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A Bike Ride by Anne Mustoe |
In 1983 Anne Mustoe, a busy and successful headmistress, looks out of a coach window in Rajasthan and sees a solitary man pedaling across the Desert. This is her fascinating and entertaining account of how two years later, aged 54, overweight, out of condition and wobbling on an unfamiliar bike, she set out from Westminster to follow a classical trail around the world accompanied by Alexander the Great, the occasional amorous waiter and a diary.
(bwl 10 August 2001) |
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A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean-Baptiste Andrea - trans. Sam Taylor |
Stan, a French Palaeontologist, has always been obsessed with fossils and when he hears of the skeleton of a dragon lying in a cave deep in an alpine glacier, he has to go and investigate. Is this the dinosaur he has been looking for? His harsh and sad early life has fed this obsession and is reflected in the hazardous journey that he and his chosen companions decide to make. More than an alpine adventure, this is a very moving read, and wonderfully translated from the French.
(bwl 106 Autumn 2022) |
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A Question of Loyalties by Alan Massie |
This is a terrific book about the fall of France and Vichy - a much written about subject, I know, but I have read and re-read this, and think it is the best.
(bwl 3 May 2000) |
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Amsterdam by Ian McEwan |
Three ex-lovers of Mollie Lane meet at her funeral in North London. Clive, a successful but self absorbed composer; Vernon, an unscrupulous newspaper editor and Garmony, the Foreign Secretary with a secret. As in 'Enduring Love', McEwan uses their stories to discuss moral dilemmas: euthanasia, self-deception, conceit and hypocrisy. This is a charming novel of black comedy used to lighten serious issues.
(bwl 10 August 2001) |
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Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie |
1971 and Mao's Cultural Revolution. Two teenage city youths, sons of intellectuals, are sent to a remote mountain village to be 're-educated'. Thanks to their talent for storytelling they are sent several days' journey into town to watch films and re-enact them for the village. On the way, two priceless finds help relieve their misery - Little Seamstress, the tailor's pretty daughter, and a cache of forbidden books. Thus they discover Balzac, Dickens, Dostoevsky...and love.
(bwl 18 April 2003) |
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Bel Canto by Ann Patchett |
In a small Latin American country, a beautiful opera diva is entertaining political leaders and prominent businessmen at a lavish party reluctantly hosted by the Vice-President. Suddenly, they are plunged into darkness and taken prisoner by terrorists. There follows an absorbing story of a disparate group of captors and hostages, whose only common language is music. How they relate to each other and adapt to the deprivations of confinement is described with sensitivity and humour.
(bwl 43 December 2007) |
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Business English (Chambers Desktop Guides) by Annie Noble |
This dry title belies its contents. I bought it because the author is a friend, and fellow bookswelike contributor, but I am delighted to find it hugely useful and even entertaining. It is a reassuring reference book and an invaluable help in phrasing letters where a non-business brain might stumble. As a guide to good writing, in any situation, it is an ideal companion.
(bwl 45 April 2008) |
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Disgrace by J M Coetzee |
Compellingly written, grisly and sometimes brutal, this story of a literary academic concerns human frailty and rejection as much as disgrace. Seeking refuge through bleak affairs, his relationship with his daughter and working with unwanted animals, some of the most lyrical writing describes his dreams to write an opera about Byron. Coetzee paints a terrifying picture of the shift of power in S. Africa. This book provoked more discussion at our book-club than any so far.
(bwl 4 July 2000) |
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Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros |
Tessa's colourful family includes a Russian great-grandmother, Finnish mother, Greek Cypriot father and an Italian husband, not to mention a Peruvian housekeeper, all of them passionate cooks. The result is this sumptuous recipe book, with tantalizing snippets of her childhood thrown in. Beautifully illustrated and nostalgically written this may, at £25*, not be something you would buy for yourself but if, like me, you are lucky enough to have a generous daughter-in-law, I strongly recommend it.
*Editor's Note: But Amazon has it for £17.50!
(bwl 29 April 2005) |
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Headlong by Michael Frayn |
Martin, art-historian - good at iconology, less good at life - bungles his way through this funny, satirical novel. Tony, the muddy local landowner; Laura, his luscious wife and a pack of slobbering dogs, whose smell lifts off the pages, hinder hilariously. Has Martin discovered an unknown Bruegel? Can he get hold of it? The romp alternates with well researched history of Bruegel and C European art. Farce with a serious centre and immensely readable.
