitely chick lit), particularly when they're writing from a female point of view, but if someone hadn't told me Alex Coleman was a man, it never would have occurred to me from the book. (Even as I was reading it, I kept thinking, "Are you sure?")

Anyway, The Bright Side is the story of Jackie, who has been married to Gerry for 22 years, following a teen pregnancy (which resulted in twins). But one day, Jackie comes home from work with a headache only to find Gerry having it away with the neighbour. Jackie is devastated. Sort of. What's more pressing is how the situation can be used to her benefit, to repair some of her other family relationships that have fallen apart in recent years. Of course, there's also the fact that Jackie's not entirely blameless herself...

I really enjoyed The Bright Side. It's a breeze of a read, with some very funny characters and situations. In fact, the scene in which Jackie catches Gerry "in flagrante" is hilarious.

The odd bit didn't entirely ring true - Jackie's best friend is less sympathetic than I would have liked - but I may be being extra strict, simply because I know the author is a man ("Pah. Women don't talk to each other like that!")

I'll be interested to read Alex Coleman's next book and I may even pick up Dead Cat Bounce (I've seen it around, but the title's put me off, unsurprisingly).

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Secrets of Married Women by Carol Mason

SPOTLIGHT: Sheila O'Flanagan

I didn't know this but (by my reckoning) Sheila O'Flanagan has written thirteen novels and two short story collections. That is impressive.

Sheila turned to writing in her thirties after a successful career in financial services. She has always had a great love for reading and writing, but it wasn't until she was in her thirties that she sat down and wrote a complete book.

She hadn't wasted her years before this either. Born, educated and currently living in Dublin, Sheila began her career in the financial sector and worked her way up to become the first (and only, I believe) female chief dealer in the country. This was on top of playing badminton. She now plays at competition level for the Irish veteran's team.

After writing her first book, she was offered a publishing deal minus the advance, as long as she wrote a different book. So she did. It wasn't until quite a few books later that she was able to give up her day job, leading to the impressive amount of novels she has now written.

Her latest, Someone Special, is out in hardback now. A review will be coming soon.

Bibliography

Someone Special

Bad Behaviour

Yours, Faithfully

Connections (short story collection)

How Will I Know

Anyone But Him

Too Good To Be True

Destinations (short story collection)

He's Got To Go

My Favourite Goodbye

Far From Over

Suddenly Single

Isobel's Wedding

Caroline's Sister

Dreaming of a Stranger

BOOK NEWS: Someone Special

I found Yours, Faithfully by Sheila O'Flanagan an engaging read (highlighting the subject of bigamy no less), so I am pleased to see that she has another book out at the beginning of August.

Romy Kilkenny loves her life in Australia. She has her dream job, lots of mates, and a best friend in Keith, who understands her better than anyone. Best of all, she couldn't be further from her family. But when her brother rings to say she's needed back in Ireland right away, Romy's world is turned upside down. Flying home to see her mother and her half-siblings, Romy doubts she'll fit in better now than she ever did, and she's still not ready to forgive her mother for her truly disgraceful behaviour a few years earlier. Romy also worries that the accidental half-kiss with Keith at the airport may have brought their easy friendship to a sudden end. Whatever lies ahead, it's not what Romy's expecting. Even the people we grow up with can surprise us, and if love is to be found, it will find a way.

Related posts: How Will I Know | Irish Authors

HELEN'S HEROINES: Benny Hogan

Benny Hogan is the central character in Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy. She is big hearted and generous, living with her parents in a village called Knockglen in Ireland. Her family own Hogan's Outfitters a gentleman's clothing shop which is run by Benny's father. A rather naive and unassuming man he hires the dodgy Sean Walsh. Her parents, bless 'em, have high hopes that Benny will marry this Sean, but Benny has no interest in him. He is rather too oily for her tastes.

Benny becomes friends with Eve, the girl from the convent in Knockglen and together they go to college in Dublin and become friends with Nan, a girl with an alcoholic father who is determined to marry well.

So why is Benny this week's heroine? Well, to be honest because I can identify with her so well.  She isn't very confident at all initially even though she is a lovely girl. I think she is what you might call "naturally curvaceous" but for her this spells unattractive. She falls for the good looking Jack Foley, never believing he would be interested in her, but they begin a relationship. He wants more from her, but she sticks to her guns and goes back home to Knockglen every night.

When there is a death in her family we see a strong Benny emerge. A Benny we always knew was there. She handles the missing money in the shop with tact but firmness, then she realises what Jack has been up to and deals with that also.

By the end of this gentle story, Benny has become a confident woman. Confident in her own skin and no longer feeling inferior to others.

More Helen's Heroines

BOOK NEWS: Second Chances

Irish writer, Martina Reilly, has her ninth book out later this year. In Second Chances Lizzie has moved back to Dublin to start her life again. Happy at work and with her friends and boyfriend, one night she bumps into local boy Joe, who served a sentence after being accused of her sister's murder. Lizzie can't forget the pain he has caused her family, but Joe isn't what she expected. Can she find the strength to let old wounds heal?

As a huge fan of her last two books I can't wait for this one to come out.

