THE STATIONERY SHOP OF TEHERAN by Marian Kamali

While reading this I was reminded often of The Notebook and The Bridges of Madison County - love stories of such intensity and romance, they couldn't possibly really be real.  But both written in such a hopelessly romantic and idealised way, intensely emotional, and possibly unlikely, that, for me, neither really reached beyond the 5-6 out of 10 mark. Did I scoff when I finished reading these, quite possibly. And yet like millions of others I also saw the movies, liked Bridges very much - only because Clint and Meryl were in it....   

I feel much the same about this book, and a movie would probably engender the same response. It tapped at the heart strings, rather than tugged. A teenage love affair is ripped apart at a time of violence, danger and political turmoil. I wonder if it is the loss of the beloved which burns in the heart or if it was the social backdrop of the times that was the greater trauma. 

Aside from the slightly soppy story line, this is actually a lovely story to read and immerse oneself in. Opening in Teheran in 1953, Roya is 17 years old, a typical teenage girl, full of curiosity, questions, smart, sassy, determined, a loving daughter and sister. She lives with her parents and older sister at a time in Iran when, yet again in its long history, the times are a-changing. The democratically elected government is on the way out, thanks to the US and military support of the former monarchy. 

Roya meets Bahman, a year or two older than her, in her favourite shop - the stationery shop, the owner taking a kind and benevolent interest in the young people coming into his shop. Bahman is an agent for change, outraged by what is going on. Roya is captivated by this handsome, dynamic and romantic young man. They pledge eternal love - very Romeo and Juliet - going so far as to get engaged much to the horror of Bahman's mother.

Their decision to elope is the beginning of the end for these two, greater forces working to ensure this does not happen. It would seem that neither Roya nor Bahman ever get over this tragedy in their lives.  I am not giving anything away by saying the two meet again, because that is how the novel begins. But it is what happens in the years between that make the story. 

Roya and her sister end up in the US, both at college together - I actually really liked this section - these two young Iranian women learning English, migrants and aliens to the America of the 1950s. Their navigation of all this is great, as they try to maintain and celebrate their Iranian identity and yet work so hard to fit in with the California culture. Roya meets Walter, what a lovely man, and yet she continues to carry a torch for Bahman through the years, the decades. The one galling character is Walter's sister - why there always has to be someone in the dominant culture who takes extreme exception to someone from another culture coming into the family I just do not know - such an unnecessary stereotype. 

What I also loved was reading about Iranian culture, love of literature and poetry, festivals and important dates in the calendar, and the food - so many beautiful descriptions of the delicious food and how important food is in relationships with people, as well as for the soul. 

So there are many many good points about this book, and definitely worth a read, but it was perhaps just a bit too 'movie worthy' for me. 

THE PRINCE OF THE SKIES by Antonio Iturbe, Translated by Llilit Thwaites

What a joy to read this beautifully written historical novel translated from the Spanish. Flight and the freedom it engenders is at the heart of the book, and is carried in almost every sentence of the story. Yet within this dreamy mesmerising writing, the history of aviation in France between the two world wars is also told. I had no idea that France was so crucial to the development of flight networks and planes during this time.

The story focuses on three pioneering pilots, including the world famous writer/aristocrat/journalist/poet but introverted, ungainly, possibly slightly odd Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - he who wrote the children's story for adults The Little Prince; the rash, bold, crazy fearless Jean Mermoz, and the gentlemanly, classy, good all rounder Henri Guillaumet. These men were all expert and gifted pilots, flying initially in the early days of the novel the flimsiest of machines with only a compass  for a navigational aid. Talk about flying by the seat of your pants! And of course don't forget the saying 'There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots'. We take all the engineering genius of airplanes for granted now, but in the early days of the 21st century, lady luck played a much greater role, possibly the biggest role in whether a pilot and his plane returned to land each day.

So throughout this book there is an essence of danger, tragedy lurking, things going wrong. And they go wrong aplenty - in the Andes, in the desert spaces of Algeria and Morocco - producing great stories of survival, determination and sheer grit. 

