Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

"He could tell himself now, in all torturous sincerity, that in making his various arrangements on Vernon's behalf he, Clive, was doing no more than honouring his word."

In this rather slender Booker prize winning novel a cast of rather hideous, self absorbed characters are all reflecting on the death of their former lover, Molly Lane. A vivacious, free-spirit cut down in her prime by some form of dementia and then death. When incriminating photos of her former beau, the now foreign secretary, come to light, self-interest and scheming unleash some truly dark behaviour.
All roads lead to Amsterdam and a body count, so pass the champagne and settle in for a speedy and interesting read. I know I did.

This is also one of the 1001 books to read before you die which means I'm yet another step closer to that particular life goal. I'll take that as a win because today, I have a cold. On the plus side, that means more reading time. Nose to book for this bibliophile. Until the next review - adieu and watch your Champagne.


5 out of 5 - this book is not about youth in Asia.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

"There will always be, I realise,  those who would claim that any attempt to analyse greatness as I have been doing is quite futile."

I really wanted to like this more. This is one of those novels that I can appreciate in as much as it brilliantly conveys a character, but I just wanted something more/different. Admittedly it was difficult to get greatly enthused about things while waiting in a queue of some 50 people (after a long, long first day at my new job) at a medical centre because my finger was infected (damn nail salon),

The butler at the heart of the novel is a brilliant study of someone who has devoted so much of themselves to their job that they have almost lost their own identity and certainly their ability to relate to the greater public.

Actually, perhaps my reason for deducting a point of my score harks back to the fact that I've had a few jobs that have left me similarly detached from social norms by the level of devotion they required.

Now that I've reflected, I can certainly see how brilliant this work is, that doesn't mean I have to absolutely love it, but it certainly left me feeling a little blue - or perhaps that was just the fault of all the waiting while I read it.

 4 out of 5 trips in Somerset end up in a pub at some point.

The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis

‘Gwen, really there’s nothing to talk about. Nothing  happened’

Imagine if you will an author who could recreate the everyday in such detail that reading his book seems at once overly familiar and a little strange. The characters of this novel like to drink…. a lot and when they’re not drinking (and even when they are) they are telling tall (or occasionally true) tales to and about each other.

There is something so vanilla and lifelike about this prose that it is akin to the shaggy dog tales my mother recounts, where my eyes glaze over and I look off into the sunset imagining I’m poolside in a resort, sipping on a frozen cocktail somewhere. That being said, it takes a rare talent to render the mundane with such proximity and by that measure, I’ve given this book a rather decent score. Others have been far more generous in their praise and this book was a Booker Prize winner.

I was not massively entertained, nor was I particularly bored by this entry in the 1001 books you must read list. This reminds me of the kinds of scandals that groups of friends endure after years in each other’s company. I’m writing this review quite a few days after having completed reading the novel and my memory of it is sparse – not a great sign I imagine.

4 out of 5 drunken Welshmen can fill more than 300 pages with their antics.