SPOTLIGHT: Martina Reilly

A qualified drama teacher, Irish author Martina Reilly has also written adult fiction as Tina Reilly and teen fiction as Martina Murphy. As if that doesn't keep her busy enough Martina has also written for the Evening Herald and occasionally writes for the Irish Independent Weekend magazine, along with writing plays, acting in plays and having two children.

Martina's writing day is  from 10am to 1:30pm every day whilst the children are in school. Everything goes into her laptop. She doesn't use notebooks as she believes if the idea is good enough she'll remember it and also edits as she writes so by the time she has finished (her last book took eight months) the book is "clean" and ready to go [via Sarah Webb's website].

Bibliography

*Writing as Martina Murphy

Free Fall

Dirt Tracks

Fast Car

Live Wire

*Writing as Tina Reilly

Flipside

The Onion Girl

Is this Love?

Something Borrowed

Wedded Blitz

Wish Upon a Star

*Writing as Martina Reilly

All I Want is You

The Summer of Secrets

Her ninth adult book, Second Chances, is out in October 2008.

KERIS & HELEN'S SUMMER READS 2008: The Summer of Secrets by Martina Reilly

When I reviewed The Summer of Secrets by Martina Reilly a month or so ago, I had no hesitation in rating it five out of five. I also said it was my favourite book, so far, this year and it still is (although one more has equalled it). Which is why I thought it perfect as my first choice of recommended summer reads.

After a terrible accident, Hope travels back home to Ireland with her two friends, Adam and Julie. She has counseling for post traumatic stress disorder and discovers in the process that it's not just the recent accident that has had serious repercussions on her life.

This book was initially hard for me to read. I couldn't read through the accident, but once I had summoned up the courage to get though that I found a lovely story.

Anyone that derides your traditional chick lit should give this a go. Yes it has romance (and there is nothing wrong with that), but it also has the  psychological journey Hope has to go on and which comes out through her counseling. The supporting cast of characters provide entertainment, relief and romance. The book itself is emotional, sharp and engrossing, in all a fantastic read for the summer. Just don't read it on the aeroplane.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try  The Half Life of Stars by Louise Wener

MORE ON MONDAY: Making Babies by Anne Enright

I don't particularly want to read Anne Enright's Booker winning The Gathering - sounds way too bleak for me - but I've had her pregnancy and parenting memoir, Making Babies on the shelf for a while now so I finally read it. And I loved it. (Oh and apologies that both reviews these days are motherhood-y - just a coincidence!)

Enright is brutally honest and very funny as she writes about how pushing a buggy makes you look (um, rough), how much breast-feeding hurts (plenty), how babies are born knowing everything, how she fitted her writing life into her parenting life, how lonely parenting is, basically everything you could want to know about the subtitle, Stumbling into Motherhood.

Enright is utterly aware of how universal these things are, but, at the same time, how specific and personal they are. I marked pages thinking "I thought I was the only one who felt like that!" I laughed, I sympathised, I empathised and I cried (I always, always cry reading parenting memoirs).

And - just as you'd expect from a Booker Prize winner - the writing is gorgeous:

Yesterday, it was warm, and I took off her socks and stood her on the grass. She loved this, but maybe not so much as I did - her first experience of grass. For her, this green stuff was just as different and as delicious as everything else - the 'first' was all mine. Sometimes, I feel as though I am introducing her to my own nostalgia for the world.

Highly recommended if you're considering motherhood or, indeed, stumbling into motherhood yourself (although bear in mind that it's not pretty!).

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman

BOOK NEWS: Heart and Soul

Maeve Binchy was the subject of our Thursday Trailblazer last week and coincidently I discovered she has a new book coming out this October. After announcing in 2000 that she was no longer going to write novels she has subsequently written Quentins, Night of Rain and Stars and Whitethorn Woods. I wasn't that keen on the latter but I'm hoping that was a blip and Heart and Soul will see a return to Maeve's best.

It is about Clara Casey and her daughters, Adi and Linda, a Polish woman called Anya, a man called Declan and Father Brian Flynn. I love it when she has a group of people come together like this, it is Maeve's specialty. Oh, and by the way, don't be put off by the old fashioned book cover.

Related posts: The Maeve Binchy Writer's Club | Book news archives

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Maeve Binchy

Since picking up a battered copy of Light a Penny Candle as a teenager, I have been a huge fan of Maeve Binchy. I don't know if it was the gentle way in which she wrote, the fascinating characters or just her ability to write a gripping story that had me hooked, but it wasn't until I started to research her for this post that I realised how phenomenally successful Maeve is.

Described in the Irish Independent as "the mammy of all the best selling chick lit writers", Maeve was 43 when her first novel Light a Penny Candle was published in 1983. Born in Dublin in 1940, she worked as a teacher, then travelled to Israel to work on a kibbutz. Whilst out there she frequently wrote home and it was one of these letters that her Dad managed to sell to the Irish Times. She went on to become an extremely popular columnist for them.

After moving to London to be a journalist, she had several short story collections published including Central Line and Victoria Line. Then in 1983 her hard work (she started writing at 5am in the morning before going on to her full time job) paid off. She sold her first novel for a reported £52,000, the biggest sum at the time for a first time novel.

Maeve has sold around £50m books in nearly 40 countries. An amazing figure. She writes about her own experiences of time and place with her writing style alternating between the story of one woman, a pair of friends or a group of interlocking stories. Her main characters are predominantly female and deal with the changing problems of Irish women.

