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1923:The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession by Ned Boulting |
Boulting commentates on Grand Tours. During Covid he bought a damaged Pathé news reel and had it repaired, discovering it shows part of a stage of the 1923 Tour de France. He obsessively researches the leading rider and the stage. Despite 1934 being between the wars, Boulting describes on-going political unrest and acts of aggression, concluding that the stage marked the end of WW1 hostilities and started the build up to WWII. Interesting and well researched/written.
(bwl 116 Spring 2025) |
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Brotherless Night by V V Ganeshananthan |
A very well written book about siblings in the Sri Lankan Civil War. I knew little of this war despite being the same age as these siblings, studying for A and O levels, and learnt a lot. It gives historical and political perspective but also tells very human stories of how individuals cope when unimaginable horror visits their young lives. It attempts to explain, without condoning, why people sometimes turn to terrorism.
(bwl 116 Spring 2025) |
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Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon |
This book is set around a grizzly event in the Peloponnesian War (412 BC) when the Syracusians starved to death their Athenian prisoners of war, in disused quarries. Two out of work potters, who speak in Dublin vernacular, take to offering food to prisoners who can recite Euripides, eventually deciding to put on a play and hatch a daring plan to free the stars of the show. Quirky, uncomfortable in places but engrossing.
(bwl 116 Spring 2025) |
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My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor |
In occupied Rome an Irish Monsignor in the Vatican, which remained neutral, runs an escape line for allied soldiers, disguised as running a choir. It is based on a true story. During the relatively short Roman occupation (Sept ’43 to June ’44) the Gestapo’s actions were horrific. The risks taken by the ‘Choir’ are immense and the suspense is gripping, building to a climax at Christmas ’44. I couldn’t put it down
(bwl 116 Spring 2025) |
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Silk:A history in three metamorphoses by Arathi Prasad |
This fascinating and meticulously researched book describes the silk-making capabilities of the silk worms, molluscs and spiders of the world, thus the three metamorphoses of the title. It charts the cultural use of silk by civilisations ancient and modern and tells the stories of the attempts by pioneers to harness this natural process. It has elements of history, natural history, ethnobiology, medical and physical sciences and probably more.
(bwl 116 Spring 2025) |
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The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier |
A history of Venetian/Murano glassmaking from the 15th Century to the present is told through the experiences of a fictional family. It is impeccably researched and, unusually, follows one female who ages about 10 years for every century, justified on the basis of Venetian art being timeless. Odd but effective. Interesting for one person to experience the plague and Covid. I didn’t always have empathy with the characters but enjoyed the history and atmosphere.
(bwl 116 Spring 2025) |
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