Ruth's reading in 2012

[Ruth]

January

 

1. A Beautiful Blue Death, by Charles Finch - 4.5/5

2. Gene Kelly: The Biography, by Charles Hirschhorn - 4.5/5

3. The Einstein Girl, by Philip Sington - 3/5

 

February

 

4. Carter Beats The Devil, by Glen David Gold - 3.5/5

5. Cary Grant: A Biography, by Marc Eliot - 3.25/5

6. To Be Or Not To Be... by Liz Evers - 4.5/5

7. Painting Ruby Tuesday, by Jane Yardley - 3.25/5

 

March

 

8. Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert - 2.75/5

9. Twins, by Marcy Dermansky - 3/5

10. Shakespeare on Toast: Getting a Taste for the Bard, by Ben Crystal - 5/5

11. Self Made Man, by Norah Vincent - 2/5

12. The Legend of Colton H. Bryant, by Alexandra Fuller - 5/5

13. Gigi and The Cat, by Colette - 3.5/5

 

April

 

14. Arlington Park, by Rachel Cusk - 2.5/5

15. Gregory Peck: A Charmed Life, by Lynn Haney - 3.75/5

16. The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd - 3.75/5

17. On The Beach, by Nevil Shute - 3.75/5

 

May

 

18. Starmaker: Life as a Hollywood Publicist with Farrah, the Rat Pack and 600 More Stars Who Fired Me, by Jay Bernstein - 5/5

19. The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry - 3.5/5

20. Adventures In A TV Nation, by Michael Moore - 4/5

 

June

 

21. The Six Wives of Henry VIII, by Alison Weir - 5/5

22. The Gunslinger, by Stephen King - 2.5/5

 

July

 

23. Pure, by Andrew Miller - 3.5/5

24. Paul Newman: A Life, by Shawn Levy - 4.5/5

25. Heat Wave, by Richard Castle - 3.5/5

 

August

 

26. The Coroner's Lunch, by Colin Cotterill - 3/5

27. Animal Farm, by George Orwell - 5/5

28. The Miracle Inspector, by Helen Smith - 4.5/5

29. I Capture The Castle, by Dodie Smith - 3.5/5

30. Book Lover, by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack - 3.5/5

 

September

 

31. Except the Dying, by Maureen Jennings - 5/5

32. The Groucho Letters: Letters To and From Groucho Marx, by Groucho Marx - 4/5

 

October

 

33. Tatiana and Alexander, by Paullina Simons - 4.25/5

34. Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes - 4.5/5

35. Dead Man Walking, by Helen Prejean - 5/5

36. Under The Dragon's Tail, by Maureen Jennings - 4.5/5

 

November

 

37. Flappers and Philosophers: The Collected Short Stories, by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 4.25/5

 

December

 

38. The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp, by Eva Rice - 3.5/5

39. The Man In The Picture, by Susan Hill - 3.5/5

40. An A-Z of Hellraisers: A Comprehensive Compendium of Outrageous Insobriety, by Robert Sellers - 4/5

41. The Drought, by Steven Scaffardi - 4/5

Edited December 31, 2012 by Ruth

[Ruth]

Finished A Beautiful Blue Death, and really enjoyed it. It's the first in a crime series set in Victorian London, and I shall be looking out for the subsequent books in the series.

 

For now though, my next book will be Gene Kelly: The Biography, by Clive Hirschhorn - a book I've been wanting to read for ages

[Ruth]

I really enjoyed Hirschhorn's biography of Gene Kelly - unfortunately as it was written in the 1970s, it does not cover the last 20 years of Kelly's life, but it is still a well written and very well researched biography. Gene himself was interviewed for the book, as well as many other people in his private and professional life. Hirschhorn clearly has great respect for his subject, but was still able to remain objective.

 

Despite a couple of errors (one being Kelly's date of birth - given here as 3rd August, when it was actually 23rd August; this seems like such a simple thing to have checked, that I can't help wondering if it was simply a typo that never got corrected), this is a fairly comprehensive biography, and is the first place I'd direct anyone who wanted to learn more about the life and/or work of Gene Kelly.

