bookswelike

bwl 14 - July 2002

Fiction

Isabel Allende - Of Love and Shadows

As soon as the links between the characters started to fall into place I found the book compulsive reading. A beautifully written story and a graphic account of man's inhumanity to man, and man's ability to triumph over evil, set in a modern South American dictatorship. (Jeremy Freeman)

Jean M Auel - Earth's Children Series

Set around 30,000 years ago the books follow the adventures of a young girl who is adopted by Neanderthals and traces in her meetings with other homo sapiens the contrasts between the two branches of mankind. We follow her journeys up the Danube, across the Alps and the Massif Central to the Dordogne. Each book is full of inspired and informed guesses of the way of life during the ice age. Pick up The Clan of the Cave Bear and you will find you have to continue the story that brings pre-history to life. (Chris Bradshaw)

Jonathan Coe - The Winshaw Legacy or What a Carve Up

The narrator of this social satire-cum-thriller, another Michael Owen, is writing a biography of the rich and powerful Winshaw family. Commissioned and egged on by the Winshaws' mad Aunt Tabitha, he uncovers a trail of ruthless back-stabbing and deceit extending from WW II to the late 80s. Ensuing events strangely resemble a film that has haunted Michael since his childhood and is echoed in a dramatic denouement in the Winshaws' sinister mansion. (Wendy Swann)

Jean d'Ormesson - At God's Pleasure

Translated from the author's 'Au Plaisir de Dieu', this is the saga of an old aristocratic family and its elegant but crumbling château. Beautifully written in the original version, as one would expect from a member of the French Academy, the story largely takes place in the first half of the 20th century but with many nostalgic flashbacks to episodes in previous times and anecdotes about exotic and glamorous relations from all over Europe. (Jeremy Swann)

Helen Dunmore - The Siege

Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this novel centres on one family's efforts to survive the terrible privations which occurred during the German siege of Leningrad in WW II. Everyone I know who has read it, raves about it although I did have some reservations. It's harrowing stuff and yet maybe because it is so lyrical, there's a detachment about the writing almost as if there's a screen of glass between narrative and reader. (Jenny Baker)

Batya Gur - The Saturday Morning Murder - A Psychological Case

This translation from Hebrew of the Israeli author's whodunit I found both intellectually stimulating and thoroughly enjoyable. The story is set in Jerusalem and the action takes place following the murder of a leading member of the staff of a psychiatric institute. Well-written, believable characters and entertaining dialogue as the story proceeds. Particularly interesting about the training of psychoanalysts and the ethics and rules of their profession. (Jeremy Swann)

Patricia Highsmith - The Talented Mr Ripley

The skilfully built up web of intrigue and tense atmosphere of this brilliant thriller had me gripped until 2.00 a.m. Tom Ripley is paid to travel to Italy (gorgeous settings!) on a mission - it's a chance to escape his meaningless New York life and improve his lot. His desperation to be needed and admired and his skewed perception of others take their toll, and events reveal a tormented, destructive character - with charm and talent! (Victoria Grey-Edwards)

Barbara Kingsolver - The Poisonwood Bible

Set in the second half of the 20th century, this is the story of an American Baptist preacher who goes on an assignment to the Congo with his unhappy family, which breaks up into small groups. The chapters deal with one person at a time and reveal a fascinating insight into other people's lives. I thought the book incredibly well written and researched and was very glad to have read it. (Charles Moncreiffe)

Sue Monk Kidd - The Secret Life of Bees

South Carolina in the 1960s, Lily, now fourteen, has grown up on her father's peach farm believing that she accidentally killed her mother. When racial tensions explode she and her black servant flee, following a trail left by the dead woman which leads to the home of three bee keeping sisters. Bees work their magic, truths are uncovered, lies exposed in a novel of darkness and light which leaves a lingering afterglow, golden as honey. (Jenny Baker)

Alice Munro - Selected Short Stories

A stunning collection sketching Canadian lives from settlers to the mid 20th Century, many of them country folk: turkey farmers, muskrat trappers, salesmen, various oddballs, bookshop owners, refugees from marriages and extended families. We are drawn irresistibly into their worlds through Munro's sympathy and detail, and by her scarily acute insight into the emotional forces at work behind the social and financial constraints. Some surprising twists as well - should appeal to Margaret Atwood/Anne Tyler fans! (Victoria Grey-Edwards)

Ann Patchett - Bel Canto

In an impoverished South American country, terrorists, intent on kidnapping their country's president, storm an international gathering. He however has stayed at home to watch his favourite soap so the unlucky guests are taken hostage. They include an American opera diva, a Japanese tycoon and his interpreter. Security forces surround the house, days stretch into weeks then months, bonds and friendships form lulling hostages and captors into a dreamlike state which they never want to end. *winner of this year's Orange prize (Jenny Baker)

Ruth Rendell - Grasshopper

Long but riveting, this is the highly original story of a group of young student and dropout friends who live together in Maida Vale (London) and spend much of their time climbing out of their top-floor window and exploring the rooftops of the area. Gradually fear, violence and treachery enter their lives, destroying the delicate equilibrium they have established. Wonderful descriptions of London seen from an unusual angle. A cliffhanger of a climax. (Jeremy Swann)

Bernhard Schlink - The Reader

Michael Berg, 15, meets Hanna, aged 36. They embark on an affair which does not last long but will stay with and colour Michael's life forever. But Hanna has secrets, which Michael only becomes aware of much later, and he becomes involved in philosophical questions which also influence his life choices. The book challenges our feelings about the Holocaust and our own personal reactions to some of the questions it raises. Very moving and challenging. (Julie Higgins)

