Excellent account of the years leading up to and following 1066. The book is very easy to read and very well written – with a distinctive and deliberaExcellent account of the years leading up to and following 1066. The book is very easy to read and very well written – with a distinctive and deliberate style which at each stage picks out the different sources and interpretations and the author’s reason for choosing between them (with obviously biased sources, things which are denied for no reason are assumed to be true as are things mentioned to the detriment of their “side”). Rather than being clumsy the informal way in which the author does this makes the book very readable and simultaneously an excellent account of both the history and the historian’s process....more
Book on solution (rather than product) selling and how it has now evolved, partly but not exclusively due to the impact of the economic crisis.
The auBook on solution (rather than product) selling and how it has now evolved, partly but not exclusively due to the impact of the economic crisis.
The authors’ company’s detailed research shows: firstly that sellers can be clustered into: challenger, reactive problem solver, relationship builder, lone wolf, hard worker; secondly that among top performers challengers are over represented and relationship builders under-represented.
The book is centred around the concept of challengers who have three core skills: teaching for differentiation (giving the customer compelling insights which challenge the customer’s thinking while also speaking to an issue they have and which in turn where the seller’s firm has the critical solution); tailoring for resonance (including the idea that its more important to gather stakeholders across an organisation that then influence the C-suite decision maker, rather than just targeting the latter); taking control of the sale (including emphasising value, controlling the process from the start and making it easy for the customer to buy, having pre-thought negotiation strategies). The authors then show that this has an impact on marketing and product developers who need to give the clear insights and compelling solution to sellers.
The book then discusses sales management: based on further research they find that key skills for a sales manager are: planned and purposeful coaching (as a way of improving the performance of mid-rankers and motivating and retaining high performers); innovation – delivering insights into how to revive, clinch or turn around a difficult sale. A though provoking book – which uses its own techniques on the reader.
A short and easy to read novel, with a very distinctive style, told in both an unusual person and tense, the opening sentence “Pereira maintains he meA short and easy to read novel, with a very distinctive style, told in both an unusual person and tense, the opening sentence “Pereira maintains he met him one Sunny day” through to the closing “there was no time to lose, Pereira maintains” the whole style is of a present tense report by an unknown and absent narrator of Pereira’s past tense account of the story. This adds to the rhythm of the book, and over its short length is not jarring. It also adds to the sense of melancholy in the novel. Very enjoyable....more
Very different account of the Armstrong conspiracy by two non-cycling journalists who followed the story for many years – and unlike cycling commentatVery different account of the Armstrong conspiracy by two non-cycling journalists who followed the story for many years – and unlike cycling commentators and journalists had no reason to protect the Armstrong myth. Light on cycling information (and often simplistic or slightly striking an off-note when the cycling is covered) buy very strong on the sponsors, trainers, lawyers around Armstrong and on what drove them to not question what was clearly already in the public domain about Armstrong’s doping, as well as on the tangled web of connections, financial interests and conflicts of interest around him.
A strange book. It was written (as Shriver tells us in a very confident if not arrogant afterword) well before 9-11 but attracted no interest then dueA strange book. It was written (as Shriver tells us in a very confident if not arrogant afterword) well before 9-11 but attracted no interest then due Shriver says to a lack of interest in terrorism. After 9-11 the book's satirical nature (Shriver uses the words "funny" and "playful" but the book is anything but) made it unpublishable. She admits her own fame with "... Kevin ..." also made publication easier.
The treatment of terrorism is interesting - Shriver clearly believes strongly that terrorists are given too much attention and influence (she rails against the way that one failed shoe bomber affects aircraft passengers globally and indefinitely by prolonging security checks) and makes the assertion that were terrorists to ask for achievable goals (rather than a worldwide caliphate) the West would capitulate.
However a number of areas mar the book: the satire is often clumsy and jars with the book's basic unpleasantness (not of the subject matter but of the almost universally unlikeable characters and often nasty and pointed dialogue, internal dialogue and descriptions); the characters are an unconvincing mix of English and American mannerisms with almost Dick van Dyke level of authenticity of the English; the basic premise of huge unclaimed atrocities simply doesn't correspond to reality; the other theme - the reasons for charisma, the burden of being popular, is forced, uninteresting and unconvincing....more
Story set in the near future - a world transformed by bio-tech and computing power but subject in the free world to a high level of police surveillancStory set in the near future - a world transformed by bio-tech and computing power but subject in the free world to a high level of police surveillance and control. Individual rights (e.g. women's rights) have been subsumed into the rights of society to make the right choices for people (with in particular control of pregnancy and even pre-pregnancy effectively turning women back into domestic slaves with intrusive monitoring of their health and lifestyle choices) and free market doctrines replaced by a doctrine of society deciding the choice people would make if they were fully informed and acting rationally.
