The Silent Lady Catherine Cookson Book Review

I recently picked up and read the last Catherine Cookson novel, The Silent Lady. It met the standards of the previous Cookson novels that I have read and I particularly enjoyed the dedication from the author, which starts, "This story was not meant to be written." What follows in that chapter is the story of how she wrote this novel when she was bedridden and believed that she was finished on this earth. I think that it is pretty amazing that someone could compose such a manuscript entirely in his or her head and then record it on cassette tape.

The Silent Lady is a historical novel, set in the richest and the poorest areas of London, England, and ranges in dates from the year 1929 to the year 1959.

The main character, Irene Baindor, becomes known in the pages of the book more simply as The Silent Lady. Unbeknownst to her new family she had been a lady of high society and a wife to a well-known and respected businessman. However, what family and friends did not know was that he was abusive. The story follows Irene as she trades that horrific position as his wife for a life on the streets in the poorest areas of London. It tells of kind folk who, though hardly able to feed themselves, were willing to help others that have less than they do. Thirty years later, after good times and bad, Cookson tidies the story of this lost lady up nicely.

The title on my copy of the book calls The Silent Lady Cookson's "magnificent final novel." I agree with the first part as I think that it was a magnificent novel and equal to any of her nearly 100 published books. However, it turns out that it was not the last book ever published bearing the author's name. It was published in 2001 and there are at least three books that were published after that date.

Find your copy of The Silent Lady here on Amazon.

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Quick Links:

Books I Read (or Tried to Read) During Spring and Summer 2020.

Did I or didn't I read a Catherine Cookson novel that year?

Catherine Cookson's Riley Book Review.

Another great novel for fans of historical fiction.

How Did I Become A Bookworm in which Louanne discusses how she was introduced to Catherine Cookson by her grandmother.

  

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Reviewing Our Experience Of The Treetop Walkway Kew Gardens London

The Treetop Walkway is an exciting part of Kew Gardens London. Stepping up to the walkway in the tree canopy and looking out over the vista of the gorgeous Kew gardens was one of the highlights of our trip.

The many steps to reach the top was absolutely worth it and we took our time and enjoyed the views on the walk up to the top. 

I have wanted to visit and experience Kew Gardens Treetop Walkway for years and when I got the chance I was so happy. I was especially excited to find out what it felt like walking high up amongst and above the tree canopy and it was amazing!

The walkway itself is essentially a walk at height on a wide safe pathway through the treetops of Kew Gardens. It is an amazing piece of architecture built with more than four hundred tonnes of weathered steel, which although quite industrial looking, has its own beauty and surprisingly does become absorbed and integrated by the trees all around.

The structure needs to be strong though as there are 118 steps up to the main walkway in the sky, then you walk up onto the pathway which is 18 metres or 59 feet above the ground! 

The walkway itself is 200 metres or 656 feet long and that means you really do get a great experience literally walking in amongst the amazing trees and seeing them with a totally new rarely experienced perspective.

As a child I was always climbing trees and loved being high up in the midst of a tree among the leaves and berries and closer to the birds. However there is no way I could have safely climbed this high and now I would not even attempt it! So enjoying the amazing tree canopy in a safe way like this is just perfect.

 

I love looking up at trees from the ground level and being in awe of their beauty and majesty. It was amazing to be walking amongst the uppermost branches of the trees really close to the birds taking a rest in the branches, the fruits of trees, seeing the insects that live there and noticing he fungi and lichen at that level. It felt a real privilege and joy to be there. 

It is however important to note a few safety aspects of the walkway. By its very nature being so high up you need to be Ok with walking around at that height. 

The walkway is quite wide and has semi circular places where you can stop and look out over the views and let others pass as necessary. In some areas there are benches to sit.

To me it all felt very safe and secure. The walkway is designed to flex a bit and we certainly did feel that from time to time which initially was a bit strange, but we got used to it. We found it not bouncy and not at all like the swinging of a ropewalk, but rather feeling sturdy with some movement. The flex in the walkway is an important design feature so that it can cope with the winds without breaking.

You do have to leave buggies and pushchairs on the ground and young children must be closely supervised. The rails are high but I would not like to take chances with very young children, so best to keep hold of them.  

