"Hemingway and Faulkner In Their Time" by Earl Rovit and Arthur Waldhorn: Review

"Writers should work alone. They should see each other only after their work is done, and not too often then."
                                                           - Ernest Hemingway

"A man works for a fairly simple range of things: money, women, glory; all nice to have but glory's best, and the best of glory is from his peers, like the soldier who has the good opinion not of man but of other soldiers, who are themselves brave too."
                                                           - William Faulkner

Rovit and Waldhorn start of their book with these quotes, concerning their peers, by two of the best-known American writers of their generation. And that is what this book is all about.
Hemingway and Faulkner in Their Time is a compilation of letters, interviews and comments from other famous writers, for example Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, Gertrude Stein etc, talking about either Hemingway or Faulkner and their works with Rovit and Waldhorn providing additional information and context where it is needed.
And it seems every writer had to say something about at least one of these two men, who, while being well aware of each others works, have never actually met in person. And since some of these things are expressed in letters to friends it is a much more honest opinion on either men than one usually gets from official statements and biographies.

While I absolutely loved this book and the whole time I was reading it it just made me want to go back in time and sit around at Gertrude Stein's flat in Paris with all these brilliant and talented people (a bit like Owen Wilson in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris), it is by no means an introduction to the works of Hemingway and Faulkner in any way. You will have to have at least a basic knowledge about their work and the other writers of the so-called "Lost Generation" that are mentioned. If you are like me, however, a huge fan of those ladies and gentlemen anyway this is definitely a book you HAVE to read. Enjoy :)

"Before I Go To Sleep" by S.J. Watson: Review

Imagine waking up in the morning in an unfamiliar house, in a bed you don't recognise, next to a stranger. A stranger who explains to you that he is your husband, that this is in fact your house and that you go through this routine every morning, because you are suffering from anterograde amnesia. That is exactly the situation Christine Lucas, the main character of S.J. Watson's best-selling novel Before I Go To Sleep finds herself in.
Her husband Ben tells her that she was in a car accident about 10 years prior and that ever since then she doesn't remember that occurred after her late twenties. Struggling with the situation, Christine still tries to make the best of it. When Ben leaves her alone to go to work she is contacted by a Dr. Nash, who claims that he has been working with her for the past few weeks to regain her memory without telling her husband. He also hands her a journal she has been keeping, trying to remember. Dr. Nash is also the one to tell her that she was not in fact in a car accident, but that she was attacked at a hotel near the airport and that's what caused the trauma for her amnesia.
Working through her journal Christine starts to remember snippets here and there from her former life. She also remembers a son. Ben tells her that they had one but that he had died as a child. While Christine doesn't really have a reason to mistrust her husband there are more and more things that don't add up with what she remembers and what she is told by former friends and soon she is not sure who she can trust anymore and who even is who they claim to be.
What starts as a interesting story of a woman trying to manage life in her condition and trying to regain her memory soon turns into an extremely suspenseful thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat.
Like I think I have already said in earlier posts I am usually not really that much into reading thrillers, so that makes it even better when I find one once and again that really blows me away.
There is also a movie version of the book, starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong. While I am not really a Kidman fan I have to say that the movie is also really worth watching and I enjoyed it a lot, even though I already knew how it would end ;)

"Alan Turing: The Enigma" by Andrew Hodges: Review

While formerly probably mostly known to people who have some background knowledge in the fields of mathematics and computer science, the name Alan Turing is now widely known around the globe. All thanks to the Academy Award nominated movie The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean). Though neither any of the actors have won an Academy Award in their respective categories, nor the film itself Best Picture, writer Graham Moore received one for Best Adapted Screenplay. I had seen the movie before and Mr. Moore winning this award made me want to read the book even more, to see, how the film had been adapted.

The book by Andrew Hodges has been released in various editions, first in 1983, and revised in the later ones. At first I was a bit vary of reading it, since I am definitely not on the strong side when it comes to maths and considering that Andrew Hodges is a mathematician himself, there was the risk of the book being too theoretical for me. But I can gladly say that, while maths does obviously play an important role in it, the book focuses mainly on the person that was Alan Turing and explains the technical things so well that even I could understand it.
Although usually he is not exactly mentioned as the inventor of the computer as we know it today, Turing did actually design and build the forerunners for our computers. He also invented the so-called Turing Test which is basically supposed to be able to differentiate between a human and a computer and has highly influenced research in terms of artificial intelligence.
One of the best known achievements of Turing, which is also the main focus of the book and the film is, that he helped to decode the German Nazi code known as the Enigma and therefore helped England win the war. This has been kept a secret even after the war had ended and therefore nobody knew what an important service Turing and his colleagues had done to their country.
Unfortunately this did not save him from being arrested for "gross indecency", which was the term for homosexuality and which was illegal at Turing's time. Not wanting to go to prison Turing chose a hormone treatment prescribed by the government which was supposed to "cure" him of his homosexuality. One year into the therapy Alan Turing committed suicide.It is a very sad end of a very complicated man.
Hodges writes about Turing's life and the struggles he had with a lot of understanding. As far as biographies go it is definitely one of the best and the most intimate I have ever read. I especially liked that although admiring Turing, Hodges does tell the whole story and does not present him as a misunderstood hero, but as a brilliant, nevertheless very difficult man.
I know that Biographies are not for everyone, but I definitely recommend this, because it is brilliantly done.

"Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro is a noel that paints a dystopic image of the world as we know it. The story is told by the main character Kathy, who narrates her life basically in three different acts. 

In the first part she remembers her childhood at a boarding school called Hailsham for us. Those seem to be her best memories, although it is already hinted early on that this fictional place is not an ordinary boarding school and that the students who have been there all their lives are not ordinary either. 

The students (and the reader) learn soon that they are very special indeed, because they are clones, created to be organ donors when they're grown up. Kathy talks about how every donor is to give as much as possible, but that they usually only get to donate 4 times maximum before they reach their "completion", meaning before they die. 

Already in her memories from Hailsham Kathy tells the reader about her friends Ruth and Tommy, who later on engage in a romantic relationship, although it is always hinted that Kathy is actually the one who has feelings for Tommy and vice versa.

The second part revolves around the characters being around 16 years old and their time after they've left Hailsham and are to live together in huts. In their time at the huts they even try to track down the woman after whom Ruth was created, to find out if there is any likeness in character at all. Disappointingly they find none and begin to wonder whether their creation was actually important at all. 

They also find out later on that Hailsham does not exist any more, because it was only an experiment to try and give the clones a good life and not raise them under inhuman circumstances. Unfortunately the funding for that project has stopped and Kathy, Tommy and Ruth were lucky to have been raised there and have a relatively good childhood.

In the last act we learn that Tommy and Ruth have already become donors and that Kathy is a carer. Carers are clones who take care of others when they have their donations. In those last years Kathy is a carer for both, Tommy and Ruth at some point, before their completion.

I think the book is absolutely brilliant, but it's hard to say that I "enjoyed" reading it, because, while I find the topic it is dealing with highly interesting, it is also very gloomy. The idea of clones as a kind of human spare part boxes is not new, but as opposed to, for example the movie The Island by Michael Bay, which is a typical Hollywood blockbuster with lots of action and motorcycle/car chases, Never let me go approaches the topic very calmly and therefore, makes it seem all the more realistic. Nevertheless, it was a great book and definitely one of my favourites from author Kazuo Ishiguro. I'd also recommend to watch the movie with the same title, which is maybe even a tad darker than the book but otherwise very well adapted to  the screen and with Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield as the main cast it assembles some of Britain's finest young actors. 

"The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by Rachel Joyce: Review

Harold Fry and his wife Maureen live a very ordinary life in Kingsbridge, Devon.  Recently retired, Harold likes to spend most of his time mowing the lawn or chatting with his widowed neighbour Rex. That is until one day he receives a letter that shall interfere with his daily routine and change his life and his marriage from then on.

The letter he receives is from Queenie Hennessy, a colleague who had worked with Harold in a brewery over 20 years ago. She writes to him to inform him that she has got terminal cancer and that she is currently living in a hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed.While the news do not seem to affect Maureen very much, they shake Harold to the bone. He hadn't seen Queenie in a long time and they never really got to say goodbye to each other, when she disappeared from one day to another. Not knowing what else to do, he decides to write her a letter, expressing his well wishes. 

He tells his wife that he'll just quickly post the letter and be back. He doesn't even take his mobile with him, because why would you if you only go to the mailbox. But when he's at the mailbox, he can't bring himself to post the letter and so he just walks on to the next one and the next and the next until he is almost out of his town. He decides to get something to eat at a garage and talks to the girl who works there. She tells him that her aunt had cancer as well, and that she thinks that believing one can save a person does actually save them. This is what makes Harold decide to walk to Berwick-upon-Tweed to see Queenie and that he will save her by walking. He calls the hospice and asks the nurse to tell Queenie to stay alive because he is walking to her and he also calls his wife and tries to explain that this is something he has to do. 

From then on he is steadily walking northwards, only wearing his yachting shoes and his everyday clothes. He meets lots and lots of interesting people all over the country who tell him their stories and he tells them his. At some point he becomes so famous all over England that he finds himself with a large group of people who want to walk with him to save Queenie Hennessy. The whole "pilgrimage" of his turns into a media event and eventually the other pilgrims even let him behind because they don't think he will make it in time to see Queenie. 

