citizen of now

Probably not the best way to re-enter the Discworld after 25 years away from it. If you're immersed in the world and well-versed with the Witches books, especially Witches Abroad, then it's probably one of the better books. None of the repetition and laboured explanations that I remember from some other books in the series. Steers clear of being too much of a satire on the real world, too, which I think some of the other Discworld novels suffer from. The trouble was that Sir Terry sort of assumes you already knew who the characters are and what they're like. But that was my fault for jumping in the middle all careless-like.

The actual story was a fun enjoyable and quick read - nothing majorly special but fun all the same. Takes a while for much to happen, but the author has such a flowing way with words that you don't really mind just bobbing along while the characters muddle about.

Almost gave up on this. The first half was just a gushing love letter to Charles Ephrussi, a fabulously wealthy ‘spare son' of a banking dynasty with seemingly nothing to do but socialise and provide a source of name-dropping to a future biographer. He knew Renoir! And the Empress! Proust references him! Thrilling stuff.

The recounting of the netsuke's story begins badly too. A brief acknowledgement that they're actually pillaged from Japan and then they take on their own lives - as a conglomerate whole bought en-masse by Charles because Japan was ‘in', and then seemingly left in a vitrine (get used to that word) as a piece of decoration. Eugh.

When they arrive as a wedding gift in Vienna things get a little more interesting, though the fact that Viktor (39) “waited until she was 17 and then proposed [to a girl he'd known since her childhood]” is not so much glossed over as outright ignored. However, the story of what happens in Vienna with the continued rise of antisemitism culminating in the annexation of Austria by the nazis, is interesting and eye-opening. The injustice of the forfeiture of the family fortune and assets is raw and real.

After the Vienna chapter there's a little wrapping-up of the netsuke's return to the family, which is sweet but I felt Anna should have been the real star of the book, her story seemed much more interesting, a life of servitude leading up to one quiet, brave, act of resistance and loyalty. But she only gets a single, apologetic, chapter in which the author admits he doesn't really know anything about her. If only he'd pursued her history with the same zeal as he followed up the whereabouts of every painting Charles ever touched.

The netsuke's return to Japan, I feel, is a return in name only. Yes they are in the country, no they are not returned to the country. The author strongly feels that objects are bought and sold and this is how things are. I think the people who snapped up the Ephrussi's belongings when the Nazis forced them to sell probably feel the same way.

Interesting to get a new perspective on the parts of the patrol shared with McNab, and equally interesting to see what Ryan had to go through on his long E&E. Easy read. Hard to think about it without comparing to Bravo Two Zero but it stands up on its own, in fact I'm tempted to say I think it's a bit better than McNab's book, though both are good. I read this a couple of years after re-reading Bravo Two Zero, and now I want to read that again just to get a better feel for a comparison. But let's try to avoid that and evaluate The One That Got Away on its own merits. I warmed to Ryan as a character much moreso than McNab. Ryan's obviously proud of who he is, but there's a fair amount of reflection, guilt, and admission of errors too - his own and of others. The introduction should have been a postscript, as it coloured my perception of what happened with Vince. Mild spoilers follow. Yes, Ryan blames Vince for a lot of things, and isn't very kind in his description of Vince's character. More than that, he's pretty much outright insulting about Vince. Whether that's a fair assessment or not we'll never know. It'd be interesting to hear Stan's account. On the whole though I tend to believe Ryan's version of events. Sure, some of it sounds fantastical, and maybe some of it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. But the broad strokes are undeniable.

The book can be split into four broad sections. The patrol up to when it split, the portion with Ryan, Stan, and Vince, the solo E&E, and ‘misc' bits scattered throughout the latter parts. Some of the misc stuff is filler anecdotes about training and other missions after Bravo Two Zero, and the book doesn't really benefit from it, but nor does it detract too much. The parts detailing the patrol up to the split are quite different from what I remember from McNab's book and it would be interesting to do a real side-by-side comparison. The group E&E parts are tense and gripping, the three men were in a really bad way physically and mentally, and that creates an unnerving atmosphere as you wonder what's going to go wrong next. The solo E&E part was mixed. On the one hand it felt a little like a foregone conclusion because you know he gets out, on the other there was plenty of interesting little encounters. I must say I was expecting a little more in the way of actual survival skills being demonstrated but it seems Ryan made it out on sheer strength of will. There were a few occasions I was thinking “Why didn't he [kill the goat, search the bodies, etc]” and the explanation can only be his not thinking straight due to fatigue, or surrounding circumstances making those courses of action impossible. Suffice to say, it's no SAS Survival Guide!

