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Footsteps Katharine McMahon Pages-309 Footsteps is an amazing book based on the past and how it influences the future. Whilst trying to cope with the death of her husband and caring for her three year old daughter, Helena is asked to write a book about her family’s past. But especially her grandfather the Edwardian Photographer Donaldson, and his relationship with Ruth Styles, Helena’s grandmother. At first Helena is reluctant to help because her past has always been mysterious, and her mother is never keen on the subject. But finally convinced she finds out that the past like the present is riddled with dreadful dilemmas and the cruelty of love. This book is told through two voices, the voice Helena a young widow trying to find out the past and the voice of Ruth Styles Helena’s grandmother in the past. This makes the story more alive because Helena finds things out about Ruth whilst living her own life, at the same time you are also gaining a fabulous inside into the mind of Ruth Styles. To start with I thought that this book was really grim because the first chapter was Helen’s husband funeral, but I’m so glad I persevered. Due to the fact it’s not grim at all but about trying to find who people really are inside. I loved this book and I am sure you will to!

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Page 1: Langley Book Reviews

Footsteps

Katharine McMahon

Pages-309

Footsteps is an amazing book based on the past and how it influences the future. Whilst

trying to cope with the death of her husband and caring for her three year old daughter,

Helena is asked to write a book about her family’s past. But especially her grandfather the

Edwardian Photographer Donaldson, and his relationship with Ruth Styles, Helena’s

grandmother. At first Helena is reluctant to help because her past has always been

mysterious, and her mother is never keen on the subject. But finally convinced she finds

out that the past like the present is riddled with dreadful dilemmas and the cruelty of

love. This book is told through two voices, the voice Helena a young widow trying to find

out the past and the voice of Ruth Styles Helena’s grandmother in the past. This makes

the story more alive because Helena finds things out about Ruth whilst living her own life,

at the same time you are also gaining a fabulous inside into the mind of Ruth Styles. To

start with I thought that this book was really grim because the first chapter was Helen’s

husband funeral, but I’m so glad I persevered. Due to the fact it’s not grim at all but about

trying to find who people really are inside. I loved this book and I am sure you will to!

Page 2: Langley Book Reviews

Halo

Alexandra Adornetto

Halo is such an amazing book, I loved it so much! In the novel, three angles have been sent

down from Heaven to bring good to the world and save a small sea side village called

Venus Cove. Bethany, a teenage angle, wonders why the great powers have chosen her to

go instead of more experience angles, her siblings have told her it is because she is the

more human than the other angles. As Bethany starts school how can she possibly keep

away from a gorgeous human boy with a tragic past, they soon fall in love, defying every

law in heaven and possibly landing Bethany and her siblings in massive danger. But when

the mysterious Jake Thorn turns up and bad things keep happening, can Bethany keep up

her angle work and her relationship? Or will it mean she has all the more to lose? I found

this really great book and I will definitely be reading it again very soon. You may think that

it is a book about religion, Heaven and hell, but really it is about the differences between

good, bad, love and hate. It is quite a chunky book but don’t be put off by that, every page

is worth reading at least once! There are also two other books in the series called Hades

which I am looking forward to reading and the third and final book comes out in August

2012.

Page 3: Langley Book Reviews

Little Women

Louisa M. Alcott

Little Women is such a great book, it captures the life story of an unfortunate American

family. In the family there is; Meg the, oldest, vain but friendly about at the right age to be

looking for love, on the other hand there is boyish Jo always keen to meet people and

write passionate novels. Gentle loving Beth devotes her live to her family and her musical

talents, but then there’s Amy the youngest and most selfish of the March girls always

trying to act older than she really is. The novel highlights the girls growing up and facing

the big wide world, as the sisters experience love, hate, loyalty and sorrow. But as the

story progresses the sisters are subjected to massive change and challenges. Will they be

able to cope with the challenges that life throws at them? I personally think that Little

Women is a fabulous book and deserves more recognition than it has at present. Before I

read little women I thought that it would be outdated and hard to read, but it’s not at all,

the girls in the book experience many of the same traumas as we do now. Little women is

a classic because it is really good and really worth reading. So why not try reading it I

loved it so you probably would too!

Page 4: Langley Book Reviews

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austin

Pride and Prejudice for me is one of the best of the classics there is. The book follows the

life of a two young girls, Lizzie and Jane the oldest two of the five Benet sisters. The

Benet’s are not most well off family around, but Lizzie’s mother (Mrs Benet) is very keen

to get them married to rich men with massive fortunes. But when Mr Bingley and Mr

Darcy arrive in town the sisters are made to meet them. Jane is intrigued by Mr Bingley

and is soon thinking about nothing else, but is kept occupied by the thought that he might

see her as a girl seeking his fortune. On the other hand Lizzie is disgusted by Mr Darcy’s

prejudice to her and her sisters. During the novel Lizzie is drawn to the mysterious Mr

Darcy and wonders if he is the man she once though him to be or has she prejudged him?

During the novel Lizzie experiences Love, Hate and everything in between. Pride and

Prejudice is one of the best books I have ever read, even though it is a classic. To start

with I thought it would be terrible and hard to read but actually it isn’t, it’s just like any

other modern day book but in many ways even better!

Page 5: Langley Book Reviews

Shiver

Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver is definitely in my top 10 list of books. Grace has always known about the wolves,

ever since they tried to kill her as a child. But when a local boy is killed by them she can’t

help but be fascinated by the pack. She can’t keep her mind off them especially the wolf

with the yellow eyes, there’s something about him something almost human. But when

she meets a familiar yellow eyed boy in town he takes her breath away. She can’t help but

find herself deeply involved in the wolves and the yellow eyed boy, and suddenly her

whole world is upside down and every think she thought was real was a lie. Will she be

able to keep what she knows a secret? Or will the wolves in the woods never be there

again? The novel is told through two different voices, the voice of Grace an ordinary girl

with uncaring and self-obsessed parents and the voice of Sam the yellow eyed mysterious

half boy half wolf. This is a griping romantic book but with more to it than most, this book

does not just have love and passion woven in to its words but deep dark secrets and lies

as well. This fabulous book is so well written, with such an amazing story. Just looking at

this book you would think that it is an imitation of the amazing Twilight Saga, but it is

completely different and a great book in its own right, which I absolutely loved! There are

also two other books in the trilogy: Linger and Forever which are both as amazing if not

better worth reading.

Page 6: Langley Book Reviews

The Star of Kazan

Eva Ibbotson

Pages-388

The star of Kazan is an amazing book! Annika lives as a house maid in Vienna, she loves

her life, especially the other two house maids who she sees as the parents she has never

had. She also dearly loves the old woman across the street who tells Annika about her life

as an actor, and about the magical jewels she received. But the one thing she longs for is

the mother that abandoned her when she was a baby. But when a beautiful rich woman

comes to claim her she is taken off to her true home far away from Vienna – and her new

life begins. But the dark cumbering castle echoes with secrets and lies, and as Annika

unravels the truth she finds herself in terrible danger. The star of Kazan if one of my

favourite books, I have read it so many it times I can’t remember. The story highlights the

question: Is you true family who you are related to or is it where you fit in and are happy?

It also shows the difference between being rich and happy. To start with I thought this

book was like any other book about finding lost family, but it is actually about loads more

than that with an amazing story line. I loved this book so much and you will too!