bwl 85 - Summer 2017
Fiction
| Isabel Allende - The Japanese Lover
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| A very young Polish immigrant arrives in California at the outbreak of WW II, her story becomes intimately intertwined with the travails of a Japanese/American family during that time and that of the life of another European émigré in modern San Francisco. This presents something of a quest novel, in the beginning straight narrative which reads almost as documentary but which concludes with an intriguing and very satisfying, quirky twist. Insightful, surprising and warm! (Margaret Teh)
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| Julian Barnes - The Noise of Time
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| I've often wondered about the ethics of writing fictional accounts of real people, as Barnes does here with Russian composer Shostakovich (and previously Flaubert). I started reading this as biography - Barnes has certainly done his homework - but how would Shostakovich himself feel about the tormented character that emerges? Whatever, Shostakovich's real and imagined sufferings under the crazy Soviet system, recounted in telling hiccoughs, are compelling, whatever their provenance, and I was enthralled. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Michelle Birkby - The House in Baker Street
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| Have you ever wondered about Mrs Hudson? Who is she really? There she is, in the background, providing tea, meals, laundry, as Sherlock and Dr Watson come and go . Here you can find out, as Mrs Hudson together with Mary Watson take on a puzzle rejected by Holmes. The author provides Mrs Hudson with an interesting back story creating an engaging character. An enjoyable whodunit. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers
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| Erratic, delightful and infuriating. With a good helping of amusing and confusing. And meandering. Not dissimilar to an Eddie Izzard flight of fancy where you wonder "Where's this going?" only to reach a hilarious conclusion, usually involving Samuel Weller but occasionally the revered and august Pickwick himself. Putting inconsistencies to one side it's a pretty good read, even if it has the air of being made up as it goes along, which no doubt it was. (Clive Yelf)
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| Sarah Dunant - In the Name of the Family
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| Following Blood and Beauty (bwl 73), Dunant continues her story of the Borgias. While age lessens Pope Alexander's power, his son, Cesare, rampages through Italy gaining land and power. Lucrezia, though still young, is a 'political' bride for the third time. Machiavelli now has a role and the constant scheming will provide him with much for his own writing. Dunant enthrals this reader with her interpretation of the history and her research into even the smallest details of daily life. (Christine Miller)
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| Elizabeth Fuller - Our Endless Numbered Days
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| What is true? Did it really happen? Peggy (or should she be Punzel?) is the unreliable narrator as she tells her story; "abducted" at the age of eight by her survivalist father and taken to Die Hutte in the middle of a German forest where they live for nine years with no outside contact. She is a good storyteller - and fairytales play a part; the end is a shock. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Kazuo Ishiguro - The Buried Giant
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| Post-Arthurian Britain: here are Sir Gawain now grown old, a mysterious Warrior and a boy bewitched. A strange mist from a dragon's breath engulfs the land. No one remembers quite who they are or where they began. Axl and Beatrice search for their long-lost son unaware that their journey will reveal submerged secrets they might prefer to forget. Can their love survive even as the boatman prepares to ferry them away? A strange, mystical and hypnotic book. (Jenny Baker)
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| Thomas Keneally - Napoleon's Last Island
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| Keneally imagines the touching relationship between a high-spirited English girl and the 'Ogre' that is Napoleon during his final exile on the mid-Atlantic island of St Helena. He perfectly captures the claustrophobia of life on such a remote colony, eliciting great sympathy for the two main protagonist through their unlikely friendship, but disdaining both the French hangers-on and the British rulers as personified by a vindictive new governor. The denouement is both shocking and sad. (Jeremy Miller)
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| Margaret Mayhew - Bluebirds
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| An amazing book about the exploits of four completely different women in the WAAFs starting in 1939; it is fiction but written in appreciation of those women who were an untried and unknown quantity at the beginning of the war. Many of the RAF were doubtful of their value. But they proved themselves. The author researched the subject very carefully. It combines love, tragedy, loyalty, heroism and strength of character. Very difficult to stop reading. (Shirley Williams)
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| Geraldine McCaughrean - Where the World Ends
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| I make no apology for once more recommending Geraldine McCaughrean; she is one of the finest writers for young people today, always original. Her latest is no exception. We are transported to St Kilda. The community relies on harvesting the sea birds each summer for livelihood. A group of boys with three adults set off to Warrior Stac; but no one comes to bring them home. Read on. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Simon Sebag Montefiore - Sashhenka
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| The author is a renowned historian and on the evidence of this novel of fiction too. The story of Sashenka, born into wealth and Bolshevik by conviction, spans decades and charters the Soviet Union's descent into mindless, all-embracing tyranny which consumed millions and was presided over by the malignant, devious, murderous Joseph Stalin. The legacy of this wonderful novel is the present day Russia, a hugely unequal society ruled by an ex KGB apparatchik and with freedom a distant mirage. (David Graham)
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| Ferdinand Mount - Heads You Win
