The Group by Mary McCarthy

This book had been sitting on my shelf since I stumbled across it in a charity shop about a year ago.  I think it had been re-issued a couple of months previously and there was a good deal of buzz about it.  As with so many books that I pick up second-hand I didn't get around to reading it straight away and then it got forgotten as other more demanding books took my fancy.

When I noticed a couple of weeks ago my enthusiasm for it had completely waned.  It was only because I had just finished Lucy Moore's wonderful Biography of the Roaring Twenties: Anything Goes that I was considering reading it.  But if there is one thing I have learnt over my years of reading it is that just because a book doesn't feel like the right book to read at the moment doesn't mean that you won't enjoy it and be proved utterly wrong.  And so it was with The Group.  I'm not sure how, but I had the impression that this was a non-fiction book.  That was my first eyebrow-raising moment.  Second was the joy of Candace Bushnell's introduction.  If I had previously doubted whether I wanted to read the book or not I had completely changed my mind by the end of the Introduction.  Candace describes it as a book that her Mother had recommended to her as a teenager.  At that age she had not enjoyed it and I think therein lies the secret of this book.  The story, of a group of girl-friends from Vassar college, follows the girls as they make their way in the big, bad world outside of college.  They all have hopes, dreams and expectations, just like young women today, and they none of them quite know what life will throw at them.  Suffice to say that within the group they all suffer, they all gain and they all show strength and resilience in the face of challenges and disappointments.  Their story is timeless.  OK, so the specifics may have changed, but the central theme of the story is that we cannot predict how life will turn out... and that's not a bad thing.  My only criticism of the book is that it could have told me more.  I had grown to love these women, for all their idiosyncrasies and flaws.  They reminded me of friends, acquaintances and colleagues and their stories were all ones I had seen play out in real life, and for that reason I understand why it might not appeal to younger readers.  It is the mirror it holds up to our own lives (and those of our friends) that make it such an intriguing and genuinely touching read.

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

I would describe Philippa Gregory's historic fiction as a guilty pleasure but you know what? I don't actually feel that guilty about it.  Her writing is compelling and enjoyable and she really makes the characters come alive, by giving them motives and backgrounds.  This is the second of the Cousins trilogy and is as fascinating and well written as The White Queen.  Following the life of Margaret Beaufort, we see the Lancastrian side of the story this time and what I really enjoyed was the cross-over between the two books.  Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth Woodville's lives are set against each other and reflect the contrasts and conflicts of the Lancastrians and the Yorks.

I'm sure for scholars or students of the period the historic fact is a little too black and white, but for me it simply enthuses me and makes me want to learn more about the period, which can only be a good thing, surely?

The Warden by Anthony Trollope

Discovering Anthony Trollope is a wonderful experience - The Warden by Anthony Trollope is the first of his Barsetshire novels and only my second ever Trollope read.  Having been a life-long fan of Dickens, I admit to being a little biased and resisting Trollope for some time.  I'm so glad that I decided to go against my better judgement and give Trollope a chance.  His writing is just wonderful and his characters more than compare to Dickens.

The Warden tells the story of Septimus Harding who is the warden (no surprise there) of an almshouse in Barchester.  The plot centres around a legal action against Mr Harding, challenging the living he makes from the wardenship.  Trollope examines the effects of investigative journalism on those involved and how it colours opinions and can damage reputations.  There is biting satire  - Dickens is lambasted as Mr Popular Sentiment, an author writing novels pandering to the masses and manipulating their emotions.  But it is also a story about human relationships and what brings us happiness.

Anthony Trollope

What I find so intriguing about this novel is how it has remained so fresh and applicable to society today.  Journalism and publishing still influence opinion and can manipulate the general public.

Mr Popular Sentiment

While I will never turn my back on Dickens, I can now appreciate that Trollope is a writer of equal importance and possibly greater talent.  While Dickens embraced and shaped popular thought and opinion Trollope questioned and challenged them and in some ways this makes Trollope's work more universal and lasting.  I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the Barsetshire novels and am grateful that Trollope was as prolific as Dickens!