 

I have just started reading The Einstein Girl, by Philip Sington. This is the book of the month for my f2f reading group, and I might not have picked it up if I'd seen it in a shop, but it does look like a good read.

[lopeanha]

Have fun reading in 2012

[Ruth]

Thank you - I hope you do too

[Ruth]

Finished The Einstein Girl, and in all honesty have mixed feelings about it. The story was interesting enough, but got a bit too convoluted and tangled up in itself. However, it did have some interesting insights into (now) outdated feelings about psychiatry, and the treatment of psychiatric patients. It also made me quite interested in finding out more about the life of Einstein. Generally though, while I like books that weave fact and fiction, I think this one seemed to lose sight of what was real and what was fictional.

 

I'm about to start Carter Beats The Devil, by Glen David Gold. A bit of a doorstep book, but it's had loads of great reviews, so I have high hopes for this one.

[Ruth]

Finished Carter Beats the Devil, with a slight sense of relief. There was LOTS to enjoy about this book, but there was also LOTS that felt unnecessary. I felt that there was probably a terrific 400 page novel within the pages of this 500+ page book. Great protagonist though, and lots of good parts to weigh against the not-so-good parts.

 

I'm about to start Cary Grant: A Biography, by Marc Eliot. Grant is one of my favourite actors, so I hope I enjoy reading about him as much as I enjoy watching him on screen!

[Kylie]

Grant is one of my favourite actors, too, and I'm pretty sure he was as lovely and charming in real life as he was in the movies. I look forward to reading your thoughts about this biography.

[Ruth]

Thanks Kylie. Unfortunately, I did not think this biographer did Grant justice - he simply seemed too preoccupied with Grant's sexual preferences, and at times I got the impression that he did not even really like Cary Grant much! The parts about his films - who co-starred, the dynamics on set, and other information about each picture - rather than his personal life, were very interesting though - if this book had been a straightforward filmography, rather than a biography, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

 

I'm about to start reading Painting Ruby Tuesday, by Jane Yardley, for my f2f book group. It's had mixed reviews from what I can tell, but the premise is interesting, so fingers crossed!

[Ruth]

A bit belatedly, I've decided to start posting my reviews of books on this thread, rather than just making a few comments.

 

A Beautiful Blue Death, by Charles Finch

 

 

This novel – the first in a series – is set in Victorian London and features as it’s main character, Charles Lenox, an armchair investigator, who sometimes helps the police with their enquiries, although they are never prepared to give him the credit he deserves! When his neighbour and good friend Lady Jane asks him to investigate the suspicious death of her former maid, Prue Smith, Charles finds himself caught up in a web of intrigue. There are numerous suspects and motives, and Charles’ efforts seem to be blocked whichever way he turns. But Charles is resourceful and intelligent – and with the help of his brother Edmund, his friend Doctor McConnell and his trusty valet Graham.

 

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me slightly of Sherlock Holmes, but with the social skills that Holmes lacks! However, this book did not feel like a poor copy of a Holmes story at all. Lenox was a terrific character, and carried the story beautifully. I also liked his friendship with Lady Jane (and hope to see more of her in subsequent books), and especially the friendship and mutual respect that he shared with Graham, who was a great character in his own right.

 

The mystery element of the book had me guessing all the way. When it came to the final denoument, I realised that the clues had been revealed throughout the story, but I had missed some of them, and I had no idea ‘whodunnit’, although while reading the book I suspect almost everyone at some point! Crime fiction used to be a favourite genre of mine – not so much these days, however, but when I read a book like this, it makes me want to pick up more of the same. If I absolutely had to find something to gripe about, it would possibly be the occasional American speech patterns in the book (“gotten off of” for example, instead of “got off”), but these are honestly so few and far between that they should not impact upon anybody’s enjoyment of the book.

 

Victorian London is portrayed beautifully, and it is clear that the author must have done a lot of research. The period detail is second to none, and I loved reading the wonderfully descriptive passages.

