I started this book last year while visiting Paris. I try and read books relevant to the places I visit but on this occasion it wasn't a good choice. I found it very hard to 'get into' the book, so I abandoned it until a month ago. I was then able to read the rest of it and enjoy it although not as much as his other books.
The history of Paris is fascinating and it is worth reading, maybe start before you arrive in Paris! The first third of the book is the hardest, after that it's ok.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
The Narrow Road to the Deep North | Richard Flanagan
Flanagan is one of my favourite authors. I find his stories interesting and the way he tells them is beautiful. He handles language exquisitely.
This book is no exception. It is the story of an Australian soldier who finds himself a POW on The LIne: the Burmese railway. The story is told in a series of recollections of the past melded with the present. He tells the story of his life and how it all relates, and is coloured by, his time as a POW.
I have read other books about this particular episode in history, such as Eric Lomax's book The Railway Man. There are a lot of similarities in the accounts, but a vastly different lives before and after for the characters.
This book has just been named the winner of the Mann Booker Award for 2014. It is well deserved, as Flanagan has proved time and time again he is one of Australia's most eminent authors.
Well worth reading.
This book is no exception. It is the story of an Australian soldier who finds himself a POW on The LIne: the Burmese railway. The story is told in a series of recollections of the past melded with the present. He tells the story of his life and how it all relates, and is coloured by, his time as a POW.
I have read other books about this particular episode in history, such as Eric Lomax's book The Railway Man. There are a lot of similarities in the accounts, but a vastly different lives before and after for the characters.
This book has just been named the winner of the Mann Booker Award for 2014. It is well deserved, as Flanagan has proved time and time again he is one of Australia's most eminent authors.
Well worth reading.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Apple Tree Yard | Louise Doughty
It's a bit hard to write about this book without giving away any of the plot twists. It's the first book I have read by this author, who is very skilled and tells a great story.
This is a courtroom drama, told in a series of flashbacks. It takes a while to understand what the charges are and how it all ties together. We have a woman narrator, who is one of the accused, and there is a co-accused. It is revealed eventually that it is a man. As the story knot unravels, we are drawn into a well told , tense courtroom drama set in London.
Well worth reading.
This is a courtroom drama, told in a series of flashbacks. It takes a while to understand what the charges are and how it all ties together. We have a woman narrator, who is one of the accused, and there is a co-accused. It is revealed eventually that it is a man. As the story knot unravels, we are drawn into a well told , tense courtroom drama set in London.
Well worth reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)