Cannon and ball
A review of Waterloo: A New History of the Battle and its Armies, by Gordon Corrigan. Elbow the author out of the way and what you will find is a vigorous account of the famous campaign
Talking tough
A review of Hard Choices: A Memoir, by Hillary Rodham Clinton. The endless clichés and pseudo-details make her sound more reptilian than she probably is
Doubly unexpected
A review of Mr Mercedes, by Stephen King. We know to expect the unexpected; but when the unexpected happens, it’s not the unexpected we were expecting
Ice Sculpture
If I begged you to, would you hitchhike to the ice-sculpture factory, where the drunken cow was just presented, and…
Teething troubles
A review of To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, by Joshua Ferris, a novel as engrossing as it is uproarious
Barflies and buccaneers
A review of Hotel Florida, by Amanda Vaill. This sanctuary for war tourists, opportunists, dreamers, buccaneers and writers kept Republican hopes alive
Amour fou
A review of Black Venus, by James MacManus. A cinematic take on Baudelaire’s relationship with his voluptuous Haitian mistress
All sorts and all sports
A review of The Highlights, by Frank Keating. Keating's tales of what sports legends got up to off the field of play are priceless – and beautifully written
Those were the days
A review of Upstairs at the Party, by Linda Grant, a story about the long-lost world of 1970s student life that doesn’t ever quite cohere
Inspired messiness
Francesco Piemontesi combines stunning technique with an intellectual capacity that few can match
Humour, horror, beauty
A chilling new staging of Brian Friel’s adaptation of Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons at the Donmar
Anthem of hope
A seminal album by South African jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim celebrates its 40th anniversary
Long life
Losing an editorship isn't the end of the world. But it is glorious to have another one at the age of 73
Hat trick
For the second year running, 24-year-old Sergei Karjakin has won the Norway International, on both occasions ahead of Magnus Carlsen. The…
No. 319
Black to play. This is a variation from Svidler-Carlsen, Norway Chess 2014. Failing to win this game cost Carlsen first…
Unlikely champion
In Competition No. 2852 you were invited to step into the shoes of a well-known writer of your choice and…
The free market needs fighting for – again
The case for economic liberalism seemed won after the 1980s. But the old left is back
