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91.The Flight from the Enchanter (Vintage classics) by: Iris Murdoch March 16, 2000
Average Rating: >>More Details		List Price: £8.99 Off The Bookshelf's Price: £5.99 You Save: £3.00 (33%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: £0.01
Having read and enjoyed some other Murdoch, I thought I'd try this one based on the blurb, which made it sound like a light and enjoyable read. Unfortunately this novel just doesn't make the grade. The writing is dense and heavy and the style seems rather affected. I never found myself caring about the characters, and read right through hoping to get into things. The whole story seems overly intellectualised, with little solid plot or real humour. Nothing leapt off the page to grab my attention or engage my brain and I left the book feeling very dissatisfied. For a better taste of Murdoch's world and her incredible wit, style and characterisation, try "The Bell".

92.One True Thing by: Anna Quindlen January 04, 1996
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As the novel opens, Ellen Gulden is in jail, on suspicion of having aided in the death of her mother, a woman who had been experiencing agonizing pain from inoperable cancer. As Ellen reminisces about the five months she spent caring for her mother, the novel develops into much more than the story of her mother's death. Ultimately, it is the story of Ellen's emotional and spiritual coming of age, a positive story of growth and love, not the maudlin tearjerker that one might expect on the basis of plot summaries. When her father first asks her to come home to care for her mother, Ellen is resentful. She has been out of college only a couple of years, and her career as a journalist in New York is just starting. She resents the fact that ... Read More:

93.The Bean Trees: A Novel by: Barbara Kingsolver 1998-10
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It's taken me a long time to discover Barbara Kingsolver, but I'm so glad I did. 'The Bean Trees', her first novel, is flawless and deeply enjoyable. It's a story of women surviving loss - self-effacing Lou-Ann, whose husband has dumped her; the car-mechanic widow, Mattie; blind Miss Poppy; and, most affectingly, Guatemalan refugee Esperanza, whose daughter was taken from her - all brought to life by Taylor Greer, one of the most genuine and likeable narrators you'll ever meet. Male characters are marginal, with one exception: Esperanza's husband, Estevan. Beautifully drawn, and an admirable person, he's an example of the inclusivity of Kingsolver's writing: she might be more focused on the lives of women, but she's never dismissive or contemptuous, ... Read More:

94.The Philosopher's Pupil (Vintage Classics) by: Iris Murdoch January 06, 2000
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For me Murdoch's literary talent is embedded in her captivating ability to blend complex philosophical ideas with entertaining, humorous story telling to produce a hybrid philosophical tale that is accessible and intellectually rewarding. The Philosopher's Pupil conforms to many of the Murdochian themes and literary metaphors found elsewhere in her oeuvre: mysticism, academics, redemption, swimming, suicide, infidelity, youthful naivety, good and evil. Murdoch's description of a fictional spa town (Ennistone), located somewhere in the south of England, is soaked in mystery (i.e. flying saucers, an ancient stone circle, Lud's Rill) and immersed in the waters of a vividly realised spa complex complete with steaming public pools and private rooms. Furthermore ... Read More:

95.True Believers by: Joseph O'Connor May 01, 2008
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A collection of a dozen or so short stories, True Believers reads like a weather forecast for Ireland - "Good in places". The opening story "The Last of the Mohicans", which won O'Connor his first literary prize and ultimately launched him as a writer, is excellent. Perfectly-formed, well-balanced and beautifully written, in retrospect it may set a very high standard for the rest of the book. "Mothers Are All the Same", "Volunteers" and the closing "Tru Believers" are also excellent, each exploring Irishness and personal relationships from new angles. Some of the weaker stories appeared to me to be well-written, but perhaps meaningless, or less rewarding. "The Long Way Home", for example, is a story of a journey that is both physical and spiritual, ... Read More:

96.Veronika Decides to Die by: Paulo Coelho 2000-05
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Having run out of books on holiday, I started on other people's leftovers. One of them was Veronika Decides To Die - and in the normal run of things, I wouldn't have lifted it from the shelf. But this was an opportunity to try something a bit different. And how different. On the first page, up pops a Brazilian writer called Paulo Coelho. I kid you not, the pompous man has included himself as a character in his own novel. Basically, Veronika has taken an overdose of sleeping pills and whilst waiting to die, she reads a magazine article about Paolo Coelho and some computer game he invented. And then, in a later chapter, Coelho the character is found discussing his family and the need to write this novel - ostensibly following his own incarceration ... Read More:

97.The Italian Girl (Vintage Classics) by: Iris Murdoch November 02, 2000
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An Iris short story that does not exhibit the `weight' of her lengthier novels. Consequently I found myself less engrossed in the plot development and distanced from the first person narrator. The story, however, reveals many of Murdoch's themes of loss, domestic power struggles, secrets, lies and the complexities of love. The story revolves around two brothers, coming to terms with the death of their domineering mother, the consequences of disillusionment, and an inability to connect with close family members. The chain of events (unveiled in the maternal mansion with its exquisitely described garden) exposes the dangers of uncommunicative relationships, emotional and physical exploitation, the pain of grief and betrayal. And all this drama is played out in full view of a discreet and ubiquitous ... Read More:

98.Atonement (Reading Guide Edition) by: Ian McEwan September 01, 2005
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At times predictable, but charmingly well written. Rich descriptions and vivid dialogue paint a narrative of pain, lies and much regret, with a finale that is both nostalgic and liberating. A wonderful read.

99.Moab is My Washpot by: Stephen Fry October 02, 1997
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Stephen Fry`s autobiography is astonishingly frank, very funny and tremendously touching by turns - his life of crime is treated with a frankness which seeks no sympathy and the torments of adolescense leave no stone unturned. Throughout we feel that Stephen is talking to us as the sort of erudite yet unselfconscious companion one would love to spend time with of an evening in a firelit country pub. I hope it won`t be too much longer before the sequel comes out! Mick Drake author of the comic novel All`s Well at Wellwithoute

100.Clubland by: Kevin Sampson May 01, 2003
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Ged Brennan and his clan are back. After the little difference of opinion that closed 'Outlaws' Ged's trying to go a little straighter. The intelligent and dangerous Marguerite, ex-partner of Ratter, has plans to redevelop an area of derelict dockland into an "anything goes" entertainment district where prostitution and drug use are decriminalised, with backing from a feminist councillor who's hopelessly in love with a lap dancer... And Moby - well, he's Moby. He may not understand what's going on, but he wants a piece of the action and he's getting his kicks wherever he can. As ever, Sampson's a master of internal monologue. All the characters have distinctive voices, and you feel that he really does understand Ged in particular. He's a strange man - a villain and a thug who genuinely believes ... Read More:

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