The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Title: The Name of the Rose
Author: Umberto Eco
ISBN: 0330284142
Publisher: Picador
First Published: 1983
No. of pages: 502
Format: Paperback
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:
In 1327, Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville, accompanied by young novice, Adso, arrives to investigate. His delicate mission is overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths that take place in the same number of days, and Brother William must turn detective to sort things out. This is not only a narrative of a murder investigation, but also a chronicle of the 14th century religious wars, a history of monastic orders, and a compendium of heretical movements.

Review:
This was my first experience of Eco's writing and I have to say that I was quite impressed! Yes, I'd already seen the film of the same name years ago (and loved it), but now I was seeing it afresh and picturing some of the characters much differently than they had been portrayed. There is a fair amount of Latin used throughout the narrative, but as it's all used within context, the majority of it is easily understood, and those phrases not immediately clear are translated within the following dialogue, so one doesn't feel at all confused by the use of language.

The language used is very descriptive and the plot is quite complex; add to this the sheer length of the novel and you have quite a heavy-going book, but it is one that is well-worth reading as it is an enjoyable journey from start to finish and I, for one, loved Eco's cleverness, both with plotting and characterisation, throughout.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards

Title: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Author: Kim Edwards
ISBN: 0143037145
Publisher: Penguin
First Published: 2005
No. of pages: 401
Format: Paperback
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:
What would happen if you lost your child and she grew up without you? In 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins, he immediately recognizes that one of them has Down Syndrome and makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and to keep her birth a secret. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is an astonishing tale of redemptive love.

Review:
This is one of the most touching tales I've read this year! The characters were beautifully written and the story was heartbreakingly wonderful. Seeing the twins grow up separately, watching them grown and learn, each with a different family and dissimilar set of circumstances, was something quite magical. Edwards has a lightness of touch that keeps it from ever becoming maudlin and the tone remains refreshingly light, whilst still portraying a very serious subject. I will look forward to seeing what else this writer will produce in the future, as I expect good things!

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
ISBN: 0812968069
Publisher: Random House
First Published: 2005
No. of pages: 258
Format: Paperback
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:
Set in nineteenth century China when girls had their feet bound and spent the rest of their lives in seclusion, illiterate, and isolated. In one remote county, women developed their own secret code, "nu shu" - meaning "women's writing" - the only gender-based written language to be found extant in the world. A very imaginative, original story, by a gifted storyteller.

Review:
Despite several very harrowing themes and scenes, Lisa See's portrayal of a very special relationship between two young Chinese girls is a work that radiates love, passion and friendship, as well as hardship and suffering, and the result is stunning. The intricate weaving of the story reflects the growing friendship between Lily and Snow Flower and I was completely drawn into their lives.

I was actually inspired to do some further research into the tradition of foot-binding as a result of reading this novel and find it intriguing (even while I find it very distasteful), and I will certainly be looking further into this period in Chinese history, as well as looking forward to many more offerings from this author!

Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde

Title: Lost in a Good Book
Author: Jasper Fforde
ISBN: 9780340733578
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
First Published: 1988
No. of pages: 371
Format: Paperback
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:
Thursday Next, literary detective and newlywed is back to embark on an adventure that begins, quite literally on her own doorstep. It seems that Landen, her husband of four weeks, actually drowned in an accident when he was two years old. Someone, somewhere, sometime, is responsible. The sinister Goliath Corporation wants its operative Jack Schitt out of the poem in which Thursday trapped him, and it will do almost anything to achieve this - but bribing the ChronoGuard? Is that possible? Having barely caught her breath after The Eyre Affair, Thursday must battle corrupt politicians, try to save the world from extinction, and help the Neanderthals to species self-determination. Mastadon migrations, journeys into Just William, a chance meeting with the Flopsy Bunnies, and violent life-and-death struggles in the summer sales are all part of a greater plan. But whose? and why?

Review:
Jasper Fforde is fast becoming another favourite of mine due to his witty writing,clever characterisation and perfect plotting. Although the story is rather complicated, I never once got lost (after all, I had Miss Haversham to guide me!), and found that I was taking the title very literally - I really was lost is a very good book!

What was possibly most pleasantly surprising was that there were one or two references made to books that I had recently read, and which I was not expecting to crop up (such as The Little Prince) and I was tickled pink that I "got" the joke (for my previous venture into Fforde-dom with The Eyre Affair, I prepared by first reading Jane Eyre, as I knew it was an integral part of the plot).

