For those of you who, like me, have been reading Anne Tyler since the dawn of time, Clock Dance reads very true to form. It is the story of Willa Drake, a classic Tyler heroine – you probably know what I mean. She’s warm-hearted and smart but doesn’t get the chance to shine because of the people around her taking centre stage. Perhaps she’s avoiding being anything like her actress mother whose tempestuous moods made life difficult during her childhood.
Then there’s her marriage to business-school success story Derek, which interrupts Willa finishing her degree. He’s the alpha male type, so Willa settles into raising her two sons, who she loves desperately. She would love grandchildren, but they seem more and more unlikely – besides she hardly ever sees her sons. Continue reading “Clock Dance by Anne Tyler”
If it was in any way possible to cross a novel by John Le Carré with one by Nancy Mitford, it might turn out a bit like this. 
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Sometimes you just need an absorbing read that spirits you away to another place and time and connects with the emotions. Harriet Evans’ new book does just that, delving into the family secrets and tragic events that shape the lives of the Wilde family.
Sometimes you’re working on a novel, but don’t feel happy about a character’s name. Maybe it doesn’t ring true for the setting or the time that they were born. Then there are those awful realisations that a third of your characters have names that start with the letter H. Or what about those moments when you are deep within the story, and the writing is going well, when a minor character turns up and needs a name. For some reason having to suddenly decide what to call them throws you into a spin. What do you do? 
Yes, I know they put Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels on television and the series was so memorable you can probably remember the broad shape of each plot. But even if you can remember the ending, as soon as you pick up one of the books – and let’s start with the first one: 
Judith McKinnon 