“The End of the Party” by Graham Greene Number 23 of 27 Great British Short Stories Premise: A game of hide and seek is terrorising and terrible Review: He was a master, in my opinion, ol’ GG. Should have read this decades ago. Top marks for terror. Outa ten: 10 Keywords: youth, fear, twins, courage... Continue Reading →
“Fireworks for Elspeth” by Rumer Godden #GBSS22/27
"Fireworks for Elspeth” by Rumer Godden Number 22 of 27 Great British Short Stories Premise: It is a young woman’s “Last Day” and she must negotiate family (the mother from Hell?) and an erstwhile fiance... Review: Nicely done. I am not the target demographic perhaps, but you can - between the lines - see what... Continue Reading →
“The Birds” by Daphne Du Maurier. Horrific, and a solid 11 out of 10 #GBSS21/27
"The Birds” by Daphne Du Maurier Number 21 of 27 Great British Short Stories Premise: Birds Attack!! Review: This is flocking fantastic. How did I not read this as a 13 year old of a nervous disposition (answer - neither of my parents could point me to particularly good alternatives to Doctor Bloody Who and... Continue Reading →
“The Gifts of War” by Margaret Drabble #GBSS20/27
“The Gifts of War” by Margaret Drabble Number 20 of 27 Great British Short Stories Premise: Two women - one a beaten down but surviving mother, the other a well-meaning (road to hell?) pacifist collide in a toystore, their lives controlled by, well, manboys. Review: Holy shit. I keep thinking the latest story is the... Continue Reading →
“The Adventure of the Speckled Band” by Arthur Conan Doyle #GBSS19/27
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band” by Arthur Conan Doyle Number 19 of 27 Great British Short Stories Premise: In April 1883, Sherlock and Watson save a woman from Evil. Review: Ah, brilliant stuff. I read this forty years ago. I should read all the short stories. Why did I not do this 40 plus... Continue Reading →
“The Poor Relation’s Story” by Charles Dickens #GBSS18/27
“The Poor Relation's Story” by Charles Dickens Number 18 of 27 Great British Short Stories Premise: A shaggy dog from an unreliable narrator Review: I did not "get" this at all, and may simply need to re-read. Or perhaps the whole thing about father figures is too close to the bone? Who knows. Outa ten:... Continue Reading →
“Physic” by Water De La Mare #GBSS17/27
"Physic” by Water De La Mare Number 17 of 27 Great British Short Stories Premise: A mother and wife nurses a sick child, and a deadbeat husband. A doctor has words… Review: This is brilliant. The man could observe, write, cut. Outa ten: 10 Keywords: love, procrastination, advice Quotes: “It was a little way Emilia... Continue Reading →
Film review: The Long Walk – Top Marx for a Freudian Field Day
There are good films, beautifully made, which you probably will only watch the once. That's a niche category and for me there was only one - Paul Greengrass's 911 quasi-documentary United 93. Now there are two - The Long Walk, based on a 1979 Stephen King book. There is an obvious, perhaps even glib, way... Continue Reading →
Talk is cheap, mr climate “radical”
The moorhens and swans did well out of me today, as I fed them while walking along the canal. Real St Francis of Assisi stuff. Unfortunately, Pod(cast) did not reward me... I listened to a few episodes of a climate podcast that I had high hopes for. I won't name it (though obvs I could,... Continue Reading →
Ooooh baby we’re (over) half way there: Great British Short Stories
A few weeks ago, for a quid, I got a copy of "Great British Short Stories" introduced by - but not selected by - JB Priestley. Published in 1970ish, it has 27 short stories (some 900 words, some maybe 5,000 or so) from, well, British, people. About three quarters of the men, as you'd expect.... Continue Reading →
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