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Longform Literary Reviews
A collection of longer book reviews, essays that go further into the text than a typical Amazon review.
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Authenticity in fiction: My problem(s) with Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir’s ‘Hotel Silence.’
Authenticity in fiction: My problem(s) with Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir’s ‘Hotel Silence.’
‘Hotel Silence’ is the latest novel by the Icelandic writer Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, winner of the Icelandic Literature Prize. It is…
Christopher Walker
May 16, 2020
What Would David Foster Wallace Do?
What Would David Foster Wallace Do?
A brief review of Consider the Lobster, expanded upon with some lessons this particular writer learnt from DFW’s approach.
Christopher Walker
Dec 8, 2014
‘On A Chinese Screen’, by W. Somerset Maugham
‘On A Chinese Screen’, by W. Somerset Maugham
Maugham’s travels around China in 1919 are here related in sketch form, varying wildly in quality from the transcendent to the execrable.
Christopher Walker
May 23, 2014
‘Liza of Lambeth’ by W. Somerset Maugham
‘Liza of Lambeth’ by W. Somerset Maugham
First novels can be an enlightening experience for writers and readers alike, but some are more successful than others.
Christopher Walker
Nov 15, 2013
By Day in Katowice
By Day in Katowice
A daytrip to a mining city in Polish Silesia, photography with the Olympus XZ-2 camera, and a look at Roberto Bolaño’s ‘By Night in Chile.’
Christopher Walker
Oct 27, 2013
‘Night Train’ by Martin Amis
‘Night Train’ by Martin Amis
Who says genre doesn’t have a place in literature?
Christopher Walker
Sep 12, 2013
‘The Ballad of Peckham Rye’ by Muriel Spark
‘The Ballad of Peckham Rye’ by Muriel Spark
Spark’s early novella is a mystic, comic masterpiece that may or may not feature the Devil.
Christopher Walker
Sep 2, 2013
‘As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela’ by Mark Thomas
‘As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela’ by Mark Thomas
Comedian Mark Thomas does an incredible job of uncovering the evils of the arms trade.
Christopher Walker
Aug 30, 2013
‘Saharan Journey’ by Sven Lindqvist
‘Saharan Journey’ by Sven Lindqvist
Originally published as the separate volumes ‘Desert Divers’ and ‘Exterminate all the Brutes’, Lindqvist’s writing is an essential element in the library of anyone interested in the colonisation of Africa.
Christopher Walker
Aug 18, 2013
‘The Magic of Reality’ by Richard Dawkins
‘The Magic of Reality’ by Richard Dawkins
Dawkins makes a successful return to popular science, though he attracts as much criticism for his work as you might expect from a sequel to ‘The God Delusion’.
Christopher Walker
Aug 7, 2013
‘The Etymologicon’ by Mark Forsyth
‘The Etymologicon’ by Mark Forsyth
An otherwise interesting tour through the origins of some English words and expressions is spoilt by a lack of editorial attention.
Christopher Walker
Aug 2, 2013
‘Free Fall,’ by William Golding
‘Free Fall,’ by William Golding
Golding was an amazing writer whose talents stretch much further than just ‘The Lord of the Flies’
Christopher Walker
Aug 1, 2013
‘Martian Time-Slip’ by Philip K. Dick
‘Martian Time-Slip’ by Philip K. Dick
Dick’s great pulp novel of Martian settlement deserves a second look, despite its rough edges.
Christopher Walker
Aug 1, 2013
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