Review - The Postmistress by Alison Stuart

The Postmistress by Alison Stuart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paperback, 395 pages

Published June 17th 2019 by HarperCollins

Source: Publisher for Review

Synopsis:
'A stunning historical tale of loss, desire and courage that is full of the terror and the beauty of the Australian bush, for readers of The Thorn Birds, The Naturalist's Daughter and The Widow of Ballarat.

To forge a new life she must first deal with her past...

1871. Adelaide Greaves and her young son have found sanctuary in the Australian town of Maiden's Creek, where she works as a postmistress. The rough Victorian goldmining settlement is a hard place for a woman - especially as the other women in town don't know what to make of her - but through force of will and sheer necessity, Adelaide carves out a role.

But her past is coming to find her, and the embittered and scarred Confederate soldier Caleb Hunt, in town in search of gold and not without a dark past of his own, might be the only one who can help. Can Adelaide trust him? Can she trust anyone?

When death and danger threaten - some from her past, some borne of the Australian bush - she must swallow her pride and turn to Caleb to join her in the fight, a fight she is determined to win...'

My Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and although it is not a genre I typically pick up often I am glad I decided to give it a go.

This isn't your typical, air-headed, sickly romance which is what I enjoyed about it the most. There was a lot more to the story and what I appreciated the most was all of the historical references and the picture that was painted in my head of the old mining town of Maiden's Creek. The author has definitely done her research and it really shows in how she describes everything in such great detail to really make you feel like you are there.

The main character Adelaide was a very believable, strong-minded woman. I liked the fact she was portrayed in this manner rather than your typical air-headed, weak female that is commonly written about in books of this era. She was determined and could think for herself and didn't need anyone else to rely on to make a life for her and her son.

I thought Caleb was a very likeable character as well as he was realistic and had faults which gave him depth and made you want to see everything work out for him in the end.

I appreciated the fact that the romance angle was more of a slow burn rather than a 'fall head over heels in an instant' kind of thing and it made me really want to keep reading to see how it was all going to develop. The romance between Adelaide and Caleb was definitely a big part of the storyline but there was still enough going on in other areas to make the book interesting and keep me invested in reading.

This is the first book I have read by author Alison Stuart and has made me think to try out some of her other books in the future.

Review: David Attenborough: Life on Air by David Attenborough

David Attenborough: Life on Air by David Attenborough
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paperback, 2nd, 416 pages

Published 2010 by BBC Books (first published 2002)

Source: Own copy

Synopsis:
'David Attenborough hardly needs any introduction; his voice has accompanied so many of the best natural history programs that have graced our televisions over several decades. Life On Air, his autobiography, tells the story of how he has managed to professionalise his schoolboy interests in such a remarkably successful way.

Attenborough's Life On Air began in 1950, having taken a degree in Natural Sciences in the University of Cambridge, done National Service in the Navy, got married, done a year as an editor with an educational publisher, had a son and then answered a BBC recruiting ad in the Times. Turned down for BBC Radio, he was offered a traineeship in BBC TV which was pioneering the medium in Britain and he has never looked back. The rest is TV history and you can read Sir David's personal view of it all in his engaging and highly entertaining book.

This is no boring story of the rise and rise of a media mogul in the smoke-filled rooms of Ally Pally and Lime Grove. Having served his apprenticeship producing programmes like Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter with the famous American folk singer and song collector Alan Lomax, he managed to escape from the confines of overlit studios into the natural world. Zoo Quest began in 1954 with an animal collecting trip to Sierra Leone and David Attenborough had found his metier. Since then he has managed to bring the wonders of the natural world into millions of living rooms around the world and to reach general audiences without patronising them, without any spurious antics, silly voices or dumbing down. His animal and plant subjects are the stars, Attenborough is the master of ceremonies who introduces the acts for our wonder and amazement. But his scope extends way beyond the birds and the bees.

In the 1960s, it was suggested that he took up an administrative post--"after all, you won't want to be gallivanting around the world when you are 50". Fortunately, he did not abandon gallivanting for admin but went freelance, studied anthropology and helped extend our view of native peoples and sympathies for their life styles. He went on to become responsible for coming up with famous BBC TV series such as Kenneth Clark's incredibly successful Civilisation series, followed by Bronowski's The Ascent of Man. Inevitably, he did become one of the BBC suits but one that wore a camouflage jacket.

What is remarkable is that Attenborough has managed to do it for so long without really changing his own style too much. He has not had to because the technology has changed and so he has constantly been able to give new views and insights into the details of life on Earth. Writing pretty much as he speaks, it is easy to hear his voice, dry sense of humour and generosity coming through all the time. Do not expect to read personal details, navel-gazing or malicious gossip--that is not his style. The only personal note comes at the end with the death of his wife in 1997. Over 100 photos associated with the huge range of programmes he has been intimately involved with decorate Life On Air, a fascinating personal story of our times. He says that he knows of "no pleasure deeper than that which comes from contemplating the natural world and trying to understand it"; he certainly manages to convey that in Life On Air. --Douglas Palmer'

My Thoughts:
I am surprised at how much I really did enjoy this book. I've always been such a major fan of David Attenborough and have watched his documentaries since as long as I can remember.

I was always so grateful that my parents introduced me to these types of programs which developed my interest in natural history and the world around us and I have tried so hard to do the same with my children. I am pleased to say that my 8 year old son has a huge love for David Attenborough and his fascinating way of presenting things just as much as I have and we enjoy nothing more than sitting down and watching anything of his that comes on the television.

I am amazed at the fascinating and interesting life that David has led and cannot fathom how much he has seen and experienced in all his travels. He is a born story teller and I found that I read this entire book as if it was his voice in my head which made it all the more enjoyable.

I'm not usually much of a big reader of biographies or auto-biographies/memoir types books unless it is someone that I really have an interest in and I am so glad that I decided to give this one a chance. I struggled to put it down in some parts because I was so fascinated by what he was doing or where he was at the time and loved how he even described the differences in camera and filming techniques over the years to really give perspective on how things have changed.

If you're a fan of David Attenborough at all I strongly suggest you read this book.