The White Goddess: An Encounter by Simon Gough

The White Goddess: An Encounter by Simon Gough


Our 17-year-old narrator is swimming in the sea with his grand-uncle (note: grand, not great), when a boatload of literary tourists discover them. The older man is genial and welcoming, accepting their admiring attentions, much to the contempt of his younger relative. The tourists appreciate it, explaining that Lawrence Durrell gave them short shrift in Provence.

The Durrell reference is apt. The grand-uncle in question is Robert Graves, celebrated poet, friend and contemporary of Siegfried Sasson and Wilfred Owen, whose character and force of personality
dominate the book long after his departure.

The White Goddess: An Encounter is a difficult book to define. Even the author calls it an ‘autobifantasy’. Simon Gough is indeed the great-nephew of Robert Graves and relates his memories of three periods
of his life which were affected by the great poet. 1953, aged eleven; 1960, aged an agonising seventeen; and 1989, after Graves’s death. His recollections and records are extrapolated into a perfectly woven story; a balance of emotion, tension, growth and change.

The first section, when the child Simon arrives on the island of Majorca after his parents’ divorce, is described with such brilliance and intensity at ground-level detail. I could not help but be reminded of Gerald Durrell’s observations on nature and eccentric relatives. Humour bubbles up with childlike spontaneity, yet Gough adds a darker level of insecurity. The unfamiliar is fascinating, but also fearsome.

That insecurity is only exacerbated by intensity as the seventeen-year-old Simon returns in 1960. This second trip to the village of Deya is entirely derailed by Margot, Graves’s Muse. Enthralled from the outset, Simon suffers agonies and delights, in a mirror image of his grand-uncle. Again, Durrell springs to mind, but this time, Lawrence. The evocation of the place, period and atmosphere; the precise description, the adoration for a particular geographical arrangement and its peculiar ambience. All this against the threatening backdrop of the Franco regime. Certain passages I could read again and again. Gough makes us fall in love, as much with Deya as with Margot.

Finally, twenty-nine years later, he returns. Once again his memories, opinions and judgements are forced to shift, by the undeniable presence and tangible absence of Graves.

A beautiful, thoughtful and intelligently constructed book, which makes me want to re-read Graves. And to visit Deya. But I suspect the Deya of This Encounter with The White Goddess no longer exists.

A difficult book to define, but an easy book to love.

Reviewed by JJ Marsh

A Parachute in the Lime Tree

This novel is published by The History Press Ireland – an independent publisher I’d never heard of before.
Fiction is a new outing for this publisher, with just two fiction novels on their list so far. From reading this book, I’d say it’s a clever move.

A Parachute in the Lime Tree is a very good novel. Set in Ireland during the Second World War, it follows the story of four young people – Oskar and Elsa from Germany, and Kitty and Charlie from Ireland.

Oskar and Elsa grew up side by side in Berlin, falling in love as teenagers, before being separated when Elsa’s Jewish family were forced to flee the country. They move to Holland and, from there, Elsa travels to Ireland with the Kindertransports. War-damaged Oskar is determined to find her. During an air raid over Belfast, he jumps from an airplane and his parachute becomes entangled in the lime tree of Kitty Hennessy’s garden.

Kitty, a dead ringer for Hedy Lamarr, has given up her life in Dublin to look after her sick mother in rural Ireland. Desperate for excitement, Oskar’s sudden appearance couldn’t have come at a better time.

Meanwhile, unaware Oskar is looking for her, Kitty is trying to get on with her life. She’s living with a Jewish family in Dublin, has started playing the piano again and is courting medical student, Charlie, who has fallen madly in love with her.

The novel is utterly absorbing as we follow the lives of these four people. Annemarie Neary does a wonderful job of getting inside each character’s head. I found myself racing through the pages, desperate to find out how their stories are resolved. Because young love is complicated, no matter what the era. Poor Kitty is in love with Oskar, who’s chasing after Elsa who, in turn, is falling for the lovely Charlie. How will they all get what they want? Can they? Should they? Believe me, you will want to find out.

