bwl 22 - February 2004
Fiction
| Paul Auster - Oracle Night
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| Another very good book by Paul Auster. It's nine days in the life of a writer, Sydney Orr, who is recovering after a near fatal illness. And this book gives us an insight into what it is like to lead a writer's life: how do real life and imaginary worlds mix together? You see the writer beginning a story then unravelling it; fascinating! (Laurence Martin Euler)
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| Peter Carey - My Life as a Fake
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| Sarah Wode-Douglass is the editor of 'The Modern Review' and when a friend of her family, John Slater, invites her to follow him to Kuala Lumpur, she accepts only because she thinks he was once her mother's lover. But there she discovers the brilliant writing of a 'fake' writer. What is a fake writer? Read this clever book from a master writer to find out... (Laurence Martin Euler)
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| Sue Gee - Earth and Heaven
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| After WW I, a young painter Walter Cox enrols at the Slade School under Henry Tonks and Wilson Steer; here he meets all the important people in his life, his wife Sarah, the alluring Nina, and the sculptor Euan who becomes his best friend. But it is Kent and its people including Walter's children which shape this atmospheric novel. So authentic are its characters and settings that I couldn't believe they were mostly fictional. (Jenny Baker)
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| Robert Harris - Pompeii
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| This story is about a newly appointed engineer trying to correct a serious fault in the natural water supply via aqueducts and pipes threatening the 250,000 inhabitants in the region surrounding the Bay of Naples. He is thwarted by corrupt vested-interests; his life is in danger but he won't give up. He also senses something sinister about the mountain he is working on. It is 22 August 79 AD on the slopes of Vesuvius overlooking Pompeii ... (James Baker)
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| Elizabeth Jane Howard - The Cazalet Chronicle
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| A series of four novels, can better be read in its entirety, but each in its own right is worth the read. The quartet chronicles the lives of an extended English family before, during and after WW II. Howard not only concentrates on the drama of the individual lives, she is worth reading for the authenticity of the changing world in which her characters live, and the constantly shifting values with which they have to struggle, as well as the slide from privileged living to utility. Entertaining and enriching, if sometimes repetitious and perhaps too much introspection.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Hanif Kureshi - The Body
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| Amazing reading! Amongst these eight short stories, the longest and the best is 'The Body' in which a writer learns from a casual acquaintance that there is a hospital where mysterious doctors can transfer your brain into a younger body of your choice. Being a writer he is tempted to try it, as an experiment just for six months. Unfortunately, he's going to find himself trapped! (Laurence Martin Euler)
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| Michael Morpurgo - Private Peaceful
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| Private Tommo Peaceful remembers his childhood as a country boy in the early years of the 20th century. It was a hard life - but there was his brother Charlie - bold, bright, irrepressible Charlie. And then came the War. Now Charlie is to face the firing squad and Tommo looks back over their experiences while he keeps vigil. Though written for children, Morpurgo's sympathetic handling makes it a book to share. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Arturo Pérez-Reverte - The Seville Communion
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| A hacker has accessed the Pope's personal computer asking for help to save a crumbling old church in Seville threatened with demolition by local financial parties anxious to develop the land on which it stands. The Vatican sends Father Lorenzo Quart to investigate and report back. He rapidly finds himself embroiled in a complicated conflict in which he is torn between loyalty to his superiors and human love. An intriguing and powerful story. (Jeremy Swann)
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| Donna Tartt - The Secret History
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| An amazing eyebrow-raising and hair-raising American first novel written with outstanding skill. A Californian twenty year old of modest means enters a chic East-Coast university where he is taken up by a small group of high-spending, intellectually arrogant, drug-taking and alcohol-abusing students from a wealthy background. The slippery slope on which they find themselves leads to an abyss of blackmail, cruelty, treachery and murder. A horrific story but unputdownable. (Jeremy Swann)
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| Eleanor Updale - Montmorency
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| Meet Montmorency. Except that is not his real name. It is the name he created for himself during his stay in prison. Now he is living the life of a society gentleman. Also meet Scarper, thief, and Montmorency's servant. But they are the same person! Inspired perhaps, by the stories about Raffles, this is an enjoyable 'take' on adventure stories of the Buchan variety. The writer is the wife of James Naughtie. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Penny Vincenzi - Forbidden Places
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| An enormously complex, beautifully constructed novel, fast-paced and fascinating for the sharp analysis of class distinction in English society just before and during WW II. Its sensitivity to many of the varied issues in human relationships, especially marriage, is remarkable, and the evocation of England at the beginning of the war and women's place in it is not to be missed. To those of us who have lived through those times, it is most recognisable. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Penny Vincenzi - The Dilemma
