A Royal Affair - a new Danish film

A few years ago an award-winning Swedish novelist, Per Olov Enquist, wrote The Visit of the Royal Physician dramatising the true story of an illicit affair between the mad King Christian's physician and the English born queen of Denmark, Caroline Mathilda. In the early 1770's the love affair triggered one of the most dramatic series of events in Danish history. Enquist's book won many literary prizes and became a best-seller in Sweden, and I have been raving about it for years.

So you can imagine I was both sceptical and excited to be invited to a pre-screening of the first ever film version of the story.

A Royal Affair begins with an older Queen Caroline, sitting at a desk alone, writing a letter to her estranged children. Next we go back in time and see her at the age of sixteen, when she is preparing to leave her native England to travel to Denmark. She is delighted to be fulfilling the role of a Queen, something which she's been prepared for all her life - yet she's fearful she'll not be accepted in the foreign court.

Caroline is played by Alicia Vikander, who immediately charms the viewer with her beauty and vunerlabilty. Yet, you have a sense that behind this weakness lies a strong character. I very much liked Vikander in the role. She was given very few lines all throughout the film, but with her expressions and movements, she was able to convey how a woman in her position - a young, naive girl thrown into the murky politics of a foreign court - was little able to change her position. Until, that is, love of a great man, gives her hope and strength.

Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen

The other party of the fated love story, the Physician Johann Struensee, is played by Mads Mikkelsen (of Bond film, Casino Royale fame). Struensee is a man who believes in the Enlightenment. He has written anonymous papers on Equalitarianism and social welfare. Mikkelsen, who is supposed to portray the idealistic and kind Doctor, seems at first too rough and (dare I say it) too old for the part of the romantic male lead. But when Struensee falls in love with Queen Caroline and shows her what he is willing to do to reach his aims for a better Denmark, Mikkelsen's demeanour softens. He just exudes steamy sexiness as his desire for the young, unattainable Queen grows.

As the two lovers gain political power and begin to reform the Danish society, their combined sense of innocent hope is infectious - yet there's a strong feeling that all will not end well.

The script written by three writers, amongst them the Director Nikolaj Arcel, is composed well enough. The narrative hints at the historical events without being too obscure or patronising the viewer with too may facts and dates. The characters develop nicely, and more importantly they don't seem to be 21st century people stuck in 18th century costumes, as often is the case in period dramas.

However,  the pace of the two hour long film is slow. Arcel drew his inspiration for A Royal Affair from the great epic films of the 40' and 50' when 'films would often feel like literary works, which didn't necessarily follow an obvious screenplay roadmap'. This method, however, leaves the viewer at times without any direction; a lingering look at a sweeping landscape was probably acceptable some 60 or 70 years ago, but today, when we can download almost any film in minutes to watch on our iPads, it makes the viewer shift in his seat. I felt there were too many shots of Queen Caroline's graceful neck, and the camera was held for a little too long on the peaceful Danish flatlands.

But all in all, this is a very enjoyable film. It's atmospheric and smouldering, with excellent acting throughout. Even the predictably nasty old Queen Julianne played by Trine Dyrholm, was a wholly believable character. Her constant plotting against Queen Caroline gave the film its Machiavellian flavour, and kept the audience on its toes.

I predict (as far as you can ever predict) A Royal Affair will do well at the box office. How could it not? It's Danish, it has period costumes, there's sex, intrigue and even madness. Anyone who's been hooked on The Killing, Borgen or the latest, hugely popular, TV detective series, The Bridge, will love A Royal Affair.

Here's the trailer:

A Royal Affair
Zentropa Entertainment
In cinemas 15 June 2012

Equator non-alcoholic beer

In my quest of finding a non-alcoholic alternative to wine I was sent 4 bottles of new beer flavoured drink called Equator. It comes in a bottle which looks very much like a certain brand of alcoholic lager, and get this - as well as having no alcohol it has just under 3 calories per bottle, ie. next to nothing!

Now readers, I do love wine, and beer, but sometimes, just sometimes, it'd be nice if you could go to a pub or a party and not have an alcoholic drink. Because in my 'old age' I've found that drinking alcohol not only adds on the pounds, it also makes my brain go all mushy. And when you are trying to forge a career as a writer, (as well as working as an accountant) you just can't afford a half functioning brain every day of the week…(there goes my claim to a Finnish passport).

