Book Review: Brick Babies and Paper Dolls by Elizabeth Grimes Brown

 Book Review

 

Basic Details:

Book Title: Brick Babies and Paper Dolls

Subtitle:

Author: Elizabeth Grimes Brown

Genre: Fiction

Part of a series?

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57937845-new-title-1brick-babies-and-paper-dolls

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

Annie and Dora are two young girls living in a deprived area of Liverpool in the early fifties. They live different lives, Annie wants to be a nurse and Dora’s chances in this life are hampered by the occupation of her mother. Lots of twists and turns bring us to the real origins of Dora’s existence and there are some journeys across the pond. Will they find happiness?

What I liked about the book:

This book has lots of twists and turns and unexpected outcomes.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

My favourite bits in the book:

When Dora finds out who she really is.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

I have now read several books by this author and they are all worth checking out.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This is historical fiction of recent history.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

 

Children	No
Young Adult	Probaby not
Adult	Yes

 

If you like books with romance and loss, this book may be the book for you.

Book Description by Author:

At the height of the big blitz in the early 1940's, Annie O'Brien and Dora Doran are two little girls born into a deprived, working class area of Liverpool's docklands.

While re-creating play homes from the bombed buildings rubble, they each have dreams of escape. Annie has aspirations of one day becoming a famous film star. Dora's main objective is to run away from home as soon as she can.

Following the girls through their formative years from age ten, we follow their lives as they pursue different paths. Annie now aged 18 and working as a department store cashier while waiting to start her nurse's training, meets, by chance, a very different Dora to the morose, sad little girl she grew up with. She is shocked to learn that her childhood friend is now making a very comfortable living as an escort with additional benefits on offer.

Secrets and lies from Dora's childhood come out as the teenagers rekindle their friendship and reflect on their early years.

Links with America brings about a big disclosure, and the future holds many changes for both girls as one of them strives to achieve her ultimate goal.

About the Author:

Book Review: An Ocean Divide by Elizabeth Grimes Brown

 Book Review

 

Basic Details:

Book Title: An Ocean Divide

Subtitle:

Author: Elizabeth Grimes Brown

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Part of a series? No

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25564838-an-ocean-divide

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This is a different part of the Titanic story. We meet 19-year-old Michael, who has left his girlfriend in Ireland. Michael joins his older brothers in America and tries to find his way in life. It’s a good life, but a hint of illegal action in the background. Then one of the business associates’ daughter pushes for Michael to become hers. Ellen remains back in Ireland and finds herself pregnant but when word comes through of Michael’s new relationship, she decides to marry locally to save herself the shame. A book full of intrigue and misunderstandings follows. Will they find love?

What I liked about the book:

This was a pageturner and contained emotional scenes. Why can’t life ever be simple?

What I didn’t like about the book:

I loved the entire book.

My favourite bits in the book:

Difficult to point to one, it’s a great book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This author has written several books and I’ve read some of them when they were on free offer. They are all good reads.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This book can be compared to other books about young people moving to America in hopes of a better life.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

 

Children	No
Young Adult	Probably
Adult	Yes

 

If you like books full of emotion and action, this book may be the book for you.

I’m certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

Invited by older brothers, Joe and Robert, to join their successful company in America, 19 year old country boy Michael McBride is booked on the Titanic. After surviving the the sinking of the ship and unaware that the family business has been built on corruption with the backing of the Mafia, he works hard to learn all he can. Through distractions, distance and deceit, he unwittingly neglects his love back in Ireland.

Ellen Dunne, finding she is pregnant, and hearing false rumours of Michael's impending engagement to his boss's daughter, is panicked into marriage to neighbouring, older farmer Patrick Lafferty.

Over the years, feuds and resentments divide brothers Michael and Robert. Michael's love for Ellen is as strong as ever and one of his visits back home results in a second pregnancy. Eighteen years pass before Michael finds out that, Jack, Ellen's son, and a boy he has befriended and grown to love on visits over the years, is really his own boy; the revelation is announced at Ellen's funeral. Jack rejects him offhand. Can father and son be reconciled; Will Michael find new love, and will power hungry brother Robert one day rue his guilty past?

