bwl 66 - Autumn 2012
Fiction
| John Burnside - A Summer of Drowning
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During the surreal midsummer nights on an Arctic island, the daughter of an enigmatic painter recounts the strange events of a decade before which seem to have shaped her life forever. Thought-provoking, touching on suspicions stemming from contemporary taboos as well as mystic folk tales, the reader is left to contemplate the real nature and impact of the tragedies which unfold. Elegantly written (Burnside is a poet) but nevertheless a page-turner.
Ed's Note: See also review in bwl 64 (Rebecca Howell)
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| Peter Carey - The Chemistry of Tears
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Without being at all depressing, it somewhat quirkily examines personal grief and loss, it also comments on the nature and spirit of human hope, faith, fidelity and integrity. Set in contemporary London in a museum of horology, it expands in a typical Carey excursion, into other times and places, with enthralling attention to scientific, chronological and geographical detail. An intriguing and satisfying read.
Ed's Note: Also reviewed in bwl 65
(Margaret Teh)
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| Lee Child - Die Trying
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| One of this clever writer's earlier novels featuring Jack Reacher, the maverick loner committed to the good of society especially if there's a lady involved. Ridiculous? Far-fetched? Impossible in these United States? Not if you read the newspapers or have read Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here. Fast moving, chillingly real, a bit too long and deus ex machina - but Child knows his geography and geology and what can result from the military mind gone mad. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Daphne du Maurier - My Cousin Rachel
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| Philip Ashley is bewitched by his cousin Ambrose's widow Rachel. But is she only after his money and did she cause Ambrose's death? This chick-lit description doesn't do justice to a novel drenched in imagery and mystery. It's not hard to see in Rachel a shadow of du Maurier's famous protagonist Rebecca. But Rachel is more complex and elusive - just when you think you have her figured out, she slips through your fingers like smoke. (Kate Ellis)
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| Tan Twan Eng - The Garden of Evening Mists
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| There are so many threads to this book - memory and its loss, war, gardens, art, archery and tattooing - but the author draws you in with his skilful writing, contrasting descriptions and sometimes Zen atmosphere. Yun Ling experienced the brutality of a Japanese camp in which her sister died and subsequently helped to prosecute war criminals. The story unfolds with her dilemma of working with a famous Japanese gardener to create a garden in her sister's memory. (Christine Miller)
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| J G Farrell - The Siege of Krishnapur
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| Set against the backdrop of the Indian Mutiny, this novel turns the spotlight on the British community in the beleaguered (fictional) town of Krishnapur. Farrell is not particularly interested in the rights or wrongs of the situation. His concern is what happens when entrenched social attitudes and complacent beliefs about culture are placed under extreme strain. You will either hate or thoroughly enjoy Farrell's humorous and coruscating look at imperialism. I enjoyed it. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Philip Hensher - The King of the Badgers
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| A child abduction focuses attention on a small Devon coastal town. What follows is a portrait of the lives and issues of the inhabitants. Well-observed and frequently funny - notably a hilarious evening in which a restrained neighbourhood soirée gets mixed up with a gay orgy - it borders on being patronising but you want to keep on reading. (Tony Pratt)
(Tony Pratt)
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| Eva Ibbotson - The Secret Countess
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| Originally published as A Countess Below Stairs, this is the antidote to gloomy, rain-sodden afternoons. Feeling in need of a pick-me-up? - curl up in a large chair with this novel. Out for a summer afternoon on the river with hamper and champagne? - this is book to take. A trademark Ibbotson: a glorious romance with everything - handsome hero, lovely heroine and ghastly villain (villainess). (Ferelith Hordon)
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| James Lever - Me Cheeta - The Autobiography
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| Cheeta, companion of Tarzan and rival to Jane, was in the perfect position to record the less glamorous side of the Hollywood dream-world. From capture in Africa to retirement home in Florida, Cheeta' has seen and done it all. The central relationship with Johnny Weissmuller is tender with its depiction of Johnny's physical decline, but it's the typical 'Hollywood Memoir' style and scathing asides, allied to a distinctly twisted and ape-centric worldview, that provide the humour. (Clive Yelf)
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| Ford Madox Ford - Parade's End: Some Do Not; No More Parades; A Man Could Stand Up; Last Post
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| If it hadn't been for Tom Stoppard's TV adaptation, I doubt I would have read Ford's tetralogy. Not an easy read but seeing it in tandem on TV where events unfolded chronologically and the actors gave flesh to the characters certainly added to my enjoyment. Briefly - there are 901 pages in the Kindle edition - the narrative revolves around a love triangle between the high-principled Christopher Tietjens, his vindictive and manipulative wife Sylvia and Valentine, a young suffragette. At its heart is the blood and darkness of the Great War. The narrative meanders back and forth through time, events are revealed through memory and the sometimes unreliable perceptions of the main characters all of whom are forged and trapped in the mores of their time, Christopher by his out-dated sense of honour and his inability to express his feelings, Sylvia by the restraints of her religion at war with her feelings and desires, and Valentine by her family ties and feminist aspirations. Ford wanted his book to be a history of his time and also serve as an indictment of the powers that be who sent so many young men to their senseless deaths. In both ways he succeeded. Reader, I was hooked. And as an afterword, the Kindle was an added bonus with its built in dictionary and links to Wikipedia and the internet. Whoops, I've over-run my 75 words, but then there are four books! (Jenny Baker)
