Popular fiction

MAKE OR BREAK

by Catherine Bennetto (Simon and Schuster, $23)

Jess finds out she is being whisked away to her best friend’s wedding in South Africa by her long-term boyfriend. Despite the guilt of leaving her sister and sister’s kids, she goes, expecting a ring from her boyfriend of six years in the very home of diamonds. Of course, that’s not what happens. The twist within the tale makes it a worthwhile read but you may find the uneven pace and out-of-proportion storylines frustrating. However I was won over by the humour throughout, something Bennetto delivers so well.

THE JUNIPER GIN JOINT

by Lizzie Lovell (Allen & Unwin, $23)

Jen is a menopausal almost-50-year-old who finds herself in an “empty nest” after her kids move out and her husband leaves her for a younger woman. When she loses her job and feels that things can’t get much worse, life starts again with a new job prospect, a new love interest and lots and lots of gin - all under the same roof. I’d describe The Juniper Gin Joint as the book equivalent to a movie on free-to-air television in the middle of the day. It’s an easy and extremely predictable read but not exactly memorable. Recommended for a short holiday read, just don’t be surprised or disappointed if you feel there was something missing.

THE PEARL THIEF

by Fiona McIntosh (Penguin, $37)

I loved this story but it’s a sad one that isn’t for the fainthearted. It begins in 1939, wheN a Jewish family of seven are living through Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. Father Samuel Kassowicz is desperate to protect his family, even sending his youngest boy Petr on one of the Kindertransports to safety. Years later, the Kassowicz family pearls are uncovered and we learn the devastating tale of loss and determined revenge spanning decades for the family after World War II. The trauma of the past has to be relived to draw out enemies and allow lives to be reclaimed. It’s a most intense read, one that I’ll always remember.