bwl 88 - Spring 2018
Fiction
| Julian Barnes - The Only Story
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| Paul, 19, falls in love with Susan, 48 and married. Paul believes their love will last forever, and with all the intensity, egotism and bravado of youth, decides to live with her. Their relationship lasts decades, including years of decline. The repercussions last forever. If this is his attempt to understand and define love, Barnes concludes 'Perhaps love could never be captured in a definition; it could only ever be captured in a story.' Painful but beautiful: I loved it. (Denise Lewis)
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| J P Delaney - The Girl Before
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| A taut psychological thriller narrated in turns by two girls who don't know each other but at different times have rented the same property. The mystery unravels as each tells a bit of their own story, revealing how their lives are affected and are strangely mirrored by their relationship with the myserious, enigmatic landlord. A page turner with a twist at the end. (Clare Gratton)
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| Penelope Fitzgerald - The Beginning of Spring
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| Moscow, 1913, Frank, an ex-pat Englishman, arrives home to discover his wife is en route for England with the children, only to abandon them at the nearest railway station. As winter is losing its grip so Frank is floundering, his well-meaning friends only adding to his confusion. Don't read it you're looking for derring-do and neat resolutions but if you enjoy pondering and peeling back layers, you'll be rewarded by a thought-provoking and often very funny read. (Jenny Baker)
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| Mohsin Hamid - Exit West
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| I found this to be something of an enigma. Although dealing with a situation of tyranny and war in an unspecified eastern country Exit West has the air of a fairy story written in almost Biblical language. Mohsin Hamid uses a simplistic approach to transport us into a world of fantasy that has parallels with Alice in Wonderland although his characters, perhaps intentionally, lack definition. I was left with much to think about. (Judith Peppitt)
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| Robert Harris - Conclave
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| Everybody should read this book Catholic or not! Papal conclaves are by nature clandestine affairs, but Robert Harris has done a great deal of research and produced as a result a plausible and brilliant novel. There is ambition, chauvinism, envy, conceit and over-confidence alongside humility, human understanding, kindness and true holiness. The final twist in the story is stunning!
(Veronica Edwards)
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| Paula Hawkins - Into the Water
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| I thoroughly enjoyed this second novel by the author of The Girl on the Train (bwl 82). Inevitably the two books will be compared but this one is not so much a suspenseful thriller but rather an analysis of a small town's history, exploring witchcraft, suicide and murder, perpetuating ongoing uncertainty surrounding the latest mysterious death in The Drowing Pool - the mystery is further confused by the multiple perspectives of the narrative, causing difficuly in trusting any of the characters. (Eloise May)
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| Terry Hayes - I am Pilgrim
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| This International spy thriller in the form of an epic novel combines both a murder mystery and a plot to unleash a chemical cataclysm on America. It is multi-layered; the narrative moves from one strange event to another eventually bringing all the diverse characters and plots to a final conclusion. Not exactly a page turner but a satisfying read with strongly defined characters. It would definitely translate well into a film similar to Jason Bourne or the Homeland series. (Clare Gratton)
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| Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
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| I was very interested in this story, told from Eleanor's perspective, and enjoyed that you were with her in the present despite the events that shaped her remaining a mystery until much later in the novel. She lives by routine and order but when seemingly minor events disrupt that routine, a more complicated person emerges. I felt empathetic for her, a socially awkward indivudal, portrayed through insights - with at times the author's subtle humour - into her response to everyday situation. (Eloise May)
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| Bernard MacLaverty - Midwinter Break
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| A winter break tests the fault lines of a long marriage. It is an intimate study of an ordinary marriage marked by an earlier event. Solace is sought along divergent paths - one spiritual and the other that of alcohol. The book, like life, is happy, sad, funny and very serious. The writing was faultless, filled with sympathy for its characters, and the ending thoughtful. The impact was more profound than I imagined at first. (Christine Miller)
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| S J Parris - Conspiracy
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| Very much in the mould of the Shardlake detective series by C J Sansom, this adventure of Giardano Bruno adds an extra dimension by being set in the less well-known world of Paris under Henry III and Catherine de Medici - a time of vicious dynastic infighting. Add in murderous religious conflict, led by the Duc de Guise and the Catholic League plus the murky world of English espionage and the result is plenty of action and suspense. Good entertainment. (Tony Pratt)
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| Max Porter - Grief is the Thing with Feathers