The three men all meet when they end up working for a flying mail company based in Toulouse and so begins  a beautiful friendship. The other main character in the novel, also a real person, is Didier Daurat, a WWI flying ace who becomes the Operations Manager for the mail company that employs the three pilots, eventually renamed Aéropostale, then later Air France.  

The lives and achievements of these four men can all be found on-line so won't elaborate on that here.  But none of them tell the reader what is going on in their souls, and that is the beauty of this story - we get to know these men, their dreams, their hopes, their crushing disappointments, their loves, and to live every day as if it was your last. The story is more about Saint-Exupéry, but not by a huge margin, than any of the others, and his life story is exceptional, his career as a pilot and writer intermingling and moving together all the time. This quote from Saint-Exupéry is what his life in this book is all about -"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." 

I don't fly, but have lived for 35 years with a man whose entire life has been flight. He is not a reader, but he related to some of the bits I read out to him, and maybe this is why I loved this book so much, because after all these years, I too can feel the magic of what it is like to be above the ground, flitting around the clouds, being removed from the trivia of daily life, transported in your head to another place.  There is magic in flight, and this writer and translator have captured that magic, fearlessness and sheer joy of mastering a machine in the sky. 

THE QUIET PEOPLE by Paul Cleave

 This was the perfect pick up/put down summer holiday read. Very well plotted, numerous and unexpected twists, not so overly detailed that you had to refer back to remind yourself what had been going on, which is why it is that perfect holiday read. You can be immersed in the plot and the characters immediately, but if you are called away for a swim, or a gin, or a chat, or a diversion, it is very easy to pick up again. 

NZ crime writer author Paul Cleave is more famous out of NZ than in NZ. He has published a number of novels in the crime/thriller genre, has won and been short listed for numerous crime publishing awards around the world. Translated into 18 languages! All his novels are set in Christchurch, his home town, but I didn't feel that the NZ setting gave this story - the first one I have read - any particular NZ flavour. A universal urban setting, with characters that could also be anywhere in the world.

Cameron and Lisa Murdoch are successful crime writers, well known and feted around the world. They are old hands on the book/writing/reading festival circuit, well used to questions and interviews on how they work together, how they come up with their murderous plots, and the subsequent solving of them. They also have a son, seven year old Zach, who is not the easiest child in the world to deal with. One Sunday, Cameron takes Zach to a fair at the local park. As any parent with a young child will attest, sometimes a happy fun outing just goes completely pear shaped, for no apparent reason, it just does. Zach, being the tricky child he is, attracts all the wrong attention, as does his dad, resulting in Cameron forcibly taking Zach home. That night Zach threatens to run away from home, and the next morning when Cameron goes to wake him up, he is not in his bed, his room is empty, the window is open. 

The nightmare of a missing child begins. The story switches back and forth between Cameron as the main narrator in the first person, and the police investigator DI Rebecca Kent, narrated in the third person. Of course, the parents are the main suspects, even more so when the parents are crime writers, who in the past have proudly and publicly said they would know exactly how to create the perfect murder and make someone disappear. Not a good start for Cameron and Lisa.

The media circus is crazy, and all the nut jobs in any community pour out of their computer rooms with their placards, on line commenting, protests, and mass movements of guilty, guilty, guilty. It is quite frightening how much power the mob mentality has, and how little it takes for things to get out of control. As they do for Cam, Lisa, and DI Kent.

Plenty of suspense, and easy too for the reader to see themselves in the place of the Murdochs - we will all have had frightening thoughts and maybe real events where our child simply disappears. Not a good scenario at all. Terrific story, I really liked it, and for much of the plot the reader really does not know whether Cameron and/or his wife, or a paedophile on the loose, someone at the fair, or someone else entirely is responsible for the disappearance of the child.

Time to hunt out some other Paul Cleaves! 

