A book review of Nothing Important Happened Today, by Will Carver. Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver is an interesting, original and angry novel. It’s the story of a cult. Although, as the narrator of the book points out, no one thinks of themselves as a member of a cult. A cult is only thought of as such by those looking in from the outside. Inside it’s just…
A film review: Us (2019) This is a strange film. Us is the story of the Wilson family; wife, husband, little boy, little girl. They have a nice beach house, they drive a Mercedes; stereotypical middle class America. They return from the beach one afternoon after spending some time with the Tyler family; very cliché rich, selfish, not quite friends. That evening the Wilson’s youngest son spots a family…
A book review of The Five, by Hallie Rubenhold. There have been many books written about Jack the Ripper, a nineteenth century serial killer who brutally murdered five women, mutilating four of them. But there have been very few, if any, written about the victims; popularly portrayed as prostitutes plying their trade in the dingy backstreets of the East End of London. The Five is a fascinating insight into…
A book review of Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig. This is a fine book about the pain and suffering of depression and anxiety. Some books, especially those written with treatment in mind, can be dry and emotionless; this isn’t, this is refreshing, honest and frank. For me, it’s importance lies in the fact that it’s written, not by a clinician or a psychologist, but by a person…
1917 (2019) is a glorious visual treat and a very exciting, daring and moving story of two men, Blake and Schofield. These young men are sent on a journey through no-man’s land to deliver a letter containing orders that will, if they succeed, stop a battle and save thousands of lives. Blake was chosen, cynically perhaps—this is the first world war, ‘lions led by donkeys’, after all—because his brother…
A book review of a Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles This is a clever, witty, moving and interesting story that follows the fortunes of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov from 1922 to 1954. Amor has created in Alexander a witty, poetic, erudite and, at times, sharply sarcastic character who brims with style and sophistication. Our tale starts with the appearance of our hero at an emergency committee of the…
Brad Pitt plays a fine role in Ad Astra (2019), a cleverly crafted science fiction film that immediately gets our attention with a stunning, vertigo inducing, opening scene. Roy McBride is a decorated and highly qualified U.S. military astronaut, sometime in the mysteriously near future. A straight-faced, highly strung individual who doesn’t believe in enjoyment, relationships, or anything that will distract him from ‘the mission’. It appears that life…
Reviews of Melmoth, The Essex Serpent and Here Comes the Flood by Sarah Perry. I’ve just finished reading Melmoth by Sarah Perry, a gothic tale of a tall, slim woman, dressed in black, who haunts the guilty and the sinful. Sarah was first published in 2014 with After Me Comes the Flood, a literary novel about a man who, one day, decides to up and leave his life and…
Midsommer (2019) is an interesting and gloriously styled film that, despite running to nearly three hours, holds your attention with a clever blend of beautifully shot scenes, tense atmosphere and never-entirely-sure-what’s-coming-next storyline. Dani has problems and issues. Her sister commits suicide at the beginning of the film, taking both their parents with her. That, together with being in a relationship with Christian, a man who seems not to know…
