bookswelike

bwl 57 - Summer 2010

Fiction

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Purple Hibiscus

Fifteen year old Kambili and her brother Jaja are products of a privileged home ruled with an iron fist by their father, a wealthy Nigerian businessman and fanatical Catholic. Following a military coup they are sent to stay with their aunt, a struggling university teacher, and her three outspoken children; in their company Kambili and Jaja experience a wholly different sort of family life. A beautifully written consideration of freedom against repression, and love against fear. (Siobhan Thomson)

Jeffrey Archer - Twelve Red Herrings

These twelve short stories by this impertinent and impenitent author, based on his own experiences in both Houses of Parliament and his two years in prison, have ingeniously plotted storylines with delightfully unexpected endings. Written with a light touch, they cleverly conceal how difficult it is to write a really good short story. The third in the series, it is certainly recommended as a good read for distraction, on holiday perhaps or in the bath? (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Margaret Atwood - The Penelopiad

". . . it's always an imprudence to step between a man and the reflection of his own cleverness" which is exactly what Atwood does in this wonderfully witty, down-to-earth retelling of the ancient Greek myth. Penelope is brought to life and tells what is was like to live for twenty years without her husband, coping with in-laws, suitors and a teenage son, while the twelve hanged maids have their say, burlesque style, in the background. (Denise Lewis)

Muriel Barbery - The Elegance of the Hedgehog

This was a best seller in France probably because of its philosophical bent. It is full of eccentric characters, particularly the two narrators - Renée, the concierge who hides her intellect and aesthetic leanings behind her prickly exterior, and Paloma, a precocious 12-year-old 'philosopher'. For me the book came alive with the arrival of Kakuro Ozu. It will either charm or annoy you, or perhaps both.
(translated from the French by Alison Anderson) (Christine Miller)

Sebastian Barry - The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty

Born at the wrong time, in the wrong place - Sligo - during the Irish/British conflict, Eneas McNulty (the fugitive father of Roseanne's child in The Secret Scripture* - bwl 53) wanders through the narrative, lost and in mourning for his home, his family and his love. Written in an ornate style that bewitches the reader like the impact of a recitation of Irish folk songs or poetry, it is a both a fascinating read and an eye-opener.
*Editor's Note: Interestingly, this novel was written 10 years earlier than The Secret Scripture (Ange Guttierez Dewar)

Hester Browne - The Finishing Touches

This book won't set the world on fire, very, very lightweight but ideal 'girl stuff' for nursing a cold, or a long train/plane journey, or on the beach somewhere hot where concentration is at a minimum and distraction at a premium. Not nearly as good as the Kinsellas, weak at the start but gets much better later on. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Jonathan Coe - The House of Sleep

Unputdownable - hate the word but have to use it! A story about love and loss that begins at university and is taken up ten years later. The characters are vividly drawn and all linked in some way by sleep disorders. The writing is pacy, often hilarious and sometimes chilling, the plot intricately woven and the smallest details turn out to have deep significance. The final pages complete a wonderfully satisfying jigsaw puzzle. (Denise Lewis)

Patrick Gale - The Facts of Life

Having thoroughly enjoyed Gale's Notes from an Exhibition (bwl 46), in desperation for something to read, I discovered this book in the library the other day. I found it totally absorbing, except for some pretty graphic descriptions of gay sex in the middle, which nearly made me abandon it, but I'm very glad I didn't. It all came together exceptionally well - I think! A good read. (Margaret Knott)

David Guterson - Snow Falling on Cedars

If you missed Guterson's brilliant first novel published fifteen years ago, search it out now, it is as compelling as ever. A Pacific island in mid-winter: a fisherman is found drowned in his nets, a Japanese-American is on trial accused of his murder. This is war-time, Pearl Harbour has changed the inhabitants' lives; prejudices and suspicions affect everyone's judgments. A nail-biting court-room drama set in a snow filled landscape which keeps its suspense until the end. (Jenny Baker)