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| One of a series - Chronicles of Modern Twilight - which gives a cumulative picture of modern life; this novel concentrates on its later stages as retirement is held at bay, accepted and then used or misused. It has a lot to say about love, friendship and even death but this is only as an accompaniment to an entertaining story and some very funny writing and amusing set pieces. A good holiday read in intelligent but not too demanding company. (Tony Pratt)
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| Joseph O'Connor - Star of the Sea
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| 1847 - on board en-route for America are hundreds of desperate refugees fleeing the Irish famine; travelling first class are a bankrupt landowner, his two young sons with their nanny, his wife and her lover. Murder is stalking the decks. Following multiple threads from documents, diaries, letters and interviews the lives and unexpected connections of the protagonists gradually take shape. The tension builds until the fatal deed is done and we reach the final unexpected twist. (Jenny Baker)
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| Ann Patchett - Commonwealth
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| An absorbing novel about the complications of families linked through divorce. Life is messy. Events can lead to tragedy and memories lie hidden. Patchett follows the lives of the various 'siblings', going to and fro in time. Through one of them, Franny, she can also question what happens when real life is exploited in fiction because Franny reveals all to her lover, a novelist. Written with great empathy, understanding and some humour. (Christine Miller)
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| Robert Seethaler - The Tobacconist
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| Innocent seventeen-year-old Franz leaves his lakeside village to be apprenticed to a wise old Viennese tobacconist. It is 1937, with Hitler on the rise. Franz grows into manhood struggling with city life, nostalgia and a disastrous love affair - helped by (fictionalised!) Freud in exchange for cigars - with the evil of Naziism creeping, horrifically, ever closer, ending with his one glorious, doomed act of rebellion. Often painfully funny, often touching, always deeply engaging. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Ruta Sepetys - Salt to the Sea
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| Have you heard of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945 - the final years of WW II? It was carrying thousands of refugees from Latvia, Poland and East Prussia; over 9,000 died. Ruta Sepetys follows the fortunes of three of these refugees, all with their own tragedies to bear, all with their own secrets. Written for a teenage audience this is a novel for all. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Nevil Shute - Pied Piper
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| A peaceful fishing holiday turns into an arduous and unpredictable escape from the Nazi invasion of France. The simple prose is so effective in conveying the ageing Englishman's loneliness and loss and his deep sense of responsibility as he selflessly and steadfastly tries to deliver his charges safely from the escalating war. A poignant and dignified story read again with pleasure. (Rebecca Howell)
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| Elizabeth Strout - Olive Kitteridge
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| Independent-minded, self-deluding, acerbic retired teacher Olive, living in a small Maine seaside community, is the thread that runs through this series of (mostly sad it has to be admitted) stories of her fellow citizens. The common theme is moments of truth in the lives of ordinary people, and 'truth' is the key word here. Sprout has an extraordinary ability to provide constant aahh-yes! moments of recognition that she has got people absolutely right. To be savoured. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Anne Tyler - Vinegar Girl
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| Her reinterpretation of The Taming of the Shrew set in modern day Baltimore. While not a typical Anne Tyler, lacking her usual subtlety and quirky characters, and of course the outcome is never in doubt, it is nevertheless a quick, lighthearted and enjoyable read. (Sue Pratt)
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Non-Fiction
| Rick Atkinson - The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945
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| The last in Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy reveals how, at a staggering price, the U.S. and allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. We relive in breathtaking details: D-Day, the brutal Normandy fighting, the Paris liberation, the disaster of Operation Market Garden and the horrific Battle of the Bulge. The stirring pace never relaxes; Atkinson's critical faculty never clouds. This magnificent chronicle is a respectful, shining, loving homage to all those who fell for what we enjoy today. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Terry Darlington - Narrow Dog to Carcassonne
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| A book to keep you wanting more. As Terry says, on their retirement he and Monica could bore themselves to death, drink themselves to death or have a bit of an adventure! They chose the latter, but hardly a bit of adventure! After crossing the Channel on their narrowboat, they visited parts of France that nobody knows, meeting a varied selection of the French population - people that many French never meet. All with Jim their whippet dog. Exciting, terrifying and humorous. (Shirley Williams)
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| Max Hastings - Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War
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| Familiar territory - yes; capitalising on the centenary - also yes! But Hasting's willingness to challenge accepted wisdoms and his excoriating critique of British military leadership in general and Sir John French in particular are both refreshingly honest and surprising. He is good on the French, and especially good on the Serbian campaign. By bringing it all together in a work of considerable scholarship, he has set a new benchmark for WW I military history. (Jeremy Miller)
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| Nicholas Hytner - Balancing Acts: Behind the scenes at the National Theatre
