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Behind Her Books

Book reviews, recommendations and stories of literary life.

Queenie – Candice Carty-Williams
Contemporary Fiction

Queenie – Candice Carty-Williams

June 24, 2020

You know when you read a book and wonder why it took you so long? Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams was one of those for me. I tore through it over a weekend and went through so many different emotions. When I was probably only halfway through, I knew it’d be a book that I’d be recommending to everybody.

You could describe Queenie as a vital story about being a black woman in Britain, and you’d be right. It’s also a story about life falling apart and having the strength to put it back together, told in a way that is as funny as it is devastating. The brilliance of Queenie sneaks up on you. I’ve read a lot online that it’s been dubbed a modern Bridget Jones so you think you know what you’re in for. There are links for sure; Queenie lives in London, works as a journalist and has a warm and comical dynamic with both her group of girlfriends and Jamaican family. But I would argue that Queenie is a far darker and complex character that leads the book into more complicated subject matters.

Let me tell you some more about Queenie. The titular character is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman that’s trying to fit into both cultures at once. Her long-term relationship has recently ended and whilst Queenie sees it as a “break”, Tom’s outlook is more final. For Queenie, this is both the first domino to fall and the last straw. A combination of unresolved issues from her past and this recent heartbreak triggers a period of self-destructive behaviour.

Queenie responds to the breakup by seeking validation elsewhere. She starts having casual, unprotected sex with a series of utterly vile men. As each man rejects her, Queenie’s self-confidence takes another battering and her self-worth diminishes. It’s easy to start feeling frustrated with her. ‘Stop!’, you want to shout, ‘They don’t deserve you!’. But I think the author has done such a clever job here of highlighting the fact that many people base their worth on the attention they receive from other people. It’s a common mindset and I would quickly go from wanting to shake her, to wanting to hug her.

Things go from bad to worse when through one thing or another she loses both a best friend and her job. Queenie can’t work out how she’s lost control over her own life. With no money coming in, she’s forced to move in with her grandparents. They love her, but they either want to talk to her about Jesus or remind her about the water rates every time she takes a bath. It’s small, ordinary moments like this that inject humour into the story. Queenie could be quite a miserable read but the author strikes a great balance of handling heavy subject matter with accessibility and lightheartedness.

There are parts of Queenie that I can identify with and recognize as part of being a twenty-something woman in modern Britain. There are many more parts that were an important learning experience for me. On top of everything else, Queenie has to face racism on pretty much a daily basis. Through flashbacks we see her having to deal with her ex’s family’s racism and how he doesn’t stand up for her. It’s in work, in relationships and conversations with white friends who make thoughtless comments. I think it’s important to see life through different perspectives and put yourself in their shoes to even try to begin to understand their experience.

I highly recommend Queenie to everyone. It’s fiction but you will learn about race, mental health and the stigmas attached, friendship, family and forgiveness. Give it a go, you won’t regret it.

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Q: what books inspire you to get creative? One of Q: what books inspire you to get creative?

One of my biggest loves (and goal and fears all wrapped up in one) is writing. I'm currently doing daily writing prompts and setting aside time to write every day. It's making such a difference!

I read Big Magic years ago and I still think about it now. In it Elizabeth Gilbert discusses how to live a creative life (not just writing, any art) and how to co-exist with The Fear. I love her writing so much and found this to be a real eye opener.

Being creative can be kinda scary so I'll take any support I can get 😊

If you need writing inspiration I'm following the prompts @marian_keyes so generously provided on her IG Live series and they're great. Her advice is really kind, practical and fun! So I'd recommend you check them out.

#creativewriting #bigmagic #books #Bookstagram #inspiration
Review ✨ Fleishman Is In Trouble tells the stor Review ✨

Fleishman Is In Trouble tells the story of Toby who is recently separated from his 'workaholic' wife Rachel and navigating the NY dating scene with some sense of glee in his mid forties. Yet when Rachel doesn't pick up the kids and stops returning his texts, he starts to evaluate everything he though about their marriage

Where do I start about Fleishman Is In Trouble?

It took me about 2 weeks to read it which is quite long for me and I'll be honest I was the closest to not finishing than I have with any book for a long time (DNF I think the cool kids call it).

But, I stuck it out. Something made me persevere.

The writing is razor sharp, intelligent and angry. Boy is this book angry! It's a scathing view on marriage, the elite New York parents, sexism and families. It's full of interesting characters and the writer explores really big themes in a fresh way.

What I struggled with was the dense prose (which is common of literary fiction these days) and the odd narrative choice, which threw me a couple of times. I wanted to hear from Toby and Rachel themselves but their story was told by a friend, who would often slip into tangents.

(As an aside, the writing did make me want to find any essays or articles the author had written because I think I'd love those.)

So, you see, I have no idea. I was left feeling very mixed up after it and looking at other reviews it seems to be a marmite book! I'd love to know what anyone who read it thought?

#bookreview #bookstagram #igreads
#cardiffbloggers #bookaddict
Some glorious, mixed bag of books that I'm itching Some glorious, mixed bag of books that I'm itching to get round to. A mix of fiction and non-fiction, contemporary and older, all promising to be fabulous. Anyone else feel like they need another couple of hours in the day at the moment for reading? Wouldn't that be lovely.

This week has been busy and not helped by a naughty lil puppy who has decided to randomly start playing up in the nights 😵‍💫 lucky he's cute!