 As there are 118 steps up and many steps down, you do need to be fit enough to walk them. You can certainly take your time, which we did and look out over the wonderful views on the way up, but if you have any issues with climbing steps it would be better to use the lift provided. It may be best to check ahead of your visit if you need the lift or assistance to ensure it is available and suitable for you. 

 

Also personally we did avoid the large school parties which were there. It was wonderful to see the children so engaged and excited, but we wanted to go at a calmer time so that we could go at a steady pace on the way up without feeling rushed or obligated to go faster, and could drink in the atmosphere in a more peaceful way.  

It is best to check before visiting when the walkway is open both in dates and times. Clearly safety is always considered first so weather conditions need to be taken into account. Have to say although I am good with heights I was glad it was a still and warm day. I am not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much had it been windy and cold.

Spring, Summer and early Autumn are all wonderful times to visit and will give very different experiences of the tree canopy.  It does often close or partially close during the Autumn and winter months.

I thoroughly enjoyed the treetops experience and am glad that we took the time out to experience it. We spent probably about two hours exploring and absorbing the treetops. We saw some people wizz around in less than an hour and we could have probably stayed longer but had so much more of Kew Gardens to explore! It is both an educational and enjoyable experience.

Take a look at these wonderful books about or related to Kew Gardens 

The Story of Kew Gardens in Photographs

The Kew Gardens Beautiful Flowers Colouring Book Paperback

The Gardener's Companion to Medicinal Plants: An A-Z of Healing Plants and Home Remedies (Kew Experts)Hardcover

Kew: The Witch's Forest: Trees in magic, folklore and traditional remedies (Kew Royal Botanic Gardens) Hardcover – September 19, 2023

More Travel Reviews

Reviewing Our Visit To The Waterlily House Kew Gardens London.

Travel Reviews By Contributors

Diary Of A Wild Country Garden

Essential Wildlife Gardening Gifts

Raintree Earth Design

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Reviewing Our Visit To The Waterlily House Kew Gardens London.

 

From the second I stepped into the Waterlily House at Kew Gardens in London I was filled with awe and wonder. I was both excited and calmed by the environment. It is amazing and I truly love being here. 

Kew gardens is based in Kew near Richmond in south London. The Waterlily House is one of the smaller glasshouses at Kew, finished in 1852 and now a listed building.

This glasshouse was designed specifically to showcase the amazing giant Amazon waterlily, (Victoria amazonica) which is a natural wonder and deservedly so. 

Experiencing The Waterlily House 

Do not be fooled by the Waterlily House unassuming entrance. It belies the beautiful experience you are about to have.  As you enter you are immediately greeted with a vibrant array of tropical and aquatic plants including waterlilies and climbers and everything in between, each one a thing of beauty, interest and sheer joy.

When you enter the Water Lily house you are straight away  struck by the beauty, then the humidity. In fact it is the hottest and most humid of the glasshouses and it feels like it. You are transported into a different world. 

Measuring only 225 square metres or 738 square feet, the small glasshouse heats up very quickly and especially when the weather outside is warm and sunny, so if you visit be prepared for that. Layers you can take on and off quickly as you go in and out of the glasshouses are your friend at Kew Gardens. 

The atmosphere inside emotionally is a mixture of silent awe and excited chatter. When we were there a group of schoolchildren were happily taking photographs and calling to each other to look here and there at the plants. It was heart warming to see them so interested and enthralled. 

Couples were wandering through smiling at the plants and each other. Others were intent on reading the descriptions of the plants and looking up more details on their phones. Some stood silently gazing. From time to time complete strangers would meet, both looking at a plant and strike up a natural friendly conversation.

For our time in there everyone had one focus and one joy and it was wonderful.

The Pond and Giant Waterlily 

At his heart is the circular pond where the giant waterlilies live. This spans over 10 metres or about 32 feet and takes up a large central area of the house. There is a perimeter circular pathway all around and more plants around the perimeter and hanging above our heads. As you walk around you brush against the plants and are able to touch and smell them. The pathway is not large so there is a lot of "excuse me" and smiling as we move past each other. We are all surrounded by gorgeous, interesting plants and immersed in nature.  

 Some of the waterlilies are almost purely circular while others to me seemed to have a heart shape, all are stunning. We found the giant Waterlily Victoria boliviana in the pond, it is very easy to spot! This is a record breaking waterlily, named as a new species by Kew Gardens in 2022. The lily pads of this species grow up to three metres or about ten feet wide so they are huge and very impressive indeed. They have very wide rims upturned and prickly undersides. 

They have beautiful large fragrant flowers which open white and mature to a pretty pink. Gorgeous as they are, each flower only lasts for 2 days. It is truly an amazing sight to behold. We are not permitted to touch these waterlilies but to see them is a privilege.

Giant waterlilies were discovered in Bolivia in 1801 and later on named "Victoria" to honour Queen Victoria Of The United Kingdom. They understandably attracted a lot of attention and curiosity. The huge lily pads look spectacular and grow so massive they are able to carry an adult. However this is most certainly not permitted at Kew and is an offence as can harm the plant and would eventually ruin this most beautiful display of waterlilies. These days only Kew Garden staff are allowed into the pond. 

It is also interesting that In the mid-19th century, a specimen of the waterlily was sent to Joseph Paxton, the architect. He designed Crystal Palace in south London which housed the Great Exhibition of 1851. It is said that the waterlily leaf inspired his design for that amazing building. Sadly fire destroyed Crystal Palace 30th November 1936. 

Plants In The Waterlily House

While everyone is naturally focussed on the amazing giant waterlilies do take time to look around at the other plants.

While the Waterlilies are the stars here, every star needs a good supporting cast and these plants do that very well. In fact many of these beauties made my heart skip a beat as much as the waterlilies.  

There are many beautiful and fascinating plants around the perimeter that are certainly worth taking a while to view and photograph. They add to the beautiful ambiance and magical quality of this lovely place. If I could visit every week I really would! The Waterlily House is open during the Spring, Summer and Autumn up to November then closed for the winter.  

People often ask how long will a visit take and I find that difficult to answer. Certainly as one of the smaller glasshouses you can take it all in quite quickly. In ten minutes you can walk all around at a slow pace. However if you do that you are missing the best part of the experience which is to immerse yourself in the plants, see the giant waterlilies and then as you are there longer start to notice all the other details you initially missed. 

We were there around an hour and really I still felt I could have stayed longer. So my suggestion is to take your time, wander round, take photos, read the information if you want but do take time to stop and stare, drink in the atmosphere and fully experience it. If you like gardens you may enjoy the book Royal Gardens Of The World which explores twenty one celebrated, beautiful, interesting gardens.

If you love the look of Kew gardens you may like this lovely book  The Story Of Kew Gardens In Photographs. 

So if you ever visit London's Kew gardens do not miss the Waterlily House, it is a real treat and somewhere we go every time we are able to visit Kew Gardens. For me it is a gardening jewel.  

More Gardening/Travel Articles

Gardening Reviews By Raintree Annie

Travel Reviews By Contributors

Gardening Reviews By Contributors 

Diary Of A Wild Country Garden

Essential Wildlife Gardening Gifts

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Above the Bay of Angels - Book Review

 

Above the Bay of Angels

Above the Bay of Angels is a stand-alone book by Rhys Bowen, an author that has best-selling books in her mystery series.  I had never read this author before but after reading this delightful historical mystery, I will be sure to look for more books by this author.  I found this book very intriguing.

The Book on Amazon

Below is a link to the book on Amazon if you should wish to purchase it.  If you are a member of Amazon Prime you will find it in the Kindle books you can read for no charge.

Book Summary

At the beginning of the book, you meet Bella a young girl who is sent into servitude when her mother dies, and her father can no longer support her and her sister.  In the years she is a servant she works her way up to working in the kitchen and becoming a cook.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Bella runs into a young woman in the streets of London who has been hit by a carriage.  As Bella comforts her the young woman thrust a letter into Bella's hand and then dies.  The letter contains an invitation to interview for Queen Victoria's cooking staff that very afternoon.  Bella is torn with what to do, but soon decides that the letter will do the young woman no good.  Bella poses as the young woman, Helen Barton and is able to obtain a position at Buckingham Palace.

