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Piano Angel by Esther Woolfson – Review
Piano Angel by Esther Woolfson
The slightly fey title belies the power of this impressive novel. Mark Blum, a New York architect in his early 60s, is diagnosed with a brain tumour. He chooses to return to his native Glasgow to die. Younger brother Dan, a photographer who was in his youth a talented pianist, undertakes to look after him. In London, children’s book illustrator Anci Goldman learns of Mark’s death through a newspaper obituary. Anci, a refugee from the Hungary of 1956, had briefly lived in Glasgow, at the home of the Blums. Moving through three narratives with a sharply defined sense of place and history – New York at the dawn of this millennium, London and Glasgow during one mournful autumn, and besieged Budapest – Woolfson has created a brooding, intelligent work replete with ideas and gripping drama.
Review: Piano Angel by Esther Woolfson | Books | The Guardian.
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Retromancer by Robert Rankin – Review
about 5 months ago - No comments
Retromancer by Robert Rankin Retromancer returns us to the adventures of Rizla and that paragon of perfection, Hugo Rune. The story begins with young Rizla awakening to discover that not only has the past been changed by evil forces and the Nazis have won the war, but he is also now expected to get a
Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton – Review
about 5 months ago - No comments
Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton As a new Ice Age closes in on Villjamur, migrants from the fast-freezing colonial outlands clamour at the city’s gates. They provoke sympathy from those who also feel like outsiders to the city’s sometimes smugly self-contained culture — and disgust from those who see climate change only as
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin – Review
about 5 months ago - 1 comment
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, Book 1 (The Inheritance Trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin Where to start the world building, the myth, the main character, the voice? This has got to be one of the strongest debuts I’ve read for a while. I tend to lower my expectations and criticisms when reading a debut. It’s generally unfair
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest – Review
about 7 months ago - No comments
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest Boneshaker is Cherie Priest’s sixth novel and it is her best. With a keen eye for detail and description, Priest quickly draws readers into her alternate world. She conveys the danger of the Blight, the walking undead, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of underground Seattle with confidence. By using slightly formal dialogue
The Loch by Steve Alten – Review
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
The Loch by Steve Alten This is an enjoyable Loch Ness thriller filled with action. The story line is fast-paced from the misadventures in the Sargasso Sea to the mass of people in the hero’s way at Loch Ness. Zach knows he must overcome his feelings of inadequacy and his fear of the water if
Flood by Stephen Baxter – Review
about 1 year ago - No comments
Flood by Stephen Baxter When seen within the context of much of Baxter’s recent work, Flood constitutes an intriguing re-examination and development of the same set of broadly existential themes. However, as a stand-alone piece of work, Flood is an oddly unsatisfying read that squanders its attention on an endless series of checkpoints (there goes
Snowbound by Bill Pronzini – Review
about 1 year ago - No comments
Snowbound by Bill Pronzini Snowbound is a novel that would translate very well into a hardboiled film, either as an updated version or in its historical context. Its force and impact have diminished little over the thrity-four years since its original publication. It is not on the par of Pronzini’s recent work—specifically the character development
Plague War by Jeff Carlson – Review
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
Plague War by Jeff Carlson Post-apocalyptic novels are supposed to be bleak, but Jesus! Jeff Carlson’s Plague trilogy is shaping up to be the grimmest and most intense end of the world epic SF has seen in many a moon. Depending on your tastes, it can be just too hard to take after a while.
A Most Wanted Man by John le Carre – Review
about 1 year ago - No comments
A Most Wanted Man by John le Carre To gauge how deeply much of the rest of the world abhors America’s current notion of justice, read John le Carré’s new novel about the war on terror. Even though American spies occupy little real estate in A Most Wanted Man, they bind its loose ends in
The Stepmother’s Diary by Fay Weldon – Review
about 1 year ago - No comments
The Stepmother’s Diary by Fay Weldon It is rare to come across a contemporary novel written with as much panache as The Stepmother’s Diary. Cleverly constructed and told with brio, Fay Weldon’s latest book is ostensibly the story of Sappho, a young and successful writer who marries Gavin – a widower 19 years her senior