By JV Dominic, an Irishman, finds himself in a small town in the French occupied region of post-war Germany. As a citizen of a neutral country (Eire) his presence in Marheim comes under suspicion from all sides and his life is precarious. He suffers from hunger and cold as do the other people who have … Continue reading
Posted by ambler1 …
Twenty-Four Hours Leave (1943) by Renee Shann (pen name of Carol Gaye)
By Helen N. This is an American edition (Triangle Books, New York 1944) of a 1943 British novel, which accounts for the cover which has a sketchy picture of a woman in uniform reading a letter. It is very much a “Woman’s book”, in that the story is written from the woman’s point of view, … Continue reading
Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935) by Christopher Isherwood – a second review
By ARP. Isherwood’s story Mr Norris Changes Trains is set in pre-war Berlin between 1935 and 1939. The story is filled with mystery from the beginning due to the illusive protagonist ‘Herr Norris’ and a rather young and naïve narrator, William Bradshaw, who takes everything and everyone at face value. The two characters meet, by … Continue reading
Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935) by Christopher Isherwood
By PG Mr Norris Changes Trains is a novel by Christopher Isherwood set in the early 1930s during the inter-war period. It’s a highly entertaining romp through life during the time that Hitler rose to power, seen through the eyes of the main character, William Bradshaw, which coincidentally are Christopher Isherwood’s own middle names. It … Continue reading
Something in My Heart (1944) by Walter Greenwood
Walter Greenwood is, of course, famous as the Salford author of the best remembered thirties depression novel, Love on the Dole, a novel which has had considerable impact, then and since. In fact, he lived for the rest of his life as a professional author, writing new works and adaptations right up until the late … Continue reading
The Heat of the Day ( 1948) by Elizabeth Bowen
By LA It is war time in the blazing city of London and the beginning of this novel introduces the protagonist Stella and her two male interests. Stella battles between the man she loves, Robert but also the man who seems to feel affection for her, Harrison. Harrison is a spy following Robert as he … Continue reading
The Death of the Heart (1938) by Elizabeth Bowen
By LMC Written by Elizabeth Bowen, The Death of the Heart (written in 1938), is one of her best known novels. The novel focuses on the main protagonist, Portia, who goes to stay with her half-brother, Thomas and his wife, Anna, due to her being orphaned. However, Portia is considered to be unusual by Anna, … Continue reading
Coming Up for Air (1939) by George Orwell
By JF The author of this novel, George Orwell, most famously known for his satires on society in Animal Farm and 1984, here composes what can be interpreted as the preliminary text in a trilogy which serves as a worthy political antecedent to these two great, significant literary pieces. Often overlooked by many, Coming Up … Continue reading
Stamboul Train (1932) by Graham Greene
By JN The Orient Express, a fascinating machine transporting people from different walks of life across Europe in a web of murder, lies and love. That’s the image that Graham Greene establishes in his gripping page-turner ‘Stamboul Train.’ This cemented his reputation as ‘one of the most important British writers of the twentieth century.’ (Daily … Continue reading
Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh
By AW Written between December 1943 and June 1944 following a parachuting accident, Evelyn Waugh’s “operation of divine grace on a group of diverse but closely connected characters” (so described in the novel’s preface) has received significant acclaim: Time magazine in 2005 heralded it as one of the hundred best post-1923 novels of the English … Continue reading
