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Thursday 18 August 2011

The Donor by Helen Fitzgerald




Will Marion has the worst decision ever to make. His twin daughters have kidney failure and they need a transplant. Which one will he choose to give his kidney to?

This is the first book I have read by Helen Fitzgerald and I have to say that I loved it. It was so well written and kept you hooked from page 1. Will, the Father, is a spineless and lazy man who gets walked over by his junkie wife Cynthia who then up and leaves him with the 3 year old twins. You would expect him then to get his life together and make something of himself but he doesn't and just wafts through life. The best thing he does though is look after the girls. I think the author really gave us the back story so you could really understand and believe in Will.
The book is written sometimes as Will and sometimes as Georgie, the headstrong rebellious twin. It shows their own struggle at a relationship as Georgie thinks he loves Kay much more as she is the "good" twin. Things come to a head when the girl get sick and Will tries everything in his power to save them both.
The way the author gets you to care about the characters is why this is such an easy read although the topic is very bleak. It is a story about families and fatherly love and I sometimes forgot that it was written by a woman as it has such a strong male presence. There was one character who I really loved and that was Preston the private investigator. He was funny and quirky and made me laugh which was a welcome relief after some of the tensions between the main characters.
The only slight problem I had with the book is that the author did not really go into the relationship between the twins themselves and I never got to understand why they did not have as close a relationship as you would expect. Also Kay did not get to tell her story and so I felt that I didn't know her as well as Georgie and Will.
I would recommend this book as it keeps you absorbed from the moment you pick it up and although the topic is bleak, the story is so well written it keeps you enthralled.

Wednesday 17 August 2011

A Tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith





This book was recommended by someone on Twitter and when I told my Mum that this was the book I wanted for Xmas she nearly cried as it was her favourite when she was growing up!

The book is set at the start of the 1900's in Brooklyn and follows the lives of the Nolan Family. The main focus and narrator is Francie who is a young girl just approaching adolescence. It depicts how hard life is for her as she is an avid reader who wants nothing more than to go to school and better herself This is difficult in her household as her Father is a loveable drunk and her Mother has to keep the household going on the pitiful wages that come into the house.

I loved this book as it really took me to that time in Brooklyn and I really warmed to Francie. Her struggle with wanting to better herself is an all too familiar theme but with this one I felt compelled to read more to see how she would end up. It is not a gripping read but one that will take you into the heart of Brooklyn at that time and that is what I found enthralling. You end up getting to know all the characters really well and they seem to come to life on the page.

My Mum was certainly right with this one!