Wynne Kelly

A classic to return to again and again....., 10 July 2014

Middlemarch is so multi-layered and complex that it is hard to encapsulate in a few paragraphs. At its heart there is a love story but it also offers us social history, politics and philosophy. I first read Middlemarch a few years ago but upon rereading it I realised just how incisive George Eliot was in her observations � and very funny, too. Mr Brooke thwarted parliamentary bid actually made me laugh out loud even though I was aware of the pathos of his situation.

Her characters are some of the most memorable in literature. The heroic Dorothea enters into a disastrous marriage but remains loyal to the pedantic Casaubon. Yes, she comes over at the beginning of the book as… Read more

Twists and turns a-plenty....., 9 July 2014

The subtitle to One Good Turn is �A Jolly Murder Mystery� � and that is exactly what it is! A disparate group of characters are in Edinburgh during the festival. It all begins with a minor road accident��There is policewoman Louise and her delinquent son Archie, crime novelist Martin, a sociopathic Honda driver, Gloria Hatter who is expecting a visit by the Fraud Squad at any time, a has-been English comedian and Tatiana, a Russian call-girl. Oh, and there is also Jackson Brodie who is reluctantly drawn into the ongoing mystery.

It is all written with great verve and humour and the story cracks along at a great pace. There are twists and turns a-plenty and we are kept guessing… Read more

He writes with refreshing honesty......, 4 July 2014

I read very few biographies and am particularly dubious about autobiographies. However I really enjoyed Alan Johnson�s tale of his early years. He paints an excellent picture of the harshness of life with virtually so safety net. His father seems to have been a waste of space but through the efforts of his mother and his elder sister Alan had a stable and loving home.

He recounts his childhood with refreshing honesty. He is self-deprecating about his own abilities and achievements but always appreciates how much his mother and sister did for him. I surprised myself how emotionally involved I became in his story.

I now look forward to the next part of his biography… Read more