Context: The blossom was out in force as I worked my way through this one.
REVIEW
I kind of wish I’d take Palaniuk up on his advice in the opening line. This book was a bit of a puzzle to me. I couldn’t really figure out what he was trying to achieve. It was a bit like a piece of modern art that everyone raves about, but secretly, inside, no one thinks is any good. I’ve read enough Easton Ellis not to be too impressed with Palahniuk’s offering here.
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Tags:
addictions |
death |
ex-1001 books |
families |
madness |
mediocre books |
memories |
sex |
usa
Context: Read this as the sun set over Parker’s Piece in Cambridge as I waited for my wife, sister and her kids to emerge from Parkside swimming pool.
REVIEW
Not since school have I read a work this long in verse form. It takes a bit of getting used to. But Pushkin has used a formula for his stanzas which he rigorously adheres to. Once in your stride, this isn’t so difficult to read. What’s harder is following the storyline as it leans back and forth in this convoluted tale of love unrequited on both sides at different times.
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Tags:
1001 books |
class |
death |
duels |
excellent books |
literature |
love |
poetry |
relationships |
russia
Well spreadsheet version 4 has been out nearly a month and downloads are going great. But now, you have the chance to help them go even better and to share in the spreadsheet lurve! I’d like to give you some money… no seriously, I would.
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Tags:
1001 books |
spreadsheet
Context: Finished this off as we were heading back in my sister’s car from another day out over the Easter holidays with her family who came to stay.
REVIEW
I’d heard a lot about this before I picked it up. Many people have asked me over the years whether I’d read it. I should have asked them why they were asking because, having read it, because I think it’s genius can only be appreciated if you have quite a formidable understanding of English romantic literature. I do not. For Julie Burchill from the Sunday Times to say on the back cover that it’s “very probably the funniest book ever written” is sheer hyperbole. Though I may have smiled on occasion, I never laughed out loud.
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Tags:
1001 books |
animals |
class |
families |
farmers |
fiction |
religion |
romance |
satire |
sex |
uk |
very good books
Context: Read this as we visited the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Inside there was a statue commissioned by Hadrian of his lover, Antinous. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t let me take a photo inside.
REVIEW
It took Marguerite Yourcenar decades to write this book… and it only just tips the 230 page mark. Each page though shows the meticulous research and care that she took to construct this exceedingly graphic and captivating memoir.
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Tags:
battles |
biography |
death |
empire |
greece |
historical fiction |
homosexuality |
iran |
iraq |
israel |
italy |
marriage |
morocco |
murder |
power |
spain |
turkey |
uk
Context: Read this while we took in a marvellous cream tea in the most idyllic tea garden in Selworthy, Somerset.
REVIEW
Back in early 1995, I was walking up a path in the Himalayan foothills with an Indian friend. I mentioned that I’d recently read Christopher Hibbert’s fantastic book The Great Mutiny: India 1857 and asked him what his perspective on the Indian Mutiny was. “Oh,” he replied coolly, “You mean the First War of Independence.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson in historical perspective. Farrell gives us another lesson with this remarkable novel.
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Tags:
1001 books |
19th century |
battles |
booker prize |
class |
culture |
empire |
farrell |
fiction |
india |
religion |
sexuality |
superb books |
war
Context: Was reading this as we attended a wedding in Somerset. Someone had made a great model of the couple for the cake.
REVIEW
This is a rare book in that inside the front cover, the publisher has included some comments from reviews of the book. What makes them unique as far as I can tell is that this book has negative reviews. There are reviews telling us not to bother reading it, that it’s distasteful and not worth our efforts. I can only think that by mixing these in with those eulogising it, the publisher is attempting some form of reverse pyschology. Anyway, I was halfway through it before I realised, but even by that point, I understood the reason for the mixed reviews.
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1001 books |
banks |
families |
fiction |
mediocre books |
secrets |
sexuality |
uk
