'The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul' - Deborah Rodriguez

It drew me in with the name, looking and sounding like a great story to start my summer reads. I use the word 'story' but it's more than that for Deborah Rodriguez. Her first release, Kabul Beauty Shop: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil, is actually a memoir of when she first started a life in Afghanistan teaching at the Kabul Beauty School. Whilst The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul is her debut novel, it still holds remnants of a memoir for Rodriguez, from when she co-owned the Cabul Coffee House. However, her latest release, The House on Carnaval Street, has a change of scenery in her new home of Mexico, where she moved having had to flee Afghanistan. It caught my eye recently with another bright cover and made me feel a little behind in her series, real and imagined. So The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul found its way into my handbag.

It's more than just a story, not just for Rodriguez, but for the reader. It is a novel that is invigorating for women, with the story set around five female protagonists, as well as being an insight into Afghanistan. Through the five women, different aspects of Afghanistan are brought together, both the good and the bad. Rodriguez brings into the story the terrorism and the poverty we already see in the media, but she also brings in the beauty it is hard to imagine exists there. She writes an almost unbiased account of the country, with some criticism to the West's involvement as well as criticism of some Afghan traditions, laying no blame other than that on the terrorists for the poverty and destruction. Rodriguez delves into certain parts of the country's poverty, particularly through two of the women. Candace, who left her wealthy husband behind in America for a new just as wealthy life with an Afghan, is constantly looking for new causes to help and make her feel worthy. She begins working with Isabel, a journalist for the BBC she meets at the coffeehouse who is in Afghanistan to investigate the drug lords who own the poppy fields used to produce and distribute opium. However, she finds another cause along the way. Her and Candace begin a mission to rescue women unjustly imprisoned, with various obstacles along the way. The treatment of female prisoners is heartbreaking to read about, and you know it is fiction about fact.

The horrendous way that women can be treated in Afghanistan is reinforced by Yasmina, a woman whose husband died before the novel began but left her pregnant. She is taken from her home by men her uncle owes money to but abandoned on the streets of Kabul when her pregnancy is discovered and she is deemed useless by the men who can no longer sell her. With her husband unknown by those in Kabul, she will be viewed as a prostitute, and would end up most likely in the prisons Isabel and Candace are trying to put a stop to. This is until Sunny sees her and brings her back to the coffeehouse she runs, a business that is a touch of the West in Kabul, where mainly foreigners can come and grab a great cappuccino. The building the coffeeshop is run from is owned by Halajan, a sexagenarian who has experienced various degrees of freedom in her home country. Even with the Taliban not in control, she is still forced to hide love letters from the man she wants to be with, despite her husband being dead as well as the sender's wife. If the letters are discovered, it will bring shame on her family, unless Halajan's son arranges a marriage between them. But Ahmet is a traditional Afghan man, with strict values, who does not believe in marrying for love, until he meets Yasmina.

All five women come together at Sunny's coffeehouse to create a magnificent narrative of life in Kabul; of the determination of women, of the strength of love, as clichéd as it sounds, and of the beauty of a country not just its natives should appreciate. Rodriguez has captured so much of Kabul in these pages that she has made it possible to look past the minority of terrorists that exist there and see the lives of those who are having to live with constant bombings destroying their homes and taking their loved ones. The ending is probably the most unrealistic part of the book, being a fairytale ending typical of a western novel. But if Hollywood can do it, why not Rodriguez? It is hard to fault this narrative, and hard not to be touched by it, whether it is to laugh or cry. However, it still remains light enough, despite all the issues that it tackled, to be a great novel to read whilst sitting out in the sun with a glass (or a jug) of Pimms! I would strongly recommend letting The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul fall into your own handbags this summer.

'Glow' - Ned Beauman

Beauman has managed to capture London at its truest and yet most vulnerable is this uniquely interesting novel. The plot is almost difficult to explain without going into depth or giving too much away. Raf, a twenty-two year old living in London, briefly meets a girl at a rave in a launderette and instantly falls in love with her. This is also the first time he hears of Glow, a new drug which suddenly becomes a huge part of his life for unexpected reasons. The girl, the drug, a pirate radio station and a mining company all fuse together to create an epic story of greed, revolution, and a little bit of love. I refuse to reveal any more than that, you'll just have to read it for yourself!

