Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, by Jeffrey Archer
Filed under: bestseller, book review, Fiction, Financial Thriller, Jeffrey Archer
This is the book that to a large extent made Jeffrey Archer famous and as a world class bestseller writer. Harvey Metcalfe, a self-made American millionaire, finalizes an elaborate scam in which he cheats four strangers out of a million 
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less is fun, it is full of plots, has humor, irony, good characterizations and interesting characters, and is a great read as well. However, the writing style is a little mechanical and simple, and not quite as good as in Jeffrey Archer’s later books. However, even today it provides great entertainment and is a book you should not miss out on.
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was televised in 1990 by the BBC.
(Order Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
See more reviews of Jeffrey Archer’s books!
A Blessed Child, by Linn Ullmann
Filed under: book review, Fiction, Linn Ullman, Norwegian writer
In this book, Norwegian author Linn Ullmann explores themes like guilt, reconciliation, and the passing of years on memory in a novel that is powerfully driven by raw sensuality and violence. It is a book that makes a strong impression.
The novel tells the tale of three sisters and their fragile relationship to their father.A Blessed Child too starts with Erika nervously driving through a snowstorm to the Swedish 
Over time, the three young girls enter into changing alliances with other summer guests. One of these is Ragnar, the boy who is always running and who in some strange way is attracted to Isak.
No one assumes responsibility for what happens that summer, and more than twenty five years are to pass before the sisters return to the island – this time to visit their old father.
A Blessed Child is a rich portrayal of the life-stories of three women, and also a fine portrait of a father – both merciless and tender. It’s a story of girls that behave bad! Very bad indeed. It’s structure is mosaic and very appropriate. Linn Ullmann is a terrific writer. Her novel’s great strengths are the brilliantly drawn characters and the dialogues. A Blessed Child is a great book!
“A deeply disturbing and powerful novel with parallels to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies … Ullmann’s pen offers a sober narrative, never too sentimental or obvious, keeps us enthralled with hints, pulls us into the core from many different angles … merciless and credible” – ALF KJETIL WALGERMO, VÅRT LAND (Norway)
Read more about Linn Ullmann as well as book reviews of her books. See also an interview with Linn Ullmann here!
and at 
.Author Per Petterson reads from I Curse the River of Time
Filed under: About books, book reading, Fiction, International bestseller, Per Petterson, YouTube
Video from a book reading by Norwegian author Per Petterson:
.The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award 2010
Filed under: About books, CWA Dagger Award, Fiction, Prize winning novel, recommendation
The Steel Dagger is awarded for the best thriller published in the UK. So what is a thriller? A thriller, according to my dictionary, is an exciting, suspenseful play or story, such as a mystery story. So even though award this is sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, which most likely is an organization related to the author of the James Bond books, it is not limited to and does not even give preference to spy thrillers. This is strange, but of course something which the sponsor decides.
And, indeed, the definition used is very broad, according to CWA:
“include, but are not limited to, spy fiction and/or action/ adventure stories. Ian Fleming said there was one essential criterion for a good thriller – that ‘one simply has to turn the page’; this is one of the main characteristics that the judges were looking for.” — The CWA Dagger
To me it looks a little bit odd and untidy – almost like the Steel Dagger is a little brother award. In order to avoid that appearance, I think CWA needs to distinguish much more clearly (e.g. by genre) among its various awards. At least, I would like to suggest they look into this.
Be that as it may, here are the shortlists for the 2010 CWA Steel Dagger:
- 61 Hours
- A Loyal Spy
, Simon Conway
- Gone
, Mo Hayder
- Slow Horses
- The Dying Light
, Henry Porter
- Innocent
, Scott Turow
- The Gentlemen’s Hour, Don Winslow
My sentimental favorite is The Gentlemen’s Hour by Don Winslow – simply because it is such a wonderful read and such a neat, well-written and smart book. I like his surfer detective and the laid-back plegmatic style of his book.
(See also review of Gone by Mo Hayder.)
This Quiet Dust, and Other Writings, by William Styron
Filed under: book review, Fiction, Short stories, William Styron
There is no doubt that 
William Styron is one of America’s greatest contemporary writers. He wonderful writing can also be witnessed in this collection of short pieces; even though it is perhaps a little stiffer than usual in his writings. The stories cover a wide range of topics and contain his views and reflections, his observations on the state of the world and the ways of the world as he sees it.
