by Georges Simenon
The first Maigret novel and great as a straightforward police novel. Maigret has the most accommodating wife in the world who is always there with a good hot meal when he comes home a week late from work. It is of a certain time but a good light read for a journey 8/10
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
The Dog
by Joseph o' Neill
Longlisted for the booker prize and by the author of Netherland which I really enjoyed.
This is the story of an American lawyer who for various reasons ends up in Dubai working for wealthy emiratis. It is very funny in places but the book never quite grabbed me. It may be more engaging if you had lived in the emirates 5/10
Longlisted for the booker prize and by the author of Netherland which I really enjoyed.
This is the story of an American lawyer who for various reasons ends up in Dubai working for wealthy emiratis. It is very funny in places but the book never quite grabbed me. It may be more engaging if you had lived in the emirates 5/10
The Exception
by Christian Jungersen
The story of office politics told against the backdrop of genocide. The story is told by 4 workers in a small office at the Danish Institute for Genocide Research. A death threat is received and as the story passes from narrator to narrator so our view of the truth changes and our certainty decreases the more we read. It is a great thriller 9/10
The story of office politics told against the backdrop of genocide. The story is told by 4 workers in a small office at the Danish Institute for Genocide Research. A death threat is received and as the story passes from narrator to narrator so our view of the truth changes and our certainty decreases the more we read. It is a great thriller 9/10
Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
I am not a science fiction fan but this is a remarkable book in many ways. It hints at a future containing many of the things we see today but is at other times rather quaint in assuming things that might still be with us that are not.
The plot, revolving around 2 characters from different castes in the brave new world is moving and funnt at times. Mr. Savage trying to apply Shakespeare to a technical age is fun.
I enjoyed it for being not what I expected 7/10
I am not a science fiction fan but this is a remarkable book in many ways. It hints at a future containing many of the things we see today but is at other times rather quaint in assuming things that might still be with us that are not.
The plot, revolving around 2 characters from different castes in the brave new world is moving and funnt at times. Mr. Savage trying to apply Shakespeare to a technical age is fun.
I enjoyed it for being not what I expected 7/10
Thursday, July 31, 2014
The French Intifada
by Andrew Hussey
This is a good overview of the problems France faces in living with the inhabitants, and descendants of inhabitants, from their ex colonies. It is very compelling reading and certainly set me off looking for further information. It is a shame that the text is littered with errors-words missing or in the wrong order etc. This made it very frustrating to read and so a low score 5/10
This is a good overview of the problems France faces in living with the inhabitants, and descendants of inhabitants, from their ex colonies. It is very compelling reading and certainly set me off looking for further information. It is a shame that the text is littered with errors-words missing or in the wrong order etc. This made it very frustrating to read and so a low score 5/10
Silas Marner
by George Eliot
This is the story of Silas Marner, the weaver and his life in rural England. Having been framed for a crime he did not commit he leaves a large town and comes to a small village where he makes his living as a weaver. He keeps himself to himself and is besotted with his money which he counts every evening. Two key events in succession change his life forever.
This is a great book told by a master storyteller. I loved it 9/10
This is the story of Silas Marner, the weaver and his life in rural England. Having been framed for a crime he did not commit he leaves a large town and comes to a small village where he makes his living as a weaver. He keeps himself to himself and is besotted with his money which he counts every evening. Two key events in succession change his life forever.
This is a great book told by a master storyteller. I loved it 9/10
The Red and the Black
by Stendhal
This was a fascinating book. The style of the author and his dry sense of humour was great, and the book was full of memorable one-liners, such as "The idea which tyrants find most useful is the idea of God" or "After moral poisoning, one requires physical remedies and a bottle of champagne".
My problem was that I hated Julien, the hero of the novel. Everything about him was selfish, including the fact he hogged most of the book! Still apart from that it was a good read 8/10
This was a fascinating book. The style of the author and his dry sense of humour was great, and the book was full of memorable one-liners, such as "The idea which tyrants find most useful is the idea of God" or "After moral poisoning, one requires physical remedies and a bottle of champagne".
My problem was that I hated Julien, the hero of the novel. Everything about him was selfish, including the fact he hogged most of the book! Still apart from that it was a good read 8/10
Monday, June 16, 2014
Mitterand: A study in ambiguity
by Philip Short
Very readable and as the title suggests highlight admirably the glaring ambiguities in Mitterands life from start to finish. Really enjoyable 9/10
Very readable and as the title suggests highlight admirably the glaring ambiguities in Mitterands life from start to finish. Really enjoyable 9/10
Stoner
by John Williams
This film came heavily recommended and although I enjoyed the writing style and the central character, William Stoner, I found the support characters-his wife, Lomax his enemy in the University, his daughter Grace and others a bit thinly drawn and in the case of his wife, Edith, a little hard to believe in.
Stoner was born on a farm, went to University, married badly, had an affair, taught at the University where he had some scrapes and died. Much more interesting than that summary would suggest but not great 7/10
This film came heavily recommended and although I enjoyed the writing style and the central character, William Stoner, I found the support characters-his wife, Lomax his enemy in the University, his daughter Grace and others a bit thinly drawn and in the case of his wife, Edith, a little hard to believe in.