Helen (Bella) carries on with her pretense and is able to find herself in favor with Queen Victoria in her cooking skills.  When one of the cooks cannot make a trip to Nice with the Queen's staff Helen (Bella) is able to make the trip.  Helen has some delightful adventures both with cooking and the people she meets in Nice.  A mystery ensues when one of the Queen's relatives is poisoned by some food.  When a detective from London is called in Bella fears her cover will be blown.  

The book is a wonderful, lighthearted mystery.  There are many cooking references, so if you are interested in food and cooking you will also enjoy this mystery.  I'll leave you now to read the book and find out if Bella finally finds peace and happiness.

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Katherine Faulkner's Greenwich Park Book Review

The cover of Katherine Faulkner’s Greenwich Park reads, “gripping and haunting and gorgeously suspenseful” and I agree. I was drawn to the book by the title, a romanticized area of London, England, and by the artwork. 

Greenwich Park the book is a murder mystery of the best sort. It draws you in. Pick it up and you might not want to put it down. Pick it up and you will find yourself guessing whodunit. I failed at the guessing of who did it, which I expect is good because it means the book has twists and turns.  I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. 

Greenwich Park is a domestic psychological thriller that is set in the current day in the south east of London. It tells the story of a pregnant woman’s privileged life in a stately Victorian home and of her family and friends. Off work because of her history with difficult pregnancies and because of current health concerns, the main character, Helen, finds herself bored and lonely. That is, until she befriends a woman named Rachel. Rachel is also pregnant but embraces none of the care that many women exercise when they are pregnant. She smokes and she drinks and she is not very interested in her body or her unborn baby. She’s loud and she's obnoxious but, however, she is fun and she quickly manages to infiltrate Helen’s tidy little world. But is it really tidy?

Helen has been described as someone who has everything including “a perfect husband, a perfect brother and a perfect sister-in-law. When she meets Rachel, she also has the perfect nightmare.” 

I like Crime by the Book’s three-point list of reasons to read the book. She says that it pulls back the curtain on the lives of people who appear to have picture-perfect lives, that it is a story of obsession and cat-and-mouse tension and that it is intricate and effortlessly told. 

If it helps, Crime by the Book says that this book is similar to books to those written by Lisa Jewell, who I have yet to read.

FAST FACTS:

Author – Katherine Faulkner
Format – Hardcover, paperback, Kindle, audiobook, audio CD
Genre – Domestic Psychological Thriller
Pages - 375
Publication Date – September 13, 2021
Publisher – Simon & Shuster
ISBN Number – 978-1-9821-5031-0

If you love a good thriller, you will enjoy Greenwich Park. The book is definitely dark, looking into the world of pregnancy and early motherhood, of friendships, of privileged lives lived and, of course, of the secrets that people keep. I think that it is an excellent first novel, which the author wrote while she herself was on maternity leave.  The rights to the book have been sold and I will be watching for a movie or television series as well as for a second book by Faulkner. Meanwhile, you can order your copy of Greenwich Park from Amazon by clicking right here.

See you 

at the book store!
Brenda

More Psychological Thrillers:

Alice Feeney's Sometimes I Lie Book Review

Mark Edward's Here to Stay Book Review

Audrey Hepburn's Wait Until Dark Movie Review

Donald Sutherland's Don't Look Now Movie Review

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A Review Of Londons Attractions The Big Eye and River Thames

The London Eye By Raintree Annie

Have you ever visited Londons' Big Eye? I am a country girl at heart but my granddad was born in London, United Kingdom within the sound of the Bow Bells.

So I am a quarter Cockney and have a bond with London, UK's capital city. 

I love to visit London when I can which tends to be only once or twice a year at most. When we do go it is always lovely to take a walk by the Embankment which is my favourite part of London and one of the amazing attractions there is Londons Big Eye and the River Thames Embankment area. 

The last time We visited The London Eye it was a cold crisp winter's day yet there was a huge number of people there to see and experience this wonderful attraction.

 

So what Is The London Eye?

The London Eye is essentially a large Ferris wheel with a difference. It has acquired many names along its relatively short history. These include:

The London Eye

The Merlin Entertainments

London Eye

London's Big Eye

The Eye

London's Eye

The Big Eye

Millennium Wheel

The London Eye - A Temporary Structure?

The London Eye was finished in the year 2000 and was only supposed to be a temporary structure to celebrate the Millennium. 

It was originally called "The Millennium Wheel". It was designed as a Ferris wheel in order to represent the turning of a new Millennium. 

It is massive, standing at 442 feet tall and designed by Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield, of Marks Barfield. It opened to the public in March 2000 and was only given permission to be open for 5 years. However, in 2002 the London Eye was given permission to be a permanent attraction in the capital city. It is a wonderful structure and great fun so I am glad it has stayed. 

 

The London Eye by Raintree Annie

As you can see from the photos I took here The London Eye is essentially a huge wheel with 32 capsules, representing each London Borough, holding up to 25 people each. So up to 800 people can be on the flight at any one time! 

To my relief, you don't sit with your legs hanging down like on a normal Ferris wheel but sit in each enclosed capsule. As the wheel rotates, the capsules also rotate so they always stay horizontal which is clearly a great design for passenger comfort and security! 

For an additional special price you can book a capsule just for your family or party and some people have even got married on the flight!

The London Eye from the road by Raintree Annie

Book Ahead For The London Eye 

As you approach the London Eye we saw crowds like we had not seen before along the whole stretch of the embankment. 

We do not like to spend valuable time visiting London waiting in queues like that so if you feel that way too I would strongly advise booking ahead for a specific time so that you don't have to queue for so long! 

By the way, you don't book a ride on the London eye you book a "flight"! 

It is open every day in normal times except for Christmas day and when it is closed for a week in January for annual essential maintenance.

It is an amazing flight and I would recommend it if you are traveling to London. 

Once you board your flight each rotation takes around half an hour and it does move at a slow speed, so it is not like a thrill ride. Rather it allows us to take in the surroundings and sights of London city in a leisurely manner. In fact you can see as far as Windsor castle which is 25 miles away! We loved it and will book again the next time we can visit London. 

 If you are interested in London and may even be planning a bit there in the future I would recommend this book to learn about the many beautiful and interesting attractions and life in London.

Fodor's London 2020 (Full-color Travel Guide)

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Fodor's London 2020 (Full-color Travel Guide)

 

The Embankment And River Thames, London

The area around The London Eye is one of my favorites and it is well worth spending some time there. If you take a walk down the Embankment towards the London Eye it is a fascinating sight of street artists, doing incredible gymnastics, painting, making music on steel drums. 

There are people dressed as statues that stay as still as can be, being looked upon in awe by some people and others trying to get them to move! If they do move often after a long period of time it can be quite a shock!! 

All manner of people are there and it is very crowded, yet the atmosphere is one of busy friendly activity and simply enjoying what is there. There are also outdoor food stalls, indoor and outdoor restaurants, and a wide variety of wonderful live music. 

I find it a very relaxing yet stimulating place to be. 

 

River Thames & Big Ben from Embankment,by Raintree Annie

 

The River Thames flows by The Eye and is a huge dominating river. In clear sight is the "Gurkin" and other sights of interest. 

You can even take a boat trip along the river, which, especially if you are new to London is a really good way of seeing more of this area of the city in a relaxed manner. 

It is also a lot easier on your feet as London is a huge city to walk around and pounding the pavements and crowds can become quite relentless and tiring! 

Relaxing on the river is a lovely way of taking it all in and is a lovely break from the inevitable bustle of a big busy city. We had a lovely day in the area and could have easily stayed a lot longer.

Boat Trip The River Thames , London UK by Raintree Annie

 

Londons River Thames

Here is the River Thames, embankment from nearby The Eye. You can see the famous Big Ben in the distance! 

Even on a grey day it has an attraction for me. There is a majesty and history to this river and it is such a lovely place to chill out and relax from the hectic pace of London. 

This capital city is a full-on place to be and the area around the Embankment is no exception. Yet if you can find your nice place to sit or stand and just look there is a peace about it too.

London Eye Capsule &Big Ben by Raintree Annie

 

I love this part of London, I think the river is lovely and the buildings are amazing and there is a special atmosphere about this area, which is hectic yet friendly. I always enjoy visiting and have many happy memories I savor on my journey back home to the countryside. 

Have you visited London, taken a flight on the London Eye or do you feel it would appeal to you?

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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