In 1995 Circle of Friends was made into a film with Minnie Driver and Chris O'Donnell. In 1999, Tara Road was picked up by Oprah's Book Club. Her secret to success? She writes as if she is talking. She insists she doesn't have a style but just chats away on the page.

Bibliography

Along with her numerous short stories the following novels have been published:

Light a Penny Candle

The Lilac Bus

Echoes

Firefly Summer

Silver Wedding

Circle of Friends

The Copper Beach

Glass Lake

Evening Class

Tara Road

Scarlet Feather

Quentins

Nights of Rain and Stars

Whitethorn Woods

The Maeve Binchy Writer's Club (not a novel but an excellent book on writing)

Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer archives

BOOK REVIEW: Revenge of the Wedding Planner by Sharon Owens

Reviewed by Claire Allan

(Published as The Trouble With Weddings in Ireland)

Sitting down with a Sharon Owens book is like sitting down with a good friend, a bottle of wine and a (kingsize) bar of chocolate and settling in for a good old girly chat.

Her writing oozes warmth, humour, gossip and decadent, gorgeous descriptions of perhaps the nicest homes, gardens, offices and restaurants you could ever choose to visit.

With Revenge of the Wedding Planner you get to add wedding dresses into the equation too - it's almost every woman's dream come true.

But don't be fooled into thing it's all designer shoes and style queens - Owens brings a twist to all her books and Mags - the narrator of this story - is a real gem. An ex-goth, married to an ex-punk, trying to raise four teenagers and keep her flighty boss in line - Mags is one of those strong, beautifully warm yet flawed heroines who you would really like to meet in real life.

When Mags' boss, Julie embarks on a life crisis, running away from her live-in lover and throwing herself in to a hair-raisingly sexy fling with Jay, it is Mag herself who is left to pick up the pieces. And when Julie eventually comes back, Jay in tow, the real trouble starts.

But there is so much more to this book than Julie and her dodgy love life - in fact in many ways I felt that storyline was secondary to Mags' life - which has it's own share of ups and downs.

Mags relationship with her husband is a joy to read - one of fiction's genuinely happy and believable couples. Her relationship with her children - especially her eldest son and daughter - is beautifully written. And her relationship with her parents is funny and extremely moving.

This book is without a doubt one of the funniest, warmest books I've read in many a long year.

It had laugh out loud moments, risque love scenes, a sexy bar man, wedding cake dilemmas and a very funny series of twists and turns. And yet at the heart of it there was a serious message about love, forgiveness, friendship and family.

It was delightful, entirely.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try It Must Be Love by Sharon Owens

BOOK REVIEW: The Summer of Secrets by Martina Reilly

When I read a book that I'm going to review I don't deliberately look for criticisms. I want to forget that I'm supposed to write a review and just get swept away by the story. If I write no notes at all whilst reading it, I know I'm onto a winner. Whilst reading The Summer of Secrets my notebook page remained blank.

Martina's All I Want is You was one of the first books I reviewed for Trashionista. I remember being impressed with it, calling it a "gem of a book" and giving it 4 out of 5. With this one, she has seriously gone up a gear.

Hope, an Irish girl living in London has constantly drifted from one job to another. When she gets fired from her latest job she plans a trip to Boston in a bid to see the world and take control of her life. Her friends and house mates, Adam and Julie, see her off at the airport, and that is where it all goes wrong... I had to stop reading here. I found it very upsetting and was unprepared for it. Instead I put the book on my bedroom floor and let it sit there for about three weeks.

When I finally picked it up again, I couldn't put it down. After the accident Hope travels to Ireland, back to her home town with Adam and Julie. There she goes for counseling for post traumatic stress disorder and lots of secrets come to the surface. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a gloomy book. It is all about Hope's recovery, what happened to her in the past and what is happening to her in the present, which will affect her future. The plot is great, the dialogue extremely funny and sharp at times and the characters identifiable and likable.

When I had finished the book, about one o clock in the morning, I wrote on the back of a postcard the following notes. "[I had] big, snotty, gulping tears then [once they'd subsided] a few pages later she goes and does it to me again." I can't give a book much higher praise. This may be my favourite book, so far, this year.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try The Half Life of Stars by Louise Wener

BOOK REVIEW: Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

Rachel's Holiday is consistently voted the favourite chick lit book by the authors we interview for Trashionista and yet - can you believe it? - we hadn't actually reviewed it. Until now...

Reviewed by Helen Redfern

Rachel is one fifth of the Walsh sisters, the middle fifth. She lives in New York with her fellow Irish friend, Brigit, partying hard, working little and going out with Luke Costello, a man who likes his leather trousers tight.

She’s living in a haze of Valium, cocaine and booze until one day she overdoses. Her father insists she return to Ireland and she’s booked into the Cloisters, a treatment centre, or as Helen her sister typically says, ‘That’s nothing but a loony bin by another name’. Rachel, naively, believes it will be full of celebs and saunas, so agrees to go, knowing full well when she gets out she’ll hotfoot it back to New York and take as many drugs as she can. We then follow her on her journey of ‘enlightenment’, shall we say, as she learns more about herself and the full consequences of her actions.