 

Overall, a great debut and a very promising start indeed to a series. I’ll be looking out for more, and would highly recommend this book.

[Ruth]

Gene Kelly: The Biography, by Clive Hirschhorn

 

 

Gene Kelly was in the process of writing his autobiography, but sadly died at the age of 83, in 1996, before completing it. His widow Patricia Ward Kelly is said to be writing a book about her late husband’s life, but I’ve just about given up hope of it ever appearing. Until such time as it does however, there are a few biographies of Gene available, and this book by Clive Hirschhorn is widely regarded to be the best in its field. It is certainly the first place I would direct anyone wanting to know more about Gene Kelly.

 

There is a mistake right at the beginning of the book however; Hirschhorn gives Gene’s date of birth as 3rd August, when it was in fact 23rd August. This seems like such an easy thing to have checked that I cannot help but wonder if this was a typo that somehow escaped correction! I feel obliged to mention it however, because anyone starting the book may wonder if it is going to be filled with other errors – happily, it isn’t.

 

The book gives a good account of Gene’s childhood, with his strict but happy family life, including the dance lessons which his mother insisted all of her five children take, and the dance school which Gene started, together with other members of his family. It then describes his move to New York, where he found success on Broadway, and then his film career, starting in the early 40s, when he made his first film ‘For Me and My Gal’, starring opposite Judy Garland.

 

Overall, the description of Gene’s career is comprehensive, and mentions the high and low points of his career, which not only consisted of dancing, acting and singing, but also directing, producing and choreographing (yes, Gene Kelly was truly deserving of the description ‘multi-talented’).

The book also gives a detailed but respectful account of Gene’s personal life, including his first marriage to Betsy Blair with whom he had a daughter, Kerry, and which marriage ended in amicable divorce; and his second marriage to Jeanne Coyne, with whom he had a son and a daughter, Timothy and Bridget. This marriage ended in tragedy, when Jeanne died of leukemia in 1973.

 

Gene himself was interviewed for this book, and there are many, many quotes from him, as well as people he worked with, and members of his family (predominantly Kerry). The book is interesting, and well written; my interest was held throughout, and although I am a big fan of Gene Kelly, I found out a few things which were previously unknown to me. Hirschhorn seems to have great respect for his subject, but is still able to be objective. As well as the many films which Gene starred in, I also found the accounts of his work as a director to be very interesting (in particular, his work on the film Hello Dolly!, which must have been in difficult circumstances, considering that the two main stars, Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau, could barely stand the sight of each other!) I would have liked to have seen more about Gene’s involvement with liberal politics, and his business relationship with Stanley Donen (which unfortunately ended in a falling out, but while the two men worked together, they certainly produced some amazing films).

Overall, Gene Kelly comes over as I have always imagined him to be; determined, hard-working (in the extreme), a perfectionist, but a very kind, unfailingly honest man, with a strong sense of right and wrong, and a very deep love for his family.

 

Sadly, as this book was written in the 1970s, it does not cover any of the last 20 years of it’s subject’s life, which is a shame. It is however, worth mentioning the lovely foreward, written by Gene’s friend Frank Sinatra. It is a lovely start to the book, and a nice tribute to Gene Kelly.

 

If you are interested in reading about Gene Kelly, or his work, I would certainly recommend this biography.

 

 

 

The Einstein Girl, by Philip Sington

 

 

This novel is set mainly in Berlin, in the months before Hitler came to power. Martin Kirsch is a psychiatrist, about to marry into a rich family, but increasingly disillusioned with the path his life and his profession is taking. When a young woman who Martin met briefly a short time earlier, is admitted to his clinic, with no memory of her own identity or her past, he takes on her case. The young woman was found semi-naked, and the only clue to her identity is a flier for a lecture given by Albert Einstein. The press are fascinated by the case and call the woman The Einstein Girl. Kirsch too is fascinated by the case, but his fascination turns into a potentially dangerous obsession. As he attempts to unravel the mystery of the woman’s past, he finds links with the eminent Albert Einstein, who is one of the Nazi’s most prominent enemies, and realises that danger could be closing in…

