THE WINNERS! #TuesdayBookBlog #RBRT Bookreview team presents: The Gold & Silver 2016 Book Awards

The Winners!#RBRT Rosie’s Book Review Team presents: The Gold & Silver Rose Awards 2016

 

*Cough* … On behalf of my team, I’m delighted to announce the winners and runners-up in the #RBRT 2016 book awards!

Books were selected from the several hundred submitted to our team for review over the past year, with the 24 finalists voted for by the reviewing team. These finalists were then offered up to the public for voting. Congratulations to the 8 winners and runners up!

A click of the book’s title will take you to Goodreads, where you can see reviews, and also leads to the Amazon, etc, buy links.

 

Fantasy / SciFi/ Horror

Winner: The Prince’s Man by Deborah Jay

Runner-up: Passing Notes by D G Driver

Historical Fiction

Winner: The Elizabeth Papers by Jenetta James

Runner-Up: Back Home by Tom Williams

Mystery Thriller

Winner: On Lucky Shores by Kerry J Donovan

Runner-Up: Rack & Ruin  by Carol Hedges

Contemporary

Winner: The Disobedient Wife by Annika M Stanley

Runner-Up: Scotch On The Rocks by Lizzie Lamb

 

Congratulations to all the following finalists:

The Black Orchid by Celine Jean-Jean

Blood Of The Sixth by K R Rowe

Flesh by Dylan J Morgan

The Final Virus by Carol Hedges

La Petite Boulain by G Lawrence

When Doves Fly by Lauren Gregory

Jasper by Tony Riches

The Code For Killing by William Savage

Trust Me I Lie by Louise Marley

Wings Of Mayhem by Sue Coletta

Murder at the Lighthouse by Frances Evesham

Trust Me by Earl Javorsky

What Jennifer Knows by Wendy Janes

The Bad Girl by L Donsky-Levine

Silent Water by Jan Ruth

The Brazilian Husband by Rebecca Powell

#Bookreview #RBRT THE DISOBEDIENT WIFE by @MilisicStanley #Tajikistan #TuesdayBookBlog

Today’s team review is form Georgia, she blogs at http://www.georgiarosebooks.com

Georgia has been reading The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic-Stanley

#Bookreview for The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic-Stanley @MilisicStanley #RBRT #Tajikistan

 

I read The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic-Stanley as part of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team and I am delighted I chose it. I shall say right from the outset that this is a book I never wanted to end. I adored wallowing in its beautifully descriptive passages so elegantly crafted by this author and I was completely captivated by the lives the characters of this novel led.

From the outset it is clear that Nargis is the disobedient wife of the title. Widowed from the man she loved she has deserted the brutal Poulod she then married and it is clear that in this country she is in the wrong for doing so, even if it was to protect herself and her children. Two of these, from her first marriage, Hussein and Bunavsha, live with her, her parents and brother in not much more than a hovel. Poulod has kept Faisullo, the son she had with him, which causes Nargis deep distress. But Nargis is a survivor. She works as a nanny for Harriet Simenon who is living the ex-pat life while her husband, Henri, works. She also sells paintings and being resourceful, and hardworking, soon opens a shop. I liked her very much and so desperately wanted a happy ending for her.

‘She was as Persephone, forced from summer on Earth to the chill of the Underworld.’ Says it all.

At the beginning of this story I wasn’t that keen on Harriet as she appeared selfish, spoilt and totally unaware of the lives of those closest to her. But at the end of each chapter there is a journal entry from her and through these we see her start to develop, to open her eyes and to not just accept what is expected of her. She does indeed manage to become a disobedient wife in her own right and I was delighted as she took charge of her life.

But there is a third contender for the title of disobedient wife, Savsang, a smaller character and one whose shocking naivety has devastating consequences.

As I read this book I was reminded time and again of the similar stories told of the lives of those in Afghanistan by Khaled Hosseini and I would recommend this for anyone who loved those, as I did. But if you haven’t tried something like this before I’d urge you to pick up this book anyway. I could go on about how wonderfully depicted the characters are or how vibrantly the settings are painted but those words just don’t do this wonderfully written tale justice and you need to experience this read for yourselves.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

#BookReview Team THE DISOBEDIENT WIFE by Annika Milisic-Stanley #TuesdayBookBlog @MilisicStanley

Today’s team review is from Terry, she blogs at http://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry has been reading The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic-Stanley

The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic Stanley

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber’s Review Team

I enjoyed this book very much indeed, it’s excellent and so unusual. It’s set in 2007/8, in Tajikistan, one of those countries that used to be part of the USSR; I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know where it is, but looked it up (it borders China and Afghanistan).

The Disobedient Wife of the title could refer to Harriet Simenon, ex-pat wife of a Belgian diplomat who is unhappy in her current surroundings, or her home help/nanny Nargis, a young mother who has suffered much over the years; her first husband, who she loved dearly, died from cancer caused by toxic waste, and her second husband was violent. Under Tajikistan tradition, Nargis is seen as a fallen woman because she left him; he kept their son with him. I like book titles that could refer to more than one aspect of a book; it might also apply to a friend of Nargis who rebels against her controlling husband by taking a lover, a decision that has terrible consequences.

Nargis’s life is one of harsh drudgery, but she’s a fighter and I loved her character. Aside from the fact that the story is so well planned out and beautifully written, I was fascinated by the insight into the lives of the people of this country, and the effects of the release from Russia’s control.

At the beginning of the novel, English Harriet comes across as shallow, selfish and self-obsessed, but as her own marriage runs into difficulty and her friendships with her ex-pat friends are shown to be superficial, her relationship with Nargis deepens, and she begins to understand her strength, and examine her own way of life.

The story is written most from alternating points of view of Nargis and Harriet (some of Harriet’s is written in the form of her journal, which gives yet another insight), with occasional chapters looking at Harriet’s revolting ex-husband, who becomes involved with some dangerous people in an effort to better himself.

I was completely engrossed all the way through this book. There’s plenty going on, it’s quite a page-turner, and it’s as well written as any best seller by an established writer (and probably better than many). Highly recommended, I think it would be enjoyed by readers who love gritty crime/real life drama and more emotional women’s fiction alike, as it’s a mix of these two genres. Big thanks to the author for educating me about this country, too.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com