Everything Express
Victoria Pritchard
Review: The Crimson Petal and the White – Michel Faber
Less Upstairs, Downstairs than inside the family and out The 835 pages of The Crimson Petal and the White may look daunting, but embark on the first few chapters and you’ll find a gallery of original characters with compelling prose depicting life in and above Victorian London’s underworld. Faber’s protagonist is Sugar, a prostitute whose … Continue reading
Review: Amsterdam – Ian McEwan
Most of us strive to be heroes, but when we’re vying to achieve ambition, it’s easy to wind up as villains. Amsterdam depicts three high profile characters desperate to create a worthy legacy, but who are sunk by immoral decisions they make on their journey to the top. Clive Linley, Vernon Halliday and Julian Garmony … Continue reading
Review: How to Be a Woman – Caitlin Moran
I’d say this semi-autobiography describes Moran’s home-schooled childhood, how she grew up with seven siblings, her foray into journalism by joining Music Weekly ‘Melody Maker’ at 16, her stint at broadcasting, her longer career as a columnist in The Times, and in a way it does, but here the life story structures the rant. How … Continue reading
Review: Fifty Shades Freed – E.L. James
Never judge a book by its cover… I picked up ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ because it was in the best seller charts. The dark cover with the fettered key promised some sort of crime plot with (according to the blurb) a bit of romance thrown in. What I found was kinky sex scene after kinky sex … Continue reading
Book Review: Williams’ Progress by Matt Rudd
Parenting? On second thoughts… William’s Progress revels in the common and not-so-common traumas of being a father. The eponymous hero and his tolerant wife, Isobel, have a new son, Jacob, who is more than enough stress in an already busy life. Think again. Amongst his new-found lack of parenting skills, William has to contend with … Continue reading
Review: The News Quiz
“Topical panel quiz show, taking its questions from the week’s news stories.” For Season 77, Episode 5, Jeremy Hardy, Phill Jupitus and Hugo Rifkind join Sandi Toksvig to review the week’s news. Now on Series 77, the venerable News Quiz is one of those archetypal panel shows to which so many other radio and TV … Continue reading
Humour: Pest Control
Spotted on the Brent Council website advising on pest control: “There is no need to remove dead or dormant nests and we do not provide a removal service. If you wish to, you may be knocked down with a broom stick and placed in the green wheelie-bin. An adult must be present throughout each visit.”
Another Movie Catch-Up: Inception
The mind is a complex place, especially the subconscious mind. Making a film about it is complex enough, and it’s complex to watch. Inception is challenging and self-consciously outstanding. I was hooked from beginning to the end. Dom Cobb (Leonardo di Caprio) is not your average thief. He enters people’s dreams and steals secrets for … Continue reading
Review: The Lady of the Rivers – Philippa Gregory
The Lady of the Rivers is the third instalment of Philippa Gregory’s historical Cousin’s War series. It tells the story of medieval England’s struggle to keep the French lands won during the Hundred Years’ War, the trigger for the War of the Roses, and Henry VI and his queen’s struggle to hold on to power. … Continue reading
Review: Notes on a Scandal – Zoe Heller
A woman in her forties sleeps with a fifteen year old boy. She is a teacher and he is her student. Who’s in the wrong? The woman, of course. The boy is vulnerable because she’s in a role that gives her power. Notes on a Scandal doesn’t attempt to revolutionise your morality, but you’ll see … Continue reading
Movie Catch-Up: The Orphanage
The Orphanage: Age of Innocence The Orphanage is a dramatically engaging thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. If you liked Pan’s Labyrinth, you’ll enjoy this. The Orphanage mirrors its predecessor with an intense, imaginative script, an eerie set and fairy tale theme, and an ambivalently happy ending. … Continue reading
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