Category: Review Copy

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brenden O’Hea

Published on by Margaret2 Comments

Rating: 5 out of 5.

St Martin’s Press| 23 April 2024 | 228 pages|e-book |Review copy| 5*

Synopsis:

Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig..

Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green...

Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head…

These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare

For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor & director Brendan O’Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare’s plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans.

Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare’s most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now. Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi’s love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent.

My thoughts

I was enthralled by Shakespeare: the Man Who Pays the Rent. Reading it is like being in the room with Dame Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea as they talked about Judi’s career, her love for Shakespeare, and the numerous roles she has played over the years. Shakespeare to Judi Dench is a passionate affair, she talks about it with love.

My introduction to Shakespeare was at secondary school, when each year we studied one of his plays. Then some years ago I took an Open University course on Shakespeare, so I’ve read and seen performances of many of the plays in which she has acted. Unfortunately she wasn’t acting in any of the plays I’ve seen on stage. I enjoyed Shakespeare at school but it was only when I took the Open University course and saw the plays live on the stage that I really began to love them. And when I read Shakespeare: the Man Who Pays the Rent it brought it all back to me.

This book is a wonderful run through the plays told from Judi’s perspective and, of course, her life, giving her insight not only into the characters but also into the world of the theatre. She talks about the rehearsals, the costumes, the sets, other actors, about critics, Shakespeare’s language – similes and metaphors, the use of rhyme, prose and verse, soliloquies, asides and how to adjust your breathing – and so on. Whatever she is talking about is all so clear and relevant, full of wit and humour and understanding. It brought back such wonderful memories of the plays I’ve studied and seen performed. And as for the plays I don’t know this book makes me want to see those as well.

It is a book I shall return to whenever I need a pick me up – I loved it, it gave me so much joy. There is so much more in this book than I’ve included here – I have only covered the surface in this post. If you like Judi Dench and Shakespeare you really should read Shakespeare: the Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea. And it includes Illustrations by Judi Dench too!

With many thanks to the authors, the publishers and NetGalley for an Uncorrected Galley.

The Hunter by Tana French

Published on by Margaret4 Comments

A short review

Penguin UK| 7 March 2024| 409 pages| E-book review copy| 4*

Synopsis

It’s a blazing summer when two men arrive in the village. They’re coming for gold. What they bring is trouble.

Cal Hooper was a Chicago detective, till he moved to the West of Ireland looking for peace. He’s found it, more or less – in his relationship with local woman Lena, and the bond he’s formed with half-wild teenager Trey. So when two men turn up with a money-making scheme to find gold in the townland, Cal gets ready to do whatever it takes to protect Trey. Because one of the men is no stranger: he’s Trey’s father.

But Trey doesn’t want protecting. What she wants is revenge.

Crackling with tension and slow-burn suspense, The Hunter explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide, from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Tana French

I’ve loved several books by Tana French, especially The Searcher, the first Cal Hooper mystery, so I was really looking forward to reading the second, The Hunter. I wasn’t disappointed and enjoyed this one almost as much. Like The Searcher this is a slow-burner, a book to savour, not one to rush through.

Two years have gone by since the events told in The Searcher. Ex-Chicago detective Cal Hooper is now settled in Ardnakelty, a remote Irish village and Trey Reddy is now fifteen. Trey’s father, Johnny who has been absent from the village for four years suddenly returns. But Trey is suspicious of her father’s true motives and doesn’t trust him, or the rich Londoner, Cillian Rushborough, Johnny met in London. The two of them are out to fleece the villagers, claiming there is gold on their land. But just who is scamming who?

I liked the slow build up to the mystery – there is a murder, but the body is only discovered later on in in the book. And it is the characters not the murder that are the focal point. I loved Tana French’s beautiful descriptions of the Irish rural landscape. It’s the sort of book I find so easy to read and lose myself in, able to visualise the landscape and feel as if I’m actually there with the characters, watching what is happening.

Many thanks to Penguin for a review copy via NetGalley.