While Harold is walking he reflects a lot on his life, his marriage and his son David, who is often mentioned by him and his wife, but we never encounter him personally. Gradually the stories and traumata of Harold's past are revealed to the reader by dwelling on his memories with him. It soon becomes very clear that the quiet, boring life and marriage is not at all what it seems. I really liked that the story is told through Harold and Maureen's point of view, because that allows the reader to learn much more about both of the characters and their lives, than if one only gets one side of the story. I am a great fan of the book, because it tells such a moving story in a way you don't read it all the time, but truth be told, it gets a bit repetitive at times, especially towards the end. But I guess that also fits the narrative of the story, because walking through a whole country by foot will be a bit repetitive from time to time. Nevertheless I'd recommend it, because it is a very nice read. 

I am not going to spoil what the reader discovers in the course of the story and if Harold will make it to Berwick-upon-Tweed, because I think that by reading the book you go on some kind of journey yourself and it is great to discover everything piece by piece. 

"Pride" dir. by Matthew Warchus: Film Review

Pride is a British movie, directed by Matthew Warchus that premiered in 2014.
The plot of the film is based on a true story that occurred in London and Wales in the years 1984/85. It starts out as the story of the 20-year-old Londoner Joe (George MacKay), who is slowly coming to terms with his homosexuality and therefore joins the Gay Pride London 1984. There he meets a group of new lesbian and gay people, whom he soon becomes close friends with. Joe is one of the few characters in the movie that is actually fictional. He was created to give the audience an access point to the whole story and the actual real life characters in it.
The story takes place during the time of Britain's great Miner strike under Margaret Thatcher. Since the Miners struggle to keep their strike up, this little group of people found a group called "Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners", trying to raise money to help the mining communities out.
At first the Miners Union does not want to take the money that was raised for them because they are afraid of the implications that would follow if they were openly associated with a group of gay people. Therefore "Gay and Lesbians Support the Miners" decide to donate their money directly to one of the affected mining villages. They find the little Welsh village Onllwyn and after meeting with the responsible member of the Union they start donating directly to the people of Onllwyn and are, because they have raised so much money for them, even invited to visit.
As can be guessed, a small Welsh village in the early 1980s is not exactly gay friendly, nevertheless most of the people to warm towards the shrill guests from London.

Since it is a BBC movie I was actually going in, fully prepared that it is going to be a dark and absolutely depressing British drama, but was pleasantly surprised. Although dealing with serious topics the film balances incredibly well between comedy and drama. It has got a very light-hearted atmosphere and assembles some of Britain's finest actors like Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Andrew Scott etc.
Unfortunately it is not in cinemas everywhere, but if you have got the chance please do go and see it, because i can most certainly say that Pride is the most beautiful film I have seen in a very long time.

"Good Omens - The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch" by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett: Review

Good Omens is the result of a collaboration between two of the greatest writers of our time, Terry Pratchett (Discworld) and Neil Gaiman (Sandman).
To sum up the whole plot of the novel would be rather too extensive but I'm still going to give it a try.
Basically, it's the story of the apocalypse, but not in any way you have read about it before. The demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale have been living on earth for a few centuries now and they have grown rather fond of it and their lifestyles. Nevertheless they are told by their respective bosses that the Antichrist is about to be born and that he needs to be taken care of, so that he can properly herald Armageddon when he's old enough. Both sides observe the boy growing up, wondering when his destiny will show, since he does not seem threatening in the slightest. Only on his 11th birthday Crowley realizes that he and the satanic nuns might have made a mistake the night the boy was born and that the children seem to have been switched.
From then on it's mainly Crowley running from his bosses and him and Azariphale deciding that they would much rather save the earth they live on. Aside from these two looking for the real Antichrist we also meet Newt Pulsifer, a member of the witchfinder army, who has become aware of some strange things happening in the village of Lower Tadfield, where Adam aka. the Antichrist happens to live. There Newt meets and falls in love with Anathema Device, a descendant of one Agnes Nutter, the very same Agnes Nutter who happened to predict the end of the world.
Crowley, Azariphale and Newt are not the only ones to make their way towards Lower Tadfield, but also the four horseman are on their way to join the Antichrist in bringing about the apocalypse. These four might seem a bit familiar if you are familiar with Pratchett's writing, especially the fact that everything Death says is written in all caps is a feature of Pratchett's Discworld novels.
To see how the grand finale goes down I strongly recommend you pick up the book as soon as possible.

It didn't come as much of a surprise to me that I liked the book as much as I did, because I am a big fan of both Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and even if you haven't read anything by either of the two before, I am pretty sure you will love this book. It is absurd in a way that makes you smile constantly and also very witty, reflecting on society in a way that does not make it feel like it is being shoved in your face.
BBC Radio is also going to release a radio play for Good Omens, featuring some of Britain's finest actors and also featuring the creators Gaiman and Pratchett themselves in a cameo appearance, just in time for Christmas. And as one of the actors who will be in the radio play, Colin Morgan, put it:

"It's a story about the Antichrist. There's nothing more festive than that!"