 

I’m in two minds about this book. It started very well, and I thought I was going to love it. However, as the story progressed, it became more and more convoluted, which I think hampered the telling of the story. Generally speaking, I like books that weave fact and fiction, and this book certainly made me interested in finding out more about Einstein’s life, but even as a character, Kirsch himself often seemed unsure what was fact and what was fiction. This does seem to be something of a recurring theme throughout the book, because at the beginning of the story is a letter from a character who does feature later on, which suggests that the whole book itself was written as a novel within a novel. However, I was interested to find out the real identity of The Einstein Girl, which is revealed incrementally throughout the story, although it was never clear until the end as to what was true and what was false.

 

What I found particularly interesting was the glimpses into (now) outdated beliefs regarding psychiatry and the treatment of psychiatric patients. Some of the ideas which were invested in, seemed particularly disturbing and there was a general undertone of menace surrounding the whole subject.

As a character, I found Kirsch hard to warm to, although I did feel that he was well drawn, and was believable. Neither could I find much about The Einstein Girl to invest in (and indeed Einstein himself does not come across as a particularly sympathetic character).

 

All in all then, there were some interesting aspects to this story, and I would probably consider reading more by this author. However, I feel that it got a bit too tangled up in itself at times.

 

 

 

Carter Beats the Devil, by Glen David Gold

 

 

At the start of this book, it is 1923, and the acclaimed magician, Carter the Great, puts on a grand show, in which President Harding comes on stage to take part in the final illusion. Hours after the show, the President is dead, and Carter is under suspicion of causing his death, and has to flee the Secret Service.

 

After this tantalising peek into the life of Charles Carter the adult, the story of his life begins, from his childhood, where he turns to magic to defeat loneliness and a servant who bullies Charles and his brother. His rise to fame is not without problems, and he suffers professional and personal triumphs and defeats. As the story progresses up to and beyond the night of the President’s death, layer upon layer is added, including such story lines as the invention of television, and the book becomes a sprawling novel, with Carter right at it’s heart…

 

This is a hard book for my to review, because I have such mixed feelings it. It started promisingly and I felt certain that I was going to love it, but as it progressed I started to feel underwhelmed, and – while I cannot say that I didn’t enjoy lots of it – I was slightly relieved to finish it. Carter the Great was a real person, although this is a highly fictionalised account of his life. Further, President Harding did indeed die under unusual circumstances (or rather, the way his death was immediately handled raises questions), although again, this book deals with it in a fictional manner.

 

I did think that Carter was an extremely likeable and enjoyable protagonist. He was witty and clever, but also surprisingly vulnerable, and carried a sadness about him, the reason for which is explained in the story. I also liked his brother James, who is a recurring character throughout the story, and Carter’s assistant Ledocq.

 

The reason that I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped to, was that at times there just seemed to be too much going on. From Secret Service agents (some corrupt, some incompetent, and some under-appreciated) who were trailing Carter, to an old friend who pops up throughout the story, to Carter’s rivalry with fellow magician Mysterioso – there were just so many elements to the story, some of which detracted from the part I was most interested in, which was Carter’s life story.

 

However, on the plus side, the author had clearly done lots of research about the era, and the popularity of vaudeville shows, where magicians such as Carter made much of their living, and I did enjoy that aspect of the story.

 

Overall, I would say that there was probably a terrific 400 page book contained within this 500+ page book, and it has certainly received many glowing reviews, but it perhaps wasn’t quite the right fit for me. There was enough here though, that I would certainly read more by this author.

Edited February 16, 2012 by Ruth

[Ruth]

Cary Grant: A Biography, by Marc Eliot

 

 

Cary Grant was one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood in the mid-20th century. He made 72 films in his career, and was – and is – loved by fans the world over. However, there was another side to Cary Grant. He married five times, experimented with LSD, and was constantly the subject of specualtion over his alleged homosexuality. This book charts his life, and attempts to compare and contrast the persona of Cary Grant with whom audiences are so familiar, with the private Cary Grant behind the scenes.