Overall an enjoyable, gripping read, that left me a little on edge, and with the lasting impression that Bravo Two Zero was an almighty cock up from start to finish.

Very slow to start, and feels rushed when it finally gets going, but nevertheless an original storyline which casts a spell on you. I think the idea may have begun as a simple ghost story like many of Westall's other works, but Joanna is such an endearing character that by the end both author and reader are firmly on her side.

It's a bewitching tragedy which leaves me feeling nostalgic for the world it creates, and reflective about those times you make a choice you can never go back on.

I mean, yeah, it's a good book. Lifts the lid on the sources of wealth from a random sampling of unbelievably rich / landed families. Bangs you over the head with the point a bit and gets repetitive; jumped over a wall, discussed the dark history of the owner's wealth, smoked a joint, had a sausage, repeat for the next chapter. The chapters when he talks about other trespass movements like Greenham and Kinder Scout are a lot more engaging, the stuff where he's just having a cheeky overnighter in someone's woods while justifying it by reference to the fact it's all built on stolen riches... it gets a bit self indulgent. There's an amusing bit where he says something along the lines of ‘seeing the keep out and private property signs gave me a weird feeling I was doing something wrong for a moment'. Bit of an odd, one-sided mindset. I enjoyed it overall though, it did contain some really interesting stuff and it does make you see walls and fences in a different light, as implements of oppression. The Calais chapter was great. Notice the pattern though, the best bits are where the author gets out of the way of the topic he's trying to cover.

Oh, and the illustrations - beautiful, unique, wonderful illustrations! You can really breathe them in and spend a moment gazing at these worlds. Except whoever put the book together decided these double page spreads should be placed mid-sentence, so when you turn the page you either have to skip the illustration to carry on reading, or have to stop reading to look at the picture and then flick back a page to pick up where you were cut off. Why not put them between chapters?!?

Despite the fact I've said a lot of negative stuff I did enjoy it on the whole, the source and distribution of much of the nation's wealth is an important thing to address. The overall theme of examining how land ownership interlinks with rights and power more generally is really interesting. The fact that this land and these rights were taken from common ownership and essentially privatised should be more widely recognised and taught.

If you want to read a book about an idiot wandering aimlessly around a giant, mostly empty, statue museum then boy do I have a recommendation for you!

Ok so idiot is unfair. Piranesi's childlike naivety is at once endearing and frustrating. But what is this book? It feels like a concept piece, as in abstract and metaphorical and not fleshed out at all. That's the problem with allegories. They're all too often paper thin.

Let's assume the House is a metaphor (if it's not, then it really is just a book about an idiot trapped in a house). Once you get that, or begin to suspect it, what else does the book offer? Really, nothing. Nothing much else happens. Piranesi eats some seaweed. Pieces together at last the idea that Other is abusive. Uses the word Vestibule twelve million times. Gets rescued. The end.

And even now, I'm not sure it really is an allegory because, and I cannot stress this enough, nothing happens. There's a whiff of an idea that it could be about exiting an abusive relationship, and the half-broken, half-free way you might continue to exist after that. But the House is benevolent and actually somewhat yearned-for by the people who've visited it. So I think it's a metaphor for a life-changing enlightenment from which you can't return to normality, such as a religious or philosophical awakening that at the same time traps you within its world view and whisks you away from reality.

But it's only a hint! Only a possible interpretation, if you squint. Maybe it's just about a guy trapped in a House.

edit: Oh, wow, I've just read a review that suggests the House is a metaphor for drumroll the worlds you enter when you read books. So. It's worse than I thought.


I've given worse books 2 stars, I didn't hate it like some of them, it just passed through me without leaving much impression.

Other reviews have praised the ‘world building'. What world building? It's just endless halls full of statues. The occasional bird. What have I missed? Was there a chapter I skipped where something other than birds, water, and marble existed in the world?