Kazuo Ishiguro - Nocturnes: Five stories of Music and Nightfall

Ishiguro's first venture into short story writing and the writing is as elegant as ever. The stories are about relationships not music per se and the sadness within each is tempered with moments of comedy. The book also looks at what makes a success (celebrity) today - a facelift or a younger woman perhaps. I have enjoyably dipped into it more than once. (Christine Miller)

Yann Martel - Beatrice and Virgil

Does Yann Martel succeed in his objective of presenting the Holocaust in a new and meaningful way? His allegory, presented within the novel as a play written by a taxidermist in which the leading characters are a donkey and a howler monkey, is clever and memorable. The skilfully constructed autobiographical story explains the eight year gap since Life of Pi (bwl 17). But a success? I'm not sure, but jolly glad I read it! (Denise Lewis)

David Mitchell - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

1799, a young Dutch clerk arriving on the island of Dejima, off the coast of Nagasaki, becomes embroiled in a labyrinthian adventure. I struggled at first with the large cast of characters with their Dutch and Japanese names, but then completely succumbed to this complex tale involving greed, skulduggery, love, duplicity, suspicion, treachery, religion and superstition and was roller-coasted to the end only to slowly read it again to savour all the nuances of Mitchell's dazzling writing. (Jenny Baker)

Kate Moran - Spirit Hunter

Moran is making a quiet name for herself as a writer of well crafted historical novels for a young readership (10+) in the tradition of Rosemary Sutcliff. Following Bloodline and Bloodline Rising, we have Spirit Hunter. Set in the China of the Ta'ang dynasty it follows the fortunes of Asena, daughter of a Mongol tribesman, kidnapped by Swiftarrow a young Shaolin warrior, for the Empress. Open this book, step into the past. (Ferelith Hordon)

Patrick Ness - Monsters of Men

The final volume of the Chaos Walking trilogy (the others are: The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer) and well up to the standard of the previous two volumes. This is not for the faint-hearted. The reader is catapulted into a war zone as three factions manoeuvre for control of the planet. In the middle are Todd and Viola. Through them, Ness confronts young readers with the dilemmas of power. Ambitious, gripping, unmissable (Ferelith Hordon)

David Nicholls - One Day

Emma (working class, political, strong-minded) and Dexter (country house upbringing, trades on his looks) have a one-night post-graduation fling on 15 July 1988. They and their shifting relationship are revisited every St Swithin's Day for the next twenty years. I didn't like it much at first, but got drawn in - it's funny enough and honest enough to keep you reading. (Siobhan Thomson)

Audrey Niffenegger - Her Fearful Symmetry

The setting is brilliant - Highgate Cemetery where Niffenegger worked for a year to get background for her book. But somehow for me it never took off. I found the characters - the weird American twins, the agoraphobic man whose wife has fled to Amsterdam, the ghosts and the hauntings, all too unbelievable and disengaging. It's not a patch on The Time Traveler's Wife. (bwl 29) (Jenny Baker)

Andrew O'Hagan - The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of his friend Marilyn Monroe

This novel has garnered rave reviews. Monroe's final years seen through the eyes of a little dog who began life at Charlestone before travelling to the United States to be bought by Frank Sinatra as a gift for the actress. A dog with decided opinions, perceptions and prone to quote numerous writers and philosophers. A concept of genius, and I wanted so much to enjoy it but found myself defeated by the writer's sheer cleverness. (Jenny Baker)

Philip Pullman - The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

Ever since Northern Lights, Pullman has invited controversy, and his latest novel appears to do just that. Written as part of the Canongate "Myths" series, Pullman rewrites the life of Christ. Or does he? In some ways, I was rather disappointed with Pullman's version - though this may be his writing style - intensely pragmatic - but it did provide interesting ideas and an ending as ambiguous and tantalising as that of the original. Worth a try. (Ferelith Hordon)

