The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab (2020)
Sometimes when you read a book, you do not want it to end.
This is what happened when I read The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab. The book wasn’t one I would normally have picked to read myself, but it was recommended to me, and I am so glad I read it.
Imagine you lived for several lifetimes, saw many things throughout history and met many people, yet nobody remembers you or your name. The book begins in France 1714 with a young woman, Adeline, who wants freedom from the prospect of marriage and motherhood in a small village in France.
Adeline’s prayers are answered – so begins her desired life. The writing is beautiful and descriptive. You really get a sense of being there and I was rooting for Adeline. It weaves through history, with the story being told in the past and the present.
This is a book that I will always remember (with a beautiful cover too!)
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold (2019)
Rubenhold describes the poverty of Victorian London incredibly well – you feel transported to that moment in history through her vivid writing – the sights, the smells, and how incredibly hard it was to survive.
The book introduces a preliminary argument for ‘two versions of the events of 1887. One is very well known, the other is not’.
The first version of 1887 relates to Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee celebrations – the balls, concerts, and banquets that took place. The alternate version is a story of poverty and unemployment – with homeless people camping in Trafalgar Square, demonstrations and riots taking place (Bloody Sunday). It is within the second version of 1887 that the story begins, with the first of Jack the Ripper’s victims.
Each of these women’s stories are told: where they came from, their backgrounds, and how they came to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I really enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend to a wider readership.
By Sarah Bishop
