Thursday, January 23, 2014

An Officer and a Spy

by Robert Harris
A fictionalised account of the Dreyfus affair told from the standpoint of George Picquart, an officer in the French army who, having witnessed Dreyfus's degredation discovered the truth that he had been wrongly committed. The book traces the history of the case in a very engaging way, and is a warning as to what can be buried if the authorities choose to make it so. Question everything! 9/10

Under Fire

by Henri Barbusse
This is a book by a Frenchman which won the prix Goncourt in 1916.
It is a fictionalised account of life in the trenches. Some of the descriptions are breathtaking, others are heartbreaking while others are just horrific. Written by somebody who served in the trenches and written before the war had ended it is a book that still holds lessons for today and asks the question, Why? 8/10

Sunday, January 05, 2014

Old Goriot

by Honoré de Balzac
This is the second time I have read this book but I enjoyed it as much this time around as before. It is his attention to detail and the expansion of a character that draws you in to the story. Great book 8/10