There's also the added bonus that, in reading Fforde's Thursday Next series, I'm being inspired to try some of the classics I missed before!

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Title: Half of a Yellow Sun
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
ISBN: 9780007200283
Publisher: Harper Perennial
First Published: 2006
No. of pages: 433
Format: paperback
Rating: UNFINISHED - 5/10 (for the part that I read)

Synopsis:
The lives of five characters are caught up in the extraordinary tumult of the Nigeria during the 1960s. Fifteen-year-old Ugwu is houseboy to Odenigbo, a university professor who sends him to school, and in whose living room Ugwu hears voices full of revolutionary zeal. Odenigbo's beautiful mistress, Olanna, a sociology teacher, is running away from her parents' world of wealth and excess; Kainene, her urbane twin, is taking over their father's business; and Kainene's English lover, Richard, forms a bridge between their two worlds. As we follow these intertwined lives through a military coup, the Biafran secession and the subsequent war, Adichie brilliantly evokes the promise, and intimately, the devastating disappointments that marked this time and place.

Review:
I just couldn't finish this book, try as I might - I couldn't get into it at all. Having read Purple Hibiscus earlier in the year, and having been assured that this second offering was much better, I had expected something more, but I found Half of a Yellow Sun to be far too fractured to enjoy it properly. Each time I started getting into the story, the point of view switched to a different character, so I was never on steady ground with any one of them. Then, the story switched from the early 60s to the late 60s, and then back and forth between the two, so I couldn't keep the story straight either - I found it incredibly frustrating.

I was also disappointed that the one character I did want to "hear" (Kainene), was not one of those whose point of view was shown (instead we got her sister - Olanna, the houseboy of her sister's lover -Ugwu, and her own lover - an English man called Richard; none of whom I particularly liked). Not only that, but the relationship-side of the story was sadly predictable and I found myself anticipating events far in advance.

The only elements I did enjoy were the story of the civil war (which was very interesting), and the smattering of Igbo words used throughout - I found the language very beautiful and the way it was integrated into the dialogue was so clever that I found I could easily understand the meaning in the words, even where a translation was not provided. These, however, were not enough to make me persevere and plod through the rest of it and I left the last quarter unread with no curiosity to see how it ended.

Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery

Title: Anne of Green Gables
Author: L M Montgomery
ISBN: 1853261394
Publisher: Wordsworth Classics
First Published: 1908
No. of pages: 280
Format: Paperback
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:
When Anne Shirley "erupts" into the Cuthberts's lives, they don't realize how fond they will become of the red-haired orphan. Both entertained and exasperated by her constant chatter and imaginings, they soon find it hard to remember what Green Gables was like without its adopted daughter.

Review:
I never would have read this book if it weren't for the Book Club Forum Reading Circle, as it never appealed to me, even as a child, but I am very glad I did, as it is absolutely enchanting! Although if I'd met Anne in person, I possibly would have found her constant chatter highly annoying, she has such a sunny and positive disposition that I think she's pretty much impossible to dislike! Watching her overcome obstacles and achieve goals, all with a smile on her face and a wonderful adventure on her mind, was some of the most fun reading I've had in a very long while.

There was quite a lot about the story that I could predict far, far in advance, but I simply didn't care - I wanted to read on anyway and was rather sad to finish it in the end!

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

Title: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Author: Muriel Spark
ISBN # 9780141181424
Publisher: Penguin
First Published: 1961
128 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 3/10

Synopsis:
She was a schoolmistress with a difference. Proud, cultured, romantic, her ideas were progressive, even shocking. And when she decided to transform a group of young girls under her tutelage into the créme de la créme of Marcia Blaine school, no one could have predicted the outcome.

Review:
It’s seldom that I am quite as disappointed by a book as I was by The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. I found the characters to be obnoxious (yes, all of them!) and found absolutely nothing to like in any of them. The stereotyping, both of Miss Jean Brodie and “her girls” was grotesquely cartoon-like and the plot entirely predictable – partially because all the major plot points are revealed up-front and the entire story is just one long-winded and stuffy study of the finer details.

Even if everything hadn’t been revealed at the start, I still would have found this a tedious story of air-headed, easily-led, gullible young girls, following blindly wherever their teacher leads. As for their teacher – she’s exactly the sort of person I wouldn’t want teaching any child of mine and she is the only person, I think, who is surprised that she is betrayed.

