More from Books
Alternative universes: Exit Party, by Emily St John Mandel, reviewed
An unsettling tale of doppelgängers and shadow worlds has all the qualities of a recurring nightmare
‘There’s a 50-50 chance I’ll get bumped off’: an American scholar foresees his death
Even before Malcolm Kerr took up his post at the American University of Beirut in 1984, he warned his daughter of his potential murder
The intellectual passions of J.R.R. Tolkien
There was something remorseless about Tolkien’s spiritual beliefs, as there was about his love of Old Norse and his obsession with privacy
Homesick for Tennessee: The Newer World, by Sebastian Barry, reviewed
After many adventures touring with the Fisk Jubilee singers, the former slave Tennyson Bouguereau longs to return to his roots
‘We think you’re the best’ – the actors’ tribute to Michael Gambon
Contradiction was the essence of Gambon’s art – a unique blend of coarse sensitivity, dishevelled elegance and grotesque grace
Homage to the two drama kings who ruled British television for decades
From the glories of Pride and Prejudice to Doctor Who and Queer as Folk, Andrew Davies and Russell T. Davies have contributed significantly to the national happiness
A matter of life and death: Afternoon Hours of a Hermit, by Patrick Cottrell, reviewed
Five years after his brother’s supposed suicide, Dan Moran receives a puzzling anonymous letter, plunging him back into full investigative mode
Where have all the children gone? A demographic winter sweeps the world
Decreased fertility, housing shortages and prohibitive childcare costs are all contributing to an ‘extraordinary wave’ of childlessness unrivalled since the Black Death
The dark finale of the second world war
Max Hastings’s kaleidoscopic history oscillates from the vast, strategic canvas to individual acts of treachery and heroism in the closing months of the conflict
Rifts and reconciliations: Adam and Eve, by Jeffrey Archer, reviewed
Fans will delight in Archer’s final doorstopper saga – of ambition, betrayal and sacrifice set against the backdrop of war
An examination of current trade policies leaves us a bit short-changed
No one disputes that globalisation has created dependencies; but Ed Conway could have dug deeper into the tensions between free trade and mercantilism
Must Charles Spencer keep harking back to his address at Diana’s funeral?
Ostensibly a tribute to his sister, Spencer’s latest book is really as much about himself – his brotherly kindness and speech-making talents
The arts in Britain are now joyless vestiges of their former selves
The modern obsession with politicising every art form seems guaranteed to put anyone off music, painting or literature for life
A literary romp: Our Noble Selves, by Kate Atkinson, reviewed
All is chaos in the lead-up to the 1951 Festival of Britain in this riot of colour and pageantry with Kafka-esque undertones
All the big hitters are here: scenes from the golden age of boxing
In his 97chosen fights, John Sutherland discusses matters of race, class, empire and money, while never waxing too lyrical about an obscenely brutal sport
Winning hearts and minds: propaganda of the Spanish Civil War
The Republican cause may have been championed by the world’s leading poets, novelists and photojournalists, but in a largely illiterate society it was dramatic posters that mattered most
A bullying monster: the infamous Roy Cohn, Donald Trump’s early mentor
The mob lawyer’s mantra was never apologise or back down – and even though responsible for the execution of the clearly innocent Ethel Rosenberg, he declared: ‘I’d have pulled the lever myself’
Famous for being famous – the scandalous life of the Countess of Castiglione
Spy, courtesan and femme fatale, the Italian aristocrat was considered one of the most beautiful women of 19th-century Europe – as well as one of the cruellest and most profligate
Adventures of the Time Traveler’s daughter: Life Out of Order, by Audrey Niffenegger, reviewed
In Niffenegger’s long-awaited sequel, Alba DeTamble slips between the past and a near-future world filled with robots, climate catastrophe, civil war and virtual reality museums
They don’t make men like Erroll Prior-Palmer any more
An archetypal figure of his time, the Major-General never sought – or gained – popularity, though the decisions he took on D-Day saved many comrades’ lives
The mystery of Easter Island’s still undeciphered script
If rongorongo emerged before any foreign business was transacted on the island, it would challenge our understanding of what writing was originally for
Did the Bayeux Tapestry succeed as a tool of Norman propaganda?
Thought to have been created to help rally the English to the Conqueror’s cause, it did not prevent widespread rebellion in 1069
A passion for music: Partita, by Barbara Kingsolver, reviewed
Livia Cable, from poor, rural eastern Tennessee, seems capable of becoming a concert pianist. But will her ambitions be forever thwarted?
The triumph of virtue over fear and malice: The Bridge, by Colm Tóibín, reviewed
The beauty of Tóibín’s novella lies principally in its gentle, long-suffering protagonist, whose unselfconscious goodness is a kind of a miracle
Abstract ideas made concrete
Stephen Parnell explores the incomparable potential of a strong and malleable – if much maligned – building composite
