bwl 67 - Winter 2013
Fiction
| Lee Child - Bad Luck and Trouble
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| Fans know Reacher is a drifter, not a hermit, a loner, not antisocial, with no phone, ties or address, a loyal friend and colleague. So when a woman from his old military unit finally finds him and asks for help, he goes the distance, literally, and more. Hurt his friends, you hurt Reacher, take the consequences and you get more than you bargained for. You wind up with less, much less. Ingenious, gripping and fast. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Sally Gardner - Maggot Moon
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| Sometimes a book really makes you sit up. Mark Haddon did it with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night (bwl 19). Now Sally Gardner does it with Maggot Moon. Living under a repressive regime is never comfortable; disagreement is dangerous. When Standish and Hector discover what is truly behind the much vaunted moon landing they put their lives in jeopardy. This is a brilliant book that you will love or hate - don't ignore it. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Amitav Ghosh - River of Smoke
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| Read this only if you've read and enjoyed Sea of Poppies (bwl 48), otherwise you will be totally confused. We follow some of the characters - some seeking their fortune, others chasing an elusive flower - who are transported from Mauritius to the Chinese city of Canton where foreign merchants thrive on the illicit opium trade. It's packed with sights, colours, smells, strange languages and centres on the British belief in the rightness of free-trade, no matter what the human cost. (Jenny Baker)
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| David Grossman - To the End of the Land
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| The Israeli experience . . . this moving novel tells the story of Ora, husband Ilan and ex-lover Avram, ex p.o.w in Egypt. Hiking through Galilea, Ora gives Avram back his self but can she save her son, at the front? These bare bones fail to convey the richness and complexity of this story of love, tragedy and survival in a country that feels itself irremediably embattled - extra poignant knowing Grossman's son died in the Lebanon. An eye-opening, thought-provoking masterpiece. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Geraldine Harding - The Painter of Silence
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| What would it be like to have no words or access to words because you are both deaf and mute? This is the premise behind this novel. Set in Romania just after the war we follow the fortunes of Augustin - the deaf-mute artist of the title - and Safta, his childhood companion. Atmospheric with a strong sense of place clearly inspired by A Time of Gifts (bwl 20 & 33) it is worth reading. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Eowyn Ivey - The Snow Child
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| I can't remember what made me buy this book - maybe the reference to Arthur Ransome, whose books I loved as a child, and a Russian fairy tale. It is beautifully written and utterly magical and captivating! A first novel by an Alaskan, about Alaska interwoven with a couple's love and survival in the desolate land, and their longing for a child. I was very sad to get to the last page, it had taken me to another world. (Margaret Knott)
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| Richard Llewellyn - How Green was my Valley
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| I last read this novel over 65 years ago. I sort of remembered it, but had completely forgotten how absorbing the story was of a family, and how scary a life was led by the Welsh miners, and the horror of the slag heap growing steadily behind the village. Wonderful read. (Margaret Knott)
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| Ford Madox Ford - The Good Soldier
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| This sad story, told by the definitive unreliable narrator, is about the differences between appearance and reality, and about human willingness to see events in a light that best suits the viewer rather than as they really are. Perhaps the author is also saying that the protagonist is not merely representative of a particular character type or social class, but of Europe itself: decadent, complacent and oblivious to impending catastrophe? I loved it! (Denise Lewis)
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| Andrei Makine - Le Testament Français: translated by Geoffrey Strachan
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| A Russian exile living in a Paris cemetery, Makine's haunting autobiographical novel is a collection of childhood and adolescent memories. Through Charlotte, his half-French grandmother with her suitcase full of stories, he learns what it was like to live in Stalin's Russia and it is she who changes his perspective of everything. Written in French, it was only when he pretended his work was translated from Russian that he was published in France. (Jenny Baker)
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| Simon Mawer - The Girl who Fell from the Sky
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| Marian Sutro is young, idealistic and bi-lingual; the perfect candidate to be recruited, trained and parachuted into occupied France; officially a Resistance courier, her real mission involves a nuclear physicist working in Paris whom she knew as a child. From the big adventure of training to the reality of a country where fear stalks every move, the tension builds unbearably. No one can be trusted. No one. A masterclass in espionage fiction. (Jenny Baker)
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| Ian McEwan - Sweet Tooth
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| Set in the 70s when Britain was suffering industrial unrest and terrorism, beautiful Serena finds herself in the world of espionage, albeit in a rather low-key way as she 'adopts' an aspiring young writer. The terrific twist at the end did not compensate for my lack of enthusiasm for the general story and the intrusion of real people in the story, knowing references to Martin Amis, Tom Maschler, etc. But the writing is good. (Christine Miller)
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| Madeline Miller - The Song of Achilles
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| I'm not keen on Greek legends so approached this book with caution, and it was a wonderful read: moving, compelling and beautifully written. It tells the story of the awkward and sensitive Patroclus, his lonely childhood, and his relationship with Achilles, culminating in the Trojan War. An unusual but enchanting love story, it also brought the era to life and has inspired me to find out more. (Annie Noble)
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| Louise Penny - Still Life