If it had been any longer, I wouldn’t have bothered finishing it.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar by Mauric LeBlanc

Title: The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar
Author: Maurice LeBlanc
Narrator: Various
Publisher: Librivox
First Published: 1907
Running time: 5hr 54min 47sec
Format: Audio Book
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:
The suave adventures of a gentleman roguea French Thomas Crown Created by Maurice LeBlanc during the early twentieth century, Arsène Lupin is a witty confidence man and burglar, the Sherlock Holmes of crime. The poor and innocent have nothing to fear from him; often they profit from his spontaneous generosity. The rich and powerful, and the detective who tries to spoil his fun, however, must beware. They are the target of Arsène's mischief and tomfoolery. A masterful thief, his plans frequently evolve into elaborate capers, a precursor to such cinematic creations as Oceans Eleven and The Sting, Sparkling with amusing banter, these stories, the best of the Lupin series are outrageous, melodramatic, and literate.

Review:
A strange blend of Jeeves and Wooster and Sherlock Holmes, these stories have all the humour and the mystery of these polar opposite classics. Arsène Lupin is a roguish character that is impossible not to love, with his ingenuity, daring and utter composure, as well as a perfect sense of fair-play!

This introduction into the exploits of this prince of clever crimes also includes a battle of wits almost completely missed by the great Sherlock Holmes himself, which although short, is not to be missed!

If you’ve not yet read any of Arsène Lupin’s wonderful sprees, this collection of nine short stories is an excellent place to start and will have any reader wishing only one difference – more stories!

The Woman and the Ape by Peter Høeg

Title: The Woman and the Ape
Author: Peter Høeg
Translated by: Barbara Haveland
ISBN # 1860463681
Publisher: Harvill
First Published: 1996
229 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/10

Synopsis:
The Woman and the Ape is the story of a unique and unforgettable couple--Madelene and Erasmus. Madelene is the wife of Adam Burden, a distinguished behavioral scientist. Erasmus--the unlikely prince--is a 300-pound ape. Brought to the Burdens' London home after escaping from animal smugglers, Erasmus is discovered to be a highly intelligent anthropoid ape, the closest thing yet to a human being. Madelene decides to save Erasmus, and between them blossoms a profound affection as deep as any human relationship. A fable for our time, The Woman and the Ape poses searching questions about the nature of love, freedom, and humanity.

Review:
When it comes to pushing the envelope, Peter Høeg goes one step further and licks the stamp! There were parts of this book that had me feeling heartily sick – not that they were particularly graphic, it was the moral content of the scenes described (I consider myself a very open-minded person but there are certain things, for example sex with children or animals, with which I cannot agree as being “normal” or acceptable in any way).

I really wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. It started well; beginning as a touching tale of two creatures, who seemingly couldn’t be more different, finding solace in each other’s company. But then it veered off onto some strange, sci-fi-ish direction and touched on something that made me feel, very briefly, physically sick, before running off at a tangent that was odd on an almost Planet of the Apes scale.

The story itself felt very slow to me – it was a long slog just to get to the end and it took a surprisingly long time for me to read, despite its diminutive length, but it was largely because the story wasn’t engaging me. In short, I found I was forcing myself to pick up the book but as it was so short, I kept thinking to myself, “I might as well finish – there aren’t that many pages left.”

The writing style was something wonderful to behold – warm, friendly and inviting, from start to finish, but I got the feeling that Høeg kind of got lost a little somewhere in the middle and wasn’t quite sure how to bring things back round, leaving me feeling somewhat adrift and unhappy with the way the plot was winding up.

Overall, this book left me with a slightly sour taste in my mouth. There are fairytale elements that are quite beautiful, but large sections of it were such a turn off that I couldn’t really enjoy it as much as I wanted. If I happen to come across another of Høeg’s novels by chance, I may well pick it up and give it a try, but I won’t purposely look for one, nor will I continue with it past a certain point if it fails to deliver in the manner of this one.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author: J K Rowling
ISBN # 9780747591061
Publisher: Bloomsbury
First Published: 2007
607 pages
Format: Hardback
Rating: 7/10

*** SPOLIER WARNING ***

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK, BUT INTEND TO,

PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Synopsis:
Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task with which Professor Dumbledore has left him.

In this final, seventh instalment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited. The spellbinding, richly woven narrative, which plunges, twists and turns at a breathtaking pace, confirms the author as a mistress of storytelling, whose books will be read, reread and read again.

Review:
Like millions of other readers around the world, I desperately awaited this final installment of the Harry Potter saga, complete with hopes and fears about how it would stand up to the hype. Well, the long and the short of it is this – it’s pretty good, but not the best of the series, not by a long shot.

It all starts very well, with the action moving at lightning pace as Harry’s friends in the Order of the Phoenix attempt to get him safely away from Privet Drive before the protection charm wears out as he comes of age on his seventeenth birthday. During all this, two major characters are killed and another is seriously wounded, setting the tone for the rest of the book- anything could happen and anyone could die – nobody is safe!

Then, after a short pre-amble, the Harry Potter Trio get down to the business of finding the horcruxes, but this is where I felt everything got bogged down. Harry, Hermione and Ron seemed to be camping forever. Yes, the action took place over the course of several months, but it felt like it took me just as long to read that section. The camping expedition felt long, drawn out and torturous, and eventually got very repetitive with a constant round of the three of them arguing about how to go about locating the horcruxes, Ron and Harry disputing each other’s methods and intelligence, and Hermione coming up with the answers. In the end I got pretty fed up of Hermione fixing everything, and throughout their hunt, I felt as lost as they were, as they seemed to find things out by chance, rather than any serious deduction or making use of proper clues. And there is another shocking and pointless (or so it felt) death.

Eventually, though, this had to come to an end, and thankfully, I was treated to some more rip-roaring action as Voldemort brings the battle to Hogwarts. Now the pages are awash with blood as the good guys battle the bad guys, hurling spells left, right and centre. Two more major characters were wiped out without a decent send-off (their bodies are spotted, but their deaths occur off-screen), and there is a major revelation about the nature of the link between Harry and Voldemort before the final smack-down.

And then there’s an epilogue, set nineteen years later which, although wraps everything up nicely, feels a little “tagged on” in order to lift things a little from the bloodbath of the previous pages. Yes, it was interesting to find out what happened to those who were left alive (although only a handful of them are actually mentioned), but it was just a little too nice and still left a lot unsaid (although the actual Potter/Voldemort story was wrapped u nicely).

I was heartened to find that I was right all along about Severus Snape, who has been one of my favourite characters throughout the series and, in my opinion, has been sorely under-used. Another pat on the back for myself over the important role played by Neville – the boy who was almost the boy who lived (if Voldemort hadn’t forced the prophecy and assumed it was Harry – it always could have been either one of them!), although that part was so rushed and garbled that I had to re-read it three times before I could work out who had done what and how they had done it. Nevertheless, I was glad to see poor Neville well-done-by – he deserved it!

Overall, it’s a very enjoyable book, if a little slow in the middle (it’s a bit of a slump, but it’s definitely worth continuing past it) and, for the most part, very easy to read, but for me it didn’t match up to The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, or even The Half-Blood Prince, all of which were better paced and better written. Still, it was an exciting end to an engaging story and one that I will certainly re-read, along with all the others, and enjoy again.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
ISBN # 0140433813
Publisher: Penguin
First Published: 1897
520 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula with the purchase of a London house, he makes a series of horrific discoveries about his client. Soon afterwards, various bizarre incidents unfold in England: an apparently unmanned ship is wrecked off the coast of Whitby; a young woman discovers strange puncture marks on her neck; and the inmate of a lunatic asylum raves about the 'Master' and his imminent arrival. In Dracula, Bram Stoker created one of the great masterpieces of the horror genre, brilliantly evoking a nightmare world of vampires and vampire hunters and also illuminating the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.

Review:
Told from several points of view, Dracula is one of those rare gems that really does give the reader the feeling that they are being told a tale by several people, each with their own, distinct voice. Although very formal in places, the style is indicative of the time in which it was written and the social status of the players in this Gothic horror, bringing to the fore the repression felt by various characters due to their social standing or their sex, heightening the tension and adding to the gripping narrative.

Stoker’s style is incredibly atmospheric, evocative and sensual, drawing the reader into a dark world filled with tumultuous emotions, madness and sexual awakening, even making the protagonist, the brooding Count himself, a figure to be pitied and admired, as well as feared.

The real heart and strength of the story is Mina Harker who is really literatures first spokeswoman for “Girl Power”, playing an essential role in the proceedings – without her, the others would fall long before the finale. In many ways, she is the perfect woman – loyal, intelligent, willing to learn and stand on her own two feet, but also feminine, nurturing, steadfast and as strong, when it comes to the fight, as any man – she has true nerves of steel!

