Monthly Archives: May 2012

P.G. Wodehouse, “Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves”

It was startling to finish Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves, and find that it was copyrighted in 1962. P.G. Wodehouse hit his stride — well, you could say in 1919, with the publication of four stories as My Man, Jeeves. (Something … Continue reading

Posted in anglophilia, best seller, classic | Tagged | 1 Comment

Barry Unsworth “Losing Nelson”

A few weeks ago, around the time of the publication of Bring Up the Bodies, Newsweek published Hilary Mantel’s list of five excellent historical novels. Naturally I paid attention. Losing Nelson was the first of them to arrive at my … Continue reading

Posted in anglophilia, historical fiction | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

William Boyd, “Any Human Heart”

Why would I want to read a novel that purports to be the informal diary kept by an upper-class Englishman born in 1906? It comes with footnotes and an index, the scholarly paraphernalia of the genuine journal. But Logan Gonzago … Continue reading

Posted in contemporary fiction, historical fiction | Tagged | 3 Comments

Hilary Mantel, “Bring Up the Bodies”

Aaaand he’s back! “He, Cromwell.” Hilary Mantel’s improbable protagonist, first met in the magisterial and brilliant Wolf Hall. Let me bring you up to date. It is September, 1535. Henry VIII has been married to Anne Boleyn for two and … Continue reading

Posted in historical fiction | Tagged | 6 Comments

Sonia Taitz, “In the King’s Arms”

Here’s what you need to know about In the King’s Arms. There is a pub in the very center of Oxford called “The King’s Arms,” so the title may be a pun. The protagonist’s name is Lily Taub: taub means … Continue reading

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Bob Tarte, “Kitty Cornered”

Who reads cat books? Me, apparently. Kitty Cornered was a gift from a lovely friend who must be extremely sensitive, because she gathered from the occasional faint protest that Beloved Husband and I were sometimes puzzled by our cat’s behavior. … Continue reading

Posted in nonfiction | Tagged | 1 Comment

Erica Hirshler, “Sargent’s Daughters”

I’m a big fan of John Singer Sargent’s paintings and on a recent visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I was moved by the room devoted to his portrayals of the Edward Darley Boit family. Of course … Continue reading

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