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| Hilary Mantel - A Change of Climate
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| Ralph and Anna live an apparently serene and irreproachable life - country house, four children, refuge given to troubled teenagers - until a firmly repressed tragedy from their time in Africa begins to surface and their carefully constructed edifice totters. This extremely intelligent, subtle and beautifully written novel treats big questions, such as the ultimate vulnerability of good intentions and dealing with the unforgivable, with a fluency which makes them utterly readable. Excellent! (Annabel Bedini)
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| Andrew Martin - The Baghdad Railway Club
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| The author, who writes thrillers centered around trains, has produced an uncanny recreation of Middle Eastern life and politics in 1917 - a crucial year of WW I - evoking period, place and personalities with great sensitivity. The reader feels the stifling heat and the equally stifling bewilderment suffered by the protagonist. who doesn't quite know why he is in Baghdad and what he has to do. An unusual book, which takes patience to read, but most worth while. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| James Meek - The Heart Broke In
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| This very entertaining story covers issues about family life, London life, success, scientific ethics, loyalty and moral dilemmas and serves as a cautionary tale about betrayal. Richie is a once-famous rock star and family man who can't resist teenage girls. His sister Bec zealously researches a cure for malaria but is also looking for love and security. Her spurned lover Val provides the 'baddy' element and the plot thicken . . . I was sad to finish it. (Victoria Grey-Edwards)
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| Yukio Mishima - Spring Snow
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| The first novel in the 'Sea of Fertility' tetralogy is a tragic love story set in the early twentieth century and focuses on the conflicts in Japanese society caused by Westernisation. It is a haunting story of impassioned but controlled sensibilities told in delicate and lyrical prose with wonderful details of the culture, dress and even hairstyles of the period. It can be read as a single novel. (Denise Lewis)
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| Yukio Mishima - Runaway Horses
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The second novel, 'Runaway Horses' is more philosophical and could be called an elegy for the samurai tradition. It explores the spiritual beliefs that make life meaningful and the glory of dying for such beliefs as well as the Buddhist conception of reincarnation. Although I found it a little difficult to relate to a character with such an obsession with death, I have to admit the author is convincing in his depiction of youthful, extreme idealism.
*Yukio Mishima was nominated three times for the Nobel Prize and within days of completing the last novel of the tetralogy, he committed suicide by ritual seppuku (or harakiri)
(Denise Lewis)
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| Kenneth Oppel - This Dark Endeavour
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| It is the 18th century. We are in Switzerland at the Chateau Frankenstein with sixteen year old Victor, his twin brother, Konrad and their cousin, Elizabeth. Life is full of laughter and liberal ideas. Then Konrad falls ill. What will Victor do to save his beloved brother - especially when Elizabeth stands between them? What with alchemy, sibling jealousy and love, this is a truly gothic novel - atmospheric, exciting and extremely well crafted. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Michelle Paver - Dark Matter
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| When his fellow adventurers are forced to leave their desolate Arctic outpost, Jack battles on alone determined to fulfil the expedition's mission and prove his loyalty. Out of the darkness of the winter sea he is slowly aware of a deep sense of dread invading his daily routine and dominating his existence. An emotional roller coaster, read alone if you dare as the midnight hour approaches - it can't hurt you - all it can do is frighten . . . (Rebecca Howell)
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| Chris Priestley - Mr Creecher
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| What happened on the journey north through Britain in the novel Frankenstein? In this novel aimed at a young adult audience, Chris Priestly provides an answer. Billy is a thief earning his living by his wits. Then he meets Mr Creecher. He is the monster created by Frankenstein. Billy is drawn reluctantly into his pursuit of the scientist who has promised him a mate - with terrible consequences. Dark, brooding, compelling - worth reading. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Jean Rhys - Quartet
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| 1922, Paris: a city where well-heeled ex-pats rubbed shoulders with writers, artists and bohemians. Here Rhys became caught in a claustrophobic ménage à trois with Ford Madox Ford and his wife. In this raw semi-autobiographical novel, she recreates the confusion of a young, woman trying to survive in a sophisticated society where because she doesn't understand the rules, she is shunned as the culprit. Prejudiced perhaps, but powerful writing! (Jenny Baker)
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| José Saramago* - The Gospel According to Jesus Christ
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In this amusing depiction of the probable life of Christ, he becomes the firstborn of seven children to a poor Jewish carpenter. The scepticism is never heavy handed. The questions that arise from analysis of the frequent appearance of angels, demons, and miracles, throughout Christian mythology, are never answered pedantically. The nature and purpose of their God, and his inscrutability when dealing with His chosen people, are enigmas to them. As indeed they remain to us!