Rachel’s Holiday, along with Watermelon, is my favourite Marian Keyes book. I have to admit though I didn’t get it when I first read it some five years ago (it was published in 1997). I think I must have believed Rachel too much and couldn’t understand why she needed to be in the clinic. When I re-read it recently for the second time I got so much more from it. I understood Rachel, I read between the lines (it’s written in first person so you have to) and subsequently gained much more depth from it.

The flashbacks used are effective and you don’t feel you are inconveniently being dragged away from the main story. They are what makes the story as we start to see what Rachel’s life was really like in New York and not what she thought it was like.

Keyes’ book have been described in a recent newspaper article as “tales of loveable heroines struggling to find Mr Right”. If that’s what you are expecting from this book (or any of her books for that matter) you are in for a surprise (and maybe I was first time round which is why I didn’t get it). It is a dark subject of drugs and addiction but interspersed with humour, warmth and tight leather trousers. Fabulous.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes

BOOK REVIEW: This Charming Man by Marian Keyes

Reviewed by Claire Allan

I doubt there has been such an eagerly awaited book as Marian Keyes' This Charming Man - how we have watched eagerly over the past two years as news of her latest book filtered out. There was going to be a character called Lola in it. It was going to deal with domestic violence. It was going to be very, very long (hurrah!).

My excitement reached a peak when I discovered a copy just in time for my holidays and as I stroked the gorgeous purple cover I was dying to dig in - because let's face it, you know what you're getting with Marian Keyes. She does funny. She does serious. She does perfect observation. She makes you want to turn the page. In terms of women's fiction she's like Ronseal - she does what she says on the tin.

This Charming Man has all her trademark qualities, but it is - it has to be said - very different from her previous books.

The action centres around politician Paddy de Courcy and the fall out from the day he announces his engagement. Four women, Lola - his girlfriend but not his fiancee - is devastated, Grace - a journalist - is intrigued, Marnie - his ex - spirals downwards and Alicia - his fiancee - finds herself caught up in a media whirlwind.

There aren't so many laugh out loud moments (in fact I'm not sure I did laugh out loud once) and the portrayal of domestic violence is at times graphic and disturbing.

Keyes' (or should we just call her Marian? We know her so well) portrayal of depression and alcoholism through the eyes of Marnie is keenly observed, deepy moving, at times frustrating and powerful all at once because you know that Keyes is writing from personal experience. There are lines which echo Marian's own story as revealed in Further Under the Duvet.

That's not to say the book doesn't have warmth and humour in it. We all know Keyes can write on a knife edge - bringing you almost to the depths of despair and hauling you back with a quick turn of phrase.

Lola's story - written in a diary style, has bucket loads of humour and intrigue. Okay, by 200,000 words you do start to miss the smaller words (book written in very chatty style. Small words not necessary for Lola. Dialogue sometimes reads clunky because of this - but realise book is huge and small words would have made it longer (ie heavier). Had baggage restrictions on plane - so fair enough).

But that shouldn't put you off (nor should reference to size 14 being fat in the Dublin set). This is Marian's finest book - in terms of content, message and contribution to the argument that chick lit is far from light weight fluffy nonsense. There is nothing - and I mean nothing - lightweight about this novel.

My heart will always belong to Rachel's Holiday (you never forget your first time) but This Charming Man is a triumph of a book of which Marian should be proud. Can't wait for the next one.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try More Than Love Letters by Rosy Thornton

MORE ON MONDAY: The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club

I have an abundance of how to writing books hidden under my bed. If I'm honest though and I mean really honest, I haven't actually read any of them. The ones I started to read, I didn't get past the first few pages, they just seemed so dull. When Maeve's book plopped onto my doormat however, I was excited. You see, Maeve is somewhat of a heroine of mine. I first discovered her when I was a teenager and I picked a book up on holiday that someone else had left behind. Since then I've been hooked. I have all of her books. Most of them in hardback. This woman can really tell a story. So I was interested in what she would have to say about the process of writing.

The book is composed of twenty letters written by Maeve. These letters were inspired by a course which ran for twenty weeks at the national College of Ireland. Every week Maeve would write the students a letter which included tips and advice for the students on the theme of the week. They also had guest lecturers from other authors, publishers and editors and ten of these also have contributions within the book including one by Marian Keyes.

The chapters cover themes such as how to maintain your motivation to write and deal with procrastination (this chapter really spoke to me), the road to success (hint: one percent inspiration ninety nine percent perspiration) and the writers journey.

The advice is a little obvious if you aren't a beginner, but this book is not giving you a magic formula of how to write. Instead every page of this book seemed to be telling me not to give up. It was telling me that I can do this. Because Maeve also struggled in the beginning, she used to write at 5:30 every morning before work and she used to visualise her first launch party in order to keep herself going, you feel that someone really understands everything you are going through and is willing you to succeed.

Just like her fictional work, this book is reassuring and comforting. But most of all it is encouraging and inspiring, filling me with self belief and enthusiasm for my own work in progress.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try: Wannabe a Writer? by Jane Wenham-Jones

BOOK REVIEW: No Strings Attached by Clare Dowling

Reviewed by Angela Richardson

Claire Dowling is a scriptwriter for Ireland’s top soap (I’ll have to take their word for that as I haven’t seen it). This is her fourth venture into the novel writing world, so she’s not exactly a novice in this area either. I was understandably expecting great things from her new book, a romantic comedy called No Strings Attached, after hearing Dowling’s impressive CV.

No Strings Attached is based around Judy who is getting married on Saturday and it’s a military operation: the dress, the three-tiered wedding cake, the uncle that nobody will sit beside at reception. She’s determined it’s going to be the happiest day of her life. That is until her fiancé, Barry, mysteriously disappears wearing nothing but his pyjamas. However, when his credit card shows up two days later in the south of France, Judy has to admit that he’s walked out on her.

Fanning Judy’s fury is Lenny, Barry’s best man, who believes that you shouldn’t let commitment ruin a perfectly good relationship. With the love of her life romping around France, Judy might just be in the mood for a little romance – with no strings attached, of course…

This book started out great. It was fast and funny and showed just how well Dowling can write. Unfortunately, I found the middle of the book just concentrated on everyone’s unhappiness. The plot seemed to falter and all the energy and humour of the book was leeched out to a parallel universe.

It did recover itself for the last quarter and regained its star quality, however, I’m not sure that this was enough to save the book. There were a few subplots, which compounded the gloom, having several couples struggling with their relationships and generally being miserable doesn’t really fall into the genre of romantic comedy for me.

No Strings Attached ended up being a very average book in a genre that is already oversubscribed. If only someone had been brave with the editing then this would have been a great read.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer

BOOK REVIEW: All You Need is Love by Mary Malone

Reviewed by Claire Allan

With so many new faces on the Irish writing scene at the moment, it can be easy to miss a few gems.

All You Need is Love by Mary Malone is a warm-hearted, fast paced and action filled novel that digs a little bit deeper than average women's fiction. In fact the title is misleading - this is a book that could easily be dismissed as light-hearted fluff - but Malone, one known to buck the trend, uses her second novel to look at the growing drugs culture among Ireland's young people.

It centres around Georgina, a young and enthusiastic journalist, who has her share of drama in the newsroom as well as at home. As the eldest of three children, she has taken on the role left behind by her late mother and as the pressure grows in work, something has to give.

The world of work and home collide when her younger brother, Luke, becomes embroiled in a car accident which reveals his dealings with drugs and Georgina has to decided whether to put her family, or her career first.

Of course being women's fiction, the book always tells the story of Georgina's best friend Val - a single mother doing a grand old job of raising her four year. However when the four year old is involved her own drama, the girls' friendship is tested.

I have to applaud Malone for dealing with a subject that wouldn't normally be top of the agenda in women's fiction. Her writing oozes warmth and charm and she isn't afraid to go one step further for a good hook.
Having worked in local journalism myself for 10 years, her portrayal of the newsroom was fairly accurate - but I did find it at times difficult to warm to Georgina. I much preferred the best friend Val, who seemed to have her head on her shoulders.

The book, of course, contains a love interest in the form of news editor Tim - but I did find it a little stretched to see Georgina pursue him so soon into her new job. (But then I have a problem generally with in-house romances in chick lit - it's a little cliched).

But putting this all together, this is a book which makes for perfect reading if you want something with a little more bite. Malone is sure to build herself a larger following with All You Need is Love and it will be interesting to see what she tackles next.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try All I Want Is You by Martina Reilly

BOOK REVIEW: It Must Be Love by Sharon Owens

Reviewed by Claire Allan

Belfast writer Sharon Owen's fifth book It Must Be Love is shamelessly romantic and girlie. Focusing on budding romances, broken hearts and the kind of friendships best formed when people are down on their luck, It Must Be Love is a delightfully upbeat read.

The book tells the story of professional photographer Sarah Quinn who is all set to get married to the eligible Mackenzie Campbell on Christmas Eve. But as the wedding draws nearer she overhears a conversation which leaves her running away from her life to set up a new life for herself in the quaint seaside town of Redstone.

As she rebuilds her life, we are introduced to a host of new characters and their lives. We meet Miriam who is desperate for a baby, at it seems any cost. We also meet writer and journalist Gemma, who's daughter finds herself in a whole heap of trouble in New York. And we meet Aurora, the stylish owner of the local bookshop who is nursing a broken heart, as well as a bruised ego, herself.

What Sharon Owens does wonderfully is create a sense of place. The cottage where Sarah escapes to sounds like a dream place and as for the Miriam's pink kitchen - be still my beating heart!

But it is the warmth of the characters and the strength of their friendships - mixed with a healthy dose of Owens' trademark humour that makes this book a joyful read.

Yes, it touches on many serious issues - bereavement, addiction and infertility - but never in a way that drags the reader down. What comes across most strongly in the book is not the tragedy touching everyone's lives, but their strength of character.

Dare I say, Owens paints such a nice picture that I almost wish I had a Redstone, and a Rose Cottage, to run away to myself - not to mention the hunky love interest in the form of the delectable Ethan.

Where the book falls down is that you want to know more. It rattles along at a great pace but I would have liked the story to continue on just that little bit - to see how life pans out for all the characters who I got to know so well.

We leave them feeling as if they are on the brink of something great. However, it might just be the mark of a good book that when it is done you are longing to know more.

