This month we went with a ‘skies’ theme, and had a choice of two books, the fictional May All Your Skies be Blue by best selling author Fiona Scarlett and the non fiction Under a Pink Sky by Esther Ghey. The books were donated by publishers in return for an honest review.
May All your Skies be Blue is set in 1990s Ireland. This isn’t just a love story – or maybe it isn’t even a love story. This is an emotional short novel about friendship, romance, responsibilities, and hidden secrets. It was generally a popular read, if not necessarily a happy one.
Some of the group felt that the book was a bit of a slow read and several gave up on it (for various reasons). Those who read it enjoyed the Dublin setting and wanted to know more about the group of friends, as well as Shauna and Dean’s budding romance.
May All your Skies be Blue is a nostalgic read – those of the group with 90’s backgrounds recognised and enjoyed many of the pop culture references. Written with two timelines – the 1990s of Shauna’s teenage years and her present day life of hair appointments in the salon, some readers found this a bit confusing. Others enjoyed the back and forth style, and felt it added to the story.
The main characters of Shauna, Dean, Mark and Pam were beautifully written and almost seemed as though they were old friends of ours. We did feel that perhaps some of their families and parents were not always as memorably depicted, but they still seemed well rounded, especially in the case of Shauna’s mother.
The book handles the subjects of alcoholism, love, friendship, and dementia with care and a gentle (but deft) touch. Our readers felt that the ending (no spoilers) was realistic – no silver lining to any clouds in this blue sky. It was definitely recommended, and some members now plan to read the author’s previous novel Boys Don’t Cry.
Our alternative book choice was Under a Pink Sky, a non fiction book described as ‘a mother’s story of love, loss, and the power of forgiveness’.
You may have read about 16 year old Brianna in the news, or seen online how she went to meet a friend in a local park, but was instead murdered there by them there. This is her mother Esther’s story, and is both a tribute and legacy for Brianna.
Describing it as heartbreaking, several of the group had been looking forward to reading this. The book was described as very readable and engaging, but also sad and difficult because they knew what was going to happen.
Esther describes her family realistically allowing you to see the real individuals behind those sensationalist headlines. Her pride in both of her daughters shines through the text, while her early descriptions of arguments with her mother reminded one reader of their own teenage years. Esther is also searingly honest about her early drug addiction which she likens to the craving and dependence on social media.
The book showed the dangers of social media – something that many of the group hadn’t considered. We discussed whether there is always something to blame for violent crime (i.e. television, films, video games) but concluded that some people either don’t recognise the difference between right and wrong, reality and fantasy – or don’t care.
Equally although we’d heard of ‘keyboard warriors’, seeing the damage caused by cyber bullying and trolling was eye-opening. When people always have their phones with them, they always have a potential bully in their pocket – especially so with young or vulnerable people, both of which Brianna was. It was frightening how quickly this had a negative effect on her mental health. Also the ease with which the young people (unnamed in the book) accessed the dark web, prior to Brianna’s murder, was horrific.
One reader said the book should be mandatory reading in schools, and others recommended it to friends and colleagues. Another member commented was that it was good to have read, but not a pleasant read – which sums up the feelings of the group as a whole.
Since Brianna’s death, Esther Ghey has been campaigning for social media reform, and also helping young people’s mental health through her charity Peace and Mind UK,
Next month’s book choice is the classic Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, so come and borrow your copy from SWFT, and join us.
Jane Eyre follows an orphaned girl who overcomes a harsh upbringing to become a governess at Thornfield Hall. After falling in love with the mysterious Mr. Rochester, secrets about his past emerge and Jane is forced into a hard decision.
We’ll be meeting at 1pm on 20th August on Teams.
If you’d like to read the book but can’t make the meeting, why not borrow it and email your thoughts for us to include in the discussion.
Discover more about our reading groups here or take a look at our previous reads here and find out what we’ve enjoyed (and sometimes not enjoyed!)
To find out more, or receive your Teams invitation, email the Education Centre Library at Warwick Hospital