Showing 1-10 of 10 Results.
I groaned inside when my book club announced this as a recent monthly selection. After all, I'm the sort of person who wastes his time correcting grammatical errors in Wikipedia entries, and the narrative in this 2001 Booker Prize winner is nothing but unparsed sentences and endless instances of "he was" and "I were". But once I got over my pedanticism, I found myself fairly blown away by this tale of Australia's Robin Hood. Carey's narrative creates a voice for Ned Kelly (and a world around him) that is utterly convincing -- it wasn't until reading about Ned Kelly later (on Wikipedia, of course) that I was reminded that the book is actually a work of fiction, albeit one based on true events.
- Adam |
Leaving the Atocha Station is a beautifully written debut by prizewinning poet Ben Lerner. Adam Gordon, an American poet in his early twenties, finds himself in Madrid on a prestigious fellowship. Tanked up on espressos, un-prescribed prescription tranquillisers and fluctuating levels of terror, Adam struggles to claim authenticity and maintain a grasp on the fine line between life and art. In many ways it can be considered a coming of age novel, or rather, a novel documenting an artist's growth into maturity, except we are left questioning whether this was ever actually achieved... Clever, funny and at times, poignant (despite our unreliable narrator's best intentions) this is a thoroughly enjoyable read. - Fran |
The best writing transports you effortlessly to another time and place. Gabriel Gbadamosi does just this in Vauxhall, delving into the recent history of the area through the eyes of young Michael, who unwittingly records not just the physical changes but also the constant movement of people and cultures; London in microcosm. - Jasper
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Ashley Miller; Zack Stentz |
As well as being set in the dark and murky period of abolition Morrison's tale is a descent into the tragic world of Sethe who exudes grief and futility. We find ourselves confronted with an act against a mother’s natural instinct, something so controversial that may leave some uncomfortable. This tale shows us the emotional turmoil and psychological trauma that leads to such a devastating conclusion. - Tomi. |
Recently up for the 'Lost' Booker prize eventually won by J.G. Farrell, this is an elegant story of female friendship told with a lightness of touch and precise, penetrating vision. The crumbling Neapolitan scenery is beautifully composed too. - Chris
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If you thought that there were only three main theories about Stonehenge (ancestor rituals, healing centre, astronomical observatory) think again: this witty and readable book ranges across antiquarian and academic thinking and popular mythology to serve up 101 theories to explain why the UK's more than 900 stone circles were built (another few hundred theories could probably have been included but for the numerical constraint in the title).
Many theories are mutually contradictory – stone circles could be for healing or for human sacrifice, for devil worship or Christian baptism. Many show how ancient stones reflect the culture of the times – for example, Banksy's construction of Privyhenge at the Glastonbury Festival 2007 or Margaret Thatcher's condemnation of the stone circle built by Glasgow’s unemployed in Sighthill Park in 1979 as an example of a 'ludicrous Manpower Services job creation scheme'.
This is a well researched book that brings much-needed humour to the sober subjects of UFO landing pads, thrones of the Great Goddess, ley-lines and astroarchaeology.
Review reproduced with permission from www.archaeology.co.uk |
Sam Moorhead; David Stuttard On a hot night in August AD 410, the Goths swarmed into Rome and sacked the city. It was the first time in 800 years that the ancient imperial capital had fallen to a ‘barbarian’enemy. The event sent shock waves through the embattled Late Roman Empire.
The Goths did not stay long.They soon left with their plunder.But the ideological impact of AD 410 was immense, not least because it symbolised a wider collapse in the defences of the Western Roman Empire that was to prove irreversible. A vast horde of barbarians had crossed the frozen Rhine on the last day of AD 406, and had then fanned out across the western provinces, at first raiding and fighting, later doing deals and founding new settlements.It was the turmoil stirred by this great invasion that ended Roman rule in Britain and led eventually to the establishment of new Germanic kingdoms in Gaul, Spain, and North Africa. The Rhine defences were never properly restored.
The reasons for the fall of the Western Empire have been debated ever since. New books, presenting new arguments, or rehashing old ones, appear regularly. Valuable recent contributions to the discussion are Peter Heather’s The Fall of the Roman Empire: a new history and Bryan Ward-Perkins’ The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilisation (both published in 2005). Like a number of other scholarly works, these books can be recommended for their academic rigour and interpretive insight. But they are not books for the general reader that simply tell the story.That is the gap that Sam Moorhead and David Stuttard have combined to fill on this, the 1600th anniversary year of the fall of Rome.
Sam Moorhead is National Finds Advisor for Iron Age and Roman Coins in the Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum. David Stuttard is a teacher of classics, a translator of Greek tragedies, and a director of modern stage productions, associated especially with the performance group Actors of Dionysus. Both authors are committed to making the ancient world exciting and accessible for modern audiences. And they have done this splendidly well in this racy account of the terminal crisis of the Western Roman Empire.
They chart the sequence of events that led to imperial collapse. They relate the court intrigues that undermined effective government, the grotesque inequalities and injustices that demoralised the Late Antique world, the double-dealing that embittered prospective allies, and the catastrophic military disaster of the Battle of Adrianople in AD 378. This provides the essential backdrop to the events of AD 406-410, events enlivened by some of history’s most colourful characters – Alaric, King of the Goths, Stilicho, the overmighty general, Honorius, the weak and vacillating emperor, Olympius, the oily, scheming court eunuch, and Galla Placidia, the intriguing femme fatale.
A thoroughly enjoyable work of popular narrative history, it can be strongly recommended. In particular, for those who are fascinated but do not know the basic story, this book is an ideal starting point. And those who then wish to delve deeper into underlying causes can turn to Peter Heather and Bryan Ward-Perkins.
Reprinted with permission by www.archaeology.co.uk |
Mark Twain; Emory Elliott Well, if this isn’t the original Great American Novel, I don’t know what is. On the surface, this is an adventure, the tale of Huck Finn as a runaway, rafting down the Mississippi River with the slave Jim as his companion and of the evolution of their unlikely friendship. Published in the post-US Civil War era, this is also a satirical send-up of genteel, yet very racist, Southern society. Read this book to understand the true beginnings of American literature. - Cindy. |
Following great success, with her short stories featured in young adult anthologies Eternal Kiss and Kiss Me Deadly, The Iron Witch is Karen Mahoney's debut novel. And what a debut - this novel is amazing! It explores areas of paranormal storytelling that are both familiar and different, and like an alchemist from her own story, she mixes these elements together and creates a brilliantly realised, and different world. The lead character Donna Underwood is strong, feisty and, unlike many female characters, ready to stand up and fight for herself, and the ones she loves, rather than wait around for a guy to save her. With its mix of fairies, alchemy, love and adventure, Iron Witch is an increadibly enjoyable read that will appeal to veteran readers of the genre, and would be a brilliant first read for those wanting to dip a toe in the ocean of Young Adult Paranormal. I cannot wait for the next instalments in this trilogy.
- Neil |