Songs from the Violet Cafe is and interesting story, which follows Violet’s life from 1943 and Jessie’s life from 1963.

At the beginning of the book, I was somewhat confused. The first chapter is about a party at the lakeside; they found an old boat and decide to burn it as an offering including some small things from themselves. Next is a letter from a young girl, where she writes to her father’s old friend, offering her services as caregiver to help him with his ailing wife. Then there is an old man, living with his family at the lakeside and they get a visitor, who brings with her a small boy. The man’s family – wife and two sons – are Asian and so is the small boy.

And then we are in 1963, when Jessie leaves her parents on her eighteenth birthday. She drops out from university, she has no money, but she cannot stay there, she just has to leave. One by one, we are introduced to the other girls, who work in Violet’s Café and to their mothers or fathers.

Chapter after chapter the foundation was built to launch the main event that changed all their lives. This was something that no one could have seen coming and it was nobody’s fault, but everybody was part of it. When the storm is over, they pick up the pieces and everybody goes on their way.
The story keeps following Jessie, who will become war reporter and another turning point in her life will be in Cambodia, where blast from past and one impulse buy changes everything.
There will be just one more reunion for all the survivors in 1963 storm, to talk about what happened, what their lives had become and to admit, that without Violet’s Café their lives would have been very different.

So the confusing beginning builds into an fascinating story. True, the story is jumpy, but our memories about our lives are jumpy, since we do not remember every minute of it, we remember the most important moments. It is an wonderful view into lives of two strong women.

This was a cute read. I enjoyed it. Thanks for the chance to read it.

Violet Trench runs a café in Rotorua in New Zealand and is a charismatic character who collects people from all walks of life. The story is mainly set in the sixties but jumps around various years going back to 1943 and centres on the relationships and stories of the café customers, with various plots and intrigue

I always enjoy books more when they are centred on a place that I have visited and I loved Rotorua and surrounding area so find it easier to picture the settings. I enjoyed this book but felt that it jumped around between characters and times a bit too much so that it was a bit difficult to follow at times

Somehow I found this slow and difficult to read, so I began again 2 weeks later and this time liked it better. I enjoyed the descriptive, the setting especially as I have been to New Zealand and loved it. Set before I was born life was clearly different for women. This book sweeps across continents. A powerful story, I love her style of writing, sensual descriptions of love and food etc.

I want to read it again, slower, to take in more but I encourage women especially to read it. You will be swept along too.

This book follows a number of characters who work at a Cafe in New Zealand. A lot of the ladies are 'troubled' and the book ambles through the decades and spends time in Cambodia. I will admit that I found the rambling quite difficult to follow at times and I was expecting a totally different read. I did find the settings in New Zealand and Cambodia fascinating and enjoyed reading about them.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a book out of my comfort zone.

I loved this book! Review to come on Goodreads and my blog! 4 stars for Songs from the Violet Cafe!!

Ballad of a sad cafe?

This book was originally published in 2003. What the thinking is behind republishing and remarketing it I am not sure. But it did mean I could secure a second-hand copy at a reasonable price instead of having to endure it as an e-book which I loathe!! Fiona Kidman is a celebrated New Zealand author who I have not encountered before.

Firstly, I enjoyed it very much. The title alone conjured up a multitude of past ‘Cafe’ experiences that I hold dear - Bagdad Cafe, Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe and The Ballad of the Sad Cafe. (In fact, another Carson McCullers novel The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was also brought to mind by some of the descriptions and action within the Violet Cafe itself.)

And so, with a certain frisson of anticipation I settled into this book relatively easily and happily. The action takes place mostly in New Zealand but also reaches into the heart of Cambodia. Sitting here in leafy England I sometimes forget that Asia is almost no distance relatively from the Antipodes and I had to keep reminding myself of that to keep a perspective on the narrative.

Violet Trench is one of the main protagonists and obviously where the book and the cafe attain their title. She is a strong, autocratic woman and runs the cafe with a rod of iron. She employs several individuals, mostly women, who all have their own story. The cafe is the cement that binds them all together despite it crumbling in places. I guess their stories are the ‘songs’ of the title although there is some discordance among the melodic.

Whilst I really did enjoy the book I did find it a little disjointed. There was much switching between time frames and characters. I frequently had to refer back to remind myself who was who and when was when. (Another plus for reading the physical book. What a drag it is trying to do that with an ebook?!) It struck me several times that it was very much like reading several short stories with the cafe being the link between the characters whose stories were told. I think Ms. Kidman is very comfortable with the short story format as she has had several volumes published. And maybe I am making that sound like a criticism? Forgive me, I don’t mean to.

The writing is accomplished, economic without being sparse. There is no overload of description but all that needs to be conveyed is done so with eloquence. The characters are a troubled bunch overall; some are difficult to warm to but I found myself engaged with them and keen to follow their histories. Violet herself seems to place everyone at arm’s length including the reader and in contrast Jessie draws us towards her.

This isn’t merely a discourse on the lives of a cafe owner and her employees, the net is cast wider than that with some food for thought of what happens to a country in conflict with itself and people in conflict with themselves.

I’m seeing it as a four-star read because for me the disjointedness did grate a little but there is far better about this book than bad. It will be interesting to see if republication propels the novel into a wider realm.

Whizz

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.