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23-09-2023, 17:13
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/09/a-few-more-books-at-bedtime-plus-one.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C-8BtkGKWYhHnc5dKNovKY3Wn9mdKhiMbDovCtKt3QlxQ_zJ14gy 0IUdoGWC4VcAvapbWrbna4SMPN3O5oKyzTIGvo4T8iQ8jRSSy2 kxztbm4dYkH12iDnNrYGBO4gUuLv0KmNR0adguRz8mS4Ptvmmv LoteK8QTjAjmjdYz3TUbYxbNdnfKHQGb4CI/w400-h300/Book%20Cases.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C-8BtkGKWYhHnc5dKNovKY3Wn9mdKhiMbDovCtKt3QlxQ_zJ14gy 0IUdoGWC4VcAvapbWrbna4SMPN3O5oKyzTIGvo4T8iQ8jRSSy2 kxztbm4dYkH12iDnNrYGBO4gUuLv0KmNR0adguRz8mS4Ptvmmv LoteK8QTjAjmjdYz3TUbYxbNdnfKHQGb4CI/s3895/Book%20Cases.jpg)
“A Book at Bedtime” is the name of a long-running radioprogramme that is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each weekday evening. Its 15-minuteslot, that goes out just before bedtime at 10.45 pm, presents readings of fiction,including modern classics, new works by leading writers, and literature fromaround the world.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5VfNSlfBaSMZ7FPidt33C_9i1181zRvaKA2LPgLjqb 6Jg61Zh9QY323YVImdrrlsA_4lFADRdxIMGBsS2AFHeB5jBa0c I9b8rTnNL6CoymeJLW_TjTcNQw09j9CMVx-daCTsUZ3Yu1m7MHx8JSGMPuW2Li0EPxF5e-qNaE-yuCH_nvV5mXwdtu4mBxo/w400-h240/Kyoto%20hotel%20bedroom.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5VfNSlfBaSMZ7FPidt33C_9i1181zRvaKA2LPgLjqb 6Jg61Zh9QY323YVImdrrlsA_4lFADRdxIMGBsS2AFHeB5jBa0c I9b8rTnNL6CoymeJLW_TjTcNQw09j9CMVx-daCTsUZ3Yu1m7MHx8JSGMPuW2Li0EPxF5e-qNaE-yuCH_nvV5mXwdtu4mBxo/s2592/Kyoto%20hotel%20bedroom.jpg)This article is the third in a rather drawn-out series ofthe same name, and like its predecessors looks back at some of the books I’ve read over the last year or so. There’smuch to be said about “a book at bedtime,” especially as one canlose oneself in another word, before drifting off into a restful sleep. Climbinginto bed, and snuggling down under the covers, with just enough room to holdand read a book, is certainly a good way to relax and to forget about the trialsand tribulations of the day just passed.
My most recent “Book at Bedtime” (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-few-more-books-at-bedtime-both-beer.html)article saw the light ofday in December 2021, so almost two years ago, and as Mrs PBT’s and I countdownthe days to a lengthy period afloat – a period when there should be ample timefor further reading, here is a quick look-back over the books I’ve digested overthe past 22 months.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH_M2IHA9N-YiDnpVqXSdalMGvaCD559qLTDpMJp-1tLzmRnvnA6G0pECJ0ERPPhWh1RDwFi5HDIhBA1uFDdgGveU7s 2cvhtIDdU945hMMQAX09R2vzEuir5MRSjm_rcTvnO053WVX9ew vmKlBV0P_r7-2vikagxGASlAIZzU2zj_tMCDtaT-sPM569k/w260-h400/Rural%20Rides.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH_M2IHA9N-YiDnpVqXSdalMGvaCD559qLTDpMJp-1tLzmRnvnA6G0pECJ0ERPPhWh1RDwFi5HDIhBA1uFDdgGveU7s 2cvhtIDdU945hMMQAX09R2vzEuir5MRSjm_rcTvnO053WVX9ew vmKlBV0P_r7-2vikagxGASlAIZzU2zj_tMCDtaT-sPM569k/s1000/Rural%20Rides.jpg)
Rural Rides - William CobbettWilliam Cobbett (1763-1835) wasan English pamphleteer, farmer, and journalist, who is best known for his book,Rural Rides. Cobbett was a radical anti-Corn Law and social campaigner, speaking up on behalf of the rural poor. He was newlyreturned to England, following a spell of self-imposed political exile in theUnited States, and between 1821 and 1836 Cobbett madenumerous journeys, by foot and on horseback, through the countryside ofsouthern England. On his travels he observed the English countryside andagricultural practices at close hand and saw many examples of injustice andpoverty which angered him.
Cobbett believed that reformingParliament and abolishing the rotten borough system would help to end the poverty offarm labourers, as he matured into a radical left-wing politician. He was also afarmer who ensured his labourers had access to the three Bs: bacon, bread. RuralRides is Cobbett's remarkable account of what he saw and is a detailed portraitof rural England at the time. It remains one of the greatest celebrations ofagrarian England.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs44XpdYU-nI2AUDq7sCXf7FGL3O3SBRPxQla1i4G_Ey0nuQ90chpjjIfb2H M1TmH2qXGoMam_fFQVVHXjzxp6ponq77fBgEgysZKyiQsiRgFC RVp2OTwLtlD1sfey8P_FlKtMweDZN6ooyDTe7F9NRXMDfAvWUF 9YInxBFxNXoNxvJvw7VHCctRkmHwc/w400-h225/IMG_20220415_113755.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs44XpdYU-nI2AUDq7sCXf7FGL3O3SBRPxQla1i4G_Ey0nuQ90chpjjIfb2H M1TmH2qXGoMam_fFQVVHXjzxp6ponq77fBgEgysZKyiQsiRgFC RVp2OTwLtlD1sfey8P_FlKtMweDZN6ooyDTe7F9NRXMDfAvWUF 9YInxBFxNXoNxvJvw7VHCctRkmHwc/s4000/IMG_20220415_113755.jpg)
Knowing quite a few of the places thatCobbett visited on his travels, makes Rural Rides even more interesting for me,and his description of the countryside either side of the Medway Valley, to thesouth of Maidstone is one I wholeheartedly agree with.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LfgUB5fuvRKMpLxjSJYcB809rXQJ4KAZ3bzIa6sKMz kLg9N_-QxIgp2429RMUUj9nwy4WHnZqB1I0TmferYkdBCVMW-qpyLeneqM11ArztqkN0HJVC72sGBVqEkENFIgPLXLG1S7qLCpw hkEfgIDf7j_KLd9Ktf_dOK491Ykalb1vGp1Ev_6fkhe9sA/w261-h400/Great%20gatsby.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LfgUB5fuvRKMpLxjSJYcB809rXQJ4KAZ3bzIa6sKMz kLg9N_-QxIgp2429RMUUj9nwy4WHnZqB1I0TmferYkdBCVMW-qpyLeneqM11ArztqkN0HJVC72sGBVqEkENFIgPLXLG1S7qLCpw hkEfgIDf7j_KLd9Ktf_dOK491Ykalb1vGp1Ev_6fkhe9sA/s1500/Great%20gatsby.jpg)
The Great Gatsby - F. ScottFitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. ScottFitzgerald and was his third book. It is claimed to be oneof the great classics of twentieth century literature and stands as the supremeachievement of Fitzgerald’s career. It is rather a short book, and if you wanta tip, don’t read the introduction before diving into the narrative. Why? Wellfor starters, it’s nearly as long as the novel itself, and like many similarintroductions, written by various pompous, “literary fellows,” it makes littlesense until you have actually finished the book!