One Day by David Nicholls

I don't think I would have ordinarily picked this book up were it not for a string of recommendations by book bloggers and friends.  One Day by David Nicholls turned out to be one of those books that really took me surprise.  It started off as straight-forward.  It's the story of two people who spent one night and day together following their university graduation.  We then catch up with them on the anniversary of that day (St Swithin's day) over the next twenty years.  I think the beauty of this book is that it all seems so real - Emma and Dexter are people you know, the situations they find themselves in are those that we, or our friends, go through.  It's a book about the things in life that matter - love, friendship and realising your dreams.  I started off thinking it was going to be a story that I have read a million times before and yet the brilliant thing about David Nicholls is that he manages to make this seemingly standard love story different and memorable.  For all the things about the story that are familiar, there are still moments that surprise, and shock.

There's an up-coming film adaptation of One Day, due later this year, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.  Having seen (and enjoyed) other films and tv projects that David Nicholls has written (Starter for Ten and Cold Feet) I have no doubt that this adaptation will work really well.

Brighton Rock - the film

Went to see Brighton Rock at the lovely Reigate Everyman cinema this afternoon, and am still a little undecided about it.  Of course, there is no arguing that the cinematography is beautiful and the acting, for the most part, is wonderful.  Andrea Riseborough gives Rose an innocence and childlike quality that goes some way to making her character believable.  Sam Riley, whilst certainly brooding and menacing wasn't much else and we never got a sense of why he was the way he was.  I haven't read the book, but watching the film made me wonder how much more there is in the novel than they were able to squeeze into the film.  So much of the story seems to be unexplained - I don't think we saw enough of Rose and her home life to understand her willingness to devote herself unconditionally to Pinkie.  The religious aspects of the story are glossed over and there are many sub-plots which are hinted at, but left undeveloped.  It may be that the book is much the same but I felt that many of the characters seemed quite flat because their motives were unexplained.  On the plus side, the film certainly gave me a good deal to think about - what makes us love or trust people the people we do, what are we driven by? - and it also made me want to read the novel!

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

Having read my first Georgette Heyer crime novel a couple of weeks ago, I thought I knew what to expect from Footsteps in the Dark and it started off true to form.  Celia, her husband Charles and siblings Peter and Margaret have moved into the Priory which the Fortescue children have inherited from their Uncle.  The locals are full of tales about The Monk - a mysterious ghost that haunts the Priory and its surroundings.  So the Edwardian country house is there, as are the upper class heroes - but this novel has more than a touch of the supernatural about it and for much of the first half of the book I was convinced this was more of a ghost story than a crime fiction.

Heyer is so readable and perfectly draws you into the story - and that is what I love about her books.  They are complete escapism and while the mysteries are not the most complex (I confess to guessing the ending, although not that much before it was revealed!) and yet it remains a real page-turner.  Thank heavens she was such a prolific writer - these are the sort of novels I love to have 'on standby' for those times when I want an easy, enjoyable read.

Anthony Trollope

Putting aside Heyer, I have now thrown myself into the world of Barsetshire and begun The Warden by Anthony Trollope.  I have only previously read one Trollope, The Way We Live Now, and I thought it was wonderful and I am very hopeful that The Warden will also deliver!  Trollope's characters are so vividly created and his writing so smooth that it makes his novels an absolute joy to read.  Much as it pains me to say, I may even end up preferring Trollope to Dickens...

Pretty Woman at the Prince Charles cinema

 Some friends and I went to see Pretty Woman and the Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square last night.  It's one of my favourite films and I don't think I had ever seen it on the big screen.  It was one of those really lovely cinema experiences when everyone there loves the film, the audience are all in-tune with each other.  Going to see a film you know is such a different experience to seeing something brand new.  At the start of the film I was wondering how much of it I would remember - and about ten minutes into the fim all of us found ourselves mouthing along to some of the lines.  And of course the music is fantastic!  The cinema were showing this as part of their 'Feel Good Friday' series and that's exactly what it was - we all came out of the film feeling really happy (and after the day some of us had at work, that was no mean feat!) and ready for the weekend.  Even on the train home we were still talking about it - and the chap sitting next to me (easily in his fifties) even joined in to say how much he loved the film (although for him it was Julia Roberts' smile that made it a favourite!

Of course, is made me want to go home and drag out all my old favourite films - Back to the Future, The Sure Thing, The Breakfast Club... and anything with Richard Gere in it!  There is something about him that is just so watchable.  Unfortunately, the only thing I have at home starring Gere is Chicago, and I wouldn't say that is one of his greatest moments.  So, I'm off to LoveFilm to stock up on Yanks, American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman!