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robinwalter's reviews
1772 reviews
The Malaysian Kitchen: 150 Recipes for Simple Home Cooking by Christina Arokiasamy
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
A great introduction to Malaysian cooking, with lots of very interesting information in addition to the mouthwatering recipes. I need to try to find an edition with metric measures and temperatures though
Manana Forever? by Jorge G. Castañeda
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Anotther Storygraph Reads the World pick that has enhanced my knowledge about and understandngi of a country I knew too little about.
Egypt on the Brink by Tarek Osman
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
A sober, sombre recitation of the recent history of a country whose modern iteration is often overlooked for its glamourised and mythologised past. Not an easy read, but a very worthwhile one
Ednapedia: A History of Australia in a Hundred Objects by Dame Edna Everage
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
Predictable but it still raised a few chuckles
Matatu: A History of Popular Transportation in Nairobi by Kenda Mutongi
informative
medium-paced
4.5
I had never heard of matatus before reading this book, so I learned a great deal about Kenyan history and politics through this account of its truly homegrown transport 'system'
China from Empire to Nation-State by Michael Hill, Wang Hui
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
A very dense read, and a very thought-provoking one. It made me think about connections I'd never made before, and added depth and a new perspective to what had previously been my dangerously over-simplified take on the issue of China as a nation-state. The complex ideas and arguments being presented also make this book a remarkable tribute to its translator.
Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture (revised and Updated) by Doreen Fernandez
informative
reflective
4.0
I learned a lot about Filipino culture and history through this book about its food, it was very interesting.
Harlequin House by Margery Sharp
I laughed at this passage because it highlighted the difference between Ms. Sharp's writing and that of other middlebrow authors I've read. Some middlebrow books have had characters express more or less exactly this sentiment in complete earnest, an attitude that seriously irks me. Because Ms. Sharp on the other hand made it patently clear she was mocking the attitude, it was funny.
At the very start of Elizabeth Crawford's very informative introduction she mentions that " the Manchester Guardian intimated that she was second only to P.G. Wodehouse as a comic novelist" . That is VERY high praise and I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but there were passages in the book that definitely reminded me of the style of PGW. These two, for example:
And finally a line that really made me chuckle because of the context in which I read this book. It was the fifteenth and final book of my Dean Street December 2024, in which I read only books from Dean Street Press. Since nine of the other books were detective stories, I found this parenthetical statement amusingly apposite.
In summary this was a delightful read. Satirical without being acidic, laughing at its characters but making sure we knew it was ok to do so because they did too. Sweet without being saccharine, and ending on a positive, literally life-affirming note. Love, life, and laughs - all were to be found in Harlequin House.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"The refining influence of natural beauty, particularly upon members of the Anglo-Saxon race, is a fact universally admitted, particularly by Anglo-Saxons."
The opening sentence of Harlequin House delivered a laugh. I'm giving the book 4.5/5 for delivering plenty more. The story was offbeat, the characters very nearly more so, but it all hung together because Ms Sharp was not building a story built on a narrative, she was providing entertainment. That opening sentence did set the tone for the rest of the book - gently satirical, wryly amused, and very amusing. A few examples that tickled my funny bone:
The opening sentence of Harlequin House delivered a laugh. I'm giving the book 4.5/5 for delivering plenty more. The story was offbeat, the characters very nearly more so, but it all hung together because Ms Sharp was not building a story built on a narrative, she was providing entertainment. That opening sentence did set the tone for the rest of the book - gently satirical, wryly amused, and very amusing. A few examples that tickled my funny bone:
She did not stop to enquire why her fiancé had not let her know of his return, it was enough that he was there, at hand, obviously willing and competent to take all responsibility from her shoulders. It was an attitude which Mr. Partridge highly approved: he liked women to be feminine, and it pleased him to discover that Miss Campion’s true character, now revealed, was that of a clinging vine.
I laughed at this passage because it highlighted the difference between Ms. Sharp's writing and that of other middlebrow authors I've read. Some middlebrow books have had characters express more or less exactly this sentiment in complete earnest, an attitude that seriously irks me. Because Ms. Sharp on the other hand made it patently clear she was mocking the attitude, it was funny.
