I wanted to love The Thursday Murder Club. I really did.
Like most people, I was drawn to it because of the author. I love Richard Osman; he’s smart, witty, and possibly one of the most pleasant people on television.
So I’m sorry to say that I found The Thursday Murder Club to be a very poor novel.
The idea of a group of elderly people coming together to get to the bottom of unsolved crimes is a brilliant idea. It should be funny and perhaps even a little moving. And very occasionally, it is.
However, the plot is plodding and disinteresting and the characters are, on the whole, thinly-veiled stereotypes. We have the fraudulent priest; the supercapitalist property mogul; the socialist rabble-rouser; the hardworking Polish builder; the mid-life crisis policeman… I could go on.
If The Thursday Murder Club was a pastiche of sorts, you could maybe forgive the characterisation as a nod to the genre. But it isn’t, and whilst it’s probably unfair to say that it’s lazy, I think the characters needed to have something more original about them....more
The Sound Mirror is a first-rate piece of fiction.
If you haven't yet read it, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy.
The novel is about three centralThe Sound Mirror is a first-rate piece of fiction.
If you haven't yet read it, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy.
The novel is about three central characters – all women – with distinct histories and voices. Spanning 20th and 21st century Britain, The Sound Mirror is a multi-generational examination of the female experience.
This might sound like a bit of a heavy read, but James is a very talented writer. It's not at all complicated, just thought-provoking.
These three female perspectives are interwoven with stunning prose. It’s a tessellation of the fall of the Indian Raj, gender politics of post-WW2 Britain, and, lastly, a glimpse into the contemporary female experience.
If you would like to find out more detail, please read the full review on Tales from Absurdia.
*Disclaimer: I received a free advance reading copy from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review....more
It's a dizzying, disorientating piece of absurdist fiction that’s harder to REVIEW (read the full review on Tales from Absurdia)
In Absurdia is a trip.
It's a dizzying, disorientating piece of absurdist fiction that’s harder to pin down than an otter coated in vaseline. After finishing it, I needed a lie down.
Conveniently, it was bed time.
At times it’s touching, sometimes hilarious, and other times, it’s really quite bizarre. I’m not entirely sure what just happened.
And yet, I enjoyed the time I spent with Glenn Whalan’s debut novel. I'll definitely be checking out his work in the future.
*Copy was provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review*
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Finished reading In Absurdia a short while ago.
Interesting ideas & well written. It's very esoteric, so In Absurdia may have limited mainstream appeal, but I enjoyed it. I'll probably give it a second read at some point for a different perspective!
Full review & rating due shortly on TalesfromAbsurdia.com.
*Massive thanks to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review....more
Leave any assumptions about Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel firmly in the foyer.
No, really.
Bearded Badger Publishing's debut publication is hilarious, tragic, and downright bizarre - all at the same time.
And for the most part, it works. I can't remember the last time I laughed, cocked an eyebrow, and experienced such solemnity within a single page or two.
Author Drew Gummerson has created a truly unique piece of literature, though not without its issues.
Seven Nights at the Flamingo Hotel is written almost exclusively through a stream of consciousness, which makes for a manic and scatty narrative. This isn’t a bad thing - in fact, it’s what makes Seven Nights such an interesting piece of literature.
However, it's prone to repetition. Our main character (you) is placed in similar predicaments with similar outcomes. It can be a little 'one note', despite said anecdotal scenarios being (mostly) very funny. I've elaborated on this in my full review.
If you're looking for a unique piece of fiction, delightfully strange and quite amusing, but very crude, then Seven Nights is definitely for you.
However, the squeamish need not apply. It's pretty crude....more
Inside Story, Martin Amis’s latest autobiographical novel*, is brilliant at times.
It’s well written and a sombre ennui pervades his entries on late faInside Story, Martin Amis’s latest autobiographical novel*, is brilliant at times.
It’s well written and a sombre ennui pervades his entries on late father-figure Saul Bellow and now-departed best friend Christopher Hitchens. I particularly enjoyed the 'how to write' sections. They somewhat reminded me of George Orwell's Politics and the English Language (a massive plus in my view) in terms of the precision of the analysis of language.
Other times, the novel* falters with frustratingly smug and self-indulgent meanderings.
Such is the nature of autofiction, I suppose.
*It's not really a novel, despite Amis's insistence. It's a memoir with details filled in, and a few (very interesting!) meandering thoughts on certain topics.
I'm going to need a few days to process what I've just read.
We're often prone to looking upon North Korea through the lens of our perspective of Kim-JI'm going to need a few days to process what I've just read.
We're often prone to looking upon North Korea through the lens of our perspective of Kim-Jong Un (i.e. a brat - albeit a dangerous one - with small man syndrome).
Not after this.
I knew that North Korea's citizens lived in poverty, but not like this.
Masaji Ishikawa's recounting of his daily toil is mentally exhausting. His bleak non-existence genuinely hurts to read. Death, starvation, brainwashing - it's desperately oppressive.
I hope, sincerely, that since writing this, he has been able to find some sort of peace.
I haven't felt this unsettled reading a book since Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure.
Here's the thing though. This isn't fiction.
I'm not sure I'll be able to bring myself to pick this one up again for a long time, but I'm tremendously glad that I did read it.
I can't give this less than 5 stars. It's an eye-opening account I'll never forget. Not necessarily for the right reasons, but I don't think Ishikawa would have it any other way....more
The Girl in the Attic is a charming tale, but I think it probably should have been a short story.
There's a decent narrative here, and Octagon House isThe Girl in the Attic is a charming tale, but I think it probably should have been a short story.
There's a decent narrative here, and Octagon House is a wonderful setting. I have a clear image of the house in my mind.
The illustrations at the beginning of the book were very neat additions, and I spent some time poring over these. In fact, the illustrations throughout the text were lovely, and really added to the charm.
On the other hand, this story takes a while to get going and it feels like there's a bit too much padding throughout. I wasn't hugely invested until Maddy met Clare.
However, the ending was tied up nicely and left me feeling satisfied.
I liked The Girl in the Attic - it's definitely unique - but I cannot help thinking that it would have benefitted by being written a short story....more
Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of those timeless novels and a testament to the power of language.
Such is its influence, adaptations have spanned film, television, radio, the theatre, and even ballet! Not to mention the numerous pop culture nods to the novel.
Penguin’s latest edition is an audiobook, narrated by the incredibly charismatic Peter Capaldi – the second ‘doctor’ of Dr Who fame to be involved in a production, following Christopher Ecclestone’s 2013 dramatisation.
Capaldi’s a perfect fit for the role. His austere narration captures the solemnity of Orwell’s dystopian classic. It’s bleak, atmospheric, and terrifying – mirroring the novel itself.
The novel translates to audiobook almost flawlessly, thanks to the high quality audio you expect from Penguin Random House UK Audio, not to mention Peter Capaldi’s impeccable performance.
If you enjoy dystopian fiction, this is the novel for you.
And yet, this is to be somewhat reductive – Nineteen Eighty-Four audiobook (or paperback) is essential reading for anyone who values democracy and free expression....more
I was cautiously optimistic about ICO: Castle in the Mist, with a strong emphasis on 'cautiously'.
On the one hand, ICO is one of the more memorable viI was cautiously optimistic about ICO: Castle in the Mist, with a strong emphasis on 'cautiously'.
On the one hand, ICO is one of the more memorable videogames I've ever played. A haunting, ethereal experience, but one that could only really be expressed through its medium.
On the other hand, the relationship between the protagonists is (unusually) enhanced due to the language barrier between the two of them. Would adding dialogue ruin this?
Simply put, the book is not the videogame - a point that Miyabe labours in the foreword. And it's much stronger for it.
If the book had simply been a retread of the game, it would be, frankly, quite boring. ICO is an interactive experience based on climbing, problem solving, and the mystery of the interactive world.
At times, ICO: Castle in the Mist falls into the trap of describing platforming sections of the game, but I was pleasantly surprised by how infrequently this happened.
Instead, the Miyabe's adaptation of the game does a marvellous job of fleshing out historical context and characters' backgrounds, withing stealing the magic of the game's rather implied narrative.
ICO: Castle in the Mist is not perfect. It's very clearly a translation, and a little clumsy in parts as a result, but it's a charming fairytale that shows it can appeal to those unfamiliar with the videogame, whilst also offering additional lore for longtime fans. ...more
A Tale of Two Cities indeed! The first two parts of this three-part text, located in England for the most part are a slow read. The book has a very stA Tale of Two Cities indeed! The first two parts of this three-part text, located in England for the most part are a slow read. The book has a very strange pacing to it. It threatens to be interesting only to peter out, and its narrative simmers but never quite gets going until the final third, when the narrative focus switches primarily to Paris. And what a final third it is.
My early impressions of this book, which continued well into the second segment, were that although the characters were memorable, they appeared a little two-dimensional, although the plot was potentially very interesting, it wasn't quite going anywhere, and that the writing actually got in the way of these two strengths. The book simply felt overwritten; it was bloated with extraneous detail of menial events (The mail chiefly comes to mind, amongst other affairs), and my cynicism was drawn to the fact that Dickens was paid accordingly as each instalment was made available.
Having said that, these criticisms cannot be levelled at the final segment of the text, and the sparse flourishes of beautiful prose which just about kept me going through the middle of the text are much more regular; one suddenly understands why this is a 'classic'. Furthermore, the characters possess more clarity, more of an identity in fact, and the plot quickens to make up for the earlier slack. It reads like a much more refined book.
A Tale of Two Cities is an inconsistent novel capable of menial and delectable prose in equal excess, but persevere. It is more than worth your time. The closing pages are some of the best you will read. ...more
Hitchens is no doubt motivated by his antagonism towards organised religion, but the sources included in An excellent piece of investigate journalism.
Hitchens is no doubt motivated by his antagonism towards organised religion, but the sources included in this brief analysis of Mother Teresa support a view that - at the very least - we should all judge people on their actions and not their reputation.
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