Whether or not you have seen any of the hundreds of film adaptations of this classic, really you should treat yourself to reading it first-hand, and experiencing the chilling mix of desire and horror as you turn the pages…

The Chestnut Soldier by Jenny Nimmo

Title: The Chestnut Soldier
Author: Jenny Nimmo
ISBN # 0749701501
Publisher: Mammoth
First Published: 1989
168 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:
To purge the anger from an ancient Welsh demonic god that he had helped release, and to soothe a moody, troubled soldier, Gwyn Griffiths draws on the strength of his namesake and ancestor in Welsh magic, Gwydion Gwyn.

Review:
As with the two preceding books, Nimmo has woven a web so sparklingly beautiful that it’s impossible not to fall a little in love with the characters, from the young hero of the story to the dark and brooding stranger whose presence threatens to destroy a family.

This third instalment in the Snow Spider trilogy is a little darker than the others – the story has grown up with the characters and this is as wonderful a finale to an enchanting saga as anyone could possibly wish for!

Emlyn's Moon by Jenny Nimmo

Title: Emlyn’s Moon
Author: Jenny Nimmo
ISBN # 0749701501
Publisher: Mammoth
First Published: 1987
158 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:
Young magician Gywn and his friend Nia have been warned to stay away from Emlyn Llewelyn, the strange boy who claims his mother lives on the moon. And yet, a mysterious magic continues to draw them to him. But why? It's up to Gwyn and Nia to solve the mystery, with the help of Arianwen, the Snow Spider. Readers will race along with Gwyn in this fantastic magical adventure to rescue Emlyn and his family before it's too late!

Review:
Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT! It was lovely that the story moved away from Gwyn (the main character in the first book) and encompassed other children (even though Gwyn played a major part in it). The story was every bit as magical and filled with mystery as the first.

This is one of those series that never really dates, despite being very much of its time – the magic of the story, the attractiveness of the characters and the reader’s sympathy and involvement in their adventures makes this a must-read for all adults who would like a little of their childhood sparkle rekindled, and also for children who enjoy a bit of whimsy.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

Title: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Author: Mark Twain
Narrator: Steve Anderson
Publisher: Librivox
First Published: 1889
Running time: 13hr 42min 35sec
Format: Audio Book
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:
Hank Morgan, nineteenth-century New Englander, is knocked on the head with a crowbar and wakes up to find himself in sixth century England, during the reign of King Arthur. Ever resourceful, he determines to be boss of the entire country within three weeks, and with his use of the 'great and beneficent' miracles of nineteenth-century engineering, he triumphs. Hank's efforts to modernize Camelot by organizing a school system, constructing telephone lines, and inventing the printing press bring some unexpected results. A witty, often hilarious social satire that exposes utopian and romantic ideals and provides a disturbing analysis of the benefits of progress and dissolution of social more, this is Twain's most ambitious work; a literary tour de force.

Review:
This is full of humour, but also full of political doctrine on the system of a monarchy versus a republic and how one man who knows more than others can manipulate a nation to his own ends. At times it was long-winded and very dry, but over-all, the epic saga of a 19th century American being transported back to King Arthur's England, and becoming his right-hand man (completely over-shadowing Merlin with his "miracles" of modern science) is rather a romp and well worth trying.

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D H Lawrence

Title: Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Author: D H Lawrence
ISBN # 1840224886
Publisher: Wordsworth Classics
First Published: 1928
268 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:
Constance Chatterley feels trapped in her sexless marriage to the invalid Sir Clifford. Unable to fulfill his wife emotionally or physically, Clifford encourages her to have a liaison with a man of their own class. But Connie is attracted instead to her husband's gamekeeper and embarks on a passionate affair that brings new life to her stifled existence. Can she find a true equality with Mellors, despite the vast gulf between their positions in society? One of the most controversial novels in English literature, Lady Chatterley's Lover is an erotically charged and psychologically powerful depiction of adult relationships.

Review:
First impressions are important and the instant impression that came to me is that D. H. Lawrence had a profound respect for women, seeing them as intelligent, rational, capable creatures with an innate sense and love of freedom.

