James Metcalf on the fictionality of the latest archaeological page-turners
Stephen Puddicombe looks at the unusual appeal of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Ciaran Rafferty investigates the science of book classification
Alicia Walters reviews Ian McEwan's Saturday
Impressively, Ian McEwan takes just twenty-four hours to give us an engaging and thought-provoking study of the texture of society in his best-seller Saturday. This is a Saturday like no other. Whilst attempting to portray the textures of everyday life, Ian McEwan fuses local matters with the global situation. As neurosurgeon Henry Perowne tries to relax on one of his rare days off, his Saturday seems replete with purpose; the usual game of squash with his colleague who has helped him grapple with tumour and trauma during the week, a visit to his mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's, and the celebration of his daughter’s first volume of poetry. But against the backdrop of Perowne’s typical Saturday, hundreds of thousands of marchers are gathering in London to protest against Tony Blair’s support of America’s attack on Iraq, and the tramping and shouting soon begins to intrude itself on Perowne’s life. Although his protagonist tries to take a day off, McEwan’s skill does not. He goes inside the mind of a neurosurgeon to present us with a clever exploration of just how far we can insulate ourselves from the world’s concerns. Highly-recommended for anyone who enjoyed Atonement and On Chesil Beach.
Diggory Dunn reviews The Great Gatsby by F.Scott. Fitzgerald
Set in the fictional, twinned towns of West and East-Egg (there's your Easter connection), the Great Gatsby is a juggernaut of 20th century literature. Yet unlike most works with such a levithanic reputation, it is short and accessible. In fact, there is not a superfluous word in this, perhaps the most beautiful prose work I have ever read. One of the few books which genuinely leaves me clamouring for more after every reading.
Sharon Ong reviews The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. In this supernatural and bizarre story, the past, the present and the future could meet and merge in a single moment in time. A man could travel forward and backward through time, meeting his wife’s 6-year-old self when he was 36 and marrying her when he was 28 and she 20. Set against the unrealistic plot of time-travel, which needs our suspension of disbelief, the story ultimately deals with human relationships and the realistic emotions of love, loss and desire. It could potentially leave you devouring the 500-page novel in no time at all. Full of suspense and shocking twists, this novel is a wonderful little gem, written in a direct manner, which makes it easy to read. Highly-recommended if you’re looking for something to distract yourself with during this Easter break.
Emily Mears reviews Mrs Miniver by Jan Struther
Scribbling away about the everyday occurrences of life Jan Struther creates a jumbled jewel of a book. Primarily composed as a periodical for The Times during the 1930s each chapter is a short story in itself. Running with the seasons Struther follows her protagonist, Mrs Miniver, as she moves from a London pre World War II to a London deep within it. Despite the serious subject matter the prose is light and touching. With an eye as vigilant as Virginia Woolf’s Struther upturns tables and pierces the heart of a moment. Everything, even nothingness, is made beautiful. If you just want to read one story flick through to 'The First Day of Sprig’. With painterly flare Struther describes those ‘Wedgwood days’. Days where the white clouds seem set against a pale cornflower blue. Perhaps if you look out the window you’ll see one now.
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