What a fascinating book! Who knew that Nostalgia - that bittersweet feeling, that pleasureable sense of loss and longing - began its life, way back whWhat a fascinating book! Who knew that Nostalgia - that bittersweet feeling, that pleasureable sense of loss and longing - began its life, way back when, in the 17th century, as a description of pathology, a deep homesickness that affected persons displaced by war and which could alter the brain and even prove fatal! Historically, in the West at least, the concept’s gone through various manifestations to its present one - a sense of bittersweet recall, a longing for a past lost and gone forever at the heart of it. It’s interesting to see how ideas morph in different times and places. And to see how the tangle of pleasure and pain which is Nostalgia plays out personally and socially. Some might even say it has a political dimension, and it certainly has a psychological one, describing as it does an interior subjective state that draws on the energy of the deep divisions we all carry in the dark depths of us. A study of Nostalgia at once pulls us into considerations of of Narrative, Memory, time and place, and sense of self ... it refers to our multiple selves left behind in other times, other places, all aspects of which leave Traces, experiences that pass but nevertheless remain, in a psychoanalytic sense, ready to resurface at the merest hint of a trigger ... The past, effective in the present; repetition compulsions; the immanent tensions between current regret and remembered (in the loosest sense) pleasure; the links between nostalgia and desire - these are all the exciting roads this study takes us down. There’s a discussion too of how nostalgia works in children’s literature, and a report of a small qualitative study on what our experience of nostalgia means to us, and the writers conclude it’s a central aspect of the autobiographical self. And this book is timely, of potential great relevance to our understanding of the experiences of people displaced the world over, a tragic and disturbing feature of our times. A wonderful book, well worth a read for anyone interested in this elusive emotion....more
This is an extraordinary book, a collection of short stories but one that holds its own as a single account of the strained and tangled lives of the tThis is an extraordinary book, a collection of short stories but one that holds its own as a single account of the strained and tangled lives of the two sisters, Grace and Tamar. The stories are striking, real, shocking, painful. They reveal the strange underbelly of sibling relationships that many people will recognise. The first half of the book was so well written, it had me completely gripped and blew me away. But for me the book lost momentum about half way through and, disappointingly, didn't really pick up again. I really loved the title too, so it was disappointing to find that the eponymous Lazlo only has a bit walk-on part. Deborah Kay Davies is undoubtedly a hugely talented writer and I'd definitely want to read her next work. ...more
Great plot! Great characters! And paints a very fine picture of the criminal underbelly of the Granite City at the same time as you understand exactlyGreat plot! Great characters! And paints a very fine picture of the criminal underbelly of the Granite City at the same time as you understand exactly where those characters are coming from. And it makes you feel huge sympathy for the struggles of Maggie and Wilma. You want to dive right in there and help them! It's full of dark humour too. I loved it and I seriously hope there'll be a sequel to this one. A great read! ...more
A remarkable debut from a fine new fictional voice. Written as a series of six podcasts which attempt to uncover the truth about the death of young ToA remarkable debut from a fine new fictional voice. Written as a series of six podcasts which attempt to uncover the truth about the death of young Tom Jeffries, this compelling narrative pulls you in from the start and keeps you in its grip to the bitter twisted end. A great book! ...more
Exquisite, beautiful, honest, poignant little book, about how we're all of us driven by longing. I read it in one, and now I want to go straight back Exquisite, beautiful, honest, poignant little book, about how we're all of us driven by longing. I read it in one, and now I want to go straight back to the beginning and read it again. Nothing much happens, or not much action rather, but there's plenty to ponder over; family relationships, blood ties, mothers and daughters ... the ordinary undercurrents of life look so extraordinary when their guts are exposed. A brilliant book. One to return to again and again. ...more
Stefan Zweig was a friend of Freud’s and a great admirer of his work. ‘Freud by Zweig’ is a short account by one great artist of another great artist,Stefan Zweig was a friend of Freud’s and a great admirer of his work. ‘Freud by Zweig’ is a short account by one great artist of another great artist, an account of a friend by a friend, a warm and accessible introduction and appraisal of - and thanksgiving for - Freud’s monumental contribution to our understanding of people, our civilisation, and our discontents. The kindle edition I read included Zweig’s touching eulogy for Freud, read at his funeral in Golders Green in1939. The book, a very useful summary of the main tenets – and the thinking behind - of Freud’s work, gives us more than a glimpse into what it all must have meant for Zweig, himself a great novelist whose work, in its turn, made such an impact on Wes Anderson and the world of film … ...more