*1998 winner of the Nobel prize in literature (Margaret Teh)
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| Elizabeth Taylor - Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont
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| My introduction to Elizabeth Taylor - no, not that one! - the novelist, and what a delight. A genteel old lady moves to a residential hotel in the Cromwell Road. Her fellow guests are very curious to meet her grandson whom she often mentions. By chance she meets Ludo and when he visits she passes him off as the illusive Desmond. A tale of a friendship developing across an age gap. The hotel must surely have inspired Fawlty Towers! (Chris Cozens)
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| Elizabeth Taylor - Complete Short Stories
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| No grand adventures here but stories full of the pains, pleasures and hypocrisies of ordinary lives. Her characters may be isolated through loneliness, be disappointed ill-matched couples or unkind children. She seems to be able to conjure up a whole novel within the confines of the short story with her keen understanding of and sensitivity to human foibles, plus a wry smile. This is a hefty tome but wonderful to dip into because her writing is so good. (Christine Miller)
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| Eudora Welty - The Optimist's Daughter
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| Another dip into the past. Having only ever vaguely heard of Welty I approached this elderly paper-back with expectations of boredom and was proved totally wrong. This is a little gem, with its exquisitely observed inhabitants of the Deep South - where Laurel arrives from Chicago to assist at her father's deathbed and funeral - and its deeply satisfactory understanding of memory and belonging. A treat! (Annabel Bedini)
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| Tom Wolfe - I'm Charlotte Simmons,
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| 771 pages of pure delight. The perfect, thick book in which to immerse oneself when on holiday. Meet Charlotte Simmons - a very high I Q, a sheltered childhood in the small town of Sparta, North Carolina - and see how she struggles with the difficult process of growing up when she arrives at Dupont University on a full scholarship . . . (Laurence Martin Euler)
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| Carlos Ruiz Zafón - Prisoner of Heaven
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| The third in his cycle of novels is again set around the Sempere & Sons bookshop. Set in 1957 a man enters the bookshop, buys and inscribes the most expensive book. This sets in train the back story of imprisonment and betrayal. Not the magic of the first book but the gothic atmosphere, characters and story are entertaining and absorbing - Fermin is a treat. More to come. (Christine Miller)
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Non-Fiction
| James Barr - A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East
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| Metaphorically, a line in the sand means a point beyond which one should proceed no further. But in reality, the line, from Acre to Kirkuk, drawn up by Sykes and Picot in secret in 1916 ended nothing. Indeed, it started the bitter rivalry between France and Britain for Middle Eastern dominance which, Barr argues, is the root cause of most of today's troubles in this most troubled of regions. Altogether, a shocking, and grubby tale. (Jeremy Miller)
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| Charlie Brooker - Dawn of the Dumb: Dispatches from the Idiotic Frontline
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| I enjoy Charlie Brooker's TV broadsides and expected to feel the same with these collected writings. And I did . . . at first. The problem with reading collected articles covering several years is that it shows how often he derides reality TV whilst appearing to be obsessed by it. Great for a dip into but concentrated bursts mean you are left wondering if he's less a maverick wildcard and more part of the process. (Clive Yelf)
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| Tim Clayton - Tars: The Men Who Made Britain Rule The Waves
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| Britain's naval ascendancy in the 19th century was in large part due to the quality of its sailors and it's the ordinary sailor, rating and officer who provide the focus of this fascinating book. By following closely the lives, careers and fortunes of just two crews, linked by their Captain, Augustus Hervey, the author turns history into a gripping narrative and their stories provide ample opportunity for broader examination of life before the sail. (Clive Yelf)
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| Joan Didion - Blue Nights
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| Following the loss of her daughter, Joan Didion looks back on her life, remembering and reflecting on the past. It's so well written, she makes you feel envious of her unique talent. (Laurence Martin Euler)
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| Carrie Fisher - Shockaholic
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| Carrie Fisher has the knack of being amusing even when telling the most outrageous facts. It's not completely her fault. With parents like Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor as a step-mom and a friendship with Michael Jackson, well it does help! (Laurence Martin Euler)
