Philip Spires

Display Category\|Title\|Newest\|Oldest
Willie The Actor By David Barry When Willie the Actor was asked why he robbed banks, his answer was "because that's where the money is." David Barry's book is a fictional biography of the famous bank robber, a figure who is portrayed as both enigmatic and strangely sensitive. The Colonel"��s Last Wicket By G V Rama Rao The Colonel's Last Wicket by G V Rama Rao is an optimistic novel about human relationships in India seen through a filter of cricket. A retired army officer resolves to develop the bowling talent of a young orphan, a task that demands love, devotion and perseverance. Florence "�" A Portrait By Michael Levey Florence - A Portrait by Michael Levey is much more than a guide to the painting and sculpture of this, perhaps the most famous artistic city on earth. It covers social, economic and political history in order to place Florence's art in it social and aesthetic context. A superb work of sholarship that can also appeal to the genreal reader. Symphony No.7 Op.60 Dmitri Shostakovich - The Leningrad Symphony "�" A Personal Interpretation The Seventh Symphony of Shostakovich has been interpreted in a number of ways. Here Philip Spires argues that the work makes most sense when it is understood as a conflict between ideologies and idealism. A Short Story On A Travel Theme - Strangers Strangers is a short story, part of a series based on travel experiences. It tells of an overnight stay in a small seaside town in Devon, England. At first sight the setting seems to be a quaint, fairytale, beautiful fishing village. But in the space of a few hours it reveals a different side, a place where everone is a stranger. The Heather Blazing By Colm Toibin The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin is an Irish novel set in Dublin and Wexford. Eamon Redmond is a high court judge with political connections and a family history. The book tells his story and describes the conflicts generated by his legal judgments with deep compassion. In Our Grasp - How The Interent And New Technology Will Democratise Publishing. For a century Wider access to education has changed the world, opening up the possiblility of participating in human intellectual life for millions of people who otherwise would have merely repeated the ways of the past. Now the internet, new technology and the vision of a few far sighted individuals is opening up access to publishing and promises a flowering as great for future generations. A Thousand Splendid Suns By Khaled Hosseini A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini continues the author's depiction of Afghanistan's recent history via the experiences of powerless individuals caught up in the tagedy. In this book he charts the lives of two very different women, Mariam and Laila, whose divergent lives intersect for a while. The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini has been showered with priase and attention since it publication. The book deals with Afghanis experience of the turmaoils that have beset their country in recent decades, and this is seen through the lives of a pair of friends who grew up together. It is a deeply moving book. A Review Of The Valkyries By Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho's The Valkyries is a search for a personal angel in the Mojave Desert. He finds a revelation of sorts, courtesy of motorbike riding valkyries. The Mission Song By John Le CarrÃ© In The Mission Song John le Carre examines the establishment of a deal that will hopefully bring stability to an area of central Africa. It will also create profit for a selection of its sponsors, a situation not appreciated by everyone involved. Shakespeare By Bill Bryson In Shakespeare, Bill Bryson has accomplished a great feat - the publication of a short, succinct, highly entertaining and informative work on the greatest writer of all time. The Statement By Brian Moore In The Statement Brian Moore's main character is pursued by a Jewish group wanting to avenge a wartime massacre. The book presents a good read alongside many missed opportunities. A Review Of A Room At The Top By John Braine It is fifty years since John Braine published Room At The Top, a novel that presents a stark, perhaps cynical view of the British class system. Its frank portrayal of relationships and sex caused a stir at the time. Fifty years later, it is still poignant, and it also reminds us that some things have changed a lot, though not the British class system. A Review Of A S Byatt's A Whistling Woman A S Byatt's A Whistling Woman is a strange book. At one level it's a straightforward account of university life, with its politics, affairs and academic pursuit. But then there's the suspicion that none of this is ever satisfying for those involved. They yearn for something bigger. A Review Of The Gathering By Anne Enright The Gathering by Anne Enright has recently won the Booker prize for fiction. It's a novel that deals with private grief, privately, where strong emotions cannot be completely expressed, and where there always has to be someone or something to blame. A Bucket Of Ashes, A Romantic Novel By Jill Lanchbery Is Published By Libros International A Bucket of Ashes, a romantic novel set in Britain and Nigeria, by Jill Lanchbery is published by Libros International. At the heart of A Bucket of Ashes by Jill Lanchbery is an old fashioned love story. A Review Of The Waterfall By Margaret Drabble In Waterfall maragaret Drabble examines marriage and relationships. The novel's principle character, Jane, is intensely analytical, and extrudes every aspect of her own psyche in every direction possible through the needle-eye of existence. A Review Of The Debt To Pleasure By John Lanchester A Debt to Pleasure us a novel by John Lanchester. A profound anti-hero called Tarquin Winot explores a culinary world that can be cooked to his own advantage. A Review Of Going Home By Doris Lessing Doris Lessing returned to Rhodesia, the country of her upbringing, in the 1950s. She describes the absurdity of a social system based on race, which is at least as nonsensical as one based on class. After fifty years, in my opinion she may add prescience to the book's achievements. A Review Of Disgrace By J M Coetzee J M Coetzee's Disgrace is a tragic novel that ends with just a little optimism. Set in South Africa against a backdrop of sometimes violent change, the book presents life-changing events and charts individual reactions to them. A Review Of Flaubert's Parrot By Julian Barnes In Flaubert's Parrot Julian Barnes creates a universe with several layers. There's the biography and anlaysis of Flaubert and his work. But there is also the book's main character, the biographer Geoffrey, who is gradually revealed as having a direct interest in the content and subject matter of Flaubert's fiction. A Piano Recital By Young-joo Lee In Palau Altea, Altea, Spain A piano recital Korean pianist,Young-Joo Lee, in Palau Altea, Spain, is worthy of note. Surely here is a talent that will go far. A Question Of Upbringing By Anthony Powell Anthony Powell's A Question of Upbringing�"' is the first part of his mammoth twelve novel epic A Dance to the Music of Time�"'. He writes with wit, humour and not a little sarcasm, describing a quintessential Englishness that perhaps was never representative of the society and has, arguably, disappeared. Europe Revisited, Reinterpreted - A Review Of A Ruby In Her Navel, A Novel By Barry Unsworth Barry Unsworth's A Ruby in her Navel is a superb historical novel that reminds us that our notion of nationality, our idea of country is a recent invention Potentiall, the notion clouds rather than informs our understanding of history.
[1] [2]

Site Navigation: