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Dreams Come True at the Wartime Hotel by Maisie Thomas #Review

  Manchester, 1943. I am delighted to feature another in the WW2 saga by Maisie Thomas. Dreams Come True at the Wartime Hotel  was published on March 29th by Boldwood Books .    Kitty’s new venture, hosting wedding receptions at Dunbar’s Hotel, has got off to a flying start, and she’s looking to the future. With the tide of the war turning and victory on the distant horizon, Kitty is keen to keep her independence once the men come home. But will her spendthrift husband Bill agree to a divorce – and to letting her keep the business? Beatrice’s work in welfare is hugely rewarding, and she loves the children’s clubs she runs at Dunbar’s. But when a spate of thefts breaks out locally, the police become involved. Could the children be to blame, or can Beatrice help discover the true culprits? Former hotel maid Lily knows she still loves her estranged husband, Daniel. But can there be any chance of a reconciliation, when he discovers she is pregnant with another ma...

After Alice by Gregory Maguire

    After Alice by Gregory Maguire is a re-imagining of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Ada, who is mentioned in Lewis Carroll's work, sets off to find Alice and a minute late, tumbles down the rabbit hole herself. We follow her search for Alice in the subterranean world of inconsistent rules and strange happenings, as she meets some of the familiar characters found in the original. Above the ground, Lydia, Alice's sister and Ada's governess are on the lookout for the girls. 

    The premise of the book sounded quite interesting. Modern takes on Victorian literature always appeal to me but I found that the style of writing made it a difficult read. The vocabulary and sentence structure were self- consciously complicated. I also found that that two parallel plotlines, one above and one below the ground seemed separate and unconnected. Including real life people such as Charles Darwin was a nice touch however and Victorian Oxford was a welcome character in the book. 

In short: a slightly disappointing journey down the rabbit hole. 

Thanks to the publishers, Headline, for a copy of the book via Bookbridgr. 

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