It bothered me that I took so long to finish reading Colum McCann's "Let the Great World Spin" - but in the end it was simply of question of 'it's me, not you'... I needn't have worried that it was a reflection on the quality of the book, because it isn't: "Let the Great World … Continue reading “Let the Great World Spin”
Category: Fiction
The Daunting Prospect of Reinvention
At the end of this month I'm giving up work. More or less by choice. It is a step that has been labelled in various ways by various people, me included: 'retirement' seems the most common, with the upcoming period a 'glide-path to retirement' - after all, I'm not officially qualified to be there yet...! … Continue reading The Daunting Prospect of Reinvention
“The Human Stain”
There is a section toward the end of Philip Roth's "The Human Stain" where one of the book's characters, Ernestine, confronts the author/narrator about her life and the life of her family, African-Americans from New Jersey. What follows from Ernestine/Roth seems to me - a white, non-American - a brilliant and powerful exposé of racism, … Continue reading “The Human Stain”
Did you know this? Stunning…
According to the trade publication, The Bookseller, in the UK today - Thursday 3rd September 2020 - some 600 books are going to be published. Yes, 600! On one day! Books from 'big' publishing houses as well as the myriad of independent and Indie publishers. The suggestion is that this figure represents a catch-up from … Continue reading Did you know this? Stunning…
“To Have and Have Not”
Some books just don't travel well through time. "To Have and Have Not" is, I suspect, one such. There are all too obvious examples of where some of the words Hemingway uses - and the prejudices expressed - are clearly not acceptable to a modern twenty-first century readership, and the dated nature of language is … Continue reading “To Have and Have Not”
“Memory Wall”
Although I first came across Anthony Doerr through his novel "All the Light We Cannot See", if you wanted a more subtle introduction then his collection of short stories then "Memory Wall" wouldn't be a bad place to start. The stories are engaging and well-written, and you somehow feel 'safe' in Doerr's hands. The subject … Continue reading “Memory Wall”
“Thirteen Ways of Looking”
"Thirteen Ways of Looking" is the novella headlining this collection where it is joined by three much shorter stories. Although the subject matter of each is different, they all share a number of characteristics like tone, voice and style. More importantly, they also have in common the fact that they are really well-written. I admit … Continue reading “Thirteen Ways of Looking”
My latest novel – “A Pattern of Sorts” – published today!
We often encounter difficulty when trying to reconcile our memories of events with what actually happened. In the almost inevitable mis-match, our mind plays tricks on us, and what we have recently learned and how we have recently lived gets in the way and colours the past. Pressed to recall his own life, the challenge … Continue reading My latest novel – “A Pattern of Sorts” – published today!
“Rules of Civility”
There's an interesting debate about cross-sex writing, isn't there? It seems to me the popular wisdom is that a man can't write as a woman, but a woman can write as a man. No. That's too simplistic. Perhaps is should be qualified: it's easier for a woman to write as a first-person male narrator than … Continue reading “Rules of Civility”
“The Journalist”
In many ways, Harry Matthews "The Journalist" is a remarkable achievement. Having said that, I suspect three-quarters of people who start to read the book may not make it all the way through to the end... "The Journalist" is not about someone who writes for newspapers or appears on television, but rather a man who … Continue reading “The Journalist”
Ian Gouge - Writer 