It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for another Six Degrees of Separation, hosted by Kate of Books are my Favourite and Best. The idea is that Kate chooses a book to use as a starting point and then we have to link it to six other books of our choice to form a chain. A book doesn’t have to be connected to all of the others on the list – only to the one next to it in the chain.
This month, we’re starting with The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. I haven’t read it yet but do have a copy and am hoping to read it soon. Here’s what it’s about:
It is fifteen years after the Second World War, and Isabel has built herself a solitary life of discipline and strict routine in her late mother’s country home, with not a fork or a word out of place. But all is upended when her brother Louis delivers his graceless new girlfriend, Eva, at Isabel’s doorstep – as a guest, there to stay for the season…
In the sweltering heat of summer, Isabel’s desperate need for control reaches boiling point. What happens between the two women leads to a revelation which threatens to unravel all she has ever known.
I’ve read a lot of books about the war so it would have been easy to go down that route, but I was drawn to the phrase ‘the sweltering heat of summer’ so decided to use that as my first link instead. The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis (1), about five young women who don’t fit in with their small community in 18th century England, is a book I read recently that is also set during a hot summer. It’s so hot that the river starts to dry up, affecting the trade of Pete Darling, the ferryman, who takes out his frustration on the girls, claiming he has seen them turn into dogs.
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (2) follows the story of a child rescued from a river on the evening of the winter solstice in 1887. The legend of Quietly, a ghostly ferryman said to guide those in danger on the river to safety, plays an important part in the novel.
The name ‘Quietly’ leads me to The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer (3). I loved this one – it’s one of Heyer’s Regency novels but has a strong mystery element (involving a series of accidents that befall Gervase Frant, 7th Earl of St Erth) as well as a romance. I wish we saw more of the heroine, though!
The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry (4) is another book with ‘gentleman’ in the title. Barry’s novels are always beautifully written and this one is no exception. It’s set in 1950s Ghana, where Jack McNulty is writing his memoirs, looking back on his early life in Ireland and his difficult relationship with his wife.
I don’t seem to have reviewed any other books by authors with the name Sebastian, but I did find one by a Seb: The Light Ages by Seb Falk (5). This is a non-fiction book in which Falk looks at some of the advances in science, mathematics and astronomy during the medieval period and tries to dispel the idea that the Dark Ages were a time of little progress.
A similar title and a shared theme of astronomy brings me to the final book in my chain: Enlightenment by Sarah Perry (6). Perry’s novel explores the relationship between two members of a Strict Baptist community in Essex, tied together through the story of a 19th century female astronomer, Maria Vǎduva, whose ghost is said to haunt a local manor.
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And that’s my chain for August! My links have included: hot summers, ferrymen, the word ‘quiet’, the word ‘gentleman’, Sebs and Sebastians, and astronomy.
Next month we’ll be starting with Ghost Cities by Siang Lu.
She Reads Novels 
Very nicely done! I couldn’t go down the heatwave route, since the books I’ve read I already used.
Yes, it makes it more difficult when you’re trying not to use the same books more than once.
Yes, I know. I’m succeeding for now, but I might have to fall back to repeating ones again, if I get too stuck.
Your description of The Hounding reminds me of The Cucible and the Salem witch trials. It leaves me with an uneasy feeling.
Yes, it’s an unsettling book!
Your first link certainly suits the weather earlier in our summer! I’ve not read Enlightenment but remember enjoying The Essex Serpent very much.
I preferred The Essex Serpent but Enlightenment is definitely worth reading as well.
i really like your chain. I enjoyed Once Upon a River but that’s the only one I’ve read. I haven’t come across The Temporary Gentleman before but I enjoy Barry’s books and read The Secret Scripture several years ago, so I’m adding it to my TBR list.
I loved The Secret Scripture. I can’t remember much about The Temporary Gentleman now but I know I liked it as well and thought the writing was beautiful.
Nice links! I’m sure I read The Quiet Gentleman long ago – the name Gervase Frant feels very familiar – and now I want to re-read it! Heyer always seems perfect for summer somehow!
I would like to re-read The Quiet Gentleman as well, although I still have some unread Heyers I should try to find time for first!
I don’t believe ypu haven’t read a book by Sebastian Barry!
I have! I was trying to find a link from Barry to another Sebastian.
A well-realised chain, from which I’ve read … nothing. Very shameful, considering what you have on it. The Sarah Perry looks intriguing.
The Sarah Perry is fascinating, although not my favourite of her books.
Noted. Thanks!
I keep on listening to the same Georgette Heyer books over and over because I love them! I need to cast the net a bit wider and read something else!
I love her books! They’re definitely worth reading/listening to more than once!
Great bookish chain! I love how you linked all those books together. (And The Quiet Gentleman was the first Heyer book I ever read and still one of my favs.)
Thank you! The Quiet Gentleman is one of my favourites too. I think the first Heyer I read was The Talisman Ring, which I also enjoyed.
Great, complex chain, Helen, though you always manage to make it seem easy! I’ve read The Safekeep, Once Upon A River, and Enlightenment. The latter was my favorite of the three.
Thank you! I thought Enlightenment was a fascinating book – I’m pleased you enjoyed it. I’m hoping to read The Safekeep soon.