 

I actually found the first half of this book intensely irritating. It is the job of a biographer to give the details about their subject’s life, not to take speculation and discuss it as if it is fact. After a good description of Grant’s troubled childhood, and his start in showbusiness with an acrobatic troupe, with whom he went to America and decided to carve out his future in the movie business, Eliot seemed to become preoccuppied with Grant’s alleged homosexuality (this being at a time when being homosexual could destroy an actor’s career). Grant always denied any attraction to men, yet the author seems to ignore that fact, and give details of relationships with men that Grant apparently had (although he is unable to cite any sources for his information). When discussing the friendship between Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, Eliot describes the domestic set-up in the bachelor pad which the two men shared, and muses that “sex was an afterthought.” But where did he get this information?! (There were also a few minor factual errors elsewhere in the book. For example, when discussing Director George Cukor, Eliot states that Clark Gable had Cukor fired as Director of Gone With the Wind, because he didn’t like the fact that Cukor was gay. Although this has been erronously stated elsewhere, it is simply not true. Cukor actually lost the job because of he found Producer David O. Selznick hard to work with, or get along with.)

 

The book did improve the further along I got. There was lots of information about many of Grant’s films, goings on behind the set, and the casting processes. Most films also have a fairly detailed synopsis (some readers may want to skip these parts if they have not seen the films, because the synopses generally give away the endings to the films).

 

Grant’s marriages and the possible reasons for the breakdown of four of them are discussed. Again, some of this is speculation, but much of it can be verified. However, I did get the impression that the author spent too much time on the less savoury aspects of Grant’s life – for example, towards the end of the book, casual mention is made of the extensive charity work that Cary Grant did for numerous Jewish charities. However, this is not mentioned elsewhere in the book at all – surely, such extensive charity work should have warranted more than a passing mention? I sometimes got the feeling that Marc Eliot did not actually like Cary Grant very much!

 

Eliot’s writing does flow well – he would probably make a great novelist – if at times, he does tend towards the cringeworthy – when describing the dimple on Cary Grant’s chin, he says, “…whose two smooth and curved bulges resembled nothing so much as a beautiful woman’s naked behind while she was on her knees in sexual supplication before the godlike monument of his face.” I’m not making this up! Fortunately however, there aren’t too many of these kinds of statements.

 

My overall feeling after reading this book was that it seemed somewhat mean-spirited towards its subject, but there were some interesting aspects – mostly about the movies which we love Cary Grant for giving us. In fact, had Eliot written a book solely about Grant’s film career, it would have probably made for terrific reading. This book isn’t awful, but such a major celebrity certainly deserves better. Grant always tried to keep his personal life private, but he left his legacy of 72 films behind – and maybe those are how he should be remembered.

[Ruth]

After seeing a totally fabulous production of The Taming of the Shrew, at the RSC this weekend, I decided to read To Be Or Not To Be, by Liz Evers (actually, it was a book that happened to be in my bag, and I was looking for something to read on the train!)

 

 

For anybody who has ever thought Shakespeare dull or dry, this book is perfect reading! It gives a brief introduction to Shakespeare’s life and work, and provides a short synopsis of all of his plays. It also provides other interesting information such as words that Shakespeare created (assassination, luggage, moonbeam, cater – to name very few of a long list!) and phrases that he coined – if you’ve ever thought of jealousy as a green-eyed-monster for instance, then you have Shakespeare to thank! It also provides a list of all of the main characters in Shakespeare’s plays, and a brief description of their roles.

 

The book is written in a clear, easy to understand, and often amusing fashion, and even for someone who is not particularly bothered about Shakespeare, it still makes for interesting reading! As an academic book, I probably would not recommend this – it is really only the briefest introduction to The Bard’s life and work, but if you have ever seen a film adaptation of one of his plays and would like to learn more, this would be a great place to start. It is only a short book – I read it in two sittings, but it could easily be started and finished in a couple of hours. So while it may not cover it’s subject in great depth, it certainly opens the door to learning more about Shakespeare, and left me wanting to know more. Definitely recommended!

