A round-up of recent good reads which includes extracts from my reading journal notes...
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
When a group of volunteers gather in a 'haunted' house as part of an experiment there's bound to be trouble. Vulnerable Eleanor Vance, until recently full-time carer for her mother, the enigmatic but seemingly confident Theodora, Luke Sanderson, nephew of the owner described as a liar and a cheat and overseeing the project Dr Montague. Everyone gives a false and slightly ethereal account of themselves, nothing seems true, not house nor people. With the narrative comes all the uncertainty as to whether what we witness is for real or a distortion through the eyes of Eleanor in particular who, having arrived both depleted and susceptible, will encounter the most terrifying of the group's experiences.
This all made me look into the background of Shirley Jackson a little more closely...what a strange life she led. I will certainly read more.
Every Man for Himself ~ Beryl Bainbridge
Our choice at Endsleigh for our 'One Author One Book' themed evening was Beryl Bainbridge. We choose an author and each read whatever we like. At this point I have to admit to owning a shelf full of Beryls but only having read one, well make that two now. She really is an author I feel I want to love and read them all voraciously but somehow it has never quite happened.
Every Man For Himself a novel about the sinking of the Titanic and of course, as everyone boards the ship and I settled into First Class with Morgan, I knew exactly what was going to happen and when, so no surprises there, but our progress towards the disaster was very cleverly wrought. Drifting on from stage left and right would be the Guggenheims, the Astors, Lord and Lady Duff Gordon as well as Morgans closer circle of acquaintances with all their foibles. There is one hysterically funny incident which somehow epitomised the Beryl I expected...when Morgan finds himself trapped in the state rooms of a woman that he is particularly fond of only to hear her enter with a man he is not particularly fond of. The ensuing 'episode', and Morgan remembering a trip to a volcano as a child, needs to be read to be appreciated. Five star Bainbridge humour and I will read more.
Meanwhile if you have a favoured Beryl please do let me know which it is...as I say, I have a shelf full, it's odds-on that I have it sitting here.
The Distant Echo ~ Val McDermid
This was a listen rather than a read, but so excellent that I must include it.
Four students, slightly the worse for wear after a night on the town, stumble across a dying woman lying in the snow. They all know her as the barmaid from the pub they have just left and whilst one of them, a medical student, attempts to save her life another runs off for help. They are immediately considered suspects and placed in the frame for her murder. Fast forward twenty-five years when the crime is reconsidered as a cold case and once again they are in the spotlight. So cleverly plotted, and no I couldn't guess where it was headed for a very long time. Not too much gore by Val McDermid standards (The Mermaids Singing anyone?) and a brilliant listen while I stitched.
All further suggestions for good Val McDermid reads gratefully received.
Every Good Deed ~ Dorothy Whipple
Sometimes nothing else will do but a jolly good Whipple. I picked up Every Good Deed & Other Stories one evening and read the 122 page story of the title in a single sitting.
The gullible and naive but desperately kind sisters Emily and Susan take in a wily, scheming and utterly deceitful child from the local children's home..
'Every source of beauty they had opened to her ran dry in the sand of Gwen's nature. She turned all she knew to vulgar ends...'
And so she did. The sly and devious Gwen taking full advantage of the sister's generosity, they kind to a fault and trusting to the end... well almost. Every character and plot delineated with Dorothy Whipple's usual precision and attention to detail and the result a completely immersive story that has me thinking I must keep all my Whipples to hand for just those moments when all else pales.
Edward Thomas - A Life in Pictures ~ Richard Emeny
'Edward Thomas ranks as one of the foremost poets of the twentieth century, both in his own poetry and in his influence on subsequent poets. 'He is the father of us all,' asserted Ted Hughes.This book combines the story of his life until his death at the Battle of Arras in 1917 with numerous illustrations, including photographs, printed material and original letters, many of which have never been published before. The book will add to what is already known of Thomas and his family before and after his death by putting his biography into a visual and historical context.'
For anyone out there who is an Edward Thomas completist here's the book for you and how much I have enjoyed this one over the last few months, and especially given the Armistice 100 commemorations. Both Richard Emeny's full and thorough commentary on the life of Edward Thomas alongside the best collection of pictures of him (some previously unseen) have added to my knowledge and enthusiasm for a poet I return to often and the book is beautifully produced too.
As always, if you have read any of these please do share your thoughts, and of course add your own recent reading gallimaufry in comments to give us all a starter for ten for 2019...
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