Set in the Jazz Age, in a fictitious small settlement onLong Island, near New York City, the novel makes use of anarrator Nick Carraway, who writes in the first-person about hisobservations and interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Billed as an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s when,according to the New York Times, "gin was the national drink and sex thenational obsession," the novel depicts Gatsby's obsession to reunitewith his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEg03kGgftTHjBx0TX_eI30qaoKo11ZjEIVW_uz_Of5 Cp2eugY1-JvRxt7a0FXbKS9d7EaNWbtM6miCDVtoD7278Z7GFjwpQ2rr6l2 GY4skykVLHs7gEXzHXI8q_9odH2S58j0vO6oHxDqrABbn1Zr2F 1LhcpEY7gKJi6LQp6BCNRxVHFYuRqhB0t_JQ/w400-h241/Great%20Gatsby%20logo.jpeg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEg03kGgftTHjBx0TX_eI30qaoKo11ZjEIVW_uz_Of5 Cp2eugY1-JvRxt7a0FXbKS9d7EaNWbtM6miCDVtoD7278Z7GFjwpQ2rr6l2 GY4skykVLHs7gEXzHXI8q_9odH2S58j0vO6oHxDqrABbn1Zr2F 1LhcpEY7gKJi6LQp6BCNRxVHFYuRqhB0t_JQ/s289/Great%20Gatsby%20logo.jpeg)
Why is Gatsby so great? Because that's what Nicktells us. If Gatsby told us, we would just think that he is a rather boastful, andshallow character. Instead, Jay Gatsby, is theembodiment of hope, and no one can dissuade him from his dreams, even thoughthe novel has a tragic ending (spoiler alert). The story of this slightly naïve,but fabulously wealthy dreamer, and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, isone that embodies the age it was written in, as well as the American dream.Small wonder that it’s referred to as a brilliant literary masterpiece.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjF7h1jClq2mRdyUK6GO-pp-slyxjkXdnt2qv8LQdHpw6MPoCooZ7K1TOgukj4MeoYf8SiUCqL eVhXLNEuCD-GOWmngO3uJF53Fbet5rUaRA_8oeT38ZhEGiyEm6EC1Kt28ZghN ttNF07a4X0wud6n4YryCQFmH__DMomF1nM_SMvfZBgOvp0NCph i-JY/w400-h225/St%20Pancras%20dept.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjF7h1jClq2mRdyUK6GO-pp-slyxjkXdnt2qv8LQdHpw6MPoCooZ7K1TOgukj4MeoYf8SiUCqL eVhXLNEuCD-GOWmngO3uJF53Fbet5rUaRA_8oeT38ZhEGiyEm6EC1Kt28ZghN ttNF07a4X0wud6n4YryCQFmH__DMomF1nM_SMvfZBgOvp0NCph i-JY/s4000/St%20Pancras%20dept.jpg)
I picked up this book at St Pancras International, intendingto read on the train to Brussels and Cologne, where I was travelling to for theInternational Dental Show. Instead, by swapping seats, I manged to sit opposite one of mycolleagues from the sales team. She was good company and being Irish had plentyto say as well. We sloped off at Brussels Midi for a crafty beer, and nearly missed ourconnecting Thalys train to Cologne, but that’s another story.Finally, we come to the book I am reading at the moment, andam currently 219 pages in to a 821 page novel. The book is Tom Jones, by HenryFielding, and Tom will be accompanying me on the cruise.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkzXoahSJa3AXTOgZ3wE6RXI-hdZXlX2PO1PFW1MQQ8imhqqn41wm_G8qgiJHt902dvLKKzMrJI nREIylK69GJCuq4YEKxdMx7f_iyD-M2zS4NKAYjc--C6vRz462PBrPA1wC-kSWo-yyVoXmP3cMhCoe1d-wF_F3AWGHGFFyW_pvYYjWn3KEoAOOC4o/w370-h400/Tom%20Jones.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkzXoahSJa3AXTOgZ3wE6RXI-hdZXlX2PO1PFW1MQQ8imhqqn41wm_G8qgiJHt902dvLKKzMrJI nREIylK69GJCuq4YEKxdMx7f_iyD-M2zS4NKAYjc--C6vRz462PBrPA1wC-kSWo-yyVoXmP3cMhCoe1d-wF_F3AWGHGFFyW_pvYYjWn3KEoAOOC4o/s1000/Tom%20Jones.jpg)
TheHistory of Tom Jones, a FoundlingOften known simply as Tom Jones, the above isa comic novel by English playwright and novelist HenryFielding (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fielding). It was first published in February 1749 in London and is said tobe among the earliest English works to be classified as a novel.
