A Single Thread, The Understudy and A Stranger City

Despite the many positive reviews, I found this very disappointing especially as I had enjoyed Tracy Chevalier's "Remarkable Creatures", "New Boy" and, of course, "The Girl with the Pearl Earring". To me it felt like a lightweight story of single woman in her thirties, after the first world war, built around Winchester Cathedral, the embroidery of it's cushions and kneelers and bell-ringing.

Violet Speedwell is resigned to spinsterhood now the male population has been decimated by the war. She has the obligatory dominating mother and brother with a growing family. It is her new found friends who are broderers who bring her joy. It's not a bad book. There is the occasional warm sentence: "Of course the vergers complained because the collection took twice as long since everyone wanted to inspect the (new embroidered) alms bags and that rather threw out the timing of the service" positive reviews, I found this very disappointing especially as I had enjoyed Tracy Chevalier's "Remarkable Creatures", "New Boy" and, of course, "The Girl with the Pearl Earring". To me it felt like a lightweight story of single woman in her thirties, after the first world war, built around Winchester Cathedral, the embroidery of it's cushions and kneelers and bell-ringing.

Not the best of David Nicholls' novels. Unfortunately the main character, failing actor Stephen C McQueen, is such a pathetic person. As a vehicle for humour, this just didn't work. Which was unfortunate as a comedy about an understudy had huge potential. That is not to say there were no funny moments. When Stephen is talking to Nora, wife of star actor Josh, and explains he is his understudy, she replies "Want me to push him downstairs for you .... make it look like an accident?" But it is this relationship that is the best thing about the book, as were those in "One Day", "Us" and "Sweet Sorrow".

Having read all of Linda Grant's novels, I was not sure what to expect. Some are excellent, some less so. This book falls somewhere between the two. I found it a mostly depressing picture of London, maybe because this is possibly set in a near future. Post Brexit haunts the story. It is certainly not the city I knew in the fifties and sixties. Horrible things happened then as they do now, well this is London. The author sees an even worse time here. "Our London is coming to an end, what we knew is disintegrating soon we wont recognise the place. You've got to go with the change, Marco (son of a Lebanese immigrant). It's not our fault, we didn't initiate it, but you need to prepare, make plans, have your exit route arranged".

The multiculturalism of London is of course on show. A cast of many characters, their narratives slipping in and out . Alan, the documentary film maker and his Persian wife Francesca seem an odd pair. But the book, for me, seems held together by Chrissie, the single Irish nurse. An unexpected social media sensation for those five minutes of fame. Vic and his Afghan hounds. Retired policeman Pete Dutton, whose quest to find the identity of the dead woman from the river which is at the heart of the story. But the book is really about the city. The writing sometimes seems as elusive as London itself. This is a book that needs to be read again. So although it is not a comfortable read, it is unforgettable.