Another month where I read fewer books than usual (and one is a bit cheaty as I was just finishing off the final section!) but I am getting much more zen about my monthly totals – life gets in the way sometimes, and reading isn’t a competitive sport! Let’s have a little look at how I finished my year in books – links to full reviews where relevant.

Salt Lick by Lulu Allison (2021)

I really enjoyed this beautifully written novel about a dystopian future that feels uncomfortably close. And it has a cow chorus. You can read my full review here.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont (2022)

This book has such an intriguing premise, and I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn’t a top read for me. You can see my full review here.

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann (2019)

Ducks, Newburyport has been my constant companion during 2021 – I’ve been reading a section a month. For my full review (and details of how I found the experience!) see my post here.

I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons (2022)

I loved this book – it was the perfect novel to finish off a wonderful year of reading. Unfortunately I’d already passed on my Squadpod list of 21 top books of 21, so I’ll have to put this on my Top Reads of 2022 – it is going to take some beating! To see why I adored it, check out my full review here.

I didn’t get through a ton of books in December, and to be honest, I don’t care at all! I said at the start of the year that I wasn’t going to put pressure on myself to read loads of books every month, and indeed, life made damn sure that wasn’t even possible, but I have had a fantastic year of reading, and once again, books have got me through some tough times.

Huge thanks to all the authors, publishers and publicists who have sent me books in 2021 – I feel so lucky to be trusted to review ARCs – I couldn’t have imagined it even a couple of years ago. And thanks to everyone in the bookish community, all of whom have provided so much support in so many ways.

Here’s to more fabulous bookish goodness in 2022!

Happy reading!

Ellie x

Blurb

Listen to my history. My adventures are worth hearing. I have lived many lifetimes and been loved by emperors, kings and thieves. I have survived kidnap and assault. Revolution and two world wars. But this is also a love story. And the story of what we will do for those we love.

In Leonardo da Vinci’s studio, bursting with genius imagination, towering commissions and needling patrons, as well as discontented muses, friends and rivals, sits the painting of the Mona Lisa. For five hundred tumultuous years, amid a whirlwind of power, money, intrigue, the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo is sought after and stolen.

Over the centuries, few could hear her voice, but now she is ready to tell her own story, in her own words – a tale of rivalry, murder and heartbreak. Weaving through the years, she takes us from the dazzling world of Florentine studios to the French courts at Fontainebleau and Versailles, and into the Twentieth Century.

I, Mona Lisa is a deliciously vivid, compulsive and illuminating story about the lost and forgotten women throughout history.

Review

Huge thanks to Najma Finlay at Hutchinson Heinemann for sending me an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I, Mona Lisa has such a bold premise. This is not the story behind the painting: this is the painting’s story. I can think of nothing better than when a talented writer takes an outlandish idea (a talking painting!) and runs with it so successfully – it makes my heart sing at the myriad possibilities of fiction. Yes, you have to suspend your disbelief, but Solomons makes this effortlessly easy. Mona Lisa’s voice is strong, fierce, weathered by the centuries, softened by the memory of her beloved creator, and hardened by the things she wishes she hadn’t seen. Rarely have I felt so passionate about a narrator who isn’t technically human.

I devoured this novel, reading it in greedy gulps late into the night. Solomons takes us on an intricately structured journey from da Vinci’s studios to French palaces and, finally, to twentieth century Paris, but we move back and forth, getting each strand of the story in tantalising pieces which, by the end, fit together to make a beautiful mosaic of the ‘life’ of this extraordinary protagonist. But it is not only Mona Lisa and Leonardo who make this story come to life. Every single character is drawn with such vivid realism, such bright colours, that I could see it all before my eyes: scowling Michelangelo, the fragile, wounded Lisa del Giocondo, Francis the arrogant, adolescent French king, and later, others whom I won’t mention as I don’t want to spoil anything!

This story feels like a full immersion in European history, and yet it is told with a light touch. The detail is wonderful, never too much, always perfectly pitched to allow the reader to see the scenes unfolding as if before their eyes – we become observers just like Mona Lisa herself. The are moments of drama, of quiet tenderness, of humour – I was sad to reach the end, as I could have kept on reading forever. It may feel like a flippant pun to describe I, Mona Lisa as a masterpiece, but I mean it – I adored this book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It has set the standard for 2022 books for me, and it will take some beating.