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| I haven't enjoyed a mystery novel so much for a long time. I agree with all the reviews on the cover: "clever and carefully constructed plot"; "filled with unexpected insights"; "a first-rate creator of memorable characters" . . . yes, all this and much more makes Still Life, set in rural Canada, a book that leaves you in a happy state of mind - despite the fact that the well loved and main character has been found dead. (Ange Guttierez Dewar)
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| Terry Pratchett - Night Watch
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| If you combined the barricades from Les Miserables, a time-travelling policeman and observational comedy, you'd probably end up with something like this book. Night Watch is a gem in Pratchett's ever popular but often dismissed Discworld series. Sam Vimes, a police commander stuck in the past and attempting to save both his younger self and the future, is his best heroic but flawed character and the book deftly combines humour with pathos. (Kate Ellis)
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| Terry Pratchett - Dodger
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| It is very much in fashion to write prequels/sequels or just additional adventures that are inspired by "classic" novels. Here we have Pratchett's take on the Artful Dodger and Oliver Twist. It is vintage Pratchett writing for a younger audience; full of humour and wide ranging erudition (worn lightly) but without the relentless pace of his adult works. His characters - including Mr Dickens - step off the page; great stuff. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Jean Rhys - Wide Sargasso Sea
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| In this richly imaginative novel, Rhys gives a voice to the mad Creole wife in Jane Eyre. If Rochester was the victim of the machinations of their families, surely she was equally wronged? Who was Bertha Antoinette Mason? Were she, her mother and brother really congenitally mad? What might have turned this beautiful, ardent heiress into the biting, malicious monster in the attic? Sacred ground perhaps but as she points out: "There is always the other side". Rhys's masterpiece. (Jenny Baker)
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| J K Rowling - The Casual Vacancy
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| Pretty Pagford wants nothing to do with its ugly, urban neighbour, Yarvil, and its particularly awful council estate, The Fields, but it must when a councillor dies. The novel starts slowly but Rowling creates a medley of characters as these two worlds clash. No fantasy in this novel instead the familiar cry of lack of money for services. Her young characters are particularly vivid and play the most dramatic parts in the story. Not simple entertainment. (Christine Miller)
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| C J Sansom - Dominion
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| A problem with historical fiction is the necessity to explain an 'alternative history' either through narrative or the spoken word. So counter-intuitive is the premise of this novel - England has become a vassal state of Germany, having surrendered in 1940 - that the explanation becomes burdensome and sometimes almost overwhelming. But there are some wickedly delicious flights of fancy e.g. a 1952 cabinet comprising Beaverbrook, Mosley and Enoch Powell. And Sansom's extensive research is impressive. (Jeremy Miller)
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| C J Sansom - Dominion
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| Dominion lacks the intense excitement and the sense of realism of Winter in Madrid. It is also not as well written as Sansom's other work. True characters drawn from the past, like Enoch Powell, are given new roles that are not always believable in this slightly 'Boy's Own' world of make believe. Having said all that the plot is compelling and Sansom's admirers should read this novel. A Modern History Dictionary is useful! (Judith Peppitt)
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| Dalia Sofer - The Septembers of Shiraz
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| Iran, 1972, the Shah has fled. Isaac, a prosperous jeweller, is arrested, tortured and faces summary execution. We learn his story through his eyes and those of his pampered wife, little daughter and the son living in America. Perhaps because the characters are composites of the many who suffered, they seem sometimes like shadows behind a screen, but I was hooked by the story and on tenterhooks as the family made their perilous way to exile. (Jenny Baker)
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| Irving Stone - Love is Eternal
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| An entertaining fictionalised account of Lincoln's marriage to the daughter of a wealthy Confederate family, which gives well-researched insights into his motivation and struggles for election to the US legislature, his commitment to the abolition of slavery and the hardships of pioneering life in the United States. The conduct and devastation of the Civil War are also featured, not merely as historical accounts, but with added dramatic tension from the unavoidable divided loyalties in the President's household. A gem. (Margaret Teh)
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| Nikcola Thorne - Bright Morning
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| Although I had not read the previous books in the Askham Chronicles which traces the family through several decades, it did not spoil my enjoyment of their experiences in England and France during WW II, of how war can tear people apart and how the matriarch feels pride in her family's heroism but sorrow at the price that war exacts. It encourages me to read the earlier books so that I can know the individuals better. (Shirley Williams)
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| Anne Tyler - The Tin Can Tree
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| Janie Rose Pike, aged six, is killed in an accident. The story revolves around the impact this traumatic event has on her immediate and extended family, how each of them cope with grief, guilt and each other. The second of her many novels, not considered one of her best, nevertheless, as a devoted fan of Anne Tyler, it didn't disappoint. The characters - typically sad, funny, eccentric - are wholly believable. Dysfunctional? Probably, but no more so than most families. (Mary Standing)
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| Anne Tyler - A Patchwork Planet
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| Barnaby Gaitlin is an endearing loser, at odds with society and a misfit within his own successful, aspiring family. The gentle narrative spans a year in his life, his relationships with the diverse people around him and the effects they have upon one another.