This book doesn't require a great deal of effort and would be best read in front of a roaring fire with a cup of tea in your hand. It's smart, funny and heartwarming and sure to win Owens an even bigger following.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich

BOOK REVIEW: Bright Lights & Promises by Pauline McLynn

Reviewed by Fionnuala Kearney

When I realised the author of this book was accomplished actress Pauline McLynn of Father Ted fame (“Go wan, Go wan”), I have to admit I was surprised. Not only is she the author of this book but several others too – some people have all the talent eh?

Bright Lights and Promises is a lovely read introducing sassy main character Susie Vine, a deal making agent with successful London Theatrical agency Arland and Shaw. Susie’s already busy life is further complicated when her mother Valerie, recently separated from her father arrives in London – to stay. Her mother living with her, the demise of her love life, her teenage hormone fuelled son Milo, and the arrival of an old flame all add to a story that’s easy to read and introduces many interesting characters.

These range in age and gender from thirteen to eighty and each one is well drawn and immediately draws the reader in to the glitzy world Pauline McLynn has created. There’s John Forbes, the hunky successful star with a heart, his elderly father Reg, also an actor in his twilight years. I think though that she succeeds particularly with her main character. Just for a while, I thought I was Susie Vine. I lived her life, felt her love and pain, and yeah even cried her tears. No mean feat.

If I had to be picky, I think the book was a little too long and without offering spoilers, could perhaps have got to the love bits a little sooner – but that’s being picky! I really enjoyed the read and will definitely keep an eye out for some of her other books. Red this book – Go wan, go wan!

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Pauline McLynn

Pauline McLynn is probably still best known as the fabulous Mrs Doyle in the much-missed Father Ted, but she's also a best-selling author. A review of her latest novel, Bright Lights and Promises, is coming soon. In the meantime here's an interview!

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

What happens when you lie for a living, can't control your son and your mother comes to live (18 words and it doesn't BEGIN to cover it!!).

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?

I am currently stuck to the kitchen table where I can spread out - we have been having dinner on our laps for months now...

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Anything by Marian Keyes

Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?

Scarlett O'Hara - indomitable spirit, gorgeous and a great dress sense.

What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become  writers?

Just do it, don't talk about it - there is no substitute for actually writing it down.

What are you reading at the moment?

My copious, scattered and sometimes illegible notes for my next novel - a painful experience.

What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

A novel about a woman with Alzheimers and her daughter

Do you have a theme song?

Depends on the day/mood/crisis that's in it

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

There are plenty of questions I could have been asked, I guess, whatever about should have, but I am glad they remain unspoken ... hope this makes me sound a little mysterious (though I am not).

Thanks, Pauline!

BOOK REVIEW: The Last to Know by Melissa Hill

Reviewed by Claire Allan

The Last to Know is the sixth book from Irish born writer Melissa Hill who has just been scooped from Irish stable Poolbeg by Hodder - who reportedly paid a whopping six figure sum to publish her seventh book.

Hailed the queen of the big plot twist, Melissa Hill's books offer good, warm hearted writing with a trademark twist at the end which inevitably leaves the reader reeling and wondering how on earth they missed it.

The Last to Know delivers this in spades.

The book tells the story of twenty-something Australian Brooke Reynolds who works as commissioning editor for Sydney-based popular fiction publishers Horizon books.

One morning, she stumbles across a manuscript submission from a would-be author entitled "The Last to Know", a contemporary story about the interconnecting lives and loves of three women based in Dublin. At first, the novel reads like a feel-good, light-hearted tale about life, friendship and the problems modern women face; exactly the kind of book Horizon usually publishes. But as Brooke becomes more and more absorbed in the manuscript, she gradually realises that there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye.

Switching from the 'book' Brooke is reading, to her own thoughts on the novel, The Last To Know keeps the reader guessing to the end. The twist is a corker and left this reader open mouthed in shock. Just when you think Hill can't possibly pull another shock out of the bag it appears there before you and it all sinks in.

My only problem with Hill and her books these days is that I know a twist will come, so I second guess everything she tells us as the book goes along. It's like a weird adult version of Cluedo!

This is one of Hill's finest novels, and I can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve next.

Rating: 4/5

Like this, try The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes

BOOK REVIEW: Secret Diary of a Demented Housewife by Niamh Greene

Secret Diary of a Demented Housewife sits squarely in the Mummy Lit camp. It's chick lit after the heroine has left her job in PR, swopped her city flat for a house in the suburbs and had a couple of children with her dishy but distant hubby.

This is Niamh Greene's debut and I wanted to like it more than I did. Her writing is engaging, funny, and Bridget-Jones style chatty. Plus, the diary format worked very well for a light-hearted look at life as a stay-at-home-mammy.

However, while Greene's panache carried the book along, by about halfway through I had started to play spot the plot. Not an awful lot seemed to be happening and the things that did happen were a little, um, convenient and unbelievable.

Then we come to the cliches. The misunderstandings with the career-girl VBF (Very Best Friend) and her MOM (Man of the Moment), the interfering mother-in-law and cardboard-cut-out school-run mums.

Another problem with writing something so airy-fairy light in this genre is this: self-absorbtion (obsessing over tummy-size and designer bag-envy) is all well and good when you are a single girl about town, but it seems rather, well, whingey and selfish, when it comes from a woman with a kind, hard-working husband, two lovely children and a stable home.

