en-US Tue, 06 May 2025 05:13:49 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Comment290298710 Tue, 06 May 2025 05:13:49 -0700 /review/show/5199033700 A B's review of Hotel du Lac
by Anita Brookner

1980s. They talked about technology, Cosmopolitan magazine etc. I guessed it was set when it was written, 1984. ]]> ReadStatus9393374054 Tue, 06 May 2025 04:56:02 -0700 /review/show/7547335486 PrettyFlamingo is currently reading Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
]]> ReadStatus9365585168 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:44:27 -0700 /review/show/7527965283 PrettyFlamingo is currently reading Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan
]]> Review7514727375 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:44:11 -0700 /review/show/7514727375 PrettyFlamingo gave 4 stars to It Starts with Us (It Ends with Us, #2) by Colleen Hoover
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> Review7508839433 Thu, 24 Apr 2025 04:30:32 -0700 /review/show/7508839433 PrettyFlamingo gave 5 stars to No. 23 Burlington Square (Paperback) by Jenni Keer
Absolutely loved it, I will write a full review asap. ]]> Comment289805029 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 07:32:46 -0700 /review/show/5983214918 StinaStaffymum's review of No. 23 Burlington Square
by Jenni Keer

Where were the Whitechapel Murders and the death of Queen Victoria mentioned? I just finished it today and don't recall either of these topics! ]]> ReadStatus9338136041 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 03:16:02 -0700 /review/show/7508839433 PrettyFlamingo is currently reading No. 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer
]]> Review7508831858 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 03:10:00 -0700 /review/show/7508831858 PrettyFlamingo gave 4 stars to Tequila Cocktails: Over 40 tequila and mezcal-based drinks from around the world (Hardcover) by Jesse Estes
Nice and simple book with a bit of history about tequila based drinks - and how to make them yourself. Informative and straightforward - I'm no mixologist but I could manage them. Just where to keep all the ingredients is the issue! ]]> Review7487216663 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 08:30:54 -0700 /review/show/7487216663 PrettyFlamingo gave 5 stars to Could It Be Magic? (Paperback) by Melanie Rose
I'm a big fan of magical realism, particularly when the emphasis is firmly on the realism and this seemed right up my alley. As it turned out, I was right.

Jessica, aged 28, is single and living with her dog, Frankie. She’s planning to progress her career as a legal secretary by studying for a law degree. That is, until she's struck by lightning while out walking Frankie and wakes up in hospital as someone else entirely. That someone is Lauren, a woman seven years her senior, married with four young children. Coincidentally, Lauren has also been struck by lightning, and according to the doctors, her survival is nothing short of miraculous.

Naturally, Jessica assumes she’s dreaming, possibly a side effect of the lightning strike and hospital medication. But she soon realises that she's alternating between the two lives: she exists as one woman while the other sleeps, and vice versa.

The two lives couldn’t be more different, and this duality allows the author to explore themes of identity, responsibility, and personal growth. Jessica continues to feel like herself, but half the time she inhabits Lauren’s body and life. She must quickly adapt to caring for four confused young children, who while unsettled by their mother’s change in behaviour, enjoy the more relaxed version of her. Jessica seems to take to motherhood rather swiftly, which felt somewhat unrealistic given that the entire story unfolds over just a fortnight.

There are further complications. Just before she was struck by lightning, Jessica had met a strikingly hot man called Dan who she later learns, was the one who took her to hospital. Their romance develops at lightning speed (pun intended), which felt rather implausible. Later a red flag appears when Dan reacts jealously to one of Jessica’s lunch companions, mistakenly believing it to be a man, something I found concerning. Otherwise, he is portrayed as her ideal match.

Back in Lauren’s life, it becomes clear that her marriage to Grant is far from idyllic. Alarming revelations come to light, including infidelity, control, and domestic abuse though Jessica, in Lauren’s body, is initially unaware. Over time she becomes more deeply entwined with the children and begins to feel that her own life lacks purpose. However her feelings towards Grant remain ambivalent to say the least. Things get more interesting in the form of Lauren’s sister Karen, who bonds well with Jessica and provides crucial support. Jessica starts to suspect that Lauren may actually have died during the lightning strike but although Karen notices the ‘change� in her sister, she gives no indication of suspecting that she is actually dead.

In Jessica’s original life, her relationship with Dan accelerates, much to the annoyance of her ex-boyfriend Stephen who also happens to be her boss. His jealousy leads to him sacking her, rather foolishly and unlawfully for a solicitor. This leaves Jessica at a crossroads, both professionally and personally. How is she to pursue her career now? The parallels between Stephen’s and Grant’s controlling behaviours are subtly drawn and effective.

Another twist arises with Jason, a man Lauren had apparently been planning to leave her family for. He begins following - effectively stalking - Jessica in her Lauren persona. The author ties up these plot threads neatly, removing the problematic men (Jason, Grant, and Stephen) in quite shocking ways that allow Jessica the space to contemplate a new life. Yet I couldn’t help wondering whether this ‘new� life would truly be fulfilling. After all, it’s Jessica’s soul that has survived, not her body, and her ambitions and identity don’t neatly align with Lauren’s circumstances. What happens to her law career, for instance? Can she ever feel truly herself in a life that wasn’t originally hers?

The novel was published in 2009, and reading it 16 years later made me laugh in parts. The characters rent DVDs, use landlines, pay for stuff with cheques and go to the library to research quantum physics and theories of time rather than looking it up online. It was oddly comforting and a little disconcerting to reflect on just how much has changed in that time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story overall. It was engaging and often thought provoking particularly in how Jessica managed to juggle the demands of two separate lives and think on her feet. While the ending was satisfying in some respects, I am unsure whether it offered the possibility of real fulfilment for her. 5 stars, though! ]]> Comment289548824 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 06:42:11 -0700 /review/show/7229020914 Lauren Stanford's review of Could It Be Magic?
by Melanie Rose

I think this was meant to show how busy Lauren's life was, how packed but that nothing much happened. ]]>