Lush: A True Story Soaked in Gin by Gabrielle Fernie

Way back in January I decided to try this challenge run by Sam Ann Elizabeth

The complete challenge was to include at least 12 books, one from each of the following eras:

Pre 1500
1500-1599
1600-1699
1700-1799
1800-1899
1900-1919
1920-1939
1940-1959
1960-1979
1980-1999
2000-Present
The Future

I wasn’t sure if I read widely enough across the timeline, but today my results surprised me. In sections where I’ve read a high volume of books, I’ve chosen a selection of books. Book titles have links to my reviews.

Pre 1500s

Athena’s Champion by David Hair and Cath Mayo – Greek mythology

Brethren by Robyn Young – Knights Templar

Smile Of The Wolf by Tim Leach – Set in Iceland

The Greenest Branch by J.K. Adams – Set in Germany and features Benedictine abbess Hildegard

The Heart Of The Conqueror by G. Lawrence – About William the Conqueror

Daughter Of War by S .J .A. Turney – Knights Templar

1500-1599

The Golden Lynx by C.P. Lesley – Set in Russia

1600-1699

Flood by Ann Swinfen – Set in England’s Fenlands

The Green Phoenix by Alice Poon – Set in China

1700-1799

The Earl And The Enchantress by Paulette Golden – Historical romance

Whales And Strange Stars by Kathy Sharp – Set in Kent

1800-1899

The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett – YA tale of emigration

The Mysterious Lord Millcroft by Virginia Heath – Historical romance

From Governess To Countess by Marguerite Kaye – Historical romance

The Dressmaker’s Secret by Charlotte Betts – Features Princess Caroline Of Brunswick

Winds Of Time by Lilly Gayle – Historical romance set in Texas

My Antonia by Willa Cather – Classic American historical fiction set in Nebraska

1900-1999

The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull – Featuring early women aviators

Call Of The Canyon by Zane Grey – Set in Arizona

The Captain And The Calvalry Trooper by Catherine Curzon – M/M romance set during WW1

1920-1939

Trusting The Currents by Lynnda Pollio – Set in small town America, with a spiritual theme.

The Madonna Of The Mountains by Elise Valmorbida (begins in 1923) Set in Italy

1940-1959

A Ration Book Christmas by Jean Fullerton – Family saga set in London during WW2

Never Say Goodbye by Hilary Green – A resistance-themed WW2 drama

1960-1979

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (begins in 1962) Set in southern Georgia

Mourning Dove by Claire Fullerton – Set in Memphis

1980-1999

Nightfall Berlin by Jack Grimwood – A cold war thriller

Dear Comrade Novak by Silvia Hildebrant – Set in Romania during the revolution

Lucky Star by Holly Curtis – Coming of age story

2000- present

Connectedness by Sandra Danby (begins in 2009) – Story featuring adoption

Lush by Gabrielle Fernie – A true story soaked in gin

The Woman At Number 24 by Juliet Ashton – Set in Notting Hill

Future

Amendments by Hannah Lynn – Set in futuristic Britain

The Afterlife Of Alice Watkins by Matilda Scotney – Mild scifi

If you’d like to join in with the challenge for 2019 check out Sam’s blog post here.

Lush: A True Story, Soaked in Gin by Gabrielle Fernie

4 stars

Lush: A True Story, Soaked in Gin is a wonderful witty book. It opens with Gabby hearing news that her best friend is getting married. But she’s been side-stepped for the role of Maid of Honour due to her capricious nature. The reader is then taken on a roller-coaster year-long ride as Gabby prepares for the wedding finale; here she hopes to show everyone that she can actually be a well behaved grown-up.

Gabby is currently an out of work actress; she’s happy to tell you that she drinks, smokes and enjoys her food. She also behaves outrageously and inappropriately, especially when she’s drunk. But she’s also happy to laugh at herself.

The reader is thrown into Gabby’s disastrous life as she tries desperately to find a decent job, a boyfriend for keeps and a diet plan that works. It’s very, very funny; I laughed so much I had tears rolling down my face. I particularly enjoyed the fat farm; five days of sergeant-major style workouts. Also the Dinner Date, a TV show which mixed Come Dine With Me and First Date. And I fell in love with Nana Edna, with her knitted swimsuit and motorised wheelchair.

Comedy can be a hard genre to write, and humour itself is such a personal thing. Something that one person finds hilarious might barely raise a smile in another. This worked for me as the comedy was all about Gabby and her life. A very enjoyable book.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

‘Arms linked, just as we did when we were seventeen, we teeter our way to the club, pausing to tug Emma’s stiletto out of a drain cover and sling our empty wine bottle into the bin. For the first time in a long while I feel truly happy. I want to be standing arm-in-arm with my best friend, both completely pole-axed, for the rest of my days. And then it comes to me, with a stab: this is possibly our last night out together as free women…’

Gabby and Emma have been best friends since primary school in Wales. Emma has a stable job, a nice home and has just got engaged. Gabby has had a succession of disastrous one-night-stands and five awful jobs since drama school . . . and she has just been diagnosed with scurvy. She has one year until the wedding to pull herself together and prove to her friends and family that she can be a proper grown-up.

AmazonUK | AmazonUS