Fiona McIntosh (1)Reviews

The story of a young girl, Fleur, adopted by a couple whose father is an undertaker during the early to mid years of 20th century. The other orphan in the story is a boy who grows up in the remote country of South Australia with his educated mother and his drover/shearer father. His mother dies in childbirth and when her wealthy father has her and her dead infant brought to Adelaide for burial the boy is taken along as his father is away droving. There he meets Fleur when both are children. She comforts him is his grief while both realising that his mother's sister is a brittle snob who despised her sister's choices and wants nothing to do with her nephew. He is returned to the sheep station where he lives with the rousabouts and staion workers while his father makes intermittent appearances. The two reconnect 20 years later and the story follows their renewed acquantance and growing love. The story presents a lot of detail of the mortuary process that is conducted by both father and daughter. There is also the tension of the evil stepmother/2nd wife of her father who wants everything she can get without the bother of husband or step-daughter.

I don't typically write reviews for books that I didn't feel very strongly about, but since this was for a book club and I was writing notes for it anyway, I figured I might as well write them here by way of a review.

General Points (Spoiler-Free)

What I didn't like:

• The main characters. To me, Alex and Harry were, in the end, not that interesting, or rather, the interesting things about them were pushed to the background to focus on their romance which didn't have much depth to it.
• Moments of evocative, compelling writing gave flashes of potential that didn't eventuate and made the less engaging majority of the book all the more disappointing (see Liked)
• The romance was uninteresting. I get that it's a romance novel, but I think this actually did a disservice to the book as a whole because the romance was the least interesting plotline within the book.
• The dialogue. I thought the dialogue was unnatural and overworked.
• Some of the supporting characters. I think the novel would have been better served if it had been an ensemble cast rather than focusing on Alex and Harry. Some of the background characters have plotlines or characteristics that were far more interesting and could have had more dramatic potential, but these are picked up only as they help to serve Alex and Harry's story and then dropped until they're needed again, leaving these characters to be largely shallow stereotypes.
• The whole chocolate theme and plot throughout the book. For a book titled "The Chocolate Tin," it was essentially a McGuffin to instigate the plot and was largely abandoned for most of the book.
• Repetitive; for example, we're often left with Alex's internal narrative for long pages, but she keeps returning to the same points without adding anything new. I think the book could have been quite a bit shorter.

What I did like:

• There are some beautifully written sequences—for example, the war scenes—that really packed an emotional punch and dug deeper into the historical context of the period setting. Unfortunately, these are not frequent and made the swaths of less interesting sections (i.e., the bulk of them) all the more disappointing.
• The characters' progressive (for the time) handling of some of the social issues presented in the book.

Specific Points

Alex
Alex, in particular, annoyed me quite a bit. I think she was intended to be written as a quote-unquote war-era "girl boss" and meant to be charismatic. But, ultimately, she came across as quite unremarkable.

The beginning of the novel opens with a discussion about how she has to marry, which I feel is incredibly cliched and overdone at this point, and this novel didn't really add anything new to it, and Alex's flippant comments about men dying in the war didn't help to endear her to me.

The core motive for Alex's intense desire to be independent is that she wants to become a chocolatier. The early parts of the book explaining the "King's Tin" and the Rowntree's factory were so interesting and seemed like they would be a pervasive plot point and motif of the novel, but once Harry is introduced, it's entirely dropped until the very end. It seemed so odd because it was set up to be a defining part of Alex's identity. In the end, the tin was merely an excuse to have Alex and Harry cross paths but had very little importance beyond that.

Harry
Harry was a likable character. I like that he was portrayed as moral but flawed. It's about as much complexity as any of the characters get.

Matthew
I have complicated feelings about Matthew and the queer subplot. I picked up on the queer element straight away and was curious to see what would come of it. Matthew and James sort of got the "villain edit" during the main center portion of the novel, which bothered me a bit, but this does improve, and in fact, the treatment of homosexuality in the UK in the early 20th C was actually quite well handled towards the end of the novel, with unexpectedly progressive reactions from Harry and Alex.

