Category Archives: British Literature

The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine

British Literature October 12, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: An MP arranges a kinky, consensual abduction for his mistress, but when a chance car accident takes her life, he chooses to keep silent, with devastating results. Review: Everything is connected–except when it isn’t. In The Birthday Present, Barbara Vine follows a scandal-that-wasn’t over the course of four years to show how a secret poisons everyone it touches, and how unrelated events can become part of a story because they appear to fit. The story is told mostly by Rob, brother-in-law to Ivor Tesham,…

Ms. Harris’s Book of Green Household Management by Caroline Harris

British Literature September 16, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Subtitled “The Essential Thrift Bible,” covers all the ways you can go green without spending a fortune. Review: I’ve browsed through quite a few books on green housekeeping, in my quest to keep Superfast Toddler’s home environment as non-toxic as possible. I haven’t blogged about them, because they’re pretty dry and I’ve mainly just skimmed them as you would a recipe book (another genre I read prodigiously and don’t blog about). Come to think of it, I’ve also left off blogging about some parenting…

Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton

British Literature April 28, 2009 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: It started out as just another car insurance problem, but for call center worker Mina, the conversation with Peter just might turn wonderfully personal. Review: Crossed Wires is a sweet, gentle, tender book. The sole bit of edge is provided by Mina’s wayward teenage sister, but she spends most of her time offscreen (so to speak) where she can’t wreak too much havoc. The romance between Mina and Peter unfolds quietly and organically. Author Rosy Thornton doesn’t try to make things too cutesy, which…

The Glass of Time by Michael Cox

British Literature April 19, 2009 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Upon arriving at Evenwood as a lady’s maid, young Esperanza Gorst discovers that she is in the center of a plot to topple her mistress. Review: The Glass of Time is Michael Cox’s follow up to The Meaning of Night, continuing his Wilkie Collins-esque tale of intrigue and revenge with a Bronte-inspired suspense melodrama. I devoured it like a madwoman in an attic. Raised a lady in France, Miss Gorst is an unlikely choice for a lady’s maid. Her breeding and manners make it…

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake

British Literature April 11, 2009 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Titus Groan, the 77th Earl of Gormenghast, heir to a decidedly odd fortune, is born amidst violence and intrigue of a most peculiar time. Review: I was captivated by the prose in Titus Groan, the first book in Mervyn Peake’s decidedly unique Gormenghast trilogy. Peake was also an illustrator, and his writing is exceptionally visual in the way that he describes his characters. He comes up with the most idiosyncratic quirks I’ve ever encountered, for characters named things like Prunesquallor and Sourdust and Steerpike.…

The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox

British Literature March 2, 2009 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: Robbed of his fortune by a rival from his school days, Edward Glyver seeks vengeance and restoration under an assumed name. Review: The Meaning of Night is a cunningly plotted piece of faux-Victoriana, conjuring up Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins with a soupcon of sex that doesn’t feel anachronistic at all. Edward Glyver’s nesting-doll tale gives every character a chance to tell his or her own life story, and Cox makes each one fascinating in its own right. Despite the near-constant digressions, Cox never…

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

British Literature February 15, 2009 Superfast Reader

Rather than give you my review of Confessions of a Shopaholic, I’ll point you to my review of the movie. I read the book to prepare and quite enjoyed it. The movie? Well…

Everything You Know by Zoe Heller

British Literature February 10, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After the suicide of his troubled daughter, a British journalist heads out to recuperate in Mexico and flee the ghosts that still linger even after he was acquitted of the murder of his wife. Review: Everything You Know is a much better book than its title would indicate. Author Zoe Heller is well-known for Notes on a Scandal, which became a great movie with Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. Everything You Know lacks that book’s tawdrily catchy premise, but goes much deeper into its…

The Tree of Hands by Ruth Rendell

British Literature February 2, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A bereft woman’s mother’s desperate act triggers a violent spiral affecting a whole community. Review: The Tree of Hands was lesser Ruth Rendell. It dates back to 1986 and she’s really grown as a writer since then. It definitely has her trademark nuanced characterizations but the story wasn’t as gripping as later works like The Rottweiler have been.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling

British Literature December 27, 2008 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A collection of traditional wizarding fairy tales translated by Hermione Granger and annotated by Albus Dumbledore–with an introduction by JK Rowling. Review: Why couldn’t Beedle the Bard be twice as long? I loved these stories, which read just like “real” fairy tales, but with a spin that marks them as belonging to the world of Harry Potter and friends. What could be a clever gimmick works because the stories themselves work even if you know nothing of Harry Potter. They’re classic in their execution…

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