About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
Valentine Low
Rave The Canberra Times (AUS) ... a timely, incisive account ... revealing ... the question of who advises the royal family and helps \'decipher the (royal) code\', especially in the light of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle\'s public revelations, will be more important than ever.
Matthew Dennison
Positive The Canberra Times (AUS) \"While Matthew Dennison is not as analytical as Jeremy Treglown\'s incisive 1994 biography and Donald Sturrock\'s authorised 2010 biography in 2010, he does provide an up-to-date, compact study, which balances the positives and negatives of Roald Dahl\'s complex life.\
John Le Carre
Positive The Canberra Times (AUS) The early letters are often more personally revealing than the later ones, in which le Carré is conscious of autobiographical legacy ... a comprehensive supplement to Adam Sisman\'s 2015 excellent biography and le Carré\'s 2016 own collection of autobiographical essays, The Pigeon Tunnel ... In the letters, le Carré engages in entertaining fashion with fans, publishers, directors, actors and politicians ... Le Carré once called himself \'a mole too used to the dark to believe in light\' but certainly Sisman\'s biography, Dawson\'s memoir and now Tim Cornwell\'s compilation of the letters, full of rage, compassion and insights, shed significant light on a complex literary and public figure ... An added bonus are le Carré\'s illustrations and caricatures, peppered throughout the book.
John Le Carré
Positive The Canberra Times (AUS) Julian is an improbable character but represents the standard Le Carré innocent who becomes entangled in a complex web of intrigue and betrayal ... The le Carré themes are familiar, idealism morphing into betrayal and the evocation of a Britain which has lost its sense of place in the world ... Silverview may not be in the top rank of the le Carré novels but, despite some structural creaking, is an engrossing read, juxtaposing public duty, loyalty and individual morality.
Hermione Lee
Positive The Canberra Times (AUS) Lee\'s biography, ultimately a warm one, could have done with editorial reduction in minutiae, for example in regard to his medical history, his office routines, global travel, honours received, celebrity lifestyle and country house refurbishments ... Lee does, however, get as far as anyone probably can to the \'real\' Tom Stoppard, who once said he was. \'a bounced Czech\', before this term was later applied, in a different context, to Robert Maxwell.
William Boyd
Positive The Canberra Times Boyd is clearly following here some of the details of the ultimately tragic life of American actress Jean Seberg ... Duplicity is the key to Trio, as the story of the main characters plays out in their parallel universes against the turbulent background of the filming ... Trio, while not in the top tier of Boyd\'s oeuvre, is never boring, an entertaining black comedy, with echoes of Evelyn Waugh.
Robert Harris
Positive The Canberra Times Harris\' novels are always extremely readable, but also provide underlying reflections on contemporary issues. His latest novel, The Second Sleep, is no different in those regards ... Harris\'s conclusion, after such intriguing scene setting, is somewhat disappointing. Nonetheless, The Second Sleep is a riveting read and, hopefully, it will encourage mainstream readers to find the numerous excellent SF dystopian futures.