Bruce Duffy's Disaster Was My God

I have never read a semi-fictional biography before, nor have I read any poetry by the French poet Arthur Rimbaud. Bruce Duffy's Disaster Was My God has introduced them both to me. He states in his 'Note to the Reader' that while the book may be true to the character of Monsieur Rimbaud, the account is a fictional one; Duffy describes it as "more allegorical than historical, as befits a legend". Nevertheless, it is a compelling story and will certainly stir your interest in the man and his poetry.

The title of the book is derived from Rimbaud's poem, A Season In Hell, and his poetry is often quoted throughout the novel - the descriptive and dark language used by Duffy often seems a mimicry of the poet. His account of "the outlaw life of Arthur Rimbaud" draws you in from the beginning. Anachronistically, the prologue serves as an insight into the life of Rimbaud's mother after his death, revealing the contrasting views of Rimbaud's mother and the town of Charleville. Arthur is the bane of her life; Arthur is their hero and claim to fame.

The anachronistic treatment of the story does not mean you lose your way through the maze of Arthur Rimbaud's life; Duffy's skillfully crafted story merely keeps you on your toes. The past seems to serve as an explanation for the current actions of the characters, which suits the novel's prologue: In some ways the later chapters exist as a teleological explanation of Madame Rimbaud's attitude towards her son. Really, an excellent narrative hook. Why does this woman despise her son so much? Read on, dear Monsieur et Madame, read on...

The novel is to be released on the 17th November 2011 - and I'm very grateful to DoubleDay to be able to have this early viewing.

Back to normality, starting with the Monster

Hello, my fellow book-lovers. Everything has become more settled now I'm in my third week of my MA; back into the swing of things as it were. So I'm back to writing reviews biweekly, as promised. Also as promised, I'm reviewing A Monster Calls.

Patrick Ness's book is aimed at a younger audience, young adults and older children, than the books I have previously reviewed. However, I will argue most heartily that it is a book for all ages, so long as you have a decent-sized box of tissues nearby. This is a devastating story of a young boy coming to terms with the fact that his mother is dying of cancer. Adding to the distressing layers of the novel, the idea for the story was begun by Siobhan Dowd, who lost her own battle against cancer before she could write the book. Ness bravely takes on Dowd's final novel and produces something crushing and brilliant.

The White Devil

I'm sorry that this is late again. It's been an odd and busy week full of illnesses - my poor fiance is very poorly.

This week's novel is The White Devil  by Justin Evans.

Welcome to Harrow School. A private school for the elite of England. When he was younger, and not quite mad, bad and dangerous to know, it was the school of Lord Byron. Centuries later, some of his best kept secrets come to light... starting with a murder on the school grounds.

Well put together, with interesting twists. Best read in a well lit room, preferably during day-light.

So you want to be a reveur?

The Night Circus - Online Game

Above is a link to a small game based on the lovely novel. You choose cards, you collect mementoes and your story progresses... where will the circus take you?

Consequences, and the Growth of Love

This lovely little tome dropped through my letter box this morning. An adult fable, eighty-eight pages in total - I devoured it in an hour - it's even beautifully illustrated with Victorianesque silhouettes. What more could you ask for? And Mr Kaufman does have a wonderful sense of humour, at times as liquorice-black as the novella's end-pages.

Dark, beautiful, sentimental.

If you hadn't already guessed, I really enjoyed this novella.

The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman

Other books by Andrew Kaufman: All My Friends Are Superheroes and The Waterproof Bible

The Tiny Wife

I am writing to apologise for the delay of this review! However, a lovely copy of Andrew Kaufman's The Tiny Wife has dropped through my door this morning, so I'll be reviewing that today to make up for it - I'm kind of glad I waited, aren't you?

An Opportunity and The Circus

On 6th August 2011, I awoke to a package I was not expecting. Curious, I pried open the stiff cardboard packaging and spilled the contents onto my duvet. The cover of the debut novel from Erin Morgenstern caught my eye instantly, the quote from Audrey Niffenegger wafted at the sparks of curiosity, and at the first line, there was fire.

So begins my blog. Cliched, I know. A beautiful and magical novel and a letter wishing me well with my reading and hoping to hear from me soon. My aim in this blog is to review one book every two weeks, starting with all the of the proof copies of books I have received from Waterstone's since I began signing up for them in July 2010 (there's quite a pile by now). All of the books have their own special qualities and backgrounds, and I want to share what I love (or dislike) about them. Starting with the book that inspired the project: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Ms Morgenstern's novel is due to be released in thirty-five days, and I heartily recommend you go out and buy it as soon as it hits the shelves. In fact, do one better and pre-order it, you won't regret it, I assure you. I don't push aside research and tea for nothing, and that is precisely what I have been doing for the past three days whilst in pursuit of the conclusion to The Night Circus. Though, if I'm honest, I wish I'd read a little slower because, in the end, the sun always rises too early on the circus...

Pre-order Ms Morgenstern's book

Related articles: An article from The Wall Street Journal on The Night Circus, NaNoWriMo Writer Lands 6-Figure Deal After 30 Rejections, Indigo Blog: The Night Circus.