Category Archives: 101greatreads

The Office of Gardens and Ponds by Didier Decoin (Maclehose Press)

Posted on October 7, 2022 by drewsmith28

“Following a long confinement and strict observance of the eating restrictions associated with bereavement….” A STRANGE lash up of old Japanese folklore with Gallic machismo teeters on the edge of being a fine read full of intriguing descriptions and sparkling … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, fiction | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Cooking by Jeremy Lee (Fourth Estate)

Posted on September 13, 2022 by drewsmith28

“The simple truth I’ve learned from a lifetime of cooking is that good food is honed from fine ingredients”. THAT opening sentence may not sound so radical, so revolutionary but it is a statement of courage and intent, the kernel … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, Non fiction | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Trees by Percival Everett (Influx Press)

Posted on September 6, 2022 by drewsmith28

BY itself the cherry tree front cover and title Trees might suggest, visually at least, some rural Celtic saga of family strife, but the insides quickly disabuse that notion. We are in Mississippi noir territory, noir in the sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, fiction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Secret Life of Writers by Guillaume Musso (Weidenfield & Nicolson)

Posted on August 24, 2022 by drewsmith28

“The wind was slapping at the sails in a dazzling sky.” THE opening quote is from Umberto Eco: ‘To survive, you must tell stories.” By half way through this page-turner thriller,  you may have counted six or is that seven … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, fiction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Treacle Walker by Alan Garner (Fourth Estate)

Posted on August 17, 2022 by drewsmith28

“Ragbone! Ragbone! Any rags! Pots for rags.” THERE is a fair amount of subtext here, which you might, or might not, need. A little Latin may help. Alan Garner’s first work was published in 1963. He has been admired and … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, Biography, fiction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber)

Posted on August 11, 2022 by drewsmith28

“In October there were yellow trees.” A SLIM slice of rural Ireland, from not so long ago. You might see this as an addendum to the bigger Irish politics covered in Fintan O’Toole’s We Don’t Know Ourselves. It is short, … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, fiction | Tagged | Leave a comment

Heritage by Miguel Bonnefoy (Gallic)

Posted on March 28, 2022 by drewsmith28

“Lazare Lonsonier was reading in the bath when news of the outbreak of the First World War reached Chile.” A NEW novel from Bonnefoy! A treat. We are in Chile, imagine a large wood table, the aviary next door, tropical … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, fiction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed (Penguin/Viking)

Posted on February 28, 2022 by drewsmith28

“The King is dead. Long live the Queen. The announcer’s voice crackles from the wireless and winds around the rapt patrons of Berlin’s Milk Bar, as sinuously as the fog curls around the mournful street lamps, their wan glow barely … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, fiction | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (Sphere) part three, finale

Posted on November 10, 2020 by drewsmith28

part three of review of Troubled Blood Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, fiction | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Troubled blood by Robert Galbraith (Sphere) part two

Posted on October 28, 2020 by drewsmith28

UNILKE the fantasy of Harry Potter, here Joanne Kathleen takes a random group of seemingly respectable ordinary Londoners connected mainly by a doctor’s surgery circa 1973. It is real enough commentary. Each new lead becomes a horse on a carousel … Continue reading →

Posted in 101greatreads, fiction | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment