From an historical point of view this book has a lot going for it, but sadly the premise was let down by the execution and after a while I found myselFrom an historical point of view this book has a lot going for it, but sadly the premise was let down by the execution and after a while I found myself skim reading it as it failed to engage me. It tells of the relationship between a young deaf girl, Ellen Lark, and the inventor Alexander Graham Bell. I was interested to learn that not only did he invent the telephone but was also concerned in something called Visible Speech (this is never satisfactorily explained) and the focus is on Ellen’s travails with learning to communicate at a time when sign language was not widely accepted. The issue of deafness and the way deaf people were once perceived is well handled, and the social commentary about the deaf world is fascinating. The prejudices of the time, and still to some extent of our time, are sympathetically portrayed. But the actual story line does not flow. It jumps about in time and place and is sometimes so opaque it’s difficult to follow it. The dual timeline doesn’t help. A shame, because this could have been a much better book, as there is a lot to learn here, but it was too long-winded and although the author shows great insight, she didn’t keep a tight enough control of her material. ...more
Waco, Texas, 1993. The self-styled prophet the Lamb attracts followers from all over, who come to prepare with him for the End Times. Teenage Jaye’s mWaco, Texas, 1993. The self-styled prophet the Lamb attracts followers from all over, who come to prepare with him for the End Times. Teenage Jaye’s mother is one of them, totally duped by the Lamb’s charisma and vision. 14 year old Roy is the sheriff’s youngest son. He falls for Jaye, and when she leaves to go to the compound with her mother, is determined to save her come what may. Based on real-life events, the siege of Branch Davidian, the author claims that the Lamb is not about David Koresh, but this feels disingenuous to me. Why set the book in Waco and have a similar siege if you don’t want the reader to make the obvious connection? Certainly comparisons are inevitable, and in fact this makes the novel even more chilling. Be that as it may, I found the book a compelling narrative overall, with a few provisos. I thought the dysfunctional situation within the cult was accurate (as far as I can tell) and authentic. What I found less compelling was the Romeo and Juliet relationship between the two young people. Roy was convincing, but Jaye less so, as she felt too knowing to be a real teenager. What really spoilt the book for me, however, was the epilogue, when all is neatly tied up. It just didn’t make sense. I can’t really spell it out, in order not to give anything away, but I think it would have been better to have an inconclusive ending rather than one which left the reader with too many unanswered questions. I simply didn’t find it convincing. However, I did enjoy the book and was invested in the characters and their plight. A good read. ...more
I almost gave up with this violent sprawling narrative set over fifty years of Israeli history, because my initial interest was vitiated by the non-stI almost gave up with this violent sprawling narrative set over fifty years of Israeli history, because my initial interest was vitiated by the non-stop killings, beatings and torture that pepper the first chapters. The violence continues throughout the book and although I did come to accept it up to a point, feeling that it was indeed necessary for the author’s intentions, I still didn’t find this a comfortable or compelling read. Drug dealing, drug cartels, arms smuggling, corrupt politicians and corrupt policemen, ruthless murders, gangsters – it goes on and on. It’s an ambitious and kaleidoscopic state of the nation novel, with multiple characters, multiple plotlines, multiple locations, a tale of corruption, war, business and always ruthless murder. On a personal level I found it all just too much. The one constant thread uniting all the many disparate threads is the unsavoury character of Cohen, and I couldn’t relate to him at all. As a portrait of the shadier and more disreputable side of Israeli life, it feels authentic, and certainly the author claims that everything in the book is true. Many real life characters appear, even if only in cameo, and many others are composites or inspired by real people. On the basis of this book there’s something deeply rotten in the state of Israel, and overall I didn’t enjoy it.