The story is really a statement of Beauman's intelligence. The complexity of the plot, as well the detailed descriptions of drug compositions and effects, allows Glow to become plausible, particularly those skeptical of large corporations. The little details that other young authors might leave out are what really sew the book together and are also what makes the book almost a reality. I suspect either a lot of research went into it or an incredible imagination. Either way, it works. As if this isn't enough for Beauman to exercise his talent, he also throws in some clever twists that you really don't expect, as well as a few red herrings. It's just showing off, but it makes the novel as close to perfection as you could ask for.

As Beauman's third novel, Glow has intrigued me to indulge in his other work. I honestly cannot think of a part that I didn't like; even when there's large chunks of text talking in depth about the physiological effects of different drugs I was hooked. Plus I learnt more about drugs from this novel than I have in my twenty-two years of existence. It is entirely captivating from beginning to end, never allowing your mind to drift. It demands your attention, and you let it. Definitely something that I hope, in the future, will be referred to as a cult classic.

'Still Alice' - Lisa Genova

If you are a particularly empathetic person (such as myself), reading this book will require tissues by the pallet load. It is a heartbreaking reminder of what it would be like to live with Alzheimer's disease. Alice is just fifty years-old and at the height of her career when she is diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimer's disease, a diagnosis she is reluctant to accept. As a married mother of three and a professor of psychology at Harvard, you know immediately that she has much to lose. but the losses are still shocking nonetheless. 

The story is told from Alice's point of view, a decision that aids the story emotionally as well as rather cleverly. As her mind declines and she begins to be less aware of her surroundings, Genova makes us also less aware. We know about as much as Alice does, and this is where the heartbreak comes in, because by the end of the novel we know practically nothing and are relying on the other characters, just like Alice. Even though some of the story can be predictable if you know a little about the disease, the impact is not lessened because of this. It also doesn't state the obvious; if events repeat themselves because Alice cannot remember doing them the first time, Genova relies on you to pick this up.

A novel about Alzheimer's might not sound like fun to pick up, but I can honestly say it's a good read. It is an incredibly powerful book, but should not be shied away from. Genova attempts to give the reader something at the end of the novel to perhaps lighten the mood. Though not a proper conclusion (so please do not expect a neat little bow), the last couple of pages answer a question that Alice frets over since her diagnosis; is the love you feel for your family in your heart or in your head? From the conversation that takes place, we can only assume that love is not something that Alice forgets.

It is a truly eye-opening, educational novel for those such as myself with no experience of the disease. With the release of a film adaptation as well, I can only hope Still Alice will raise awareness of dementia. I have not seen the film though, and never watch film adaptions before I have read the books that they are based upon, but hopefully it is just as enlightening as the novel.

A Dead Good Evening with Jo Nesbo

The first thing you notice when Jo Nesbo talks is that he loves to talk. The second is that he should. He strolled on to the stage at The Old Market Theatre in Hove, wearing sunglasses and turned up jeans, looking effortlessly cool. As soon as the interview begins, his charisma and sense of humour draw you in, and it soon becomes apparent that he is a natural storyteller, both in life and on paper. In fact, there is what Nesbo described as a "long and complicated" story behind is latest novel, Blood on Snow, a story he was happy to indulge us in. It seemed neither long nor complicated when told by him, and I wouldn't want to ruin it by attempting to write it here. All I will reveal is that the novel, and its sequel to be released later this year, were planned at first to be released under a pseudonym, right up until the lawyers stepped in.

As well as having the audience captivated by his stories, he also has you admiring his honesty. He was asked about the Harry Hole Foundation, a charity he set up in 2008 to provide literacy classes in third world countries. He explains that a country where the majority of the population cannot read and write can not be truly democratic, but this is not the only reason he created the foundation. Nesbo also half joked that it allowed him to be both rich and shameless, to a certain extent. Having been born in one of the richest countries in the world, he was automatically more privileged than those he now donates money towards, and being as successful as he has become means he has more money than he needs. The Harry Hole Foundation does not affect his lifestyle, but it does affect his standing as a human being, in the public's eye as well as his own. This is not a fact he says away from, and to be honest, its entirely endearing to hear.