There are so many things to praise here. The characters are compelling: fully-rounded, flawed individuals all trying to find their own meaning in life. Neary writes from different narrative perspectives, so we get right inside the heads of each character. She does this effortlessly, switching with elegant ease from voice to voice. And she can write. This is a literary novel. Beautiful descriptions fill each page (my favourite was the description of Oskar’s arrival in Ireland: ‘a man who’d floated down to earth like a dandelion clock’).

At its heart this is a story about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of terrible adversity. In that way, it reminded me of another novel I read recently, the brilliant 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson. Like Hodgkinson, Neary’s characters are survivors, finding new meaning in a world changed forever by the ravages of war.

After reading the novel, I did some research on the author and learned her work has won several writing prizes and been short listed for many more, including the prestigious Bridport short story prize. I’m not surprised. This is a great novel by a very talented writer.

Reviewed by Sheila Bugler

Bookclub comments/reviews

A lyrical, charming and unpredictable story of what happens at the edges of war. The ripple-effect of what happened in late 1930s Germany reaches as far as Amsterdam and Dunkerin.
German neighbours Oskar and Elsa might have been lovers, but she is Jewish. They are separated in the build-up to war.
Oskar cannot forget her and learns that after a stint in the Netherlands, Elsa was removed to Ireland. He decides to desert from the German army and find his love. One night after a bombing raid, he leaps from his aircraft, with no idea where he will land. He ends up in a lime tree.
Said lime tree is in Kitty’s garden. She’s desperate for excitement and a German soldier landing in the garden is just the thing to relieve the boredom. But as Kitty falls for the German, his focus is unwavering. He’s looking for Elsa.
Elsa’s story is touching and complex, a musical prodigy whose life is torn asunder by politics and prejudice. While her youthful love searches for her, she finds solace in Charlie. The course of love does not run smooth, but Neary avoids cliché and delivers a bittersweet tale against a backdrop of horrors.
My only reservation with this beautiful, richly detailed book was with the character of Kitty. Her naïveté seemed excessive and sometimes overdone to serve the plot. This discomfort aside, I found this a delight and an insight into how far the effects of conflict can reach.
JJ Marsh

A beautiful love story that haunts you long after you’ve finished, A Parachute in the Lime Tree drew me in right from the start, with the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a Jewish family in Berlin in 1939 and the discovery of some of their belongings in the attic of the house next door.

Childhood sweethearts, Oskar and Elsa, are separated by war, and Elsa is eventually transported to Ireland with the Kindertransport. When Oskar, now a Luftwaffe airman disillusioned by the war, discovers the letters written to him by Elsa, but intercepted by his mother, he embarks on a reckless journey to find her.

Naïve Irish girl, Kitty, finds a parachute hanging from a lime tree in her garden and, shortly after, discovers Oskar, who has jumped from his plane during a bombing raid. Only too happy for a bit of excitement in her dull life, Kitty pursues Oskar, and falls in love. But Oskar is fuelled by a single goal: finding Elsa. Meanwhile, a young medical student, Charlie, falls in love with Elsa, who is trying piece her life back together.

We experience the heart-breaking lives, loves and and losses of Elsa, Charlie, Kitty and Oskar, the journey taking us from Normandy, to rural Dunkerin, to the Jewish quarter in Dublin, and finally to New York.
This beautifully-written story combines humour, suspense and poignancy, and brilliantly captures the historical period. The narrative shifts effortlessly from character to character, and I engaged so much with every one of them that I felt each character’s story could have continued on a little longer, rather than the quite long wrap-up at the end. Despite this very minor reservation, I found it a compelling read from the beginning right through to the deeply moving, surprise ending.
Liza Perrat

What a beautiful ending! *wipes away a tear* This was a super read, with evocative language and well-drawn characters that carried this intelligent story of love and loss during WWII. Have to admit I knew little about Irish history of this period, so found the whole transportation of Jewish people from Germany really informative. I found myself drawn to Oscar and Elsa more so than Kitty and Charles, although I'm not entirely sure why. I felt Kitty was a little blurred as a character, and I never felt a connection with Charles, whereas both German characters really lived and breathed the story. The tone and language reminded me of another of my favourite WWII novels, 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson. There is something compelling yet almost innocent about the writing that seems to suit the chaos of the setting. Super stuff. If I had any negative points it would be that the stories ended too soon, I felt the characters had more to say and although the summary covered all important points, I was still left with a sense of their stories being incomplete somehow. Or maybe I was just sad to say goodbye! 
Gillian Hamer

