bwl 71 - Winter 2014
Fiction
| Michael Blakemore - Next Season
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| I'm pleased to have caught up with this 1960's novel, which got a passing nod in the review for Blakemore's autobiography: Stage Blood (bwl 70). It gives an excellent feel of life in a theatre company at work in a seaside town, and the joys and disappointments of being an actor, while telling an absorbing story. Interesting on the plays and you can have fun guessing identities as well - Vanessa Redgrave? Peter Hall? Olivier? (Tony Pratt)
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| Justin Cartwright - Lion Heart
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| Maybe too many threads to this novel with family, spying, politics and romances/affairs, together with the interweaving of Richard the Lionheart's return from the Holy Land and the relic of the Holy Cross. Richie Cathar seeks to understand his father, his relationship with his 'true love', Noor, and subsequent lovers and is an overly self-absorbed character for me. However, Cartwright does write well and reminds us how long our 'interference' in the Middle East has been. (Christine Miller)
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| John Christopher - The Guardians
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| Rob Randell is on the run. Escaping over the fence that separates the strictly controlled urban Conurb, he finds himself in the idyllic ordered society of the County. But this harmony comes at a price - is it a price too high? Christopher is much neglected as a writer for young people. His dystopian novels written forty years ago are well worth discovering and recommending to teens - or adults. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Tom Franklin - Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
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| Strong characterisation and atmosphere permeate this novel, together with Southern dialogue. Set in small town rural Mississippi one main protagonist is white (Larry) and the other black (Silas). The story is set in the present and the past. When a teenage girl disappears - Larry is a suspect - and their childhood friendship ends. 20 years later another disappears and suspicion falls on Larry again. The plot twists and turns to a redemptive ending of friendship regained. (Christine Miller)
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| Jane Gardam - Last Friends
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| In this final volume of Gardam's trilogy, we learn the secrets of Veneering's Russian heritage. Was his father a spy, who was his mother and where did he get his wealth? If you haven't yet read Old Filth (bwl 29) and The Man in the Wooden Hat (bwl 55), you have a treat in store. Funny and sad, the characters become as familiar and as elusive as real friends. A joy to read. (Jenny Baker)
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| Leon Garfield - Smith
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| Garfield is a somewhat overlooked writer in today's world of children's books. Writing thrilling adventures which were set in the past - usually the 18th or 19th century, he was not interested in giving readers a history lesson. Smith, one f his earliest and his best, is well worth revisiting. Here are villains and bodies - and a mystery - in a style that owes a lot to Fielding and Dickens. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Rachel Joyce - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
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| An enjoyable and very readable tale reminding me of a geriatric-cross between Kerouac's 'On the Road' and 'Forest Gump'. Harold Fry goes to post a get-well soon card to an old work colleague but then walks past the post-box and decides to deliver it by hand. This confuses his wife, captures the passing interest of the media and various hangers-on and becomes a valuable time of self-assessment and reflection on regret and memory. (Clive Yelf)
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| Penelope Lively - Passing On
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| Edward and Helen are middle-aged siblings, still living at home; their narrow and uneventful lives dominated by their selfish and demanding mother. The book opens with her death, proceeds to what happens next to the brother and sister and how they react to their new freedom and her absence. They evoke equally pity, sympathy and exasperation, but the tale is told with sensitivity and compassion and has a clear sense of place and characterisation. (Sue Pratt)
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| Penelope Lively - Judgement Day
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| Clare Paling is a newcomer to village life, where she discovers a diverse community, each with his or her own stories, worries and concerns. Initially a wry observer, she gradually becomes involved in their lives and activities but it takes a devastating event to make her reassess her own life. Told with compassion and understanding this absorbing narrative evokes a real and believable contemporary world. (Sue Pratt)
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| George R R Martin - A Game of Thrones
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| The dragons are long dead but in the kingdom of Westeros, where seasons can last a decade, tensions are rising. Intrigue and violence abound as the noble families aim for the Iron Throne. Unlike many stories of its kind there are no heroes and villains, just a huge number of beautifully drawn characters. Feeling like the War of the Roses in a mythical setting, this is just the first chapter of an epic fantasy series. (Kate Ellis)
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| Alice Munro - Dear Life
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| Short stories, therefore a challenge. I was new to Munro but when she won this year's Nobel prize for literature, I felt I must read her. This is her latest volume: vignettes of small-time life in rural Canada. Each like a novel pared down and down leaving not much more than the skeletal remains. Read once to get the gist, then read again slowly to decipher their meaning. Like fine wine or malted whisky! (Jenny Baker)
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| Patrick Ness - More than This
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| After all the hype around Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy and his novel A Monster Calls, there are very high expectations for his latest book. In Monsters of Men, the author moved away from straight storytelling to something much more philosophical. This new novel continues that trend. It is also a tense, absorbing drama that opens with the death of the main protagonist. Not for everyone, perhaps, but worth it. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Maria Semple - Where'd You Go Bernadette
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| A witty book which may appeal more to Americans - and to anyone who dislikes Microsoft. It's about an architect, her computer-genius husband, their clever but fragile daughter and their life in Seattle which sounds almost dystopian. Told from different viewpoints in an epistolary style, it's a good read if a little far-fetched and packs too many hobby horses into one story. (Annie Noble)
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| M L Stedman - The Light Between Oceans
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| A heartbreaking read which I would highly recommend. A lighthouse keeper and his wife are living on an island off the coast of Australia; they find a boat with a baby on board washed up on a beach. They then make a life-changing decision which will have serious repercussions for them all. It's beautifully written and captivating, and you really feel the emotions. Get out the hankies. (Annie Noble)
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| Ferdinand von Schirach - The Collini Case
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Translated by Anthea Bell.
