Book Reviews: 24 March
OUT NOW
LONELY COURAGE by Rick Stroud (Simon & Schuster, £20) Meticulously researched using information from the Special Operations Executive (SOE) files in the National Archives, this is a book that lingers in the mind long after the last page.
The true story of the courageous SOE heroines who fought to free Nazi-occupied France, deployed on dangerous missions behind enemy lines, it is a roller-coaster journey of adventure, resourcefulness and daring that leaves us reeling in admiration at the work all these incredible women undertook to help the war effort.
Weaving together biographical stories alongside pertinent historical detail, Stroud paints a powerful portrait of life as an undercover agent. Whether practising their map-reading skills, engaging in unarmed combat or learning about firearms, these women embraced the rigours of their training wholeheartedly, united by a shared hatred of the Nazi regime. ‘By the time we finished I would willingly have tackled any man, whatever his strength, size or ability,’ says one.
We learn about the formidable Noor Inayat Khan, the first female wireless operator in Paris, who was betrayed and brutally killed in Dachau concentration camp and was posthumously awarded the George Cross; and of Pearl Witherington, who somehow organised 3,500 French Resistance fighters to distribute tons of supplies. Written with genuine vigour, this book pays tribute to truly outstanding female bravery.
Elizabeth Fitzherbert
ANGEL DOROTHY: HOW AN AMERICAN PROGRESSIVE CAME TO DEVON by Jane Brown (Unbound, £20)Dorothy Payne Whitney Elmhirst was from a fabulously wealthy Washington family and debuted triumphantly in 1906 with the world at her feet. She moved among the cream of society and a US Navy tugboat was named after her. Hers was a charmed life indeed – though it was not without tragedy: she was orphaned at 17.
A philanthropist from an early age, she maintained an acute awareness of the injustice and difficulties faced by others. And so, on causes that mattered to her – particularly educational and political ones, of which there were a staggering number – she dispensed largesse wherever she went, not least in Britain. From1925, Devon became her home, and her industriousness saw her establish Dartington Hall, the progressive school-turned-cultural- hub, where the Arts Council was conceived.
Dorothy’s is a delightful story, less well known than it should be, and Brown quotes extensively from her diaries to delve into the world of a largely unsung heroine. Brown handles Dorothy’s reflections sensitively and does not attempt to dramatise her. There is nothing eccentric or startling here, but a natural and spirited kindliness radiating from a very quietly indomitable character, who lacked no empathy or perspective, despite her privileged position. It is a real pleasure to discover her through this engaging biography.
Philippa Williams
BOOK OF THE WEEK
The quick and the deadALL THE BELOVED GHOSTS by Alison MacLeod (Bloomsbury, £16.99)
Compelling characters and pin-sharp insights into their emotional and psychological landscapes are Alison MacLeod’s strong suit. She showed this in her 2013 novel Unexploded, and it is also in evidence in this short story collection. Ranging from 1920s Canada to 19th-century Yalta and today’s Brighton, they are an intriguing blend of domestic realism, the supernatural and leaps of the imagination.
In the title story, nonagenarian Angelica Garnett, daughter of Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, revisits her childhood home. Ghosts from her past are in residence: an old housekeeper, her aunt Virginia Woolf, her distant mother – ‘so vivid, it is as if she, Angelica, is the ghost’. In a nod to Woolf, this is a mesmerising stream-of- consciousness meditation. In The Thaw, about MacLeod’s great-aunt, who died young in a freak accident, the dead also come to life through richly evoked details.
Elsewhere, chance encounters spark unexpected moments of emotional intimacy: an academic and her Gulf War veteran plumber in We Are Methodists, strangers on the Tube in There Are Precious Things. Imagining Chekhov, a suite of stories that has the Russian writer narrating his own death, dazzles with postmodernist conceits, playing with perspective and subjectivity. These are arresting tales; undercurrents of passion swirl beneath their controlled, elegant surfaces.
