It is quieter in our house today. No yelping to be let in, greeted the first person up; there's no tan and white bundle flopped behind the lounge chair as I write this. Instead there's a new mound in the courtyard where Nutsy rests. A little Cavalier King Charles spaniel, she came into our lives fourteen years ago, slipping and sliding down an … [Read more...] about A New Quiet
Archives for January 2012
Shoulda Won The Costa
Well, as I have not read the winner of the Costa prize, Pure, by Andrew Miller I can't say for sure that All Roads Lead to France, by Matthew Hollis should have won it, but I do know it was in contention. And so it should have been. It is a lovely book, poetic in the telling, not a wasted word, no hyperbole, no idle conjecture, no amateur … [Read more...] about Shoulda Won The Costa
It’s A Dog’s Life
I took Maf the Dog for my beachside reading at Lorne this year. Spruiked as a joyful literary comedy and a work of comic genius, with suitably humorous cover (bright colours, yellow, red and black, photo of a fifties starlet in shorts and heels, cute little dog), it seemed suitable. I had enjoyed Andrew O'Hagan's bleakly comic account of … [Read more...] about It’s A Dog’s Life
Of Tinkers, Circuses and Such Things
Saw Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy last night and enjoyed it very much, easy to follow and great performances. Especially Gary Oldman who had to shine to cast out shades of Alec Guinness. All I could recollect of the television series were interminable shots of Alec's Smiley wandering around in a big black coat looking glum and lots of incomprehensible … [Read more...] about Of Tinkers, Circuses and Such Things
A Descant For Descendants
So, a descant - a variation, a comment, a criticism. Here is a critical view of the film of the moment The Descendants, starring the delightful George Clooney. And there may be spoilers, though I think not more than have been relayed in other reviews. So caveat emptor applies. Sometimes your response to an artistic work, a novel or a film, is so … [Read more...] about A Descant For Descendants