Curtis Sittenfeld - American Wife

Alice Lindgren is contemplative, kind, moderate and votes Democrat. Charlie Blackwell is loud, crass, an alcoholic and a staunch Republican. He sweeps her off her feet, and they end up President and First Lady (modelled on GW and Laura Bush). Alice has a secret which haunts her - in fact she has several - and the story unfolds in extended flashback. It's a pretty good read (if you can accept that Dubya would use the word "septuagenarian" correctly). (Siobhan Thomson)

Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina

Yes, another classic re-visited (last read at school). It is a marvellous book! I could criticize some things about it - Vronsky is a bit wooden, Anna over dramatic - but all in all it's still a totally involving story. Descriptions of life on country estates, Levin's search for meaning, the doings of the host of intimately observed minor characters, all became more real than my everyday life, for the duration. (Annabel Bedini)

Rose Tremain - Trespass

Worlds are breaking apart. Anthony Verey thinks he can rescue his life by moving to France to be near his sister but her lover, Kitty, believes this will threaten their relationship. Verey chooses a 'mas' with a huge crack. It is owned by the alcoholic Aramon Lunel whose sister is condemned to live in an unlovely modern house nearby. The back stories of the protagonists point to disaster. As always Tremain is a good read. (Christine Miller)

Joanna Trollope - The Other Family

For 23 years Crissie lived with the successful musician Richie, they had 3 daughters, a lovely house and a lively life, but he never married her. For many years he had no contact with his legal wife, whom he never divorced, or his son. At his death, these branches come together, with enormous adjustments and consequences for all. Trollope treats bereavement and rejection with her usual attention to the subtleties and nuances of human, mostly feminine, emotions. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Angel's Game

I was disappointed by this book having enjoyed Zafon's Shadow of the Wind (bwl 28 and 47). Whilst he is able to create great atmosphere the intensely gothic approach of Edgar Allan Poe does not come off when set in the 20th C. The tale develops into farce by the end and I was left unsure whether this novel was a ghost story, a horror story or neither. The clumsy translation is also irritating. (Judith Peppitt)

Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Angel's Game

I read this because I thought Zafon's first book was brilliant, this one was a very pale imitation of the first, and very difficult to follow, extremely complicated, and most of it didn't make sense. Really bad. Shame. The first one made one feel one was in Barcelona, this one, one needed a pull-out map. (Margaret Knott)

Non-Fiction

Margaret Atwood - Negotiating with the Dead

Margaret Atwood's six essays, based on her 2001 Cambridge lectures, examine the writer's moral responsibility to, and relationships with, his readers, society and forerunners. She illuminates these issues through the ages from ancient myths to contemporary writing using numerous eclectic quotes and references as well as fascinating personal anecdotes and relates it all to today's 'entertainment industry'. A profound and erudite analysis, a joy for all who love reading and a special treat for Atwood fans. (Denise Lewis)

Anthony Beevor - The Mystery of Olga Chekhova

This is an enthralling, tragic and all too real biography of the niece of Anton Chekhov's wife, who like her aunt became an actress. In 1920 she fled Moscow for Berlin, becoming closely associated with Hitler, but - in exchange for her family joining her - she was recruited by her brother to work for Soviet intelligence. In Beevor's hands, the background of her story becomes alive and menacing, embracing revolution, civil war, Hitler's rise, Stalin's terror and the aftermath right up to the present day. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Gary Fishgall - Against Type: The Biography Of Burt Lancaster

I could recognise Burt's face but would be hard put to name his films, probably because of his refusal to be pigeon-holed and his insistence on taking on such a wide range of roles. His attention to detail, his obstinacy, legendary temper and his burning desire to be as good as he could possibly be, made him either a challenging and demanding employee or a marvellous and generous actor. No half measures with Burt Lancaster! (Clive Yelf)

Ben Goldacre - Bad Science

Undoubtedly the most important book I've read in the last 12 months. As in his newspaper column, but with more depth, he examines the claims of newspapers, pharmaceutical companies, health gurus and statisticians with a dispassionate and scientific eye. Ever wondered why everything seems to both cause cancer and prevent it at the same time? Been scared by the MMR vaccine? Been suspicious of 'expert' guests on tv programmes? Then this book is for you . . . (Clive Yelf)

