A bookray book - for readers hoping to attend the Birmingham Unconvention in September 2016.

My review:
Museum curator Caroline has recently returned to her home city following the breakdown of her marriage. Her parents and grandmother live nearby and in some ways moving back to Birmingham feels like taking a step back. Caroline tends to take the easy route through life not taking risks and trying not to ruffle feathers. When a member of the public comes to the museum for a valuation on a mysterious metal object, threatening to cause disharmony at work with one of Caroline’s colleagues, it heralds the start of some doubts about her career.

However it is her grandmother’s hospitalisation following a fall that really upsets Caroline’s new start. Her beloved grandmother Beth has been living independently and without apparent difficulty in the large house she inherited from her Great Aunt Susannah. When Beth asks Caroline to go to the house to tidy away some papers she had been sorting through Caroline unearths the beginning of a fascinating family story. It’s a story of legacies, family fallings out, women’s suffrage and art. Amid the clutter and memories of her grandmother’s house Caroline meets Susannah Garrold, who one hundred years earlier had taken a stand for what she believed in, and had left behind some extraordinary paintings. suffrage

Olly an old flame from university days turns up unexpectedly and while Caroline is uncertain of his motives and confused by her memories of the past, she welcomes a bit of attention, and ropes in Olly’s help in her family research.

Family arguments necessarily erupt as Beth’s condition worsens and questions of money and wills are raised. Caroline needs to find a way to keep everyone happy while also wanting to explore the historical stories of the women of Birmingham. Many of the historical events that Katharine D’Souza chronicles in this novel – actually happened – events I hadn’t known about. We tend to think (at least I do) that the suffragettes were mostly active in London; I loved hearing about how the movement touched my own city.

I found this to be a thoroughly absorbing and engaging novel – I loved the sections in the museum and art gallery – and rather fancied a job as a curator myself. Katharine D’Souza’s characters are really well drawn; Caroline’s rather nightmarish mother and quiet capable father are wonderful contrasts to one another, while Caroline herself is a recognisably modern career woman who sometimes doubts herself. The relationships between these family members under pressure, are very realistic, poignantly showing how delicately balanced such relationships can be and how easily hurt when difficulties arise.


List of participants:
Shnedwards
earthcaroleanne
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If you have found this book, thank you for taking the time to look it up on the internet. Now please tell us what you thought of the book and what your plans for it are.

Thanks for this book, Ali. Will read asap.

Finished! Nice to see all the familiar places in print. I have earthcaroleanne's address and will send on the book soonish.

On its way to earthcaroleanne by second class post.

Arrived today (along with another bookring, of course). Unfortunately I leave for the Athens Convention in a couple of days so it will have to wait. Thankfully, it looks like I'm the last person in this so far but maybe people will be thinking of the uncon after the convention is out of the way.

Like Heaven-Ali I loved the sections in the museum and art gallery because that’s what I always wanted to do. I eventually decided to go for a career change gaining my degree in Art History and Masters in Museum and Gallery Studies, just in time for the recession when there was suddenly no such thing as a vacant full-time permanent job with the new Community Trusts.
Anyway, Caroline is a museum curator who is recently divorced and unsatisfied with her life. The novel immediately picks up pace by presenting Caroline with three dramatic turn of events: 1) an anonymous figure arrives at the museum with a mysterious object, 2) Caroline's one-time fling Olly arrives in the city, and 3) Caroline's grandma falls sick and vows to reunite her broken family by changing her will much to the infuriation of Caroline’s rather nightmarish mother – again much like my own.
Unexpected events trigger a journey of discovery in both the present and the past. However this well researched book is not stuck in the past. It raises issues, such as gender equality, family influence, and the role of museums, all of which still have relevance today. The snippets of suffragette history are riveting, especially when you realise that some of the events that Caroline uncovers from Birmingham's past actually happened. I was really interested in how Caroline was going to solve her various dilemmas and thoroughly approve her final decisions.

Thanks for the book it arrived safely this afternoon. I'll start reading it at the weekend.

I really enjoyed reading this book and thought the characters and setting seemed realistic. I also saw the similarities between the Women's Suffreage Movement in Birmingham and in Sheffield. I quite like how the romance side of the book concluded, I wasn't expecting it and thought that it actually fitted in with the theme of the book.

I had hoped to have finished this yesterday as I met up with HistoryBee and she's next on the list! I will be seeing her next Saturday so I will pass it on to her then.

Passed on to HistoryBee for her to have a read.

Caroline is a curator at the fictional Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. She has several dilemmas to solve including problems at work, the return of an old flame and a family mystery.

I liked the Birmingham and museum setting of the book. As a person intrested in social history I enjoyed this book esspecially how echos of The Suffagette's cause can be seen in the work of the museum. Also I am pleased with the unusual ending of t

Controlled release to Greenbadger.

It's arrived, and in time for me to read it before the Unconvention. Thank you! :)

With her Nan in hospital, a difficult relationship with her mother, an old flame back on the scene and a tough time in her job as a museum curator, Caroline has a lot on her plate. But when family secrets come to light, how can Caroline fail to be inspired by the Suffragette history of her Great Aunt Susannah? Set in Birmingham with a strong spirit of place, and D'Souza emphasises the inequalities that women still face in the family.

Sent to Camperfan as my RABCK for November. Enjoy! :)

And the book crossed the sea and arrived in my home town today. Thank you greenbadger, for sending it to me.
After reading I will find a good place for it.

I really liked this story. The way history is entwined with the present and Caroline trying agains her mom to let it not repeat itself.

In my OBCZ

In the book basket.

I've tried but people just don't take english books. Pity. So I've taken it on our next camper trip and left it at the bookshelf of an overnight stay.

Between the German and Dutch books. Hopefully some passing camperer reads english.

Sent in a box from the UK. Great read.