Let me know how your week is going and what books are you looking forward to reading? 💕
The longer lockdown goes on the bigger the risk my The longer lockdown goes on the bigger the risk my house will start looking like this 👀

I took this photo on my birthday maybe 5 or 6 years ago in Cofion Books in Tenby, a second hand bookshelf where the books are stacked precariously high and there's no apparent rhyme or reason, just books.

Can't wait to stumble across new bookshops again. What's the best bookshop you've found?

#bookstagram #bookshops #igbooks #indiebookshop #secondhandbooks
Thinking about the fact that I set myself a goal t Thinking about the fact that I set myself a goal to finish War and Peace this year after not managing a read along last year but it's still just next to my bed, buried under some other books.

Can someone give me motivation plz xo

Tags: #booksofig #bookstgram #classicbooks #warandpeace
Books with strong covers coz we love those pretty Books with strong covers coz we love those pretty books.

✨ Little - a fictionalised retelling of an orphan who goes on to become Madame Tussaud. A weird but good read!
✨ Rest and Be Thankful - an eerie story of a paediatric nurse who is exhausted from lack of sleep and whose creepy dreams seep into reality.
✨ The Silence of the Girls - an amazing retelling of the story of Troy from the perspective of Briseis, the former queen who is now a slave.
✨Homegoing - such a good book! This tells the stories of two half sisters who are born in 18th century Ghana and how their experiences diverge & the consequences on future generations.

Have you read any of these?
Review 💛 (That I can't believe I haven't writt Review 💛

(That I can't believe I haven't written already!)

If you know me, you'll know how much I love Dolly Alderton. (And Pandora Sykes btw. My boyfriend often reminds me I don't actually know them even though I talk as if I do. What a spoil sport.) So for some unknown reason it took me until Jan to read this Dolly's debut novel Ghosts.

Summary:
First off, it's not about actual ghosts 👻 let's just clear that up. It's actually about Nina Dean, a food writer who has just turned 32 and who has also just met Max on a dating app, who she's fallen for hook, line and sinker. Just when everything is starting to click, Max ghosts her (aka disappears out of her life without an explanation) and Nina is left to work out what went wrong and what happens next when everyone's life is moving on.

What I loved about this book is how real it felt. It's those conversations you have with your friends in the pub (remember pubs?) when you're two drinks too far into tipsy territory, it's waiting for a reply back from someone you fancy  with your heart in your mouth, it's receiving another wedding invitation. Dolly has a real talent for wrapping all those up and creating really relatable and interesting characters.

THAT TEXT EXCHANGE CHAPTER MADE ME WANT TO BE SICK. IF YOU'VE READ IT, YOU KNOW.

What surprised me was the tenderness and sadness of the parallel storyline about Nina's father and his progressing dementia. It was the perfect balance of nostalgia and frustration and heartbreak of family issues.

Dolly writes with wit, awareness and I honestly want to be her best friend.

Have you read Ghosts? I'd love to know what you thought?
Mr luvva luvva 💖 Like it or loathe it you're g Mr luvva luvva 💖

Like it or loathe it you're gonna get bombarded with some V Day content and I am here to add to the noise woot woot.

Here are some books for all sorts of love, not just the cuddly-toy heart-shaped-box oh-look-my-partner-sent-flowers-to-work-which-I-definitely-didnt-ask-for (👀) kinda love...

💕 For really gritty everyday love: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
💕 For pure love that'll break your heart into a thousand pieces: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
💕 For when you're heartbroken and need a pep talk: Heartburn by Nora Ephron
💕 For celebrating platonic love and friendships: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
💕 For teenage love and a super cute story for young and older readers alike: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
💕 For millennial love: Exciting Times by Naiose Dolan
💕 For an order of love with philosophy on the side: Essays in Love by Alain de Bottom
💕 For the ultimate will they won't they / an ode to families making love complicated: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
💕 For a story on learning to love and accept yourself: Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Add your suggestions in the comments!

#books #booklove #valentinesday #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #igbooks #instareads #bookstagram
Are you signed up for a book subscription? I've c Are you signed up for a book subscription?

I've come to the end of my three month personalised subscription from @mrbsemporium (sob) and wanted to share the gems I had selected by the their team!

As part of this subscription you answer a bunch of questions about your reading tastes, what you like or don't like and then they curate suggestions tailor made to you.

I love essay collections, fiction, female writers, and I've started getting into  magic realism so these choices were perfect for me!

This is not an ad (lolz I wish) but was a gift from my lovely bf so feel free to tag in someone you're trying to hint for gift ideas, or if you wanna treat yourself I'd say go for it. Nothing better than a suprise book landing on your doormat each month ♥️

#books #indiebookshops #bookstack #bookstagram

2020 Reading Challenge

2020 Reading Challenge
Megan has read 26 books toward her goal of 30 books.
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4 Comments

  • Deborah Klee says:
    June 24, 2020 at 16:55

    Great review. I would like to read this. It sounds like my sort of book.

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    • Megan says:
      June 24, 2020 at 17:04

      Thank you! I hope you do, it’s really good.

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      Reply
  • taylor says:
    June 24, 2020 at 17:15

    This was a lovely review, I read Queenie a few months ago and this reminded me of quite how much the book had to offer. I also went between wanting to shake and wanting to hug Queenie throughout!

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    • Megan says:
      June 24, 2020 at 17:25

      Thank you so much, I really appreciate that. I’m glad you knew what I meant there! X

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