bookswelike

bwl 55 - Winter 2010

Fiction

Paul Auster - Invisible

This is a strange novel, strange because it has three different narrators telling the same story. The main protagonist is Adam Walker, whose life - from 1967 until his early death from cancer in 2007 - is chronicled in the disturbing and unfinished manuscript he leaves behind. A very profound and interesting read indeed. (Laurence Martin Euler)

Laura Beatty - Pollard

A young girl, alienated from her family, goes to live in the woods by herself. Although she identifies with the trees and wildlife around her she inevitably interacts with other users of the woods: the Ranger, café users etc. She even ventures outside to merge briefly with her old life, giving the story more interest and drama. Beautifully written and thought provoking about the lives of trees and of those who try to live differently. (Victoria Grey-Edwards)

Harry Bowling - Conner Street's War & The Glory and the Shame

Bowling was born in London and left school at fourteen. In these two best selling novels available in one paperback, he wrote about the lives of ordinary folk in WW II. These are tales of life in the East End, how individual people reacted to horrific situations, they are tales of courage, shame and love. Conner Street's War tells the story of the families who lived in that street and how they coped and how they lost everything. The Glory and the Shame is again about families and reveals some of their shameful past, as well as their heroic deeds. (Shirley Williams)

A S Byatt - The Children's Book

Many people will love this book which charts the years between the late 1800s to WW I through the lives of an unconventional family and their English and German friends. Like a glittering kaleidoscope, the chapters dissolve one into another, revealing yet another tantalising facet of the era. There's no doubt that Byatt is a brilliant writer, although there were longueurs when I wished she would stop being brilliant and just get on with the story. (Jenny Baker)

Truman Capote - In Cold Blood

The story is based on the factual murder of a Kansas farmer and his family in 1959. Capote studied the investigation of the crime, interviewed locals then wrote this fascinating book. A gruesome murder, but compelling reading, richly depicting life in small town America with its characters, and the background of the two young killers. I didn't expect to enjoy reading it, but was immediately hooked. (Mary Standing)

Phillip Caputo - Acts of Faith

This is an eye opener as well as a good read. Set in the Sudan, it depicts military offensives, romances, smuggling, corruption and the lives led by aid workers. "God and the Devil are one and the same" in this land of extreme hardship and bitterness where slave trading still exists. The characters, a mixed bunch of do-gooders and not so goodies, are convincing, as is the end of this fiction, non-fiction novel. (Ange Guttierez Dewar)

Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness

Despite being a fan of 'Apocalypse Now!', this is the first time I'd read the novella itself. Comparing and contrasting the two is inevitable but it says a great deal for Conrad's skills that I was slowly sucked in beyond this superficial response into Marlowe's strangely detached world as he makes his lengthy and tortuous path up-river to meet the enigmatic and mysterious Kurtz. One to revisit and re-read I think, just like the film. (Clive Yelf)

Helen Dunmore - Zennor in Darkness

1917, Lawrence and his German wife seeking refuge from the war in the idyllic setting of this small Cornish village, meet and inspire Clare, a young artist, in love with her shell-shocked cousin. But rumours of spies are rife, U-boats lurk in the Channel, tongues wag, the peacefulness of the landscape is an illusion. Dunmore writes in her usual evocative style bringing her characters, their thoughts and feelings and the paranoiac atmosphere vividly to life. (Jenny Baker)

Jane Gardam - The Man in the Wooden Hat

If you enjoyed Old Filth (bwl 29) then this is a must. In it we learn more about Filth's wife Betty and what actually happened between her and his old rival, Veneering. Gardam is a writer who subtly tells you much but leaves room for your own conclusions and I think I solved most of the puzzles, but can someone explain how Betty was raised in a Japanese internment camp during WW II yet also worked at Bletchley Park? (Jenny Baker)

Joanne Harris - Gentlemen and Players

A strange tale - quite difficult to 'work out' at first but with its amusing moments - set in a Northern long-established boys' grammar. It tells of one pupil's intense grudge against the Establishment and how he spends his whole life planning revenge on the school and the teachers, becoming completely obsessed with engineering their ultimate downfall. Harris explains the petty rivalries that exist in schools, which help him to achieve his aim. (Shirley Williams)

Ninni Holmqvist - The Unit

(Translated from Swedish by Marlaine Delargy)
This novel is set in the near future where those without families, or who no longer play a useful role in society, are sent to the Unit where they serve society by taking part in experiments and donating organs. To her surprise, the lonely heroine, Dorrit, finds companionship and comfort (albeit constantly watched). She accepts her fate until she falls in love when life seems precious. A critique of societies that value economics above humanity. (Christine Miller)