At the very start of Elizabeth Crawford's very informative introduction she mentions that " the Manchester Guardian intimated that she was second only to P.G. Wodehouse as a comic novelist" . That is VERY high praise and I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but there were passages in the book that definitely reminded me of the style of PGW. These two, for example:
The unmarried Victorian uncle, unlike the unmarried Victorian aunt, had played but little part in the nation’s domestic economy: his passing left a gap outside the stage-door rather than a gap in the kitchen or nursery.
He had no foolish scruples about leaving the ladies behind: he came from a walk of life in which the pleasures of the male did not admit of interference.
And finally a line that really made me chuckle because of the context in which I read this book. It was the fifteenth and final book of my Dean Street December 2024, in which I read only books from Dean Street Press. Since nine of the other books were detective stories, I found this parenthetical statement amusingly apposite.
(Lisbeth encouraged detective stories; they all had such moral endings.)
In summary this was a delightful read. Satirical without being acidic, laughing at its characters but making sure we knew it was ok to do so because they did too. Sweet without being saccharine, and ending on a positive, literally life-affirming note. Love, life, and laughs - all were to be found in Harlequin House.
Mystery Villa by E.R. Punshon
There was no hyperbole in that. The chapter given over to describing Bobby Owen's search of the eponymous mystery villa was outstanding writing. It was literally atmospheric in the best possible way. I was there, and I was very unsettled. So much so that I was not entirely unhappy at discovering a little computer problem that took an hour to fix and that ensured I went to bed without Punshon's eerily evocative writing percolating. That lengthy passage was such a highlight that when I resumed reading the next morning, I started from the beginning of that chapter rather than from where I had left off, in order to get back into the mood of the book.
I read this as my 14th book for Dean Street December 2024 and after my 13th had confirmed Susan Scarlett is not for me, this one proved Punshon definitely IS. Once again I am indebted to Dean Street Press for reissuing this work, and to Curtis Evans for his as always excellent introduction. The next time he warns me of an eery, unsettling atmosphere in a story, I'll believe him!
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
When it comes to that exalted icon of golden age mystery fiction, Dorothy Sayers, I may well be iconoclast-in-chief. However, my esteem for her as a literary critic soared after reading this book. By the time I'd read about 1/4 of it, I posted this on social media:
"my reaction to Curtis Evans' intro was to think he (and Dorothy Sayers) were laying it on a bit thick re the Gothic gloomy malevolence, so I started it. Now I'm 1/4 done, it's time for bed & the knowledge they weren't will haunt me"
There was no hyperbole in that. The chapter given over to describing Bobby Owen's search of the eponymous mystery villa was outstanding writing. It was literally atmospheric in the best possible way. I was there, and I was very unsettled. So much so that I was not entirely unhappy at discovering a little computer problem that took an hour to fix and that ensured I went to bed without Punshon's eerily evocative writing percolating. That lengthy passage was such a highlight that when I resumed reading the next morning, I started from the beginning of that chapter rather than from where I had left off, in order to get back into the mood of the book.
After that magnificent exercise in scene-setting, the story got down to the brass tacks of working out whodunnit. There are actually two murders in the story; the first a sad tale that fits perfectly with the Gothic setting of the mystery villa, the second a depressingly commonplace crime which was however meticulously planned and carried out. The two murders are linked and the newly promoted Sergeant Bobby Owen and Superintendent Mitchell do some first class detective work in solving one of them. Along the way, there's plenty of Punshon's penchant for wryly droll observations that amuse me, like this summary of a newspaper article
a leading local Fascist (aetat 18) had exchanged rude repartee with a prominent Communist (aetat 17½) of the neighbourhood, both of them probably destined to be good sound solid Tory voters before many more years had passed.
Or this comment about the unstoppable nature of a Police investigation.
