Book Reviews

A Thousand Paper Birds
By Tor Udall - Bloomsbury 7.99
A haunting novel exploring love and loss with delicate artistry, this is a remarkable debut by former actor and dancer Tor Udall.
Recently widowed and trying to come to terms with his loss, Jonah haunts the paths of Kew Gardens where he and his wife Audrey spent so much time during their relatively short marriage. Within this idyllic setting he encounters a cast of characters – ultimately linked - artist Chloe, who makes the origami birds of the title, dedicated gardener Henry and his little companion Millie. All contribute in some way to Jonah’s eventual reconciliation to his loss and as we journey with him along this sometimes magical path the beautiful gardens gain a powerful character of their own.
 “a love letter to a garden and a paean to all kinds of imperfect love” The Guardian

The Songs
By Charles Elton - Bloomsbury 8.99
TV producer and former publisher Charles Elton’s first humorous and intriguing novel, Mr Toppit, was inspired by the life of Christopher Milne, and its theme of the doubtful legacy of a famous parent is echoed in his second novel. It explores the effect of the life of legendary Isaac "Iz" Herzl, aging political activist and protest singer, upon the life of those close to him, particularly his children, teenage prodigy Rose and her ailing brother Huddie. This is an entertaining and darkly comic novel, for those who enjoyed The Rosie Project and The Humans.
Tor Udall and Charles Elton will be at the Gluck Studio on Tuesday 19th June at 7.30pm as part of our Independent Bookshop Week events.


The Secret Life of Cows
By Rosamund Young - Faber ￡7.99
In hardback, this was a surprise bestseller over Christmas for the Steyning Bookshop. Now out in paperback, this lovely collection of anecdotes from an organic hill farm in the Cotswolds will hopefully charm an even wider audience. With tales of lifelong bonds as well as squabbles between individual cows plus the logic needed to work out how to get over a cattlegrid, this book makes the case for letting farm animals express themselves in as natural a manner as possible. It will slightly alter the way you look at the world – especially on a country walk!

The Day War Came
By Nicola Davies and Rebecca Cobb - Walker ￡10
Imagine you are a small child and one ordinary day, war comes to your town, reducing everywhere you know to dust and rubble. Imagine you have to leave and go on a long and difficult journey into the unknown, all alone, not knowing what you will find at the end. It turns out there is no welcome and no safety at the end of your journey, and what happens then?
This book started life as a poem written in anger at our government’s refusal to let 3000 child refugees into this country, which then inspired the twitter campaign #3000 chairs, in which artists and the public drew a chair for each unaccompanied child, and which has now become this beautiful, poignant book.
￡1 from every copy sold goes to the charity Help Refugees.


The Ugly Five
By Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler - Scholastic ￡6.99
Julia and Axel’s latest masterpiece is now out in paperback! Everyone has heard of the Big Five, the African animals that everyone wants to see – elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo – but have you heard of the Ugly Five? The warthog, the hyena, the wildebeest, lappet-face vulture and the marabou stork – all so ugly, how could anyone love them? The warm-hearted twist at the end of the story is a treat, as are Axel’s depictions of the Ugly Five. Another classic.