Books: Satisfaction in meaty characters

Leslie Parry's New York tale is tangled and often melodramatic.

Six of the best in stories starring oddballs and good sorts.

Church of Marvels
By Leslie Parry (Two Roads)

All the squalor and grit of late 19th-century New York is evoked in this highly original story about strangers whose lives become entangled. Sisters Odile and Belle Church are performers at a Coney Island sideshow but, when it burns down, Belle disappears into the city. Sylvan is scraping a living as a night-soiler, cleaning out privies, when he rescues an abandoned baby floating in the mire. Prostitute-turned-respectable wife Alphie is committed to a lunatic asylum against her will and, although not insane, she is concealing a secret. Solving the mystery of how all these things came to be and what these people are to one another takes us from gaudy vaudeville shows to underground labyrinths and opium dens. It's a tangled, often melodramatic tale and there's a certain amount of "bearing with" necessary in the opening chapters as the narrative jumps from character to character, but debut novelist Parry deftly handles its different strands and pulls them together by the finish. Her prose is smooth and compelling and it brings to life vividly this dark, fantastical story.

The Phantom of Fifth Avenue
By Meryl Gordon (Grand Central)

This book is like an extended version of one of those fabulous Vanity Fair articles about family dynasties and scandals. It's a real life tale of money, greed and a young heiress who turned into a mysterious recluse. Huguette Clark was the daughter of a vastly rich copper magnate. She grew up in a 121-room New York mansion and, although she was written about in gossip columns of the time, lived relatively quietly, taking her pleasure from art, her doll collection and music. Then she and her mother withdrew from society and Huguette never reappeared. Hidden in an apartment beside Central Park, she refused to see anyone beyond a few servants. Although she had estates and mansions she spent the final 17 years of her life shut away in a hospital room, and for most of that time her health was fine. Meryl Gordon's story of this female Howard Hughes is part biography and part the story of the battle over her fortune. Insights into the lives of the super-rich are always fascinating and Gordon had access to people who have shared personal letters and memories to make The Phantom Of Fifth Avenue as colourful as it is richly detailed.

Peru: The Cookbook
By Gaston Acurio (Phaidon)

Peruvian food is the next big thing, apparently. Get the jump on everyone else with this instructive and comprehensive book from celebrity chef Gaston Acurio. He describes his native cuisine as "a flavourful fusion" since, over the centuries, it has been influenced by immigrants who have brought everything from Creole cooking to Arab, Italian and Chinese tastes. A whole chapter is devoted to the famous marinated raw fish dish ceviche, ranging from classic to exotic versions. Staples like potatoes, beans and corn feature strongly, livened up with curious sounding sauces such as Huancaina, which involves blending evaporated milk and Saltine crackers. There are ways to prepare bull testicles, pig feet and kid goat. There's street food and a world of soups. With more than 500 recipes, it's a little overwhelming. Some of the homelier rice and stew dishes seem the best way to approach cooking from this book but you still may find yourself hunting down ingredients and whizzing up chilli pastes. Definitely one for enthusiasts taking their cooking to new places.

The Discreet Hero
By Mario Vargas Llosa (Faber)

There are two discreet heroes in Mario Vargas Llosa's latest engaging, thoughtful novel. The first is Felicito Yanaque, a successful small businessman in Piura, Peru, who finds himself the target of blackmail. The second is retiring accountant Don Rigoberto who witnesses a friend's marriage and is embroiled in an ugly family feud while his son appears to be conversing with the devil. Both are men of principle who refuse to compromise, even as their orderly lives spin into chaos. The two men are surrounded by a colourful cast; some corrupt, some innocent, many of them gently amusing, making for a lively, fast-moving book in which you enjoy the company of the people as much as the intertwining plots. That said, Vargas Llosa saves his most affectionate language for the city of Piura, vividly describing its dusty, hot, crowded streets. It may not be the author's most challenging novel, but it is certainly an entertaining, satisfying way to spend a few hours. And cheaper than a flight to Peru.

Review by Kerri Jackson, an Auckland freelance journalist.

Murder & Matchmaking
By Debbie Cowens (Paper Road Press)

Mrs Bennet in Pride And Prejudice always did seem slightly unhinged to me and New Zealand author Debbie Cowens obviously agrees. Cowens was one half of the wife and husband writing team of 2013's Mansfield With Monsters and she brings a similarly original approach to Murder & Matchmaking. Jane Austen's heroines meet Sherlock Holmes-style detectives when the unmarried young ladies of Hertfordshire start dying in mysterious circumstances. Miss Elizabeth Bennet suspects the deaths are not accidents, an opinion shared by a famous London detective. Will they solve the mystery together? And, more importantly, will they get married? Cowens does a fantastic job of melding the writing styles of Austen and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, crafting a story that is equal parts intriguing and hilarious. Is it mash-up, parody, horror, satire, homage or just good writing? I say, all of them.

Review by Ngaire Atmore Pattison who blogs about books at bookiemonster.co.nz

Tashi & the Wicked Magician
By Anna and Barbara Fienberg (Allen & Unwin)

It's the 20th anniversary of the children's book character Tashi, created by mother and daughter Anna and Barbara Fienberg. In this latest tale in the series Tashi thwarts many a disaster involving everything from the fire-breathing Red Whiskered Dragon to "ruthless ruffians" chasing a rare orchid. Children aged 8-10 who love to get lost in their imaginations and fantasy will find this book a treasure.

Review by journalist and author Danielle Wright.

Nicky's best read

Each week in the New York Times' Bookends slot two writers take on questions concerning the world of books, from Zoe Heller and Anna Holmes on their reading habits when working, to Cheryl Strayed and Pankaj Mishra on gender bias in fiction. Find it at nytimes.com.