I'm not ashamed to admit that some of the time I had little idea of what was really going on in Samuel Beckett's Dream of Fair to Middling Women - nor that I failed to understand far too many of the words used in it... It's an odd blend of Dubliners (1914), Ulysses (1922), Finnegan's … Continue reading “Dream of Fair to Middling Women”
Category: Blog
“The Finkler Question”
If I had a problem with Howard Jacobson's The Finkler Question it was this: it felt too interested in itself. That's to say, it pursued what seemed to me a single thread over and over again, the characters' primary purpose being to act as theoretical pegs that could be popped into various belief-shaped holes to … Continue reading “The Finkler Question”
“The Many Lives of Heloise Starchild”
It would be unfair - not to say inaccurate - to call John Ironmonger's work 'whimsy'; it is far from that. Perhaps 'fable' might be better. Yet there are times when the latter may stray dangerously close to the former, and there was a short period in the middle of The Many Lives of Heloise … Continue reading “The Many Lives of Heloise Starchild”
“Rare Singles”
Sometimes it's perfectly fine to be able to predict - from very early on - how a story is going to turn out; and maybe it's easier to do that when you're convinced the ending will be a 'happy' one. Benjamin Myers' Rare Singles fits that bill: you can easily guess what's going to happen … Continue reading “Rare Singles”
“The Voyage Home”
Bandwagons. I don't like them. I'm not sure what the catalyst might have been - perhaps Madeline Miller's Circe or Stephen Fry's dreadful Mythos (both books I have long since gifted to charity shops) - but something opened the floodgates on retellings of Greek Mythology (mythology I like, by the way). And the covers of … Continue reading “The Voyage Home”
The Labours of Charles E. – a new novel
I am delighted to announce the publication of my new novel, The Labours of Charles E., on the 4th October 2025. Charles E. is not well. A ‘man of letters’ and regarded by some as a ‘National Treasure’, there are elements in his past which surely disqualify such an accolade — even if his somewhat unconventional beginning … Continue reading The Labours of Charles E. – a new novel
“Long Island”
When you start a review with "I like XYZ's work" you know there's a 'but' coming... So. I like Colm Tóibín's work, but Long Island was disappointing. Pretty much nothing happens, and what does is entirely predictable. And then when you get to the end you're left hanging with three possible outcomes available to you. … Continue reading “Long Island”
“Mourning Diary”
A bit niche this one... After the death of his mother, Roland Barthes scribbled on the equivalent of Post-It Notes to keep an almost daily record of his grief / mourning. I have to say that, after reading a year's worth of these, it all gets a bit cloying. I found myself wondering if he … Continue reading “Mourning Diary”
“The Heart in Winter”
To be fair, it takes a little while to get into the 19th Century American-Irish language Kevin Barry uses in his novel "The Heart in Winter" - but it's effort well-rewarded. A splendidly paced and rattling good tale, I have just sat and read the last 100 pages in a single sitting (which is about … Continue reading “The Heart in Winter”
August’s Substack highlights
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway A selection of recent posts from my Substack site. "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out" Buy discounted books direct from the printer
Ian Gouge - Writer 