The Page Turner

As I said, I wanted to read more by David Leavitt as soon as I could, so after finishing Martin Bauman I ordered two more titles of the net. The Page Turner is such a clever title. The themes are familiar already, unfortunately, but this little novel doesn't disappoint, and generally works incredibly well. Whilst the characters may be predictable, it nevertheless reflects the ways in whcih we do so easily step into roles and follow stereotypes.

What a place to study

I was so fortunate, and yet I hardly realised it at the time. St Mary's church tower provides the ideal vantage point to take some stunning photographs of the Radcliffe Camera, and the building has so many memories. It's a bit of a predictable view of Oxford, but then the whole city is something of a cliche... at least in the minds of those who don't know it.

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro became famous for his portrait of English class. This time he begins to stray into the sci-fi world, or perhaps the edges of it anyway. The story does not race along... instead it takes its time to draw characters, and to leave us guessing as to what actually is going on. I becasme impatient, but was glad that I had persevered, and was left wishing there had been more at the end - always a good thing I guess. It deserved allthe coverage it received, and it was featured in the ever-useful and enlightening Guardian bookclub.

Martin Bauman

Another gift, and now an author I want to read as much as I can of. Martin Bauman, by David Leavitt, brought fresh air to my reading nostrils... if you can write such a thing? There was a page of this book, in the first chapters, that could have been describing me and my life down to a 't'... but I'd be fool to give away which page it was. Only rarely do the layers of your soul become opened in such a deep and revealing way, and I was scared I was about to scratch the surface for the first time in my life.
A novel about writing and authors, and it pokes great fun at the literary world. At the same time it is sad for all its striving and failure, and describes the moral twists we all get ourselves into, straight or gay, educated or stupid!

Winter Morning

On an early morning cycle ride, the simplest-looking part of the Oxfordshire countryside can be inspiring. Two forms of transport criss-cross this image, and draw you in and through the sunshine.