22 November 2008
Call no: 800
Genre: detective & mystery
Setting: 1930s, Shanghai
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ISBN: 057120516x ; Other Reviews It was the summer of 1923, the summer I came down from Cambridge, when despite my aunt’s wishes that I return to Shropshire, I decided my future lay in the capital and took up a … Continue reading
24 June 2008
Call no: 800
Genre: general fiction
Setting: England
1 Comment
It seems increasingly likely that I really will undertake the expedition that has been occupying my imagination now for some days.
The Remains of the Day is about Stevens, a butler in a “grand old English house”. He spent his life trying to be a “great” butler in the service of Lord Darlington. With the death of Darlington he remains in Darlington Hall working for the new owner a rich American, Mr Farraday. It is at Mr. Farraday’s suggestion that Stevens, our narrator, first begins thinking about taking a short trip out into the English countryside, and to see Miss Kenton. Now Mrs. Benn she recently sent him a letter, hinting, Stevens thinks, at her unhappy marriage and her wish to return to service in Darlington Hall. On his journey Stevens reflects over his life and the changes he has seen.
30 December 2007
Call no: 800
Genre: general fiction
8 Stars
8 Comments
ISBN: 057122539X See also: Jabberwock ; Fantastic Metropolis Surreal and weird are terms that come to mind when I attempt to review this book. Or to be even more accurate, very weird and extremely surreal :) The story revolves around … Continue reading
9 October 2007
Call no: 800
Genre: general fiction, sff
9 Stars
8 Comments
My name is Kathy H. I’m thirty-one years old, and I’ve been a carer now for over eleven years. That sounds long enough, I know, but actually they want me to go on for another eight months, until the end of this year.
I picked this upon impulse. At home, looking for something for the train, I recognised the author’s name and thought that I may as well give it a go. And I’m so glad I did because I loved this book. The narrator is Kathy H., a 31 year old woman, and the book is her memories of life at boarding school. She and other students lived at Hailsham where they were taught by the “guardians” and brought up in a privileged manner. But all is not as it seems and throughout the novels there are hints at something darker.
13 November 2006
Call no: 800
Genre: sff
Setting: Japan
8 Stars
2 Comments
trans from the Japanese: Philip Gabriel ISBN: 0099494094 ; Mental mayhem ; Mindspill “So you’re all set for money, then?” the boy named Crow asks in his characteristic sluggish voice. The kind of voice you have when you’ve just woken … Continue reading