The agonies of adolescence: The Party, by Tessa Hadley, reviewed
In post-war Bristol, two sisters fall in with a group of arrogant young men and soon feel themselves painfully inferior
‘Life was good, very good, almost too good’ – Wallis Simpson’s year in China
Arriving in Shanghai in the summer of 1924, the elegant 28-year-old embarked on a busy but harmless life of pleasure which would later be cast as a wild debauch
Kate Bush – always quite hippy, dippy, ‘out there’
With Bush, the unexpected is about the only certainty, having the bravado to do what she wants rather than pandering to the public’s longing for hits
‘If you steal this book I’ll beat your brains out’
Curses on the book thief from Latin and Old English sources range from the venomous to the sadistic to the mind-twistingly gruesome
Stalemate over Taiwan is the best we can hope for
A good outcome is the tacit recognition on all sides that we currently lack the means to solve this intractable problem, says the former diplomat Kerry Brown
Playing Monopoly is not such a trivial pursuit
Games are politics you can touch, says Tim Clare, and a well-designed boardgame can provide a critical experience of society’s systems
The spy who came back from retirement: Karla’s Choice, by Nick Harkaway, reviewed
Given a new lease of life by John le Carré’s son, George Smiley gets embroiled in a murky affair involving the Circus’s key Stasi asset and a missing Hungarian literary agent
Saint Joan and saucy Eve: a single woman split in two
The relationship between Joan Didion and Eve Babitz is memorably captured in Lily Anolik’s red-hot, propulsive portrait of two warring writers who were once close friends
Were the Arctic convoy sacrifices worth it?
Stalin privately admitted that his army could never have triumphed without western aid, and the convoys also indirectly helped the war in the Atlantic – but the loss of life was horrendous
Doppelgangers galore: The Novices of Lerna, by Angel Bonomini, reviewed
A graduate from Argentina, offered a six-month fellowship in Switzerland, is appalled to meet – and have to live with - 24 versions of himself
Reliving the terror of the Bataclan massacre
Emmanuel Carrère knows when to let the horrors speak for themselves in his moving, hard-hitting account of the trial of the perpetrators
Turkish delights: the best of the year’s cookbooks
The vegetarian treats Ozlem Warren offers us from her Turkish kitchen might inspire a bulk-buy of filo pastry. Other recipes from Nigel Slater, Ben Shewry and Jess Elliott Dennison
Freedom fighters of the ‘forgotten continent’
A history of South America’s native heroes includes the Peruvian rebel Tupac Amaro II, the Mapuche of Chile, the escaped slaves of north-eastern Brazil and the ‘great liberator’ Simon Bolivar
Books of the Year II
Contributors include: Peter Parker, Daniel Swift, Stephen Bayley, Justin Marozzi, Andrea Wulf, Hilary Spurling, Boyd Tonkin and Graham Robb
Amsterdam shows the limits of liberalism
Whenever Jews are killed or beaten, on 7 October or last night in Amsterdam, well-meaning sorts solemnly intone that this…
Labour must learn from Kamala Harris’s transgender muddle
Donald Trump’s remarkable election victory has been rightly attributed to the long shadow of inflation combined with mass illegal immigration…
Why do so many private school students get extra time in exams?
Are independent schools gaming the system to give a disproportionate advantage to their pupils in exams? That’s one possible inference…
The Zoomer Zynergy that brought Trump back
Donald Trump has won the presidency for a second time — but the real surprise is the coalition of voters…
What Iain Duncan Smith gets right about freedom
One of Kemi Badenoch’s much-touted strengths is that she cares about British culture, society and our country’s values. She is…
Susie Wiles and the rise of the Floridian right
‘Susie Wiles is a great choice for President Trump’s chief of staff,’ said Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida…
Why did so many Christians vote for Trump?
It’s hard to know what to say about Donald Trump. Well, maybe it’s easy enough if you’re a fan, or…
BBC under fire over Amsterdam attack coverage
Football fans are known to get a little rowdy after a game, but the horror that broke out after the…
Labour appoints Chagos chief to run national security
In an uncertain age, who do you want keeping the nation safe? How about the guy who just bartered away…
Oxford Chancellor race in new transparency row
It’s the election drama obsessing much of Westminster. No, not Donald v Kamala but rather the race to be Chancellor…
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Prince William
For all his wealth and privilege, it is hard to imagine wanting to be Prince William. Not only was he…
