| John Banville - The Untouchables
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| Inevitably the figure of Anthony Blunt plays a part in the reading of this amazing book together with other disguised characters taken from the 20th century's biggest UK spy scandal. But the fictional cast takes on authentic dimensions of its own as the story unfolds. Absolutely riveting.
(James Baker)
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| Dirk Bogarde - For the Time Being
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| Fascinating assortment of (mostly) later writings by this man who is an artist in the true literary sense and sees life way beyond the stage. The introduction (1998 and 1999) must not be skipped, a near finale. (Guy Harding)
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| T. Coraghessan Boyle - The Tortilla Curtain
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| Witty, satirical. A comical and complex view of the gulf of misunderstanding which separates the lives of illegal Mexican immigrants and upcoming, ecology-minded liberals who dwell in the Los Angeles hills. This is no simple tale of the "good" guy and the "bad" guy, however! Guaranteed suspense all the way to the frightful ending. (Pamela Jaunin)
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| Polly Devlin - Only Sometimes Looking Sideways
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| A diverse collection of articles, originally published in Dublin magazines, remarkable for the quality of language and breadth of knowledge. Compelling reading and re-reading - however much you may wish to disagree with the opinions voiced. (Serena Fenwick)
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| Charles Frazier - Cold Mountain
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| Parallel story of deserter returning home on foot from American Civil War and his girlfriend making her way alone at home. A satisfying historical reconstruction, well written, highly atmospheric. Pity about predictable ending, but all in all a compelling latter-day Odyssey. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Esther Freud - Hideous Kinky
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| Fictionalised, autobiographical account of a year spent with a hippy mother in and around Marrakesh, from the point of view of the child. Fascinating, touching, often funny, more often (for more orthodox parents) hair-raising. Don't be put off by the title or the first few pages. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Henry Green - Loving
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| The archetype of novels about country house life in Ireland, in this case in wartime. The story unfolds above and below stairs and features a number of well-drawn characters, in particular an unforgettable butler. Has its memorable comic moments. (Jeremy Swann)
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| Joanne Harris - Chocolat
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| On Shrove Tuesday Vianne Rocher, opens a chocolate boutique in a village in SW France and becomes embroiled with Father Reynaud (who has his own demons) in a battle for the hearts of the villagers. It's an exotic tale, beautifully written, full of the pungent smells of chocolate and spices. (Jenny Baker)
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| Susan Isaacs - Lily White
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| The narrator of this thriller-cum-novel is a young American criminal lawyer and the chapters alternate between her private and professional lives, leaving the reader in suspense each time. It's tense, funny, sad , but never boring.
(Wendy Swann)
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| John le Carré - Single & Single
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| Sadly not about Smiley but I found this a good fast-paced thriller with the exotic topical settings and characters, tortuous plot and distinctive style Le Carré has led one to expect. Little violence, lots of humour. Like his previous books, should be even better on a second reading. (Jeremy Swann)
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| David Lodge - Paradise News
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| Remarkably thought-provoking as well as funny. God is well and truly dead but the baby survives the emptying out of the bathwater. My mixed metaphor isn't meant as a deliberate challenge! (Murray Jackson)
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| Piers Paul Read - The Free Frenchman
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| While hardly great literature, this is an exciting story about the French resistance set against a factually accurate background of French politics in the nineteen thirties and forties that had me delving into de Gaulle's and Churchill's memoirs in search of further information. (Wendy Swann)
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| Arturo Pérez-Reverte - The Fencing Master
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| 1868, Spain teeters on the edge of revolution but Jaime Astarloa, old-fashioned master fencer, lives in a dream-world, his ambition to perfect the irresistible sword thrust. His serenity is shattered when Adela de Otero appears at his door and he becomes the unwilling participant in dark political deeds. Wonderfully atmospheric. (Jenny Baker)
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| Arundhati Roy - The God of Small Things
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| Story of a childhood drama in India told in a quirky style which some apparently find irritating but which I found precisely and potently evokes a child's mental processes and experience of the bewildering adult world. The gradual build-up into tragedy is beautifully handled. Spellbinding. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Salman Rushdie - Haroun and the Sea of Stories
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| An innocent little fairy story with a profound underlying theme of maturation of the personality (Murray Jackson)
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| Rose Tremain - Music & Silence
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| Peter Claire, an English lutenist arrives at the court of Christian IV of Denmark and is soon enmeshed in a convoluted tale of light and dark, good and evil which involves the King, his adulterous wife Kirsten, the women who Peter loves and a host of other characters. Quite wonderful. (Jenny Baker)
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| Rebecca Wells - The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
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| I couldn't put it down - a sort of anthology of interesting lives, arrogance, complacency, courage, fun, supported by huge amounts of bourbon, and an underlying drama of the transmission of destructive jealousy down the generations, a theme which the author doesn't really address. (Murray Jackson)
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| John Bayley - Iris
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| A touchingly intimate portrait of the novelist Iris Murdoch and her marriage by her retired Oxford professor and book reviewer husband. Particularly poignant when he describes the onset of Alzheimer's from which she died not long ago. (Jeremy Swann)
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| Harding Dyson - A Book of Condolences
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| Well researched anthology (45 BC to 20th century). Historically interesting and sensitive insight on the expression of distress on death mostly by famous often literary names. Useful and strangely comforting. (Guy Harding)
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| Philip Glazebrook - Journey to Kars
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| A gently amusing and erudite story of a journey to the Eastern end of Turkey in the steps of various Victorian travellers to the region whose experiences the author quotes. Takes in Bucharest, Belgrade and other places en route. (Jeremy Swann)
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| Brigid McConville and John Shearlaw - The Slanguage of Sex
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| Amazingly useful reference book. However prudish, most people hear if not use swearwords frequently. If you don't know what it means, look it up! (Guy Harding)
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| Norman Lewis - Naples '44
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| (an old favourite) Diary of a writer's experiences as Intelligence Officer in Naples in 1944. Enthralling and often moving account of survival strategies of the local population and Lewis's growing awareness of the highly questionable rule of the Allied forces. Written with great sensitivity, integrity and honesty. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Frank McCourt - 'Tis
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| I actually liked Frank McCourt's follow-up to 'Angela's Ashes'. It was very interesting the way it was written, as if he is putting into words what he is thinking, and how he is reacting to things at the time. (Polly Sams Plant)
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| Iris Origo - War in the Val d'Orcia
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| (just re-issued, I've been told) American woman finds herself running her husband's isolated estate in occupied Tuscany. Things become complicated (understatement) as Allies approach: partesans hiding in the woods, retreating Germans, locals from both sides of political divide all have to be juggled (and fed) and children taken to safety. Amazing. (Annabel Bedini)
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| James Thurber - The Years with Ross
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| A hilarious account of episodes in the life of the legendary Harold Ross, founding editor of the New Yorker. Mainly devoted to his problems in handling a bunch of eccentric contributors not the least of which was the humorist and author of this book himself. (Jeremy Swann)
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