bookswelike

bwl 53 - September 2009

Fiction

Sebastian Barry - The Secret Scripture

A mental hospital in modern-day Ireland: Roseanne McNulty, nearing 100, begins a secret journal relating the events which through ignorance and religious bigotry led to her incarceration. Meanwhile, her psychiatrist's attempts to uncover her history reveal contradictions in her story illustrating how memory perhaps unwittingly sifts and refracts the truth. Lyrically written, grim and shocking, it is also an affirmation of the power of hope and love. I cannot recommend it too highly. *Costa Book of the Year 2008 (Jenny Baker)

Jonathan Coe - The Rain Before It Falls

I was completely enthralled by this. It takes the unusual form of a series of photographs described by Rosamund, who dies in chapter 1. As each photo is analysed in terrific detail, the story of little Imogen unfolds. It is a marvellous (and scary) exploration of the impact of mothers on daughters and connections between generations. It is extraordinary that a man could write such an insightful novel about women. I wept at the end. (Annie Noble)

Martin Davies - The Unicorn Road

This author weaves magic spells and although for me this doesn't quite live up to his previous novel (The Conjuror's Bird, bwl 36), it nevertheless conjures a complex tale involving the fate of a 13th C Sicilian expedition searching for mythical animals and that of a young Chinese woman summoned to the court of an Emperor renowned for his sensual appetites and cruelty. An intriguing tale of religion, skulduggery, a secret script, loss and yearning. (Jenny Baker)

Marina Fiorato - The Glassblower of Murano

Meet Corradino, the greatest glassblower in 17th C Venice - a Venice, ruled by the Council of Ten, where glass workers are virtual prisoners on the island of Murano. Fast forward to the 21st C: Leonora - fleeing a failed marriage - arrives in Venice to follow the footsteps of her famous ancestor. Using this dual narrative, Fiorato creates an absorbing drama that draws the reader into the Venetian world - corrupt, colourful and full of secrets. (Ferelith Hordon)

Patrick Gale - The Whole Day Through

I normally love Patrick Gale, but this was a little disappointing. Ben and Laura, lovers at University, meet up years later when their lives are simply too complicated to allow them any space. It jumps around in time and alternates between the two characters, adding in complications and problems. I found it frustrating and thought the ending rather weak. But it's a short book, so I didn't feel I'd wasted too much of my time. (Annie Noble)

David Hewson - The Garden of Evil

Set in Rome, the reader is drawn into the murky world of fine art and obsession. Here the plot revolves around lost works by Caravaggio. Leo Falcone and Nic Costa, already well known to many readers, are in pursuit of a violent, aristocratic villain. They are an attractive partnership, while Hewson taps into the Dan Brown world of fine art, symbols and secrecy to create a tense thriller that carries the reader along. Enjoyable. (Ferelith Hordon)

Eizabeth Laird - The Witching Hour

Set in 17th C Scotland, a violent period of religious struggles, bitter hatreds and extreme cruelties, the narrative follows Maggie Blair as she flees her home on Bute - having been accused of being a witch - across Scotland to Edinburgh in a desperate attempt to free her uncle taken as a Covenanter; an excellent, well crafted and absorbing historical novel with a strong female protagonist and a good sense of period for teen readers. Recommended. (Ferelith Hordon)

Stieg Larsson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

An ageing Swedish Industrialist - convinced that his great-niece was murdered decades ago by a relative - hires journalist Blomkvist to unearth the truth. By chance, Blomkist meets Lizbeth Salander, an asocial punk and computer genius and together they become a classic detective pair, hunters becoming the hunted . . . it's those bleak winters, arid landscapes and dark characters which make you long to curl up with an Anne Tyler - but you can't. (James Baker)

Anne Michaels - The Winter Vault

I loved her poetic writing and the philosophical musings interweaving the story although some may find its meandering irritating. As well as being a story of love and loss, she considers the effect of the dislocation of people from their roots and memories through the building of the Aswan Dam, the St. Lawrence seaway and the destruction of Warsaw in WW II. A melancholic book about ordinary but extraordinary people but one that ends in hope. (Christine Miller)

Jodi Picoult - Vanishing Acts

I'd been avoiding Picoult for some reason, but picked this up. It's OK, if too long. It's not possible to describe the plot without spoiling it, but it focuses on three childhood friends and their on-going relationships. There are graphic descriptions of US prison life (is it really this bad?), and the way a central character changes while incarcerated is rather unbelievable. But it's a good story. Read it when you've nothing else to do. (Annie Noble)

Marilynne Robinson - Gilead

In this companion novel to Home (bwl 52), the Reverend Ames begins a letter to his young son. It is not only a testament to his own life and to his forbears but in it he also tries to unravel and understand the events surrounding the troubled life of Jack, the son of his oldest friend. Read one of these books and the other becomes a must. In which order? Maybe this one first. (Jenny Baker)

William Trevor - Cheating at Canasta

This is a brilliant collection of short stories mostly set in rural Ireland. Bereavement, loss, fear, shame, deception, worn out relationships and the optimism of new ones are the subjects of these stories. Trevor's characters are teenagers, ordinary everyday folk, wealthier people whose lives have been changed by unexpected incidents or just the minutiae of daily life. His writing is calm and non-judgmental, leaving room for reflection. Well worth reading and immensely enjoyable. (Diane Reeve)