As the story follows the family over four decades, the tale of love and loss brings heartache for all.

Births, deaths and corruption creating a fued between brothers.

About the Author:

 

Book Review: A Trunk Full of Tales by Elizabeth Grimes Brown

 Book Review

 

Basic Details:

Book Title: A Trunk full of Tales

Subtitle:

Author: Elizabeth Grimes Brown

Genre: Short stories

Part of a series?

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33655928-a-trunk-full-of-tales

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

A collection of amazing and entertaining short stories. A wide range of different genres, there certainly is something for everyone. I loved them all.

What I liked about the book:

A wide range of short stories that made you want to keep turning the pages.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

My favourite bits in the book:

The wide range of different stories, all entertaining.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This author has written several other books and the ones I’ve read so far have made me a fan.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This is a great collection of short stories.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

 

Children	No
Young Adult	Possibly
Adult	Yes

 

If you like short stories that tell a complete story, this book may be the book for you.

I’m certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

A collection of stories ranging in length and genre, but each with a tale to tell.

'An American Drive' - A romantic journey cut short.

'The Escape' - Does the bright light spell safety or danger?

'Time Slip' - Trapped by a change in time.

'Mind Games' - A cruel trick of nature.

'The Premonition' - Can a horoscope predict the future?

'Eavesdropping' - Overheard on the bus 'I found a body on the road'

'Life in a Bottom Drawer' - Life-story of previous residents revealed through items found in a chest of drawers.

'Doppelganger' - Identity theft not always good face value.

'Is the grass greener?' - Should she be happy with what she's got, or pursue her colleague's dream?

'The Runaway' - Appearances can be deceiving, just like the defiant runaway, Katy.

About the Author:

Born into a small parish in the Dock Road area of Liverpool in 1941 at the height of the ‘big blitz’ I, like many children born around that time, learned to make our own fun through escapism. Pretending or story-telling became part of our daily lives.

 

After being employed in some menial jobs, and while raising my family and working for 23 years as a bank clerk, I was always keen on being creative, be it dressmaking, decorating or art. There were a few successes along the way: I won a home make-over competition in a national newspaper in the year 2,000. A piece of my art was hung in the local library as part of an exhibition, and to add to my repertoire, at the grand age of fifty, I achieved my bronze, silver and gold in tap-dancing, ta-da!

 

It was only on retiring that I decided to enroll in a creative writing course. After 2 years and a grade 1 and 2 accredited by Lancaster University, I applied and gained entry to a BA Creative Writing degree at Edge Hill University. Unfortunately, due to home and family commitments, this exercise was cut short.

 

I have been treasurer of our local Writers’ Group for many years and have gained knowledge, experience and confidence through public readings. I have had some success with acceptance for Puffin books and short stories in a couple of anthologies, and while taking part in a letter-writing venture for the ‘Liverpool Sea Odyssey’ to commemorate the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, my two letters were among the hundred selected to be fired from a cannon at the culmination of the event.

 

I have three novels and a book of short stories published with FeadAread.com, and in addition to the paperback version, I now have all of my work available on Amazon Kindle.

 

You can follow me on my Elizabeth Grimes Brown Author page on Facebook or elizabeth0141@twitter.com

Book Review: Run, Amy, Run by Elizabeth Grimes Brown

 

Book Review

 

Basic Details:

Book Title: Run, Amy, Run!

Subtitle:

Author: Elizabeth Grimes Brown

Genre: Young Adult

Part of a series? No

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25564798-run-amy-run

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This book tells the harrowing tale of a young abused girl. When her mother sinks into a deep postnatal depression and Amy is left alone at home with her abuser, she has no other choice than to run. While she attempts to find her father in London, she becomes one of the many homeless teenagers and falls into the hands of Clive. Further abuse follows. But will she be able to turn her life around with the help of a young mother?

