FULLY booked

I THOUGHT I WOULD DO SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT THIS MONTH AND TREAT YOU LUCKY PEOPLE TO AN EGOTISTICAL TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE! I’M A BIT OF A WRITING AND BOOK ENTHUSIAST AS YOU MAY HAVE GATHERED, AND AM OFTEN ASKED ABOUT MY FAVOURITE BOOKS. SO, THIS MONTH I’M SHARING WITH YOU THE FOLLOWING SIX BOOKS (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER) WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVE

Shantaram

By Gregory David Roberts

Publisher: Abacus

Genre: Memoir

Audio narration: Excellent

Magical, atmospheric, morally bankrupt, lyrical, goodness me, I could go on and on with an endless stream of adjectives. The novel begins in 1980 with a prison escape, a fugitive making a new life in the Bombay slums, and fighting the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan. There is so much in-between which will keep you captivated.

Roberts was a heroin addict and thoroughly delinquent character. With the conscience of a cockroach, he rapidly morphs into a reasonable man and we see his true character emerge. He finds the poverty and hardship of his fellow human beings truly incomprehensible and unconsciously begins to redress the balance of his past-life.

His unselfish actions convince the reader that even the wicked can have redeeming qualities and choose to be good rather than bad. The plot aside, Shantaram takes you to a place where you can smell the markets, the slums, the traffic fumes and the cooking pots simmering.

I can feel the heat, the freezing snow of the mountains, taste the samosas, smell the acrid cigarettes. Rarely does a book convey so vividly these feelings and leave such an impact on the reader.

I have a need to go to Bombay and feel India for myself.

Pride And Prejudice

By Jane Austen

Publisher: Infinity Books, any others

Genre: Classic

Audio narration: Several versions available, all excellent.

Elizabeth Bennet is my all-time favourite heroine but her mother, Mrs Bennet is by far the most wonderful character portrayed in this book. The late 18th century was not the easiest of times to be a woman, especially if you were intelligent and poor. Elizabeth is both of these, which only added to her mother’s unenviable raison d’etre. Mrs Bennet has five daughters, each with their own talents and, conversely, negative traits. Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine and Lydia are the product of the studious and put-upon Mr Bennet, who is a gentleman of modest income, and his wife. Mrs Bennet is often called foolish but I think her shrewd – she has five daughters who need husbands. The girls must marry well and Mrs Bennet is forever attempting to find suitors for her girls who will rescue the family from the financial straits of genteel poverty.

Elizabeth is spun a yarn, which she accepts in good faith, only to discover she has been mislead. Jane falls in love, Lydia’s virtue is compromised and Mrs Bennet’s blood pressure roller-coasters. The girls are as familiar and relevant to us today as they were 230 years ago when the book was first published. We all know a Mrs Bennet and, as the mother of four girls, I probably identify with her more than most!

The Count Of Monte Cristo

By Alexandre Dumas

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Genre: Historical fiction

The ultimate book of revenge is a dish best served cold! Although, it would be equally fair to say that justice, mercy and forgiveness all feature heavily so there is hope!

Set in France, Italy and various islands in the Mediterranean during 1815-1839, this is the story of Edmond Dantès, a 19-year-old Frenchman who is the first mate aboard the Pharaon. Edmond is wrongly accused of treason, arrested without trial and kept a prisoner in a fortress on an island near Marseille. During the course of the next 14 years, Edmond veers from suicidal to becoming an educated and potentially rich man under the tutelage of another prisoner. His education, survival and escape are marvellous, as are his acquisition of wealth and the desire for revenge upon his accusers.

This swashbuckling story of good triumphing over evil is rich in the quality of words, descriptions of surroundings, and an incredible social commentary along with history, humanity and the concept that we all ultimately reap what we sow.

A Quiet Vendetta

By R J Ellory

Publisher: Orion

Genre: Thriller

Audio narration: Excellent

The retrospective story of the life and times of a Cuban hit-man in the pay of the Mob. Ernesto Perez has worked for the Mob since the 1950s and is now an elderly man. He comes into the life of Ray Hartman, a police officer with a Washington based organised crime task force. Ray is summoned to Louisiana after the kidnapping of the daughter of the state Governor and that’s where this story becomes interesting.

Ernesto tells Ray his story, which encompasses historical events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Kennedy, Jimmy Hoffa and unimaginable corruption. Life in 1950s America was all about consumerism and world domination. But, scratch the surface...

I was captivated by the intrigue of this thriller; the murders and the horror man is capable of inflicting upon his fellow man. Also, the detailed explanations of the working of the unions and the strangle-hold upon the American government was amazing. Politics, sex, murder, money, greed, power and war are all featured in this book deeply intertwined with a thoroughly original plot.

Sarum

By Edward Rutherfurd

Publisher: Arrow

Genre: Historical fiction

Audio narration: Excellent

Subtitled The Novel of England, the story of five families in and around Salisbury from the year 7500 BC to 1987, this is a truly epic tale encompassing the building of Stonehenge, the rise and fall of the Romans, arrival of the Vikings and the English Civil War. Historical facts are woven around five families whose lives are intertwined. Rutherfurd is a master story-teller who captures the flavour of the age with acute accuracy to the degree that the reader becomes so invested in the plot, loathing and loving characters, recognising inherited traits of previous generations and gaining a greater understanding of the social history of the development of England. This incredible book is the first of many of its kind, which turns history into an understandable, enjoyable story whilst educating and explaining. His later novels, London, The Forest and Dublin: Foundation are equally enthralling.

Pied Piper

By Nevil Shute

Publisher: Vintage Classics

Genre: Second World War fiction

Neville Shute was a prolific writer whose career spanned over 30 years; 1926–1960.

HAVE YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKS REVIEWED! annandale.dawn@gmail.com

– would be delighted to hear from any readers who would like their own favourites reviewed.

Pied Piper is told in the form of a flashback during the Blitz by an elderly English gentleman, John Howard. John takes himself off to Jura, France, on a fishing holiday, enveloped in grief for the death of his son who has been killed during the Battle of Heligoland Bight. Events escalate and John finds himself in the unenviable position of being stranded in France when Germany invades. The hotel he is staying at is also hosting a family comprising father, mother and two young children with whom John becomes acquainted. The parents ask John to take their two young children back to the safety of England and he agrees. Most of us can only imagine how terrifying life must have been during the Second World, thankfully. This book explores aspects of human nature the majority of people will never be called upon to experience, to be tested to the extreme limits of character and both mental and physical endurance. Shute is my all-time favourite author and selecting only one of his books was challenging. All his work is magnificent and ahead of its time.

Salt Man

Taken: October 2018, Tavira saltpans

“In summer, it is time to crop the salt from the salt tanks. It’s very hard work, done under a scorching sun. The salt men are locals to whom the task is a way of life.”

Keyword: Essential

A member of the Algarve Photographers Group for ten years, Antonio Pires is a lawyer in Tavira and has been taking photographs since he was 14 years old. “My photographic journey has been somewhat hectic but I now move between analogue and digital, as both offer admirable and distinctive characteristics.”