Enjoyed this a lot, opened a window into an interesting bit of British scientific history, and as someone who's rather accidentally into watches it had a particular interest. A bit meandering, a bit partisan, but engaging and easy to read. Would recommend!

Really enjoyable read, lovely characterisation. We trace the life of the Count over several years, all the while wondering where the book is leading us, if anywhere. Through the whole book I was waiting for some big thing to occur, and it never does until the very very end. That's not to say it's boring - there are plenty of little upsets and developments, and the Count reacts to them all in a delightful way. But there's no big bang. It's very lifelike and human, and there's lots of thoughtful reflection on the human condition, which feels sincere and sage, and really I think this is where most of the book's value lies for me. The ending is a bit rushed, and it's a shame we don't get to hear what happens to some of the characters. Worth rereading. Would recommend, glad I read it. But not one of those books that really affected me, just a really good book.

A very interesting bit of background / scene-setting for The Wooden Horse, but it doesn't really come together as a story in its own right. For that reason it's not quite worthy of being called a prequel - more an extended introduction perhaps? Still, it does give valuable insight into the daily life of POWs and if you're a fan of The Wooden Horse then it's essential reading that will provide a deeper understanding of the context of that escape. One thing I found particularly good was the recognition that other prisoners (in this case the Russians) had a much tougher time than the British POWs. It gives the story a maturity that's welcome and sobering. Ditto the focus on the POW with mental health problems, again showing us that POW life that wasn't all boy-scoutish ingenuity in the face of the enemy. If Williams' goals were to provide context for the events at Stalag Luft III and to pitch the tone with a little more gravity, I think he achieved them admirably.

Nigeria undergoes a revolutionary schism and the republic of Biafra is created. This books tells the story of Biafra through the lens of a group of unlikely companions; the house-boy, the professor's mistress, and the Englishman who turns his back on the colonisers but will never fully understand Africa. I never quite got into this, I felt it wanted to teach the reader, more than tell a story. Maybe I'm just an Englishman who will never fully understand Africa, though.

An incredible read that captivates from the very start! Beautifully descriptive language, fully realised characters, and a plot that circles inexorably towards its conclusion in the most beautiful - and at times haunting - way.

I really enjoyed how Doerr brought the magical potential of radio to life, and how they shone light on occupied French civilian life as well as the life of a young German in the war. Incredible to see people swept along by larger narratives which often seem too strong for them to hold any sway over.

A very beautifully written book, which rapidly builds its world and brings the story out in full.

Full of wonder. A sensitive tragedy with what seems at first glance to be unsatisfactory endings, and yet those endings are fully intentional. There's a death at the end that feels somewhat throwaway and pointless, but the character only wanted redemption and release. The diamond remains lost, and I'm still working out why that was done..

I enjoyed this. It felt like an original world-setting, it was nice to encounter a fantasy world that didn't lean on well established tropes. I want to learn more about the world, so I'll probably read the other 2 books at some point. The story was quite... limited? Felt like a short story more than a full novel. Not that it felt like it was dragged out, but just that it was a very simple plot.

But that makes way for good themes, setting, and the development of the main character. LeGuin packs in a sense of time passing and emotional maturing to this short novel. There's a tender and realistic demonstration of what loss of hitherto-unshakable faith is like, and mixed into that a critique of dogma and religion as well. It's nice to see deeper themes like this in YA fiction.

As well as being, to a lesser extent, a journey of events, people, and places, it's also an emotional journey from darkness into light, with Tenar ending up a very different person at the end; less sure of herself, wounded by her past, but free and more whole. One thing I really love to see is complex, flawed characters, and Tenar feels real and alive in this book. It's my first time reading LeGuin, but I can tell already they have a way of capturing the human spirit, and I look forward to exploring more of their work.

ehhhhh what do I say about this? Nothing happened for the first two thirds of the book, while it was a pleasant easy read with a few ‘setups' promising a later payoff, and then all of a sudden the author tried to cram 3 more plots into the last third. And the payoffs never happened. I'm not disappointed, it was an enjoyable enough read, inoffensive and with a nice turn of phrase... but what was it really all about? Did I miss something, or was too much was left hanging in the air unsaid?

I get the themes of retribution and making peace and consolation and all that, but... and what?

There's a lot of themes swirling around in the book, like ink in water. But no picture emerges.