Books
It’s not easy for a middle-aged woman to get inside the head of a 12-year-old innkeeper’s son in 1914
Esther Freud wrote dazzlingly in the first person through the eyes of a five-year-old child in her first novel, Hideous…
Howard Jacobson’s J convinced me that I’d just read a masterpiece
At first sight, J — which has beenshortlisted for the Man Booker Prize — represents a significant departure for Howard…
Margaret Atwood settles her accounts with this new short story collection
Margaret Atwood is in the first rank of literary fame and her trophy cabinet is handsomely stocked; yet she has…
Title Stories: Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
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Charles Saatchi’s new book of photos makes me feel sick
Charles Saatchi, the gallery owner, has created his own Chamber of Horrors in this thick, square book, ‘inspired by striking…
When Rachel Cusk went to Greece: would she be nice or nasty?
Last year in Athens, rumours raced about Rachel Cusk’s creative writing classes at the British Council. Some of the (mostly…
How dare this author trash one of the great screenwriters of the 20th century?
Should one say ‘vicious circle’ or ‘vicious cycle’? That’s a question that just goes round and round inside my head.…
Left
Who is there left that you can talk to? Days go by. ‘Friendless, deserted’ (The Beggar’s Opera?) — left in…
Books and arts
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Left
Who is there left that you can talk to? Days go by. ‘Friendless, deserted’ (The Beggar’s Opera?) — left in…
Out of Reach
Think of a hand-slip, a spun summit bothered by mist, the whirr and thrum of dark metals, a stranded face…
Title Stories: Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
The post Title Stories: Catch-22, by Joseph Heller appeared first on The Spectator. Got something to add? Join the discussion…
Left
Who is there left that you can talk to? Days go by. ‘Friendless, deserted’ (The Beggar’s Opera?) — left in…
Out of Reach
Think of a hand-slip, a spun summit bothered by mist, the whirr and thrum of dark metals, a stranded face…
Title Stories: Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Is there anything left to say about Queen Victoria? A.N. Wilson has found plenty
A new, revisionist biography argues that it was only after her husband’s death that Queen Victoria found her true self. Jane Ridley is impressed
The forgotten flank of the forgotten corps of the Forgotten Army
The British who fought in Burma became known as the ‘Forgotten Army’ because this was a neglected theatre of the…
How on earth did David Mitchell's third-rate fantasy make the Man Booker longlist?
Reincarnation has hovered over David Mitchell’s novels since the birth of his remarkable career. His haunting debut novel, Ghostwritten (1999),…
Enjoy gin but don’t read books? Or read them only while drinking gin? This is the book for you
Gin Glorious Gin: How Mother’s Ruin Became the Spirit of London is a jaunty and diverting history of ‘a wonderful…
A book about human nature that makes your head spin – in a good way
Vincent Deary is a therapist, and this book is the first part of a trilogy. How We Are is about…
Owen Jones’s new book should be called The Consensus: And How I Want to Change it
Owen Jones’s first book, Chavs, was a political bestseller. This follow-up skips over the middle classes and goes to the…
Title Stories: A study in scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Improbable, unconvincing and lazy - Ian McEwan’s latest is unforgivable
The Children Act could hardly be more attuned to the temper of the times, appearing just as our newspapers are…
The Indian lady at the chemist
I trust her look the shadow round her eyes her level stare explaining paracetamol these ones are strong take them…
Books and arts
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