Brodie Castle
It’s in the Highlands. And there’s no better place from which to see it than Brodie Castle
Wise women in wikuoms
A great American novelist tackles complex themes in an epic account of the deforestation of North America. But this doesn’t make Barkskins the next great American novel
Girl power
Brigid Keenan and Lyndall Hobbs were both funny and famous in Swinging London — and their delightful memoirs of the Sixties reflect this
Northern lights
In The Lure of the North, three 19th-century travellers vividly recall their adventures sailing, camping and birdwatching in the wilds of the fjords
Loved and lost
JFK’s charming, rebellious younger sister defied her parents and captivated the English aristocracy. Two biographies, by Paula Byrne and Barbara Leaming, show how it all ended in tragedy
A force for good
In a touching memoir, Wynn Wheldon pays tribute to his broadcaster father Huw — who aimed to make the good popular and the popular good at the BBC
Bohemian life Down Under
Robin Dalton’s memoir — and a juvenile novel worthy of Daisy Ashford — make for hilarious reading of bohemian life in 1940s Sydney
Beyond the looking-glass
Surely not — but in their introduction to Children’s Fantasy Literature, Michael Levy and Farah Mendlesohn remind us that expertly crafted fantasy is unnervingly hard to resist
Nostalgia and nihilism
In Second-hand Time, Svetlana Alexievich traces the experiences of ten families since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, revealing how quickly euphoria gave way to despair
The people’s prince
Anna Keay may go weak at the knees over Charles II’s dashing illegitimate son — but he still emerges as the most honourable of the Stuarts
Looking for treasure island
J .M.G. Le Clézio’s protagonist goes looking for pirate gold, but ends up on the hellish Western Front in this exquisite, newly translated novel from 1985
The wicked old Paris of the Orient
Taras Grescoe’s tales of opium dens and dancing girls make for thoroughly seductive reading
Spellbound
The French legend brings the most sexually unhinged French drama in years to the Barbican next week. She explains what it takes to tackle this epic
What lies beneath
There’s plenty of drama, much cultural fusion and several distinctly weird masterpieces in this new exhibition exploring the lost cities of the Egyptian Nile Delta
Punchlines and punches
This buddy caper crime comedy set in the 70s porn industry has the moral compass of a tanked-up frat boy – and is a blast right from the start
The supremes
The cast includes a sensational Susan Bickley and the production remains precisely what it was, and is mainly successful
Wish upon a star
Plus: a slate of new political playlets at the Arts Theatre that range from the trite and unfelt (Mark Ravenhill, Caryl Churchill) through to the richly enjoyable (Stella Feehily)
War on want
Had Radiohead gone for more obvious crowd-pleasing, they would have pleased the crowd less
Emotional intelligence
Plus: a Kenneth MacMillan revival that makes you think and a Wayne McGregor premiere that’s a real shock – it’s full of emotion!
Sound and fury
Is there, for example, anyone on radio more irritating than Eddie Mair? Yes, her name is Anita Anand
Impure thoughts
Plus: an inexplicable new French import, BBC2’s Versailles, which continues to be excruciating even after the drama ends
Low life
With 3mg coursing through my bloodstream, I lay back and waited for my central nervous system to shut down