Merged review:
I almost gave up with this violent sprawling narrative set over fifty years of Israeli history, because my initial interest was vitiated by the non-stop killings, beatings and torture that pepper the first chapters. The violence continues throughout the book and although I did come to accept it up to a point, feeling that it was indeed necessary for the author’s intentions, I still didn’t find this a comfortable or compelling read. Drug dealing, drug cartels, arms smuggling, corrupt politicians and corrupt policemen, ruthless murders, gangsters – it goes on and on. It’s an ambitious and kaleidoscopic state of the nation novel, with multiple characters, multiple plotlines, multiple locations, a tale of corruption, war, business and always ruthless murder. On a personal level I found it all just too much. The one constant thread uniting all the many disparate threads is the unsavoury character of Cohen, and I couldn’t relate to him at all. As a portrait of the shadier and more disreputable side of Israeli life, it feels authentic, and certainly the author claims that everything in the book is true. Many real life characters appear, even if only in cameo, and many others are composites or inspired by real people. On the basis of this book there’s something deeply rotten in the state of Israel, and overall I didn’t enjoy it....more
An intriguing novel about obsession set in Madrid. Hanna has come to the city from her native Sweden to work as an intern at the Prado, where she is tAn intriguing novel about obsession set in Madrid. Hanna has come to the city from her native Sweden to work as an intern at the Prado, where she is tasked with cataloguing items in the archives. One day whilst exploring Madrid she notices a close-knit group of three friends – Tom, Samuel and Leah – and is immediately attracted to them. She begins to stalk them and eventually manages to infiltrate their circle. It is soon apparent that they are fabulously wealthy and Hanna simply can’t compete, but so determined is she to remain their friend that she will go to any lengths to be accepted. As the novel progresses it is clear to the reader, if not to Hanna, that they don’t really accept her, but so desperate is she that she gets carried along with their plans. It will, of course, end in tears. Overall I found it a compelling fast-paced narrative which held my interest, although after a while it became somewhat repetitive and also, quite frankly, bizarre. Many of the incidents stretched my credulity and seemed to be filler rather than an integral part of the plot. For me the basic enigma was why Hanna allowed herself to become so obsessed. She’s obviously mentally unbalanced but this is never fully explored although some of her back story is filled in. Nor could I understand why she felt the need to be accepted by this obnoxious trio of unpleasant characters. Her other obsession, the paintings of Goya, isn’t integrated fully into the story arc, and seemed extraneous to the plot – unless it’s to give her a credible back story as an art historian. However, much of this came to me after I’d finished the book, as while I was actually reading it I was pretty much invested in the whole sorry escapade. An unsettling and disturbing read but not a wholly successful one. ...more
I’d never heard of this tragic event, which happened in 1949 in New Jersey and which is billed here as America’s first recorded mass shooting. How sadI’d never heard of this tragic event, which happened in 1949 in New Jersey and which is billed here as America’s first recorded mass shooting. How sadly familiar those words “mass shooting” have become these many years later. It’s a well-written and well-researched account, insightful and non-judgemental, and narrated form multiple points of view, with much background information setting the scene. I found the account interesting, although it was somewhat repetitive at times and I think could have been more tightly told. But anyone who enjoys true crime will find it a gripping read, and I enjoyed learning about the people involved. ...more
A hospital scandal in Denmark is minutely detailed in this meticulously researched account of how a nurse was suspected of poisoning her patients afteA hospital scandal in Denmark is minutely detailed in this meticulously researched account of how a nurse was suspected of poisoning her patients after one in particular died unexpectedly and suspicion was aroused. Christina Aistrup Hansen was convicted and imprisoned, but still maintains her innocence. It’s a suspenseful and gripping narrative on the whole, although I felt it strayed into unnecessary and extraneous detail at times, which slowed the impetus. A great read for lovers of true crime everywhere, not least in the UK where a nurse is currently (2024) under investigation for potentially killing her patients. Well written overall, but a trifle too long. ...more
The Forest Park Conservatory of Music. A community of musicians troubled by little more than the inevitable professional jealousies and rivalries. UntThe Forest Park Conservatory of Music. A community of musicians troubled by little more than the inevitable professional jealousies and rivalries. Until one night a graduate student is raped. What follows is a suspenseful and tense murder mystery which kept my attention to the end – and also kept me guessing. It’s well-written and well-paced, though perhaps a little overlong, and a bit too dependent on dialogue to move the narrative along. They sure do like to talk and expound, these musicians. However, overall a compelling and entertaining read.
