Category: Reviews

A History of the World in 10½ Chapters by Julian Barnes

[rating=2] I’ve had ‘A History of the World in 10½ Chapters’ on my “to read” list for almost 15 years, but kept putting it off. Now I know why I was dithering. Despite the glowing commendations of university professors and English literature elitists, I simply could not warm to the text, clever though it was. […]

Marzi by Marzena Sowa

[rating=4] ‘Marzi’ is a memoir of childhood in Communist Poland, written by Marzena Sowa with beautiful illustrations by her French partner, Sylvain Savoia. The limited palette of grey, beige and orange worked well, giving an historical sepia look that reinforced the mood of poverty and limited resources. I liked Savoia’s puckish sense of humour, clean […]