I was intrigued by the premise of Denis Thériault's novel, The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman. There seemed so much you could do with such an idea. But in the end I was profoundly disappointed, and for two main reasons. The first is that there is some clumsiness in the writing here and there, … Continue reading “The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman”
Category: Reading
“Love, etc”
I must have read the precursor to Julian Barnes' Love, etc - Talking it Over - some time before 2017 because I can't find any review for it on this site. I was looking to see what I thought of the unfortunate Oliver back then given he is such an obnoxious and pompous dick in … Continue reading “Love, etc”
“Town & Country – New Irish Short Stories”
Given all the authors in Town & Country are Irish there should be no surprise at various common themes running through many of the poems: the city, the countryside etc. And, given this is collection contains twenty stories by twenty different authors, it is not something I would normally comment on in any detail (or … Continue reading “Town & Country – New Irish Short Stories”
“Statements”
Statements is an absolutely stunning collection of three plays by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona. Written in the early 1970s, the plays lay bare the horror of what it was like to live in the racist South Africa of the time. I can only image how powerful and electrifying it must have been … Continue reading “Statements”
“Lapwing” & “Sky Mall”
I couple Hannah Copley's Lapwing and Eric Kocher's Sky Mall together in this review because they share two traits: the first is a significant degree of repetition in both subject matter and phraseology, and the second is a degree of the prosaic in the writing. Unsure what to make of Lapwing, I put it aside … Continue reading “Lapwing” & “Sky Mall”
“Real Time”
Without possessing an understanding of the cultural nuances relating to Indian life, I am sure I'm missing a lot of the subtleties in Amit Chaudhuri's collection of short stories, Real Time. Having said that, two things about the collection bother me. The first is how so many of the stories seem to 'fizzle out', lacking … Continue reading “Real Time”
“Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams”
Knowing what became of her it is difficult not to read Sylvia Plath through a ready-made filter. Having said that, there is enough darkness and foreboding in Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams to at least hint at what was to later transpire. Perhaps more than anyone else, the legend of her life is … Continue reading “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams”
“Joy in Service on Rue Tagore”
Well, I'm sorry, but I've given up on Paul Muldoon's new collection Joy in Service on the Rue Tagore. And the reason? Partly because I've no idea in terms of what's going on in most of the poems, but largely because they read as if the poet has sat down with a copy of a … Continue reading “Joy in Service on Rue Tagore”
“Prophet Song”
[It will be impossible to write this without spoilers of some kind...] Paul Lunch's Prophet Song is a difficult read. Not in the way it is written (though some people will struggle with how he handles dialogue) but because of its unrelenting agony, a depression that builds unremittingly, such that - even half-way through - … Continue reading “Prophet Song”
“May Day”
There's a warning right there on the back cover blurb: "one of the UK's most cherished poets". Whatever that means. But really? Not for me, I'm afraid. Too much 'listing' for my taste, and a great deal of personal reflection with which it is impossible for the reader to associate. All this compounded by dated … Continue reading “May Day”
Ian Gouge - Writer 