Hope is pregnant with her second child and (as with the first) refuses to take the fix, a pill which effectively corrects any genetic defects in a baby including conferring immunity from most infections. A recent legal case means that this, without a faith objection which the militantly atheist Hope refuses to claim, is close to illegal. Her case is taken up by a journalist and social campaigner and this starts to trigger police surveillance and this together with her refusal to take the fix (but never explicitly due to that) leads her to fear she will be declared an unfit mother and flee with her husband to his Scottish Island home. Her husband (and his father and their young son) all have a form of second sight which over the story seems to be linked with some form of tachyon particles travelling back in time to which they are genetically disposed to be sensitive.
The family are pursued by police and nearly escape into a strange parallel (or more likely future) world her husband saw as a boy - he decides not to flee to it (not least as Hope can't see it) but does thrown an illegal gun he has there - possession of this has he and Hope arrested and interrogated on terrorism charges, only to be released when his father discovers the gun in his house, presumably having retrieved it from the other land.
In many ways a very interesting story - with an interesting take on a logical extension of a combination of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness policies and a convincing geo-political future. It also conveys very well what happens when ordinary people get caught up in anti-terrorist actions and the police state. The second sight story line becomes increasingly dominant and largely ruins the story and there are some crucial illogicalities (why was his father not monitored when he retrieved the gun and most crucially why in the future world is reproduction not asexual or at least artificially engendered)....more
Book concentrating on Ellingworth's road coaching career (establishing the academy, working at Sky, working on Team GB) but all focused on the aims ofBook concentrating on Ellingworth's road coaching career (establishing the academy, working at Sky, working on Team GB) but all focused on the aims of a Worlds man's road race gold medal in 2011 and Olympic medal in 2012. Reading a book on Team GB techniques entirely focused on the road is interesting. Ellingworth's main techniques including: breaking down a goals into the different steps needed to achieve it, and then the steps to achieve those etc; strict discipline with youngsters and amateurs; listening to those he is coaching (especially when they are more senior) and respecting their requirements (letting them develop the rules and for example selection criteria, allowing for the reality of a professional lifestyle so that training camps aren't compulsory); understanding the differences between people; motivating people to focus on a goal; a strong concentration on pre-planning of logistics. The only downside to the book is it can feel a little repetitive as although the timeline is moving on, Ellingworth's approach and pre-occupations are constant.
Engrossing tale of the Dreyfus Affair told from the point of view of Georges Picquart - an up and coming army officer who for his initial assistance wEngrossing tale of the Dreyfus Affair told from the point of view of Georges Picquart - an up and coming army officer who for his initial assistance with the enquiry and trial of Dreyfus is promoted to head of the Intelligence Division only to discover that the true traitor was instead Estherhazy and that Dreyfus was wrongly convicted. To his surprise and then horror, and despite his investigations being initially encouraged, the more it becomes clear that Dreyfus has been wrongly convicted the more his superiors, peers and subordinates in political, military and secret service circles seek to prevent his enquiries, resorting first to exiling him and then to blackmail and arrest as the affair increasingly divides a smaller group of Dreyfus adherents (including his family, left wing politicians, and literary figures such as Zola) from the majority of the establishment who see any attempt to clear Dreyfus as an attack on the military and the state. We follow the story through Picquart's exile to Africa, his heavy decision to leak details of his investigations to the Dreyfus adherents and a series of dramatic set-piece trials (Esterhazy's court-martial, Zola's libel suit, Dreyfus's retrial) where in each case and in defiance of the evidence the courts find against Picquart/Dreyfus (astonishingly in the last case as much of the anti-Dreyfus case had by then collapsed); with the eventual slow rehabilitation of Dreyfus and Picquart then playing out non-dramatically over a few years at the end of the book.
A really gripping book largely following the true events with some simplifications, but even then with a series of coincidences, confusing twists, unlikely outcomes, a sometimes bewildering cast of characters which if not true would make the story seem impossible. The book conveys extremely well the political developments in France which ultimately dictated the events of World War I (the tensions with Germany over the occupation of Alsace, the fear of their superior population and hence manpower and hence the need for: early mobilisation; a military biased society; the alliance with Tsarist Russia despite the clear political incompatibility). The character of Picquart and his competing tendencies (his ambition which leads to him becoming the youngest ever Colonel in the army, his fierce patriotism and anti-German feelings as an Alsatian exile, his sense of correctness and honour in matters of state and law, his ambiguous personal life with two mistresses - one married and reluctance for marriage) is a key and important part of the book.