A Parachute in the Lime Tree is about four characters whose lives are deeply affected by WWII: Oskar, Elsa, Charlie, and Kitty. The war stifles love affairs, as any war does. Once again there is a couple who are separated because one is German, Oskar, and the other is Jewish, Elsa. Kitty finds Oskar, the man in a parachute in her lime tree, captivating, but his goal is to locate Elsa, who is in Ireland. He isn’t successful and lives his life without her. Charlie, a medical student, ends up marrying Elsa.
Each character has a different point of view regarding the war. Even though Ireland took a neutral stance in the war, Oskar, Elsa, Charlie, and Kitty did not think neutrality. The opinions and feelings of the characters are learned by sharing in their daily lives. A Parachute in the Lime Tree is a perfect and entertaining way to learn the history of WWII, with the emphasis in Ireland.
I experienced a difficult time reading the first few chapters, although the separations aren’t labeled as chapters. It took time to become comfortable because the narratives kept changing, followed by numerous alternating characters. I viewed it as a good challenge to sort through as I continued reading. By the end of the book I had mastered Annemarie Neary’s writing style.
The ending is unpredictable, which I appreciate the most. The descriptions are vivid and I pictured each historical setting as I read A Parachute in the Lime Tree. Annemarie Neary integrates love, suspense, and humor in her well researched novel.
As an aspiring writer, I am going to reread A Parachute in the Lime Tree by Annemarie Neary, because her style was unique and at times a challenge. I know I can benefit from reading different writing styles.
Readers of all ages who want to learn the history of WWII will enjoy this historical novel.
Mary Crocco

This beautifully written novel explores the lives of four young people whose stories intertwine during WW2. Oskar is a Luftwaffe conscript who finds his role in the war abhorrent, and as the dreams of his first love, Elsa, overshadows his hope for the future, he makes a dramatic and startling decision. Left behind in Berlin, Elsa faces a bleak future until she is safety moved to Ireland as part of the Kindertransport, where the dream of playing music carries her through the uncertainty of not knowing whether her parents remain alive. In rural Ireland, Kitty finds Oskar trapped in his parachute in one of the lime trees in her garden, and from the beginning is determined to keep him her own special secret. Meanwhile, Charlie, a young medical student, becomes enamoured of Elsa when he hears her play beautiful music on her piano.
I was completely drawn into the story from the beginning, the characterisation is truly excellent, and thanks to some skilful storytelling we get to know Oskar, Elsa, Kitty and Charlie very well. The story moves adeptly through their lives, intertwining where it can, but also focusing on their individual stories, which I found deeply moving. From the sleepiness of rural Ireland, to the horrors of Berlin, the story captures time and place perfectly, where the indecision of youth is combined with the uncertainty of living through the horror of war. Without doubt, Annemarie Neary has a real talent for writing; her ability to weave together all the strands of the story is evident in her thoughtful narrative, and with meticulous care and attention she brings the story to a fitting and emotional conclusion, which saw me reaching for the tissue box.
Jo Barton

Bad Moon Rising by Frances di Plino

Bad Moon Rising by Frances di Plino

Someone who I trust and respect recommended this read. At first I was not convinced it was something that I would enjoy. But, I gave it a bash. Agreed it isn’t light reading, but I couldn’t put it down. I had to force myself not to speed read. (I have a dreadful habit of peeking down the page when I am reading an exciting passage).

DI Storey and his apparently misogynistic sergeant are investigating grisly murders. The DI is a troubled soul and insights into his frustrating personal life, punctuate the narrative.

Storey’s monumental misjudgement of his ex-wife’s intentions seems a tad clumsy at first, but then strikes you as endearing and somewhat sad. His rational, inspective self is compromised. The diversity of the characters belies the comfortable, familiar links we find between them. I found it absorbing to watch relationships develop between colleagues, professional people and family members.