Tom Jones washugely popular when it was first published and tells the story of the foundlingTom and his journey towards adulthood and marriage. This journey is acomplicated one, as well as a comedic one, involving an intricate andinterwoven plot that is full of different twists and turns.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NrcSWYZklq-t1Xi1PtEiTxNib3UVK_cscZAfZsmJ7Gl7u_oW6dlX_3daYlFvy SegjxUfHVgs4BcRGRcVRH23toUYWbrH0vFPrG2lg9J5DTDDMf_ 6z5ykc1YTarVNovW9yK2jeV3ewrgwGFbAVROmRu7UZ_Vqnexw4 u4jmpWoLnTZ_FtbvDW_JUiJDBk/w400-h225/Tonbridge%20School.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NrcSWYZklq-t1Xi1PtEiTxNib3UVK_cscZAfZsmJ7Gl7u_oW6dlX_3daYlFvy SegjxUfHVgs4BcRGRcVRH23toUYWbrH0vFPrG2lg9J5DTDDMf_ 6z5ykc1YTarVNovW9yK2jeV3ewrgwGFbAVROmRu7UZ_Vqnexw4 u4jmpWoLnTZ_FtbvDW_JUiJDBk/s3920/Tonbridge%20School.jpg)
Tom is a foundling of mysteriousparentage brought up by the local squire, Mr. Allworthy on his country estate. He falls inlove with Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of theneighbouring squire, although along the way he succumbs to the charms of severallocal girls. After a series of misadventures, he is banished from MrAllworthy’s house, and finds his way to London, to makehis own fortune. Sophia follows him to the capital to escape an arrangedmarriage, and the adventure really begins.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3QymiV-JA-c82qcsn-2-iel-e0y4UUG9GYNk7OewvgY6ZpIYQPKB88FaZbr8-UTrbrxXwRLZ7o9UgZZ5ESN_WD55W2EqVa8BJWRswBU-3J6OuJsd_66-I5pq37GoIwHfl2gKCEK56NWJcaU1LhYWCl2yM1W2MQGqKMAtE0 cqNt1C_JxUV_prtm8NQ78/w236-h400/Cask%20book.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3QymiV-JA-c82qcsn-2-iel-e0y4UUG9GYNk7OewvgY6ZpIYQPKB88FaZbr8-UTrbrxXwRLZ7o9UgZZ5ESN_WD55W2EqVa8BJWRswBU-3J6OuJsd_66-I5pq37GoIwHfl2gKCEK56NWJcaU1LhYWCl2yM1W2MQGqKMAtE0 cqNt1C_JxUV_prtm8NQ78/s1000/Cask%20book.jpg)
The novel's events occupy eighteen books, but despite itsage, is very easy to read. Described as a vividHogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger, intrigue, andbawdy exuberance, Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comicnovels in English literature, and I look forward to discovering what the book’shero get up to next. Cask, the Real Story of Britain’s Unique BeerCulture
Should I manage to read the remaining600 pages, or if I fancy a change, I shall be taking along a copy of Des deMoor’s recently published tome – Cask. The book has received mixed reviews to date, with some complaining itis too long, and others saying it is too technical. One reviewer even describedit as lacking feeling. I shall of course, read it without any pre-conceptionsand present an honest review at the end. I doubt somehow, I will be able toplough my way through a further 300 pages of text, so that appraisal willprobably appear later, rather than sooner.
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C-8BtkGKWYhHnc5dKNovKY3Wn9mdKhiMbDovCtKt3QlxQ_zJ14gy 0IUdoGWC4VcAvapbWrbna4SMPN3O5oKyzTIGvo4T8iQ8jRSSy2 kxztbm4dYkH12iDnNrYGBO4gUuLv0KmNR0adguRz8mS4Ptvmmv LoteK8QTjAjmjdYz3TUbYxbNdnfKHQGb4CI/w400-h300/Book%20Cases.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C-8BtkGKWYhHnc5dKNovKY3Wn9mdKhiMbDovCtKt3QlxQ_zJ14gy 0IUdoGWC4VcAvapbWrbna4SMPN3O5oKyzTIGvo4T8iQ8jRSSy2 kxztbm4dYkH12iDnNrYGBO4gUuLv0KmNR0adguRz8mS4Ptvmmv LoteK8QTjAjmjdYz3TUbYxbNdnfKHQGb4CI/s3895/Book%20Cases.jpg)
“A Book at Bedtime” is the name of a long-running radioprogramme that is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each weekday evening. Its 15-minuteslot, that goes out just before bedtime at 10.45 pm, presents readings of fiction,including modern classics, new works by leading writers, and literature fromaround the world.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5VfNSlfBaSMZ7FPidt33C_9i1181zRvaKA2LPgLjqb 6Jg61Zh9QY323YVImdrrlsA_4lFADRdxIMGBsS2AFHeB5jBa0c I9b8rTnNL6CoymeJLW_TjTcNQw09j9CMVx-daCTsUZ3Yu1m7MHx8JSGMPuW2Li0EPxF5e-qNaE-yuCH_nvV5mXwdtu4mBxo/w400-h240/Kyoto%20hotel%20bedroom.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5VfNSlfBaSMZ7FPidt33C_9i1181zRvaKA2LPgLjqb 6Jg61Zh9QY323YVImdrrlsA_4lFADRdxIMGBsS2AFHeB5jBa0c I9b8rTnNL6CoymeJLW_TjTcNQw09j9CMVx-daCTsUZ3Yu1m7MHx8JSGMPuW2Li0EPxF5e-qNaE-yuCH_nvV5mXwdtu4mBxo/s2592/Kyoto%20hotel%20bedroom.jpg)This article is the third in a rather drawn-out series ofthe same name, and like its predecessors looks back at some of the books I’ve read over the last year or so. There’smuch to be said about “a book at bedtime,” especially as one canlose oneself in another word, before drifting off into a restful sleep. Climbinginto bed, and snuggling down under the covers, with just enough room to holdand read a book, is certainly a good way to relax and to forget about the trialsand tribulations of the day just passed.
