In 1959 the Clutter family, of Holcomb, Kansas, USA, were all murdered by a couple of home invaders. Truman Capote decided to go to Kansas to research and write this book about the crime and the investigation. Fortunately, he stayed with the project long enough for the crime to be solved – I don’t think this book would have been quite as good otherwise.
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This murder mystery starts with an account written by an acquaintance of the victim. It sets the scene nicely. The next chapter was written from a different point of view, just to mix things up. I was pleased as well … Continue reading
This book is about the life and (mostly failed) loves of three women: Chia, her friend Zikora and her cousin Omelogor. They are all Nigerian, living variously in the USA and Nigeria, quite well-off, and each with their own interesting … Continue reading
Two contrasting stream-of-consciousness narratives in this novel, set 100 years ago. Mrs Dalloway is preparing to host a party – we go inside her thoughts and also those of various friends and associates, so we get a full picture of … Continue reading
This is not the story of the feijoa. It is the story of Kate Evans’s journey investigating the story of the feijoa. Along the way we do learn a lot of interesting stuff about feijoas, but we also learn a … Continue reading
This is the third volume of In Search of Lost Time, in which our hero (I’ll call him Marcel even though that’s probably not his name) enters the world of high society, basically by stalking Mme de Guermantes until he … Continue reading
Susan Rogers’ first claim to fame is that she was the chief engineer on Prince’s critically acclaimed and immensely popular Purple Rain album. After a subsequent glittering career as a record producer she became a cognitive neuroscientist. This career path … Continue reading
This is an amazing book. Amazing. The first chapter (Chapter A) is an interesting story written in a quirky style: Continue reading
Lucrezia’s husband is planning to murder her – what can she do about it? This book is a compelling dive into the personal and political world of 15th-century Florentine royalty. It’s a fictionalised account of a real troubled marriage, with … Continue reading
As usual with Wodehouse, I was chuckling all the way through this book. This is the first Lord Ickenham story I have read. He is a great character, like a haphazardly mischievous version of Jeeves. The many characters get themselves … Continue reading