Book Review: Beatrice & Virgil by Yann Martel

In Beatrice and Virgil author, Yann Martel, introduces the reader to a writer who has become famous for a novel that is about animals but finds producing his follow-up book too much of a challenge, particularly as he wants it to be an original look at the holocaust. After rejection Henry moves his family to another city and meets another writer who is struggling to write his own allegorical representation of the holocaust using animals in a play.

I am a great fan of Yann Martel's most famous book, The Life of Pi, so I was looking forward to another piece of masterful storytelling; unfortunately I read Beatrice and Virgil instead.

This book starts off as an easy read, exploring the writing career of Henry, setting his back story but this takes far too much of what is a very short book and part the way through this section one begins to tire of a highly narrative and, in fact, immature writing style - it reminded me of the sort of dross I would produce when I was at school. As the reader progresses the hope is that there is some highly profound message later on to make up for this. There is not.

Henry meets a struggling play writer and attempts to help finish the script, which then condemns the reader to  dealing with many pages written in play form, with moribund dialogue that one can hardly be bothered to read and allegories so esoteric that the author must explain what they mean lest the reader be left in the dark.

This novel does make readers turn the pages, partly because they want to discover what will happen and that there must be some kind of twist in the end, partly because they want to skip the boring play dialogue. It is perhaps ironic that in this book there are two authors who try to represent the Holocaust in an original way and fail, because this author does exactly the same.

I would not recommend this book to anybody other than those who are attempting to write their own books and are tempted to try and be more intellectual than they need to be by introducing pointless allegories that do not contribute to the story at all, so that they can see how not to write. More than anything this book is just boring. Read The Life of Pi, it is wonderful, but leave this alone.

Score: 2/10

Book Review: Tooth & Nail by Ian Rankin

Tooth and Nail is one in the series of novels by Ian Rankin that features the character Inspector Rebus. Scottish detective Rebus is summoned to New Scotland Yard, in London, to help catch a serial killer, named by the media "the Wolfman". At first Rebus is out of sorts off his home patch and this is not helped by the frosty reception he is given by his colleagues but when he makes a couple of allies he gets on the trail of the killer and rather than wait to react to the crimes he attempts to provoke the killer into providing some clues.

This book was one of the earlier serial killer novels and it does not fall into the many cliches that are often found in more recent publications. The reader will find themselves eager to learn about the main characters as they are developed in the early part of the story whilst at the same time the fundamentals of the investigation are outlined. The investigation proceeds as more killings occur and some help from an unexpected source adds the mystery and finally the twist that readers come to expect from a detective/thriller novel.

Apart from being a thoroughly readable story, one of this books best assets are the characters. Detective Rebus  is real. he is not some all-knowing super hero and neither is he the stereotypical worn-out investigator. His London counterpart, George Flight, is also recognizable as a real person and not a cliched character; a good policeman, friendly and polite but also with reservations. The third main character, Liza Frazer, is also interesting and someone with talent yet not quite the finishes article in terms of her criminal investigation skills are concerned.

Tooth and Nail is a book which really made me turn the pages and believe in the characters and the investigation, in fact one of this book's downfalls, in my option, is that it is not long enough to deal properly with the situation the author creates. This leads on to the biggest disappointment here, for me, which was the sudden way that Rebus puts the case together; as if by magic he solves the case and an otherwise excellent book is wrapped up too quickly for my liking, although the ending does contain a skillful plot twist by the author.

I would recommend this book to fans of Ian Rankin and his character Rebus. Although I have never read any of the others in this series, the quality of the writing and plot are good enough to please fans. Readers who enjoy detective stories and serial killer novels should read this offering from a skilled writer but it falls short of being a classic for me.

 Score: 8.5/10 

Book Review: The First Casualty by Ben Elton

Ben Elton is best known for his comedy and humorous novels but in The First Casualty the author delivers a murder mystery set amidst the worst fighting of the First World War. Detective Kingsley goes to prison for refusing to fight in a war he considers unjust but finds himself in the trenches anyway, investigating the murder of poet and hero Viscount Abercrombie who had been suffering from shell-shock. The murder investigation proceeds slowly whilst the many distressing situations of the war are dramatized.

One of the strengths of this book is that it contains Ben Elton's typically anti-establishment attitude in the way he portrays the way that World War I is conducted and the politics of Britain at the time; this is hardly surprising considering the way that this period of time is widely regarded in modern times. In fact The First Casualty seems largely to be a vehicle for portraying the hardships of the time, touching on subjects such as the treatment of conscientious objectors, suffragettes, police brutality and the working classes, whilst taking a very long time to actually tell a story.

