The Good People, Swimming Lessons and The Cast Iron Shore

I have some difficulty in making up my mind about this book. The setting of the deep south of rural Ireland in 1825 is beautifully described. As is the hardship of the poor, eking out a living from the tough landscape. The writing cannot be faulted; "the graveyard slouched next to the little church". At the beginning I was quite interested in the superstitions and ancient remedies of an isolated community. The rituals of New Year's Day are unbelievable.

However, I found these sections to be far too repetitive, on and on about the healing properties of herbs. To my mind, the book could have easily been cut by a quarter, or even a third. The author does try to bring some drama to the ending, and although well presented, it does seems as if we have waited too long for something to happen. 

Did they deserve to have children? It was Gil's friend Jonathon who warns the much younger Ingrid not to get involved with this attractive and charismatic older man. But an unexpected pregnancy and marriage follows. It is Ingrid's story from this earlier time alternating with that of her second daughter Flora that makes this a clever and satisfying family drama. The characters are all extremely well drawn, all of them flawed in their own way. Flora is a complicated young woman, more like her mother than she would like to admit. Her older sister Nan finds her tiresome and selfish.

I loved the literary background of the parents. They both seemed to have disappeared at different times (these are nicely confusing) and I liked how these keep us guessing to the end. The setting is brought to life, a fictional place near the sea that I half imagined Studland in Dorset, and the Sandbanks chain ferry. The writing is straightforward and flows from the page. Excellent. 

Having read all of Linda Grant's novels except this, her first, I was disappointed to find I struggled through long and tedious sections about politics. Written in the first person, Sybil is not a sympathetic character in any way. Her good looks are maybe an excuse for her selfishness and that chip on her shoulder she never loses. Her relationships with both the awful Stan and Julius were constantly boring.

There was so little plot, something that Grant puts right in all her following books. I almost gave up half way through. She obviously had so much to say in this first novel, that it goes on far too long. However, there are certain parts which are good and show the potential of an excellent writer. A stronger editor would have done wonders in reducing the text by at least a third.

Westworld Series 2

Thank goodness for the internet. Although I do love Westworld, Series 2 is sometimes quite baffling. So it is handy to compare some of the reviews for each episode to understand what is going on. What I have learnt is to concentrate harder on the different timelines. I really thought THERE WERE TWO BERNARDS for heaven's sake.

Episode 4 at least has the best title "If you're looking forward, you're looking in the wrong direction". And it was great to see the brilliant Scottish actor Peter Mullen playing James Delos.

If I thought Season 2 was baffling, I hadn't seen Episode 5, which seemed to have been inserted from Season 24.

Tring Book Club - Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore

I had already read this marvellous novel, the last that Helen Dunmore wrote before her untimely death. What a pleasure it was to read it again for book club. Lizzie Fawkes is an independent young woman for 1792, but she loves her domineering older husband, the successful housing developer Diner Tredevant. Their relationship is central to the story and is brilliantly described by the author. Lizzie is told by one character that "you have always done as you wanted" and her obsession with caring for her infant step brother causes ructions with both her husband and the baby's father.

The novel links the housing boom in Bristol with what is happening across the channel. The French revolution is in full swing. The first half of the book is positively fine, setting the scene for the fabulous second half where the pace picks up and a succession of devastating events make this one of the best novels this century.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Tully and Breaking In

I enjoyed the book.Although just an exchange of letters, it works really well. So the film is different in that the story is told in a conventional way. I didn't agree with some critics who thought there should have been, in flashback, more scenes of the occupation. For me there were enough, particularly that those who were there tell their own story of life during the war. That was where the screenplay was at it's best. There were, however, times when the writing was plain embarrassing. Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtney were predictably excellent, I liked the cinematography even though it was North Devon and not Guernsey and Mike Newell's direction was fine. And if you haven't read the book, the Afterword is worth the price alone. The final paragraph of writer Mary Ann Shaffer's Acknowledgements tells us what an important story this was to tell.

Were there enough clues? I was so disappointed that I had to wait until near the end to cotton on. It very nearly spoilt the whole experience. As one critic puts it " the mixture of wish fulfilment and magic realism comes apart in the final reel". I went in with high hopes. Diablo Cody is such a brilliant writer and her collaboration with director and producer Jason Reitman on Juno, Jennifer's Body and Young Adult has been memorable. And then with Charlize Theron on the latter and the new movie. This time there are moments of class, although I found some ham fisted and heavy handed scenes were not up to scratch. However, Theron was great as Marlo, a mother in the throes of post natal depression and sleep deprivation. Mackenzie Davis was also good as the strange night nanny. Although I found it hard to work out her character. Since I saw the film two weeks ago, I realise it has made quite an impression. My disappointment has been tempered with realising we had to be experiencing exactly what Marlo  was going through. So all is forgiven. Except for the montage of snatches of songs on the road trip. They were so short as to be totally annoying.