The foundation, despite being named after his incredibly popular Harry Hole series, was set up following the huge success of his stand-alone novel Headhunters. All proceeds from this book, as well as his latest Blood on Snow, and his upcoming novel Midnight Sun go to the foundation. These proceeds include those from the film adaptation of Headhunters, released in 2011. The film appeared to be a slightly uncomfortable topic for Nesbo. He compared being asked if he liked the film to asking a gynaecologist if he thought his last patient was sexy. I will leave that to your own interpretation.

The interview I attended with Jo Nesbo is just one of many promotional events for Blood on Snow. However, he openly admits that he avoids meeting with his fans, not because he does not appreciate them, but because he is apprehensive of being tainted by them. He explains that he doesn't want to give the readers what they want; he wants to give them what they didn't know they wanted. He certainly achieves this in every novel I have read so far, and hopefully Blood on Snow will be no exception.

'The Miniaturist' - Jessie Burton

People always say don't judge a book by its cover, but the cover for this book was a hard one to miss, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit it's the main reason that I bought it. A great choice, it turns out, since it was then awarded Waterstones' Book of the Year 2014, as well as being nominated for various other prizes. I've only just gotten around to reading it, despite buying it in hardback last year, and found it very difficult to put down. Fortunately, I had it with me for the flights to and from Barcelona, so there was no need to put it down in a hurry.

It starts off with the end, in late 17th Century Amsterdam, before bringing us back to the beginning of the story, revealing the sequence of events which took place. Nella Oortman knocks on the door of the house of her new husband, successful merchant trader Johannes Brandt, a man she has only met once before. Following a wedding gift from him of a miniature replica of the house she now lives in, she writes a letter to a miniaturist, ordering small items to go inside. However, the miniaturist starts sending more than what Nella asked for, ominous items that seem to be predicting the future.

It sounds intriguing, and it was at first. Despite a slow start, Burton is soon building a mystery for us surrounding Johannes Brandt and the miniaturist; however, Brandt's secret is too easy to guess, and the reason the miniaturist's secret isn't easy to guess is that there is no secret at all. It's a dead end, with no explanation, leaving me feeling disappointed by the last page, wishing that there was another chapter to save it. This is not the only evidence of a first novel; the characters do not simply develop, they completely change. Maybe this is what Burton wanted after what the characters had been through, but I found it lacked strength, as though she started with a great idea but didn't know where to take it and lost her way.

Its saving grace is how well the novel is written, with elegant prose inviting beautiful images of Amsterdam with an incredibly unique and fresh story. Despite a slow start, Burton's skill soon leaves you enticed; with so many avenues that the story could go down, the book is at first completely unpredictable. It's just a shame that this enticement does not remain through to the last page. It's certainly a novel that I would recommend reading for the uniqueness and prose, just prepare yourself for the lacklustre ending!

Prologue

Starting a blog is far more daunting that I originally thought, and thinking of a suitable name was just as hard. A Room with a Review comes from E.M. Forster's 1908 novel A Room with a View, a name I was therefore pretty smug about until my sister pointed out my blog sounded more like it reviewed hotels than books. I stuck with it anyway, assuming anyone who is as big a book nerd as myself will get it.

Reading books has always been a passion of mine. Every Christmas and birthday, I would eagerly await opening that rectangular present, and as soon as it was open, I would be reading it. No other present would compare. A little geeky, you're probably thinking, but we're talking Jacqueline Wilson and J.K. Rowling, not War and Peace (though I will conquer that book one day). If I wasn't reading a book, I would usually have a pen in my hand, writing my diary, something I was desperately enthusiastic about after reading The Princess Diaries. I have long since stopped keeping a diary (and reading Meg Cabot), and have always regretted it. So this is kind of like my new form of diary, linking two passions together; books and writing.

My taste has darkened a little since reading about Tracy Beaker and Mia Thermopolis, though. My bookshelves are now filled with stories about possessed cars and authors held hostage by crazed fans, so expect to see some horrors and crime novels amongst the reviews. However, I will pick up most genres so you will see a variety of books on this blog, and I will be honest about all of them. 

Feel free to comment your own opinions about the books that I review too!

Thanks for reading!

Nina x