Anyway, when I saw Equator contains 0% alcohol and 0% calories (less than 3 kcl is considered negligible by food scientists), I thought yeah, and it'll taste like cat's whatsit. Then I thought, actually, so does most brands of the lager that I often drink in pubs to try to cut down on my calorie and alcohol intake. But, to my great surprise, Equator tastes quite nice. There's a hint of the barley malt extract which it contains, and when we sampled it together with Son and the Englishman, we found that with the addition of a slice of lime, it could quite easily pass as 'normal' bottled lager. We all loved it, as the three empties show.

Plus, we all agreed, it's the appearance of Equator which is its trump card. In any pub or a friend's BBQ party, holding a bottle of Equator, you'll look as if you're drinking any old lager. As silly as it seems, not having alcohol at parties or in pubs still carries a stigma of sorts. It's stupid, I know, but I guess we all just want to feel as if we belong and don't stand out.

Plus, so many of the non-alcoholic alternatives are sugary, and when it comes down to it, if there's a choice of drinks with equal amount of calories, one being alcoholic, one not, I would plump for the alcohol every time. But not any more!

I couldn't recommend this beer flavour drink more highly. Buy it, just to try.

I was sent Equator to try, but as always I would not recommend the product unless I really liked it.

Equator
Beer Flavour Drink
A pack of four bottles sets you back £2.99, and it's only available in selected Tesco stores.

It's all cricket to me

Our new place in Crouch End, north London, is surrounded by all sorts of sports clubs and fields. There's tennis, football and cricket pitches galore.

This afternoon, when the Englishman and I went for a walk with the terrier, we counted no fewer than six - six - cricket matches going on at the same time.

Number One...

Two...

Three...

Four...

Five and...

Number six we can see from our flat, although the trees in full leaf sometimes 'spoil' the view!

It was lovely to stroll in the sunshine, listening to the shouts of encouragement from the opposing teams, or the few louder celebrations when a batsman was bowled out. (See, I've got the terminology and all…27 years of marriage to the Englishman has taught me something...)

The Englishman - who was a keen cricketer in his time - informed me that the standard was very good of all the matches we briefly followed.

The play that never was and the Saatchi Gallery in London

I was all set to go and see a sold out play at The Royal Court by Mike Bartlett called 'Love, love, love' yesterday. But as a friend and I approached the theatre there was sign saying the day's performances were cancelled due to 'an unforeseen circumstance'. We stood outside dumbfounded for a moment - neither of us had even heard of a performance being cancelled. 'What happened to "The show must go on"?,' my friend asked. We debated what to do, and struck upon the idea of going to the nearby Saatchi Gallery instead. We were not put off by bad reviews given to us by a fellow disappointed theatre goer, because art is art is art - even if it's bad you have experienced something. (That's my view and I'm sticking to it). Besides, I'd never been to the Saatchi Gallery - being a North Londoner (for all of 18 months!), I now rarely venture out to the SW post codes. (How London am I?)

The sun was beaming down on us as we made our way slowly from Sloane Square towards King's Road. If you've ever been to London in a heatwave, you know it becomes a different city. People are smiling and happy. I myself had forgotten how much I enjoy this part of London, especially during the Chelsea Flower Show. As long as you're not working in the area, and in a rush to get somewhere, it's nice to take in the atmosphere which spills out from the annual horticultural show. The whole place is decorated with greenery (even Sloane Square Tube Station has pots and pots of plants), it's filled with people wearing all manner of hats, and summery clothes, on their way in or out of the flower show.

But boy was it hot! It was reported the temperature hit 30 C in London yesterday. I wore a cotton maxi dress and even though it felt a little too casual for the theatre, I was glad I'd dressed for the weather. (Sorry, no picture - I'm far too pasty to even star in my own blog).

Once inside the Saatchi gallery, housed in a beautiful a Neo-Classical building with added modern touches of glass and steel, we breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully the air con was on full blast, and for a moment it was nice not to feel that you were in a danger of melting away like a ice lolly into a small puddle on the floor.

When we recovered we went in search of the art. But, the current exhibition at the gallery left both my friend and I a little cold (or perhaps it was the air con?).


