bookswelike

bwl 32 - November 2005

Fiction

Andrea Camilleri - The Snack Thief

A translation from Italian of one of the Inspector Montalban detective stories that were turned into what became a popular TV series in Italy. As in all of the stories, the action takes place in a fictitious town in Sicily. The inspector is an amusing character, reminiscent of Commissario Brunetti in Donna Leon's stories, with much the same cynical and sardonic reaction to the local, in this case Sicilian, goings-on. (Jeremy Swann)

Stephen Clarke - Year in the Merde, A

This book is a 'hoot' from beginning to end! Paul West, a young Englishman goes to Paris for a year to work in a French company and gives a racy description of his experiences, primarily with the girls there. Never a dull moment. Thoroughly disrespectful. I recommend it to anyone feeling in need of a good laugh. (Jeremy Swann)

Helen Dunmore - A Spell of Winter

This Orange Prize winner is beautifully written and kept my interest to the last page. The mysteries are intriguing, and only gradually are secrets revealed. Throughout the book there are hints of past and present dangers and at times I was almost afraid to read on and find out what was underlying everything that was happening. But . . . was it that I missed something, or were more questions left unanswered at the end than were explained? (Julie Higgins)

Alan Isler - The Living Proof

Robin Sinclair, a British novelist, suggests Stan Kops, an American Jewish academic, as the biographer of Cyril Entwistle - the most important living British artist and a well-known anti-Semite - who is exceedingly difficult to write about, as he has invented most of the 'facts' of his life. Sinclair sits back and watches as things go terribly wrong for almost everyone involved. A very welcome addition to the small but beautifully formed output of Isler. (Julie Higgins)

Douglas Kennedy - State of the Union

It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a novel so much. It tells the story of Hannah Buchan from the Sixties to the present day. She is the very sensible daughter of not so sensible parents who, to their utter disappointment, chose to marry at the age of twenty a nice future doctor and to become a teacher. But one night something happened, something for which she'll be punished but not until decades later . . . (Laurence Martin Euler)

Shani Mootoo - Cereus Blooms at Night

0n a small Caribbean island, a male nurse, with problems of identity, is assigned to take care of a demented old woman whose past he gradually unfolds. What are the unspeakable secrets hidden in her house? What turned her father into a monster? Where are her mother and her mother's lover? Did her sister just abandon her? And the old man who comes to visit, who is he? Dark, crackling with energy and vivid descriptions. (Jenny Baker)

Sheridan Morley - Authorised Biography of John Gielgud

This is an engaging biography from someone who knew and liked his subject. Not that Gielgud's failings are ignored, especially his naivety following his arrest on indecency charges and his absent-minded faux pas with fellow actors. His background and the struggle to find his own 'voice' are fascinating but it is his homosexuality, its relation to the culture of the theatre and society's shifting attitudes which provide a constant thread in this very enjoyable study. (Clive Yelf)

Carolyn Parkhurst - The Dogs of Babel

Paul Iverson's wife Lexy is found dead having fallen from an apple tree, or did she jump? Desperate to discover how she really died, Paul tries to teach her dog, Lorelei, to speak. Lexy's whimsical personality, her erratic behaviour, and the passionate relationship between them emerges through retrospection. The daily agony of grief, and the extraordinary behaviour of a normally rational Linguistics Professor, is brilliantly depicted, as is the heart wrenching story of the dog. (Polly Sams Plant)

Iain Pears - The Portrait

A curious book, largely because it consists of a monologue, in this case delivered by an Edwardian painter to his famous art-critic friend of many years' standing. Don't believe a word of the blurbs on the cover of the paperback edition. None of them seemed relevant to the book. In spite of the resulting disappointment, I found the story interesting . . . up to a point! (Jeremy Swann)

Philip Pullman - The Amber Spyglass

I really enjoyed the Amber Spyglass and I think it is a good read for both children and adults. The story is thorough and interesting as Will and Lyra continue their journey through the different worlds, encountering many strange beings. They discover a lot more about life than anyone has ever done before. They end up stuck with a hard decision and an almost impossible task. What will happen? . . . (Eloise May)

Kate Thomson - The New Policeman

What is the price of time? This is JJ's quest - to buy some time for his mother as her birthday present. This is a teasing, playful novel Playful, because it is actually built round Irish dance tunes, reproduced between each chapter, whose titles form a skeleton of the plot - introducing some deliciously surreal touches. Just who is the new policeman? Does JJ find his mother's present? And what does it cost him? Find out yourself. (Ferelith Hordon)

Minette Walters - The Devil's Feather

The new Minette Walters is gripping because it brings into it much of our contemporary troubled world. It's the story of Connie Burns, a Reuters correspondent who is used to a dangerous life. But she knows too much about a serial killer and something terrible happens to her in Baghdad, so terrible that she gives up her job and flees to rural England to hide, until . . . (Laurence Martin Euler)

Non-Fiction

Mark D'Arcy - Nightmare! - The Race to Become London's Mayor

and Rory MacLean If you feel politics are boring then read this book! The tension between the requirement for an independent 'character' to lead London and an obedient Party member to follow the dictates of central office proves too great to overcome and a procession of philanderers, egotists, newt-lovers, glory-hunters and a Lib-Dem candidate provide a great cast of characters in this most intriguing of political dog-fights (and there's enough egg left on faces for a Mayor's banquet!). (Clive Yelf)