Merged review:
The Forest Park Conservatory of Music. A community of musicians troubled by little more than the inevitable professional jealousies and rivalries. Until one night a graduate student is raped. What follows is a suspenseful and tense murder mystery which kept my attention to the end – and also kept me guessing. It’s well-written and well-paced, though perhaps a little overlong, and a bit too dependent on dialogue to move the narrative along. They sure do like to talk and expound, these musicians. However, overall a compelling and entertaining read....more
In a remote Swiss alpine village feed is running low and the town council meets to decide whether to open up the pastures on the mountain. Some mysterIn a remote Swiss alpine village feed is running low and the town council meets to decide whether to open up the pastures on the mountain. Some mystery surrounds these pastures. Something terrible happened 20 years ago and the older inhabitants are against going up there again. However, the younger members of the community decide they should go in order to make some extra income, and they are not as fearful as their elders. So seven villagers go to spend the summer up on the mountain, tend the cattle and make cheese. However, things start to go wrong and they become more and more afraid. The events of 20 years before are never fully explained, but as a sense of menace grows it looks as though something equally terrible is about to occur. The tension is expertly built up and sustained as the reader as well as the villagers contend with the unknown. The cattle start to fall sick and quarantine is imposed, adding to the fear and isolation of the herders. It’s an enigmatic tale, with little spelt out for the reader. Nature is seen as malevolent and far more powerful than man. The mountain is a character in its own right and no one can withstand its intentions. The lyrical descriptions of nature are offset by its terrifying power. A changing perspective adds to the sense of unease, and repetition of key phrases is used to good effect. It’s a haunting and claustrophobic tale, expertly paced, understated and quite unforgettable. A small gem. ...more
It’s possible that there is a generational divide here, but I am so tired of reading about solipsistic, self-obsessed young people who lead self-indulIt’s possible that there is a generational divide here, but I am so tired of reading about solipsistic, self-obsessed young people who lead self-indulgent lifestyles, drinking excessively, taking drugs and engaging in frequent sexual encounters whilst lacking any sense of responsibility or commitment and seemingly unable to communicate with each other in any meaningful way. Perhaps I’m just too old to relate to them, but surely a good writer should be able to convince me that they are in fact worth reading about. This book singularly failed for me. I couldn’t have cared less about any of the shallow characters depicted within and found myself skipping large chunks towards the end. There are too many superfluous characters who have little to do with the main narrative drive – and indeed there isn’t much of a narrative drive in any case. The novel covers one long tedious weekend in the hot summer of 2019 in London as the motley crew attempt to grapple with the usual range of issues of contemporary life with remarkably little success except to make themselves and others miserable. There’s nothing new here, no new insight, and the inclusion of a whale as symbol is never fully explored. If you’re going to include a whale, then please make it count for something. I accept that the writing isn’t bad, but the whole thing seemed banal and pointless to me. ...more
In this powerful and moving semi-fictional narrative, Wayne Karlin imagines what might have happened to them if his Jewish family hadn't managed to emIn this powerful and moving semi-fictional narrative, Wayne Karlin imagines what might have happened to them if his Jewish family hadn't managed to emigrate to America in the 1930s but had instead stayed in their native Poland when war arrived. He speculates what life would have been like for them and how events would have transpired in his mother’s village of Kolno where the whole family would have been massacred. He poignantly describes Jewish daily life there, already difficult with anti-Semitism and pogroms the norm. The story focuses on Elazar, a renowned boxer, and his love for Rahel, the daughter of a smuggler. When Elazar is almost trapped into an unwelcome marriage with a wealthy widow, he and Rahel decide to run away and go to America. But it turns out the price is too high and they are forced to return to the village, where they receive a luke-warm welcome. Everyone feels they should have taken their chance to escape. Gradually they settle back down into village life, but the Nazis are on the doorstep and once they arrive all hell breaks loose for the Jewish population. In actuality Karlin’s parents did escape, but by reimagining their lives in this way he gives voice to all those who stayed and perished, and the final scenes of the book are graphic in their detail and emotionally harrowing. A Genizah is a storage area in a Jewish synagogue or cemetery where worn out Hebrew religious texts are kept until a proper burial is possible, and here relates to all those Jews who themselves never had a proper burial, and who now exist in such a temporary holding place. A chilling metaphor in a chilling narrative, one which I occasionally found overwritten and overly lyrical, with some less than convincing episodes (mainly concerning Elazar’s and Rahel’s initial escape) but which overall I found a compelling imaginative re-working of an all too familiar tragedy. ...more
Traumatised by the sinking of the vessel he commands, David Aguilera is finding it hard to comes to terms with what happened and to readjust to familyTraumatised by the sinking of the vessel he commands, David Aguilera is finding it hard to comes to terms with what happened and to readjust to family life. Hampered by his inability to express what he’s feelings, he begins to alienate his wife and children and everything seems to be spiralling out of control. How he begins to work through it all is the subject of this short but complex novel, which tackles issues of guilt, responsibility, redemption and identity – which in David’s case is made even more complicated by his having been adopted into a Catholic family when his Jewish mother was forced to give him up. I can’t help feeling that the book was a bit too ambitious as it tries to cover so many themes. I found the military episodes when David is forced to escape from hostile forces after the shipwreck – I couldn’t quite work out who was fighting whom and why – particularly confusing and they slowed the narrative for me. But overall I enjoyed this exploration of a soul in anguish and found it convincing in its description of mental breakdown. Another Fairlight Modern gem....more
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