I said I'd read something by Sebastian Barry after "Days Without End" - and I'm glad I did. Whilst I'm not sure "The Temporary Gentleman" completely lives up to the hyperbole on the front and back covers (but do books ever?!), it is a tight, really well-written story, filled with tragedy, emotion, pathos. There's a … Continue reading “The Temporary Gentleman”
Category: Reading
How was it for you?
I'm not sure what I expected from the reading and book launch yesterday. Of course, there was always the naive and simplistic hope, skulking in a dark corner somewhere, that at the end of the reading there would be a prolonged standing ovation, followed by a huge queue to buy my book and to secure … Continue reading How was it for you?
“Waiting for Godot” – still..!
Sometimes it's great to re-read something you haven't opened in quite a while. In the case of "Waiting for Godot", its probably over thirty years since I read it cover-to-cover, as it were. Not surprisingly, it's still as unique now as it was then - and maybe with all those years having seen so much … Continue reading “Waiting for Godot” – still..!
“The Power”
Perhaps I should avoid books that use the word 'thriller' on the front or back cover. It isn't that "The Power" is inadequate in any way; indeed it has all the required attributes - pace, tension, the gradual build to the climax. You can easily imagine it as being transferred to the screen in a … Continue reading “The Power”
“The Underground Railroad”
Over the last few years I have used the Pulitzer Prize as one of my guides for the fiction I read. Like the Booker, it is often won by exceptional novels and both prizes have, over the years, introduced me to some good books and great writers. Having said that, "The Underground Railroad", by Colson … Continue reading “The Underground Railroad”
“The Essex Serpent”
I'm not entirely sure what to say about Sarah Perry's "The Essex Serpent". At first it felt a little like a slow pastiche of Thomas Hardy or even Dickens. I was worried that it was going to be too predictable. But at some point - probably half-way through - it seemed to take on a … Continue reading “The Essex Serpent”
“Days Without End”
I can see why Sebastian Barry's "Days Without End" has made it to the long-list for the Booker Prize. Once you get into the slightly strange arcane, slang language he uses, you stop noticing it and get swept along with a story that is powerful and moving. I started thinking out I wouldn't like it … Continue reading “Days Without End”
“A Horse Walks into a Bar”
Not for the faint-hearted, "A Horse Walks into a Bar" is a difficult read. Not in the sense of the structure or the language, but in the depiction of the main character, and the relationship - undoubtedly somewhat ambiguous - that you are forced to have with him. Yes, there are jokes there - the … Continue reading “A Horse Walks into a Bar”
I hate not reading a book…
...one I've started, that is. It feels a bit like a failure; as if I wasn't up to the task somehow. Clearly doing so doesn't make it a 'bad book'; after all, "Do Not Say We Have Nothing" by Madeleine Thien is clearly not a bad book. Presumably you don't get shortlisted for the Booker … Continue reading I hate not reading a book…
“Mothering Sunday”
One of the things I like about Graham Swift is the way he handles time. Less so in "Mothering Sunday" perhaps, but he has the knack of being able to make you look at events as if through a kaleidoscope, the past / tale / story fragmented, the narrative refracting. Time is - as the … Continue reading “Mothering Sunday”
Ian Gouge - Writer 