I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons is published by Hutchinson Heinemann on 10th February 2022 and is available to pre-order here.

Blurb

In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. Only I know the truth of her disappearance.
I’m no Hercule Poirot.
I’m her husband’s mistress.

Agatha Christie’s world is one of glamorous society parties, country house weekends, and growing literary fame.

Nan O’Dea’s world is something very different. Her attempts to escape a tough London upbringing during the Great War led to a life in Ireland marred by a hidden tragedy.

After fighting her way back to England, she’s set her sights on Agatha. Because Agatha Christie has something Nan wants. And it’s not just her husband.

Despite their differences, the two women will become the most unlikely of allies. And during the mysterious eleven days that Agatha goes missing, they will unravel a dark secret that only Nan holds the key to…

Review

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a beautiful proof copy of The Christie Affair in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel – although it turned out to be quite different from what I was expecting. I had imagined that Agatha would be the main focus, and that it would be a twisty, Christie-esque unravelling of the mystery of her disappearance. However, it becomes clear that this is really Nan’s story, and that Nan’s affair with Agatha’s husband is only a very small piece in the puzzle.

This is a tough book to review as I don’t want to give anything away – the sections set in Ireland had some parallels to another book I read in 2021, but if I name it, it may give the game away! So I shall stick to being vague and cryptic, and merely state that I don’t think you’ll see where this one is going until quite near the end (which is quite Christie-esque in itself!).

There are some enjoyable characters – I particularly liked Inspector Chilton – and the story rattles along at a good pace. There are a lot of coincidences, up and and down the country, and at times it was perhaps just a stretch too far for me. I didn’t get the insight into Agatha Christie as a character that I was hoping for, but Nan is a fascinating protagonist, with a complex, moving story that is well worth reading.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is published by Mantle on 20th January 2022 and is available to pre-order here.

Blurb

Britain is awash, the sea creeps into the land, brambles and forest swamp derelict towns. Food production has moved overseas and people are forced to move to the cities for work. The countryside is empty. A chorus, the herd voice of feral cows, wander this newly wild land watching over changing times, speaking with love and exasperation.

Jesse and his puppy Mister Maliks roam the woods until his family are forced to leave for London. Lee runs from the terrible restrictions of the White Town where he grew up. Isolde leaves London on foot, walking the abandoned A12 in search of the truth about her mother.

Review

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy of Salt Lick in exchange for an honest review. Many apologies for the delay in posting this – the last few weeks of 2021 were, um, interesting!

This book grabbed me from the opening chapters. Its unique mix of pastoral dystopia is not something I remember reading about before, and the descriptions of nature reclaiming the country are exquisitely rendered. There is a poetic beauty to Allison’s prose, heightened by the wise words of the wonderful cow chorus, who I loved. But it isn’t sentimental – there’s a harsh edge of realism, indeed, to the point where it feels uncomfortably close to our present reality. This isn’t a distant, sci-fi future – it feels like a distinct possibility, only a few years away, and this adds a poignancy and a layer of fear, even to the more innocent scenes of Jesse and his puppy. The White Towns feel so terrifyingly possible; this is a book that cuts close to the bone of modern Britain.

It is written in a meditative present tense that unfurls around the reader – it is immersive and immediate, and the characters are treated with a tender respect that honours their humanity and their flaws. I really enjoyed the way their stories intersected – this isn’t a plot-heavy novel, but the careful revelation of the connections between the characters of different timelines shows storytelling skill as well as the ability to write stunning prose.

There is something of the mythic about Salt Lick, and yet it is couched in a realism that seems to reflect a very possible future for this country. By turns it delighted me with the beauty of its language and scared me with the accuracy of its depiction of our society – this is a book that lulls you into a dream-like state and then gently shakes you awake. I highly recommend Salt Lick, and am looking forward to reading more work by Lulu Allison.

Salt Lick by Lulu Allison is published by Unbound and is available to purchase here.