Difficult to read at first, but provides insight into our multicultural city. Definitely worth reading. The characters all have theiFascinating vision
Difficult to read at first, but provides insight into our multicultural city. Definitely worth reading. The characters all have their individual stories of violence and grief. Most survive by rejecting the cruelty of the society they found themselves inhabiting....more
I didn't get this book at all. How can it be a mystery when the story is told backwards, so you know what happened at the beginning. I found the mystiI didn't get this book at all. How can it be a mystery when the story is told backwards, so you know what happened at the beginning. I found the mysticism grating, but that may be my own antipathy to religion. What I did enjoy was the descriptive passages of the countryside....more
I have given this four stars because I didn't really love it, but I was gripped by it. The characterisation of Eleanor with her strange use of languagI have given this four stars because I didn't really love it, but I was gripped by it. The characterisation of Eleanor with her strange use of language was brilliant. It is moving and at times funny. I did guess the ending sometime before the reveal but I would not have been surprised if I had been wrong. Definitely one to put on your TBR list...more
I loved this book. The interweaving of village life immediately after a young girl goes missing and then for the next thirteen years. No overarching pI loved this book. The interweaving of village life immediately after a young girl goes missing and then for the next thirteen years. No overarching plot but the seasons and the years turn, the individuals begin to lose interest in the missing child and they become preoccupied with their own lives. Mixed with acute observation of the natural world this was a book I didn't want to end....more
I was intrigued by this book, but I began to get bored by the repetition in the plot. The mixing of 'detective' fiction and fantasy didnStrange Puzzle
I was intrigued by this book, but I began to get bored by the repetition in the plot. The mixing of 'detective' fiction and fantasy didn't work for me. Most of the characters were not fully developed because of the plot so it was difficult to have any empathy for them...more
Phillipe Sands is not just an academic lawyer, he is also a practicing Barrister, working in the international criminal courts. The book is part familPhillipe Sands is not just an academic lawyer, he is also a practicing Barrister, working in the international criminal courts. The book is part family history and part an analysis of the development of international law and in particular the difference between crimes against humanity and genocide. The connections he has traced is that that the two lawyers who developed these offences and Sand's grandfather came from the same city of Lemburg, now the city of Lviv in Ukraine. As he writes of the horrors of WW2 and the effect on his own family, he traces the conflict between the two lawyers Lauterpacht and Lemkin on what charges should be tried at Nuremberg. A fascinating book and not just for lawyers. ...more
I am an admirer of Joseph Conrad and was intrigued by reviews of this book. As a writer, I found Maya Jasanoff demonstrated how Conrad's own experiencI am an admirer of Joseph Conrad and was intrigued by reviews of this book. As a writer, I found Maya Jasanoff demonstrated how Conrad's own experiences are woven into the fabric of his novel. A lesson on how biography becomes fiction. I thought the writing was excellent and the way she integrated her travels around the globe as she followed in Conrad's 'sails' integrated a travel log into the book....more
I hesitate to review a book on which I worked with the writer in the initial stages but it has been rewritten since so that I can make an objective asI hesitate to review a book on which I worked with the writer in the initial stages but it has been rewritten since so that I can make an objective assessment. The author has extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and uses that to great effect as Suzanne Jones investigates a supplement used by world class athletes. In the meanwhile, her elder sister Charlie, an enigmatic character, is ferocious in her search for the counterfeiter Michael Hawkins. The description of exotic locations, in this case, in Brazil, are compelling; Iguacu Falls particularly evocative of those magnificent cascades. The interleaving of the story of Hawkins is well done - I wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for him or not. The plot turns and twists and the ending is unexpected leaving you wanting more. A good read....more
Like a number of other reviewers, I have been a fan of Helen Dunmore since I first read 'The Seige', but this novel left me disappointed. Maybe it wasLike a number of other reviewers, I have been a fan of Helen Dunmore since I first read 'The Seige', but this novel left me disappointed. Maybe it was hyped too much by the publicity particularly around her premature death, but I found it lacked suspense. As I would expect the research into the radical movement in Bristol in the 1790's and we learn a great deal about how those involved in the UK viewed events in France. The other great strength of the book is the descriptive passages. Dunmore is one of those writers whose descriptions stay with you, but who manages the balance between her very poetic writing and plot so well. In Birdcage Walk, I think she fails by giving away too much in a note at the beginning explaining about the collapse of the housing boom in Bristol, the preface that makes clear that one of the main characters is already dead and more importantly that none of her life's works writing pamphlets has survived and finally in chapter 1 by describing a man burying a dead woman at dead of night. The story is narrated by one of the main characters a young woman called Lizzie Fawkes who has married the property speculator John Diner Trevant whose first wife has died. The reader inevitably jumps to the conclusion that he is a murderer as well as a control freak. I did enjoy the relationships between the three women protagonists, Lizzie, her mother Julia Fawkes who dies in childbirth and Hannah the servant who is also a keen supporter of the radical movement. Some of the minor characters are well drawn Augustus Gleeson, Julia's husband, champagne socialist Caroline Farquhar, and Lizzie's servant Philo. I would recommend ignoring all the hype and then reading it....more
I read the story of the Selkies when I was a child and always thought of it as a fairy story, but this reworking looks at relationships in a small higI read the story of the Selkies when I was a child and always thought of it as a fairy story, but this reworking looks at relationships in a small highland village. The weaving of the magical and the real is such that I came to believe the seal/woman could be real. Beautiful writing that evokes the thrilling landscapes....more
One of the hardest things is to write a biography, particularly when memories of early childhood are a feature. The conflict between wanting to descriOne of the hardest things is to write a biography, particularly when memories of early childhood are a feature. The conflict between wanting to describe every detail and giving the reader an overview of what that childhood was like from the perspective of an adult is difficult to resolve. Jessica Bell uses the device of talking to her reflection. Jessica Bell tells the story of her life from the age of six/seven years of age. Her parents are separated and her mother, Erika, is a musician and lives with Dimitri, who plays in the same group. They are an unconventional couple in contrast to her father, Tony, his wife and a step sister. Erika has a long standing back problem and becomes addicted to the drugs prescribed to treat it, making her seem, to Jessica, uncaring. The memories are at this point jumbled reflecting her age. But some wonderful description ‘thin plastic raincoats that look like multi-coloured sandwich bags.’ The family go to Ithaca where Demetri’s family live, for a holiday. Bell describes her experiences visiting the Greek Island in contrast to her life in Melbourne. Greece becomes her second home. As she becomes a teenager she finds music and creativity the escape from her rebellious but unhappy self. She indulges in sex and drugs but keeps on writing and composing. There are passages where the reader can identify the emotions of their own teenage years, like being late for choir practice, running away from home when there is nowhere to run too. It is a harrowing account of a teenager trying to establish her own identity while coping with a dysfunctional home life. Ultimately through her music and her writing Bell comes of age and learns her mother does love her. I cannot say I enjoyed this memoir, it is too raw and disturbing but it is well worth reading.