Christina Schwartz - Drowning Ruth

A heart-rending story of sibling rivalry, deep family bonds and secrets on a lakeside farm in Wisconsin. Competently written in an understated style that gradually reveals the story of sisters Amanda and Mattie and the tragic results of their struggles to find love and success on their own terms. A gripping, sinister tone makes us fear for the outcome, but there is also great compassion and not as much gloom as the title suggests! (Victoria Grey-Edwards)

Sarah Waters - Fingersmith

Set in Victorian England, in the genre of Dickens or Wilkie Collins with plots, counter plots and unexpected twists, this atmospheric, gothic thriller revolves around two orphaned girls whose lives are inexplicably tangled: Susan brought up amongst petty criminals and Maud reared first in a mad-house then in her uncle's gloomy mansion. Be prepared for constant surprises for nothing and no one is as they seem. The pages turn themselves! (Jenny Baker)

Richard B Wright - Clara Callan

This novel by a Canadian, for which he won the 2001 Giller Prize, takes place in the mid to late 1930s, and follows the lives of two very different sisters who have grown up in small-town Ontario. His amazing ability to get inside their minds is compelling and convincing. Their lives are depicted through Clara's diary entries, and through their correspondence when Nora moves away, and what unfolds makes an interesting and insightful story. (Polly Sams Plant)

Non-Fiction

Martin Amis - Experience

Vivid memoir of love, loss, dental trauma, and life in the shadow of the author's father, Kingsley. Typically intelligent, though at times perhaps more self-conscious than self-aware, Amis clearly delights in demonstrating his command of English and employs extensive footnotes to (admittedly) good structural effect. Compelling, candid, witty and occasionally irritating, this book kept me up late and has propelled Kingsley's Letters to the top of my must-read list. (Siobhan Thomson)

Susan Berry - Complete Guide to Gardening with Containers

& Steve Bradley Looking for ways we might use containers to give another dimension to our courtyard, I recently came across this excellent comprehensive guide. It shows all kinds of containers and ways to use them and has a long chapter with colour photos and details of suitable plants together with instructions. Also included are useful hints on feeding, pruning, propagating, watering and general care including protection in winter. (Jeremy Swann)

Alain de Botton - How Proust Can Change Your Life

A delightful book about the life and thoughts of Marcel Proust, who I now feel I know personally. De Botton presents him as an endearing genius with valuable insights into how we should manage our lives, read books, look at art, make friends etc., all gleaned from reading his huge works, which I am now tempted to take a look at! It's occasionally flippant but full of wisdom and interesting details about those times. (Victoria Grey-Edwards)

Alain de Botton - The Consolations of Philosophy

Six famous philosophers partner six human conditions, each taking their specialist subject. Mix background material, biography, anecdotes, everyday examples and quirky illustration to provide a possible answer to the age old question "What use is philosophy?". By presenting philosophers as people with ideas as opposed to complex theoreticians, De Botton has produced an ideal beginners bedside guide to the human condition. Ever bleaker episodes, like Montaigne on inadequacy, have their lighter side. Informative and entertaining. (Clive Yelf)

Bill Bryson - Made in America

A vast amount of information packed into a chatty paperback by the well-known travel writer. The author describes amongst other things the origins of various American place and brand names, terminology, familiar expressions and slang. He also refers to American history, customs, movies, food and practically everything else American one could think of. All in all a fascinating book...but to dip into and browse rather than read straight through. (Jeremy Swann)

Richard and Peter Harden - Good Cheap Eats in London 2002

Whether you live in London or are simply visiting, this is the ideal guide for sussing out reasonably priced places to eat. At the back there are indexes with listings under a whole variety of headings as well as comprehensive maps. Try Mon Plaisir in Monmouth Street for a pre-theatre supper, Sarkhels in Southfields for the best Indian cuisine in town or if you like Turkish there's Tas in SW1. Just three of the many! (Jenny Baker)

Robert D Kaplan - Warrior Politics - Why leadership demands a pagan ethos

Although the reader might not be in agreement with Kaplan's philosophical conclusions, his views on military politics, after 11 September 2001, are cogent and based on sound and unbiased historical knowledge and judgements. An expert on Afghanistan, he has personal knowledge of warfare. Confucius, Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes and Churchill's philosophies are brilliantly analysed, showing that the lessons of the past are the key to the problems of the 21st century. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Eric Newby - A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

This book by Eric Newby is an oldie, but now more up-to-date than ever. Newby and Carless, a diplomat, after four days of learning how to mountain climb in Scotland, went to the Hindu Kush in 1956 to climb the Mir Samir in Afghanistan. Their nonchalance and happy-go-lucky attitude to practically everything conceals their bravery, knowledge of Persian, and exactly how death-defying their trip was. Simply hilarious. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Andrew Roberts - Napoleon & Wellington

Too numerous to mention are the books written about Napoleon and Wellington. This new one comparing these two towering generals is a rare example of original thinking and expert knowledge, fastening on the salient points hitherto not highlighted. Although the two men are set in a broad frame, the detail is exhaustive but, oh miracles, not exhausting. For specialist and layman alike not to be missed. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Robert Twigger - Angry White Pyjamas - An Oxford Poet Trains with the Tokyo Riot Police

Softies prove themselves by running marathons. Lovers of Samurai poetry, with a (tenuous) residency in Japan, might instead take an intense, brutal course of Aikido. Juxtaposing a lax, squalid and communal bachelor life with the punishing self-discipline of the Dojo, this account of the ups and downs of a one-year course is an eye-opener on Japanese culture, Western misfits, bodily pain and the fear of failure. Engrossing and fascinating - but I'll stick to marathons... (Clive Yelf)