Veronika Decides to Die is an extraordinary book – at once fiction and yet so true and accurate an account of ‘mental illness,’ and the experience of Veronika Decides to Die is an extraordinary book – at once fiction and yet so true and accurate an account of ‘mental illness,’ and the experience of a prolonged stay in a psychiatric hospital, as can be found. The story’s mainly told from Veronika’s viewpoint. She takes an overdose intending to kill herself, but is found in the nick of time and hospitalised. Unbeknown to Veronika, she becomes involved in the chief psychiatrist’s research project … Some of the story is told by the psychiatrist, and we also see life in the hospital through the eyes of some other patients. It’s a compelling and disturbing book but for me it was, ultimately, a little disappointing … Explorations into what ‘madness’ is, and how ‘it’ might be managed, or cured, or lived-with or along-side-of, are always interesting. But psychological suffering – especially when it leads to suicide – is such a complex and multi-layered phenomenon, and the experience of it so unique to each individual, it’s probably not possible to do justice to all that in a single novel. Paulo Coelho does however make a valiant attempt at what is probably an impossible task! (Costa's translation is excellent, by the way!)...more
I liked this book, but for me it wasn't her best. The characters are expertly drawn and, individually, very convincing. Their relationships, less so. I liked this book, but for me it wasn't her best. The characters are expertly drawn and, individually, very convincing. Their relationships, less so. The setting - London in the 20s - was spot on. The plot's a good one, with plenty intrigue and some twists, but it takes a long time to get going ... Then the crunch comes and there's much drama and angst, all very fast paced and keeps you turning the pages. But after that, the last third of the book dragged. I found myself skim reading in places, and wishing the book were not so long winded. The description of the drawn-out legal process was unconvincing and at times was tedious. Much of what happens in the novel happens in dialogue which therefore carries a heavy burden ...at times too heavy for my taste. Sarah Waters is obviously a consummate professional but even so I felt this book could have done with some radical cutting! I loved The Little Stranger and, after that, The Paying Guests was a bit of a disappointment. ...more
Profound, haunting and strangely beautiful, this is the story of some prisoners on Death Row, and a lady who investigates the possibilities for last mProfound, haunting and strangely beautiful, this is the story of some prisoners on Death Row, and a lady who investigates the possibilities for last minute reprieves. It's harrowing, moving, shocking, uplifting, and totally unputdownable. A stunning novel of rare quality that leaves you reeling. A truly remarkable achievement. ...more
Absorbing and compelling, a real page turner. I found it difficult to put down, but when I did I worried about the characters, wondered what the hell Absorbing and compelling, a real page turner. I found it difficult to put down, but when I did I worried about the characters, wondered what the hell would happen next, then compulsively picked it up again and read a bit more. This is an interesting and timely book. Malone is brave to tackle such a difficult and multi-edged topic. Highly recommended! ...more
This is a marvellously engrossing little book, you can sink right into it, like you can with Proust. It's a story about the relationship between a stuThis is a marvellously engrossing little book, you can sink right into it, like you can with Proust. It's a story about the relationship between a student and his teacher, but it's more than that, much more. It's about all the layers of human relationships, and what it means to know another person, and what it means to know yourself. Great book by a genius writer. And excellent translation by Anthea Bell. ...more
An amazing easy read of a lovely little book. Comyns writes with a unique voice, at once tragic, at once comic, but always authentic, always inimitablAn amazing easy read of a lovely little book. Comyns writes with a unique voice, at once tragic, at once comic, but always authentic, always inimitably her own. This is the story of a marriage that goes awry, it's a chunk of someone's life in late 1940s London, it's a young woman trying to survive all the crap that life throws at her. It's an interesting take on marriage from the supposed golden age of the nuclear family, and an interesting take on gender roles and relations. Comyns' characters are always so real, you care about them, you enjoy hearing about even the most mundane details of their lives, you want to know more, you want to know everything. This is a wonderful little book, highly recommended. ...more
A lovely story with a pronounced message of hope. It's about the world of difference one small gesture can make ... Toni Jenkins is a new writer and aA lovely story with a pronounced message of hope. It's about the world of difference one small gesture can make ... Toni Jenkins is a new writer and a great storyteller and I'm really looking forward to see what she does next. Highly recommended. ...more