One quote that really leapt out at me from page 2 and gave me a warm chuckle was in mentioning the youth of Constance and her sister: "They had been sent to Dresden at the age of fifteen, for music among other things. And they had had a good time there. They lived freely among the students, they argued with men over philosophical, sociological and artistic matters, they were just as good as the men themselves: only better, since they were women."

Despite this respect and deep emotional attachment, there were strange incongruities in the leading lady’s character: Although Constance seems to genuinely care for her husband, it surprised me that she shows absolutely no guilt over sleeping with other men -even going so far as to say to one lover, "I don't want Clifford to know... not even to suspect. It would hurt him so much. But I don't think it's wrong, do you?"

She seems to be able to separate emotion and affection from the act of having sex in a way that isn't normally portrayed in female characters of this era -certainly not in such a sympathetic light. I found this a very interesting approach, especially from a male author born in the tale-end of the 19th Century!

There was other moment where the four men (Constance’s husband and his three friends) are talking, it is mentioned that talking intellectually to a woman should be no different to sleeping with her. They “performed” better with Constance in the room (albeit silently). Were they then, by their own intellectual standards, making love to her in Clifford's stead? Wass he, in a way, being complicit, even at this early stage, in her being with other men?

Conversely, this seemed to be contradicted within the same chapter: Marriage is spoken of in terms of labels of ownership between spouses, with them each becoming an extension of the other. As Clifford is, due to his disability, sexless, is Constance then sexless by extension? Is this why, Tommy Dukes can say "sh*t" in front of Constance, despite claiming to be unable to do so in front of a woman? Is she considered, in this way, an “un-woman”?

The complexity of relationships; marital, familial and those of friendship, is explored with the some of the most beautiful language – even the use of “the C-word” seemed quite natural and didn’t offend in the least (in fact, it was used in such an affectionate manner it seemed almost a term of endearment, which was a new one on me!) – instead, it was gentle and completely non-derogatory in its context.

It's the first I've read by D H Lawrence, and I will certainly read more of his work. I've read other books set during a similar period, but in different areas and slightly different social sets (for example, The Great Gatsby focuses more on the American party set; A Taste of Blood Wine is 99% set in England and, again, features more of a social scene; P G Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories are also very social, with lots of visiting other people and places). This felt more stationary and confined, which, I think, added to the feeling that Constance was trapped in a place and marriage that did not make her happy.

I expected it to be a lot more steamy than it actually was - it turned out to be quite demure by comparison to some other "erotic" novels (such as Fanny Hill by John Cleland). Overall, I enjoyed every moment. I spent a lot longer reading this book than I usually do (mostly because I was so exhausted from jury duty all last week), but I savoured every last second of it. It was rather a refreshing read

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

Title: The Black Dahlia
Author: James Ellroy
ISBN # 9780099366515
Publisher: Arrow Books
First Published: 1987
384 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4/10

Synopsis:
It is Los Angeles, 11th January 1947. A beautiful young woman walked into the night and met her horrific destiny. Five days later, her tortured body was found drained of blood and cut in half. The newspapers called her 'The Black Dahlia'. Two cops are caught up in the investigation and embark on a hellish journey that takes them to the core of the dead girl's twisted life.

Review:
I'm sad to say I was rather disappointed by this book. Pretty much everyone I'd spoken to about it said round about the same thing, "Once it gets past the boxing bit, it gets really good but it's really gruesome". I felt the exact opposite - I loved the boxing bit! The descriptions of the blood and sweat and adrenaline rush were, by far, the best bit of the whole book - I really felt like I was there at the fight. After that, things went downhill.

There seemed to be an awful lot of waffling and pussy-footing around with little bits and pieces of peripheral story line in which I had absolutely no interest - I wanted to get to the murder and the investigation, then stick with it.

I also didn't find the "gruesome" bits all that gruesome - certainly not compared to Stuart MacBride or even Richard Montanari (Rosary Girls was far more graphic than this). The only thing that disturbed me was the constant racial slurs throughout the book - I know they were meant to be indicative of the time in which it was set (1947), but that kind of thing makes me angry. It also annoyed me that there were absolutely no "normal" characters - the women were all sluts and everyone had at least one sexual "perversion" - surely LA circa 1947 wasn't entirely populated with sexual deviants? You'd be forgiven for believing it was after reading this.

The constant colloquialisms also grated on my nerves and made for difficult reading - there was no reference as to what many of them meant - the reader is left to guess at their meaning (which really narked me!).

I'll not be bothering with any more of Ellroy's novels - I'll stick to watching the film adaptations.