Reviews 

A library book via P, although probably a ‘woman’s book’, I loved this, beautifully written with a really well constructed plot – would...

Book 2 of the Alexandria quartet, which I am beginning to really enjoy. Balthazar overwrites Justine, correcting a lot of misassumptions...

I am sure I read this about 2 years ago and hated it. This time round it was very good, maybe in contrast to the excess Kate Atkinson in...

A short and unplanned read post no.339 above. This is a very good book, but as I had forgotten about it I can’t think of much to say. If...

Enjoying these so much, I immediately bought the 3rd Brodie novel (no.335 is the 1st and no.336 the 2nd). This took a bit of time to get...

As it is a library book, due back 5 September, I thought worth another read. It is actually quite an old fashioned novel, reminded me at...

Either I had forgotten this, or it has sat unread (by me) on the bookcase for 10 years. It grew on me; couldn’t see the point for about...

Read this before (no.262), but rushed through all his books too fast. On re-reading, this strikes me as a fairly simple (and ultimately...

I didn’t read it in French, but don’t like the English translation (‘Abbe Mouret’s Transgression’ which misses half of the point) in my...

Plassans is the village where no.315 takes place, so we have moved back from Paris to Provence. A priest is taken in as lodger by a...

I suppose a pre-cursor of Middlemarch, this centres on the 1832 general election, which seems to have post-dated some electoral reform....

I wouldn’t have chosen this, but it is very difficult to navigate a Complete Works on a kindle. This is an odd book, about a widow with a...

One of Paddy’s cast off’s (like no.300 above). I read too many ‘feminine’ books because they are there available. This was quite good,...

This is a long and difficult book; I did punctuate it with no.290. About a modernist painter in modern day Australia; dedicated to Sydney...

Book 3 which takes us from 1942 to the end of the war. Lots of events as the girls grow up and Louise gets married to a dreadful man,...

Beautifully written, really quite a simple love story, except not really. A compressed version of 'Birdsong', I had forgotten how much of...

A beautiful (short) novel, about a couple who were literally a couple at university, meet in later life when he is married, have a brief...

Read this in English, but Father Goriot sounds a bit naff. Quite a difficult book to read, as no chapters or other natural breaks in the...

My other birthday book! I read this years ago, enjoyed it, and couldn't find it on Amazon for the kindle, hence the paperback purchase. I...

Best holiday read so far. About an English girl who goes to Cambridge pre-WW2 and falls in love with a Russian émigré communist. She is...