Hello dear readers! Today I'm reviewing '(un)interrupted tongues' by Dal Kular as part of the blog tour. I'll put the poster for the tour at the end of the post so make sure to check out the other reviews of Dal Kular's debut poetry collection. Massive thanks to Isabelle Kenyon for organising the blog tour, allowing me to take part and for the gifted copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis:

'(un)interrupted tongues' unfolds Kular's creative journey and life as a working-class woman of colour. Written and created intuitively, Kular seeks to unravel the past, in order to understand the present and to heal. Here, unbelonging is power. These poems are love letters to the reader, never to give up on your creative dreams.

Review:

My first impression of Kular's debut poetry book is that the poems are not meant to be read only once and forgotten, but that they are meant to be read multiple times in order to be fully devoured. Every time you read one of the poems, something different strikes you - on first read it may be the shape of the poem, on second read it may be its meaning and on the third read it may be Kular's use of punctuation and spelling. It's quite clear that Kular created her poetry not to conform to standards and expectations but to break free, heal, and discover herself without limitations.

Dal Kular uses imagery, punctuation and intentional misspellings to give shape to her poems and to tell us about her life, her ancestors and her heritage. The poems are personal but also relatable to others who are trying to understand their past in order to understand their present. I couldn't help but underline a plethora of quotes when I was reading the book as there is just something mesmerising about the writing and the use of vocabulary.

Although the whole collection is brilliant, some poems which stood out to me were: 'white pages | 1974', 'uprise |ancestor speaks me|  Sheffield 2019', 'Orkney | 2019' and 'i knew || 2016'.

Overall, '(un)interrupted tongues' is a brilliant debut poetry book which is full of playfulness, healing and self-discovery, and which I definitely recommend to readers who prefer experimental poetry that is unique. Dal Kular is a great poet and her specialising in creative writing arts for healing certainly comes across in her writing, through her attention to detail and through the showcasing of her knowledge, especially in the 'Epilogue'. Kular's voice is bold and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Rating: ★★★★

If you are interested in '(un)interrupted tongues', then you can purchase the poetry book through this link

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About the Author

Dal Kular is a writer and facilitator from Sheffield. From leaving school at 16 years old with 3 O-levels and being told she could never be a writer  –  to severe burnout, grief and loss – Dal returned to the power of words and writing in her late forties, as an act of radical self-care and healing, gaining an MSc in Therapeutic Writing.  Through writing circles, co-writing spaces and Our True Nature writing workshops for women of colour – she encourages women to discover the power of their own voices. Her essays have been shortlisted for Wasafiri New Writing Prize and Class Action Nature Writing Prize. She is currently working on a memoir about her mother, grief and nature supported by Arts Council funding. She is most often found roaming the Peak District in her tiny brown van, Muddy. You can find out more at www.dalkular.com. 

Title: The Former Boy Wonder
Author: Robert Graham
Price: £12.99
Publisher: Lendal Press
Publication date: 24/02/2022

Hello lovely readers! Today I'm back with a review of 'The Former Boy Wonder' by Robert Graham which is a fictional comedy that centres around a character's mid-life crisis and looks at his past and present romantic relationships, as well as the challenges of the relationship between father and sons. Massive thanks to Isabelle Kenyon for organising the blog tour and allowing me to take part in it, and to Lendal Press for sending me a gifted copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

Synopsis:

With his 50th birthday approaching, and his career in tatters, Peter Duffy is hard at work trying to repair his marriage when an invitation arrives in the post. Caitlin, of one his his university friends, is having a party at the country house where he met his first love, the exotic Sanchia Page. If all his old friends are going to be there, there's a slim chance that - just maybe - she will, too. Faced with this possibility, re-living his time with Sanchia threatens to turn his head and ruin all his good intentions. The story is set in the new Manchester of the 21st century and the old Manchester of 25 years before. 

Review:

I devoured 'The Former Boy Wonder' in just a few days as I was so invested in Peter's life and wondering if he would steer it in a different direction or if he would manage to fix the relationship with his wife and son. Told from a first-person perspective, the story allows to get into Peter's psyche and revisit important moments in his life, from his childhood and all the way to his 50th birthday. The novel is full of nostalgia as Peter obsesses over old photographs and memories of touring with musicians, and visits places from his past which help him to look back on better times, which I think we can all relate to. As one of the quotes from the novel states:

"It's so much easier to romanticise the past than it is to face up to the present"

Furthermore, although the books is funny, there are also elements of sadness as the character of Peter looks back on his unrequited love, but also at the relationship with his father which has had a clear effect on the relationship with his own son. Graham managed to communicate such as plethora of emotions through his writing and I think he managed to make all those emotions build up and balance out in the end which is bound to leave the reader satisfied and full of warmth. I have to admit that I don’t often read books with a first person character who is male as I don’t find that I can relate to them but the character of Peter is extremely well-developed and realistic, and a pleasure to read.

Another aspect of the novel that I enjoyed were the cultural and literature references. The characters of Lucy and Sanchia were shaped by literature references and I think this allows the reader to compare and contrast them. There's also an endless amount of music references which are a vital part of the novel, as Peter is a music lover, and struggling music writer. He is often found associating a song with a person or a time in his life, which I have to say I also find myself doing a lot as a music lover.

Overall, 'The Former Boy Wonder' is a novel worthy of a five star rating as it captures so much of life that everyone can relate to - its struggles but also the positives. Graham is a wonderful writer and  I wish I could read the novel again for the first time and experience Peter looking back on hist past whilst rebuilding his present and future again. If you like reading novels which feature a lot of nostalgia, music and love then I would definitely recommend this book to you, and even if you don't, it would be too bad to miss out on this amazing novel!