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| Robert Harris - Selling Hitler: The Story of the Hitler Diaries
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| Harris does a thrilling job of investigative journalism revealing how highly esteemed publishers were hoodwinked into authenticating the so-called Hitler Diaries. Dubbed the biggest fraud in publishing history, the scam could have easily been uncovered but Harris chillingly reveals the lengths to which people will go when they are blinded by greed and ambition. Based on interviews with the main participants, it sheds in itself a light on the last days of Hitler and beyond. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Richard Holloway - Leaving Alexandria: A Memoir of Faith and Doubt
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| This is an engaging and beautifully written memoir by a man of faith and the gradual loss of it. His innate goodness shines throughout the book and no doubt will continue to do so now that he is free of the constraints and dogmas of the church. (David Graham)
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| Clive Stafford Smith - Injustice: Life and Death in the Courtrooms of America
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| Clive Stafford Smith is the founder and director of Reprieve dedicated to fighting the death penalty in America where he was based for years. The book concerns one case that of Kris Maharaj wrongly convicted in Florida for murder but is an eloquent and passionate indictment of an unjust system. The world desperately needs more Stafford Smiths. This book is a must read. (David Graham)
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| Matthew Sweet - The West End Front: The Wartime Secrets of London's Grand Hotels
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| An account of the big London hotels during the war, this is full of sharp judgements and fascinating detail but it is what Sweet has unearthed about selected individuals - guests, staff, proprietors - that is the main attraction. A spotlight is turned on a series of hitherto mainly obscure lives at critical moments, illuminating a whole society in the process. (Tony Pratt)
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| Matthew Sweet - Inventing the Victorians
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| It often seems that the Victorians are used as a byword for negative and restrictive practices, whether repressed sexuality, hypocrisy, cruelty, working conditions, ostentatious sentimentality or even chintzy décor. But how true and accurate a picture is this of the age? And how much do these assumptions reflect upon our own? This entertaining and well-researched book shows our predecessors in a different light and dispels the 'modestly covered piano leg' myth once and for all. (Clive Yelf)
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| Gustav Temple - Am I a Chap?
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| Exactly how to tell a true chap from some johnny-come-lately? It's tricky so I recommend this guide. Ten key chap variants such as Cad, Military and Dandy are each illustrated by a living and a deceased exemplar and a sartorial history of key accoutrements such as braces and blazers. These are amusing and informative as are the critiques of hopeful photos submitted to 'The Chap' magazine. Slip in the portmanteau when off to the Highlands. (Clive Yelf)
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| Paul Theroux - The Old Patagonian Express: By Train through the Americas
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| Published in 1979 this travel book is obviously out of date but it's still extremely enjoyable. Theroux sets off from Boston (USA) to travel by train (well, many, many trains) to Patagonia. He has an eye for telling details, an ear for conversations with odd characters he meets, and a fine feeling for landscape. He sometimes comes across as a slightly irritating artist-as-sensitive-soul but overall he provides a highly engaging marathon through the Americas as they were. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Feedback |
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| Having just read my first Lee Child - The Affair (bwl 63) - I will stick my neck out and confess I didn't entirely enjoy it. Or rather, I thoroughly enjoyed the excitement and suspense but I was troubled by the off-hand way in which Reacher doesn't think twice about cold-bloodedly killing off the bad guys. In the days of James Bond with his licence to kill you knew the whole thing was fantasy-land and the bad guys cardboard cut-outs, but Child has pretensions to connection with real life and credible people. I know he is English but this seems to be a very American view of justice, like Judi Picoult's Perfect Match which took for granted that it was acceptable for her husband to have murdered the priest who molested their child. To my mind this reflects a culture of disquieting disregard for human life and the rule of law. As a Military Policeman Reacher should have made arrests, with the law there to see justice done. So what/who does this gratuitous violence appeal to? But I will doubtless be accused of being over squeamish! (Annabel Bedini)
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