The plot of this novel is a pretty standard investigating of a fairly standard murder situation but the way the investigation is conducted and the lengths to which the military policeman has to go to collect evidence makes this quite an original detective story. Unfortunately, whilst these aspects of the book make the reader turn the pages, the author really does not capitalize on these themes and the plot is very light indeed whilst the imagery of the war seems to take centre stage.

The First Casualty contains some interesting characters including an investigator with confused priorities, an unusually forthright leading lady and a hateful villain. Whilst some of these characters are quite strong, many of the peripheral characters are quite cliched and will be recognized from countless World War I stories, movies and TV series.

Those who enjoy Ben Elton's writing will find The First Casualty an interesting read even though it does not contain his trademark humour and it is not one of his best books. However, I am not sure that those who are interested in World War I will find this novel particularly illuminating.

Score: 6.5/10

Books to be Reviewed: Mogadishu Diaries - Bloodlines by Eddie Clay III

Thanks to Eddie Clay III for sending me a copy of his book Mogadishu Diaries - Bloodlines for reviewing. This is a fictional account of a US soldier's time in Somalia, in the run up to the famous events of "Black Hawk Down", based on real events and experiences.

"Ten months before Blackhawk Down, US Marines launched its first major offensive against Mogadishu's militias. Top US military strategists for Operation Restore Hope recognized the critical importance of identifying Somali clan leaders responsible for the country’s instability and violence. It became apparent that one man needed to be captured in order to help establish order. This warlord eluded the most elite US Special Forces teams in our military for almost a year during Operation Restore Hope/Continued Hope. There are many theories that explain how Mohamed Farrah Aidid won the cat and mouse game. This is my account…"

A review will appear on this website soon. For those who wish to purchase it now it is available for Kindle here - Mogadishu Diaries - Bloodlines, Kindle Edition.

Book Review: You're A Bad Man Mr Gum by Andy Stanton

You're a Bad Man Mr Gum is the first outing for Andy Stanton's disgusting character that children will love to hate. Mr Gum is a filthy loner who picks his nose and lives in a horrible house - loathed and feared by children. In this story Mr Gum is forced to keep his garden spotless by a fairy and the plot revolves around his poisoning of a lovely dog, Jake, to prevent him from spoiling his garden. However, Polly comes to the rescue with some magic chocolate and some wonderful friends.

Young children who are discovering their reading skills will enjoy this book as it is full of baddies and goodies that they will get totally involved with. Some parents may deem this book too disgusting for young children, but in reality this is just the sort of naughty fun that kids love and parents should revel at being able to join in when reading this book with their youngsters.

The strength of You're a Bad Man Mr Gum is its amusing characters and deadpan delivery of funny lines and silly asides - in fact it made me laugh out loud a few times when reading it. Most of the fun, however, occurs in the first half of the book and the second half tells the story of how Jake the dog is saved. Even though I liked this book, the story is weak, even for a children's book, but there is enough to interest young readers all the way to the end.

You're a Bad Man Mr Gum is a really fun children's book in a very similar style to Roald Dahl's "The Twits" and "George's Marvellous Medicine" and contains very amusing illustrations to compliment the writing.

I would recommend this book as a gift to young children who enjoy books and would suggest that it may be a good story to interest reluctant young readers; it is most certainly a great way for children and parents to enjoy a story together.

Score: 8/10

Book Review: The Missing by Jane Casey

The Missing is author Jane Casey's first novel; a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young girl who is a student in the class of teacher, and main character, Sarah Finch. The body of this student is found by Sarah herself and the case takes her back to the unsolved disappearance of her older brother when she was a girl. These two events are related in parallel story-lines which inevitably come together at the end of the book.

Those who like to read thrillers will not be disappointed with the way that the story takes a number of twists and surprises. Beginning with a slow pace the story gradually builds and culminates in a grand ending that draws the reader into thinking that it was predictable but then provides an unexpected twist.

The characters in The Missing are well-written and are perhaps the biggest strength of this book. In a literary world where female heroes are always beautiful, super fit, ultra-intelligent and confident Sarah Finch is a breath of fresh air - uncommitted to her job, lacking in confidence and prone to making really poor decisions; a typically naive young person. An unprofessional but effective police officer, a withdrawn mother, a world-weary senior policeman and an unwanted admirer are all interesting and realistic characters that I can believe in. Such are the characters that some reviewers claim that there are holes in the plot when actually these events just demonstrate that these are realistic characters and not the cliched, perfectly aware characters that are so common in this genre.

Overall this is an excellent novel; well-told, interesting with good characters and the twists in the plot that one expects in a thriller.