In the absence of any decent drama this week, I was recommended this clever thriller. A home invasion movie with one different device. The main protagonist is outside the house, trying to get in. The action is kept low key, the violence is not graphic. The writing is, at times, pretty awful but there are enough twists to keep the plot going, and the film is quite short. Better than expected.

The Marlow 5 - 2018

When Alison booked for this year's Marlow 5, I wasn't sure how I would be after the half marathon only six days before. However, after the record breaking heat of last Monday, the cooler weather meant I managed a couple of short slow runs before the race on Sunday.

The conditions were just about perfect. Sunny but a cool 13C. This was my sixth Marlow 5, having run it every year since I started. The course is mostly flat, there is only one small hill. I made it round in 46 minutes and 2 seconds, my fourth fastest but probably the most enjoyable after the tribulations of the MK Half. I was very pleased withe the pace of 9 minutes and 11 seconds per mile, and finishing 4th out of sixteen men over seventy.

We met up with people from On The Run (Alison's running club) both before and after the event. The following photo is just club members, so you can see just how many were there.

A Streetcar Named Desire at the Oxford Playhouse

I knew nothing about this play, apart from it being written by Tennessee Williams. It seemed to me to be both dated and modern. The tension is palpable as Blanche Dubois ( I remember that name from somewhere) enters the claustrophobic atmosphere of her sister's tiny apartment. I was not expecting the simmering undercurrent of abuse that resonates with recent events. Though I guess this is something that has always been there through history.

The deep south accents of the cast sounded authentic, the only trouble being that when spoken fast, I didn't catch too many words. But in the slower passages, the diction was fine and sometimes terrifying. Kelly Gough was terrific as Blanche. I was reminded later of her superb role as a pregnant mother in Call The Midwife. Patrick Knowles was suitably dangerous as Stanley. Director Chelsea Walker has done a fine job in bringing together her youthful cast, the movement around the stage was also impressive.

The night I went, the first half came to an abrupt halt when we were informed a member of the cast was injured. A reliable informant told me that the man slicing the melon had managed to slice himself. It must have meant a visit to A&E for stitches as something less dramatic would have meant first aid would suffice. But it did not spoil a great performance of a classic play.

Milton Keynes Half Marathon

Well, that was different. The hottest early May Bank Holiday on record and it had to be the year when I had chosen the MK Marathon Weekend for my annual attempt at 13.1 miles. It was not just the temperature, around 25 degrees, but the sun was relentless. And there was no shade for most of the way. Starting off after 10 am meant that I ran when the sun was at it's highest, finishing not long before 1.00 pm.

So, what happened? This was the first race where I didn't run all the way. I had decided to start off slowly. For the first three miles I was already running at my slow training pace of 10 minute 45 seconds per mile. But the sun soon got to me and by 6 miles I had slowed to an average of 11 minute 20 seconds per mile. But that meant for the second three miles I was running at 11 minute 55 second pace. Little more than jogging. I knew that these six miles were mainly uphill, so in these conditions it should not have been a surprise.

When I had reached 8 miles, my legs just gave up. My heart rate was now in the mid 160's, crazy having run so slowly. I'm normally running under nine minutes a mile to reach that HR. So I knew I had to stop running and walk. Alternating walking and running had two benefits. Firstly it brought my heart rate down to mid 140's when I walked, and then I could run at a reasonable pace instead of jogging which felt so difficult. I must admit that thinking I had another five miles of this was quite daunting. So, in the end I found out just how much the sun and heat can effect my body. Whether that's my age or simply the unusual conditions. But I wasn't the only one. There were many around my pace who were doing the same run/walk.

I had a little left to be able to run the last half mile, waving to Alison and Hannah who were there on the main road before the turn into the stadium. My time was 2 hours 45 minutes and 30 seconds. My pace was 12 minutes 38 seconds per mile which meant that for the second half of the race I was averaging 14 minutes per mile!  There were ten mad 70 plus runners, all male. Two had excellent times, the rest of us were a lot slower. I came in seventh out of the ten. What a difference when  compared to the MK 10K I ran in March when I finished first out of five in the 70 plus, running at a pace a fraction over 9 minutes per mile, and last year's half marathon in March, again first out of five, at 9 minute 50 seconds pace. What a difference to yesterday! This has brought me down to earth with a bang.

Ascott in May

The daffodils, for which the NT property at Ascott is famous, were over but the trees and shrubs coming into leaf were a wonderful sight. And although most of the magnolias were also over, there were a couple still in flower.

Even at the beginning of May, we still needed our coats. It was lovely in the sunshine, but that chilly breeze still lingered.