Anne Tyler - Noah's Compass

Liam Pennywell - widowed, remarried, divorced - loses his job and moves to a tiny apartment where a shocking occurrence jolts him out of his certainties. Tyler's depiction of Liam's relationships with his daughters, his grandson, his ex-wife and a new woman he encounters make you laugh and cry and want to shake him for being so himself. This is vintage stuff, small town America inhabited by ordinary people trying to make sense of their lives. (Jenny Baker)

Stefan Zweig - The Post Office Girl

Christine lives in financial and emotional poverty in post WW I Austria. A rich aunt takes her to Switzerland where she temporarily experiences extreme wealth and freedom. She is transformed but then is suddenly returned to her former empty existence. She meets Ferdinand whose life has also been ruined by the war. There seems no hope for them so they consider suicide but take another route. Beautifully written but could be shorter perhaps. (Christine Miller)

Non-Fiction

Niall Ferguson - The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

This much respected historian now writes a history of finance and shows that finance is the backbone of all history. A timely read as the world grapples at present with a deep financial crisis, not only is it lively and interesting but shows that history as usual repeats itself and that financial booms and busts are only to be expected but could also be avoided if those in power would listen to the warnings of the past. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Jonathan Glancey - Spitfire: The Biography

Any book devoted to the development and evolution of a machine is in danger of being little more than an encyclopaedia entry. Luckily the author is an unrepentant fan with Spitfires in the family and Airfix kits hanging from the ceiling, so it's as much about the pilots and mythology as about technical aspects. Being fair when comparing and contrasting the Spitfire with it's major rivals, he also keeps a check on any excessive sentimentality. (Clive Yelf)

William Hague - William Pitt, the Younger: A Biography

What a privilege to read the biography of one outstanding politician by another. William Hague brings all his experience and knowledge of how politics worked and works in Britain to bear on the life and endeavours of William Pitt. In fact, both father and son are placed in a broad historical context, fair, objective and knowledgeable. A rare treat, its 592 pages are not daunting, as I had feared, but immensely readable and lively. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Tim Jeal - Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer

This powerful and broad treatment of Africa and of King Leopold's Belgian Congo, is a brilliant account of Stanley's travels, especially his Trans-Africa journey down the Congo to the Atlantic seaboard. However, this deeply researched biography based on newly accessible sources, gives a new insight into Stanley's reasons for his purposely obscured early life, and has produced not only a reassessment but a rehabilitation of this much-maligned and little understood explorer. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Rory McGrath - Bearded Tit: A Love Story With Feathers

An unenthusiastic thumbs up for a diverting reminiscence. Why unenthusiastic? Well a mix of Red Herrings, Unreliable Narrator, a touch of Anagnorisis* and a splattering of Self-Deprecation make this tale of boy meets, loses and regains girl (years later) feel like an exercise with smoke and mirrors. It's readable and engaging all right, just a bit annoying and at the end you half expect him to leap out shouting "Gotcha again!" just as you finish. *A sudden recognition of their own or another character's true identity or nature. Apparently. (Clive Yelf)

Reinhold Messner - The Second Death of George Mallory

Messner, top mountaineer, who climbed Everest solo himself, was always fascinated by the story of Mallory's climb, disappearance and how his bones were found 75 years later. In this slim but terrifically powerful book, Messner has written a kind of thriller, literally step by step. A unique privilege for the reader to experience both men's climbs at once. His conclusion that Mallory did not reach the summit and why, gives this book its totally unexpected punch. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

James Palmer - The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia

This excellently researched first book deserves a serious place in historical literature. Baron Ungern-Stenberg, a Baltic aristocrat, was violent, headstrong and mad, but with enormous charisma. With a rabble of cavalrymen and White Russian fugitives, he conquered Mongolia with terrible consequences. Driven by esoteric beliefs, rabid anti-Semitism and violent obsessions, he foreshadowed the Nazis in his terrible mix of mysticism and genocide. A true depiction of a little-known region, lawless and isolated, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. (Kathie) (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Carl Zimmer - At The Waters Edge: Fish With Fingers Whales With Legs . . .

Whales were a conundrum for Darwin but provide a fascinating detective story in this absorbing account of evolution. After struggling to evolve legs, what was it that prompted one particular group to return to the sea? Why, unlike their reptile predecessors, did whales develop sonar, filter krill with baleen, and have an up/down tail movement? Surprisingly much comes down to the teeth and skull of their ancient wolf-like ancestor Pakicetus. Big changes from small differences... (Clive) (Clive Yelf)

Feedback

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Since Dick Francis now writes his newest thrillers in collaboration with his son, Felix, I personally think his list, which in my opinion suffered these last years, has much improved. Certainly Silks (bwl 50) recalls his first fresh efforts, cleverly combining racing and the law. On the usual Francis grid, it has however several unusual aspects and is a very lively holiday read. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

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The French edition of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society recently reached the bookshops and supermarkets in France where I live. It has already climbed to second place in the weekly sales recorded by the FNAC, one of the main chains. I am not surprised and fully share the enthusiasm for this book as expressed by your reviewer in bwl 52. It is a remarkable and original novel. (Jeremy Swann)

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Winter in Madrid (bwl 38 and 52) by C J Sansom, is supposed to be a spy story, but the fiction is obviously only a thin veneer. One is relentlessly drawn into the tragedy of Civil War Spain and its aftermath, and is confronted with 'how it really must have been' with consummate skill and, thanks to the historical note at the end, the integrity of true knowledge. The best way yet, in my opinion, to understand this complicated and still controversial war. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

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