Although Wilkinson has placed her story in the near future, for the most part, you wouldn't necessarily be aware of that fact. Personally, I was delighted as I'm not a fan of futuristic fiction.
| Bloodmining by Laura Wilkinson | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Louise Laurie
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| Summary: We're in the near fiture and certain resources are in short supply. Three generations of women face their secrets, problems and inner demons. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Maybe |
| Pages: 369 | Date: August 2011 |
| Publisher: Bridge House | |
| ISBN: 978-1-907335-14-3 | |
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The story starts at the end and works back through the generations. So, we have Megan Evens, the main character who is leading a charmed life at the moment. Well, apart from her love life which stinks, basically. Still, she's not really complaining - she's going to have a child and she's happy about it. We get a peep at Megan's life pre-pregnancy. She's a successful journalist sent to trouble spots around the world. In one of these exotic and far-flung locations she met with Hisham (father of her child-to-be) and both thought they might settle down. But it wasn't to be. So we see Megan (and her bump) travelling back to London.
Although Megan has based herself in bustling London, she still calls Wales her home. On a visit to her mother an arrangement is made which seems to suit both women. Meg's mother lives alone in a big, rambling house so why doesn't Meg move in and when the baby is born, well, see how things go?
Wilkinson teases her readers with a peek into the future. It's not looking great. Global warming has made serious in-roads. Okay, people may have all the gadgets under the sun to make their lives run more smoothly but what does that matter when certain fresh foods can be scare and disease shows its ugly face. The year 2015 crops up time and time again. Something important happened then. Wilkinson fills in the details when appropriate.
I can see why Wilkinson chose the near future in which to place this narrative but I felt it was a trifle clumsy - I could almost see the joins. I thought her writing style good enough to draw me into the story but I felt at times that I was skimming the surface. I wanted more depth, especially with some of the characters. The narrative was a little plodding at times and I subsequently lost some interest.
We get a huge amount (too much in my opinion) of background material of Meg's family: her mother, her father, her grandmother ... Yes, they are central to the story but I still felt a little bogged down with unnecessary detail. And I knew that my attention had been lacking somewhat as, when I'd read say, about the grandmother and her particular lifestory, I'd lost a little momentum on say, the mother Elizabeth.
The front cover and its attention-catching Three women. One secret. A child with a deadly disease promises a lot but failed to deliver for me, I'm afraid. It all fell a little flat. I sort of guessed the ending as far as Meg's love life was concerned and it was all just a little too twee for me.
This novel is essentially about relationships within the family. Particuarly the relationship between parent and child. If you enjoy a family-type read (with plenty of detail) then this book may just suit. It fell short for me on several levels.
If this book appeals then you might like to try Becoming Strangers by Louise Dean
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