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schopflin's reviews
686 reviews
Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I was concerned when I began this book that it would be full of sentimental 'primitive awe'. But it's actually a hugely informative, thoughtful study of how the global industrialisation of food production has left us vulnerable and very much deprived. He is fair and even-handed - the 'green revolution' was only intended to meet a short-term problem after the second world war, it is our own greed that has made it a totally unsustainable means of feeding populations. This is a long and involved read but well worth the investment. Ultimately it is optimistic that we still have time to change the way we think about agriculture and food production.
Italian Life: A Modern Fable of Loyalty and Betrayal by Tim Parks
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a wonderful book! Be warned that it tells it's story via the backdrop of a campus novel, a genre I happen to like. If you were expecting the full panoply of Italian life you might be disappointed. But it is very funny, and full of biting satire. Other than drinking aperol on the Navigli, I can't vouch for the veracity, but I loved it.
The Great Passion by James Runcie
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I'm not sure what I was missing here. This book had the stilted dialogue and unconvincing situations that is the hallmark of indifferent historical fiction. The setting should have thrilled me, as I have sung Bach's Matthew Passion twice in full. But it felt a bit contrived. There's a lot in here about grief which I thought was well-done, but the main character is so young and utterly lacking in personality that I felt detached from the sadness in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
The Less Dead by Denise Mina, Denise Mina
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Not my favourite of this superb writer's output. I somehow wasn't convinced by some of the choices the main character made. Having said that she was a complex, flawed character and there was a lot of dark, but convincing detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Rape, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
Nightwalking: Four Journeys into Britain After Dark by John Lewis-Stempel
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
There are some writers - Oliver Sacks is one - whose authorial voice immerses you into their world. Stemple's prose is extraordinarily descriptive, original and often funny. I am not sure I would like him much if I met him, but Stempel-world is a fascinating place to be. This is a thin book of essays (no judgement, he has another job) and doesn't take long to read, hugely enjoyable.
Sally on the Rocks by Winifred Boggs, Simon Thomas
medium-paced
3.0
This is well-written and incisive but somehow I struggled to stick with it. In theory it's somewhere between Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford and most of Barbara Pym but in practice I didn't enjoy it as much as either. Not sure why. Note that it's even more of an achievement for being written so fast and being topical in its time.
Before & After: The Incredible Story of the Real-life Mrs Wilson by Ruth Wilson, Nigel Wilson, Alison Wilson
dark
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I have a fascination with fraudsters so was probably drawn to this book for the wrong reasons. A memoir by the wife of a bigamist, the focus of the book is how the experience relates to her religious experience. The second part is entirely about her conversion to Roman Catholicism. Having said which, the account of life at Heythrop college before and during its absorption into the secular University of London was interesting. The book is also very well written and full of self-honesty. However if, like me, you want to satisfy a prurient interest then better to look elsewhere eg the biography of Alec Wilson by Tim Crooks (now on my tbr).
Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
This was a difficult book to read, and I had to lay it aside at one point. There is just so much to get angry about. This is a mainstream rather than academic publication but Cleghorn has a background in academic research, making the book less strident and polemical than some written by journalists. But the repetition of mistreatment, poor diagnosis and assumptions in the treatment of women and AFAB people is depressing. Still highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Misogyny
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Not her best. There are so many characters that it's a fair way in until you get someone to sympathise with and start to care what happens next. I wasn't always convinced by the setting. But it was a fast and fun read and there was a subtle point made in the end about the disposability of women's lives compared to men's.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Gun violence
The Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton's Endurance by Mensun Bound
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.5
I'm a huge fan of Antarctic literature but this was a little turgid for me. I think the problem is that it uses his daily log of events and real life doesn't always tell a thrilling story. Also there's a lot of technical detail and your appetite for this may vary. I loved the marine archaeology bits, was bored to tears by descriptions of submersibles and their technology.