A THREE DOG PROBLEM by S.J. Bennett

Hilariously joyful piece of reading. The Queen must be one of the world's favourite people, always honourable, overflowing with integrity and goodness, and now she is solving murders. Go Queen! Not just  a pretty face in gorgeous clothes and fabulous hats. Although with her busy schedule micromanaged to the n-th degree, how she finds time to solve a murder without actually letting on that she has done so, that she that the credit has to go to the police/detectives/palace security - the professionals is quite entertaining in itself. Such a diplomat. Perfect for the job. All that training from birth has made her the most discrete, observant and deliberately charming person you could hope to meet. 

The story opens in Buck Pal, with the discovery of the body of a long time Palace employee  lying  beside the indoor swimming pool. A murder in the Palace! The Queen has a terrific secretary called Rosie,  a young woman with a defence background, smart, resourceful and, best of all, trusted by the Queen. Together these two work around the rules and very tight Palace protocols, careful not to tread on all those toes planting themselves in their way, to find out what is really going on below stairs at the Palace. 

At the same time the Queen notices, quite by chance, that a favourite painting of the royal yacht Britannia is no longer hanging outside her bedroom. Where has it gone? 

This is a clever story, witty dialogue, lots of intrigues, gossip, rumour, distrust and paranoia lurking everywhere. And all that protocol and etiquette to have to deal with! It is clear the author adores the Queen and everything she stands for, and how refreshing to see the royal family portrayed in a glowing, personable and delightful way. This is a delight to read, I loved it, lots of fun. Looking forward to number 3 in the series!

ALL IN: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Billie Jean King

 I watch the Australian Open on TV every January - the only Grand Slam matching my waking hours. And every year sitting in the stands watching with an eagle eye is Billie Jean King. A woman I knew nothing about until seeing the movie Battle of the Sexes and then when I saw this come into the bookshop, it lured me in with it's over the top action cover, I had to read it. These sports biographies of extraordinarily successful and enduring athletes are usually outstanding, and this is one of the best. I play tennis too and I am female - ha, ha -  the only common characteristics with Billie Jean, and only a very average player at that too. Still, at least I know how the game works which is a major advantage when reading this as there is a lot of tennis in it, and the psychology that goes with playing the game. 

Billie Jean is now in her late 70s, although in no way does she look it. Understated well groomed glamour and that fantastic smile that, in our average eyes, makes her so human, approachable and likeable. Her story begins in the early 1940s, Long Beach, California, born to possibly the most wonderful self-sacrificing and adoring parents ever, committed to giving their two athletic and bright children every opportunity they can, encouraging and developing in them the self belief that made them both exceptional athletes, her brother Randy in baseball. She also highlights the huge influence other adults had in her life - her first tennis teacher and the previously famous player, Alice Marble, who took her under her wing and for a period of time was the most important adult in her young life. A lack of money was never going to stop this dynamo from achieving her goals, which she drew up at a young age, and in swash buckling style set about taking the tennis world by storm.

It seems to me, that aside from her talent, work ethic and her endless optimism, her greatest talent is her intense interest in people, getting on with them, building and maintaining friendships, tennis partnerships, getting the best out of people. She marries Larry King, and together these two should get medals for what they have done for professional and team tennis competition. More importantly they, with Billie Jean as the face of everything they do, created the Women's Tennis Association - the WTA - with 8 other women players, taking on the male tennis establishment resulting, eventually, in prize money for money equalling that for men. Magnificent. 

Then there is the campaigning and tireless work she has done for the LGBTQ+ community, again a labour of love, intense focus, energy. The energy and tirelessness this woman has is jaw dropping, even she admits at times she is too much! She shares her personal life, her marriage and enduring love for Larry, their commitment to each other, her internal sexuality conflict, her love relationships and the fall out at a time when being a gay sports star was the kiss of death. Then her meeting and relationship with the love of her life.  

