stories Archives - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘A Curtain Twitcher’s Book of Murder’ by Gay Marris

This was one of the most bizarre books I’ve read in a while – and I mean it entirely as a compliment!

The novel is set on Atbara Avenue in 1968. It’s a seemingly close-knit community where people know each other’s business and routines, especially the vicar and his interfering wife who watch and discuss the goings-on on the street in often humorous detail. Each chapter has a different focus – a quirky resident, a house, usually a death – and it’s a structure that works brilliantly as we move between distinctly odd vignettes about what goes on behind the closed doors of the road. There’s also tonnes of clever plot points, as bits from earlier stories prove key later on.

When I initially picked this up, I assumed it would be cosy crime. There’s actually not much cosy about Atbara Avenue – but there is a dark humour that runs throughout and some really compelling observations about human nature, whether it’s sibling rivalry, the concealment of secrets or the domestic situations people normalise (such as the bullying parent/adult daughter relationship that opens the novel). Underneath the slightly shabby but genteel surface, Atbara Avenue is an absolute hotbed of crime! It might not be completely believable that all this happens in such close proximity, but each story is engaging and lively in its own right.

I also loved the setting – the 1960s time period allows us to see the contrast in the staid and conservative older generation and the younger characters. It also allows for some gripping murders that probably now would be solved in a trice with CSI and forensics and so on. Instead, there’s a good chunk of the Atbara Avenue murderers who get away with – yup – murder! At least seemingly…

This is an unusual and highly engaging book – there were plenty of twists that surprised me, but I also think I need to read it again to go over some of the more subtle points and links between the stories. If dark humour and a clever narrative is your thing, this is for you!

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley – opinions, as always, are my own.

Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash

Book Review: ‘Divine Might’ by Natalie Haynes

I absolutely love Natalie Haynes – her writing is excellent and her podcasts (‘Natalie Haynes Stands Up For The Classics’) are both enlightening and witty. She can take some impossibly complex ideas and make them engaging, accessible and entertaining – this is exactly how I like my Classics and I just wish that my lecturers at university back in the mists of time had been half as funny when we looked at Homer!

Blog Tour: ‘London Clay’ by Tom Chivers

I am so pleased to welcome you to my stop on the blog tour for ‘London Clay’ by Tom Chivers.

Thanks to Random Things Tours and Doubleday for inviting me on the tour and giving me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This gorgeous hardback book was published on 9th September, 2021.

‘Zeus is a Dick’ by Susie Donkin

Happy publication day to this quirky and lively retelling of the Greek myths!

I’m a big fan of the Greek myths so I couldn’t resist this retelling of the old stories with a new spin – highlighting just how problematic Zeus’ behaviour actually is! This is something I’d considered previously, but I really liked Susie Donkin’s take on the stories. Donkin is one of the writers behind ‘Horrible Histories’, the brilliantly funny and informative children’s TV series, so I knew I was in for a treat.

It’s worth saying that although Donkin may be known for writing for children, this is really an adults-only book! There’s a lot of swearing and some distinctly adult topics throughout.

The stories are told in a light-hearted, modern way and use our own society’s morals to provide commentaries on the original myths. Even the dicier moments – reflecting the fact that Zeus is a rapist – aren’t shied away from and the full list of his crimes are presented. In fact, all of the gods of Olympus are presented as petty, squabbling and quite unpleasant – which they absolutely are in the original stories too. These aren’t gods worth of respect and veneration, but ones that seem very human and very flawed.

The stories are told in a continuous narrative (although divided into chapters) so you get a good sense of the myths and the reasons for various things that happen (given the history between the gods and goddesses). It starts with Ouranos and Gaia, goes through the creation of the Olympian gods and then a range of the stories focused on them (not just Zeus). Some of the stories are well-known – for example, we hear of Medusa, Persephone and Zeus’ many infidelities – but there are others that I was much less familiar with. It holds together well as a book and not a fragmented set of stories.

This all sounds very serious, but Donkin tells the stories in a humorous way which is very entertaining and easy to read. While I didn’t always love the imagined conversations, I really loved the jokes which often riffed on something contemporary – the image of Zeus watching porn on his laptop, for example, or the references to Argos (newly without catalogue), plus the sly digs at certain incompetent blond/white haired leaders… There’s lots to enjoy and it is very amusing.

As already mentioned, some of the original stories do feature rape and other things that are absolutely unacceptable in our society. Donkin confronts this head-on with no excuses for the behaviour and uses it as more evidence that Zeus is – in her words – a dick. And he absolutely is!

I’d recommend this to anyone interested in the Greek myths. If you know the stories already, you’ll enjoy the comedic retelling and the jokes. If you don’t already know the stories, this is actually a pretty good – if extremely cynical and funny – overview of the Greek pantheon. Either way, it’s a fun read.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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‘A Tomb With a View: The Stories and Glories of Graveyards’ by Peter Ross

This book was one of the huge number published on 3rd September and one that I had pre-ordered because I had heard such good things about it. This turned out to be money extremely well-spent!

I realise that a book ostensibly about death, graveyards and memorials isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I urge you to trust me on this one.

This book is actually so much more about life than death – Ross explores some brilliant life stories and – over the course of the book – speaks to lots of people who speak passionately about graveyards, memorials and the rituals surrounding death. These range from someone who manages and cleans remote war graves for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, makers of memorials, those who tend graveyards, those involved with burials of all forms, historians overseeing ossuaries and people mourning their own lost loved ones. All are fascinating and passionate about their topics, their stories at once moving and often humorous or quirky.

Ross has sought out a whole range of stories around his central theme of graveyards – the book is more than Ross visiting tombs and telling the stories of the occupants. Instead we hear of unmarked graves for babies, a witch, a prostitutes’ graveyard finally being recognised by the church, groups of volunteers fundraising to save burial grounds, Karl Marx cookie-cutter souvenirs, conscientious objectors and so much more. All of life is here.

As much as death, life and the people left behind are the focus and there are moments of joy and comfort here as well as grief and tragedy.

Although Ross’ role in this book is to illuminate, to interview, to document, he is also a brilliant guide through the diverse topics that the book covers. He writes beautifully and is unafraid to ask questions or seek out the unusual – a bit like a Louis Theroux of graveyards! It is clear that he is hugely invested in the stories he is telling and the stories are thoughtfully and respectfully told. It never steps into the realms of the mawkish or distasteful.

Reading about all these people united by the theme of death was an incredibly intense experience, but one I found ultimately and profoundly comforting. There was a real sense of the cycles of life, the respect for the dead and the care for the living that was strangely uplifting.

I highly recommend this book – it isn’t depressing or a tourist’s guide to graveyards as you may expect. It is life-enhancing, always fascinating and beautifully-written.

A (fairly rare!) five stars from me.

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