However, Matthew and James are largely absent for most of the novel, and when they are, they've not given much nuance or thought until the denouement.

Beth
Beth swans in at the end of the novel and is instantly a hundred times more the cool, chill, charismatic queen that I think Alex was intended to be. But she's there for all of one chapter right at the end, and then she's gone.


Concepts this novel brought up that would have made a more satisfying focus but mostly glossed over instead:


I mean, look, I'm not an author, but I love to read, and as a reader, there were so many other things this novel could have focused on that would have been more interesting.

• Being a gay man during WWI; criminality of homosexuality, what it would have been like to be a gay man in the trenches (more Matthew and James)
• Being a woman in a "lavender" marriage; entering that marriage aware vs. unaware, reconciling unrequited romantic love and genuine reciprocated platonic love (more of an internal life for Alex)
• Women in the workplace during wartime (actually have Alex work towards her goals of being a businesswoman)
• Conscientious objectors (more of the Quakers—I'm biased—and more of the Rowntree's)
• Family obligation and familial love vs. romantic love (Harry and Beth)

In fact, both Harry and Beth, and Matthew and James were far more interesting relationships to focus on rather than Alex and Harry's.


Conclusion

I kind of got the impression that the author set out determined to write a romance novel about the King's Tin and then, while writing it, discovered more interesting stories to tell but was so focused on their original goal that they steamed right past them.

I feel like a far more interesting novel was buried under a steadfast dedication to Alex and Harry's affair.

This makes it a tricky book for me to review. Ultimately, it's not a book I'd have chosen to read of my own accord, but it wasn't bad—I didn't struggle to finish it; it was easy to read—but there were too many missed opportunities for me to really engage with it. It does seem like McIntosh is a talented writer, but maybe this just needed longer in the oven.

I gave it three stars because I don't use half-stars, and two stars seemed a bit too harsh. I'm not going to seek out other books by this author off my own bat, but I would be open to reading another if it was recommended to me.

The Chocolate Tin is a historical fiction by prolific Australian author Fiona McIntosh set in the 1910s in York. The heroine is rich upper-class girl Alexandra Frobisher whose mother is determined to marry her off as soon as the war is over. Alex wants to make a life of her own and has a dream to work in the Yorkshire Rowntree chocolate factory and then set up a business of her own.

The gallant and charming Matthew Britten-Jones enters the story with an intriguing marriage proposal; not one of love and romance but providing an escape for Alex from her societal role and expectations and guaranteeing her the independence and career she craves. A whimsical note Alex puts into a Christmas chocolate box making its way to the front brings the dashing Captain Harry Blakeney into the story bringing a host of unexpected feelings and complications with him.

This was a pleasant light read, somewhat melodramatic for my taste with some fairly one-dimensional characters and with an insta-romance with no build up to it. 3.5 stars for me.½

This is the 5th in this series.

I read the first in 2008, BYE BYE BABY, when the author had decided to use pseudonym Lauren Crow for her crime fiction titles. It was republished under the name Fiona McIntosh in 2013.

Since then there have been a further 3 in the series which I have not read.

Since all 5 titles have the same central characters, there is considerable back story which I am not familiar with. There are some references (and details) in this novel to what has gone before, and probably enough to allow you to read FOUL PLAY as a stand-alone.

Jack Hawksworth has been warned by his commanding officer more than once about mixing his private and professional lives and once again he ignores this warning to the detriment of someone he is using and whom he has promised to protect. Although both Hawksworth and his offsider Kate are supposed to be at the top of their game, they are in many ways unlovely personalities and their actions did affect the way I eventually felt about the book.½

"The Orphans" was one of Fiona McIntosh’s better novels. It was her first all-Australian book and I loved the historical setting of South Australia in the 1930s. I found the history of undertaking and shearing fascinating, especially the business of preparing the deceased before burial. True to form, the author has done her research giving rich detail about fashion, class issues, transport, morals and gender expectations.

The fact that Fleur was her father’s assistant in the family funeral home and wanted to be South Australia’s first female mortician provided a unique storyline. She believed women could bring sensibilities that men couldn’t when a loved one had passed, especially a child. I loved how she spoke to the deceased while preparing their body for burial while compassionately dealing with those in mourning.

I also enjoyed the relationship between Fleur and Tom, and their backstories growing up. However, Fleur’s stepmother was a witch.

Overall, I found "The Orphans" to be a captivating and educational read.

The second book in the series definitely kept my interest and moved the story along at a good pace. I didn't know what I thought I knew from the first book, which is great! On to the last book in the series!

Good series! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel kinda silly for not seeing the ending, but I'm glad I didn't - it was a good way to end the series.

Ik heb het 3 sterren gegeven. Ik twijfelde over 4 sterren, vooral vanwege de zeer goede leesbaarheid en het idee van het geschenk. Maar ergens kon het verhaal me toch niet helemaal meeslepen. Ik bleef onthouden dat ik getrouwd was en kinderen had en zo. Bij een boek waar ik 4 steren voor zou geven, weet ik dat gewoon even niet meer.

3.5*

First time reading this author. I have seen much of their work around.
It was about what I expected. Easy to read, but interesting enough to keep things going. Did find some story devices frustrating in the way they held up the story progress. Often becoming impatient at the pauses between the story of Katrina's (Katarina's?) past.
Honestly, did not care for the epilogue, would have been better if the book ended without it. Felt more impactful at the end of the chapter since all ends were tied up and there was no real need for the post-amble.

Lightweight story about two men who meet in India and work together in a gold mining community during the inter war years of 1920s. The loves and trials of their adult lives are prefaced with the story of their early days prior to the meeting and how those early experiences influence the rest of their lives.

An enjoyable read. Story of a young woman who moves to African as a child when her father decides to become a diamond hunter in 1870s. The subsequent events of her young life are threaded with the repercussions of events that took place during her time in Africa with a final resolution and reconnection with her Zulu carer.½

A good read. following on from the story of The Lavendar Keeper. Tells of life after WW2 for the lives of the earlier characters and what happens in 25 years.Insights into the trauma and damage caused to survivors of the war as well as what had occurred to many innocent people during the war.

A touching love story set amid the chaos and death of WW1. good, easy light-weight read.½

The Spy's Wife was a fabulous read full of emotion and suspense, and I found it difficult to stop reading once I had started. I have struggled with many of Fiona McIntosh's recent novels but, personally, I would rate The Spy's Wife as one of her best. It was gripping and I loved how it swept the reader across the beautiful Yorkshire dales and into pre-war Germany. These locations were brought to life by the lush descriptions, especially Munich with its beauty and culture, and the impact Hitler and his henchmen were having on the city.

Evie was a worthy protagonist and easy to like. I admired her daring and courage, and the risks she took for her country and the man she loved. Once she and Max were in Germany I was on the edge of my seat, terrified that her subterfuge would be discovered and she would end up in a Nazi prison or worse!

There were some wonderful secondary characters including Evie's father and Hugh, but my favourite was young Jonas, Max's six-year-old son. He was adorable and I loved the beautiful relationship that developed between him and Evie. Giselle, on the other hand, was a cunning, malicious woman who had become a fanatical Nazi with an unhealthy obsession for Max. Readers will quickly come to despise her and I thought McIntosh did a great job with her persona.

Containing a dramatic, historical storyline with lots of twists and turns, The Spy's Wife was a very exciting read with an extremely moving ending. Loved it!

well written story set in Vichy France during WW11. Love story woven around the occupation and resistance efforts by French and German people against Hitler's madness.

Set in 1936 in England and Germany as rumours of a second world war begin to surge, The Spy’s Wife is an engaging historical novel from consummate storyteller Fiona McIntosh.

Young widow Evie Armstrong is running a small cafe at the Levisham railway station in northern England where her father serves as station master when a handsome traveller attracts her interest. Within weeks Evie and Roger, a widowed engineer from London, profess their love for one another, but when Roger (aka Max) reveals a secret he has been keeping from her, and then is arrested, accused of being a spy for Germany, Evie will be forced to make a dangerous decision to save his life.

Shifting from a rural hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales to the bustling city of Munich, McIntosh merges historical fact with fiction to present an absorbing story of love, betrayal, espionage and sacrifice.

The Spy’s Wife capitalises on the recent interest in the role of women as spies during WWII, but McIntosh cleverly approaches it from a new angle. Having convinced MI6 to release Max and allow them both to travel to Germany as spies for England, Evie needs to muster courage, cunning and resourcefulness as she pretends to be Max’s empty headed new bride while gathering the intelligence that will free them. It’s not only their own lives at stake, Max’s young son by his late Jewish wife is essentially being held as a hostage by one of Hitler’s true believers, and she wants Max for herself. There are plenty of tense moments as Evie and Max, viewed with some suspicion by friends and colleagues, take big risks to gather information about Hitler’s plans for war.

Evie is an appealing heroine, naive and vulnerable but also brave and determined. Trusting Max, with both her heart and her life, is a gamble few would voluntarily take. Once in Germany, with no real experience of subterfuge Evie finds her position increasingly stressful and I really felt for her as she realised just how grim a fate she would meet if she was caught.

Despite the limitations placed on McIntosh’s usual research strategies due to the global pandemic lockdown, the details of the era, and the settings feel authentic. Though I was vaguely aware the VW beetle was designed to meet Hitler’s demand for a ‘people’s car’, I wasn’t aware Porsche was responsible for its production. I found the information about the company’s involvement in the war to be an interesting element of the novel.

Written to McIntosh’s usual high standard, The Spy’s Wife is a captivating read with a stunning conclusion.

It’s been more than a decade since I read the first two books to feature DCI Jack Hawkesworth, Bye Bye Baby and Beautiful Death, so I picked up Mirror Man with only a vague memory of the storyline, however it’s not necessary to have read either to enjoy this third instalment of the series.

Mirror Man begins when DCI Jack Hawkesworth is reassigned from his role as a Counter Terrorism International Liaison by Martin Sharpe, the Acting Chief Superintendent of the Homicide and Serious Crime Branch at Scotland Yard, to investigate a possible link between three bizarre murders. Given a promotion to Detective Superintendent and a small team to command which allows him to reunite with DI Kate Carter, DI Malek Khan and analyst DS Sara Jones, Jack is tasked to figure out if there is a serial killer loose in London targeting recently paroled criminals.

The reader knows who is responsible for the deadly string of crimes from the outset of the novel but Jack and his team have to find evidence to first prove they are linked before they even begin to search for a suspect. As a police procedural, Mirror Man works well. The murders offer little in the way of forensic evidence, the killer has been careful to leave no trace of themselves behind, so the taskforce must painstakingly investigate every possible piece of information. The killer’s goal is more obvious, a vigilante seeking his own form of justice, though his exact motivation is not known to the team.

It’s rare to be ambivalent about the capture of a serial killer, but when his victims include an unrepentant, violent rapist; an abuser who beat his wife to death; and the drunk driver who annihilated the man’s wife, daughter and granddaughters you can’t help but feel a little conflicted. I liked that McIntosh explores this morally grey area, as well as issues surrounding sentencing, rehabilitation, early parole and how they impact on the victims of crime.

Once again Jack finds himself blurting the line between his professional and personal life when journalist Lauren Starling gets wind of Operation: Mirror Man. Much is made in this series of Jack’s good looks which leaves women swooning in his wake, including Kate whose crush on her boss is still as florid as ever. At Kate’s suggestion, Jack also seeks advice from Anne McEvoy, his former lover, and serial killer, who is serving several life sentences after Jack exposed her in Bye Bye Baby. A psychologist and criminologist, she provides a profile that offers some insight into the case.

Though the reader is led to believe they have all the answers the police are searching for, there are several well placed surprises in Mirror Man. The pace and tension accelerates as Jack grows closer to identifying his quarry, and the lives of several characters are at risk.

With its provocative theme and well crafted plot, Mirror Man is a gripping police procedural, sure to entertain crime fiction readers.

Story of Jewish Czech family and the impact of the Nazi eradication of Jews and theft of valuable property. How one young woman was able to trace the thief through the provenance of a unique pearl piece that was from the Ottoman Empire but had been in her family for centuries. Many stories of the holocaust have been written but this was done quite differently.

In my opinion, this was not one of Fiona Macintosh’s better novels. The plot felt formulaic and similar to some of her other novels. It was obvious that the author had done her research about the making of champagne before writing this book but for some reason she felt it necessary to bombard her readers with everything she had learnt which detracted from the story. The info-dumps had me skipping pages on more than one occasion! While I liked the setting and admired Sophie and Charlie, Louis was repugnant and I was not satisfied with how the book ended.

Loved this, the second book in the DCI Jack Hawksworth series. Hopefully there will be another book in the series. This book kept me engaged the whole time.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a very intense read at times but I wanted to keep reading it to see what happened. I look forward to reading book 2 and wish there were more in the series.

An absolute gem of a story. Loved it

Set in France during World War I, The Champagne War by Fiona McIntosh is a grand tale of romance, resilience, courage and champagne.

It is love at first sight between Sophie Delancré, a fifth generation champenoise, and vigneron Jerome Méa, but they have mere weeks together following their wedding in 1914 before Jerome must leave his bride to do his duty in defence of France. Determined that the production of the Delancré House will not falter despite the war, Sophie throws herself into her dual role of tending the vines and making her champagne while she waits for the return of her new husband. When the news that Jerome is missing, lost in action when his position in Ypres was attacked during the first deployment of Chlorine gas by the Germans, reaches her a year later, Sophie is devastated, but without a body, refuses to relinquish the hope that he is alive somewhere. As the war drags on and the fighting creeps closer, Sophie and those left behind in the villages of Épernay and Reims, nevertheless continue to nurture the vineyards and ensure the production of their champagne, though to do so risks placing Sophie in the debt of her odious brother-in-law, Louis.

Sophie is a wonderful character, she is a smart, strong, passionate, and independent woman, but her loyalty to her family’s legacy is near all-consuming. With Jerome missing, presumed dead, and the privations of war worsening affecting her ability to produce champagne, Sophie becomes vulnerable to Louis’s manipulation. It’s the fortuitous arrival of injured British Army Captain and former chemist, Charlie Nash, that provides Sophie with an alternative, not only to her grief and loneliness, but also her desperate need for sugar.

Charlie is the only member of his company to survive a fierce battle on the outskirts of Reim, having been badly injured he is invited to convalesce at Sophie’s home in Épernay along with a dozen or so other soldiers. He is an appealing character, revealing himself to be a principled man despite the compromises demanded by war. Charlie is immediately infatuated with Sophie, who is surprised to find she returns his interest, even though she can’t let go of the hope that Jerome still lives.

Though romance is an essential element of The Champagne War, the story is much more than just that. As always, McIntosh masterfully weaves historical fact into her tale of fiction. The story is meticulously researched in terms of location, period and the specifics of the champagne industry. The horrors of war, particularly as experienced by Jerome and Charlie, are portrayed with authenticity, and though I personally dislike the taste of champagne, I still found learning about its complex production and makeup to be interesting. For those that enjoy a drop or two, Fiona has thoughtfully provided a bonus, recipe’s for Sabayon and Champagne Truffles.

The Champagne War is a sparkling, elegant, and effervescent, novel, to be savoured.

"Tapestry" had a very slow start and there were times when I almost gave up. However, I am glad I persevered because the pace certainly improved once Jane was in the 1700s trying to save the Jacobite lord, William Maxwell, and I enjoyed the historical setting which McIntosh does so well. Unfortunately, though, there were sections of the book that were heavy info-dumps which I found overdone. While "Tapestry" was an okay read, it certainly wasn't one of Fiona McIntosh's best.