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| It is a family in grief. The mother has died recently. Her husband, a Ted Hughes scholar, and her two sons are unable to cope. Enter Crow - avatar, trickster, foul-mouthed intruder, nurse. Both very easy to read and bemusing, this verse novel opens the door to a very real, raw experience. Told through the voices of the three protagonists this has an immediacy that grabs the reader. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Philip Pullman - La Belle Sauvage - The Book of Dust
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| We accompany 11-year old Malcolm on his first intellectual, and subsequently his physical journey. It's over ten years since I read Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and I was immediately drawn back into the fantasy word of daemons and Dust, although I did not relate to Malcolm in the same way I remember doing with Lyra. This story did not have the same level of depth and complexity that I recall, but did explore some dark themes and ideological criticisms. (Eloise May)
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| Jason Reynolds - A Long Way Down
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| What makes a young man go out with a gun and kill someone? The very primeval sense of justice that demands an eye for an eye has much to answer. Here Reynolds in this very short, immediate verse novel explores this very scenario as the young protagonist takes up a gun to avenge the death of his brother - but is he right and who is the "villain"? (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Mary Doria Russell - A Thread of Grace
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| The comparatively little known fate of the Jews in northern Italy 1943 to 1945. In a community torn between optimism and panic, many stay but many flee over the Alps to be helped by villagers, communist partisans and, not least, priests and nuns. Betrayal and death are constant threats as the retreating Nazis grow more ruthless and many do not make it. A vivid story told through a gallery of characters ranging from Jewish teenagers to Gestapo fanatics. (Tony Pratt)
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| Junichiro Tanizaki - A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
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| When Shinako's husband Shozo ends their marriage to be with his younger lover, Shinako feels that she has lost everything. Yet the only thing she longs for is the elegant tortoiseshell cat she shared with her husband. Filled with humour, the book tells of a love triangle in which the only real rival is Lily, the cat. A small masterpiece. (Sharron Calkins)
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| Junichiro Tanizaki - The Makioka Sisters
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| Tanizaki's greatest novel is an absorbing inside look at the intricate upperclass life of Osaka just before World War Two. The family's fortunes are shrinking, but there are still two younger daughters who must be well presented if they are to find suitable husbands. A complex, vanished era brought agreeably to life. (Sharron Calkins)
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| Dimitri Verhulst - Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill
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| A tale of one woman's enduring love. When Madam Verona's husband dies she decides that she will have a cello made in his memory - from the spruce tree outside their house. She must wait 20 years for the cut wood to season and dry, and additional time for the cello to be made. Finally Madam Verona can pick up her bow. Will playing the first notes set her free? (Sharron Calkins)
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Non-Fiction
| Tessa Dunlop - The Century Girls: The Final Word from the Women Who've Lived the Past Hundred Years of British History
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| Six women - ordinary yet extraordinary. All have lived 100 years, mostly in Great Britain, and witnessed remarkable changes throughout the 20th century. The idea behind the book had been to celebrate the centenary of 'Votes for Women' in 1918, but ended up as so much more as the vastly different lives of the six unfolded during the many hours that the author spent interviewing them in their own homes. A wonderful historical record and a fascinating and memorable read. (Mary Standing)
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| James Fox - The Langhorne Sisters
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| Absolutely enthralling. What a family! I have learnt so much about American history intertwined with our own. Tracing the autor's family history, which has stretched over a period of 80 years of a constant changing world, and a family often at war with each other, clannish, but all so different, tragic and beautifully written. However I came away very disillusioned by our first female M.P - Nancy Astor. (Shirley Williams)
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| Linda Grant - The Thoughtful Dresser
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| You might think that a book addressing women's relationship to clothes would be about as interesting as a trip to Debenhams whilst your partner picks shoes for a wedding outfit. Fortunately you'd be wrong. What you actually have is a fascinating social history exploring a complex and complicated story. Add some lengthy interviews and case-studies, overviews of historical developments such as the rise of department stores and you have an entertaining, enlightening and engaging read! (Clive Yelf)
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| Kathryn Hughes - Victorians Undone: Tales of the Flesh in the Age of Decorum
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| A 'pregnancy' in Victoria's court, Darwin's beard, George Eliot's right hand, attributes of one of Dante Gabriel Rosetti's favourite models and the brutal murder of little Fanny Adams are considered in turn, ostensibly for the light they throw on Victorian attitudes to the body. Some interesting insights do result but the book's main appeal - which is considerable - is in the particular and gripping tales which they unfold. (Tony Pratt)
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| Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow
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| Kahneman's basic premise is that our thinking is not as logical as we like to believe. My initial rueful amusement that he'd been awarded the Nobel Economics prize for discovering what women have always been derided for claimimg soon dissolved. Rather than examining underlying unconscious psychology he identifies two distinct mental processes: System 1 (fast, instinctive, emotional) and System 2 (slower, deliberative, more logical) and how they interact in our decision-making. I ended up ruefully admiring his research. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Margarita Magnusson - The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter
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| Filled with practical and positive suggestions for paring down the 'stuff' and clutter that we have accumulated during our lives. Just as writing your 'last will and testament' brings you peace of mind, reducing our possessions to only what is genuinely necessary, useful, and loved can bring a sense of tranquility and space to our later years. (Sharron Calkins)
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| Adam Rutherford - A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Stories in Our Genes
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| This book, full of surprising information, will hold you spellbound. For instance, although Homo Sapiens is the only human type to have survived to the present day, in far earlier times he successfully mated with the three other human types to produce offspring. Although the Neanderthal human died out, his DNA did not. Many of us - like the author of this book - still carry small percentages of the DNA from an extinct form of human. As do I. (Sharron Calkins)
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| Stephanie Saldaña - The Bread of Angels: A Journey to Love and Faith
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| It is the time of the Iraq war. Damascus is full of the displaced. Enter Stephanie also displaced; an American fleeing a broken relationship to study the prophet Jesus in Islam. She is also on a quest to find her own faith. Through her eyes we meet a Damascus not seen in the news - vibrant, crowded, welcoming. Through her we experience the intensity of a spiritual journey. Immersive, fascinating. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Nicholas Shakespeare - Six Minutes in May: How Churchill Unexpectedly Became Prime Minister
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| A riveting account of the turbulent period in 1940 when the political establishement was convulsed as to who should succeed Neville Chamberlain. From the Royal family down, Lord Halifax - despite not sitting in the Commons - was the hot favourite. He refused to be nominated while the man of destiry waited in the wings and the Nazis were at the gates. Fate at the last minute intervened. The rest is history. I lived through it. It was a damned close run thing. (David Graham)
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| Elizabeth Smart - By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept
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| It took my breath away. The book, inspired by the author's own intense love affair with poet George Barker, will leave you wondering what just hit you. Surely no woman has ever torn away so many veils to reveal what 'grand passion' and the ensuing grand heartbreak feel like. It is a masterpiece. (Sharron Calkins)
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| Tracey Thorn - Naked at the Albert Hall
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| Loving singing but dreading performing, Tracey Thorn, reluctant but successful singer with "Everything But The Girl", meditates on her craft. Along the way she chats to fellow performers, muses on accents, stage-fright, sirens, the 'distinctive voice' and the universal human urge to open our lungs and burst forth into song. Full of anecdotes and insights Tracey has produced a conversational, thoughtful and revealing book that would deserve a place in any library of modern music. (Clive Yelf)
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| Feedback |
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| I am sorry to say I found George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo (bwl 87) distasteful, dishonest and irritating. Distasteful because he exploits the very real tragedy of the death of Lincoln's son as an excuse to create a cemetery-full of thoroughly unlikable un-dead characters (Bardo is the Buddhist limbo). Dishonest because among authentic contemporary quotes Saunders intersperses his own invented ones, with no indication of which is which. Irritating because he has employed the whacky device of printing the speaker's name below the reported speech (the narrative is carried forward by the speakers) which often means having to turn the page to see who is speaking. I'll happily give Saunders top marks for imagination but . . . Like the reviewer, I did finish it but by an effort of will. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Do not say we have Nothing (bwl 87) caused a lot of division in my book group between those that loved it, those that hated it and those sitting on the fence. I was one of those who loved it. It's quite hard to get into and at first difficult to work out who all the characters are and how they relate to one another - a search on Wikipedia provided a list of their names and from that moment on the story began to make sense. I was hooked and found myself dipping back into it even when I had come to the end. (Jenny Baker)
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I read Autumn (bwl 87) and loved it - I didn't find it's structure chaotic and disjointed but I considered it's non linear, contemporary style of writing very intelligent; I actually felt that the last part, where it "slows down the pace" of the time- jumps and surreal aspects is less fascinating than the first part.
Has anyone reviewed "Ghana Must Go" and "Swing Time"? I liked them both a lot but unfortunately I don't have time to write a review, but I recommend them bothas well as "The Power of Now", which is a 90s book and might seem a little dated/obvious, but it's fantastic to have on your bedside table to read a couple of paragraphs each night.(Sally Guitierez)
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