FOUR SHIRES v BOOKS RAVILIOUS IN PICTURES
The Mainstone Press have just produced some beautiful art books featuring the work of Eric Ravilious, the noted war artist whose work has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. The three books, Country Life, The War Pictures and Sussex and the Downs, all showcase the very best of his works and in particular, Sussex and the Downs shows the landscapes that most influenced him and that he most loved. Each £25
PURE ANDREW MILLER
The Costa Book of the Year was announced at the end of January and the winner was Pure by Andrew Miller and having read it I can quite see why it was given the overall prize, it is a real gem. Set in Paris in 1785 it is about a young civil engineer
given the task of clearing human remains from the cemetery of Les Innocents right in the centre of Paris. As the basis for a story it sounds unprepossessing but don’t be put off. It is so well written, the characters are appealing and the rich and witty descriptions of life in Paris at that time, and in that fetid quarter in particular are totally absorbing. It’s got a fantastic cover too, which shouldn’t matter but it does. £8.99
OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY JUSTIN CARTWRIGHT
In addition to discovering Andrew Miller, thanks to Costa, I have the further enjoyment of three new books from my favourite authors.
Other People’s Money by Justin Cartwright comes out
in paperback in early March. This is a topical tale of a grand old banking family brought low by greed and mismanagement. This casts misfortune on family members and customers alike but also opens windows of opportunity to the unlikeliest of people including a cub reporter in a provincial newspaper. This book, like Pure, has a very likeable mix of characters, wittily drawn and with an unexpected ending that made me laugh. £7.99
THE GREATCOAT HELEN DUNMORE
There seems to be no time or place in history that is beyond Helen Dunmore. She has written about ancient Rome and Stalinist Russia with equal success and now turns her
attention to post war Britain with a tale of loneliness and love.
In the winter of 1952, Isabel Carey moves to the East Riding of Yorkshire with her husband Philip, a GP. With Philip spending long hours on call, Isabel finds herself isolated and lonely as she adjusts to married life. Woken by intense cold one night, she discovers an old RAF greatcoat hidden in the back of a cupboard. Startled by the vivid dreams that ensue she is even more startled one day by the arrival of a strange young man and the intense relationship that develops. £9.99
WAITING FOR SUNRISE WILLIAM BOYD
William Boyd has written Waiting For Sunrise, set in the early 20th Century it starts with the meeting between a young English actor, Lysander Rief, and a Viennese psychiatrist as he seeks helps for an unusual sexual problem. A
subsequent meeting with a fellow patient leads to a love affair but war is imminent
BOOKS for your BOOKSHELVES...
and soon Lysander is plunged into a life of chaos and deception.Waiting for Sunrise is a feverish and mesmerising journey into the human psyche, a beautifully observed portrait of wartime Europe and a plot- twisting thriller. £18.99
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK NATHAN ENGLANDER
Lastly, the curiously entitled What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander is a collection of short stories which, you might have guessed range from black humour to an attempt to answer
life’s big questions. Bold and very funny and receiving rave reviews this will be a quirky hit. £12.99
More delightful book choices from Christine Bridger of Old Hall Bookshop in Brackley
MARCH 2012 v FOUR SHIRES 7
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