Books

Quick round up of books I have read recently.


Songbird


I think Sebastien Faulks is close to be my favourite author ever. In a quick space of time I have read three of his books and they have all been brilliant. Songbird is supposedly his masterpiece. I liked it a lot. The story was cleverly constructed jumping forwards and backwards in time; between the pre war idyll, the hell of the war and the nearer present day where the suffering of the trenches has already become ancient history.


The relentless day to day horrific reality is brought home perfectly. However much you read it it is still completely unimaginable the horror of knowing the certain death that awaited you on the blow of a whistle. It also beautifully tells us the story of what witnessing such carnage does to a man. 


I was particularly moved by the scene where one of the soldiers returns to England and is staggered to find how normal life is there. How he wishes for bombs to come and kill them all. Having said all this as much as I enjoyed it I like Engleby more.


The News Where You Are


This is the second book by Catherine O'Flynn. Her first book was What was Lost which I truly enjoyed, a good story with great internal dialogue from people out shopping at a shopping centre. It had a good storyline and kept me guessing all the way.


The News Where You Are is a less surprising in terms of the fact I worked out where it was going fairly early. However the journey was superb. Once again she has populated the story with interesting, instantly likeable characters. It is also a book about decay and death which appeal to a maudlin fucker like me.


The final thing I love about the book is the fact it is set in Birmingham ! So few books/films/tv shows are its a delight to find one that is. And she clearly loves and 'gets' Birmingham in a way only Brummies can.


Notes on a Scandal


Loved the film and on a lot of reflection I decide that I like the film slightly more. The Cate Blanchett character is less worldly in the novel and she fails to break free of Barbara's clutches in the book, becoming dependent on her in the end. The ending fits the books characters perfectly. 


Ultimately the film wins out in my affection simply for the performance of Judi Dench. What an actress that woman is.


The Invisible Man


A great classic book and well worth the read. I love the writing of this era with HG Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle, whose  Lost World I also read recently. They are well worth the investment in time.