That They May Face the Rising Sun stands head and shoulders over so much that I have read in recent years. An exquisitely tender and human and sensitiThat They May Face the Rising Sun stands head and shoulders over so much that I have read in recent years. An exquisitely tender and human and sensitive book. Never sentimental. Timeless. I did not want to leave the world of the lake. I did not want to finish the last page. I did not want to say goodbye. So powerful a portrait of quiet lives set against the backdrop of the shifting patterns of the natural world. This book moved me so much that I can still feel it beating softly inside me like a breath of wind on the lake or the ticking of those clocks in Mary and Jaimsie's cottage. I will be returning. Can't recommend it highly enough. Would remind me in some ways of Kent Haruf's Benediction Trilogy....more
I read this over 40 years ago and so, it was a real delight to return to after such a long absence and find it as fresh and as vivid as ever. What an I read this over 40 years ago and so, it was a real delight to return to after such a long absence and find it as fresh and as vivid as ever. What an apt choice it proved to be too for the darkening days of November, with its suitably haunting and page turning mystery set deep in the heart of the bleak, spectral hills of Dartmoor. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's style of prose is both meticulous and convincing in its descriptive evocation of landscape and character. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer. I loved it. ...more
P.D. James is in her element here with this, the fifth outing for Adam Dalgliesh and while this is yet another classically and brilliantly told tale oP.D. James is in her element here with this, the fifth outing for Adam Dalgliesh and while this is yet another classically and brilliantly told tale of death and deceit carried off with her all of her trademark and consummate writing skill, you almost don't quite need the murders, so vividly real and adept as she is at conjuring up not only a visceral and breathtaking coastal location but also an entire ensemble of utterly intriguing and in some cases downright unlikable characters thrown together as much as by fate as by chance. A wonderful and rewarding read by a much missed author. ...more
Afghanistan in 54 short pages. Insightful, disturbing, arresting. An educational immersion into the tragedy and beauty of this fabled place in the heaAfghanistan in 54 short pages. Insightful, disturbing, arresting. An educational immersion into the tragedy and beauty of this fabled place in the heart of Asia. Packed with emotion and embroidered with a visual intensity that stirs the soul. Much to admire and to learn from in this gem of a tragic novella. ...more
This is the first book I have read by Nadeem Aslam. I was drawn to the subject matter because of the very recent and horrifying exodus from AfghanistaThis is the first book I have read by Nadeem Aslam. I was drawn to the subject matter because of the very recent and horrifying exodus from Afghanistan. The opening, I have to say took some suspension of disbelief, what with the old perfume factory at the foot of the Tora Bora Mountains, the giant Buddha in the basement and the gold oozing from its eyes, the severed hands, the books nailed to the ceilings of every room in the house, the decor of every said room like some intricately painted piece of Persian pottery, the English doctor, the Russian emigre, the American interloper and through all of this everything seemed to be striving and straining for heights of such utterly and impossibly beautiful lyrical perfection that I have to confess my eyebrows were at times somewhat raised and I wasn't really drawn in or convinced. Plus after the first few chapters I had the distinct impression that all the characters were nothing more than cardboard cutouts being manipulated around the stage set of the pages by a very particular author. However and this is the thing, I kept turning the pages out of curiosity really at this stage and bit by bit I was drawn in to a tale that yes, while disconcertingly beautiful from the outset and at times throughout became so multi layered and intricately pieced together that I have to say that in the end I really have to take my hat off to Nadeem Aslam for so skillfully weaving together and pulling off a truly fascinating piece of work that lays bare the utter brutality, treachery and savagery that has wrecked this intriguing country for so long now. ...more
Atmospherically authentic and utterly captivating in its capturing of the heat and tension of this particularly fraught time in the history of India. Atmospherically authentic and utterly captivating in its capturing of the heat and tension of this particularly fraught time in the history of India. Through an ingenious method of recollection, interview, deposition, letters and of course the unforgettable 'Daphne Manner's diary, this book is a lot more than ambitious, it is epic in scale and although at times there is the sense of just a tad too much extraneous detail and even repetition, there is all the same so much to absorb and admire in this opening novel of the Raj Quartet that you don't just read it, you live it and that for me is one of the most essential aspects of memorable and brilliant literature - writing that takes you 'there'....more
Exceptional nature writing. A joy to read not only about the quirky lives of the otters but the landscape and shifts and patterns in the weather and tExceptional nature writing. A joy to read not only about the quirky lives of the otters but the landscape and shifts and patterns in the weather and the indigenous wildlife as well. Am intending to read the sequel next year. ...more
This is Per Petterson's first book - a delicate and sensitively woven collection of joyous vignettes introducing the observant and headstrong Arvid JaThis is Per Petterson's first book - a delicate and sensitively woven collection of joyous vignettes introducing the observant and headstrong Arvid Jansen (Per Petterson's main future protagonist in many of his novels) to the world for the first time as a young boy. Whimsical fun and so interesting and rewarding to read coming to it after reading the later longer novels featuring Arvid as an older man. It's a little gem of a book to read again at any time because the writer's prose is as sharp as ever and as clear cut as the sun on a winter's morning. One of my favourite authors....more
Loading...