[Ruth]

Painting Ruby Tuesday, by Jane Yardley

 

 

 

In 1965, Annie Cradock is a 10 year old girl, living in the quiet village of Muningstock with her strict parents, and spending most of her free time with her best friend and next door neighbour, Babette. When a series of murders rocks the village, and Mrs Clitheroe, a local lady beloved of both Annie and Babette, is a victim, Annie’s world turns upside down.

 

More than 30 years later, Annie is a music teacher, living in London with her second husband Alan, who wants to move to New York. Annie’s marriage is in trouble, she cannot make up her mind whether to stay in London or move to the USA, and the strange events of 1965, still haunt her. Only when Annie has come to terms with what happened in her past will she be able to face her future.

 

Annie narrates both the events that happened when she was 10, and the problems which she is facing as an adult, and the narrative cuts between the past and the present.

 

I quite enjoyed this book, but cannot say that it was one of those occasional, almost magical reads that you fall in love with. I liked the character of Annie, both as an imaginative child, and an intelligent woman, but sometimes I did feel like shaking her and telling her not to be so silly. The author did portray the confused mind of a frightened child very well however, and I preferred the parts of the story that were set in the past more than those set in more recent times.

 

The mystery of the murders is not fully solved until the end of the book. I won’t give away the ending, but suffice to say that while I was confident that I had worked it all out, the story threw me a curveball, and I was surprised when the story resolved itself.

Despite the subject matter, the book is not a depressing or miserable read. There’s actually a lot of humour within, thanks to Annie’s narration, but while some parts did actually make me laugh out loud, at other times the humour seemed somewhat forced.

So, while this was not a book that set my world alight, there was quite a lot to enjoy in this story. It’s a book that I liked, but which I doubt would make any lasting impression in my memory.

 

***********************************************************************

 

Painting Ruby Tuesday was okay - it had it's moments (and occasionally did make me laugh out loud), but sometimes the humour seemed forced. I didn't guess the ending though - although I thought I had - and that's always a bonus!

 

My next read is going to be Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Ruth

[Ooshie]

I look forward to hearing what you think of Madame Bovary, Ruth; it seems to be a bit of a Marmite book with people either loving or hating it!

[Ruth]

Yes, when I've seen other people's reviews that's the impression I get. I'm only about 30 pages in - started it this morning - but it seems okay so far.

[bobblybear]

Painting Ruby Tuesday looks good. Have added it to my wishlist.

[Ruth]

It was a nice easy read - for the F2F reading group at the library (I'd actually never heard of it before). We're meeting tonight, so will see what others thought of it.

 

Not sure what I think about Madame Bovary. I'm well over halfway through, so will stick with it, but it certainly hasn't grabbed me much.

[chaliepud]

Painting Ruby Tuesday looks good. Have added it to my wishlist.

 

Me too!

[Ruth]

 

 

When the beautiful and wilful Emma marries the studious and quiet Charles Bovary, she soon finds herself dissatisfied with their lifestyle. At first she seeks solace in novels, and then in voracious spending, and finally in adultery. However, nothing brings Emma pleasure for long – she never wants what she has and always covets what she hasn’t got. Her destructive patterns of behaviour eventually end up setting her – and her husband – on a doomed path…

 

Oh, I so wanted to love this book. It’s a classic, it’s one of those books that you feel you ‘should’ read, and it caused a sensation when it was first published. In fact, I can see why it scandalised readers, and accept that it was probably very shocking (not so much because of any explicit use of language – which in fact was not explicit at all – but because of it’s subject).

 

However, I found that I simply could not engage with any of the characters. For the most part, they seemed particularly unlikeable, especially Emma Bovary herself, who just came across as ungrateful, unkind and selfish. I certainly never felt any sympathy or empathy towards her. The most interesting character was the pharmacist Homais, who, if not always pleasant, at least seemed a more rounded and fleshed out character than any of the others. Charles was rather bland and nondescript – although, in fairness I imagine that that was the intention.