The initial development of espionage (made possible by inventions such as the telegrams, early photography) and the growing powers it gives the secret service to monitor private correspondence and the abuses that gives rise to (as well as the demonisation as unpatriotic and damaging to the safety of the realm of those who seek to uncover those abuses) have dramatic parallels in the recent events of the Snowdon revelations....more
Reasonably entertaining but ultimately disappointing: the older, widowed mother of two Bridget is a fairly strong character, early on her tweeting andReasonably entertaining but ultimately disappointing: the older, widowed mother of two Bridget is a fairly strong character, early on her tweeting and texting neatly covers her diary and voice message obsession, the book has a nice dose of pathos; however what ruins it is the richness of Bridget and her friends and her seeming ability to attract first a young man and then an attractive and eligible ex-SAS teacher.
The effect of the novel is strange. The prose style is distinctive but hard to pin down – both sparse (with most action taking place off stage, short The effect of the novel is strange. The prose style is distinctive but hard to pin down – both sparse (with most action taking place off stage, short sentences, dialogue without speech marks or attribution, rapid listings of historical or political developments) and descriptive (almost overwroughtly lyrical and at times close to clichéd).
The novel has a strong start which seems to take the book into Rushdie territory (two twins with different outlooks on life seemingly as a metaphor for India’s decision whether to turn East or West/Left or Right) but then largely drops this after Udayan’ death.
Similarly we feel that we only really get to know the characters (especially Guari and Bella) and their motivations, and hear Udayan’s voice in the closing section of the book.
The main part of the book is much more of a typical arty American book set in Academia with little happening other than the usual dramas. The overall effect though is much greater than the sum of the parts....more
The first part of the book is set in a Zimbabwe shanty town Paradise where Darling and her friends live in Really a book of two parts and two styles.
The first part of the book is set in a Zimbabwe shanty town Paradise where Darling and her friends live in extreme poverty raiding white areas for guavas. The book captures well the mix of childhood fun and the surrounding horrors and has interesting and authentic seeming insights but feels like at times a check list of all African themes (a black raid on a White area; a faith preacher; a witchdoctor; Chinese construction; political excitement followed by disillusionment when the opposition parties don’t win followed by an attack on the key opposition ringleader ; South African mines; a father that dies of AIDS; child rape; NGOs distributing gifts and taking photos of children ashamed of the clothes they are wearing; reporters and journalists covering a political funeral, relatives abroad).
Then Charity moves to America to live with her Aunt – this section reflects on the life of immigrants missing Africa, disillusioned that they can’t access the full American dream, losing connections with those left in Africa although pestered by them for money but is weaker as it has some strange episodes particularly a relative who becomes more and more convinced he is back in Africa as a witch doctor.
An easy and enjoyable read but not really a gripping one – perhaps more like a series of short stories than a coherent novel....more
Very short tale narrated by Mary in Ephesus harangued by (it seems) two of the gospel writers to help them write their stories and reflecting on her sVery short tale narrated by Mary in Ephesus harangued by (it seems) two of the gospel writers to help them write their stories and reflecting on her son’s death, baffled by his miracles - especially the mysterious resurrection of Lazarus and his transformation in confidence, in despair at the needy and inadequate disciples, ashamed at her fleeing from the cross to avoid arrest from a Roman/Jewish leader clamp down on all his followers, taking some consolation in Artemis.
The story has a symbolic setting: a peasant village in deep country evocative of 15th-16th Century England. The events of the work take place over oneThe story has a symbolic setting: a peasant village in deep country evocative of 15th-16th Century England. The events of the work take place over one week which includes the harvest festival.