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| Another good read, its 884 pages make it marvelous value for holiday or travel! There is a very intriguing plot and many subplots, which the author manages to weave very well together in surprising directions. For a book of its length, she keeps up the pace and the ending is unusually forthright. Vincenzi has a refreshingly pragmatic outlook on life and a sharp eye for the nuances of human relations. One of her best books. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Sophia Watson - The Perfect Treasure
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| The Perfect House-Cleaner, intelligent, discrete, efficient, until Cindy's interest in her clients becomes not only professional but occupational and obsessive and she begins to play GOD with them. Multi-level and intricate psychological observations, and a clever open ending. In the lighter genre, an excellent and worthwhile read. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Jeanne Willis - Naked Without a Hat
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| An exuberant love story in which the main protagonists are a boy with Down's Syndrome and a gypsy girl. Unlikely - perhaps, but the author handles her story with humour and character. Will Avery leaves home with his guitar and his hat. He finds himself living in a house with autistic Rocko and obsessive James. He acquires a job - and then he meets Zara - read it and see.... (Ferelith Hordon)
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Non-Fiction
| Julian Barnes - The Pedant in the Kitchen
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| This started as a series of articles in the Guardian Review and for that reason is better in small bites than consumed whole. Written with style and humour it will resonate with anyone who, unsure of their cooking skills and knowledge, seeks precision in recipe books. An entertaining alternative to yet another recipe book, perhaps. (Christine Miller)
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| Brendan Behan - Borstal Boy
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| Absolutely not the sort of book I normally read, but I casually picked it up and could hardly put it down. Behan, famous for his 1950s pro-IRA play, The Hostage, was sent over to Liverpool in 1942 to blow something up and was arrested on landing. Being only 16 he was sent to a Borstal and this fluent account of his not altogether unpleasant experience in various institutions is quite fascinating. (Michael Fitzgerald-Lombard)
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| Niall Couper - The Spirit of Wimbledon - Living Memories of the Dons from 1922-2003
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| A book worthy of a readership well beyond its sporting horizons. This wonderful blend of history and eye-witness accounts covers Wimbledon football from its nineteenth-century beginnings, the post-war amateur game, FA cup success, the Premiership, the cynical move to Milton Keynes and the phoenix-like emergence of the supporters' club, AFC Wimbledon. A story packed with local heroes, by no means all of them footballers, the reminiscences of the contributors make this hard to put down. (Clive Yelf)
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| William Dalrymple - From the Holy Mountain
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| Dalrymple sets off to follow in the footsteps of 6th century monk John Moschos, as he travelled round the Middle East from monastery to monastery in the days when the whole region was Christian. Dalrymple has done his homework and cares deeply about his subject. The result is a rich, erudite and elegiac account of people and places, of what once was and what, precariously, remains. Impossible to recommend it too highly. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Lesley Downer - Geisha - The Secret History of a Vanishing World
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| In modern Japanese society the Geisha seems like a highly specialised and evolved species so highly adapted to one ecological niche that it's doomed to extinction. However the authors comprehensive examination of the origins and development of the modern geisha reveal surprisingly robust roots! The history is fascinating but it is matched by the accounts, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs revealed by the modern inhabitants of the 'Flower and Willow World'. An absorbing and sympathetic work. (Clive Yelf)
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| Laura Hillenbrand - Seabiscuit - An American Legend
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| For those who saw the documentary on National Geographic, this will be an added incentive to read this book. One doesn't need to be a horse-fan or a racing fan or to know which end is which to find this an absorbing and unusual read. A 'document' both equine and human, giving a fascinating glimpse not only into a little-known world but into an important phase of American history, the Depression. Very exciting and informative. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Diana Holman-Hunt - My Grandmothers and I
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| Diana lived with her mother's mother in Sussex surrounded by pugs and servants but occasionally visited her other grandmother who survived with only one maid-of-all-work in a virtual mausoleum to her deceased husband, the painter Holman-Hunt. Rivals for her affection, both grandmothers were determined to teach her that their way is best. If you ever come across a copy of this funny and perceptive memoir, originally published in 1960, snap it up! (Jenny Baker)
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| Lutz C Kleveman - The New Great Game - Blood and Oil in Central Asia
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| This doesn't sound like favourite bed-time reading, but you'd be surprised. Kleveman is the best kind of investigative journalist, knowledgeable, balanced, self-effacing. He mixes a strong sense of place with inside information - he spoke to all the right people and read all the relevant literature - and recounts it all with clarity and humanity, from political power struggles to the shenanigans of competing oil companies, to the eccentricities of Turkmenistan's crazy president. Fascinating, if decidedly alarming! (Annabel Bedini)
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| Victoria Manthorpe (editor) - The Japan Diaries of Richard Gordon Smith