 

Another thing that put me off somewhat were the endless descriptions of places and settings. Every time it looked as though the storyline might be moving on, there was a pause while every inch of every scene was described. True, at times the descriptive passages were beautifully written, but there were just too many of those passages!

 

However, in the last 100 pages or so, the story did pick up, as Emma’s actions seemed to be leading her into ever more dangerous territory. Here, the story moved faster and became interesting, and it eventually finished off in a satisfying way.

 

In short, this book did not move me to feel any emotions whatsoever. It wasn’t a terrible read, and I didn’t exactly struggle with it, but I can’t say I would really recommend it to others.

Edited March 4, 2012 by Ruth

[frankie]

A Beautiful Blue Death, by Charles Finch

 

 

This novel – the first in a series – is set in Victorian London and features as it’s main character, Charles Lenox, an armchair investigator, who sometimes helps the police with their enquiries, although they are never prepared to give him the credit he deserves! When his neighbour and good friend Lady Jane asks him to investigate the suspicious death of her former maid, Prue Smith, Charles finds himself caught up in a web of intrigue. There are numerous suspects and motives, and Charles’ efforts seem to be blocked whichever way he turns. But Charles is resourceful and intelligent – and with the help of his brother Edmund, his friend Doctor McConnell and his trusty valet Graham.

 

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me slightly of Sherlock Holmes, but with the social skills that Holmes lacks! However, this book did not feel like a poor copy of a Holmes story at all. Lenox was a terrific character, and carried the story beautifully. I also liked his friendship with Lady Jane (and hope to see more of her in subsequent books), and especially the friendship and mutual respect that he shared with Graham, who was a great character in his own right.

 

The mystery element of the book had me guessing all the way. When it came to the final denoument, I realised that the clues had been revealed throughout the story, but I had missed some of them, and I had no idea ‘whodunnit’, although while reading the book I suspect almost everyone at some point! Crime fiction used to be a favourite genre of mine – not so much these days, however, but when I read a book like this, it makes me want to pick up more of the same. If I absolutely had to find something to gripe about, it would possibly be the occasional American speech patterns in the book (“gotten off of” for example, instead of “got off”), but these are honestly so few and far between that they should not impact upon anybody’s enjoyment of the book.

 

Victorian London is portrayed beautifully, and it is clear that the author must have done a lot of research. The period detail is second to none, and I loved reading the wonderfully descriptive passages.

 

Overall, a great debut and a very promising start indeed to a series. I’ll be looking out for more, and would highly recommend this book.

 

I read this review some time ago but, eventhough it sounded like a great read, I thought I just have too many books on my wishlist already and ran away from this blog of yours, for dear life! I've now come back to read the new posts in your blog, and stumbled upon this review again, and hmph, it still sounds good and I think I have to add it to my wishlist after all I quite like the idea of crime novels set in the Victorian era. I already have Suspicions of Mr Whicher on my bookcase, and I absolutely loved Crippen by John Boyne (although I can't remember if it was really set in the Victorian era or a bit later than that). Those are based on true stories, but I don't think that fictional ones could be any less better. So thank you for the review

 

The Einstein Girl, by Philip Sington

 

 

 

This one sounded really intriguing as well, eventhough you had some qualms about it. Adding this to wishlist as well... and now I'm going to do another runner, so that wishlist would maintain some realistic proportions! (Not that it really does, hasn't done for very long after joining this forum... )

Edited March 5, 2012 by frankie

[Ruth]

I know exactly what you mean Frankie. Every time I come here, my wishlist grows a bit (either that, or I skip the wishlist part and just go straight to the buying it part!)

