Without a doubt, one of the most powerful, devastating, moving and eye-opening novels I have ever read in my life. This book astonished me the first time I read it, back in the 90’s, and […]
Category: Book reviews
66. ‘Charlotte Gray’ by Sebastian Faulks
The third and final volume in the French trilogy, this is wonderful – and fine to read as a stand alone novel, although if you have read ‘Birdsong’ and ‘The Girl at the Lion D’Or’ […]
65. ‘Mother’s Boys’ by Margaret Forster.
Mum was fond of Margaret Forster, and I also really enjoy her writing – she drills right down into the minutiae of ordinary lives, and, being a British rather than an American author like Anne […]
64. ‘The Girl at the Lion D’Or’, by Sebastian Faulks.
The second in his French trilogy, un-related to the first, ‘Birdsong’, except in reference to the lingering trauma from the First World War, and the location. This is a story of doomed love, set against […]
63. ‘On Chesil Beach’, by Ian McEwan.
Chesil Beach is a weird and wonderful part of the south coast of England. Around 18 miles long, it’s all shingle, with a tidal lagoon known as the Fleet behind it, and it is an […]
62. ‘Birdsong’ by Sebastian Faulks.
No beating about the bush here, this is without a doubt one of my favourite books, I have read it several times, and in fact this copy is one I bought for Mum on a […]
61. ‘Breathing Lessons’ by Anne Tyler.
I read this quite fast, even for me…and before I launch into what I really thought about it, I will add a disclaimer…I found myself so irritated by the central character, Maggie Moran, that I […]
60. Two books today – ‘tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Albom, and ‘Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant’ by Anne Tyler
Two books, very different from one another, both by American authors, and both read by me in the sunshine last week. Let’s start with ‘tuesdays with Morrie’. It describes itself as, ‘an old man, a […]
59. ‘Wives and Daughters’ by Elizabeth Gaskell.
A wonderful book! and a special copy of it too. As you can see, Mum first read this in Australia in May 2005, when she was visiting me, and for a second time in September […]
58. ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ by John Le Carre
I did warn you I might embark on a John Le Carre spree! I had the intention of reading all the Smiley books in order, having purely by chance started with the first, but I […]