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| What really strikes you about these diaries are the lavish illustrations - postcards, paintings, prints and photographs - liberally scattered throughout. Smith's comments are fascinating too, looking at Japan as he does through the eyes of a Home Counties squire. Hunting, shooting and fishing are core passions, but his curiosity and passions encompass the full range of a Japanese culture. Equally fascinating are the cultural attitudes and beliefs of the British displayed by Smith himself. (Clive Yelf)
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| Bruno Monsaingeon - Sviatoslav Richter - Notebooks and Conversations
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| A must for pianophiles. The conversations take place during the making of Monsaingeon's film about Richter, and tell the extraordinary story of his life in Soviet Russia until he finally burst upon the west in 1960.The notebooks are the pianist's personal journals containing reactions to concerts, other artists and his own recordings. Monsaingeon's film, 'Richter the Enigma' (available on video) is even more enthralling. (David Truman)
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| Susanne Osborne - The Good Web Guide for Book Lovers
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| I have just bought myself this brilliant little book. It seems to cover so much, and I highly recommend it. (Jenny Freeman)
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| Ben Schott - Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany
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| A gem of a book! It is packed full of fascinating facts and figures, very quotable quotations, and is great for dipping into and learning something new. So why not celebrate the start of 2004 with a Negroni and a Mojito, but not so much that you Sniff the barmaid's apron.....and may you have a sheaf, a bell and a star in your tea-leaves. (Mary Standing)
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| Francis Spufford - The Child that Books Built
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| A personal account of how the literature of his youth affected the development and attitudes of one particular individual; I enjoyed the intention of the book but less so the style. How he could recall his childhood reactions to various books in such detail is beyond me and that, linked to his integration of his sister's tragic life into the narrative, left me feeling that an interesting venture hadn't quite come off. A Curate's egg. (Clive Yelf)
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| Lynne Truss - Eats, Shoots and Leaves - The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
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| If the misuse of an apostrophe, comma, semi-colon or what-have-you sets your teeth on edge, or if you're somebody who is unsure how to apply the finer points of punctuation, then this book is for you. In fact it's been a 'for you' for a huge number of people since its publication at the end of 2003. Its journalistic style is a bit off-putting, but it's packed with useful snippets of information. I enjoyed it. (Jenny Baker)
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| Fay Weldon - Auto da Fay
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| Even non-fans of Weldon's acute, acerbic attitude to life should be enthralled by this honest, courageous, funny-sad account of how, struggling against huge odds, she got where she is. From New Zealand to poverty, homelessness and dislocation in post-war London, from bad girl to Acton housewife, from jack-of-any-trade to writer. Eccentric and dysfunctional families, ghosts, children, husbands, fate and the inter-weaving of past and present ...she answers questions but she also asks some. Wonderful! (Annabel Bedini)
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| Feedback |
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Jeremy Swann writes:
Why so few short stories?
I recently woke up to the fact that, in the four years since we launched bookswelike, we have only received a small number of reviews of short stories. Is this an indication that few of our contributors like reading them? And, if so, why should this be? Many well-known and lesser-known English and American writers are producing short stories and having them published.
Here in France our next door village runs a widely publicised national short story contest as part of its annual book fair. In 2003 there were over 150 entries and similar contests are organised in other parts of the country. Nevertheless few of our local public library's readers borrow short stories rather than novels. I haven't checked but, if the same holds true elsewhere, the lack of reader interest may be a national, even an international phenomenon. It would be interesting to hear the views of bwl contributors and readers alike on the subject.
Although it is not strictly relevant to the above, I found it interesting to read in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's autobiography Living to Tell the Tale (see under Non-Fiction in this issue) that it requires much more effort and skill to write a good short story than it does a good novel. Being a great writer of each he should know! |
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Clive Yelf writes:
I had a thought the other day about a book that had disappointed me. I wasn't considering reviewing it for bookswelike but thought it might be interesting to have a 'Raspberry Reviews' section where books that disappointed for a specific reason could be discussed (aka 'named & shamed'). Not necessarily bad books, but those that had specific problems associated with them that you wanted to get off your chest.... |
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Annabel Bedini writes:
I agree with Wendy Swann's feedback (bwl 21) on The Lovely Bones and the doubts she expressed are the same that have stopped me from reviewing Vernon God Little* as a book I like, despite enjoying a lot of it. Credibility fails - and irritation sets in - in the face of glaring inconsistencies. In the case of both books the problems lie with the American justice system - anyone who has read Vernon God Little will know what I mean - and the disquieting suspicion has to be that the failings are so endemic and so taken for granted that the American reading public doesn't notice them (or, it seems, know the difference between pardon and acquittal!).
*Winner of the 2003 Man Booker prize, the author of which is a Mexican-Australian called Peter Finlay writing under the pseudonym of D B C Pierre - the translation of which is apparently Dirty but Clean Peter.
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