The Human Stain - Philip Roth

Not sure what to make of this book! I suspect it is the kind of 'literary novel' that I can't really relate to. So the author seems more obsessed with displaying how versatile he is in the use of English - long rambling paragraphs full of long words or obscure words that I can't really be bothered to comprehend. Is this what the modern American novel is all about? OK so superficially it is a book about a book being written by an author who has observed a tragedy. This is the tragedy of an elderly accademic driven from his senior post by allegations of racism. Of course there is a twist in the tail or tale. Philip Roth seems to find it essential to introduce a great amount of graphic sexual desriptions and language. I personally find this generally inessential, and does not add to the stature of the writing. I found myself scanning large chunks of this book, because I eventually couldn't care less about the fates of the various participants, whether it was the 'hero - Coleman Silk, or the writer, or the Vietnam veteran, or the youthful mistress of Coleman, or the strange French Professor. It all rather went over my head. My edition had the following extract from a review on the front cover: 'The work of a genius at full throttle' Sunday Telegraph. I don't think they were reading the book I've just finished! Rating 4/10

Restless - William Boyd

I was surprised by this book - it wasn't what I expected. I very much enjoyed this tale of a woman who suddenly discovers that her mother had a totally different previous life - with a

different name, different identity, different nationality and a whole family that she has kept secret for thirty years - since the end of World War II. The book starts with the daughter finding her Mother becoming increasingly concerned that she is being watched and followed. Fearing that senility is the cause, the daughter is given a series of chapters of her mother's life during the War. The daughter is drawn into this story and finds out plenty about herself as well as her mother.

Alternating chapters of the present and the past maintain a rapid pace and the suspense continues to the end. I was thoroughly gripped and drawn in. This is a true page turner - not your typical spy novel either. My rating: 8/10

Duplicate Keys - Jane Smiley

I've previously read 'A Thousand Acres' by Jane Smiley - and was incredibly impressed - she is a very powerful author. What I admire about her writing is the examination of human relationships - what might be described as both internal and external lives of the characters.
In Duplicate Keys relationships are at the heart of the story. We have double murder at the start of the book, and although you might think this is a story of the police case and its' solution it is more about how each of the cast of characters resolve their feelings and emotions about the event, and how it affects their dependence upon or independence from the group of friends that have been 'together' for a decade or more. In reality they discover that their friendships aren't as solid as they imagined.
Ms Smiley is exceptionally good at examining self revelation - and the unintended results of thoughtless impulses. The central character is in many ways totally selfless but is as a result suffocating in her attention to the needs of others. In the aftermath of the murder she embarks on a totally out of character relationship and regrets it, but cannot extricate herself with dignity and without rudeness.
She really does draw you into the story - you really care about the fate of the character, and she can truly write suspense into scenes that require it, and you just want to shout 'Tell the truth!' at times.
I'm going to try and read many other books by Jane Smiley - rating: 9/10

The Unknown Soldier - Neil Hanson

This book is all about the idea of The Unknown Soldier. Padre David Railton, who served in World War I came up with the notion and spent a long time trying to get it adopted (even though the Dean of Westminster claimed the credit). Either way the body of an unknown soldier was selected and buried with the Kings and Princes at Westminster Abbey. Neil Hanson has done his research well, and it is an incredibly moving book, tracing the lives of several men who were never identified at the end of the War. There is a German soldier, and British infantryman and an American Airman.

What am I Doing Here - Bruce Chatwin

This is another book I read for a book group I attend. I had a vague knowledge of the author, Bruce Chatwin as a legendary travel writer. I suspect this was rushed out following his death from AIDS.

It is really a collection of articles, and I don't think they can described as travel writing. There are pieces about art, various people he met on his travels (unfortunately several I'd never heard of), straightforward reportage, and things about ideas and anthropology.

If these had appeared severally and separately in magazines, I probably wouldn't have bothered to finish quite a few of them. They are quirky and pretentious, eccentric and self-indulgent at times. However, they are very readable, and although at times he seems to have no idea where he's going with his argument or point, there are some gems in this collection. There is an interview with Indira Ghandi that is fascinating, and another about a murder in Marseilles that is worth buying the book for. It is too patchy though so I'm only going to rate this 6/10

The Excursion Train - Edward Marston

Edward Marston is a profilic exponent of a particular genre - the historical murder mystery. I have to say I much prefer the books in his Doomsday series - where he evokes the life of post conquest England extremely well. This book is the second in a series about a police inspector fascinated by railways - it is set in the middle of the nineteenth century. I'm sure it is historically extremely accurate and well researched, and the railway information is fascinating. However, Marston's not well developed characters and slightly unimaginative plot lines don't make him in the top rank of murder mystery writers. I like more twists and turns and less romance, more surprise and less over accurate historical 'colour' in my crime novels.

My rating: 7/10