It’s simply got to go on – like day and night, or a broadcast talk, or the traffic down the Strand, or one of Noel Coward’s plays.’
and some writing that gave me pause, like this reflection on the aftereffects of World War 1
The war tried humanity too highly, and men and nations broke beneath the strain, often reacting strangely and dreadfully. Now the peace, too, tries some beyond their strength, and they, too, at times, react strangely – and even dreadfully.
and this observation on the passing of time.
the supreme mystery of time that slips by like a dream and yet bears all substantial things away.
This very understated scene at the very end left me wondering how Punshon felt about capital punishment:
‘Yes,’ she said.
(the other woman), standing by her side, shook her head.
‘No,’ she said.
Two soft, half-whispered common words that doomed a living person to the gallows.
I read this as my 14th book for Dean Street December 2024 and after my 13th had confirmed Susan Scarlett is not for me, this one proved Punshon definitely IS. Once again I am indebted to Dean Street Press for reissuing this work, and to Curtis Evans for his as always excellent introduction. The next time he warns me of an eery, unsettling atmosphere in a story, I'll believe him!
Babbacombe's by Susan Scarlett
Given that he said that 82% of the way through the book, I couldn't help thinking of Phineas' catchphrase from Phineas and Ferb: "Why yes, yes we are"
In the end I rounded this up (way up) to 3/5 because the romance WAS sweet and because the story and execution was so paint-by-numbers mechanically formulaic that I was able to zip through it REALLY fast.
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was my second Susan Scarlett novel. At the end of my review of my first, Clothes-Pegs, I wrote
" The excellent introduction by Elizabeth Crawford mentioned that Streatfeild never promoted or pushed her links to the Scarlett novels, and on the strength of the rather neutral impression left by this one, that decision is understandable. " - Reading this one made it practically certain to me that concern for her professional reputation was the reason Streatfeild never confessed to being Susan Scarlett, and that her concern was 100% justified.
I started this book because I was looking for a sweet uncomplicated romance. The romance WAS very sweet, the complications threatened retinal damage from the eye-rolling they induced. The first and biggest complication was the evil cousin. About a quarter of the way through the book, I said this on social media
to describe Dulcie as 1-dimensional would be to credit her character with far too much depth. Do better, Ms Scarlett.
Sadly, that plea went unheeded. Dulcie remained a character for whom 1-dimensional would be excessively complimentary and her story arc was exactly zero degrees.
The other clichéd contrived complication was a CEO who, having built a successful department store out of a small grocery shop was apparently unable to fathom that he might have TWO female employees with the same surname. That bizarre brainfade fed into the other major "keep them apart" contrivance - the female lead's near obsessive fixation on what BOTH fathers might think. At one point her wannabe/future boyfriend said this
" The excellent introduction by Elizabeth Crawford mentioned that Streatfeild never promoted or pushed her links to the Scarlett novels, and on the strength of the rather neutral impression left by this one, that decision is understandable. " - Reading this one made it practically certain to me that concern for her professional reputation was the reason Streatfeild never confessed to being Susan Scarlett, and that her concern was 100% justified.
I started this book because I was looking for a sweet uncomplicated romance. The romance WAS very sweet, the complications threatened retinal damage from the eye-rolling they induced. The first and biggest complication was the evil cousin. About a quarter of the way through the book, I said this on social media
to describe Dulcie as 1-dimensional would be to credit her character with far too much depth. Do better, Ms Scarlett.
Sadly, that plea went unheeded. Dulcie remained a character for whom 1-dimensional would be excessively complimentary and her story arc was exactly zero degrees.
The other clichéd contrived complication was a CEO who, having built a successful department store out of a small grocery shop was apparently unable to fathom that he might have TWO female employees with the same surname. That bizarre brainfade fed into the other major "keep them apart" contrivance - the female lead's near obsessive fixation on what BOTH fathers might think. At one point her wannabe/future boyfriend said this
“Are we to spend all our days fussing what our fathers think?”
Given that he said that 82% of the way through the book, I couldn't help thinking of Phineas' catchphrase from Phineas and Ferb: "Why yes, yes we are"
In the end I rounded this up (way up) to 3/5 because the romance WAS sweet and because the story and execution was so paint-by-numbers mechanically formulaic that I was able to zip through it REALLY fast.