 

Thanks for your lovely comments about my reviews though. The Einstein Girl was one from the reading group at the local library. I think about two or three people really disliked it, four or five seven didn't have strong feelings either way, and a couple of members absolutely loved it. If you do read it, I hope you love it too

[Ruth]

Twins, by Marcy Dermansky

 

 

Chloe and Sue are twins. They are blonde, beautiful, and identical. But although they look the same, they are very different. Chloe is pleasant, anxious to do well at school, desperate to be liked and eager to look nice. Sue on the other hand, is abrasive – and downright horrible most of the time – rude and spiteful. She cares little about school, or about anything at all other than Chloe. Sue resents Chloe’s need for independence and other friends, and wants Chloe to want Sue, and nobody else. Not even their brother, not even their parents. As they grow increasingly apart, while always drawn together, Chloe and Sue both seem set on path to doom. This book follows them through their teenage years, through eating disorders, romantic entanglements, unexpected friendships, and lost dreams.

 

This book started well – the chapters are narrated by Sue and Chloe in turn, and I felt that the characters were well drawn, and distinctive. Chloe actually seemed rather bland, at the start of the story, whereas Sue, though a far more interesting character, was completely unlikeable, with almost no redeeming features. It actually felt uncomfortable to read some parts, where for example, she was very spiteful to people, and cruel to the poor family dog. However, Sue’s behaviour is somewhat understandable when the parents’ characters are introduced – because the twins’ parents are just horrible, selfish people. I actually felt myself getting angry with these characters while reading the book – they seemed to care little for any of their children and were only bothered about making themselves happy. The character in the family who I most warmed to was the twin’s brother Daniel. He champions Sue, although she rarely sees it, and despite his hostility, obviously genuinely cares for his sisters.

 

For the most part, the book was compulsively readable, and touched on many adolescent issues, such as obsession with looks, the desire to ‘fit in’ and the need for individuality, while trying to forge a path towards adulthood.

 

However, towards the end, I found that some of the situations which the twins ended up in were slightly unbelievable, and I started tiring of both girls, and just wanting to sit them down and talk some sense into them. I appreciated the fact that the book didn’t tie everything up neatly, but did still give some sense of conclusion.

 

I think I would probably read more by Marcy Dermansky – she certainly has a way of writing which draws you in, and creates interesting, if not always pleasant characters. If you don’t mind all the teenage angst, this book is well worth a look.

[Ruth]

 

As a recent convert to Shakespeare, I found this book invaluable. I used to think Shakespeare was stuffy, boring and confusing. Ben Crystal LOVES Shakespeare; that much is evident from the way he writes about him in this book – but that wasn’t always the case – and to me, that made me feel confident about this book. I’m am still in the early stages of discovering the beauty of Shakespeare’s work, and I can honestly say that if I had had this book when I was at school, I probably would have discovered the beauty of it years ago!

 

Shakespeare on Toast is sort of like a key to unlocking the Bard’s work. As Crystal acknowledges, you don’t have to really analyse or study Shakespeare to enjoy his plays (or his sonnets, although this book concentrates more on the plays), but a bit of background knowledge and understanding will really enhance your enjoyment. Crystal states clearly that his book is not a full guide to Shakespeare, nor is it intended to be, but it will provide you with all the tools you need to understand his plays a bit better, and thus get more out of them. For example, the way Shakespeare uses ‘thou’ and ‘you’ to different effect; this had never occurred to me before, but once pointed out, the way in which he used these words, and his intention in doing so, become clear.

 

There is also a section of the book devoted to the dreaded iambic pentameter, the form of verse in which most of Shakespeare’s work is written. When I studied poetry, I LOATHED iambic pentameter – or rather, I loathed trying to get to grips with it. However, here it is laid out plainly, and it suddenly became clear to me.

 

The book is written in a chatty, laid back style, and as one of the quotes on the back says, it’s like going to the theatre with a knowledgeable friend. I would strongly recommend anyone with a even a passing interest in Shakespeare to read this book. Terrific!

[chesilbeach]

Shakespeare on Toast sounds like it could be useful, Ruth. I love watching Shakespeare's plays (mostly the comedies, I have to admit) but I rarely read them. I often think it's because when you're watching someone perform it, you can get the idea of what they're talking about even if you don't get every word, but I find I stutter in reading them at times because I want to know exactly what is being said, and I lose the flow. I might add this to my wishlist for a future purchase!