Indefensible by James Woolf

Published on by Margaret1 Comment

Bloodhound Books| 5 January 2024| 413 pages| E-book review copy| 3*

Synopsis from Amazon UK

A lawyer crosses a dangerous line with a former client and discovers that some decisions are indefensible…

Daniel, a criminal barrister, is working all hours on a sensational trial, defending a client he believes is wrongfully accused of a grisly murder. Determined to keep Rod out of prison, he begins to neglect his wife—and soon suspects she’s having an affair.

After Daniel triumphs in court, the bond with his newly acquitted client grows even stronger. And when Rod offers Daniel a favour that he really shouldn’t accept, things take a catastrophic turn.

Daniel realises the lethal consequence of his actions and now his dream case threatens to become his worst nightmare…

My thoughts

I received a copy of Indefensible from the author, James Woolf for review. It’s his debut novel, although 30 of his short stories have appeared in magazines and books, including four in the longstanding arts magazine Ambit. James also writes stage plays (about 15 have been professionally produced) and has written radio plays for Radio 4 and LBC. He has worked in professional ethics within the law for 20 years, including taking calls from barristers when they have a question about their code of conduct. So his book explores the consequences of not following the code of conduct.

After a dramatic opening it took me a while to settle into this book. I couldn’t warm to Daniel at first, a barrister, recently appointed as a QC. He is a complex character who comes across as very needy, insecure and vulnerable, having left his wife on acrimonious terms. This has knocked his confidence and he finds personal relationships difficult. He is disappointed as his clerk is not getting him the cases he wants. But then he gets his first major case defending Rod, accused of a particularly grisly murder. During the course of the trial he meets Michaela, who is a crime reporter, and the two develop a relationship. I was never sure about the characters, were they telling the truth, and were they really what they seemed.

I enjoyed the setting – London in the 1990s with reference to real court cases, such as the trial of Fred and Rosemary West. For me the strength of this book is the court case, keeping me guessing about the outcome and eager to find out who was telling the truth. But as Daniel says the trial process is about testing the evidence – it’s the test that is important and not the truth. As the trial continued I began to fear the worst, that the truth was being obscured. What happened afterwards was not quite what I expected, as Daniel’s decisions and subsequent choices proved to be indefensible.

After a slow start I found this book compelling reading and I’ll be looking out for more books by James Woolf.

My thanks to James Woolf and Bloodhound Books, the publishers, for sending me the Kindle edition for review.

Munich Wolf by Rory Clements

Published on by Margaret1 Comment

This is yet another one of my short posts about books I’ve read this year. This one is a review copy by one of my favourite authors, due to be published in January:

Bonnier Books| 18 January 2024|400 pages| E-book review copy| 3.5*

Description

Munich, 1935 – The Bavarian capital is a magnet for young, aristocratic Britons who come to learn German, swim in the lakes and drink beer in the cellars.

What they don’t see – or choose to ignore – is the brutal underbelly of the Nazi movement which considers Munich its spiritual home. When a high-born English girl is murdered, Detective Sebastian Wolff is ordered to solve the crime. Wolff is already walking a tight line between doing his job and falling foul of the political party he abhors. Now Hitler is taking a personal interest in the case. Followed by the secret police and threatened by his own son, a fervent member of the Hitler Youth, the stakes have never been higher. And when Wolff begins to suspect that the killer might be linked to the highest reaches of the Nazi hierarchy, he fears his task is simply impossible – and that he might become the next victim.

I’ve enjoyed several books by Rory Clements. Munich Wolf is a standalone murder mystery, a police procedural investigation set in Hitler’s Munich in 1935. I enjoyed it although I found the first half slow moving and disjointed, but the pace picks up in the second half. It is a darker novel than his Tom Wilde books, with some unsavoury and definitely unlikable characters, some of whom I found difficult to identify. The murder mystery takes second place to the historical setting. The novel is full of tension and suspense, some of which made it an uncomfortable read but conveyed what a dangerous time and place Germany was in the 1930s.

However, I really liked Detective Sebastian Wolff (Seb), and the way he investigates the murder of a young English woman, under orders from Hitler to close the case as soon as possible. And I really want to know more about Unity Mitford’s involvement. The time period seems well researched – I’m not familiar with the situation in Germany between the two World Wars as Hitler rose to power – and I found that fascinating.

