Monday, March 29, 2010

Parrot and Olivier

by Peter Carey
Carey is a fantastic storyteller and this is no exception. This is a crazy tale inspired by Tocqueville but covers Paris and Dartmoor as well as America itself. It is littered with amusing characters and tall story scenes. Good fun 8/10

Alone in Berlin

by Hans Fallada
This book took me by surprise. The story is in many ways a simple one of a couple whose son is killed at the front during the second world war. They start a campaign of dropping postcards denouncing Hitler. Somehow the inevitable ending is moved towards with tremendous suspense and an engagement with the characters. The best book I have read so far in 2010 9/10