sora

extraordinary writing, 10 Dec 2011

Wonderfully written short novel that draws you in to the time (1944) and the people so rapidly and so effortlessly. And of course, being Roth, it is about so much more than 1944 and polio epidemics. Read the review by JM Coetzee in the New York Review of Books if you want to explore the deeper meanings of it all - although it does reveal the plot.

Thank you!, 12 Nov 2011

Really useful book. No prescriptions just helpful insights into the teenage mind. Above all a real confidence booster for parents and a reminder that it's not ALL YOUR FAULT! If you're more interested in the 'why' and 'what's going on' than the 'what to do' (not much, as it turns out, just be supportive and wait for them to grow out of it) then this is a great little book. I found the chapters on Communication and Trust, Controlling Your Teenager and Conflict particularly illuminating, but the section on the outside world (school, electronics, sex, drugs, etc) is also thought-provoking and informative, with some realistic scenarios. I also looked at "Divas and Doorslammers" but this is much… Read more

good but hyped, 16 July 2011

Yes it's easy to read, has some fun playing around with Odysseus and his misadventures, and brings a new perspective on some of the better known stories. But the rave reviews this got in the 'books of the year' reviews last December, raised my expectations too high. Some of the stories seem to peter out, as if the author just got bored with them or felt he had to fill a few more pages. I think the idea of reading one a day (or less often) is probably a good one - this is not a book to get lost in. If you're looking for an accessible way into the Odyssey try the BBC dramatisation with Tim McInnerny - fantastic.The Odyssey (Radio… Read more