Work for Idle Hands: Books in March

Sunday March 31, 2024

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka [Read by Siân Thomas]
My sister recommended this to me as a humorous book - and it was very funny. Thinking of it after the experience of reading it (or listening to it), it does indeed leave me with the feeling of having read a comic tale. However, during the process of reading it, I felt it was rather a sad story, covering the experiences of refugees and migrants seeking a "better" life in the UK. It was all told from the point of view of siblings whose foolish and ageing father was apparently being bullied and taken advantage of by a much younger woman; her single ambition was to achieve "right to remain" in the UK through marriage. However, none of the characters were entirely sympathetic - or entirely unsympathetic in the case of scheming Valentina, though you can't help but sigh with relief when she finally leaves.
Despite many positive reviews from readers (of which I would be one), I was a bit surprised to find that the professional reviewers were not so enamoured, criticising it for lack of character development and over-simplifying its themes. I can't say I disagree with the points they made, but I did not find their issues detracted from the presentation of the story - I'm not sure it was ever meant to be "deep" in that sense.

Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron [Read by Julia Franklin]
In my reference to Alan Judd's novel last November I quoted him as saying Mick Herron has "....a most original and amusing take on the spy genre, nothing to do with reality, of course - as Mick well knows - but that doesn't matter...". I was a bit oblivious to the clearly unrealistic nature of the Slough House set up, as they are written with such a realistic and dramatic tone, even taking into account the occasional humorous scenes. However, this novel, (first of the Zoë Boehm series apparently), comes over as more light-hearted and generally unrealistic - though nonetheless tense and violent...
Not wishing to add a total spoiler the novel ends with the words "everything's going to be alright..." - which pleases me, (a fan of the "happy ending"), but I might have liked a bit more unnecessary prose to completely reassure me of that!

So Much Blood and Not Dead, Only Resting by Simon Brett [Read by Simon Brett]

Because of the fantastically good updated adaptations of the Charles Paris stories for BBC radio by Jeremy Front, it's hard to believe that they started life in the 1970s - So Much Blood was the second book, written in 1976. It covers a week at the Edinburgh Fringe - a very different beast from today's Fringe - where Charles is putting on a lunchtime one-man show which he has written from the poetry of Thomas Hood. He shares the theatre space and lodgings with "DUDS" (Derby University Dramatic Society), when an on-stage tragedy in rehearsal leaves him shocked and not a little suspicious that the accident was no accident at all. The descriptions of the atmosphere in Edinburgh during the Fringe in those earlier times reminded me of my stay there in the 1980s: nowhere to stay, fewer venues, terrible amateur performances - and yet also gems... and when you found one - what joy!
From 1984, Not Dead, Only Resting, as the title implies, covers a slow period for Charles, where he seeks work with a friend running a decorating business - and arriving with their paints in the "empty" flat they find a corpse...
Both stories are excellent whodunnit mystery plots, and Brett applies his usual light-hearted humour in poking fun at the acting profession.

Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie [Read by Roger May]
Not my favourite Christie book so I was not too disappointed to realise it was actually an abridged version of the book (which I try to avoid). I'm not sure why I don't like the story as I think the plot is rather clever, involving an inheritance conspiracy, not unlike "A Murder is Announced". I think I'm not convinced by the initial "intuition" that makes Ariadne Oliver contact Poirot in the first place, and the drunken ferryman with his little traditional rhyme providing a key clue, (don't worry, it won't be any kind of a clue for you, the reader!).
Definitely worth a read though.

Posted by Christina at 9:17 AM. Category: Books of the Month