I do hope Rory Clements will write more books featuring Seb Wolff.

Many thanks to Bonnier Books for a review copy via NetGalley.

Just One Thing by Michael Mosley

Published on by Margaret2 Comments

Octopus Publishing Short Books| 22 October 2022|206 pages| E-book review copy| 5*

I was keen to read Just One Thing by Michael Mosley because I’ve enjoyed his TV programmes and I wasn’t disappointed. I think it’s an excellent source of information about improving your health. He picked 30 of his favourite things that you could fit into your life and explains the benefits of each one. He divides the day into periods – morning, mid morning, lunch time, afternoon and evening, giving examples of things to try throughout the day.

I’ve highlighted just a few in this post. S0me of them I already knew about, like doing exercise, doing squats and lunges, drinking water, meditation, spending time outdoors, taking a break to reduce stress, deep breathing, and so on. And I was very pleased to see that reading fiction for 30 minutes a day is a whole brain workout!

Other ideas that were new to me are things like drinking coffee, which lowers the risk of strokes, heart disease, cancer and dementia, and eccentric exercise – which involves walking downhill, down stairs and lowering weights, which have been shown to be more effective than running uphill, up stairs and lifting weights.

I knew about eating an apple a day, but not about the benefits of eating beetroot (which I love) two to three times a week. One thing that really pleased me is finding out that eating two squares of dark chocolate a day instead of eating sweet treats, lowers blood pressure and boosts your brain. In fact most of the ideas improve your mood and sleep, how your brain functions, and reduce anxiety, stress, fatigue and depression and so on. Standing on one leg, for example improves your balance, improves your core strength, and posture which reduces the likelihood of falling and breaking bones. Singing loudly for 5 minutes a day not only boosts your mood, and reduces anxiety, but can also relieve chronic pain.

It’s an inspiring book to read for making small changes, and some not so small changes, to improve your health and well-being. I’ve already started to stand on one leg whilst brushing my teeth and doing squats/lunges whilst waiting for the kettle to boil and will be trying more of the ideas too.

Many thanks to the publishers for a review copy via NetGalley.

Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville

Published on by Margaret5 Comments

Canongate Books| 2 November 2023|257 pages| Review copy| 4*

Synopsis

Dolly Maunder is born at the end of the nineteenth century, when society’s long-locked doors are just starting to creak ajar for determined women. Growing up in a poor farming family in rural New South Wales, Dolly spends her life doggedly pushing at those doors. A husband and two children do not deter her from searching for love and independence.

Restless Dolly Maunder is a subversive, triumphant tale of a pioneering woman working her way through a world of limits and obstacles, who is able – despite the cost – to make a life she could call her own.

My thoughts:

Kate Grenville is one of my favourite authors, so I was looking forward to reading Restless Dolly Maunder. I was not disappointed.

This is the fictionalised life story of Kate Grenville’s maternal grandmother, Sarah Catherine Maunder, known as Dolly. She was the sixth child of Thomas and Sarah Maunder, born in Currabubula, New South Wales, Australia in 1881. She was not only restless but also clever and determined – she knew what she wanted and she did her best to achieve it.

As a child she longed to be a pupil-teacher but in a world where women were subservient to men she had to obey her father who wouldn’t allow it. She could marry or be a spinster. Eventually she married Bert Russell and began a life away from the farm and her family, moving from place to place and from one business to the next to better herself and her family – a shop, a boarding house, a pub, and a grand hotel.. But she was a difficult person, not easy to like and unable to show love. Hers was a success story but also a tragedy as her wanderlust impelled her to keep striving for more and better things in life.

Restless Dolly Maunder casts light not just on Dolly’s life but also on life in Australia for most of the 20th century. The book has a relentless pace as it tells her life story as she propels herself from place to place and from business to business, enjoying success whilst it lasted and enduring all else, not stopping to pause breath in her restless pursuit of what came next.

Many thanks to the publishers for a review copy via NetGalley.

I can recommend all of Kate Grenville’s books. One of my favourites is One Life:My Mother’s Story, her biography of Nance Russell, Dolly’s daughter. Hers was a happier and more fulfilled life.