Out of Focus: Photography includes some interesting, some not so interesting and many (in our humble view) just ridiculous works. The artists who's imagery we enjoyed were:

John Stezaker, who combining old, discarded images, creates unusual portraits. These sad, fun and touching images are pictures of old film stars, cut up and paired with other images. Some of stars we definitely thought we recognised, but it was impossible to tell who many of the others were; they just become part of the portrait leaving no trace of their former incarnation.

Marriage VIII by John Stezaker

Those of you who've been reading this blog for a time, know that I have a huge thing about maps. I love them in all shapes and sizes, but I've never come across maps like the ones Sohei Nishino has conjured up. These dioramas, of Paris, Tokyo and New York, are made entirely of black and white pictures, placed in their approximate positions on a map. The rivers are pictures of the water, the main thoroughfare pictures of the street and so on. The more you look at the diorama, the more details, such as a picture of a little newsagent's shop in Paris, you spot. These works are really fun and they make you realise towns and cities are made of real buildings, real people and real lives. Suddenly a normal map seems false in some way; too clinical and simple. It would have been fun to see one of his dioramas of London - I wonder if one is in the making?

Diorama of New York by Sohei Nishino

Katy Grannan's portraits, shot in LA were the first images we saw, and although at the time I was disturbed by them, I have been thinking a lot about the people in them and wishing I'd taken a second look at Grannan's work. The images are huge, and sad; they are of people who seemingly have lost hope. They are also shot in the glaring Californian sun, which, you must know, (if you are any older than 18) is the most unflattering light you can ever be photographed in.

Katy Grannan
Anonymous, San Francisco, Boulevard 15

Last, but not least, I must mention the permanent installation, 20:50 by Richard Wilson at the Saatchi Gallery. When my friend and I went up to the installation, we first smelled petrol and then gazed down from a balcony at what looked like an architectural display. But when we read the blurb, we realised what we'd been looking at was not a room with six windows, but a room with sump oil, the surface of which reflects the ceiling and windows in the room. It's only when you look carefully at the surface that you can spot the occasional small cluster of bubbles, or a hair that must have fallen from a viewer's head. It was the most incredible piece of work I have seen.

20:50 by Richard Wilson

The black steel structure on the left is a walkway, which looks like it descends into the oil. It was, unfortunately, closed to the public yesterday. The oil reflects the windows on the left, as well as the ceiling panels from above. I thoroughly recommend you go to the gallery just to see this piece, it is truly fantastic.

Out of Focus: Photography
25 April to 22 July 2012
The Saatchi Gallery
Duke of York's HQ
King's Road
London
SW3 4RY
10am-6pm, 7 days a week, last entry 5:30pm

My Prada shoes

I wrote a post many moons ago about my favourite shoes. Amongst them was a pair of wonderful Prada sandals which at the time I'd never worn, but couldn't bring myself to part with either. In the days following that post I had emails asking me if I'd be willing to sell them, and I had to reply that no, I was still hoping my back could cope with the high heels. (They're only 10cm/4 inches, but I am a complete wimp when it comes to heels).

Well, that was 2 years ago almost to the day, and since these same shoes have still not seen the light of day, I thought it would only to fair to let someone else have a go.

Here's the link on Ebay, if you are in the mood for buying a pair of beautiful Prada shoes.

E-books in bookshops - whatever next?

 

There's much consternation in the press this morning following Waterstone's deal with Amazon to sell Kindle and e-books in their stores. Much 'Deal with the devil' kind of comments have been banded about, but I have to say that I don’t understand why there isn't more of this kind of co-operation between physical bookshops and e-book retailers/publishers. 

Obviously Amazon is a major player in the industry and as such has a somewhat tainted history in trying to dominate the market, but considering the business models which have to be forced for the future, this kind of joint venture has to be tried.

During my time at England's Lane Books, I became convinced that physical book retailers are the shop window for both e-books and p-books. Everyone seems to love bookshops. If I'd had a pound every time some-one said they loved the shop, I'd be very rich indeed. Well, wealthy enough to be able to open a bookshop myself...

But I digress. People who read books like to browse, especially in independent little shops where some-one has made an eclectic and informed choice of which books to stock, (which doesn't necessarily include books with the largest marketing budgets behind them). In bookshops readers can discover new titles, new authors, or new genres. It's where you can discuss books to your heart's content and get advice on what to buy that 15-year-old nephew who needs encouragement to read. Or the 45-year-old aunt who reads avidly and has every book ever published on her book shelf. At England's Lane Books we had many variations on these customer requests and we loved recommending books for 'difficult' people. 

