Genre: General Fiction/Women’s Literature

POV: 1st Person

Sensuality: Kisses

Violence: Mild

My Grade: B

The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes is a charming tale well-told. I hesitate to use the term “quirky” but it fits this story.

When Lucy Burns was eleven, her older sister was hit by a truck and died. Ellen was revived by paramedics but remained in a coma. To save her sister’s life, Lucy writes a desperate letter “To Whom It May Concern”. Soon after sending her letter, Ellen wakes up from the coma. When Lucy receives a reply from the mysterious “To Whom It May Concern”, little does she know that she’s made a deal with the Devil.

Every birthday thereafter, he grants Lucy her heart’s desire. Lucy wishes for big breasts and beauty, for popularity and academic success. The Devil fulfils all her wishes, but there is a catch. After Lucy graduates from High School, she receives a visit from a strange woman. She says she is to be Lucy’s mentor and help her fulfil her side of the bargain she never realized she’d made. Lucy is to be a facilitator to Hell. She is to guide wicked souls to the Devil’s portals and leave them to their fiery fate. If Lucy refuses to cooperate, her sister, Ellen, will die – as she was meant to have done eight years previously.

Lucy’s new role is not without its perks. In return for cutting all contact with her family and friends, Lucy is given untold riches and ageless beauty. For nineteen years, Lucy guides bad people to their untimely demise. At first, she’s taken in by the glamour of her new lifestyle and revels in her ability to attract any man she desires. But she is not allowed to have a relationship with them and female friendship is discouraged. Despite her wealth and good looks, Lucy leads a lonely life. She longs for a husband and children of her own and to reconnect with the family she left behind all those years ago.

A chance at salvation comes from an unlikely source. When Lucy’s pop idol, Teddy Nightingale, tells her of a loophole whereby she can get out of her deal with the Devil, Lucy jumps at the chance to secure her freedom. In order to achieve this, she must achieve three goals: facilitate 54 souls to their death before a certain date; find someone to replace her as a facilitator to Hell; and “take out a target”. This loophole is not without risk. Should Lucy fail to meet her goals, she’ll face a fate far worse than death.

The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns is an original story. Lucy proves to be a surprisingly likeable protagonist. There is a romantic subplot which is well done, but the main focus is on Lucy and her attempt to regain control over her life. She’s forced to examine good and evil and if it’s even possible to tell them apart at times.

At 167 pages, this book is very short. I felt a couple of plot threads were left hanging. Perhaps if the book had been a little longer, these loose threads could have been satisfactorily resolved. Apart from that, I found The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns to be an engaging read and one which I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

Other Reviews of The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns:

Janet at Dear Author - B+

Trashionista – 5 out of 5

Avidbookreader – B+

The Book Smugglers – 8 out of 10

Thanks go to Andrea for submitting the following guest review. She grades according to a five-star system and I’ve left her grade as is.

I’m an avid reader who doesn’t have a blog and who doesn’t review books, but was called to Sarah’s challenge for guest bloggers in November (Thank you Sarah!). I’m also not much of a romance novel reader, so my book is secular, if you will.

Last week I finished American Wife: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld. This book is told from the perspective of Alice Lindgren Blackwell. We first meet Alice as a girl raised in Riley, Wisconsin who goes on to become a teacher, school librarian, wife, mother and – oh yeah – First Lady of the United States. I’m not giving anything away by saying that this novel is touted everywhere as closely resembling the life of Laura Bush.

There are no chapters, but the book is separated chronologically into 4 sections with some occasional, present-day interjections from Alice with her wisdom in hindsight.

The first section is Alice’s childhood in Riley as an only child in an undemonstrative family. The bright spots in her childhood come from her unorthodox Grandmother and her best friend Dana. There is a tragedy of which she is responsible that shakes her as a 17 year old.

Alice is a teacher and librarian in Madison, WI in the second section of the book. She’s had a long-term relation or two but is approaching 30 and is unmarried. Then she meets Charlie Blackwell, the youngest son of a well-known Wisconsin family famous for their beef dynasty and for various other family members’ political involvements. Alice and Charlie have a whirlwind romance and get married within a year.

The section follows the Blackwell family to Marmee, Wisconsin with one daughter. They have an easy life financially, but behind the scenes Alice is struggling with her husband and with restrictions that come with her life. Charlie works occasionally in the family business, is drinking quite a bit and is not feeling like he’s living up to his legacy – a concept I found very amusing and which Alice finds infuriating. Charlie eventually buys a baseball team and becomes Governor of Wisconsin.

In the fourth section of the book, Charlie has already become President of the United States and there are frequent flashbacks that tell the story of how he got there. 9/11 has happened, and the President is in the midst of dealing with war while the First Lady is making appearances and is feeling alienated from her husband and the turn their lives have taken. This last section has a very different feel than the first three, very somber and almost cold. The writing seems to reflect the importance of the Presidency, what has happened to the nation, as well as Alice’s distance from her life.

What I enjoyed most about this book was getting a behind the scenes glimpse of Alice Blackwell’s life. She is a very strong woman with a clear voice and a great spirit. And I must admit that I have a greater appreciation for George W. Bush as a person after reading this novel. I glimpsed a lot of his charm in Charlie Blackwell. Though the Blackwell’s had their share of problems, their love for each other was a constant in their lives.