This interesting collection includes considerations of Scott Fitzgerald, Faulkner, and others, as well as a re-evaluation of Thomas Wolfe, a review of Malcolm Cowley’s ”A Second Flowering”, as well as a piece on James Jones. It also contains articles about the battlefields of Vietnam and about Auschwitz. A wide range of writings written by a man with a wide range of interests, and who is engaged in the world he lives in and has spent a lot of time pondering a range of diverse topics. Styron was a writer who was willing to confront significant moral questions.
This is a collection you should read if you are interested in learning more about William Styron and his views. It is not a book you should start with if you have not read any of Styron’s novels yet. In that case, I would rather recommend The Confessions of Nat Turner or the magnificent Sophie’s Choice.
Praise for This Quiet Dust:
“Styron is pre-eminent…in his instinct for tragedy and in his respect for the sheer force of human feeling.” — Alfred Kazin
“[Styron is] the most accomplished craftsman, and one of the most penetrating witnesses of our life.” — Associated Press — Review
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, and The Eleventh Commandment, by Jeffrey Archer
Filed under: bestseller, book review, Fiction, Jeffrey Archer, New York Times bestseller, Thriller
Connor Fitzgerald works for the CIA. Nobody knows of his double life, 
Actually, Connor is being sent on a bogus mission, set up by the director of the CIA, presumably with the permission of the White House. The job ploy is to eliminate Connor, who has, in the Director’s view, become a threat to her job.
The Eleventh Commandment is another Jeffrey Archer-tale with a lot of twists in the tale, and clearly with some references to the goings on of the real world. Well worth an intensive weekend of reading!
Babette’s Feast, by Isak Dinesen / Karen Blixen – DVD
- Actors: Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel,
Jarl Kulle, Jean-Philippe Lafont
- Director: Gabriel Axel
- Writers: Gabriel Axel, Karen Blixen
- Producers: Benni Korzen, Bo Christensen, Just Betzer, Pernille Siesbye
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Dolby Digital 1.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Danish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Region: Region 1 U.S. and Canada only.
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rating: G (General Audience)
- DVD Release Date: January 23, 2001
- Run Time: 102 minutes
- 4.7 out of 5 stars at Amazon.com
Babette’s Feast – Description
Babette’s Feast is just a marvelous, fantastic and delicious story, based on the writings of Karen Blixen: Artistic, sensual and full of sacred passions. In Babette’s Feast, a woman flees the French civil war and lands in a small seacoast village in Denmark, where she comes to work for two spinsters, Martina and Philippa, devout daughters of a puritan minister. Both girls sacrifice youthful passion to faith and duty, and even many years after their father’s death; they keep his austere teachings alive among the townspeople.
After many years, Babette unexpectedly wins a lottery, and decides to create a real French dinner–which leads the sisters to fear for their souls. Joining them for the meal will be a Danish general who, as a young soldier, courted one of the sisters, but she turned him away because of her religion. The village elders all resolve not to enjoy the meal, but can their moral fiber resist the sensual pleasure of Babette’s cooking? A truly outrageous French gourmet meal?
Babette’s Feast deservedly won the 1987 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. This lovely movie is impeccably simple, yet its slender narrative contains a wealth of humor, melancholy, and hope.
The film is written and directed by Gabriel Axel, from a short story by Out of Africa’s Isak Dinesen. This Oscar-winning film offers “an irresistible mixture of dry wit and robust humanity” (Newsweek).
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Brida, by Paulo Coelho
Filed under: bestseller, book review, Fiction, International bestseller, New York Times bestseller, Paulo Coelho, recommendation
Paulo Coelho is one of the most gifted and beloved story tellers of our time. As well, he has a mind where, seemingly, fantasy is allowed to roam free of constraints. Thus 
The relatively short and delightful tale of Brida O’Fem is definitely such a book – a well crafted mind stretcher! Young, cute Brida is an Irish lass wishing to become a witch. Her tale, set in Ireland during the mid-80s, is fantastic, compelling and vividly told. In its own right, it’s an epic.
Like the main characters in other Coelho books, she goes searching for the wisdom and crafts she will need. But is it magic she wants? Or love? Or wisdom? Does she really know? She meets people of great wisdom. She is taught about the other, spiritual world. She is taught to see and listen. She learns to overcome fears. She learns to hear the music of the world, and to dance to it. She learns to pray to the moon. She encounters the concept of the soul mate.
