R.I.P., Under a Pole Star and Hag-Seed

It only gets three stars for the odd witticism ("the trouble with banks is that they're too interested in money") and occasional laugh out loud moment. In between, after a promising start, the passages about the family are really boring. And half way through it becomes too silly for words. At least it's a quick read.

An epic sweeping novel set not only in the Arctic of the late nineteenth century, but in New York, Dundee and London. I was just a little afraid the story would get bogged down in the (not always) icy cold of Greenland, but the various expeditions never outstay their welcome in terms of the narrative. We guess that Jacob de Beyne from Manhattan would always meet the book's other main character Flora Mackie somewhere in the north. Their affair is described in surprising and lengthy anatomical detail. Quite extraordinary for a drama about polar exploration. The only time I felt that 600 pages was too long was an unnecessary diversions to Zermatt and Wales just over halfway through.

As with her other novels, Steff Penney is such a great writer. Her research is amazing and her prose top drawer. "Had she assumed that intimacy with her would be a healing balm? That she could wipe away bitterness, self-pity, time? If so, she overestimated her charms".

A truly amazing re-imagining of Shakespeare's "The Tempest". The plot mirrors that of the play which is itself about to be performed. The author loves her Shakespeare and that comes across loud and clear. The way the play is analysed in such entertaining detail makes you want to see it again soon. Compulsory reading for anyone taking an exam.