What stands out is how in the very abnormal world of top level professional sport, she seems to be so normal, so grounded, so straight forward and endearing. This is a big book, because she has had, and continues to have a big life. A truly outstanding legacy she is leaving, having used herself as the prime leverage for what she has achieved. She would be the last one to say these achievements are hers alone, she would have lists of names and organisations of everyone and everything that has led to the successes attached to her. Fabulous book, fabulous woman. Oh, and there is also plenty about tennis!

HARLEM SHUFFLE by Colson Whitehead

 This is a completely different type of novel from the amazing, but violent, gruesome and confronting The Underground Railroad - I still can't bring myself to watch the movie. There is a fair bit of violence in this latest too, but it is different type of violence - more on the lines of Tony Soprano being involved in waste management. We are immersed into Harlem, New York, in the 1960s. Ray Carney is the son of a small town crook/hustler with a certain reputation, long dead, but his legacy lives on in his son. Ray is sort of from the wrong side of the tracks, married to the lovely Elizabeth - from the right side of the tracks. He is desperately trying to walk on the right side of being an honest furniture salesman, but as time passes he finds himself drawn reluctantly and necessarily into the darker side of Harlem. The story traverses the decade of the 1960s, centred on the predominantly black Harlem community, the occasional intrusion of uptown white men or mid-town Jewish merchants, moving between the two communities. Ray has a cousin, Freddie, who is more like brother. Ray has spent numerous hours and $$$ getting Freddie out of various hotspots, which unfortunately drags poor Ray further into the dark side of Harlem. But Ray is cleverer than all of them put together and somehow, in a very entertaining and delightful way, with the odd bit of 'waste management' thrown in  - manages to outwit them all. I loved this. Brilliantly written, a  totally immersive experience into 1960s New York/Harlem, and into the mechanics of social mobility, the same whatever community you are a part of - black, white, Jewish, Asian. We are the same wherever we come from, whatever our backgrounds. Fabulous read. The author is a master of the language and I am sure there is more brilliance to come. 

HAPPY HOUR by Jacquie Byron

Franny thinks she is coping perfectly well with her life. A 65 year old glamour puss, sufficient financial resources to see her out, strongly independent in thought and deed, she lives alone in her very nice house and garden in a nice neighbourhood with her two much loved dogs. She eats and drinks what she likes, when she likes, she has her favourite coffee shop just down the road, people who love her and want to care for her. But it is not such a great life really for Frances. Her husband Frank died tragically some four years earlier and it is her grief that is ruling her life, not what she sees as her effective management and acceptance of this grief. She has photos of Frank in various guises over the decades dotted around her house and talks to him regularly. A photo of him in a BBQ apron is in the kitchen, one of him looking young, virile and handsome in the bedroom. She has friends and family endlessly concerned about her whom she simply sees as very annoying pests who just won't leave her alone. On the outside she seems to be coping but is she... Her endless alcohol consumption may be telling another story.

One day a new family moves in next door. To Franny's surprise, Sallyanne Salerno and her two children - 8 year old Josh and 15 year old Dee - somehow get under her skin, and slowly work their ways into her life. Naturally it all begins to come undone at a certain point, Franny having to confront some unwanted demons emanating from her frozen in grief state. She has to learn to live again, but does she really want to. 

It really is quite a delightful and fun story to read and enjoy. The two children are excellent characters. Josh is a divine little boy, already wrestling with not being the stereotyped 8 year old, preferring Franny's gorgeous collection of old clothes, silks, shoes, feather boas to playing cricket, rugby and doing boy stuff. Dee is a teenager caught between being a little girl and a young woman, trying to be something she is not yet ready for, very drawn to the sophisticated and glamorous Franny. Sallyanne is trying to be the best mother she can, getting away from her abusive husband and working full time. No wonder the children seek refuge with Franny and the dogs. But does she want them in her life?

There is some great dialogue, Franny has a mouth on her that I am sure any 65 year old woman would be proud of. She has never had children herself so approaches the whole business of relating to children differently from any other adults in Dee and Josh's lives, with some very funny and unexpected results. I liked this a lot - it is not in any way great literature, but it is funny, light and very enjoyable.