About Me

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Australia
I am passionate about the written language. I love writing, reading, reviewing, selling and promoting books. I am an independent bookseller with over 20 years of experience in the book trade. Together with my partners, I actively aim to improve our bookstore's range and services to better reflect the needs of our community and clientele. In 2008, my memoir 'Under A Starless Sky' was published by Hachette, Australia. Since then, I had a short story 'Jasmine Petals' published in 'Stories of Belonging' (Finch) and in 2013, released my first full-length novel, The Russian Tapestry, also by Hachette. I am currently writing my second novel. I strive daily to improve my skills and stretch the limits of my craft. My love of books has naturally lead to reviewing. You can follow me on Twitter @B_Serov, Facebook www.facebook.com/BanafshehSerov and Goodreads www.goodreads.com/author/show/1429016.Banafsheh_Serov

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Fingersmith - Sarah Waters




Fingersmith

Sarah Waters

Virago

'My name, in those days, was Susan Trinder. People called me Sue. I know the year I was born in, but for many years I did not know the date, and took my birthday at Christmas. I believe I am an orphan. My mother I know is dead. But I never saw her, she was nothing to me. I was Mrs Sucksby's child, if I was anyone's'


Susan Trinder, 17, grew up in the slumps of London. An orphan, she is raised by petty thieves and pickpockets. Her life takes a sudden turn when Richard Rivers, a trickster, comes up with a plan to make them all rich.



Maud Lilley also 17, is an heiress kept in seclusion by her uncle in a large house outside of London. Set to inherit a large fortune upon marriage, she is easy prey for the likes of Rivers - who plans to marry, then commit her to a mental asylum. Sarah is to abet Rivers in his plan by installing herself as Maud's maid and chaperon to help win her over.



Simple.




And so begins a tale of betrayal and treachery. Where nothing is ever as simple as it appear and no one is to be trusted. With dastardly gentlemen, unscrupulous villains, vulnerable girls in peril, and transgressive heroines, Fingersmith does not dissapoint in keeping the reader glued to its pages.



A thoroughly enjoyable read. 4 stars

Sarah Thornhill - Kate Grenville


Sarah Thornhill
Kate Grenville
Text

Sarah Thornhill completes a loose trilogy which includes the highly acclaimed The Secret River and The Lieutenant. While there are romantic elements, they are weighed by remorse and guilt for atrocities committed against Aborigines during colonisation.

Sarah, the daughter of William Thornhill, is independent, resourceful, feisty, and in love. Told through her eyes, the novel is narrated as it might be thought or spoken, in bits of sentences. Though illiterate, Sarah is sensitive and highly observant.

Deeply in love with a young Aboriginal man Jack Langland, Sarah imagines a life alongside her lover. Their relationship kept secret, once discovered, prompts her stepmother to reveal to Jack a hidden secret that so horrific, has haunted the family for many years and has lead to the estrangement of a son.

Believing her father to be a noble and generous man, Sarah knows nothing of the secret and is devastated when Jack leaves her. Heartbroken, she eventually marries an Irish settler who is kind and respectful to her. But just as it appears that her life is settled, family secrets are revealed, casting a chill shadow over its members.

Simply and beautifully narrated, Sarah Thornhill is a tale set in the colonial past whose theme is as relevant in today's society as it was back then. Grenville has crafted a magnificent tale that is sure to be an Australian classic in years to come. 4.5 stars