Rating: ★★★★★

If you're a fellow writer or intrigued to read about Graham writing 'The Former Boy Wonder' then check out his blog posts. 

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About the Author

Robert Graham is the author of the novel Holy Joe; the short story collections The Only Living Boy and When You Were a Mod, I Was A Rocker; and the novella A Man Walks Into A Kitchen. His play about fans of The Smiths, If You Have Five Seconds To Spare, was staged by Contact Theatre, Manchester. He is co-author, with Keith Baty, of Elvis – The Novel, a spoof biography; and, with Julie Armstrong, Heather Leach, Helen Newall et al, of The Road To Somewhere: A Creative Writing Companion; Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Creative Writing; and How To Write A Short Story (And Think About It). He grew up in Northern Ireland and for most of his adult life has lived in Manchester. He teaches Creative Writing at Liverpool John Moores University.

For more information please see www.robertgraham.life and follow Robert on Instagram @robert55graham

I'm reviewing 'The Former Boy Wonder' as part of a blog tour so why not check out the other stops on the tour to find out what the other reviewers think of the book?

Title: Foolish Heroines
Author: June Wentland
Price: £9.99
Publisher: Valley Press UK
Publication date: 16/09/2021

Hi everyone! How are you all? Today I have a very exciting review to share with you - a contemporary magical realism novel titled 'Foolish Heroines' which has been written by June Wentland. I'm reviewing the novel as part of a blog tour so don't forget to check out the other lovely reviewers' thoughts. Massive thanks to Isabelle Kenyon for organising the blog tour and to Valley Press for sending me a gifted copy (well, actually two copies since the first one disappeared in the post!) in exchange for my honest review!

Synopsis:

Janina Reston is a language expert, translating fiendishly tricky Arabic and Asian mathematical and scientific texts. Words are her world. But she can't find any to share with her husband Owen. Instead, she confides in a spider named Gladys (who may or may not be her deceased grandmother).

She lives in an ordinary city suburb where extraordinary things happen. Lily's husband dies in a strange accident with a milk bottle, while Fatima writes biographies of unknown people living seemingly inconsequential lives, and Zosia - whose most daring adventure thus far far has been replacing jelly and ice cream with lemon meringue pie - runs off to Delhi with an Asian Women's Sewing Group.

Review:

From the very first page, I was captured by Wentland's use of language and had to keep a pencil with me whilst reading as I kept on noticing beautiful quotes that stood out to me. I personally found 'Foolish Heroines' to be an empowering read, as the women in the novel found and transformed themselves, or were trying to work out their domestic issues such as finding a way to communicate with their loved one or letting themselves free after they have been controlled for too long. 

"Oh, how aerodynamic some women would be if only they realised. What low air resistance they'd have. To what heights they'd be able to soar like self-powered frisbees cutting sharply, economically, through the soft bloodless substance of other people's dreams."

Whilst the novel focused on the journey through everyday life, Wentland incorporated plenty of humour which made me laugh out loud but at the same she made sure to provide plenty of food for thought. Additionally, I am truly in awe of the way magical realism has been interweaved with domesticity through Wentland's use of imagery, personifying animals and various settings, most notably a dining room turning into a jungle!

The novel focalises on multiple characters and I think Wentland has done an excellent job of giving them all an equal spotlight without overwhelming the reader with too much information. None of the characters are forgettable either; they all play a key part in the story moving forward. At first we find out each of the heroines' stories separately but in the second half of the novel they all become connected. It would be hard to pinpoint a character that stood out to me as I found that they were all unique and I was moved by all of them. 

Also, if you love animals, especially cats, then you will love 'Foolish Heroines'! As a cat mum, I was overjoyed with the cats featured and the way Wentland made them part of the storyline, just as she did with the parrot from Lily's jungle and Gladys the spider. I think this aspect of the novel really portrayed how pets can be our emotional support!

Overall, if you enjoy reading magical realist fiction (or would like to try it out) then you need to read 'Foolish Heroines'! June Wentland's debut novel is a genuinely uplifting read that uncovers a magical world in one of domesticity. Incorporating themes of power, relationships and communication, everyone is bound to find something they like about this book. Let's also not forget Wentland's use of language - the novel is written beautifully and is full of quotes and metaphors that will make you think more deeply about its themes.

I also want to add that I love when blog tours help me discover new authors and June Wentland is a writer whose work I will certainly look out for in the future!

Rating: 5 stars

Valley Press UK are currently having a January sale so if you'd like to purchase 'Foolish Heroines', enter the code JAN22 at the basket stage and a 22% discount will be applied.

June Wentland is an ordinary woman who believes that extraordinary things can happen if you keep your eyes peeled and your heart open to new possibilities. She grew up in Hull, moving to Manchester and Bristol before settling in Wiltshire. June has worked in community development and outreach for libraries as well as being a rather lacklustre waitress and on an assembly line sticking tassels onto lampshades.

She has had stories televised and published by the BBC and her poetry has appeared in many literary journals and anthologies. This is her first novel. If you'd like to find out more about June or get in touch with her then you can follow her on Twitter: @june_mw or visit her website www.junewentland.com

Don't forget to take a look at the other reviews of June Wentland's 'Foolish Heroines'! 

"My apology is a curation of thoughts, the embellishment of memories. I'm gathering it all around a theme and the theme is: Caitlin, what a piece of shit."

Rating: 5 stars

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About the Author

Claire HM is a fiction writer, poet and teacher based in (and writing about) her home city of Birmingham. In 2018, she had an essay published in the anthology, I Wrote it Anyway, about her experience of  accessing university and the long journey of finding the confidence to write as a woman in her forties from a working-class background. Her work is now published in a growing number of literary publications, including Tears in the Fence, Magma, The Rialto, streetcar, Coven Journal and in Cape Magazine.