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| If you've enjoyed the National Theatre in the last 15 years this may be for you. An insightful account by its Director of great productions ranging from Shakespeare performed by Russell Beale and Kinnear, through new plays like The History Boys and War Horse, to Jerry Springer the Opera. The story spans ups and downs for public funding, live transmission and the cheap ticket scheme but I enjoyed most the anecdotes about actors and writers, hits and flops and the chance to re-live great theatre. (Tony Pratt)
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| Alan Johnson - The Long and Winding Road
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| It might have been better to start with the first two books of his memoir since the territory would have been altogether less familiar and consequently perhaps more engaging. This third volume covers his accession to union leadership and transition to cabinet office. He is a very likeable, honest politician but in trying to avoid seeming to boast about his considerable personal and political achievements, his discretion and somewhat overdone self-deprecation tend to dull the narrative. (Jeremy Miller)
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| Ivan Krastev - After Europe
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| In 120 pages this Bulgarian thinker offers multiple insights. The refugee crisis has been the catalyst for an identity crisis and a loss of confidence in the EU, democracy and the liberal order which underlies it. Adrift, a secular Europe is sustained by borrowing from the future and an unwillingness to face up to its challenges one of which is disaffection in Eastern Europe. A summary of a summary can't do this justice but hope, he argues, has not gone if we face up to things. (Tony Pratt)
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| Wilbert Rideau - In the Place of Justice: A story of punishment and redemption
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| The Autobiography of Wilbert Rideau - an award-winning journalist who spent 44 years in Angola Prison. He started his sentence on death row - aged 19, an uneducated black youth in the segregated South, sentenced for killing a white woman; brutality and death were his future. If you want to believe in hope and transformation read this! His multiple Awards include Human Rights and Criminal Justice. [ (Lynda Johnson)
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| Andrew Roberts - Napoleon the Great
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| Such a comprehensive account of this enigmatic man should stretch to many volumes but Roberts has managed to capture the essence of Napoleon's incredible life in a little over 800 pages. He is particularly good on Napoleon's upbringing in Corsica. By accessing over 33,000 of Boney's extant letters, Roberts has managed to bring new perspectives to someone about whom more books have been written than the number of days since he died. Altogether masterful. (Jeremy Miller)
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| Michael J Sandel - Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?
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| Moral Philosophy at its best but accessible, not dry or abstruse but written with clarity and simplicity. A rollercoaster ride - it is littered with examples from life (political and legal cases) for every step of the journey as well as conundrums such as a debate on whether to push a heavy bystander in front of a train to save five workmen on the track. Sandel challenges assumptions and adds depth to one's understanding - a tour de force. (Lynda Johnson)
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| Gillian Tindall - The Tunnel Through Time: A new route for an old London journey
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Constructing London's newest railway has enabled archaeologists to explore some of the city's most historically important sites. In this timely book, Gillian Tindall, well known miniaturist of London's history, follows the East-West route, revealing layers of human existence. She disinters the lives of countless generations that have trodden the same paths throughout history. What better excuse to walk the streets of Farringdon or imagine sheep being herded down Stepney Fields. Pure magic!
Ed note: Until 3 September 2017, there is a (free) exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands Tunnel: The Archaeology of Crossrail
(Jeremy Miller)
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| Gary Younge - Another Day in the Death of America: 24 Hours. 8 States. 10 Young Lives Lost to Gun Violence
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| A searing indictment of the lack of effective gun laws in America due mainly to a supine Congress and the malign influence of the National Rifle Association. The victims portrayed are mostly black, or mixed-race, from broken families mired in poverty in this the richest country in the world. Obama tried to push through a mild bill to mitigate the senseless slaughter to no avail. This brilliant book ends with a cry of rage and rightly so. Read and mourn. (David Graham)
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Poetry
| Kate Wakelin - Moon Juice |
| A collection of poems by a new voice writing for children is an event to be celebrated. Take a look at Moon Juice by the poet, Kate Wakelin. Here are poems to seduce and attract reflecting the imagination of the young reader, avoiding noise and instant attention. There is humour and a quirky look at life - try Bad Moods, Night Journey or Ten dark toes at the bottom of the bed. (Ferelith Hordon) |
| Feedback |
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| The hype, awards and plaudits lavished on Sarah Perry's The Essex Serpent (bwl 83) sparked my curiosity but sadly left me disappointed. The atmospheric and descriptive writing is beguiling, the cast of characters well drawn and interesting, but the storyline proved predictable and finally unmemorable. Sorry! (Sue Pratt)
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| I have managed to get through the first three books in Elena Ferranti's Neopolitan Quartet (bwl 76 and 79) but have no wish to read the fourth - that says it all I think! BUT perhaps if I'd been able to read them in the original Italian, and more particularly knew the Naples area of Italy, it would have made a great difference. Also I just couldn't get to like the two main characters, and didn't care what became of them. I think I would have been happier to read them on a Kindle, they are thick books! That all said I know many people who absolutely loved them! (Margaret Knott)
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