THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin

What a tome. 950+ pages of a genre I could not decide on - but after googling feel quite safe in saying 'apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction'. Initially I would have said horror - dracula; maybe science fiction - experiments gone wrong; fantasy even? I have googled plot lines of the 2nd and 3rd books - more of the same, all of which have equally stunning reviews and ratings, but think this is enough for me!

Having said all that, this is really really good, if somewhat overwhelming and decidedly unpleasant in its subject matter. I couldn't stop reading this, staying up to the small hours several times. It is fantastically put together, really good characters, much of it believable, horrifying, dazzling. I wouldn't say I loved it, but it was a great read, transporting me to somewhere I didn't particularly want to go, but still holding my breath to read what was going to happen next.

So many reviews of this already on line and everywhere else so very brief plot outline. An experiment that started in South America to develop a virus gets spectacularly out of control, resulting basically, in the death of America. There are always survivors in these things - think Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and that is what the bulk of the novel is about. It is also the story of a little girl, Amy, who is infected with the virus, but due to her youth does not die, becoming another type of being, the only person who can stop the complete destruction of the world as we know it.

So good, so scary, so challenging, so terrifying and now I can punish myself further by watching the TV series 'loosely' based on the novel, whatever that may mean. Reviews so far - average, maybe proof yet again that the book is always better than the film/TV series.

THE HUNTING PARTY by Lucy Foley

Shades of Agatha Christie immediately come to mind with a group of old friends stuck together in one place, with one of them turning up dead. This is definitely a sit down in one place and binge read kind of book. So many mysteries and secrets that in true Christie fashion are gradually revealed, leaving everyone wide open and vulnerable. 

It is New Year's Eve weekend. Emma is the person in charge of organising the annual weekend away of four couples, now in their late 20s, who have been friends since university days. Emma has chosen a hunting lodge in the highlands of Scotland, and armed with champagne, illicit drugs and gourmet food they descend on the idyllic property for a few days of R and R under the watchful eyes of gamekeeper Doug and manager Heather, both with their own interesting back stories. Oh, and let's not forget the two random Icelandic hikers who have somehow ended up at the lodge too. 

 By New Year's Day one of these people is dead, but we don't even find out who that is until 2/3 of the way through the story. A bad snow storm isolates the hunting lodge from the outside world, which means that one of the aforementioned people is also the murderer. Imagine that, being stuck in the middle of nowhere, knowing there is a murderer in your midst. Old secrets begin to emerge, betrayals, jealousies and pettiness. The chapters are narrated in turn by Doug, Heather, Emma, and two of the other women in the group Miranda and Katie. The husbands/boyfriends feature of course in the story, but never actually have the story told from their point of view. 

The style of storytelling is exceptionally well done, the isolation and claustrophobia of being powerless adding tension and bit of paranoia to the characters and tone of the story. The environment is spectacularly described and detailed by the writer, contributing to the atmosphere of danger and powerlessness. 

THE TEA ROSE by Jennifer Donnelly

A dazzling combination of historical fiction and romance fiction - you choose which you want it to be. A rag to riches story that opens in the squalor and poverty of the east end of London in the 1880s, moves to New York, then back to London - rag to riches complete. Fiona Finnegan is in her teens when the story begins, madly in love with barrow boy Joe. Fiona works in a tea factory, blessed with a perfect nose for blending teas, but is stuck on the packing floor, Her and Joe dream of opening their own shop, working hard to save money so they can do this. Despite their youthful optimism, life is tough in the East End with no social welfare available, no unionised labour. A tragedy completely destroys Fiona's family, and her dreams with Joe. Her grief and desperate survival instinct take her and her young brother to New York where her uncle lives. He has a successful grocery business, and Fiona knows she will be welcomed with a place to live and work as well as people to care for her and her brother. Naturally things don't go quite as planned and Fiona finds herself again relying on her instincts, pulling up her sleeves, and getting on with it. Eventually her determination, her feistiness, tenacity and ability for sheer hard work give her the rewards and happiness she is looking for and so clearly deserves. And of course there is love! It wouldn't be a romance novel without a bit of love.

This is completely immersive reading. The author has clearly done her research on the east end of London during this time, complete with Jack the Ripper, the quite terrible living conditions, the raucousness of the markets, family life, the day-to-day struggle to live. The close family and community ties, and always the optimism that every day is going to be better than the next. Fiona is a marvellous character, flawed like all of us, so likeable with her complete lack of pretence, hard working, ambitious. All the characters are well drawn and developed, and there are many of them. I enjoyed this very much, and also pleased to see that there are three novels in this series. Look forward to reading them all. Perfect for reading with a cup of tea.