Book Reviews
Have you read a book that you love? Or hate? You can now review any library book using our online catalogue - it's quick and easy! On this page we showcase a selection of the best book reviews we've received recently from our readers. If you would like to write a review of a book you have borrowed from one of our libraries just search for the book using our online catalogue and click on 'Create Review'. Reviews can be in English or Welsh and should be no more than 500 words long. All the books reviewed are available to borrow from our libraries. Please ask at your local library for details or check the online catalogue. |
Local Links: |
|
The Mask of DimitriosBy Eric Ambler |
Congratulations to Penguin Books, for reprinting all of Eric Ambler's page-turner spy novels, thereby introducing him to a ne w generation of readers.
First published in 1939, "The Mask of Dimitrios" signals a clean break from the old-school spy yarns typified by Buchan - verbally banal,formulaic, increasingly anti-Semitic, jingoistic and xenophobic. At the centre of this novel is a quite unexceptional narrator,Latimer, an academic turned thriller writer who, in search of authentic material, delves into the shady history of Dimitrios Makropoulos, whose body was recently found floating in the Bosphorus- uncovering murder, heroin trafficking and political assassination.
The reader envisages the scenes, especially on a Balkan sleeper-train, in terms of a black and white film of the period. Indeed, the novel was filmed successfully, and starred the oleaginous Sidney Greenstreet and the creepy European emigre Peter Lorre. Moreover, as in all truly great films noirs, the plot of the novel is driven by the shady, enigmatic villains - morally ambiguous (can you imagine Greenstreet and Lorre ever telling the truth?), but invariably smiling and superficially amiable. In true noir style, these characters tell lies with seeming childlike innocence- and know far more about Latimer than casual acquaintances should. Apparently natural and spontaneous, they stage carefully choreographed bids for control: how did the stranger sharing a sleeping berth on the wagon lit establish at what Sofia hotel Latimer is going to stay? As they part at the station, how does he know his name?
Questions pile up, as the truth about Dimitrios's criminal past is revealed. Finding it impossible to face the facts without exposing himself to mortal danger, Latimer is ineluctably entangled in a deadly pursuit of an international criminal-chameleon, the least of whose exploits may have been to fake his own death.
|
Falling AngelsBy Tracy Chevalier |
I loved this book for its wonderful recreation of London during the early 20th century. There are strong women suffrage themes, and lots of lore about funerals, mourning, and cemeteries; probably the best Chevalier I've read.
|
Sacred heartsBy Sarah Dunant |
This book is OK but nothing special. It does not deserve the rave reviews it has received elsewhere.
|
The JainsBy Paul Dundas |
An excellent book for the undergraduate student wanting to know more about the Jain religion, written by respected author Paul Dundas. Chapters include information on Mahavira and the tirthankaras, doctrines, history, scriptures, the sects of the Digambaras and Svetambaras and also chapters on the lay and mendicant Jains. A very useful resource book, well worth reading.
|
The oblivion seekersBy Isabelle Eberhardt |
A wonderfully descriptive book of short stories based on the authors travels through Africa at the turn of the century. She lived a colourful, free-spirited life that is reflected in the experiences drawn upon to compose these works. Wonderful.
|
The sweetness at the bottom of the pieBy Alan C. Bradley |
Star rating out of five: (*****)
A wonderful book, a great read.
|
The elegance of the hedgehogBy Muriel Barbery |
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was challenging and I needed my dictionary at the ready, but the story of three unique individuals of various ages and backgrounds bonding as unlikely friends was heartwarming and endearing. The ending was truly unexpected.
|
Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of LondonBy Keith Mansfield |
Awesome! The book cover just makes you want to pick it up straight away because it is so colorful and looks exciting. Flying around in a spaceship disguised as the London Gherkin! WOW!!! This is the first Johnny Mackintosh Book and I hope there will be more to come.
|
Look back in hungerBy Jo Brand |
An interesting and well-written autobiography (which is more than I can say for many autobiographies). It may not be profound, but is thoughtful, sometimes very funny and a good read throughout. Jo Brand's story is particularly interesting insofar it seems not at all obvious from the facts of her early life that she would end up being the performer and writer that she is today
|
The dying lightBy Henry Porter |
Set in the near future, Henry Porter's latest thriller grips from start to finish, with several cliff-hanging moments. The writer may be familiar to us as a columnist in the 'Observer', whose special interest is the progressive loss of civil liberties in Britain. He is genuinely confused why the public has tolerated becoming the most spied-upon nation in the world, with, for example, more CCTV cameras than the rest of Europe put together, and, according to the European Court of Human Rights, the genetic profiles of hundreds of thousands of innocent people illegally held on police DNA databases. Road journeys are now monitored by cameras adapted to read car number plates, and data is kept for five years.
In this novel, the central character, David Eyam, has faked his own death in order to set up an underground resistance movement, and surprise Parliament with a damning report on plans by a secret cabal at the heart of government, to set up a surveillance system to cover every movement, and record complete health and other personal information, of every British citizen. To this end, the Prime Minister and Home Secretary are secretly funding a shady high- tech corporation operating free of any democratic checks. "We need such systems to run the country, to help people help themselves. Surveillance is part of all our lives...You don't hear people complaining because they know it's necessary and want us to look after them", the PM blithely states.
In a race against time, the report must be presented to a Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights before the PM calls an election, effectively suspending all activity in Westminster. As the PM travels to the Palace, to seek a dissolution, Eyam confronts a wall of security in Westminster, as he tries desperately to table his damning documents. Will the truth come out in time?
Henry Porter claims that his scenario is realistic. For example, the Civil Contingencies Act, by which the PM abrogates democracy and exercises far-reaching emergency powers, has been on statute since 2004. The public panic which allows this to happen, after (false) reports that the nation's water supply has been contaminated by toxic red algae possibly placed by a foreign power, is all too real.
The Dying Light shakes the reader out of complacency, by taking the drift of recent anti-terrorist legislation to a logical conclusion. Curbs on civil liberties are eroding fundamental freedom to speak out effectively, while technology is abused to pry into every aspect of our lives, from social network sites, to any form of public protest.
This is Orwell updated for the twenty-first century, in a thriller enlightening and exciting.
|
Ferno the fire dragonBy Adam Blade |
I thought that this book was exciting and was very interesting and I thought that this book was AWESOME! Adam Blade makes some cool books, big thanks to him
- Last Updated: 07/06/2010
- Rate this page
- Back to top
