Blood, sex and (a little) politics in the Paris Commune
Le Cri du peuple by Jean Vautrin My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is an immensely agitated, minutely detailed, ridiculously plotted police thriller, full of exaggerated characters, improbable coincidence and lots and lots of blood and sex, set in Paris during the 1871 Commune. An emotionally disturbed cop and ex chain-gang convict (Charles Bassoucissé, … read more »
Olof Palme and all he represented
News that the Swedish chief prosecutor has finally identified the murderer of Prime Minister Olof Palme in Stockholm, slain in the last hour of the last day of February, 1986, as Palme and his wife were walking toward the subway after seeing a movie, has made me feel again something of the shock I felt … read more »
From the confused little country
Les Aurores montréales by Monique Proulx My rating: 5 of 5 stars I must have bought this book on my last trip to Montreal, more than 20 years ago, but only now got around to reading it. Brilliant portraits of very different lives in this complex, vibrant metropolis, from the points of view of sophisticated … read more »
Monkey King to the rescue
Ms. Ming’s Guide to Civilization by Jan Alexander My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fabulous romp about two adventuresses, together seeking to surf the roaring wave of capitalism sweeping through China, New York and other places and leaving broken families, broken hearts and broken villages in its wake. Can Ms. Ming, born in one … read more »
Introspection by reflection
Summertime by J.M. Coetzee My rating: 4 of 5 stars I recently pulled this book off my shelves, forgetting that I had read and reviewed it on Goodreads 8 years ago. And got engrossed in it again. It is an exercise in mirrored introspection, where the author reimagines a period in his life through the … read more »