by Fred Vargas
Back with the three evangelists as ex special investigator, Louis Kehlweiler, is asked by an old friend to prove that a young accordionist is not guilty of a string of murders.
Quirky as ever this was a good fun, fast paced crime thriller and very enjoyable. 7/10
Sunday, March 24, 2019
The Tin Drum
by Gunter Grass
This is a lodge in your brain type book.
I started reading it because of it's reputation and the fact that it was published in the year I was born. Despite this it is an amazingly fresh and modern book.
It follows the life of Oscar, who narrates the book swapping between the 1st and 3rd person.
He is a surreal character who was born fully developed mentally but stopped growing at the age of three-by his own choice he would have us believe.
It is set largely in Danzig (modern day Gdansk) in the period just before the second world war and takes us through Oscar's experiences and introduces us to a panoply of amazing characters.
Apart from his physical attributes, Oscar is unusual in that he can shatter glass at will with his voice and always has with him his tin drum. His drumming eventually makes him very wealthy but it gets him into and out of a lot of scrapes along the way.
This is one of those books that makes you wonder at the imagination of the author. Although I found it totally bizarre in places and frustrating in others I will relish and as one of those book reading experiences that stays with you long after the last page 9/10
This is a lodge in your brain type book.
I started reading it because of it's reputation and the fact that it was published in the year I was born. Despite this it is an amazingly fresh and modern book.
It follows the life of Oscar, who narrates the book swapping between the 1st and 3rd person.
He is a surreal character who was born fully developed mentally but stopped growing at the age of three-by his own choice he would have us believe.
It is set largely in Danzig (modern day Gdansk) in the period just before the second world war and takes us through Oscar's experiences and introduces us to a panoply of amazing characters.
Apart from his physical attributes, Oscar is unusual in that he can shatter glass at will with his voice and always has with him his tin drum. His drumming eventually makes him very wealthy but it gets him into and out of a lot of scrapes along the way.
This is one of those books that makes you wonder at the imagination of the author. Although I found it totally bizarre in places and frustrating in others I will relish and as one of those book reading experiences that stays with you long after the last page 9/10
Wednesday, March 06, 2019
Lullaby
by Leila Slimani
A psychological thriller where we learn from the first page that two children have been killed by their nanny. We spend the rest of the book examining how she got there and the effect she had on the family she worked for. It is well written and keeps a tension throughout but, and for me it was a big but, I don't think we will ever know. Maybe this was the point, as it is echoed by the detective on the case. The frustration of modern fiction. No escape from the real world! 7/10
A psychological thriller where we learn from the first page that two children have been killed by their nanny. We spend the rest of the book examining how she got there and the effect she had on the family she worked for. It is well written and keeps a tension throughout but, and for me it was a big but, I don't think we will ever know. Maybe this was the point, as it is echoed by the detective on the case. The frustration of modern fiction. No escape from the real world! 7/10
Monday, March 04, 2019
The Misty Harbour
by George Simenon
Excellent Maigret, set on the Normandy coast it is the tale of a mystery man who turns up in Paris not knowing who he is. The trail leads to the coast and an old love problem. 8/10
Excellent Maigret, set on the Normandy coast it is the tale of a mystery man who turns up in Paris not knowing who he is. The trail leads to the coast and an old love problem. 8/10
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
It is probably 30 years since I last read this book but I still really enjoyed it.
My love for Levin was tempered on this reread as I found him bloody annoying at times.
As for Anna-I am still not sure. In many ways this is the beauty of the book, its refusal to endorse or condemn the characters. Tolstoy lays them out in full and almost challenges the reader to decide. 9/10
It is probably 30 years since I last read this book but I still really enjoyed it.
My love for Levin was tempered on this reread as I found him bloody annoying at times.
As for Anna-I am still not sure. In many ways this is the beauty of the book, its refusal to endorse or condemn the characters. Tolstoy lays them out in full and almost challenges the reader to decide. 9/10
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