Personally, in a book that focuses on family drama, I like a bit more heart and soul.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try: Rainy Days & Tuesdays by Claire Allan

BOOK REVIEW: All I Want is You by Martina Reilly

Reviewed by Helen Redfern

As a Martina Reilly newbie I didn't know what to expect of All I Want is You. On first impressions the book didn't really show much promise. I thought both the title and the cover were a bit 'blah'. I t wasn't with great enthusiasm that I started to read.

Poppy Shannon is married to a successful architect in Dublin. She spends her days having facials, expensive haircuts, getting her nails done and shopping for designer clothes. Hmm.  Was I going to enjoy this? I wasn't sure. As I read though I started to enjoy Reilly's fabulously snappy writing style. So I continued.

Poppy's life is turned upside down when her husband's business partner runs off leaving them with massive debts. They have to sell their palatial home and downsize. She has to stop shopping and her hair is to be cut in the local, cheaper salon. In the meantime her son's behaviour causes concern at his new school, her businessman father retires leaving him bored, her mother in law has to come and live with them and her own mother is busy with her charities. Pete, Poppy's husband, withdraws from her, his pride not allowing him to accept financial and emotional help. And he struggles to admit his son's behaviour might be a problem.

Worst still, Poppy has to take a job. In the 'everything's a Euro' shop.

I found Poppy difficult to like initially. Her shallowness, naivety (which almost bordered on stupidity) and her reluctance to stop spending made her somewhat irritating.

But as Poppy started to sort her life out, she blossomed into a strong, independent woman. I found myself rooting for her, admiring the way she dealt with problems and with people.

Yup. I was hooked.

The rich woman losing her money and turning her life around has been done before. You might guess how things will turn out after reading just chapter one. But it doesn't matter. How she gets there is what makes this book so readable and unputdownable.

In an interview with Trashionista earlier this year Martina said that her main aim when writing a book was "to create great memorable characters, emotional, funny, interesting scenes and a cracking page-turner of a plot". She has done this. Exactly. Along with brilliant dialogue, fascinating contemporary issues, and characters that you really care about.

The scenes between Poppy and her mother in law are particularly memorable. The dialogue is quick witted, straight talking, funny and in one particular scene extremely emotional.

It is lovely when you find a fantastic read most unexpectedly. Hidden behind the 'blah' book cover is one gem of a book. Martina – you have a new fan.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Motherland by Maria Beaumont

BOOK NEWS: Do the Write Thing

Do The Write Thing was a popular series of creative writing coaching slots by bestselling author Patricia Scanlan. The winners of the subsequent short story competition are collected in this anthology.

All royalties from Do The Write Thing go to the National Breast Cancer Research Institute. I'm very charitable today, aren't I?

Related posts: No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July | This Is Chick Lit review | The Guy Not Taken review

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Well, we didn't get a huge number of answers to last week's Yay or Nay, but you made up for it in quality - we have some very intelligent readers out there! (Maybe flattery will induce you to be more chatty this week? *Looks pleadingly*)

Today I want to ask you what you thought of another book, by another doyenne of chick lit, Mz Marian Keyes. It's her latest, Anybody Out There? Which you've all had plenty of time to read as it's been out in hardback since last year and paperback for... ooh, a good few months!

Did you like it? (Will anyone dare say no?) - Why/why not? And if you haven't read it, do you want to? (Will anyone dare say no?)

Is it a Yay or a Nay - and WHY?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Dollymix, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

TRASHIONISTA RECOMMENDS: Dear Holly

A couple of months ago, Keris told us about Holly Shumas's new book debut, Five Things I Can't Live Without. She'll be reviewing it soon, but in the meantime you might like to take a look at the author's excellent web site, which includes an interactive advice section, Dear Holly. Follow that link for questions from readers and answers from Holly herself on all manner of dating dilemmas.

Why don't more authors do this? I'd love Marian Keyes's advice on skincare and Sophie Kinsella's tips on shoe shopping...

Which author would you most like a Q & A with, and on what topic?

BOOK REVIEW: Yours, Faithfully by Sheila O'Flanagan

Reviewed by Helen Redfern...

Bigamy. Not the usual subject of a warm, feel good chick lit novel but Sheila O’Flanagan has produced an engaging read with Yours, Faithfully, exploring the bizarre relationship between two women married to the same man. The book also covers mother-daughter relationships and creating relationships with someone you wouldn’t have thought possible.

We are pulled into the lives of Iona and Sally both of whom are married to Frank. Sally has been married to him since they were very young and they have a teenage daughter, Jenna. Iona met and married Frank after a whirlwind romance four years ago. They are now trying for a baby. Neither wife knows about the other until Frank is involved in an accident.

When they learn of each other’s existence and meet in the hospital sparks fly, but then after a period of hatred towards what each calls ‘the other woman’ we see how their relationship develops and grows. As if having a husband in a coma and finding he is a bigamist isn’t enough Sally also has a major life change to deal with, much to Iona’s envy and Jenna, Sally’s teenage daughter’s, disapproval.

It is an unusual subject matter, and I had to slightly suspend my belief in order to read, but as Sally, Iona and Jenna journey through the maze of Frank’s coma and marriages, the reader is allowed a glimpse into his past, which actually makes Frank’s situation more credible. Siobhán, the policewoman investigating the case, brings an alternate perspective to the situation but also has her own problems to contend with.