Despite knowing who the murderer is this is a taut thriller where a young lawyer tries to defend the inexplicable, vicious murder of a German business man by an Italian. The defendant will admit his guilt but not why. A major part of the story takes place in a court room, as the lawyer painstakingly seeks an answer. Additionally, he knew the murdered man and is in love with his daughter. An absorbing read.
Ed's Note: Ferdinand von Schirach is a lawyer and his book played a part in the setting up of a German Ministry of Justice Committee to look at the effects of the Nazi past on the current state of the Ministry. (Christine Miller)
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| John Williams - Stoner
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| Stoner is a beautifully written account of the hopes, disappointments and failures of one man's life. In John Williams' novel I found parallels with writers as diverse as Strindberg in Stoner's wretchedly unhappy marriage and C.P. Snow in the rivalry and jealousy among the fellows of the college in the University. But the sadness of Stoner's life is redeemed by his love of literature and by his teaching. (Judith Peppitt)
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| Benjamin Wood - The Bellwether Revivals
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| A masterpiece of psychological suspense says the cover. It sounded promising - and it had been shortlisted for the Costa. Indeed it was an intriguing read, exploring interesting ideas around music, genius and the concept of hope. Owing much to Donna Tartt's The Secret History, it is much less drawn out and the climax is truly dramatic and unexpected. I would recommend it as something a bit different. Intelligent writing. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Louisa Young - My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You
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| I was prejudiced against this book - not another WW I novel, and with a title like this! - but was gradually won over. The core of the story: to defend himself from her disgust and pity, wounded Riley lies twice-over to the love of his life to keep her away. Young is perceptive about both physical and psychological war damage - not just Riley's - and fascinating about the facial reconstruction surgery of the times. I ended up moved. (Annabel Bedini)
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Non-Fiction
| Alan Bennett - Untold Stories
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| When I reviewed Bennett's 'Writing Home' (bwl 37) I said I hoped there would be more to follow, and there was (published in 2005 but only just discovered by me). Another lovely, fat book of memories - his parents' marriage, his extraordinary aunts - his diaries and miscellaneous writings, including some wonderfully irreverent art criticism. His critical intelligence, sensitivity, good sense and humour had me constantly saying 'Ah Yes!'. Again, I'd love more! (Annabel Bedini)
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| David Boyle - Blondel's Song: The Capture, Imprisonment and Ransom of Richard the Lionheart
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| This is an historical reconstruction of the real events behind the legends surrounding Richard the Lionheart, his secret return from the Crusades across the Alps in winter, the minstrel Blondel, the troubadours, Robin Hood, the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham and the gigantic ransom exacted by the Holy Roman Emperor for the King's freedom which had an enormous effect on the English economy and trade in 12th century England. A fascinating and rewarding read. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Alan Connor - Two Girls One on Each Knee (7): The Puzzling, Playful World of the Crossword
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| With its history of the puzzle, the famous lives it has touched, its role in WW II, this is a must for Cryptic addicts who will immediately spot the answer to the title. For those who find the clues impenetrable, this book will illuminate the setters' secrets and, as the author claims, you will begin to find them easier and a lot more satisfying than Quick ones. Did you know the best place to start is the bottom right-hand corner? (Jenny Baker)
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| Margaret Forster - Good Wives?: Mary, Fanny, Jennie and Me, 1845-2001
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| With a title conjuring up echoes of the sequel to Little Women, Forster - using biographies of the wives of Livingstone, Stevenson and Bevan and her own 40 year's experience of matrimony - raises crucial issues. Posing such questions as: what constitutes a good wife? how have perceptions altered over time? how far should women go in making compromises? does marriage still have a value? her conclusions on the changing nature of a wife's role are both interesting and provocative. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Charlotte Higgins - Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain
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| Part travel book, part history as Roman remains from Colchester and Pevensey to Scotland and Hadrian's Wall are visited. Major centres like London and Bath feature beside less well known ones such as Silchester. Out of this come insights into the history, starting with the fiasco of Julius Caesar's attempts to invade, and fascinating accounts of the long uncovering of Roman Britain which say a lot about later times. (Tony Pratt)
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| John Lloyd - The QI Book of the Dead
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and John Mitchinson