(bwl 9 June 2001) |
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Kafka's Soup - A Complete History of World Literature in 17 Recipes by Mark Crick |
A Complete History of World Literature in 17 Recipes
Mark Crick's passion for literature, cooking and parody results in seventeen writers cooking their favourite meals - from Jane Austin's 'uniformly agreeable' Tarragon Eggs, to Chaucer's Onion Tart 'thinne pastry in a deep tinne' and de Sade's sinister Boned Stuffed Poussins. My favourite is Raymond Chandler's viciously prepared Leg of Lamb. Crick's illustrations, in the styles of Hogarth, Hockney, Picasso and others add extra flavour to each tale. A delightful book, and the recipes actually work.
(bwl 45 April 2008) |
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The Anatomy Lesson by Nina Siegal |
1632, a freezing day in Amsterdam and the occasion of the annual Surgeons' Guild lecture. The subject is the medical dissection of a body fresh from the gallows - that of Aris the Thief, whose story is also movingly told. The lecture will be attended by the Burgomeisters and Grandees of Amsterdam, and young Rembrandt van Reen has been invited to paint the occasion. We see him in his studio making sketches and planning his painting. A grim, but fascinating story, beautifully written.
(bwl 100 Spring 2021) |
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The Conjuror's Bird by Martin Davies |
In 1768 Joseph Banks and Captain Cook sailed away on the Endeavour to collect botanical specimens. That much is true, but Martin Davies has woven a magical and romantic tale around historical facts which takes us seamlessly between past and present. The identity of the beautiful girl with green eyes, and the search for the exotic Ulieta bird provide a mystery more intriguing than Dan Brown. A lovely read.
(bwl 36 September 2006) |
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The Good Web Guide for Book Lovers by Susanne Osborne |
I have just bought myself this brilliant little book. It seems to cover so much, and I highly recommend it.
(bwl 22 February 2004) |
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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini |
A deep childhood friendship between Amir, son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, and Hassan, son of their household servant, is torn apart by jealousy and suspicion, and finally destroyed as the boys go their separate ways. Years later, in America, Amir determines to return to Kabul to make amends for a decision that has haunted his life. Husseini is a compelling storyteller and paints a vivid picture of Afghanistan before and during the Taliban rule.
(bwl 29 April 2005) |
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The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith |
The adventures of a painting, its artist and its owners. In 1630's Amsterdam, when Sara de Vos painted At the Edge of the Wood, female artists were only considered suited to painting tulips - or still-lifes. In 1957 it hangs over the bed of a rich lawyer, Marty de Groot, and its adventure starts during a bizarre dinner given by his wife. This fascinating book moves between Golden Age Holland, 1950's Brooklyn and London 2000. Beautifully written, well researched and a pacey storyline make it a joy to read.
(bwl 98 Autumn 2020) |
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The Mulberry Empire by Philip Hensher |
A jewel of a book, as rich and splendid as the story it tells. Set in 1839 it tells of Alexander Burnes, an English adventurer who visits Kabul and the sumptuous palace of Amir Dost Mohammed, and in taking his story back to London, unwittingly prompts the ensuing war, as the arrogant and vainglorious British army suffer defeat at the hands of the bloodthirsty Afghans. A delicious, well researched and at times tenderly romantic read.
(bwl 17 February 2003) |
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The Prince of West End Avenue by Alan Isler |
Otto Korner, a Jewish refugee, ends up in the Emma Lazarus retirement home in Manhattan where the residents embark on a chaotic and jealousy-ridden production of Hamlet. Cast as the Ghost, he feels that at 83 he is ready to play the Prince......read on! Lovely, funny and touching, tragic as well. Alan Isler writes about his characters with great affection and by the end you feel you know and care for them all.
(bwl 4 July 2004) |
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The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain |
On the way home from his shop Laurent Letellier, a young Parisien bookseller, finds a beautiful handbag lying on the top of a rubbish bin. In order to return it to its owner, he must search inside . . . A charming and romantic French story. Very short, 170 pages, but you may want to read it more than once!
(bwl 99 Winter 2021) |
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