I had nearly all the main characters banged to rights in the build-up, and enjoyed the hints sprinkled throughout. Some were blatantly intended to send you off up some dark alley reeking of red herring. Other, quieter off the cuff remarks had me bleating ‘Aha’ and nodding wisely as I believed I had cracked the case before the DI. Only to change my mind three pages down the line.

The killer has his own tale and we are offered more about his twisted beliefs that having sex with a living person is sinful. The description of his self-flagellation is brutal and we learn more about his perverse ideas for cleansing the souls of those that sin. What intrigues you is that the killer appears to be deliberately leaving behind damning evidence.

The conclusion is harrowing. The twist is unanticipated, the characters are realistic, the story is original and the next one is eagerly awaited. 

Julie Lewis





Bookclub comments/reviews


I agree with all the above, especially the tendency to rush the story. I read it again, as soon as I'd finished. It is a cracking read, a real jigsaw puzzle of connections and suspicious gaps. The thing I enjoyed most was the whole exploration of misogyny. I think the themes are layered and complex, to do with how our views are shaped by our childhood, by the media, by our peers. It seems to highlight our sense of empathy for others - there's an agonising moment when one victim is forced to thank her killer - gave me a shiver. At least Larry and Dave show that not all mindsets are set in stone. But for one character, it's far too late.
JJ Marsh



I also agree with the review. Bad Moon Rising was one of those books where your hands ache from gripping the page (Kindle) and reading as fast as you can. Loved it. Hope Frances is a quick writer because I can't wait for the next one.
KB Walker


The review is right in line with my own thoughts on BMR. Its deeply disturbing subject, treated expertly by the author as she delves into a twisted mind, had me turning the pages right to the end. Let's hope we hear lots more about DI Storey!
Liza Perrat


I have read this book and loved it. The pace is CRACKING. I flew through it, barely pausing for breath as I read. The killer is proper nasty and the twists and turns were more than enough to satisfy this avid fan of crime fiction. It was brutal in parts, which made me pause occassionally, but as an exploration of mysogyny I think it has to be brutal. Most importantly for me, Paulo, the main character, is a wonderful creation and certainly strong enough to carry an entire series. I hope to see him again soon.
Sheila B


I agree with all that has been said so far - Frances di Plino is certainly an author to watch in the future. She has a rare ability to elicit empathy in the reader, not only for the beleaguered police officers, but also for the complex, damaged murderer, who is drawn with an expert eye for psychological detail. A great crime debut, and hopefully the first of many!
Jo Reed


A spot on review. The phrase page turner may be a cliche, but it's almost impossible to avoid when describing BMR. Di Plino explores some very grim issues with a skilful touch and even had me, most reluctantly, feeling some sympathy for the brutal killer. I think the darkness of the crimes at the heart of the novel is made tolerable for the reader because the investigating policeman, D I Paulo Storey, is such a warm and complex human being. I'll be looking out for his next appearance
Chris C

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

 

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

It’s a long time since I’ve picked up a novel that gripped me so much I just had to finish it as quickly as possible. But this is what happened when I discovered, quite by accident, or good fortune, Karen Maitland’s Company of Liars.

It is 1348 and the Black Plague has disembarked on the English shores. The narrator, Camelot – itinerant peddler of bogus holy relics – is making his way north and inland to try and outrun the plague. Along the way, believing in safety in numbers, Camelot is joined by various other misfits: a musician and his apprentice, a magician, a one-armed storyteller, a young couple on the run, a midwife, and a ghostly rune-reading girl who tells their pasts and predicts their futures with unnerving accuracy.

In a world ruled by fear, faith and superstition, the plague constantly snapping at their heels, this odd group of bedfellows grudgingly bear each other as they suffer incessant rain and cold, starvation, assaults and terror as they try to stay beyond the sweep of death that is ravaging England.

While brilliantly evoking the squalor, the smells, and the danger of the plague years, this powerful story does not focus on these grim conditions, but rather on the hopes, dreams and fears of every exquisitely-drawn character. Each member of the group has a story to tell, a secret to hide, a lie to conceal. Over the months they travel, eat, sleep and face disaster together, they learn more about one another until each secret is revealed in turn, often with dire consequences. Finally, it is revealed that one of them masks the darkest secret of all; a curse far worse than the pestilence they are struggling to flee – a secret that propels the company of liars towards a destiny neither they, nor the reader, sees coming.