What I liked about the book:

The genuine feeling this could happen to a young girl like Amy.

What I didn’t like about the book:

The feeling this may happen to so many of the street children.

My favourite bits in the book:

How Amy finds a good friend who wants to help her but she also helps him.

My least favourite bits in the book:

Difficult to say. There was one bit that feels like actual fiction. No disturbance of a burial site like the one mentioned in the book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed this one too.

What books could this be compared to and why?

It’s difficult to know what book to compare this to. The book made me wonder if the author had personal experience of the subject due to the authentic feel to the book.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

 

Children	No
Young Adult	Yes
Adult	Yes

 

If you like your books dark and action-packed, this book may be the book for you. However, if you have a history of abuse, this book may bring flashbacks to your past.

I’m certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

Following a serious incident at her home, fourteen year-old, privately educated Amy Harrington, finds herself fleeing the privilaged life for an unknown, dangerous future on the streets of London.

Meetings with various characters help teach her to survive street life. Some are genuine encounters, people who want to help, while others see her as the vulnerable, young victim she is.

Learning to beg and steal are just some of the new challengers; however, she is to experience much worse that sneaking a carton of milk to stem the hunger pangs, or rattling a cup at a tube station; because when she thinks she has sunk to the bottom, Amy is yet to find herself about to face the abyss.

While enduring the worst horrors of her young life, can an unusual offer from a stranger set her back on recovery?

About the Author:

Book Review: Loving in Fear by Elizabeth Grimes Brown

 

Book Review

 

Basic Details:

Book Title: Loving in Fear

Subtitle:

Author: Elizabeth Grimes Brown

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Part of a series? No

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series?

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25374837-loving-in-fear

Overall score:

I scored this book 5/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

This is not a book for the faint-hearted. The story is one of control and domestic abuse and the effect this has on a young and impressionable girl. Kathy falls for the handsome Adam and despite friends and family warning her he is too controlling, she feels she understands and can change him. Slowly, she starts to believe it is all her fault. If only she obeyed him better. Eventually, her eyes open, but is it too late to escape an abusive relationship?

What I liked about the book:

This book has you hooked from the start. It’s action-filled and has an unexpected twist.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I enjoyed the entire book despite discussing uncomfortable issues.

My favourite bits in the book:

How Kathy finally had the guts to find a way out.

My least favourite bits in the book:

Every time Kathy ended up on the wrong end of her husband.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

I am not aware of any other books by this author.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This book is not like any other books I’ve read before. It deals with an uncomfortable subject and makes you wonder if the author has personal experience.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

 

Children	No
Young Adult	Possibly
Adult	Yes

 

If you like your books dark, but full of hope for the future, this book may be the book for you.

I’m certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

Finding herself in a relationship that, over a short period of time, has changed from caring and attentive to manipulation and control, Kathy Grove continues to ignore all warnings from friends and relatives. By convincing herself this is love, only serves to help the handsome, dominant Adam to alienate and isolate her. Through his jealousy and suspicion, things soon escalate into violence. As her self-esteem dwindles, he tells her it’s all her fault. She accepts the blame and believes he’ll change if she doesn't provoke him.

Kathy feels close when they make love, and using sex as a form of control he ensures that she is satisfied.

After Adam reveals a dark secret from his childhood, she believes this is why he chose her above any of the voluptuous girls at school. Convincing herself this is in part the cause of his paranoia, she tries to keep him pacified.

Also his threats to harm her family keep her from leaving him.

She thinks he’ll change when they have children, she is wrong. Now he has something more to hold over her, the safety of her little girls.

Finally, finding a way to escape him, she sets her plan in motion but is forced to take drastic action when she believes the children’s lives are in imminent danger.

A bloody scene sends Kathy and the children fleeing to their secret hide-out.

About the Author: