Book Review: All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West

It's with a tinge of embarassment that I admit this was my first foray into the works of Vita Sackville-West. Fortunately, I enjoyed it so much that it certainly won't be my last.

All Passion Spent is a short novel at around 170 pages. Sackville-West apparently intended it as a fictional companion to her friend and lover Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, and the similarities are certainly evident. However, it stands alone as a thoroughly enjoyable piece of prose equally relevant today as it was on publication in 1931.

Lady Slane's husband has just died. Having watched her spend her life in deference to other people, her children are confident she'll accept the arrangement to live with them each in turn as they do their 'duty' looking after her. However, Lady Slane rebels and rents a small house in Hampstead with her faithful servant Genoux. Four of her children are mortified while the other two (the only ones she has any affection for) accept her decision without argument. While living at Hampstead, Lady Slane makes friends with two elderly men and also Mr FitzGeorge, an acquaintance from early in her marriage. It's no spoiler to say, as Lady Slane is eighty-eight, that the novel ends with a death as well as beginning with one.

I loved this book. In a time of debate in modern society about care costs for the elderly and the consequences of longer living, the scenarios depicted in All Passion Spent really struck home. What do you do when your children regard you as a burden to be shared amongst them? What do you do when they expect your wealth to be given straight to them? And (though this one is rather unique to Lady Slane) what do you do with a very large bequest that has your children seeing pound signs at every turn? The relationship between a mother and her children is explored subtley and without criticism. As we learn more about Lady Slane's youth - and her 'beneficial marriage' - we come to understand why perhaps she feels as though she should finally take control of her own destiny.

The messages in this book are pretty universal and it should be read by young and old alike. Can you take control of something you feel is out of your control and enjoy your life a little more? Even if, in Lady Slane's case, that change only seems to give her visits from friends and walks upon Hampstead Heath. The little freedoms, Sackville-West implies, are as important as the big ones.

The most touching scene for me was one of the last, when Lady Slane receives a visit from her great-grandaughter Deborah. The similarities between the two are blindingly obvious but it's Lady Slane's melding of past and present, her life and her great-grandaughter's, that make this scene poignant. By following her own desires, Lady Slane has spurred Deborah on to do the same. And, in the end, that is a very comforting thought for an elderly woman.

As Vita Sackville-West's bisexuality is well-documented, this book can be considered part of the LGBT Reading Challenge 2011.

Seconds of Serenity

Almost two years ago I was in Austria for my 22nd birthday. The day after we arrived we were due to go on a canyoning trip. Due to a head-splitting migraine the previous night (which had me running around the resort in my pyjamas begging tourists for pills) I'd had next to no sleep. I managed the canyon pretty well considering everything but as we were walking up the hill at the end I felt myself floating backwards. Floating soon turned into rolling and, well, I collided face-first with a rock. I'd better make this an advert for Specsavers because if I hadn't been wearing my glasses I think my nose would've broken. As it was, I was lucky the rock was there since the alternative would've been a dip in a fast-flowing river. This is what I looked like afterwards anyway:



Last night I fell down the stairs. I was going to get a cup of fruity tea to drink while working on a character bio and my head was obviously more in the story than it was in my footing. I took off about two thirds of the way up, thumped down eight or so stairs and - miraculously - landed on my feet. Though that isn't to say I didn't wake up with a few bruises this morning.

What struck me on both occasions, though, was the feeling of relief I got in the seconds I was falling. I remember thinking in Austria 'oh, well' as I began rolling in an undignified manner. It was as if because the worst had happened I no longer cared about anything. It was bliss. And last night, in the two or three seconds before I hit the bottom, I was intensely content. There was nothing I could do to stop my tumble so everything switched off and left me to it.

I'm in constant danger of thinking too much. I'm always doing something, even when I'm doing something else. When I go out into town I have my headphones on and I'm plotting a chapter in my head. When I'm watching a film I usually have a notebook on my lap. If I'm watching one at the cinema I feel bereft without something else to do. I don't sleep well, I don't even eat without something on the screen in front of me to concentrate on.

Those two falls gave me an overwhelming sense of peace, even for just a few seconds. I don't think chucking myself down a set of stairs at every opportunity is the correct course of action (I know people who would severely frown on that) but I need to find something that switches my mind off completely. A sport maybe? When I jog my mind is active, when I swim as well. If sport won't do the trick can I have a volunteer to throw me down stairs in a controlled environment, perhaps once a month? Don't all shout at once.

Television Review: Scott & Bailey

I had high hopes for this series. After all, it's a detective programme centred around female police officers working in Manchester. It has Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones in it and was co-created by the wonderful Sally Wainwright, a woman I'd admire even if she wasn't Yorkshire born and bred. However, I have to admit that several episodes of the six episode series left me a little ambivalent.

The series was touted as a show about two colleagues who were friends first and foremost. This really didn't come across in the first episode. Janet Scott(Lesley Sharp) seemed to know less about Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones) than the audience did. That ruined the concept somewhat. I will concede, though, that as the series ran on the friendship between them solidified and actually contributed to the detective aspect of things. One criticism my father had (which I agree with) was that the show should really have been called Scott, Bailey and Murray since DCI Gill Murray was as much a part of this series as Scott and Bailey were. Not that I didn't appreciate three women taking the lead on murder investigations for a change.

Some of the crime stories were a little predictable. However, I do think they made up for some of that predictability with the grittiness promised prior to transmission. There was a particularly gruesome scene in episode four where a man was filmed being hacked to pieces. Although we didn't see much I still can't get that scene out of my head. To a seasoned crime pro like my father the plots were average. I liked them, even if it did feel like they were a sideline to whatever personal drama was going on during that episode.

Which brings me to my main criticism - and it isn't even completely the fault of the individual programme. I don't believe that in the UK we commission decent runs of shows. Scott & Bailey was only six episodes long, hardly enough time to engross your audience in the lives of two particular officers and do justice to the crime stories as well. If the personal condundrums had been spread over, say, twelve episodes or perhaps fifteen then each episode wouldn't have felt quite so cluttered. Eight months apparently passed between episode one and episode six - I would've loved to slow down a bit and experience a little more of those months while having more of the individual episodes devoted to the crime story.

The two storylines running throughout the series were Rachel's relationship with slimy barrister Nick Savage and Janet's quest to find the killer of her childhood friend. Overall these worked, although it took suspension of belief to comprehend than a detective as smart as Rachel would be taken in by such a man.

I can't criticise any of the cast. The regulars alongside an excellent supporting cast were enjoyable to watch (or disturbing as the case may be). On balance, I would welcome a recommission by ITV but I'm not certain how the ratings were (and that returns me to an argument about deliberate broadcasting clashes which I won't bore you with). ITV don't have a great record on giving things another try but with such a cast and no doubt some positive intentions for a second series I hope they fight against their history. We need quality drama in this country and not all great dramas have flourished after the first series.

Liza and London

For a person who sometimes goes into epic panics debating whether to leave the house on any given day going to our splendid yet petrifying capital city is something of a mission. However, I endured it last week for one fabulous reason - Miss Liza Minnelli.

Seeing her at the Royal Albert Hall was literally a dream come true and not something I ever expected to happen. If you're interested in a good and proper review the concert was covered by the Telegraph (here) and the Guardian (here). I'm still in the gushing and babbling about the fact I actually saw her stage of proceedings so sense may be lacking around here. Still, she was amazing. After a bit of a nervous start she relaxed and realised we were going to adore her whether she paused to take a long breath, sat down or - once, quite memorably - halted half-way through a song so she could throw down some water and then do the final notes of a song justice. My favourite numbers of the night were probably 'Liza with a Z' (try getting that out of your head once you've listened to it, I dare ya), 'New York, New York' and 'Maybe This Time'. Then again, I also loved 'What Makes a Man a Man' and 'Cabaret', not to mention her encore - 'I'll Be Seeing You' sung without accompaniment because the band had packed up. I'm grinning like an idiot just thinking about it all. Most definitely one of the most memorable evenings of my life. Now go get this stuck in your head...

And what else did I get up in London? Well, I visited my favourite shop for starters. I used the opportunity to feed my recently-acquired Stephen Sondheim obsession, buying cast recordings of Do I Hear a Waltz? and Sunday in the Park with George along with A Stephen Sondheim Evening which featured, amongst others, Angela Lansbury and George Hearn. I also bought on DVD Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall. I was dithering about it but then spotted it had Liza in it (alongside Patti LuPone and Bernadette Peters) so it was a done deal. My other music purchases were a Jane Russell album and the famous Judy and Liza concert recording at the London Palladium from 1964. I didn't have it. I'm ashamed. But I've rectified the problem so shush. Oh, I also made a new friend.

Wandered around various other shops while I was down there but made sure to nip into the brilliant Quinto Books on Charing Cross Road. By restricting myself to the literary criticism section I managed to buy just the two books - one of which wasn't in that section but caught my eye as I passed. Yes, I know. Just imagine what would've happened if I'd examined every shelf in there...

So that was my Wednesday and Thursday. Very good days. Smiling even happened. Though don't tell @clairemjc about that because I'll never hear the end of it.

Collected Book Reviews 2011

For ease of reference here is a complete list of the books I reviewed in 2011.

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

*Landing by Emma Donoghue

Rooms of the Mind by Catherine Chanter

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

*Summer Will Show by Sylvia Townsend Warner

Lasting Damage by Sophie Hannah

Staying On by Paul Scott

Blue Guide Literary Companion London

*Katherine Mansfield: A Secret Life by Claire Tomalin

The Map of Time by Felix Palma

*The Love of Good Women by Isabel Miller

31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan

The Scent of Cinnamon by Charles Lambert

*Carol by Patricia Highsmith

The Missing by Juliet Bates

Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clarke

All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West

A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

*Wilde's Last Stand by Philip Hoare

Girl Reading by Katie Ward

South Riding by Winifred Holtby

Women Who Did ed. Angelique Richardson

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

*Flick by Geraldine Meade

Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

Dani's Story by Diane & Bernie Lierow with Kay West

Uncle Silas by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Westwood by Stella Gibbons

*Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Starting From Scratch by Georgia Beers

* This book was read for the LGBT Reading Challenge 2011

Book Review: Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clarke

I don't think it will come as a great surprise to regular readers of this blog that my latest indulgence has been a Judy Garland biography. I adore her but, for whatever reason, I'd never read a book solely about her. Something to do with heroes and pedestals perhaps. However, Clarke's account, while being as close to truthful as one can get when dealing with Judy, is touching and left my adoration fully intact.

What Clarke does to great effect within the four hundred or so pages is raise all those questions that dictated the progression of Judy's life; the 'what ifs' that seem so heartbreaking to a modern reader. Judy's tragic life is one of the reasons she's remembered but - and this is important - the primary reason she's remembered is because she was a gifted entertainer. Nevertheless, the 'what ifs' are compelling to read.

• What if Judy's loving father had lived longer? (He died in 1935)


• What if her mother hadn't started giving her those pills to keep her going?


• What if her first husband hadn't agreed with her mother and encouraged her to have an abortion?


• What if Judy had gone to Broadway in the mid-forties as had been her ambition?

Those are four of many 'what ifs' that popped up during my reading of this biography. Clarke's detailed interviews with his various sources have produced a text that is well informed but not over-saturated with information. Where one example of Judy's behaviour - or behaviour towards Judy - will suffice he doesn't clutter up his book with two. What we're left with is a concise and, I think, representative biography that finds the person behind the star as well as anybody could hope to.

I won't lie - on occasion I wanted more information on some scenarios and people she was acquainted with but, all in all, this book was very good, quite possibly excellent. It shows Judy the trouper, Judy the vulnerable, Judy the mother and doesn't gloss over the bad bits. However, the message I came out with was that Judy loved singing, loved entertaining, loved her audience. I just think it's remarkable that forty two years after her death people still love her with the same intensity they did when she appeared on screen. That's some legacy.

Television Review: Case Histories

When I first noticed the Kate Atkinson books were being adapted for television I was quite happy. Jackson Brodie is a hero for modern times, complete with the result that he's never quite on top even when he wins. Although I've only read one of these three novels (When Will There Be Good News? which was the basis for the third of the two-episode arcs) I still had high hopes. And, yes, I was proved right. I really enjoyed the three weeks.

Cutting the three novels into two-hour arcs was a good decision. Usually there was enough going on to hold audience interest, although I did hear some frustrated rumblings on Twitter about the repetition of Brodie's childhood flashbacks. It seemed like padding at times but I suppose from the producer's point of view they were necessary to give context to whatever was going on at the time. The story is never just 'the criminal story': it's how Brodie relates to it. I'm aware that they've altered things a fair bit from the books (regarding aspects of his personal life anyway) but I'm not certain how much liberty they've taken. I'll have to read the first two books to be sure. Either way, it worked as a bit of television which was the important thing.

The first two episodes, based on Case Histories itself, were a decent introduction held together by a stellar cast. Although linking several cases together works more simply in a book I don't think it translated onto screen all that badly. Admittedly, the first few minutes of episode two were a crash course of remembrance but once I grounded myself again I was fine. Most importantly, I think, the episodes were enjoyable, maybe a little predictable in parts, but good viewing nonetheless. Jason Isaacs managed to instill a fairly mute character with pain and recognisable emotion. One of the criticisms I read was that Brodie was difficult to comprehend and the reviewer wished for a voice-over. I certainly don't think that would've worked in the context and it didn't need to: Isaacs communicated well enough for me.

Episodes three and four - One Good Turn - were possibly my favourite, just because of the friendship that springs up between a middle-aged woman and a Russian dominatrix. Again, the episode was helped by an exceptional cast, although it dragged in certain places. One of the cast highlights was certainly Millie Innes as Brodie's young daughter. The relationship between father and daughter is one of the mainstays of the six episodes and it definitely worked to make the tough guy a little more vulnerable. The novelist in this episode, Martin Canning, was the kind of bumbling nervous character I can't help but love.

Episodes five and six - When Will There Be Good News? - showcased the acting talents of young Gwyneth Keyworth as Reggie, the girl who saves Brodie's life after he's involved in a train accident. She's definitely one to watch out for the in the future and helped make these episodes my favourite. That probably has something to do with me having read the book for it also. However, it felt as if it ran a little more smoothly, in comparison to the other two arcs. I think it had less going on and so didn't confuse as much. Plus, it also signalled a shift in attitudes between Brodie and his ex-colleague, Louise, who worked fantastically together on screen. I was also crying at the end of episode six, which probably means the acting and script did its job correctly.

Overall, this was a television treat as far as I'm concerned. The Edinburgh setting was used to great effect and the personal was mixed nicely into Brodie's professional life. The number of injuries he ended up with were unbelieveable though and the slightly graphic violence suited the occasion, if making a squeamish person like myself a little uncomfortable. Jackson Brodie emerged from it all as an excellent character, not anywhere near as wooden as I'd expected him to be. If I have one more criticism it must go to the BBC for their Sunday night/Monday night scheduling. It's just a way to drag in ratings and, yes, it means the story is fresh in mind without festering for a week, but it's frustrating to assume that the people who watch television on a Sunday are equipped to do so on a Monday as well. I don't know what the ratings were but I'd imagine this dual-night aspect put some people off. Not me...I taped to watch later.