Juanita Coulson
COFFEE TABLE BOOK
EDUARDO PAOLOZZI edited by Daniel F Herrmann (Whitechapel Gallery, £40)Edited by curator Daniel F Herrmann, this lavishly illustrated book accompanies the Whitechapel Gallery’s retrospective on Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005). Considered the ‘godfather of Pop Art’, his ‘powerful collages’, ‘rough and ready bronzes’ and dazzling screen prints challenged artistic convention by drawing on mass media, science fiction and industrial design. Anything could inspire him – plastic toys, comics, engine parts, junk found in a skip. He never lost his childlike wonder and magpie sensibility.
A huge, frenetic personality with a booming voice, Paolozzi was as distinctive as one of his sculptures. Included here, too, are essays by various authors, as well as a reprint of a fascinating 1971 conversation between Paolozzi and the novelist JG Ballard. The book reassesses Paolozzi’s art and turbulent life – he lost his father, grandfather and uncle on a ship that was torpedoed in the Second World War. An eclectic visual feast.
Rebecca Wallersteiner
PAPERBACKS
THE GOOD GUY by Susan Beale (John Murray, £8.99)From an outsider’s perspective, Ted has the perfect life: a good job as a tyre salesman, a wife and a baby daughter. After his chance encounter with Penny, a naive young woman, they begin an affair and she becomes pregnant. Although the plot is not a new one, its clear and compelling narrative holds the reader’s attention as the characters fight against society, and their own expectations, to do the right thing. Set in the vividly evoked, stifling atmosphere of 1960s suburban New England, it is a story of missed opportunities, frustrations and compromises. This is a sparkling debut, with a lifelike depiction of a time and place, and piercing insights into the fabled, and often tarnished, American dream. Lyndsy Spence
THE HOUSEKEEPER by Suellen Dainty (Washington Square Press, £8.99)
In this fast-paced psychological thriller, UK-based Australian journalist-turned- novelist Suellen Dainty ramps up the tension and intrigue to a tantalising level and maintains it throughout. When Anne lands a job as a housekeeper at the home of her celebrity idol, the lifestyle guru Emma Helmsley, she cannot believe her luck. But beneath the façade of a perfect family, Anne soon discovers that things are not quite what they seem. Emma’s husband Rob has an unhealthy obsession with a 1970s psychiatric asylum, which infuses the developing plot with a mounting sense of unease: Anne is tormented by this niggling reminder of her own suppressed past. With its twists and very sharp turns, this tale of betrayal is a poignant take on the millennial obsession with celebrity. Beautifully written, with intriguing characters and a page- turning plot. Lilly Cox
THE LADY’S RECIPE READS
Spring has sprung: it’s time to start thinking of barbecues. By Juanita Coulson
WEBER’S AMERICAN BBQ: A Modern Spin on the Classics by Jamie Purviance (Hamlyn, £16.99)
A chef and New York Times best- selling author, Purviance is a top grilling guru (only in America!). This is the ultimate barbie bible: a history, travelogue and recipe book rolled into one sizzling, smoking-hot volume. It charts the spread of grilling from its roots in the rural American South to ‘everywhere, even in big cities, and in turn those cities are influencing the food’. Recipes come with alternatives for the beginner, intermediate and advanced cook, and take in global influences. Chapters on wood, coal and fire take us back to first principles. From sea-breeze barbecued oysters to smoked chicken nachos, this is a road-trip for your tastebuds.
101 VEGETARIAN GRILL & BBQ RECIPES: Amazing Meat-free Recipes for Vegetarian & Vegan BBQ Food (Ryland, Peters & Small, £12.99)
The coals are hot and you’re ready to roll – except some guests don’t eat meat. Appetising alternatives abound in this unapologetically untrendy gem of a cook book. Ignore the preachy messages about health and the environment and sink your teeth into crunchy, satisfyingly textured beetburgers, sesame sweet potato packets and some seriously good dressings and sides. There are even recipes for puddings – sozzled apricot bruschetta is a winner. If you are a vegetarian, you’ll welcome the variety of ways to join in the barbecue fun. If not, there’s still plenty here to enjoy, and not just for your non-carnivorous guests.
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