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A Venetian Bestiary |
A delightful book, small enough to fit into a handbag or larger pocket and dip into over coffee or a drink in Venice or when dreaming of visits. It observes Venice and its history through the animals depicted in paintings and sculpture. I was transported by the imaginative writing which adds a deeper layer to your understanding of the city. If you are a Morris fan, you will want to add this to your collection.
(Christine Miller - bwl 45 April 2008) |
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Conundrum |
From the age of 4 a little boy called James felt he was really a girl. This dilemma dogged his life through childhood, adolescence, a career as a successful journalist and writer, marriage and fatherhood. In this revealing memoir, published in 1974, we follow Morris's 10-year journey changing from male to female. The need and determination is palpable but one question remains: Is gender absolutely paramount in defining who we are? Freud, of course, would say, Yes!
(Jenny Baker - bwl 92 Spring 2019) |
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In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary |
This record of one year in Morris's ninety-year-old life is a treat. Walking her thousand metres a day singing marching songs (she had, after all, been a soldier), shopping in the local shops, her love of Welsh nature, sly observations on politicians and fads, this is a sort of affectionate meandering through a brain stocked by a life truly well lived. Yet another lovely person to be mourned!
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 103 Winter 2022) |
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Oxford |
Although this latest and revised edition of 1987 is to a minor extent outdated, it still gives a good picture of Oxford (city and university) today and over the centuries. It is packed, like Morris's excellent book on Venice (bwl 7), with a vast amount of easily readable information about every conceivable aspect. I particularly liked the idea of students being not allowed to keep a private aeroplane within 20 miles of Oxford!
(Jeremy Swann - bwl 19 June 2003) |
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Pax Britannica |
The second book in Morris's trilogy of the British Empire is set at the time of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, when the confidence of the British people in their country and the Empire reached its zenith. The depth of knowledge on which Morris draws is astounding and is imparted in a beautifully balanced mixture of wide ranging situations and individual experiences, creating a gripping portrait of the Empire that once covered 25% of the world's land.
(Jane Grey-Edwards - bwl 78 Autumn 2015) |
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The Hashemite Kings |
This is the story of the development of the Hashemites, direct descendants of the Prophet and traditional guardians of the Holy Places of Hejaz. With unadorned clarity, both evocative and touching, the author takes us from their beginnings in conspiracy and desert warfare, through the great days of the Hashemite Kingdoms, explaining in detail how their fortunes were inextricably linked with those of Britain, culminating in the assassinations and horrors of Baghdad in 1958. A literary and historical gem.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 57 Summer 2010) |
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Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere |
All I knew about Trieste before reading this (sadly her final book) was that James Joyce once lived there. She fills the gap with a fascinating and nostalgic evocation of Trieste's days of glory as the Habsburg Empire's thriving trade outlet/port on the Mediterranean and its decline. She includes descriptions of the city's architectural monuments and witty portraits of unusual figures. I found it an excellent bedside book.
(Jeremy Swann - bwl 18 April 2003) |
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