I personally know too little about Laura Bush to comment on how accurate this book mirrors her life. There were some points I looked up online that match up. There are surely 2-3 other points that could never be proven but are in no way impossible.

Other than a somewhat slow start, my only criticism of the novel is the lack of chapters. I like to have chapters to separate the book, and to feel like I’m in a good place to set it down when I need to. Having only the four sections in this 554 page novel seemed to stress me when I needed to take a break. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Have you read this novel? What are your thoughts?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an epistolary novel set in 1946. The action occurs mainly in London and on the Channel island of Guernsey. I’m not usually fond of the epistolary format but this one works.

Juliet Ashton is a 30-something journalist famed for her humorous articles during the Blitz. Now that the war is over, Juliet wants to put her alter ego, Izzy Bickerstaff, to rest, and concentrate on serious journalism. Her publisher is her close friend Sidney Stark, the older brother of her schoolfriend, Sophie. Now that Sophie is in Scotland, and married with a small child, Juliet corresponds with her via letter.

Juliet is having no luck hitting upon a suitable subject for her next book. One day, she receives an unusual letter. Pig farmer Dawsey Adams lives on Guernsey. He bought a secondhand copy of ‘The Selected Essays of Elia’ by Charles Lamb. Dawsey notices that the book once belonged to Juliet and contains her address. He writes to her asking her to recommend a good bookstore in London which is likely to stock Charles Lamb’s other works. Following the German occupation, he says, there are no bookstores left on Guernsey and therefore no way to procure new books.

Juliet is charmed by Dawsey’s letter. She replies to him with a bookstore recommendation and encloses a copy of Lamb’s Selected Letters. She was intrigued by Dawsey’s reference to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and asks him to elaborate. Thus begins a regular correspondence between Juliet and Dawsey, during the course of which Juliet realizes that the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society would provide perfect fodder for her next book. On Dawsey’s recommendation, the various other members of the society write to Juliet, answering her questions about life on Guernsey during the war.

Eventually, Juliet decides the only way to paint a true picture of Guernsey is to go there and see it for herself. Her overbearing boyfriend is furious at her departure, but her publisher, Sidney, encourages her to stay on Guernsey for a while and write her book. Juliet’s adventures on the island, and evolving friendship with its inhabitants, bring the story to its natural conclusion.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is charming. Although the letters are at times contrived, my overall impression was positive. Juliet is wonderfully witty and this redeems the twee storyline and the too-good-to-be-true characters. Although laced with past tragedy, the book has a definite feel-good tone. For romance fans, there’s also a love story, although I felt this was somewhat underdeveloped.

All in all, I can recommend The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I think it would make a perfect book club pick. Grade: B

The Gargoyle is a bizarre and beautiful book. It’s a tale of redemption and about finding the true meaning of love.

On Good Friday, the nameless protagonist is on his way home after a drug-fueled night out. A porn star turned pornographer, he’s an addict who defines himself by his stunning good looks and sexual prowess. Paranoid and drunk, he’s convinced he sees a volley of flaming arrows shoot out of the woods and aim towards his car. Swerving to avoid them, he loses control over the vehicle and is involved in a horrific accident in which he’s burnt beyond recognition.

When he regains consciousness, he’s in the burns ward in agony and fighting for his life. Deserted by his so-called friends, he’s left facing numerous operations, skin grafts and other painful treatments. Not willing to start his new life in the outside world as a monster, he whiles away the hours by planning an elaborate suicide.

One day, he receives a visit from the mysterious Marianne Engel, a psychiatric patient being treated at the hospital for an unnamed condition, which he decides is probably schizophrenia. She tells him they were lovers 700 years previously in Medieval Germany and settles down to tell him the story of their life together. The protagonist is understandably skeptical but Marianne’s visits provide a welcome distraction from pain and thoughts of death. Through Marianne’s friendship, he slowly regains the will to live.

As the book moves from the hospital to the outside world, the protagonist is forced to ask himself if Marianne’s story is the invention of a madwoman, or did they really know each other in a previous life?

The Gargoyle is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. The plot is original and Davidson’s writing is clear and unpretentious. The story moves seamlessly between the present day and Medieval Germany. As someone who knows a lot about this period, I was impressed by the accuracy of his historical, linguistic and literary details. He clearly did a lot of research on mysticism and religion at the time. He succeeds in providing just enough information to add authenticity to the book without it reading like a bibliography of all the worthy texts he’d read (so many literary authors do this and I find it obnoxious).

The anonymous protagonist transforms over the course of the book from a self-obsessed narcissist to someone capable of true love and friendship. His journey is a torturous one, but he retains his sense of humour throughout. Marianne’s fervour and obsession make her trying at times but they fit the story and her personality. The minor characters are also very well done, particularly Marianne’s agent, Jack.

One warning: I’m quite squeamish and I found the description of the burns harrowing. The graphic details mostly occur at the very start of the book, so once you get past that part and on to the protagonist’s recovery, it is far less distressing.

The Gargoyle is a rare find and one which I can imagine re-reading. As I don’t often re-read books, this is high praise indeed. Grade: A-