I love Jeanette Winterson’s writing – it’s always engaging, thought-provoking and beautifully-written, and ‘Night Side of the River’ is no exception.
This is a collection of short stories, billed as ‘Ghost Stories’ but actually so much more than a bunch of unconnected tales. Instead, Winterson divides her collection into four sections: Devices, Places, People and Visitations. There’s also mini-essay sections where Jeanette Winterson herself puts forward ideas about ghosts or personal perspectives – I particularly loved the introduction where Winterson explores the human fascination with ghosts and their place in different cultures.
Thanks to Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this beautiful book for review – as always, opinions are entirely my own.
From the Publisher:
A dazzlingly illustrated collection presenting the extraordinary life stories of fourteen bright stars from Black British history, from Tudor England to modern Britain.
Brought to life through hand-painted illustrations by award-winning illustrator Angela Vives, this important and timely book from author and educator J. T. Williams brings the lives of fourteen shining stars from Black British History into the spotlight, celebrating their remarkable achievements and contributions to the arts, medicine, politics, sport and beyond.
Featuring a constellation of iconic individuals – including storytelling freedom fighter Mary Prince, football star and World War I soldier Walter Tull, and Notting Hill Carnival founder Claudia Jones – ‘Bright Stars of Black British History’ shines a light on the courage, resilience and talent of remarkable individuals who have left a lasting mark on our collective history.
I’ll admit I totally judged a book by its cover with this one – a spooky hotel with a maze in front of it? Yeah, I’m in! I hadn’t read any books by Louise Mumford before but I’d definitely read more.
I’m a big fan of Janina Ramirez on Twitter and TV but new to her writing – thanks to NetGalley for granting me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the premise for this book – a kind of re-evaluation of what we think we know about the middle ages and a reinstatement of women within that historical narrative. Ramirez starts from the idea that actually we do know about some powerful and influential women from this time period, but that the dominant narrative of kings, battles and manly Vikings have erased them. When I saw ‘we do know’, I really mean that Ramirez knows – I didn’t have a clue and was pleased to be introduced to some of history’s forgotten women.
Thanks to Random Things Tours for my place on the blog tour and my copy of the book for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.
From the Publisher:
The Sunday Times bestseller from Booker winner Julian Barnes, this is a thrillingly original novel about truth, history and thinking for ourselves.
The Sunday Times Bestseller from the Winner of the Booker Prize.
She will change the way you see the world . . .
‘I’ll remember Elizabeth Finch when most other characters I’ve met this year have faded’
The Times
Elizabeth Finch was a teacher, a thinker, an inspiration. Neil is just one of many who fell under her spell during his time in her class.
Tasked with unpacking her notebooks after her death, Neil encounters once again Elizabeth’s astonishing ideas on the past and on how to make sense of the present. But Elizabeth was much more than a scholar. Her secrets are waiting to be revealed . . . and will change Neil’s view of the world forever.
‘Enthralling . . . A connoisseur and master of irony himself, [Barnes] fills this book with instances of its exhilarating power’
Sunday Times
‘A lyrical, thoughtful and intriguing exploration of love, grief and the collective myths of history’
Booklist
‘A new novel from Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes is always a literary event, and Elizabeth Finch…is not different. Wistful, thought-provoking stuff.’
Sunday Telegraph
My Review:
Reading Julian Barnes is always a bittersweet experience for me; I was introduced to him the sublime A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters as a teenager by my step-father who is sadly no longer with us. Every new Barnes book is a joy, but one that I won’t get to share with him.
This book is narrated by Neil, a mature student who befriended his university lecturer, Elizabeth Finch. Their relationship became one of letters and occasional lunches before Elizabeth died and Neil is left her papers. As he considers the idea of writing a biography of her, he trawls the notebooks and the memories of those she left behind.
As with all Barnes’ books, it is packed with ideas and philosophical considerations. Elizabeth Finch was a scholar in many ways, but also an original thinker and someone with secrets; one of the things that Neil grapples with in the novel is how much someone can ever be truly known. This is explored further in the middle section of the book, Neil’s extended essay on Julian the Apostate, in which he considers who writes history and how it is revised over the ages.
I absolutely adored the sections that were so very Barnes – Neil’s confessions and ruminations (in a novel where not much actually happens – not that this is a problem!) put Barnes’ fans on familiar ground. Neil is thoughtful, aware of his own shortcomings, slightly awkward in his relationships with others, perhaps obsessive – an echo of other Barnes characters who have gone before. If you enjoy this style of thought-over-action novel (and I do), there’s much to like.
The character of Elizabeth Finch is also fascinating. She is only seen through the lens of Neil’s memories (and those of his fellow students who he speaks to about her or who feature in the memories). It’s clear she is a divisive figure – loved by some (including Neil) and not by others who cannot see her appeal. How true this is of a lot of us! Personally, I liked this independent, feisty and opinionated woman – the snippets of the contents of her notebooks (as included in the narrative by Neil) were intriguing and interesting. I felt like I should be highlighting and making notes, just as if I was in one of her classes!
The middle section of the book is a long essay, purportedly written by Neil in response to an interpretation of Elizabeth Finch’s notebooks. While interesting in a lot of ways – and absolutely fitting for Neil’s character – it didn’t engage me in the same way that the Neil/Elizabeth sections did. Stripped of the quirks of Neil’s narrative and the often-surprising tales of Elizabeth Finch’s life, this section reads like an academic biography. It fits with the novel, yes, and I understand the reasons for its inclusion, but I would have preferred more Elizabeth!
Overall, if you were a Barnes fan before, you still will be after reading Elizabeth Finch. Elizabeth herself is a character who will stay with you – and you’ll know way more about Julian the Apostate than you probably ever thought you’d need! If you’re new to Barnes’ writing, dive in – much like the views of Elizabeth in her students’ eyes, you’ll probably be captivated…and if not, I think philosophical and clear-sighted Elizabeth would recognise that you can’t win them all! Either way, this book will present interesting ideas that you’ll come back to even once you’ve put the book down.
About the Author:
Julian Barnes is the author of thirteen novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, and Sunday Times bestsellers The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and Nothing To Be Frightened Of, which won the 2021 Yasnaya Polyana Prize in Russia. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d’honneur.
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I read a lot of non-fiction – probably something that makes me a bit different from a lot of book bloggers who (quite rightly) focus on the wealth of glorious fiction out there. I love fiction, read fiction and spent my academic life on (classic, modern and feminist) fiction.
But I have insomnia and a night-time non-fiction audiobook habit!
With this in mind, I thought I’d update on some of the brilliant non-fiction books that I’ve listened to or read recently.
Something different for the blog today – I was invited to review a graphic guide to class by Laura Harvey, Sarah Leaney and Danny Noble.
This is a gorgeously-illustrated book – thanks to Random Things Tours and Icon Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Hotbed’ by Joanna Scutts, a fascinating look at (as it is subtitled) ‘Bohemian New York and the Secret Club that Sparked Modern Feminism’.
Thanks to Random Things Tours for my place on the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review – opinions are all my own!
This book was published in hardback by Duckworth on 14th July, 2022.