My most recent “Book at Bedtime” (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-few-more-books-at-bedtime-both-beer.html)article saw the light ofday in December 2021, so almost two years ago, and as Mrs PBT’s and I countdownthe days to a lengthy period afloat – a period when there should be ample timefor further reading, here is a quick look-back over the books I’ve digested overthe past 22 months.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH_M2IHA9N-YiDnpVqXSdalMGvaCD559qLTDpMJp-1tLzmRnvnA6G0pECJ0ERPPhWh1RDwFi5HDIhBA1uFDdgGveU7s 2cvhtIDdU945hMMQAX09R2vzEuir5MRSjm_rcTvnO053WVX9ew vmKlBV0P_r7-2vikagxGASlAIZzU2zj_tMCDtaT-sPM569k/w260-h400/Rural%20Rides.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglH_M2IHA9N-YiDnpVqXSdalMGvaCD559qLTDpMJp-1tLzmRnvnA6G0pECJ0ERPPhWh1RDwFi5HDIhBA1uFDdgGveU7s 2cvhtIDdU945hMMQAX09R2vzEuir5MRSjm_rcTvnO053WVX9ew vmKlBV0P_r7-2vikagxGASlAIZzU2zj_tMCDtaT-sPM569k/s1000/Rural%20Rides.jpg)
Rural Rides - William CobbettWilliam Cobbett (1763-1835) wasan English pamphleteer, farmer, and journalist, who is best known for his book,Rural Rides. Cobbett was a radical anti-Corn Law and social campaigner, speaking up on behalf of the rural poor. He was newlyreturned to England, following a spell of self-imposed political exile in theUnited States, and between 1821 and 1836 Cobbett madenumerous journeys, by foot and on horseback, through the countryside ofsouthern England. On his travels he observed the English countryside andagricultural practices at close hand and saw many examples of injustice andpoverty which angered him.
Cobbett believed that reformingParliament and abolishing the rotten borough system would help to end the poverty offarm labourers, as he matured into a radical left-wing politician. He was also afarmer who ensured his labourers had access to the three Bs: bacon, bread. RuralRides is Cobbett's remarkable account of what he saw and is a detailed portraitof rural England at the time. It remains one of the greatest celebrations ofagrarian England.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs44XpdYU-nI2AUDq7sCXf7FGL3O3SBRPxQla1i4G_Ey0nuQ90chpjjIfb2H M1TmH2qXGoMam_fFQVVHXjzxp6ponq77fBgEgysZKyiQsiRgFC RVp2OTwLtlD1sfey8P_FlKtMweDZN6ooyDTe7F9NRXMDfAvWUF 9YInxBFxNXoNxvJvw7VHCctRkmHwc/w400-h225/IMG_20220415_113755.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs44XpdYU-nI2AUDq7sCXf7FGL3O3SBRPxQla1i4G_Ey0nuQ90chpjjIfb2H M1TmH2qXGoMam_fFQVVHXjzxp6ponq77fBgEgysZKyiQsiRgFC RVp2OTwLtlD1sfey8P_FlKtMweDZN6ooyDTe7F9NRXMDfAvWUF 9YInxBFxNXoNxvJvw7VHCctRkmHwc/s4000/IMG_20220415_113755.jpg)
Knowing quite a few of the places thatCobbett visited on his travels, makes Rural Rides even more interesting for me,and his description of the countryside either side of the Medway Valley, to thesouth of Maidstone is one I wholeheartedly agree with.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LfgUB5fuvRKMpLxjSJYcB809rXQJ4KAZ3bzIa6sKMz kLg9N_-QxIgp2429RMUUj9nwy4WHnZqB1I0TmferYkdBCVMW-qpyLeneqM11ArztqkN0HJVC72sGBVqEkENFIgPLXLG1S7qLCpw hkEfgIDf7j_KLd9Ktf_dOK491Ykalb1vGp1Ev_6fkhe9sA/w261-h400/Great%20gatsby.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LfgUB5fuvRKMpLxjSJYcB809rXQJ4KAZ3bzIa6sKMz kLg9N_-QxIgp2429RMUUj9nwy4WHnZqB1I0TmferYkdBCVMW-qpyLeneqM11ArztqkN0HJVC72sGBVqEkENFIgPLXLG1S7qLCpw hkEfgIDf7j_KLd9Ktf_dOK491Ykalb1vGp1Ev_6fkhe9sA/s1500/Great%20gatsby.jpg)
The Great Gatsby - F. ScottFitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. ScottFitzgerald and was his third book. It is claimed to be oneof the great classics of twentieth century literature and stands as the supremeachievement of Fitzgerald’s career. It is rather a short book, and if you wanta tip, don’t read the introduction before diving into the narrative. Why? Wellfor starters, it’s nearly as long as the novel itself, and like many similarintroductions, written by various pompous, “literary fellows,” it makes littlesense until you have actually finished the book!
Set in the Jazz Age, in a fictitious small settlement onLong Island, near New York City, the novel makes use of anarrator Nick Carraway, who writes in the first-person about hisobservations and interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Billed as an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s when,according to the New York Times, "gin was the national drink and sex thenational obsession," the novel depicts Gatsby's obsession to reunitewith his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
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Why is Gatsby so great? Because that's what Nicktells us. If Gatsby told us, we would just think that he is a rather boastful, andshallow character. Instead, Jay Gatsby, is theembodiment of hope, and no one can dissuade him from his dreams, even thoughthe novel has a tragic ending (spoiler alert). The story of this slightly naïve,but fabulously wealthy dreamer, and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, isone that embodies the age it was written in, as well as the American dream.Small wonder that it’s referred to as a brilliant literary masterpiece.
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I picked up this book at St Pancras International, intendingto read on the train to Brussels and Cologne, where I was travelling to for theInternational Dental Show. Instead, by swapping seats, I manged to sit opposite one of mycolleagues from the sales team. She was good company and being Irish had plentyto say as well. We sloped off at Brussels Midi for a crafty beer, and nearly missed ourconnecting Thalys train to Cologne, but that’s another story.Finally, we come to the book I am reading at the moment, andam currently 219 pages in to a 821 page novel. The book is Tom Jones, by HenryFielding, and Tom will be accompanying me on the cruise.
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TheHistory of Tom Jones, a FoundlingOften known simply as Tom Jones, the above isa comic novel by English playwright and novelist HenryFielding (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fielding). It was first published in February 1749 in London and is said tobe among the earliest English works to be classified as a novel.
Tom Jones washugely popular when it was first published and tells the story of the foundlingTom and his journey towards adulthood and marriage. This journey is acomplicated one, as well as a comedic one, involving an intricate andinterwoven plot that is full of different twists and turns.
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Tom is a foundling of mysteriousparentage brought up by the local squire, Mr. Allworthy on his country estate. He falls inlove with Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of theneighbouring squire, although along the way he succumbs to the charms of severallocal girls. After a series of misadventures, he is banished from MrAllworthy’s house, and finds his way to London, to makehis own fortune. Sophia follows him to the capital to escape an arrangedmarriage, and the adventure really begins.
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The novel's events occupy eighteen books, but despite itsage, is very easy to read. Described as a vividHogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger, intrigue, andbawdy exuberance, Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comicnovels in English literature, and I look forward to discovering what the book’shero get up to next. Cask, the Real Story of Britain’s Unique BeerCulture
Should I manage to read the remaining600 pages, or if I fancy a change, I shall be taking along a copy of Des deMoor’s recently published tome – Cask. The book has received mixed reviews to date, with some complaining itis too long, and others saying it is too technical. One reviewer even describedit as lacking feeling. I shall of course, read it without any pre-conceptionsand present an honest review at the end. I doubt somehow, I will be able toplough my way through a further 300 pages of text, so that appraisal willprobably appear later, rather than sooner.
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