Also publishers (and agents) know that book shops are invaluable spaces for what is now being called 'discoverability' of books; and authors know there isn't a better person to recommend their book, and generate a word-of-mouth snowballing effect for their sales, than a bookseller.

Of course Amazon could be aiming to swallow Waterstones up, and this is a risk Mr Daunt of Waterstones seems willing to take. Personally I think he had to do something: falling sales of physical books in contrast to the increase in the sales in e-books makes it hard for any bookseller of p-books. Plus the efforts of the retailer to bring their own e-reader to the market have failed – possibly due to time and cost issues.

In the US, Barnes and Noble (with the help of a cash boost of $300 million from Microsoft) are developing their Nook e-reader so that customers can download book reviews from a code in the shop, and then choose to either buy the hard copy or the e-copy. It remains to be seen if this kind of product will eventually bring enough cash to the retailer to keep the bookshops open.

By the way, the view that by inviting Amazon into Waterstones, the book retailer will introduce more readers to e-books is in my view frankly silly. It smacks of ostrich-like attitude where if you ignore a new development, it won't affect you.

That aside, it’ll be very interesting to see how this new Amazon/Waterstones venture will work out. I for one am hoping it’ll be a success, and that it proves to be a model small independent shops could follow. What’s to stop Apple co-operating  with physical bookshops? Imagine if you could walk into somewhere like England’s Lane Books and using your iPad or iPhone, scan QR codes off the book, read the reviews, discuss the book with staff and ultimately download the e-book (or even better, get a buy one get one free deal) in the shop. 

Many customers already use bookshops to discover new titles, only to leave the shop to download e-book later – or buy it online at a cheaper price at Amazon. Why not give the reader license to do this and get a cut out of the sales you’ve generated at the same time. It's the customer behaviour that's important - the publishing industry will ignore it at its peril.


As a former bookseller and an economist, the Waterstone/Amazon deal makes sense to me.

The results are in!

Firstly, thank you to everyone who voted in my little e-book versus p-book survey! 


The reason I set up this poll was that I wanted to know how many of you read paper copes and how many have embraced the new digital form of reading. When I first posted the survey, it became immediately clear that many people wanted to vote both for e-books and traditional paper copies. I should have of course known this, since I'm a multi-user myself….but I thought I was a little weird. But it turns out that 90% of you are just like me!


This result can obviously not be taken as a reflection of the population at large - my poll is far too small for this. It can also be said that people who read blogs online are far more likely to also read fiction in the same way. Still, I think it's interesting to find that there are so few exclusively e-book or p-book readers amongst my sample.


As far as what kind of e-readers are popular within this sample, Kindle came out as the most used. Some 47% of you are reading Kindle as opposed to 26% iPad and 5% other e-readers. 


While I was waiting for the results of my survey, something fairly dramatic happened in the book trade. Yesterday Waterstones (a large book retailer in UK) announced that it was going to start selling Amazon products. 'The fox has been allowed into the chicken coop.' was one commentator's view of the deal, while Harry Wallop from The Telegraph wrote,


'What many people fail to realise is that the book market is not split down the middle between those who buy physical books and those who buy digital. Most digital purchasers still buy ink and paper books, especially when it comes to children’s books and history.'


This nicely echoes what I found in my survey. Now all we need to do is make sure e-books are sold in traditional bookshops. Easy peasy lemon squeezy? (More about this to follow) 

Please vote!

There's only 7 hours left to vote in my little poll (see right margin) on how you people read your fiction.

The publishing industry is going through major changes due to the digital age. One factor, which will determine the direction of the book world more than any, is in what form consumers are going to be reading in the future.

Is it a e-book or p-book? Or both?

Vote now! 

Crouch End Shopping - Little Paris

There are a lot of independent shops in Crouch End, but one that is a real favourite of mine is Little Paris on Park Road, N8. This lovely store, which stocks everything French, has already been featured in Time Out's 100 Best Shops in London. You can find anything from vintage furniture to beautiful leather handbags here; there are also little quirky items of jewellery, as well as 1950's prints, old crockery and silk scarves. They promise that the stock is changed every three weeks and having popped into the shop more times than is strictly healthy for my budget (it's on my way into the centre of Crouch End), I can vouch for this. If you ever have a need to buy presents for yourself friends or family, you'll be sure to find them here. I've so far stocked up on cards made from vintage French adverts and bought some jewellery I just couldn't resist, like this glass ring and a fun bunch of grapes necklace.

