'State of Wonder' by Ann Patchett
26 January 2024
Having recently discovered the work of the American novelist Ann Patchett - her novel ‘Bel Canto’ (reviewed here in December 2023) was one of my Picks of the Year for 2023 - my expectations were high as I started reading her 2011 novel ‘State of Wonder’. I wasn’t disappointed: ‘State of Wonder’ is another clever, intriguing and surprising tale that moves in directions you don’t expect but always feels believable, particularly in the realistic portrayal of its key characters. Marina Singh is a scientist working for a pharmaceutical firm in Minnesota. When she hears of the death of one of her closest colleagues while he was visiting a research project in the Amazon rainforest she travels to Brazil to find out exactly what happened - taking her far out of her comfort zone. The descriptions of her first few days adjusting to life in Manaus reminded me of my own work trips to Brazil and Cuba. ‘State of Wonder’ is a gripping story which is thought-provoking, unexpected and intelligent. I’m both wishing I had discovered Ann Patchett sooner and relishing the prospect of having her extensive back catologue to work through.
Labels: Books
Tom Robinson
19 January 2024
As we set out to see his concert at The Stables in Wavendon last Saturday, even as long-time fans of Tom Robinson it felt perhaps a little soon to be seeing him again only nine weeks since we were at his gig at Storey's Field Centre in Cambridge. But that had been a solo performance and Saturday’s performance with his full band was a very different experience, and proved to be one of the best Tom Robinson gigs we have been to for many years. The Stables was packed: as I looked around the auditorium it was clear that his audience is now almost entirely middle-aged or older but I did spot five young women sitting together near the side of the stage. Once the support act started it quickly became clear that those young women were not there to see Tom Robinson! As I’ve mentioned here before Tom always uses his shows to introduce young musicians he has been championing on his BBC 6 Music radio show and this time the support slot was reserved for Bollo Bollo - a 4 piece indie/alternative rock band based in Buckinghamshire. It must have been a strange experience for them to be playing to a sell-out Tom Robinson audience but they - and their fan club - seemed genuinely thrilled to have been given this opportunity. When Tom Robinson and his band came on stage, after their first number Tom’s bass guitar stopped working, and there was a nice moment where the young bass player from Bollo Bollo managed to look simultaneously thrilled and slightly nervous about lending his instrument to Tom Robinson. Tom was in good form and the band were really rocking - particularly in ‘2-4-6-8 Motorway’ and ‘Up Against the Wall’. It was also lovely to hear Lee Forysth Griffiths (now a regular member of Tom’s band) sing one of his own songs: we first saw Lee as the support act for Tom Robinson at The Stables in about 2001.
Labels: Concerts, Music
'The Housekeepers' by Alex Hay
12 January 2024
In his novel 'The Housekeepers' (which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Jasmine Blackborow) Alex Hay transports the classic heist movie plot to Edwardian London where an all female gang led by a recently dismissed housekeeper plan to strip the house of her former employer of all of its possessions. Planning to do this at the moment the house is full of people (for a society ball) appears ridiculously ambitious or deliberately foolhardy. But, much like the Spanish Netflix series 'Money Heist', this is a meticulously calculated enterprise, which turns out to be about more than simple revenge or monetary gain. Reviews of 'The Housekeepers' led me to expect a comic caper but, while the novel has some gentle humour, it's actually quite a dark story. Alex Hay creates a very likeable gang of well drawn, flawed but sympathetic characters. And this beautifully written, carefully researched period piece gives an insight into life above and below stairs in Edwardian London.
Labels: Books
'Dead Lions' by Mick Herron
4 January 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Slow Horses’, the opening book of Mick Herron's spy novel series (reviewed here in November 2023) so I was looking forward to reading the sequel ‘Dead Lions’ and it didn't disappoint. ‘Dead Lions’ further establishes the team of disgraced former spies operating out of Slough House in London, under the unconventional leadership of Jackson Lamb - an anti-hero in the mould of Long John Silver, Fagin or Logan Roy. ‘Dead Lions’ is a cleverly plotted novel with multiple strands and a series of bluffs and counter-bluffs. You are never quite sure whether you've worked out the answer to the riddle, or just what the other side wants you to think the answer is in order to distract you from what they are really doing. It’s nicely written, with a nod to Dickens in the descriptions of Slough House that bookend the novel through the eyes of two imagined four-legged intruders. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and I'm determined to read the novels before I start to watch the ‘Slow Horses’ TV series.
Labels: Books
