What this amazing book is not is a conventional, comprehensive history of the First World War. What it is instead is first-hand testimony, a chronological selection from letters, diaries and written accounts by those at the front, accompanied by masses of photos, some of them illicitly taken and some of them taken by the men … More ‘Tommy’s War’ by Richard Van Emden
I’ve just read ‘The Sea, the Sea’ in two long chunks over two days which left me with that sensation that you get after consuming a really fine novel of being bigger, more important for having absorbed it. It’s a wonderful novel: an astonishing story, utterly unpredictable, of a self-important theatre director whose determination to … More ‘The Sea, The Sea,’ by Iris Murdoch
There’s a point near the end of this extraordinary novel when the poet Robert Graves is lost in obsessive rage and his accountant tells him ‘to grow up, to stop behaving like a child before it was too late, before he lost all credibility with his peers and his public.’ The accountant, however, is the … More ‘The White Goddess’ by Simon Gough
What a lovely way to discover new poems this book is. The title is deliberately provocative and makes you (well me) say to yourself ‘Well that didn’t make me cry’ after reading each selection. In fact none of them made me cry or even become slightly teary which may say more about me than the … More Poems That Make Grown Men Cry
This is a curious book. It’s deeply touching but in some important parts the emotional engagement is lacking. What I mean by that is that the narrator, his sister and even his father, the ‘Big Hoom’ of the title never seem to become much more than the supporting characters that they are. I never felt … More ‘Em and the Big Hoom’ by Jerry Pinto
One of those books I’ve always intended but failed to read, I now know that ‘Utz’ is a strange and enjoyable novella that’s short enough to complete in a few hours. I read it twice in quick succession to try to get a better grasp of an elusive story. That story is seemingly simple: Kaspar … More ‘Utz’ by Bruce Chatwin
I can’t recommend this beautifully-written novel highly enough. Francesca Rhydderch barely puts a foot wrong as she tells an extraordinary story. That story is compelling in itself concerned as it is with the experiences of Elsa, a Welsh woman living in wartime Hong Kong when the Japanese invade. It plays out the life-changing effects of interment, … More ‘The Rice Paper Diaries’ by Francesca Rhydderch
My review of Griff Rhys Jones’ new(ish) book, ‘Insufficiently Welsh’ is over on Wales Arts Review. Follow this link and while you’re there enjoy another selection of top notch writing and reviews.
My review of Peter Hain’s book ‘Ad and Wal’ is in the latest edition of Wales Arts Review. You can read it here and my interview with the author here. While you’re there have a look at the rest of the goodies on offer; there are plenty of them.
If you’ve ever read the Mid Wife Crisis blog you’ll know what to expect from this book because it’s based on that blog although it’s much more than a collection of unconnected posts. One of the things the blog did well was present this story as if it were happening in real time. Events were … More ‘Diary of an Unsmug Married’ by Polly James