I recommend this ingenious blend of history, primal terror and powerful human drama to anyone who appreciates a tale of mediaeval intrigue, mild fantasy and plain good storytelling.

I’m so excited because Karen Maitland’s following medieval thriller –– The Owl Killers –– dropped into my letterbox this morning, the cover just as quirky and invitingly creepy as Company of Liars. Now, where did I put that “Do Not Disturb” sign?

Liza Perrat.

Bookclub Comments/Reviews

I loved the richly textured depiction of medieval life that Maitland evokes.  It is very easy to shrug off bald factual statements about the bubonic plague when you read them in history books.  Maitland shows you what it must have been like to have been there as the ‘Mort Bleu’ began its remorseless march across England.

Her characters too leap off the page.  Like all the huge cast of characters from the Name of the Rose, there is a touch of the grotesque about almost all of them, but that certainly does not mean that they are flat or stereotyped. 

The visceral realism of the setting is leavened by touches of what may or may not be real magic.  To being with the reader can dismiss these as medieval superstition.  But as the novel progresses, doubts set in.  Is this magic real – or is it the characters’ belief in it that is making things happen?

The book has echoes  of  Bocaccio’s Decameron or Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Several characters recount their stories ‘spun’ into a classic fairy tales, and these form the basis of the ‘lies’ of which they will ultimately stand accused.  This is perhaps where I would quarrel a little with the structure of the book.  The first tale is told by a professional storyteller and he does it with beguiling skill.  But when other characters follow suit, they seem to acquire a ‘storytelling voice’ that is alien to their own.  I could have forgiven this if each character in turn did the same and it became a formal ‘punctuation’ to the overarching story.  As it is, it felt a little artificial and incosistent.

My other small niggle was that, to begin with, the story felt somewhat episodic.  Did they really need to be chased away from each place of refuge after just ONE night? It was perhaps about half way through that story settled down and I began to feel pulled along by the strength of the plot. 

But these are small grumbles in what was otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing read. 

Highly recommended.

Catriona Troth (@L1bcat)

 Take a bunch of itinerant travellers, add a white haired child with a penchant for rune reading, throw in a dash of superstition and a pinch of panic, and cover with a sumptuous cloth of yellow and gold. Allow time for simmering on a book shelf until the temptation to read is simply too much, and then open and indulge in written magic... I have the utmost admiration for an author who, with consummate ease, can bring to life the very sights, sounds and smells of the medieval world, and recreate a world so entirely that as you read, you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and when you are forced back to the 21C, the smell of wood smoke still lingers in the air, and you can almost imagine you are still there......
Jo Barton

I really enjoyed The Company of Liars.  I have a strange relationship with historical fiction, I'm not so keen on stories about the gentry and royalty, but adore tales that are about ordinary people in history, and this one was excellent.
I live just outside Lincoln city and have been lucky enough to meet Karen Maitland a few times - at author talks and book signings and also personally at the Lincoln Book Festival where I sat next to her as we listened to another author speak - and had a lovely chat.
She's a great author, very knowledgeable about her subjects too.
Anne Cater

In this extraordinary novel, Karen Maitland delivers a dazzling reinterpretation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales--an ingenious alchemy of history, mystery, and powerful human drama.
The year is 1348. The Black Plague grips the country. In a world ruled by faith and fear, nine desperate strangers, brought together by chance, attempt to outrun the certain death that is running inexorably toward them.
Each member of this motley company has a story to tell. From Camelot, the relic-seller who will become the group's leader, to Cygnus, the one-armed storyteller . . . from the strange, silent child called Narigorm to a painter and his pregnant wife, each has a secret. None is what they seem. And one among them conceals the darkest secret of all--propelling these liars to a destiny they never saw coming.
Magical, heart-quickening, and raw, Company of Liars is a work of vaulting imagination from a powerful new voice in historical fiction.
JJ Marsh