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February 2007 Dear Parents, Re: Recommended One of our departmental resolutions for this year is to try to encourage even more reading in the King’s School community. With the start of a New Year, the approach of World Book Day next month, and as we revise our pupil reading lists, we thought you might be inspired, or even amused, to see what books featured amongst the English Department’s top five reads! Our criteria were emphatically not that they were worthy reads; we simply wanted to share with you books that mean something to us and ones that, above all, we have loved reading and re-reading. Enjoy them! 5 great reads from Dr Craddock
Don Quixote by Cervantes. Just re-published in an exciting new translation, this is one of the great novels of all time and contains two of literature’s most famous characters. The book-obsessed knight Don Quixote, who cannot tell the difference between illusion and reality, has become an enduring symbol of man’s quest for transcendence and a definition of our humanity. Long and difficult at times, it remains a funny, sad and wise book which stands in the same relation to all subsequent novels as Plato does to philosophy. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. The best book I have read recently: a tale of human cloning told in the inimitably understated style of Ishiguro that grows in the reading to become a searing indictment of some of the darker aspects of modern consumerism and scientific materialism, as well as an affirmation of what really matters in life. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Apart from occasional departures into idiosyncratic biographical detail, this is a quite brilliant and enjoyable book that explains almost everything from the Big Bang to super volcanoes and relativity. Bryson makes accessible the fascinating but erudite worlds of modern scientific discovery and answers those questions of how life began, why we are here, what relativity is and so on in a way that all can understand. Emma by Jane Austen. Not the greatest, but surely the most perfect novel in English. Told with a Mozartian charm, elegance and sense of form that scarcely finds a word out of place, this story of the growth of a heroine to maturity combines depth and wit with an absolute mastery of a given world that have rarely been surpassed. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien. Love it or loathe it, this is now ranked amongst the top three best sellers of all time on our planet. In some ways it is a children’s book in its celebration of innocence and the imagination, with a plot that poignantly enacts their loss. In others, it is the defining adult epic of our time evoking a world we have swapped for technological and industrial progress. It’s a book which combines so much from nobility to sadness and a delight in some of the simpler things in life. It has the raw excitement of a fabulous plot where good and evil are reassuringly demarcated, and a religious sense of history mingles with a marvellous variety of landscapes and invented life. 5 great reads from Mrs Harrison This was the novel which I had to study at O-Level and it has remained a firm favourite ever since. Despite the criticism levelled at it from the structural point of view, it is a remarkable exploration of passion; a shared sense of identity; the power of the supernatural and a vivid evocation of atmosphere.
The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald. This novel perfectly captures the haunting and elusive nature of the enigmatic American Dream. The attention to the features of the time and place is superb and in Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates a fascinating, mysterious and ultimately tragic figure. Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Hardy is adept at using his To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is another novel which I have read over and over again and it never fails to move me. Told with humour, warmth and sensitivity through the eyes of the young Scout, the prejudices of the American South are emphasised in such a way that the message still has relevance for us today. The Mousehole Cat by Antonia Barber, illustrated by Nicola Bayley. This is a real delight and a wonderful book for all ages. It is beautifully crafted and illustrated. Inspired by the old Cornish legend of Tom Bawcock who braved the ferocious storms to save the villagers of Mousehole from starvation, the author and illustrator succeed in creating an outstanding book to treasure. 5 great reads from Mr Walker A Pale View of Hills – Kazuo Ishiguro Etsuko, a middle-aged Japanese widow now living alone in An Equal Music – Vikram Seth Vikram Seth's An Equal Music tells the story of a doomed love affair involving two professional musicians living and working in
The Mayor of Casterbridge – Thomas Hardy One of the best known and most critically acclaimed of Hardy’s novels, The Mayor of Casterbridge is the story of Michel Henchard. Henchard is a country labourer who in the first chapters of the book gets drunk while he and his wife are travelling and, stopping at a fair, he promptly sells both her and his child. When we rejoin him, several years later, Henchard has managed to accumulate wealth and respect becoming mayor of the town of One of Hardy’s most ingenious and compelling stories, The Mayor of Casterbridge combines tales of rustic
Camilla or A Picture of Youth – Fanny Burney Published in 1796, this is the third of Fanny Burney’s novels (another good read being Evelina.) Although she is not a particularly fashionable novelist at present, she is widely regarded as a poor person’s Jane Austen but her novels are well crafted and defy such a patronising description. While involving a huge cast of characters, the story focuses on the fortunes of Camilla Tyrold, daughter of a respectable but relatively humble rector in Hampshire. As with the tales of Austen, there is much gently satirical discussion of courtship. A lively story with dramatic twists, social comment and a healthy dose of sentiment, Camilla explores ‘the human heart in its feelings and changes.’ (
