Book review

Star Crossed

So often a book which is touted as funny is, to me anyway, more like pathetic, maybe I’m becoming curmudgeonly?  Happily Star Crossed is funny. First time author Minnie Darke (a pseudonym perhaps?) has produced a very amusing tale .

The story opens with main character Justine as a newspaper cadet, her first work is typing out submitted items such as the crossword, word competitions and monthly horoscope. She has a friend from school days who she worries about. While talented he is not good at making decisions and is drifting through life getting nowhere. 

Justine is aware that he sets a lot of store by the star signs and what they say and so is a close follower of the paper’s  monthly horoscope predictions. She sees an opportunity to re-write the Aquarius predictions, his star sign,  to nudge him in the right direction.

Of course he is not the only follower of the horoscopes and many Aquarians make decisions, both good and disastrous, based on what Justine has rewritten. The story follows these along with that of her friend who is not good at picking up the direction she had hoped. Justine hopefully keeps changing the monthly column and predictably ends up in a real tangle herself. 

  The story follows the people all over the city who have made decisions based on the changed columns and the ripple effects of Justine’s astrological meddlings. In some cases their  paths cross, in others it’s a separate sub story, with them all coming together at the end.

Well removed from reality, Star Crossed makes no pretence at being anything other than a light hearted story. Nevertheless it is a very satisfying read, clearly Minnie has put a lot of thought into the complicated plot and how it eventually comes together. Also, as the acknowledgements at the end show, she has obtained considerable detail on the various trades and locations where the story takes us 

Star Crossed is a well written fun story which moves along at a good pace and should bring a many smile.

Mike Beckett