I would highly recommend The Missing to those readers who enjoy thrillers and mysteries. This is the sort of book that one will read very quickly due to its page-turning nature.

Score: 9/10

Books to be Reviewed: The Shining Serpent by M. A Hadi

Thanks to M. A. Hadi for sending me a copy of his novel The Shining Serpent for reviewing. This is the story of a mother searching for her kidnapped child in war torn Iraq with some mysterious assistance.

"Within the chaos of a war-torn Iraq, Sarah tries to live a peaceful life with her young son. But everything changes drastically when her son disappears. Contemplating suicide by day, and seeing strange realms by night, she meets a dark serpent who promises to help her. With new found belief in herself, she sets off in search for her son. But who is this mysterious entity? And will she be able to overcome the hazards that lie ahead?"

A review will appear on this website soon. For those who wish to purchase it now it is available for Kindle here - The Shining Serpent Kindle edition, or the paperback is available on Amazon.co.uk.

Book Review: Baking Cakes In Kigali by Gaile Parkin

In Baking Cakes in Kigali author Gaile Parkin takes readers into a community of locals and immigrants all of whom interact with the central character of the story, Angel Tungaraza, who is a mother and independent businesswoman in post genocidal Kigali, Rwanda.

The strength of this book is the moral and emotional fortitude shown by Angel and the large number of supporting characters who are all revealed through their interactions with her; the large majority being meetings with her whilst they are ordering cakes for special events in their lives. It quickly transpires that Angel is most aptly named as she provides many visitors a friendly ear and gently pushes them towards making decisions that will improve their lives; this is a book about people, their lives and their feelings.

The dialogue in this story is gentle and easy to read and the messages contained within them are equally gentle and easy to understand, often very heartwarming but occasionally verging on cliche. Nevertheless, the interactions that provide the dialogue make this something of a feelgood book.

Like everything in life, though, there are problems. Whilst Baking Cakes in Kigali is strong on characters and positivity it is a little weak on plot. Like many books that focus on feelings and characters, the plot really only consists of a string of incidents which ultimately result in an emotional change - in this novel it is a sense of closure for the main character and her husband. This is okay but for those readers who like an intricate plot, it leaves a feeling that something is missing. This lack of a rich plot also means that characters can come and go without influencing the overall story, and Baking Cakes has too many characters that are interesting but just disappear without the reader finding out what happened to them. These issues are a shame because overall this is an enjoyable book to read.

I would recommend baking Cakes in Kigali to a variety of readers who wish to try something a little bit different as very few novels focus on female African characters, but those who like books that focus on people's feelings and choices in life will really enjoy this.

Score: 7.5/10

The Lost World & Other Stories - A Review

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is best known for creating Sherlock Holmes, but his other great literary figure was Professor Challenger, the star of The Lost World.

In this volume all five of Conan Doyle's stories featuring the memorable Challenger are featured, creating an interesting collection.

Rather than review this book here, I have chosen to feature it on another platform which allows me to create a more extensive review of the five different stories.

Please check out my review of this volume here - The Lost World & Other Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Book Review: Oh The Thinks You Can Think by Dr Seuss

Those readers might think that this is a children's book and can only be appreciated by the very young or those with children think again! I read "Oh The Thinks You Can Think" for the first time just a few weeks ago and enjoyed it immensely.

Those who know Dr Seuss will know what to expect, word play, made-up creatures with silly names, amusing rhyming text and surreal illustrations. Those who don't know Dr Seuss will find a world that the imaginative can immerse themselves in; obviously children have the most fertile imaginations, but anyone who has a philosophical mind and/or enjoys childish silliness will appreciate this book.

Oh The Thinks You Can Think has no plot, it has no central character and it is about nothing other than thinking about anything you can imagine; essentially it is a book that encourages children and parents to use their imaginations together, but it also tempts older readers to free their minds of preconceived ideas and imagine like they haven't imagined since childhood.

The writing and wordplay by Dr Seuss are wonderful features and I particularly like the silly creatures, "Snuvs wearing gloves", "Guffs" and "Befts that go left" all brought to life with delightful pictures. Oh The Thinks You Can Think is a wonderful book that is only hampered by the fact that it is probably too short; instead of just relying on the text parents need to encourage thought, interaction and conversation to get the most out of this book with their kids.

Oh The Thinks You Can Think is highly recommended to those parents of small children who want to read simple, but imaginative, well-illustrated books together and talk about them together. I would also recommend this title to Dr Seuss fans who have never come across this book before and to those free-thinking readers who like a trip back to childhood.

Score: 9/10