I received Any Human Heart (William Boyd) for Christmas and, judging by appearances, was not enthused. The cover, title, and blurb conjured a 500-page image of an effete aristocrat mooning over poetry and having a string of languorous affairs with glamorously disinterested prostitutes.I trepidatiously made a start and was instantly hooked and remained enthralled to the very end.Logan Mountstuart tells the story of his life through a series of intermittent journal entries spanning his final days of public school in the 1920s to his death in the final decade of the century. Along the way there are triumphs and there are tragedies. The mix of the incredible and the banal, combining in an always-compelling arc, are a testament to Boyd's skill.
Quote from: TobyD on February 23, 2024, 05:29:52 pm Damascus Station is a brilliant spy novel.I very rarely (basically never) read spy/thriller novels but just really enjoyed Eric Ambler's class The Mask of Dimitrios, almost more of a shaggy dog story than a spy novel (but maybe all spy stories are also shaggy dog stories, to some extent?).
Damascus Station is a brilliant spy novel.
Quote from: Will Hunt on February 24, 2024, 09:08:22 amI received Any Human Heart (William Boyd) for Christmas and, judging by appearances, was not enthused. The cover, title, and blurb conjured a 500-page image of an effete aristocrat mooning over poetry and having a string of languorous affairs with glamorously disinterested prostitutes.I trepidatiously made a start and was instantly hooked and remained enthralled to the very end.Logan Mountstuart tells the story of his life through a series of intermittent journal entries spanning his final days of public school in the 1920s to his death in the final decade of the century. Along the way there are triumphs and there are tragedies. The mix of the incredible and the banal, combining in an always-compelling arc, are a testament to Boyd's skill.I have read a lot of Boyd's novels and they have all been brilliant, although not that one yet, I'm looking forward to it now. .
Quote from: TobyD on February 24, 2024, 05:41:43 pmQuote from: Will Hunt on February 24, 2024, 09:08:22 amI received Any Human Heart (William Boyd) for Christmas and, judging by appearances, was not enthused. The cover, title, and blurb conjured a 500-page image of an effete aristocrat mooning over poetry and having a string of languorous affairs with glamorously disinterested prostitutes.I trepidatiously made a start and was instantly hooked and remained enthralled to the very end.Logan Mountstuart tells the story of his life through a series of intermittent journal entries spanning his final days of public school in the 1920s to his death in the final decade of the century. Along the way there are triumphs and there are tragedies. The mix of the incredible and the banal, combining in an always-compelling arc, are a testament to Boyd's skill.I have read a lot of Boyd's novels and they have all been brilliant, although not that one yet, I'm looking forward to it now. .This was my first. Will definitely be back for more.
Anyone read Prophet Song by Paul Lynch yet? Flippin 'eck.
I have ordered a copy (off Amazon, sorry) for my 9 year old who is an avid reader... Will let you know what he thinks (probably in a couple of days once he has devoured it!)
Hi folks, Hope you don't mind me promoting myself here.I have just self-published my first book. A 200 page adventure novel for children set in Northwest Scotland called The Flitspace. Here is the short blurb:Ru-um and his younger brother Cali, on holiday in Northwest Scotland, go missing while on a walk to an ancient, ruined broch. Last seen with the mysterious girl, Amelia, they are eventually found several days later, unharmed, but with Cali now inexplicably older than Ru-um.The story follows the boys and Amelia as they venture deep under the broch and through The Flitspace into another version of Scotland very different from the one they're familiar with.It's listed on amazon for readers 9-11 but is a fine adventure story for any reader 8 and up (some great reviews from adult readers too). Of particular interest to anyone that has ever visited that beautiful coastline, and will certainly inspire those that haven't to do so. It even features a short climbing scene!It can be ordered from Waterstones, Amazon etc but I would really appreciate it if anyone that did want a copy ordered from the publisher Troubador direct as then i can recover my costs a bit quicker. Thanks folks!https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/young-children/the-flitspace(and for the record I agree about Babel)
I've just finished a book I think a lot of people here might enjoy (indeed, might have read already). In 1950s Togo, a young boy has a nearly deadly encounter with a snake, recovering he reads a book about Greenland and becomes obsessed with travelling there. In 1958, aged 16, he ran away from home and spent the next eight years working his way through Africa and Europe before eventually reaching Greenland in 1964. In Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland Tété-Michel Kpomassie tells the remarkable (true) story of that journey and, in particular, the eighteen months he spent living among the inidigenous Greenlanders, by whom he seems to have been welcomed without question. It is a rich, vivid, and humane portrayal both of the author as a young man and of a culture even then coming under immense pressure
Quote from: andy popp on December 02, 2023, 10:00:40 amI've just finished a book I think a lot of people here might enjoy (indeed, might have read already). In 1950s Togo, a young boy has a nearly deadly encounter with a snake, recovering he reads a book about Greenland and becomes obsessed with travelling there. In 1958, aged 16, he ran away from home and spent the next eight years working his way through Africa and Europe before eventually reaching Greenland in 1964. In Michel the Giant: An African in Greenland Tété-Michel Kpomassie tells the remarkable (true) story of that journey and, in particular, the eighteen months he spent living among the inidigenous Greenlanders, by whom he seems to have been welcomed without question. It is a rich, vivid, and humane portrayal both of the author as a young man and of a culture even then coming under immense pressure Just finished this. Really enjoyed it, but thought/ hoped it would cover more of his amazing journey to get there than his time spent there. Either way, a fascinating and enjoyable read.