Silk scarves are cleverly displayed in a vintage filing cabinet

I'm really seriously tempted with another one of these necklaces.

These clogs are in very soft leather...

as are these handbags. The prices are very reasonable, the large one is priced well under £100.

The back of the shop is like an Aladdin's cave of well chosen vintage finds.

I've had my eye on this chair for a couple of weeks now…I want!

More soft leather goods and lovely summery straw beach bags. 

Little Paris
39 Park Road
Crouch End
London N8 8TE
0208 340 9008

They've recently opened a second shop on Upper Street in Islington. I very strongly recommend you visit one of these gorgeous stores if you're ever in North London.

I've got Diamond Jubilee Fever

Queen Elizabeth II, by Dorothy Wilding, 1952, © William Hustler and Georgina Hustler/ National Portrait Gallery, London

I put my hands up and admit that I, for one, am very excited about the forthcoming Queen's Diamond Jubilee festivities in London. It may be true that foreigners in general love the Royals more than the locals do, but I've noticed that there are some true Londoners who are also secretly looking forward to the pomp and ceremony associated with the Queen's 60th year on the throne. And there's the extra Bank Holiday. Even the Chairman of the Bank of England, Mervyn King's complains yesterday that the additional day off would keep the country in recession due to the loss of output during this period, doesn't seem to have dampened the mood in London.

And even the local BBC London News, which tries very hard to run negative stories about all things associated with the other major event in London this summer, the Olympics (each night we get complaints about the disruption to commuters during the games, about the non-availability of tickets etc.), seem to have accepted that negative bias on the Jubilee doesn't suit its brief as a national broadcaster. I was amazed when, the other night, it was announced that many of the bridges criss-crossing the Thames will be shut for the Jubilee weekend, there was no whinging about 'commuter chaos'.

I intend to enjoy the weekend of 2-5 June in style and have a really exciting programme planned. On the Sunday I will be watching the Jubilee pageant on the Thames from a wonderful vantage point at a friend's flat by the river, while sipping something refreshing. Thank you, lovely friend, for the invite to this exclusive party! I will of course be Tweeting and Instagramming (a word?) the whole thing. Today I am even more excited about this because it was announced yesterday that William and Kate will also take part and will be onboard the Spirit of Chartwell with the Queen. Now all I need to do is pray for good weather…!

On the Tuesday 5th June, the actual day of the Jubilee, the Englishman and I will be watching members of the Royal Family depart from the Palace to attend a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, the carriage procession back to the Palace, and a flypast, from another great vantage point around the Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace. I admit going to this event maybe a little overkill, but since I am in London on this special occasion, why not go a little crazy? I am, however, fully expecting the Englishman to fall asleep during this day-long event of watching the Royals come and go. Let's hope the seats are comfortable...

This is the official Emblem of the Jubilee and was drawn by 10-year-old Katherine Dewar.

Here's more about the Thames pageant, and here a general article about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Hope you have a great Jubilee weekend too!

Locked out on the balcony, as predicted - by me.

Some days start less well than others…this morning, just as I was getting ready to go out with the terrier for his early walk, I realised I'd left my wellies out on the balcony. (Even in London, the woods get muddy!) Wearing just a t-shirt and a pair of leggings, I rushed to get the keys to the window locks, opened the door and stepped out. For a moment I got distracted as I surveyed the progress of my plants. (The rain has not been kind to my tender herb seedlings). That's when I heard the sound of a soft click. I knew straight away what had happened, because only a few nights ago for some unaccountable reason I'd lain awake thinking about this balcony window/door and the possibility of a scenario just like the one I was in now. ( I am really a witch, you see.)

Because some of the floor to ceiling windows of our new flat are designed to open in several ways; you can tilt them, or open them as doors to the balcony. What I'd noticed was that if this balcony door, being open, accidentally shuts to, the mechanism at the bottom locks automatically. So the door is therefore not shut but also locked.