The best parts of biographies are often the 'Quite Interesting' bits so it's an entertaining and memorable book which provides potted histories of the great and good with that in mind. Thematically it explores how people react and respond to a range of life's misfortunes and challenges, with chapters and biographies illustrating each major crisis in life ... but really I just enjoyed it for its slightly skewed perspective and 'well I never!' moments. (Clive Yelf)
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| Giles Milton - Samurai William: The Adventurer Who Unlocked Japan
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| William Adams washed up in Japan aboard a disease-ridden and semi-derelict Dutch ship. However, being both resourceful and adaptable, he took to this strange and fabled new world and soon found himself being used as a powerful counter-weight to the influential Portuguese Catholics. Too valuable to lose, he became advisor, samurai and window on the outside world, eventually assisting with an embryonic English Trading Factory whose records provide much of the detail to this fascinating history. (Clive Yelf)
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| Siddhartha Mukherjee - The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
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Humanely and positively, without shirking physical or moral issues, Mukherjee's scholarly and comprehensive history of cancer, from 5000BC to the present, provides a fascinating glimpse into future treatments and shows how the body and its ailments have been viewed and treated through the centuries. Lucid and never condescending, the closer it gets to the present day the more it reads like the thriller it really is: the hunt for the cause of cancer.
(Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction 2011)
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Susan Ottaway - Sisters, Secrets and Sacrifice: The True Story of WWII Special Agents
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| A true story about two sisters, the sacrifices they made and the courage they showed during WW II; a book which I was unable to put down. I had not realised how many young women gave their lives as special agents, and how those who survived never really recovered from their experiences.Their story, which only came to light after the death of a recluse, became headlines worldwide. I wonder whether, should this sacrifice be needed now, the response would be same? A must-read. (Shirley Williams)
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| Joe Simpson - The Beckoning Silence
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| The author of Touching the Void - which recounted his epic battle for survival in the Andes - reveals the inner truth of climbing, the fears, traumas and anxieties propelling men up a mountain to glory. All this intertwines with the history of the Eiger North Face becoming a memorial to those who died attempting to conquer this mountain of mountains. Finally, after meeting some of the famous survivors, he glimpses the promise of another successful ascent in the future. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Richard Stengel - Mandela's Way: Fifteen Lessons on Life, Love and Courage
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| Read this book when the effects of Mandela over-kill have faded! The author, who ghosted Mandela's autobiography, loves his subject but there's no attempt at hagiography - warts and all here - rather, in chapters with headings like 'Be measured' and 'Know when to say No', Mandela's attitude to, and methods for solving, problems are examined using telling anecdotes from his life. How about the opposite of fear being not courage but pretending to be courageous? Wisdom abounding! (Annabel Bedini)
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| Richard Wiseman - Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives
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| I'd love to know how the author managed to create a career conducting the experiments detailed in this book. As a psychologist all human behaviour is fair game I suppose - the rituals in picking numbers for the National Lottery, the effect of your date of birth on your life, finding the world's funniest joke - but, however strange the question, fascinating insights and truly interesting responses invariably follow. And then of course you'll insist on sharing . . . (Clive Yelf)
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| Natalie Zemon Davis - Trickster Travels: A Sixteenth-Century Muslim Between Worlds
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| Historians know him as Leo Africanus, the man behind the first geographical history of Africa. A fascinating and scholarly study of Hasan al-Wazzan, born in Granada to a Moslem family that in 1492 was expelled to Morocco. Captured and taken to Rome, he was forced to embrace Christianity but had friends in high places. Popes and cardinals admired his scholarship, of which little has come down to us, but Davis makes all possible use of the valuable fragments. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Feedback |
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| My reaction to Sweet Tooth (bwl 67) was rather different from the one in last edition's Feedback. I agree about the clever twist at the end but even that couldn't mitigate what I feel is McEwan's basic mysogyny. Over and over in his books I find the female characters are not just unappealing but are subtly denigrated, as if he really doesn't like women at all. (I'd make an exception for Florence in On Chesil Beach who is drawn with sympathy). Am I alone in finding this? (Annabel Bedini)
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