Stoner was born on a farm, went to University, married badly, had an affair, taught at the University where he had some scrapes and died. Much more interesting than that summary would suggest but not great 7/10
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
A quarter of the way through this book I was ready to give up, it was so heavy going, but I am glad I persevered. the characters are wonderfully drawn and it has a very upbeat ending.
The story of a Southern woman in the early 1900's, Celie, her sister, the jazz singer Shug Avery and a host of other characters is both painful and moving, amusing and sad, and entirely engaging 8/10
A quarter of the way through this book I was ready to give up, it was so heavy going, but I am glad I persevered. the characters are wonderfully drawn and it has a very upbeat ending.
The story of a Southern woman in the early 1900's, Celie, her sister, the jazz singer Shug Avery and a host of other characters is both painful and moving, amusing and sad, and entirely engaging 8/10
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Capital
by John Lanchester
I listened to this on an audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. I enjoyed this book immensely. It is the story of the inhabitants of one London street in the years 2007 to 2008 when the financial crash set in and the story of their lives. There is Roger-a banker directly affected by the crash and various characters in between to old Mrs Letherby who is not affected by the crash in any way but who has her own story that is just as absorbing. All these characters hardly ever interact but are propelled forward by a very thin plot line and the absorbing nature of their own stories. You could argue that many of these individual stories are stereotypical, but the characters are delightfully drawn and I felt genuinely sad to leave them and not know how their stories ended. Was it Poland or Hungary or London? Or was it Poland and Hungary! Ah we will never know. 9/10
I listened to this on an audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. I enjoyed this book immensely. It is the story of the inhabitants of one London street in the years 2007 to 2008 when the financial crash set in and the story of their lives. There is Roger-a banker directly affected by the crash and various characters in between to old Mrs Letherby who is not affected by the crash in any way but who has her own story that is just as absorbing. All these characters hardly ever interact but are propelled forward by a very thin plot line and the absorbing nature of their own stories. You could argue that many of these individual stories are stereotypical, but the characters are delightfully drawn and I felt genuinely sad to leave them and not know how their stories ended. Was it Poland or Hungary or London? Or was it Poland and Hungary! Ah we will never know. 9/10
The Big Sleep
by Raymond Chandler
If you have watched any films featuring Philip Marlowe from the 40's era the book will not come as any surprise. Some of the one liners are fantastic. The story is typical detective fiction but done very well. You know just about what is happening but there is a twist in the final resolution. A great travel/holiday read 7/10
If you have watched any films featuring Philip Marlowe from the 40's era the book will not come as any surprise. Some of the one liners are fantastic. The story is typical detective fiction but done very well. You know just about what is happening but there is a twist in the final resolution. A great travel/holiday read 7/10
Thursday, March 20, 2014
The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
A family saga set in an unnamed but very recognisable country this book is teeming with all sorts of characters from animals-"Barabbas came to us by sea"-children, lovers, tyrants, spirits of the dead and they all combine to tell a story that is magical, strange sad and somehow uplifting all at once. This is not the sort of book I would normally read but I enjoyed it immensely 8/10
A family saga set in an unnamed but very recognisable country this book is teeming with all sorts of characters from animals-"Barabbas came to us by sea"-children, lovers, tyrants, spirits of the dead and they all combine to tell a story that is magical, strange sad and somehow uplifting all at once. This is not the sort of book I would normally read but I enjoyed it immensely 8/10
Beloved
by Toni Morrison
A story set in the American South just after slavery was abolished. A slave who escaped before abolition is never far from the consequences of her early life which drove her to kill(sacrifice? protect?) one of her young children. Is it a ghost story? It is certainly haunting and will live with me for some time. The characters are beautifully crafted and the pain is shared with them. I would recommend this book to anyone who has not read it. 8/10
A story set in the American South just after slavery was abolished. A slave who escaped before abolition is never far from the consequences of her early life which drove her to kill(sacrifice? protect?) one of her young children. Is it a ghost story? It is certainly haunting and will live with me for some time. The characters are beautifully crafted and the pain is shared with them. I would recommend this book to anyone who has not read it. 8/10
Saturday, February 15, 2014
The Black Dahlia
by James Ellroy
A very dark crime thriller. This is a novel set around a real murder in the late 40's in Los Angeles. I found some of the gore scenes too much but was hooked by the whodunnit element. 7/10
A very dark crime thriller. This is a novel set around a real murder in the late 40's in Los Angeles. I found some of the gore scenes too much but was hooked by the whodunnit element. 7/10
In the Darkness
by Karin Fossum
A nordic thriller with unusual characters but a fast moving plot. Quite a short novel but a good read. I will definitely look out for more by her. 7/10
A nordic thriller with unusual characters but a fast moving plot. Quite a short novel but a good read. I will definitely look out for more by her. 7/10
A Wild Herb Soup
by Emilie Carles
This is a great memoir of a woman growing up in the rural south of France. She was born in 1900 and as well as a personal story it reflects the history of France during the 20th century. 8/10
This is a great memoir of a woman growing up in the rural south of France. She was born in 1900 and as well as a personal story it reflects the history of France during the 20th century. 8/10
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
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
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
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
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