nomadreader

The backstory: After adoring Small Wars , the last novel by Sadie Jones, so much it made my Best of 2011 list , I was eager to read her newest novel, The Uninvited Guests. The basics: The Uninvited Guests  is all about one night in 1912 at the Torrington family's country estate. It is the 20th birthday of Emerald Torrington, but when there is a train accident nearby, all of the survivors come to the home. My thoughts: I had high hopes for The Uninvited Guests  based on both the rave review Audra gave it and my own enjoyment of Small Wars . For whatever reason, I failed to connect with The Uninvited Guests  and didn't enjoy it. I did, however, enjoy the writing immensely, and it was enough to keep me reading when I might have otherwise cast this novel aside. Despite Jones' beautifully descriptive writing, the characters never came alive for me. In a comedy of manners (of sorts), characters are crucial, but these held no intrigue for me. In many ways, this novel defie...

The backstory:   Small Wars  was on the 2010 Orange Prize longlist. The basics: Set in British-occupied Cyprus in the 1950's, Small Wars  is the story of a young married couple, Hal and Clara. Hal is an officer in the British army. It's a politically tumultuous time, as Cypriots are increasingly resistant to the British. My thoughts: Small Wars  is a beautiful, subtle and powerful novel. It's not a novel that sets out to make its case from page one, and its power snuck up on me. Perhaps because of the cover, I expected this novel to be mostly Clara's story, but Jones shifts seamlessly back and forth between Clara and Hal's perspectives, often on the very same page. Initially, I identified with Clara more, but surprisingly, Hal ended up stealing this book for me. With my modern perspective, even knowing very little about this time in history, it was clear to see loyalties shifting. While this novel was about Cyprus in the 1950's, many of the names could be...