Le Bal (1930) and Snow in Autumn (1931), by Irène Némirovsky

Irène Némirovsky (1903-1942) was on my ‘to read’ list for a long time before our reading group’s decision to read European novels made me take down one of her books. This turned out to be both timely and chastening, as in the early years of the 20th century Némirovsky was a refugee, making her way … Continue reading →

The Middle of the Road (1922) by Philip Gibbs

Book Review by George S: Philip Gibbs was a so-so novelist, but a very good reporter. The saving grace of this 1922 novel is that in the second half, the reporter becomes dominant. The novel is very much designed to explore the political issues of the day. Gibbs has been called a ‘newspaper novelist’, and … Continue reading →

The Launching of Roger Brook (1947) by Dennis Wheatley

In the middle of the 20th century, Dennis Wheatley (1897-1977) was a prolific and popular author of thrillers, best known for writing about the occult. I came across his books, I think, through a holiday job in my local library. There were plenty on the shelves, in the lurid dustjackets his publishers seemed to favour. … Continue reading →