But where in the multitude of options in the many planed universe lies her destiny? And what is it? How and where is fulfillment to be found – in love, passion, mystery, witchcraft? And what is it she is learning on her strange journey – more, I think, self-discovery and self-acceptance than anything else.
Brida is a book which transforms the reading experience into a journey of its own. A travel alongside Brida into the depths of the readers’ minds. Beautifully worded, marvelously told, stirring the senses and raising a desire to reach that which must be there, at the end of the journey. A mind-teaser of a book!
Review of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Command, by Julian Stockwin
Filed under: book review, Fiction, historical fiction, Julian Stockwin, naval fiction, Thomas Kydd
Command is the seventh book of the Kydd series. Very unexpectedly, Thomas Kydd is appointed Commander and master of his own brig-sloop Teazer (16-gun). However, the sloop is
Kydd feels the elation and weight of command as he, and he alone, is responsible for the successes and failures aboard his command. However, Kydd, as we have come to expect, rises to the challenge, his determination and resourcefulness coming to the fore. His is a leadership based entirely on his personal qualities, blessed with the common touch, and his competency as a blue water seaman.
We follow him on missions where he makes mistakes, but gradually learn and builds confidence. And, as well, he eventually succeeds in the course of a successful sea battle against La Fouine, an action which brings him revenge for an earlier exchange where the French ship almost had the better of him. Unfortunately, in the midst of this, peace “breaks out” and Kydd is sent ashore without a ship or job.
Kydd is then faced with desperate times as he faces the loss of his livelihood and his best friend. To make ends meet, he agrees to transport convicts to Australia. Little does he know that his friend Renzi, weakened by illness and embittered with the service, is also bound for that colony as a settler. There they will be forced to face their deepest fears and prove themselves against all odds.
Command is another great novel in the “Kydd” series. It is exciting and interesting. The turnaround in the relationship between Kydd and Renzi is very interesting and intriguing.
The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y K Lee
Filed under: book review, Fiction, International bestseller, Janice Lee, recommendation
The Piano Teacher tells a complicated, convoluted story of adaptation, love, betrayal and responses to changing circumstances. The story is set in war-torn Hong Kong,
A focal point in the novel is Will Truesdale, an Englishman who arrived in Hong Kong in 1942. In most ways he is an ordinary, self doubting man. However, having arrived, he more or less immediately falls headlong into a passionate relationship with the extremely attractive, intriguing and beautiful Eurasian socialite Trudy Liang.
As the war in Asia spreads, Hong Kong too is captured. Will, being English, is forced into an internment camp. Trudy, on the other hand, is Eurasian and is able to remain outside. And while they struggle to retain their affair even after they have been separated, it soon becomes apparent that their opportunities and outlooks develop in quite different directions.
Will tries his best to contribute to the collective of the prison camp, and is increasingly shaped by the events, obligations and bonds there. Trudy, on the other hand, seeks to preserve her high society lifestyle, and involves herself with the Japanese. She soon gets involved in affairs far beyond her control. Her desperate attempts to locate a priceless collection of Chinese art on behalf of her Japanese lover leads to a chain of terrible betrayals, involving several pillars of society.
Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter’s piano teacher. She meets Will, is attracted to him, and becomes his mistress. Again, a love affair of Will’s takes on an importance much larger than the affair itself. And as Claire begins to understand the intricacies and multiple conflicts of the world she has entered, long-buried secrets are brought to the fore. And now Claire’s whole life changes as a consequences of the revelations that are unleashed.
Janice Y. K. Lee’s first novel, The Piano Teacher, is beautiful and written in a spare and understated form, where only the tips of huge icebergs of events are visible up to the very end. None of her characters are particularly endearing, but they are complex, interesting, often disagreeable, and very authentic. The whole book is full of intrigue. And even though the novel raises many more questions than it answers, the answers that are provided are very satisfactory. I strongly recommend it!
Praise:
“Evocative, poignant and skillfully crafted, The Piano Teacher is more than an epic tale of war and a tangled, tortured love story. It is the kind of novel one consumes in great, greedy gulps, pausing (grudgingly) only when absolutely necessary.” — Chicago Tribune
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