The book opens with a body being burnt on a remote Highland mountain so that all that remains are the victim’s teeth and a fragment of silk. The body The book opens with a body being burnt on a remote Highland mountain so that all that remains are the victim’s teeth and a fragment of silk. The body is believed to be that of a successful Edinburgh female lawyer. The murder is the first investigation lead by DI Luc Callanach who has just joined Police Scotland from Interpol. When a second woman is abducted, this time a cleric in the Church of Scotland, the investigation is hampered by a criminal profiler who insists they are searching for a sex offender. The identity of the killer and his motives are known throughout the book. It is the question of whether he can be identified and caught before he kills anyone else that creates the suspense. The character of Callanach is well developed as we learn about his background, half Scottish, half French and the reason for his leaving France and Interpol. His relationship with his fellow officers is explored with real insight, particularly that with his fellow DI Ava Turner. It is difficult to say more about the book without giving away the turning points in the storyline. I certainly enjoyed reading it. ...more
I suggested this novel for the next meeting of my reading group and when I started to read it I thought I had made a mistake because of the archaic wrI suggested this novel for the next meeting of my reading group and when I started to read it I thought I had made a mistake because of the archaic writing style, but I loved it. The story is a roller coaster of the adventures of Jim Smith. Rather like Tom Jones he gets himself into all sorts of scrapes but eventually triumphs as he succeeds in the objective of his voyage to New York. I loved the descriptive passages of New York in winter, the Popes Day parade and the theatre. A really enjoyable novel....more
I didn't want to leave Pepys Road. I wanted to learn more about the residents of this south London street. What happened to them after they left. The I didn't want to leave Pepys Road. I wanted to learn more about the residents of this south London street. What happened to them after they left. The stories reflect life in London so well and predict the financial crash that was about to happen. The writing is elegant and the voices disparate from the elderly woman who has lived there all her life to the shopaholic wife of the banker. There is sadness and joy, humour and pathos. A very enjoyable read. ...more
There is real suspense in this second novel as there was in her first 'I Let You Go.' She has a real talent for creating plots. Her writing style is tThere is real suspense in this second novel as there was in her first 'I Let You Go.' She has a real talent for creating plots. Her writing style is tense and complements the narrative. So why only three stars. The story is based on the premise that adverts for an unusual dating agency are placed in newspaper called the London Gazette. There is in fact a London Gazette but it is not a traditional newspaper but the government journal where notices are placed by the government and it's agencies eg Companies House and where legal notices are published as well. So definitely no adverts for dating agencies. I know it's a novel and one can say this is a fictional newspaper but it rather looks as if the author and the editor didn't do their research. It just spoilt the book for me as I imagined the front page of the real London Gazette. Otherwise it's a cracking novel. ...more
I can't remember where I heard about this novel, but the review of it was sufficiently enthusiastic for me to read it. It was originally published in I can't remember where I heard about this novel, but the review of it was sufficiently enthusiastic for me to read it. It was originally published in 1947 but it hasn't dated at all. It's a master class in creating tension in an other wise simple story. I won't say more as it will give the game away. If you like a good thriller read it....more
Physics is such a difficult subject for the non-scientist, but this book does a good job of making some of the latest thinking in the subject accessibPhysics is such a difficult subject for the non-scientist, but this book does a good job of making some of the latest thinking in the subject accessible. It's very short so one is encouraged to keep reading even when the topics are difficult and test one's abilities....more
This is a story that deserved its place in the Booker Shortlist. I found it quite hard to read because so much was packed into every sentence. The booThis is a story that deserved its place in the Booker Shortlist. I found it quite hard to read because so much was packed into every sentence. The book although on the surface is set in Canada is really the story of Ai-Ming, a young woman who has escaped China after the Tiananmen Square. Her family are all musicians and she recounts their lives in revolutionary China, from the early days to the events that led up to the Beijing demonstrations. Music plays an important part in the book as the main characters have devoted their lives to it. They struggle with their love of music and their desire to play and the demands of the revolutions. Staying true to themselves and their intimates reveals the depth of the characters in the author's capable hands....more
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