Michael Korda - Ike: An American Hero

Written by the filmmaker's son, this is a vibrant and compulsively readable biography of General Eisenhower who later became USA President. Unusually objective, Korda cites details and viewpoints from both the Allied and German sides. Giving his subject the benefit of the doubt, as good biographers do, he provides a detailed assessment of the pressures involved in such an epic enterprise as D-day, with fascinating thumbnail sketches of those involved. Strongly recommended for history and political buffs. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

Simon Kuper - Football Against the Enemy

Football's cultural pervasiveness makes it an obvious, though ultimately unpredictable, weapon. This book is an exploration of football as a political force, sometimes emerging spontaneously as when the Dutch beat Germany and sometimes as a cynical tool used by Cold War Soviets or Argentina of the military junta. It explores football's relationship to crime, oppression and even religious intolerance but it also looks at football's redemptive powers as a means of resistance and self expression.
*The enemy it seems is whoever you disagree with . . . (Clive Yelf)

Paul McKay - A year in Monchique

Another in the Brits Abroad series but one that avoids the twee and the condescending. McKay and his partner farm in the hills of the Algarve, dealing with escaping pigs, dying rabbits, wrongly planted potatoes, visits from dreadful relatives, and interacting on a basis of genuine respect with their neighbours. Despite his occasionally shaky grasp of grammar McKay's diary left me with an affectionate smile on my face. (Annabel Bedini)

Jan Morris - The Hashemite Kings

This is the story of the development of the Hashemites, direct descendants of the Prophet and traditional guardians of the Holy Places of Hejaz. With unadorned clarity, both evocative and touching, the author takes us from their beginnings in conspiracy and desert warfare, through the great days of the Hashemite Kingdoms, explaining in detail how their fortunes were inextricably linked with those of Britain, culminating in the assassinations and horrors of Baghdad in 1958. A literary and historical gem. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)

John Mortimer - Clinging to the Wreckage: A Part of Life

Mortimer is probably best known for his Rumpole TV series with a legal setting and for his play A Voyage Round My Father, based on the author's own blind barrister father who specialised in divorce cases. Both provided many moments of hilarity as does the author's autobiography with its numerous humorous anecdotes about eccentric characters and the disasters which befell them and he himself during his own career as an author and lawyer. (Jeremy Swann)

Michael Pollan - In Defence of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating: An Eater's Manifesto

I haven't read Pollan's famous The Omnivore's Dilemma, but this is a plea to return to good, real food, written by an eminently sensible man. He examines how - certainly in the US, increasingly in Europe - we now eat "edible foodlike substances" products of science rather than nature. This isn't a foody book, just an intelligent one. Good advice: never buy a product with more than three ingredients or one that contains words you can't recognise. (Annabel Bedini)

Rory Stewart - The Places in Between

In 2002, a man - with dog - retraces the Emperor Babur's journey between Herat and Kabul. His ability to speak the language brings encounters which illuminate the impact of decades of turmoil and modern Islam on the people's lives. At the end, I understood much better why Afghanistan's 'conquerors' are doomed to fail but it is the human, sometimes funny, realities of a remarkable man's journey which stay in the mind. And there is a stunning surprise at the end. (Tony Pratt)

Norah Vincent - Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey Into Manhood and Back

The author bravely goes where few women would want to - undercover for a year living as her male alter-ego 'Ned'. From manly woman to effeminate man, it sounds like a typical tabloid 'shocker' but is it more substantial than that? That the strain of maintaining the deception caused severe depression and hospitalisation suggest it is. Thoughtful, touching and often humorous, her insights into gender identity are as pertinent to women as they are to men. (Clive Yelf)

Feedback

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I quite enjoyed Brooklyn by Colm Tóibin (bwl 56) - the simplicity of his style - wasn't sure about Eilis's apparent easy deceit on her return to Ireland. I can understand it regarding her mother but not so much her 'affair' perhaps. Also it feels more like an extended short story, novella than a full-blown novel. (Christine Miller)

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