Now, standing in my bare feet and t-shirt on the first-floor balcony, I went to try the door and yes, it was indeed locked - from the inside. There was no opening mechanism on the balcony side, and the other door to the balcony was also locked. I had no phone on me, and no keys to the other door, just the window lock keys. Why, I wondered, as panic rose in my chest, did that balcony door have a separate key? What madness had made these people design a door which shuts itself? In my mind I went through my options. I tried to force the door, with the terrier watching me from the inside. (By now the dog is used to all sorts of antics from me and didn't look at all surprised that I was trying to kick the door in. Says something about my life?). When the door wouldn't budge, I noticed a toy tennis ball, which the terrier had left on the floor of the balcony. I could try to hurl it into the garden of my neighbour on the other side of the building, although my ball throwing skills are notoriously poor. Or I could try to break the glass? It was unlikely that the double glazing would shatter from the force of a soft ball - besides, I really didn't want a broken window on my hands as well. So it had to be the neighbours. But what if they weren't at home, or wouldn't notice a tennis ball being thrown into their garden. Besides, what apart from phoning the maintenance company (based in Surrey at least a couple of hours' drive away), could they do?

I was getting cold.

At least, it's not raining, I thought when I spotted a man walking on the school playground, beyond the communal gardens . 'Excuse me?' I shouted. It had occurred to me that just maybe, a maintenance man working for the building company might still be on site and he might - just maybe - have a general key to the flats. I explained my predicament to the the friendly man. He agreed to go and find somebody, and I waited.

By a miracle of miracles, the maintenance man was on site, but alas, had no general key to the flats. (Now when I think about it, I'm glad they don't keep keys but at the time my heart sank.) I'd started shivering, when the man from below said, 'I'll go and get a screwdriver.'  Now there was a reason why this struck me as funny, and also didn't give me any confidence that the maintenance man was my Knight In Shining Armour. A few weeks after we'd moved into the flats, we'd completed a list of items of snagging, which varied from water hammer on taps, to chipped glass panels on the very same balcony I was now confined to. We heard nothing for a few days, and then one afternoon when both the Englishman and I were working from home there was a knock on the door and this, the same maintenance man, holding a screwdriver aloft said, 'Snagging?'  Needless to say he could not complete any of the 20 or so items on our list with the help of a lonely screwdriver.

But now, five minutes after the same maintenance man had returned with his infamous screwdriver, I was inside the flat again. The screwdriver did, as predicted, not do the job, but our maintenance man had apparently learned his lesson and also threw a large sanding file to me on the balcony. With the help of this, and some force, I managed to open the door from the outside.

The moral of the story? Never underestimate the ingenuity of a maintenance man, and take heed of any disastrous scenarios you think up in the small hours of the night. They might just happen to you one day. Spooky?

Kindle and a few book recommendations for rainy days

I haven't posted a blog about my major passion, books, for a little while. This doesn't, however, mean that I haven't been reading. What else is there to do during these rainy days? (As information for my non-UK readers, as nature's little joke, right after many parts of this country were declared drought zones, it's been raining here nearly non-stop.)

Since getting my Kindle, I've been reading even more than before, if that's possible. I know there are several opinions on e-books versus 'real' books out there. I too, was very sceptical about not having a book to hold onto after reading it. But, but... having a digital reader is so handy. It's light enough to take onto a bus or the tube. And if you're not in the mood for one title that day, you can easily switch to another without having to carry a number of heavy books everywhere with you. The price is usually a little less than a paper copy too, especially if you want to read a book which has just come out. Plus, you can download a sample of a book completely free. So, I'm sorry, bookshops, but what can a girl with a budget and a huge appetite for books do, but to Kindle?

I've put a little poll next to this post - PLEASE vote! It'll be really interesting to see how many people are using e-readers and how many of you are loyal to the lovely, rustling, musty smelling books. (Ooh, now you made me miss them...)

Since this was going to be a post about recommended reads, I'd better get on. (All of the books below can be bought in paper or digital form.)

Capital by John Lanchester
Metropolitan Books

Capital is set in a tree-lined residential street somewhere in an affluent part of London. It starts with an unknown person taking pictures of people's doors on the street, in the small hours of the morning. Later that same day the pictures with a caption 'We Want What You Have' turn up on the doormats of an affluent banker; an African newly discovered Premier league footballer; a Pakistani family who own the corner shop at the end of the street and an old woman who bought her house when the prices were still affordable. We also follow an asylum seeker from Mozambique, working as a traffic warden on the street, as well as a Polish builder. There is a sense that all these people's lives are about to change, not just because the 'We Want What You Have' campaign seems to turn sinister and the police are alerted. Although I liked the plot of the story as well as many of Lanchester's characters, especially the rich and utterly bored banker, and his equally bored wife, I felt the book didn't quite bring all the stories together and make a relevant point about our society. There were just too many characters, too many points of view, to really love any one of them. All the same, I'd recommend this book, because there are some truly funny, and some very sad, moments which are well told.

