Harvest

by Georgina Harding Paperback £9.99

This is the third title in an undeclared trilogy of books which the publishers refer to as "a cycle of novels on the themes of witness and memory." Maybe more are planned.

"Harvest" is set in Norfolk in the 1970s and partially features the same cast of characters that were in the two earlier books. Jonathan, the photographer in "The Gun Room" and his father Charlie from "The Land of the Living." Two well written interesting and intriguing stories as her readership would expect from Georgina Harding.

Jonathan, aka Jonny has returned home after his experiences in Vietnam and then time spent in Japan. He is on the family farm in Norfolk, run by his brother Richard. Their mother Claire is ever present throughout this book, and we learn a lot about her life, in particular the garden she established after her marriage. There is some in depth horticultural background, the garden itself becoming a "character" within the storyline. However the core theme is about the relationships of Jonny with his Japanese girlfriend, Kumiko, who comes to stay for the summer and then for the duration of the harvest; and of Jonny with his brother Richard.

Family secrets are gradually exposed as the rain delayed combine harvester eventually starts reaping the crops. Jonny has volunteered to stay to help Richard as a tractor driver, but the actual harvest and the events that unfold then are maybe only the last quarter of the book.

The scene having the family history and how their father, Charlie had died when the brothers were boys.

The only other character of note is the odd job man and gardener, Billy, now long deceased. He was a powerful presence as the brothers grew up, and he features throughout the book, being a faithful help to the family and in particular to Claire.

I have read each of these books basically soon after they came out in hardback. A reader could gain much from reading the novels one after the other getting so much from having the events of the first two novels fresh in one's mind. This is however not essential as each volume stands alone, each story self contained.

Georgina Harding is a vey good novelist with these three books she accomplishes her thematic aim. Anyone discovering her for the first time should certainly look out for "The Painter of Silence", my book of the year back in 2012, and her first novel "The Solitude of Thomas Cave" which was a really unusual story of a lone sailor enduring an Arctic winter

Myria

Selected by: Ian B. Nicholson Alison’s Bookshop Tewkesbury GL20 5JR

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Tony, who co-wrote worldwide hits such as Paranoid and performed in the band alongside Ozzy Osbourne, became interested in Vale Wildlife’s work after he rescued a wounded dove earlier this year.

The rock star, who has lived locally for a number of years, took the bird into the hospital for treatment.

Vale Wildlife’s Admin Manager Natalie Gould said: “Tony and his wife, Maria, brought an injured collared dove to us earlier in the year.

“Everyone was pretty starstruck, and it was so lovely knowing they would both care enough and take the time to bring an injured patient to us.”

Dramatic increases in energy bills and the cost of living have seriously impacted the Vale Wildlife Charity, so founder Caroline Gould decided to reach out and write a letter to Tony and Maria, asking if they would be interested to visit the hospital again and find out more about their work.

“To say we were excited when they agreed is an understatement,” said Natalie.

Tony and his Maria visited the hospital last month and are already busy coming up with ways to raise money for the charity.

For more information, visit valewildlife.org.uk