This is a remarkable debut - sly, wry, clever, tantalising, compelling ... real, irreal, surreal ... On the face of it, it's a story of an Inspector tThis is a remarkable debut - sly, wry, clever, tantalising, compelling ... real, irreal, surreal ... On the face of it, it's a story of an Inspector trying to find a man who's gone missing. Underneath, it's something other; familiar things gone strange, the ordinary morphed and twisted, it's a deeply psychological book, it's political, it's social commentary, biology, philosophy, life, the universe, hope. Read it. ...more
This is a remarkable little book - not much of a storyline, but you get to spend some crackpot times with five (the 6th never gets a mention) off-the-This is a remarkable little book - not much of a storyline, but you get to spend some crackpot times with five (the 6th never gets a mention) off-the-wall sisters, their strange detached mother who feels to the reader like she's floating away all the time, their melancholy violent whisky-drinking father, and their belligerent terminally disappointed grandmother. Oh, and there's various maids and governesses that come and go in less than cordial circumstances. The family is barely functional and is continually on its beam end financially. What a queer cast of characters they are, in their disintegrating eccentric household, and the tale is told in a matchingly eccentric prose style that has a naive charm about it that irritates only sometimes. It sort of reminded me of Cold Comfort Farm but it's not a spoof, rather you get the feeling Comyns is trying to be completely truthful - a bit alarming, because there are some shocking dark bits. I picked this book up because I'd loved The Vet's Daughter, and I am going to read many more of Barbara Comyn's books. She's a writer with a very unique voice. Definitely recommended. ...more
What a very very extraordinary and magnificent little book! Right up my street! Highly original, and a brilliantly compulsive read. The voice of the mWhat a very very extraordinary and magnificent little book! Right up my street! Highly original, and a brilliantly compulsive read. The voice of the main character, Alice, 17, is completely compelling. I suspect she will stay with me for a very long time. And the storyline is shrewd and wonderful. I absolutely loved it. Excuse me if I go now and just see what else I can find by Barbara Comyns ... Perfect!...more
This is a novel of intrigue, set in the 60s in a boys' public school in England. The boys are holding a mock-election in parallel with an actual by-elThis is a novel of intrigue, set in the 60s in a boys' public school in England. The boys are holding a mock-election in parallel with an actual by-election. The novel's written in memoir format, the protagonist-writer, Maxwell, is a former pupil and now a teacher who's resumed his position at the school after some absence and, we understand, a major fall from grace. Maxwell is a liminal character, always a bit of an outsider, doesn't quite fit in at the school or anywhere else, he's the kind of guy who hovers on the periphery, never quite grabbing anything by the throat - at the start of the book he's more interested in his own literary ramblings than anything else - but then he's pulled headlong into the intrigue, which turns out to be political intrigue, and then turns into political fisticuffs. At the heart of the book is a kind of 'confession' which Maxwell has inherited from a former colleague whose death is yet to be explained ... More than one person wants that document ... On the face of it, this is a novel about an unfortunate episode in the history of the life of a school when fascism reared its ugly face and some nasty things happened as a result. But it's much more than that. It's also a very interesting commentary on how institutions work, how when they're under threat - real or imagined, from inside or outside - how they can close in on themselves, how they close the world out, become self-defining and self-perpetuating systems that are increasingly impenetrable ... dangerous in itself, but much more so when the institution in question becomes a breeding ground for fascism. Lest we forget. This book takes a wee while to gather pace, but once it does, it's a great read. Highly recommended. ...more
I loved this book! The central character is young Honey Deschamps who's at Bletchley Park during WW2 transcribing decrypted messages when she receivesI loved this book! The central character is young Honey Deschamps who's at Bletchley Park during WW2 transcribing decrypted messages when she receives a strange package containing a piece of amber, postmarked from Russia, and seeming to bear a coded message. We are pulled straight into the intrigue in a fast-moving complex plot that keeps you reading. Gradually we discover some of Honey's own back-story as it interweaves with her attempts in the present to make sense of the amber shadows, and to fathom her attraction to a certain man ... The book is fraught with tension. No-one is as they seem and it's impossible to know who to trust ... A great read! I really liked Lucy Ribchester's first Book 'The Hourglass Factory', but I liked this one even better!...more
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