You Before Me by Jojo Moyes
Penguin Books

I've been a fan of Jojo Moyes ever since I heard her read at Shoreditch House Literary Salon from her book The Last Letter From Your Lover, which went on to win the Romantic Novel of the Year in March 2011. Her latest book, You Before Me, is a somewhat darker tale where a young woman starts caring for a severely handicapped young man. It's a story of struggle for life, and for death, and of love. I won't tell you too much about the plot because I think you need to read this book without any preconceived ideas on what it's about, and just enjoy the story develop. Me Before You is a triumph from this prolific writer and as such was voted the most popular title by Richard and Judy's Book Group this spring. It made me laugh and cry in equal measure.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Random House

The Paris Wife is a fictionalised story of Hemingway's first years as a struggling writer in Paris in the 1920's, told from the point of view of his first wife, Hadley. As I read the first person narrative I felt frustrated at Hadley's submissiveness to a selfish author and also admired her ability to see and believe in Hemingway's greatness well before anyone else did. I completely believed in MacLain's voice as Hadley, a naive Southern girl suddenly plunged into a life of drunken debauchery. Her writing is precise and beautiful; her background as a poet comes through in her careful choice of words. Her descriptions of Hemingway when Hadley first meets him are particularly ingenious: 'He smiles with everything he's got…', 'I can tell he likes being in his body.' and 'He seemed to do happiness all the way up and through.'  A brilliant read that will take you somewhere completely different.

Skios by Michael Frayn
Macmillan

I've read a few of Michael Frayn's books and although they're not my kind of novels, I've enjoyed reading them and even found myself thinking back to the characters long after. This is strange, since I feel the characters are exactly what annoy me in his stories. Take Skios, his latest book. All the main protagonists in this book are far too close to being caricatures for my liking: There's the celebrated scientist Dr Wilfred, who is due to deliver a speech at a high-brow event at something called Fred Toppler Foundation on a remote island in Greece (Skios), and who, although much admired and sought-after, is essentially just a lonely and sad man. The nice-looking, efficient British secretary, Nikki Hook has high career ambitions, but dreams of true love. The happy-go-lucky Oliver Fox, whose arrival on the island of Skios throws everyone's life into chaos, is on the surface the most charming and witty man, but deep inside, just a womaniser and a liar. However, as the story moves on and more and more incredible co-incidences occur, I found myself liking each one of Frayn's characters and worrying for their future. But the farcical plot left wanting. Ridiculing the excessively wealthy, or the so called charitable organisations, or Greek taxi drivers, is fun, but it doesn't tell us anything about the society we live in. Still, I bet anything, one day as I sit on the bus waiting for the traffic lights to turn green, I'll be thinking of Nikki Hook, Oliver Fox and Dr Wilfred.

What books have you read recently?

First day of the Crouch End Festival

In pictures:

Festival beer and scotch eggs at The Maynard Arms

Guerilla Bunting gang had been at A Special Interest, one of the Barboot locations.

Sold!

Me with Wendy Saunders whose wonderful paintingsN adorned the walls of Oddbins.

Barboot at The Haberdashery 

It's all in the detail: the light switch at Haberdashery Cafe loos

The nibbles kept the Englishman happy.

Live music

Next stop: Down for the Count at The Music Palace

This group of revellers showed us you're never too old to party. These OAP's (aged from 67 to 71!!!) treated us all to several professional sets of swing dancing. 

From left: Keith Madden, Anthony (who was recovering from a hip and back operation) and Linda Dalton and Marilyn Madden. 

Towards eleven o'clock the dance floor became crowded.

I am so tired from last night and suffering a little from my bad shoulder, so it's a mainly visual post today. Enough to say I thoroughly enjoyed the first night of the festival and cannot wait to see and do more over the weekend. With most events being free (The Music Palace charged us £4 each which was the only entrance fee we paid last night), this is truly recession busting fun.

Details of all Crouch End Festival events online here.