Books
by Kate Atkinson
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A God in Ruins |
This companion piece to Life After Life (bwl 69) follows Teddy Todd, bomber pilot in WW II. Atkinson loves playing with time, alternate lives, the what-ifs and might-have-beens. The chapters are not arranged chronologically, so we are often aware of what will happen before we discover what has gone before. Amazing writing - especially descriptions of Bomber Command's missions over Germany. A perceptive, thought-provoking novel about the fall of man and the indelible legacy of war.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 77 Summer 2015) |
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Big Sky |
I had eagerly anticipated this latest outing for Jackson Brodie - only to be disappointed. It's all about the trafficking of girls, child abuse and a Yewtree-type background, so it's not a particularly pleasant story. But also it has too many coincidences and over-drawn characters and somehow just doesn't work. Such a shame as previous Brodie books have been a great read.
(Annie Noble - bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
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Case Histories |
Jackson Brodie, private detective, lives and works in Cambridge, where his services are much in demand: a jealous husband wants his wife followed, a girl has been murdered, another disappeared years ago, a nurse has lost her niece, a widow her cat. Meanwhile Jackson's own life is in a mess. This intricately woven story, full of suspense and heartbreak, is quite unlike Kate Atkinson's previous novels but I thought it was one of her best.
(Wendy Swann - bwl 28 February 2005) |
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Emotionally Weird |
For readers - great fun. For writers - not just clever but very clever. A sink University in Scotland with appropriate students and lecturers. Three stories simultaneously - a different print for each. A student tries explaining her life to her mother who constantly comments and tells her own story. A shared essay goes the student rounds, never finished, maybe a Brontë, perhaps T S Eliot. Ingenious. To be slightly weird yourself will help!
(Joan Jackson - bwl 9 June 2001) |
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Life After Life |
A 'groundhog day' novel in which the central character, Ursula, lives through many versions of her own life during the mid-twentieth century. Random chance and éjà-vu experiences can alter lives and history, but the book avoids the notion that we must learn from our mistakes in order to progress.
An intriguing and clever idea, developed with originality, makes for a satisfying read and my interest never flagged.
(Sue Pratt - bwl 69 Summer 2013) |
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One Good Turn |
The author subtitles her story 'A jolly murder mystery' and tells it in her unique joky style. The setting is Edinburgh during the Festival and the time is Now. There is a large cast of finely drawn characters with eccentricities which contribute to making this a hilarious entertainment. It's a worthy successor and in a way sequel to the author's 'Case Histories' (bwl 28). I thoroughly recommend it.
(Jeremy Swann - bwl 37 December 2006) |
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Shrines of Gaiety |
Set in post WW I London, the novel tells the story of a family run set of night clubs, venues for frantic gaiety and widespread criminality. The police want to nail the family’s matriarch who is simultaneously under attack from a corrupt employee and rival criminal interests. Intrigue and deception rule but the matriarch is alert to much of it. A vivid portrait of 1920’s London emerges and, despite some grim realities, the feel tends to be light and breezy with the emphasis on entertainment. A very enjoyable read.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 107 Winter 2023) |
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Started Early, Took my Dog |
Atkinson's fourth novel about former police officer turned occasional private investigator, Jackson Brodie, features stolen children, murdered prostitutes, lost loves, failing faculties, impulse acquisitions of dependents and assorted concatenations of events spanning some thirty years. Infused with a keener sense of melancholy than previous Brodie novels, and containing fewer neatly tied up ends, this one is nevertheless as witty, engaging and ultimately human as the rest.
(Siobhan Thomson - bwl 62 Autumn 2011) |
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Transcription |
In WWII Juliet Armstrong transcribed secret tapes and was recruited by MI5, now she lies on the pavement, the victim of an accident - or was it? As her life drains away the events of her past ebb and flow through her mind taking the reader through those murky days when she never quite knew who or what she was and what was real or subterfuge. It's pacy, often funny, full of twists and turns. Pure Atkinson in fact.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 93 Summer 2019) |
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When Will There Be Good News |
Jackson Brodie is back, but plays a smaller role this time. The opening is dramatic and shocking; then the story jumps around but keeps you turning the page. There are too many sub-plots and coincidences, and not everything is resolved, but this is a good read as long as you ignore those coincidences and can cope with the frantic pace.
(Annie Noble - bwl 51 May 2009) |
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