The Night of the Flood by Zoë Somerville

This book is set in 1952 on a farm near the coast in Norfolk England. Verity Frost and her brother Peter live on the farm with their widowed father.  We start off with Verity meeting her friend Arthur on the anniversary of her mother's death.

 It is revealed Arthur was a child evacuee during the war, Verity's mother bringing him home to live with their family.  He grew up with them for several years but as an adult, he is no longer part of the family.  He is clearly in love with Verity but there are obstacles about religion and Verity's own hopes for her future.

She would like to attend Oxford and make a career and new life for herself.  Her father would like her to marry a local farmer and save their farm. Her brother Peter, expelled from a school for reasons of an improper relationship, wants to make something of the farm by modernizing the equipment and methods but the father won't hear of it.

The mother is rumored to have drowned by suicide and not accident so that comes up now and then.  And then there is the American pilot named Jack who befriends Peter.  Arthur suspects him of being a spy.  Those are the main characters and while the writing is at times stilted, you get a good picture of what is happening in Norfolk between these characters.

This is based on a true event about the flood that devasted Norfolk in 1953 with great license on the characters interactions.  This would appeal to someone who likes historical fiction but it isn't a fast read, slow going at times. 3 stars

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

New books on my horizon

 I am so glad I set a goal and joined the Twenty Books of Summer hosted by Cathy at 746 Books. It has made a huge difference in selecting my books.  I am doing fairly well on knocking out some titles which have been on my radar quite some time.

There are new titles coming out from authors I have previously enjoyed so they are added to my list.  Hoping to get to those sooner than later.

Trust Her by Flynn Berry.  I previously enjoyed Northern Spy,  A Double Life and Under the Harrow so this one will make my summer reading list.

This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud is Messud's latest and I'm hoping to get a copy and fit it in before August ends.  My introduction to her work was The Woman Upstairs.

I am almost finished with Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane and like the writing style so much that I purchased The Walking People.

As the daily heat index is usually above 100 degrees, I am getting more reading time in.  This is just a short update.  Hope things are well in your part of the world.

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

My ten books of summer

Recently I was visiting Susan's blog The Cue Card and read about a book event hosted at 746 Books called The Twenty Books of Summer. Now that I have noticed this event, I am seeing it on other friends' blogs. How did I not realize this before (head in clouds) ⛅

You can link up at 746 Books  HERE.  Check it out if you are interested. I don't think I can accomplish twenty books but I will give it a whirl on ten books to start.

Starting the list was fun and here are twelve titles I am considering.  I added an extra two in case in have a few DNF books. Seems I have one DNF a month on average.  Life is too short to plow through a book you aren't loving.

** For what it's worth, I don't use audible and read the books rather than listening.  That works for some people and I have tried but...sometimes the audible reader has an inflection or emphasis on certain passages which are different than my own when reading.    Does that makes sense?  

Think of The Martian movie, if you've watched it. The character Mark Whatney says  "Are you kidding me?" with exasperation verses "Are you kidding me?"  as a point of interest. 

  Anyway............ my list is below 👇

1. The Night of the Flood by Zoe Somerville 
2. Ask gain, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
3. A Time Remembered by Olga Gruhzit-Hoyt
4. September by Rosamunde Pilcher 
5. Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
6. An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain
7. Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin
8. Long Island by Colm Toibin
9. The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes
10. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
11. North Woods by Daniel Mason
12. Before The Fall by Noah Hawley

I own the first four in hardcover and a few others in Kindle. The Valerie Perrin book is a birthday gift to myself, a Kindle preorder and will be auto delivered on publication date.  

Linking with Deb at Reader Buzz for Sunday Salon and Cathy at 746 Books