Fergus Fleming - The Sword and the Cross

Apart from dramatic film backgrounds, ever wondered what it was Foreign Legionnaires were actually doing in those desert forts? Actually they were part of France's visionary North African empire intended to transform the desert with water and railways. Foucauld, (ex-soldier and visionary monk) and Lapperine (soldier and founder of the camel corps) are significant players in a doomed enterprise. 'Let the cockerel scratch in the sand' was Britain's attitude and Flemming again writes fascinating history. (Clive Yelf)

James Henderson - Frigates - An Account of the Lighter Warships of the Napoleonic Wars

'Lack of Frigates!' was Nelson's lament because these quick, nimble ships were vital for reconnaissance and guarding trade routes. Although too small to fight in the set-piece battles there were numerous celebrated actions around the world where three or four ships would tussle for local supremacy ('Master and Commander' * portrays a typical frigate action). What could be a dry narrative is actually an engrossing sailor's-eye view of skill, daring and courage on the high seas.

*Editor's note: the first of Patrick O'Brian's famous Aubrey/Maturin novels (Clive Yelf)

Michael Holroyd - Basil Street Blues

Holroyd's search to discover his family history is an entrancing story, beautifully written and often very funny, though the author himself remains elusive. An only child, largely brought up by his paternal grandparents and a tennis-playing aunt - his parents divorced early on - he thrived on being invisible. But as he engagingly charts the mixed fortunes of his family he gradually begins to emerge from the shadows. (Diana Davies)

Simon Hopkinson - Roast Chicken and Other Stories

It's not hard to see why this unpretentious gem of a cookbook was voted 'The Most Useful Cookery Book Ever' by a panel of food writers, restaurateurs, chefs, cooks and consumers. Unlike some other books by top chefs, this one - divided into sections covering his favourite ingredients - is packed with recipes and tips designed to inspire rather than impress. If you don't like cooking, read it anyway. It's as good as a feast. (Jenny Baker)

John Keegan - Intelligence in War - Knowledge of the Enemy from Napoleon to Al-Qaeda

'Military Intelligence' is an oxymoron, according to the old joke, but here a range of campaigns is dissected in order to assess the value, real or perceived, of knowledge of the enemy. From Nelson's desperate lack of scouting frigates in the Mediterranean via the American Civil war to more modern conflict, it is soon apparent that knowledge isn't everything and even sometimes knowing what the enemy is going to do won't prevent them doing it. (Clive Yelf)

Asne Seierstad - The Bookseller of Kabul

After the fall of the Taliban this Norwegian writer lived for three months with the extended family of an Afghan bookseller who, despite persecution, had prospered through his passion for books and Afghan culture. Her experience revealed shockingly how, despite "liberation", Muslim authoritarianism leads to the total subjugation of his dependents, above all the women, and the hopelessness of their situation. Fascinating from start to finish although her erstwhile host was outraged by the book. (Jane Grey-Edwards)

Vikram Seth - Two Lives

At times I found myself disappointingly bored by the details of humdrum daily life that fill many of these 502 pages, though significant events and situations are vividly described. The remarkable stories of Seth's much loved uncle and his wife, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany whose family was tragically wiped out during the war, would have been twice as effective at half the length. However, reviewers don't agree with me - they loved it! (Jane Grey-Edwards)

Feedback

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Jeremy Swann wrote the following in the last issue:

"Looking back through the issues of bwl published during the last couple of years, I wondered which two or three books featured there would come top of my list on the grounds of originality, thought-provokingness and sheer enjoyability. I finally chose the following two, both first novels and both by non-European writers (is this significant?). They are:

Chimimanda Nguzi Ardichie's Purple Hibiscus (bwl 26) and Khaled Hossein's The Kite Runner (bwl 29).

It would be interesting to learn what our readers would select as their choices using the same criteria."

Below are the responses received so far:

Mine would be The Time Traveler's Wife (bwl 29) and The Shadow of the Wind (bwl 28), with Oryx and Crake (bwl 28) a close third. (Annie Noble)

I DO agree about the The Kite Runner. (Polly Sams)

Two of the most original and enjoyable books I have read in the last couple of years have undoubtedly been The Life of Pi by Yann Martel (bwl 17) and The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht, (bwl 20). (Wendy Swann)

Re your challenging idea of books we've REALLY liked, it puts me into the same kind of panic as desert island choices or top tens. I'm incapable of coming down firmly in favour of one rather than another and I'm tormented by the thought that I'm forgetting, in a certain sense betraying, some marvellous books that will pop into my mind the moment I've stopped thinking. However, I do absolutely agree about Purple Hibiscus and The Kite Runner - wonderful books! I might possibly add one I did last time, Under the Frog (bwl 31), for the way it opened up a whole new world, oh, and de Berniere's Birds Without Wings (bwl 28) for the same reason, and going back a bit, one of the best books of all times, Paton Walsh's Knowledge of Angels (bwl 5), and so it goes on ad infinitum . . . (Annabel Bedini)

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