Stieg Larsson - The Girl who Played with Fire

Focusing again on weird Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist, this is even better than the first in the Millennium trilogy - (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, bwl 54). As well as continuing themes from the first book, it introduces new but connected strands without seeming obvious or laboured, and sets things up nicely for installment three. It is brilliantly written and credit must go to the translator. But it's not for the faint hearted, so gird your loins for some violence. (Annie Noble)

Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough! It's tough going at first (Mantel does not identify pronouns throughout, for instance). It's the complex, beautifully researched and executed story of Thomas Cromwell and his relationship with Henry VIII. Contrary to so many accounts of Henry's reign, imagine that Cromwell is the hero of sorts and Sir Thomas More an egotistical fanatic. Mantel's Anne Boleyn is peevish, controlling and fascinating. Absorbing and brilliant. (Lucy Childs)

Simon Mawer - The Glass Room

In a small Czech town, Viktor and Liesel Landauer build their futuristic house, all straight lines, with plate glass windows, onyx wall, white floors and ceilings, the embodiment of light and optimism. But this is the thirties, storm clouds loom, Victor is Jewish and the family must flee. Yet the house remains, casting its spell over all subsequent occupiers. A brilliant novel, fine characters, heart breaking and inspiring by turns. My absolute best recent read! (Jenny Baker)

Mal Peet - Exposure

In this powerful novel for teenagers about the cult of celebrity and the power of the press, Peet takes Othello as his inspiration. Set in the South American country of his previous novels, Peet follows the rise of a brilliant young football star - and his fall. But Peet does not slavishly copy Shakespeare. There is a second narrative involving poverty and street children - when the two stories meet, tragedy is inevitable. (Ferelith Hordon)

Ian Rankin - Doors Open

The title refers to a perfect crime planned by a rich man to enliven his life. He persuades a few selected friends in the Art World to lift paintings from the Scottish National Gallery leaving the impression that no crime has been committed. The plan involves a professional who sees an opportunity for himself and his gang. Things go wrong . . . and quite nasty. An intriguing end leaves the reader to finish the story! (James Baker)

Ruth Rendell - The Monster in the Box

Being an Inspector Wexford fan, I eagerly grabbed this latest Rendell, only to be very disappointed at the beginning, convinced that even she at last was 'written out' and reduced to writing pot-boilers. Enormous pretension, erroneous assumption. Wily Rendell leads us up the garden path with her hesitations and 'futile' reminiscences, and her new 'Wexford' is a tour de force. As usual! (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Marilynne Robinson - Housekeeping

Robinson's first book, written before Gilead (bwl 52) and Home (Bwl 53), this is one of The Observer's Hundred Greatest Novels of all Time. I'm not surprised - Robinson seems to me to be in a class of her own. This story of two orphaned sisters growing up precariously in a backwoods town in northwest America has been described by reviewers as 'haunting', 'poetic', 'heartbreakingly sad', 'painstakingly suggestive and evocative' and I can't put it any better myself. Extraordinary! (Annabel Bedini)

Vikram Seth - A Suitable Boy

Yes, I'm sure everyone's read it but - needing something hefty to take away over the Christmas holiday - I decided to see if it would take re-reading and I can say emphatically that it does. I was surprised how much rich detail I had forgotten or even remembered wrongly and re-discovering such inimitable characters as Mrs Rupa Mehra was pure delight. This is definitely one book I would take to a desert island - inexhaustible pleasure! (Annabel Bedini)

Gillian Slovo - Black Orchids

It begins romantically in post-war Ceylon when Evelyn falls in love with and marries a rich, young Sinhalese, but things change when they settle in England and face the 1950s' prejudice against mixed-race families. Slovo beautifully captures the attitudes of the time, the gradual disintegration of a marriage and the struggles of the children to feel at home in their skin and to forgive the failures, lies and ultimately the suffocating love of their parents. (Jenny Baker)

Miriam Toews - The Flying Troutmans

While her sister Min is in hospital, depressed, Hattie tries to save Min's children from foster care by driving them from Canada to California in search of their father. A good excuse for a fun road trip in a dodgy van, with the stereotypically monosyllabic fifteen year old boy and a suspiciously knowing and wise-cracking girl of eleven. However, they are highly charismatic and unconventional characters and the trip makes a refreshing and uplifting story. (Victoria Grey-Edwards)

A N Wilson - Winnie and Wolf

The Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazi Germany is the background to this brilliant, dense and amazingly informative novel about the friendship of Winifred Wagner and Hitler. It entails a deep analysis of Wagner's operas, the foundation and maintenance of the Bayreuth festival, together with flights of fantasy which, in the context of thorough and competent historical research of the real facts and people involved, are completely believable. A haunting but rewarding experience. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Ann Wroe - Perkin: a story of deception