As the story moves on O’Flanagan ensures you don’t wish to see one wife succeed over another, rather we see, quite refreshingly in fact, two women who in extreme circumstances and with every reason to dislike one another, develop a friendship.
A handful of strong Irish characters combined with a well paced plot make this book as satisfying as a rich, smooth, velvety ice-cream – an ideal poolside read.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try Husbands by Adele Parks

BOOK REVIEW: Rainy Days & Tuesdays by Claire Allan

For the last few months, debut author Claire Allan has been writing guest blogs for us about the road to publication. Her novel, Rainy Days & Tuesdays, was finally released last week and I got to read it straight away.

Once again, in the interests of full disclosure, Claire was (and is!) another member of the chick lit writing group  I host (happily, we're a pretty successful bunch), so if I hadn't liked Rainy Days, I would've given it to someone else to review (I'm brave like that). Luckily I loved it.

Since having her first child Grace Adams has more than lost her mojo. Now Parenting Editor at the same magazine where she used to be Health & Beauty Editor, and with hair, make-up and fashion no longer a priority, she feels like her glamorous days are far behind her.

But when the new Health & Beauty Editor suggests Grace might like to feature in the magazine's ultimate make-over, something cracks and Grace finds herself having a "wee breakdown". Following rows with both her husband and best friend, Grace realises professional help is needed and after consulting with "Dr Dishy" agrees to the makeover, but on her terms.

Yes, Rainy Days & Tuesdays is another Mummy Lit book, but there's a reason they're so popular: they're true. I identified with Grace from the first page, but even if you've never had any mummy-related loss of identity issues yourself, Claire's writing style is so friendly and accessible that it would still be an incredibly enjoyable and satisfying read.

Rating: 5/5

Like this? Try Motherland by Maria Beaumont

TUESDAY THREE: Future classics

As you know, it's Cult Classics week at Trashionista this week (although it's slightly on hold since poor Diane currently has no electricity thanks to the inclement weather!) So for this week's Tuesday Three, I'm looking at future chick lit classics.

Since Jennifer Weiner is the chick lit author most likely to cross-over, her debut novel, Good In Bed, is destined to be a future classic. It's is the story of Cannie, who finds out her boyfriend Bruce has left her for another woman by reading about it in his new magazine column. Weiner's debut addresses issues of family, self-image and love in a way we hadn't seen in chick-lit before. Cannie isn't a Bridget Jones style diet-obsessive - she has phases where she's unhappy with her body, but generally she likes being a larger lady. And she is, we're assured, very good in bed...

Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper perhaps suffered a bit for being a Richard & Judy bookclub choice. While being picked by the twosome is a huge boost for earnings and profile, it pretty much guarantees you a critical mauling. Jodi Picoult's books, though, are brilliantly written, topical, moving and entertaining and surely this will be recognised at some point in the future.

Thirteen year-old Anna is a human pincushion, who's been through countless invasive surgeries and blood transfusions to help save her sister Kate, who has leukaemia. She was never given a choice in this - in fact she was born for this very purpose. But now she's had enough. She's taking her parents to court to ask that they stop harvesting her body to help her sister. As you can imagine, this tears an already disparate (and desperate) family apart...

We haven't actually reviewed the final book in the three - Rachel's Holiday - but I couldn't possibly leave it out, since, as the chick lit readers' and writers' favourite, it's surely a future classic. Marian Keyes' third book is the story of Rachel Walsh, whose love of a good time lands her in Ireland's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. Rachel is hopeful, expecting spa treatments and celebrities, instead, she finds a lot of group therapy, which leads her, against her will, to some important self-knowledge and a man who might actually be good for her.

Which books do you think are classics of the future?

Marian Keyes wins Melissa Nathan award for Comedy Romance

Marvellous Marian Keyes has won the inaugural Melissa Nathan award for Comedy Romance for her book Anybody Out There. Judges Jo Brand, Joanna Trollope, Jessica Hynes, Gaynor Allen and Sophie Kinsella awarded Keyes the £5000 prize in memory of author Nathan who died from cancer in 2006. [via Booktrade.info]

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Martina Reilly

Martina Reilly's latest book, All I Want Is You, is out tomorrow (and will be reviewed here soon). Can I just say, looking at that photo, does she not just look like the sweetest person ever? When I go to Ireland to force Marian Keyes to be my friend, I might have to call in on Martina Reilly too. (Be afraid, Martina. Be very afraid.)

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

My latest book is about Poppy Shannon - a woman who had it all to lose and did!

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?

I write all my books sitting on my bed, propped up with pillows with copious amounts of coffee on standby. It probably explains why my back aches so much.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

Sophie Kinsella's - Shopaholic and Sister.

Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?

My favourite heroine has got to be Alessandra Cecci (The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant) because she was so spirited and determined and managed creatively to live (and die) in the way she wanted.

What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?

I would tell anyone who wants to write to just go for it - sit down and write. And to remember that nothing you write is set in stone - as a writer you have to be open to suggestion and change. The suggestions will come (hopefully) from others that you trust with your story and the change will come from yourself, when you realise that your characters can and do have a life of their own.

<