Incredibly evocative book – the writing drips with the atmosphere of Harvest, of the rhythm of seasons and the timelessness of the villagers’ life, of the land and nature as an unceasing master. Key themes are: clearly the Enclosure and the abrupt change it engendered in an almost ageless bucolic lifestyle; creation and the fall – with ideas of labour, banishment, boundary stones, seven days, punishment visited on the innocent; belonging/kinship and exclusion....more
An involving, memorable book, packed (if not over packed) with ideas and themes – those addressed in the appendices are both implicit and explicit durAn involving, memorable book, packed (if not over packed) with ideas and themes – those addressed in the appendices are both implicit and explicit during the book: Nao/Ruth, Nao/her grandmother, her father and great uncle, Nao and her father are all entangled; the story at the end as well as Nao’s father’s device evoke parallel universes, and Ruth and her husband end by discussing different paths their own lives could have taken before concluding that for now they are happy in the universe they currently live in; as Ruth reads the book sequentially without skipping to the end, Nao and her father like Schrodinger’s cat remain suspended in uncertainty between death and life; Nao’s great grandmother’s thoughts lead Nao and then Ruth into Zen type contemplation.
A myriad of other themes and complexities are also woven in – for example identity and empathy in a world where everyone blogs (Milan Kundera thoughts on a world where everyone is a writer and no one a reader are explicitly woven in); bullies and victims; being an outsider – both Nao and Ruth on the small close knit Canadian island; the natural world and man’s interaction with it; time and existence – Nao is haunted by the idea of always living in the past, her journal is written inside a hacked out cover of “In search of Lost time” and she thinks of people as “time beings”, her own name is “Now” but she doesn’t understand how to experience the present...more
The most interesting part of the book is the portrayal of the development of the life insurance industry.
Mainly the book is written in a simple styleThe most interesting part of the book is the portrayal of the development of the life insurance industry.
Mainly the book is written in a simple style of very short sentences both in narrative and dialogue which makes it easy to read but also fails to really capture the reader's interest, given the subject matter isn't compatible with a thriller type narrative. It does however mean explanation of industry events/actuarial factors are not over long. There is one very different and slightly surreal episode where Majid camps out in Staple Inn and in a dream visits a number of famous actuaries in purgatory.
Although Majid is supposedly a brilliant mathematician he seems more a pedant pointing out trivial misunderstandings of non-mathematicians (pointing out than 10 or less could include 10, that halfing complaints and then halfing again would not eliminate complaints but leave a quarter of them). ...more
Complex and messy and overlong story of a complex and messy city with an overlong history – which passed between control of effectively everyone but tComplex and messy and overlong story of a complex and messy city with an overlong history – which passed between control of effectively everyone but the Jews for 2000 years until only really the Six Day War left them in charge. The author’s main aim is to show in particular the importance of the City to both Jews and Muslims (and bible believing, second coming focused Christians) and the truth of the involvement of each and the enduring importance to each side, in order to promote more tolerance and understanding and the ultimate realisation that Jerusalem will always need to be a shared city. ...more
The book reviews 500 years of European geo-political and military history, chronologically and in exhausting factual detail (albeit without really enoThe book reviews 500 years of European geo-political and military history, chronologically and in exhausting factual detail (albeit without really enough detail on any area or period to fully understand what was going on without reference to specialist sources).
The book has a small number of chapters – each covering decades or sometimes centuries of history and each with a helpful introduction and conclusion covering the meta-theme of the period.
The book has a very clear and explicit theme – that of the central tension between centralisation and independence and more particularly of the critical role of the Germanic area over 500 years, : another key theme is the obsession of both central and more outlying players with maintaining the balance of power on the Continent (which often lead to periodic changes of alignments as if for example France was too heavily supported to counter Austro-Hungary, the reverse was almost certainly necessary a little later); the book also takes it as read that foreign policy dictates domestic policy rather than the other way round (social advancements and debates about optimal forms of society are routinely explained as being based around increasing the ability to fund and raise war.
At times the author’s keenness to make it clear that all major historical events, even those in the US or those popularly believed to have a much more obvious cause originate in some policy decision about Germany, is almost comical.
He argues for example that: Germany was the cause of the great depression rather than a victim (based on an argument around an Austrian bank the French allowed to fail to thwart a German-Austrian union and which tipped the US over the edge); that the English Civil war was fought because Charles was seen as not protecting German princes.
He never misses an opportunity to quote a contemporary reference to the importance of Germany, while not ever acknowledging that there may be lots of references saying the opposite. (Interestingly the fall of communism, while clearly happening in Germany he attributes much more to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism supported by the US and the resulting distraction and diversion of Soviet resource into Afghanistan).
The book concludes with a list of questions at what he sees as a critical juncture for Europe in 2012 and posits that perhaps only an external threat can draw Europe together. Overall not an enjoyable read (as the book is simply too dry and the deluge of facts/names/wars/political alliances overwhelming) but a very worthwhile and intelligent one. ...more
Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer
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Books:
2013
(76)
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