Anne Tyler once again uses small everyday detail to bring alive the book and its characters in a thoroughly enjoyable manner. (Sue Pratt)
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Non-Fiction
| Wade Davis - Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest
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| It's not death that matters but how you live. Everest expeditions of the 1920's - courage, cock-ups and the clash of cultures. A dramatic and gripping story tracing a generation of climbers through early life and the Great War to what happened on Everest. Mallory, the greatest climber of his time is, despite faults, the authentic hero, though not the only one. He stayed on the mountain, I came down feeling changed. (Tony Pratt)
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| Angela Dewar - Pour out the Cat
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This life-affirming memoir - ultimately a love story par excellence - is told with the majesty of simple truth and openness by a natural and gifted writer. It begins in the war with evacuation to Wales, the return to London, school, job experiences, and a fascination with Cornwall which heralded an almost mystical attraction to Spain. Her mother, sisters, brother, her adopted Spanish family and all those who crossed her path are vivid on the page.
Ed's Note: Published in Spain, it can be ordered from:
http://www.casadellibro.com/libro-pour-out-the-cat/9788494002731/2063823
(James Baker)
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| Paul French - Midnight in Peking: The murder that haunted the last days of old China
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| Peking, China, 1937, a freezing January morning, next to the inner wall the mutilated body of an English girl. Her name was Pamela Werner, daughter of a respected academic who spent the rest of his life searching for her murderer and the motive behind this horrific crime. French exposes corruption and closing of ranks of senior officials even after 76 years and his persistence answers most of the questions. This is a history lesson and riveting crime story exposé. (James Baker)
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| Robert Harvey - Liberators: Latin America's struggle for independence 1810-1830
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| This surely ought to be essential reading for anyone travelling to Central or South America today. Harvey recounts tales of adventure, courage and passion of seven larger-than-life heroes who led the continent to freedom from Spanish and Portuguese domination at the turn of the nineteenth century. Despite their ultimate success, all seven were to die in pathetic or tragic circumstances. However their stories give us a far clearer understanding of the geo-politics of the region. (Jeremy Miller)
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| Richard Holloway - Leaving Alexandra: a Memoir of Faith and Doubt
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| Ex-bishop of Edinburgh, writer of controversial books, broadcaster - Holloway is interesting from any point of view. These memoirs 'from faith to doubt' are an extraordinarily honest account of his life and ministry, full of intelligent insights and courageously clear-sighted criticisms but also wit and humour. I followed his path towards doubt with deep fellow feeling (though his moving ending went further than I'd go!). It may have upset some conservative thinkers, but I found it exceptional. (Annabel Bedini)
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| John Keegan - Warpaths: Travels of a Military Historian in North America
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| Keegan weaves history and geography to shed new light on the conflicts in North America in this brilliant examination of battles fought over three centuries between, variously, the British, the French, loyalists, revolutionaries, native Americans, Unionists and Confederates. Above all though, this is an informal, personal and highly readable account from one of our greatest military historians. Despite his self-confessed 'love' of America, he is not uncritical of some well-known historical players. (Jeremy Miller)
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| Don Patterson - Reading Shakespeare's Sonnets: A New Commentary
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| Don't be put off! Paterson is not just a poet himself and therefore highly qualified to examine these poems, but also an original thinker, part iconoclast part jester. His analysis and commentary, sonnet by sonnet, are eye-opening and full of quirky insights, making this book terrific fun to read. Being unfamiliar with all but the most obvious sonnets, I was amazed by how much schools don't tell us! I recommend this highly. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Geza Vermes - Christian Beginnings: From Nazareth to Nicaea (AD30 - 325)
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| Vermes, Hungarian 'Jesus expert' and author of many other tomes about Judaism and Christianity, systematically explains the progression of ideas and debates leading to the Council of Nicaea and the birth of the Christian church. He uses contemporary writings (Apostles, Roman Emperors, Philosophers,) that show the humanity, intelligence and humour of these early thinkers. I found it quite slow and academic to read but extremely worthwhile - I wish I'd known all this years ago! (Victoria Grey-Edwards)
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| Feedback |
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| I was surprised to see Saramago's The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (bwl 66) described as 'amusing'. To my mind it's a deeply felt cry against historic Christian thinking, with the innocent and well-meaning Jesus painfully and longingly trying to find meanings in the workings of a very unpleasant, power-hungry God. Did this not come across in the English translation? (I read it in Italian) A characteristic I think worth mentioning is Saramago's style - endless meandering sentences which I started by finding irritating and ended up finding hypnotic. (Annabel Bedini)
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| An interesting point emerged from a recent book discussion: Is it a form of stealing or of flattery if an author takes the characters from another writer's work and builds their own story around them? The book in question was Wild Sargasso Sea. What do you think? (Jenny Baker)
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| Great selection of both fiction and non-fiction in this latest issue. I have made a note to read about six of them. I read Wide Sargasso Sea years ago and loved it. I think the use of another author's characters is more theft than flattery but a legitimate theft. I suppose theft is a form of flattery. (Judith Peppitt) |
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