We passed around another book by him last year. It was about crimes in a vinyard, where the body was discovered in a vat of wine. The book was 'the Critic'
Reclusive scientist washes ashore with no memory. In trying to find out who he is, and simultaneously his daughter looking for him, he awakens the big business forces against him. It ends with an Agatha Chrisitie everybody gathered together in one room scenario, then a shootout at the OK corrall, then the Cavalry arrives, and Nature rises up to wash away two baddies. Some unexplained things- Who killed the godfather, where did the suitcase of money in the loft come from?
A good concept - a serious message about the bee problem.
Reminiscent of Jason Bourne from the Robert Ludlum stories, an Amnesiac who keeps finding a bit about himself and his powers.
Mysterious wathcer, who is revealed at the end as the statistician member of the team. good one!
Second partner who is the bad guy suborned by money from the big bad business. What was Billy's motivation?
Why did third partner go to the remote lighthouse island to be killed by Billy?
A lovely big red herring in that he beleives himself to be the person whose ID he has found (who happens to be a colleague who died) and the daughter of this colleague doesn't recognize him. The Author deliberately set out to trick us with that?
Was Karen's godfather who gave her the letter early and was killed in a car crash accidentally killed or was it deliberate?
An enjoyable but irritating book was one comment. Not a deep read (Thank goodness for once)
Marks 7 and just a bit
Friday 31 May 2019
Thursday 30 May 2019
2019-April Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This month we had a new thing for us as we had a WhatsApp conference with Chris and Ali who were away on holiday.
Here are the comments that I noted as we talked:
- Too many Pages
- Too much talking about race
Interesting perspective about being non-american black in US of A.
- Lots of explanations needed about how she got to US of A.
- Discussion about difficulty of pronouncing names when we have never seen them before, leading into the complexities of the English language. Not just us but also in the media too.
- Did enjoy it very much, though contrived at times. Fascinating about the class system in Nigeria.
- Learnt a lot about African hair. - Lots of discussion about hair
Other african things we have watched/read
TV - The Widow (March-April 2019)
Heart of Darkness
Blood River
- Interesting take on B. Obama - too light/too dark for either camp
- Relationship with Aunt
- Threads keep comng back - echos of other relationships
Marks: 8-7-6-7-9 --> 7 Peter did not get on with the book, though the writing was easy to read,
Peter & Ali - no score.
Here are the comments that I noted as we talked:
- Too many Pages
- Too much talking about race
Interesting perspective about being non-american black in US of A.
- Lots of explanations needed about how she got to US of A.
- Discussion about difficulty of pronouncing names when we have never seen them before, leading into the complexities of the English language. Not just us but also in the media too.
- Did enjoy it very much, though contrived at times. Fascinating about the class system in Nigeria.
- Learnt a lot about African hair. - Lots of discussion about hair
Other african things we have watched/read
TV - The Widow (March-April 2019)
Heart of Darkness
Blood River
- Interesting take on B. Obama - too light/too dark for either camp
- Relationship with Aunt
- Threads keep comng back - echos of other relationships
Marks: 8-7-6-7-9 --> 7 Peter did not get on with the book, though the writing was easy to read,
Peter & Ali - no score.
Thursday 2 May 2019
2019- March - Rebels and Traitors, a Epic Novel of the English Civil war by Lindsey Davis
A long book, but it kept me reading. It was very detailed about the battles of the English Civil war, but didn't really tell how Cromwell came to be the Protector. It showed what a difficult task he had trying to put Britain together after the war.
The story is the entwinement of four major characters from their upbringing through to adulthood and making their lives. There is Gideon Jukes, apprenticed to a printer, who joins the Parliamentary army and fights all over England, Orlando Lovell, a Royalist, and his plotting and scheming who somehow stays alive through it all, Juliana who marries Him and has to put up with never knowing where he is, and the tyke Kinchin Tew from Birmingham who shows the very poor side of things and is a thief, nearly a prostitute and eventually a brewer.
After the war, with Gideon and Juliana trying to settle down together and Lovell thought dead, but still plotting against Parliament, it all comes to a head with perhaps a weak ending. But I give it a mark of 9. It could have used more maps, not so much of the country, but of London.
The story is the entwinement of four major characters from their upbringing through to adulthood and making their lives. There is Gideon Jukes, apprenticed to a printer, who joins the Parliamentary army and fights all over England, Orlando Lovell, a Royalist, and his plotting and scheming who somehow stays alive through it all, Juliana who marries Him and has to put up with never knowing where he is, and the tyke Kinchin Tew from Birmingham who shows the very poor side of things and is a thief, nearly a prostitute and eventually a brewer.
After the war, with Gideon and Juliana trying to settle down together and Lovell thought dead, but still plotting against Parliament, it all comes to a head with perhaps a weak ending. But I give it a mark of 9. It could have used more maps, not so much of the country, but of London.
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