Micro review 14

 

Underneath the Archers by Graham Harvey (Unbound)

I think that regular readers of this blog, as well as those who know me on social media/in real life, will not be surprised to hear that my nerdiness stretches into all sorts of areas and that I am quite a fan of the radio soap opera The Archers.

I remember it being on the radio in the afternoons when I was a child, and I am sure that I can remember one specific afternoon sitting under the ironing board while the soap was on the radio - not an ideal place for a pre-schooler to play, sorry mum! Listening to the Sunday omnibus in bed as a student is also a fond memory.

More recently I dip in and out listening, but keep up to date by reading the synopses on the BBC webpage. When doing work experience with the BBC at the Mailbox in Birmingham I got to see the 'set' for the show - including the bar at The Bull. Sound effect props included an ironing board which felt very 'on brand' for me!

Anyhow, back to the book. Graham Harvey was the long time agricultural adviser to the soap, as well as a writer and storyline creator, and his book is an enjoyable mix of titbits from the show, thoughts on farming and its future, some rural history of England, and also some really interesting family history.

It is a niche book but it was a little bit like listening to The Archers - wonderfully comforting and like spending time with a friend you've not seen in a while.

Micro review 13

 

Fair Roasline by Natasha Solomons (Bonnier Books)

Being someone who has studied Shakespeare's plays in quite some detail I wasn't entirely sure about a speculative fiction based on Romeo and Juliet but it has to be said that the tagline:

Was the greatest ever love story a lie?

As someone who has always found Romeo and Juliet to be a bit creepy rather than a romantic tale I was interested enough to request a copy from NetGalley and I am pleased to say that I did enjoy the book.

Many people forget that at the very beginning of the play Romeo is smitten by Rosaline, not Juliet, and it is this romance that Solomons explores as it was just as 'forbidden' as the central one for Rosaline is Juliet's cousin and thus from the 'enemy' Capulet family.

The story stays faithful to the Shakespeare play (which he in turn had borrowed from someone else) for the large part , with the first half being about Rosaline's time with Romeo and then what happens as this relationship wanes and she is replaced by Juliet. The big twist however is that rather than having Romeo roughly the same age as Juliet here he is much older and very much a predator (which fits with my idea of the play's plot being creepy). His romantic words and wooing become incredibly uncomfortable reading as you hear him say them to multiple women/girls.

The parts where the novel  branches furthest away from the play were slightly less credible for me - although perfectly within keeping for the period in which the play is set - but overall I really liked this 'what if' version of the story.

Distracted - or another apology for no blogging!

 

A bit of a gap in blog posts again - and to be honest a bit of a gap in my reading during August, and some of this is because of the new member in the Norfolkbookworm house...

Sadly we lost Mr Norfolkbookworm's aunt recently which was a bit of a shock to us all, but we are pleased that we've been able to rehome her much loved cat - Sooty.

It has been a long time since we had a cat and we're very happy that he's settling in well, although last week's heatwave was hard on a black cat.

It has meant that a lot of the time I usually spend reading has been spent with the cat, although as the weather turns again I am hoping that he will become my afternoon companion/hot water bottle as I catch up with all those books waiting for me...