Monthly Archives: January 2013

“The Sense of an Ending” by Julian Barnes & “The Reader” by Bernard Schlink

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Houyhnhnm

Strange how things fit together by chance. I read these two back to back with no thought of connections. Both are short novels, novellas, intellectually “about” “history”, and written by male narrators each looking back over a relationship with a … Continue reading →

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“Minotaur” by Harrison Birtwhistle

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Houyhnhnm

Managed to see this revival – £13 ticket up high on the side – but enjoyed it much more than the first time: I was spellbound more or less from start to finish, by both the music and the spectacle … Continue reading →

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“Unholyland” by Aidan Andrew Dun

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Houyhnhnm

Another step on Aidan Andrew Dun’s journey towards the poetic recognition he so deserves, and perhaps a major milestone: he now has his name and words fixed in stone at King’s Cross, and has attracted, for the cover of this … Continue reading →

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“Unapologetic” by Francis Spufford

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Houyhnhnm

This book was greeted with huge triumph and relief by Christians, mainly fading Anglicans, as a new candidate for the project of doing-religion-without-actually-believing-it’s-true-in-the-way-that-we-think-people-in-the-past-did. Like Don Cupitt and Karen Armstrong, Quakers and Unitarians. So does it pass muster? Yes, in that … Continue reading →

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“Need to Know” by Timothy Good

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Houyhnhnm

Convincing, against my expectations. It’s impossible to accept what must otherwise be the case: that the vast range and amount of direct eye-witness evidence is all either faked or imagined. And it’s even more clear that the US authorities believe … Continue reading →

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“The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Houyhnhnm

A fascinating attempt to novelise the Iliad, taking the material beyond the confines of Homer’s poem, both before and after, but not falling into the trap of having to tell the whole bloody story in detail, wooden horse and all … Continue reading →

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