Perkin Warbeck has never been quite dismissed as an imposter, nor quite accepted as the younger of the 'Princes in the Tower'. Did he escape, was he murdered with his brother, and by whom? This real whodunit has never been satisfactorily solved. New is the reconstruction of his life in regard to the political need for such a deception at the highest echelon in a world conscious but fearful of change. Interesting at all levels. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Non-Fiction

John Carey - William Golding: the man who wrote Lord of the Flies

Golding had a remarkably vivid imagination (he did only minimal research) but was racked by self-doubt and alcoholism. Carey's excellent biography (meticulously researched from original sources) is a long but compelling account of this driven genius and his work. His experiences as a naval officer and teacher had a huge impact on his subsequent depiction of human relationships. He and his editor Charles Monteith (obliquely criticised) formed one of the great literary relationships. Highly recommended. (Hugh Pearman)

Julia Child - My Life in France

(with Alex Prud'homme)
A by-word in America in the 50s and 60s for superb but accessible French cooking - Child rose to public attention again with the blog and book on which the film 'Julie & Julia' is based. She was provoked into writing this memoir, published posthumously. A sophisticated lady, witty, caustic, clever and observant, she never fails to poke fun at herself, the French, the Americans and life in general. Delicious recipes as well. Not to miss. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Richard Dawkins - The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Source Of Life

This is a reverse take on the usual evolutionary story where the rise of mankind takes place as a seemingly inevitable progression from the starting point of life. Instead working backwards and looking at points where different and often larger groups join our own story provides the reader with a far greater sense of the grandeur of life and our place within it. This illuminating journey ends, of course, with the origins of life itself. (Clive Yelf)

William Gaunt - The Pre-Raphaelite Dream

Having given up 'Millennium' (not enthralled after 50 pages and the thought of two further volumes), I resorted to this fascinating story of the Pre-Raphaelite Movement in England in the mid-1800s. In a relaxed manner, the author paints vivid pictures with anecdotes of Rossetti, Millais, Burne-Jones & Co. whose ambition was to return to the ways of earlier centuries. My Readers Union edition (1943) is well-illustrated and not handicapped by the lack of colour. (Jeremy Swann)

Rupert Isaacson - The Horse Boy: The True Story of a Father's Miraculous Journey to Heal His Son

Despairing over conventional treatments, horse-trainer Isaacson notices that his severely autistic son Rowan responds positively to horses and shamans (met while visiting Bushmen). So the family sets off to Mongolia, land of horses and shamans, searching for healing. New Age nonsense? Well, read this saga of their journey, mostly on horse-back, from Ulan Bator to Outer Mongolia and judge for yourselves. I loved it - both a courageous story and a marvellous travel book. (Annabel Bedini)

Julie Powell - Julie & Julia

Now made into a successful film, this tells the story of how - inspired by the great Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' - blogger Powell went from a boring uneventful life, to a year of enthralling and passionate cookery. A lively and interesting foodie entertainment, this is a wonderful companion for travelling and/or holiday. A lot of fun and lots of cooking inspiration, so useful as well. A good gift to a traveller. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Nicholas Rankin - Churchill's Wizards: The British Genius for Deception 1914-45

As a tale of wartime intrigue and derring-do this is undoubtedly an enjoyable and informative read. Who couldn't help but be fascinated by the development of 'dazzle' paint for ships, stainless steel observation posts in the shape of trees, canvas tanks and bodies left with misleading information. But 'genius'? As innovation was strongly resisted by the British and both the French and the Russians were equally successful with concealment the claim does seem slightly excessive. (Clive Yelf)

Nicholas Sinclair - The Art of Kyffin Williams

This isn't a book that can be 'read' other than as a short biography, but it is my very favourite book. Williams died in 2006, aged 88, and left behind a huge lot of paintings, drawings, ink and wash pictures and more - he decided, early on, to paint two pictures a week, and stuck to that for the rest of his life. The illustrations date from 1948 to 2005, and are astonishing in their diversity and beauty. (Julie Higgins)

Stefan Zweig - The World of Yesterday

A memoir to treasure. A wonderful evocation by one of Austria's and Europe's finest writers of a lost world of the Austro-Hungarian Empire destroyed in the Great War. Zweig is the essence of the best in European culture. He knew all the great writers of his day about whom he recalls with eloquence. His world was to be destroyed by the Nazis and his exiled wanderings were to end tragically. To read this book is to feel human. (David Graham)