Mrs Dalloway – Virginia Woolf
The inspiration for the recent novel and film, The Hours, the novel tells the story of a dramatic day in the life of Mrs. Dalloway, a 5 great reads from Miss Wise
Whilst technically it is a poem I have to put it in as a great read and as my favourite piece of literature in English. With thee conversing, I forget all time, All seasons, and their change; all please alike. Carry On, Jeeves by P.G Wodehouse. I have chosen the first in this series just to get you started. This is an excellent series of novels that have a timeless charm, an effortless sense of comedy and some of the best loved characters of the twentieth century. Cow creamers, water spaniels, American millionaires, the dreaded Aunt Agatha, school prizegivings, deadly rugby matches and an infinite number of engagements, through these books we enter a world of delights where Bertie Wooster, is guided by the inimitable Jeeves. Bertie ends up in every possible escapade and it depends on Jeeves to put the grey matter to use to rescue the situation and most of the time the young master! Cheerio! The 39 Steps by John Buchan. From the moment he meets the mysterious man waiting outside his flat, Richard Hannay’s life is under threat. Returning home to find his guest skewered to the floor, he starts on a desperate quest to solve the mystery of the thirty nine steps, and prevent an international disaster. Pursued by the police and the killers Hannay escapes to the Scottish moors where he needs all his cunning to stay one step ahead in the game of cat and mouse. He needs to persuade someone in the British government that he is telling the truth but will he have time. This book keeps me enthralled throughout, and every time I read it I get caught up in the adventures and whether Hannay will make it in time. Buchan is a master of suspense and The 39 Steps is a real page-turner that draws the reader into the web of tension and excitement. I have an avid passion for crime and thriller books and would have to take this one to any desert island. The Iliad by Homer. The recent prose translation by Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. I was weighing up so many good books written for children to put into this spot and was torn between Winnie the Pooh by A. A Milne, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Danny. I settled on the latter because it is a book I happily read over an over again each year. I find myself drawn into Danny’s world, a time not so long ago but far enough before computers, mobiles, the internet and television took over our lives. Danny’s plan to save his father’s business plotted from their little caravan is absolute genius, and the escapades that follow capture a generation of children’s books so often glossed over. The characters, as always with Dahl, are entertainingly true to life, and it is impossible not to want to identify with Danny as he sets about to make a fool of the nasty Victor Hazell by poaching every last pheasant off his land before the big shooting party arrives. 5 great reads from Mrs Stafford Barbara Kingsolver Poisonwood Bible The story of an American missionary’s family in Stella Gibbons Cold Comfort Farm Stella Gibbons wrote many other books but none touch this. Flora Poste creates order out of chaos but waits in vain to learn of her rights. This is a joy to read, not spoiled by some of the more florid descriptive passages Gibbons put in to poke fun at writers such as Mary Webb. E.M. Delafield Diary of a Provincial Lady This is a fictional diary of a married lady’s life in the 1930s. The humour that runs throughout it is barbed at times, which prevents the book from being just too cosy. It also gives a fascinating view of pre-war life. I’ve just reread this and realised how much I missed the first time around. This is the story of the five people who were on a bridge in Anthony Trollope The Way We Live Now Most of Trollope’s characters get what they deserve in the end, which is generally satisfying to read. His plots are well-crafted and his writing so perceptive that we can even feel some sympathy for the villain at the end. 5 great reads from Mrs. R. E. Stickland.
I first read this wonderfully passionate, romantic novel during my time at school, but have since read it several more times. From the very first page, the drama and mystery never fail to draw me into the book. Each time I read it, I am unable to put it down. I always fall in love with the rough, rugged hero, Heathcliff, and as a teenager I imagined that he was in love with me, rather than the heroine, Cathy! An amazingly good story set in the in the beautiful wilds of The Bible, particularly It is no accident that the presenters of Desert island Discs always include a copy of the Bible as one of the books to take! Packed with wonderful stories, history, poetry and amazing truths you need never be short of something to read! I especially recommend The Path to This is a true story of a journey on foot from Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee. Another autobiographical book, it has stayed with me ever since I first read it. Set in a small Cotswold village near Stroud in the early nineteenth century, it is a moving account of Laurie Lee’s childhood from his earliest memories until he becomes too big to live at home and is sent off to seek his fortune with just a few belongings and a violin. The follow-on book As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning is about his experiences as a young adult, travelling through Boy – Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl. Boy especially appealed to me as so much of Roald Dahl’s childhood was spent in The sequel, Going Solo, an account of his early adulthood in 5 great reads from Mrs Connell
Tinker, Tailor by John Le Carre This novel encapsulates the cold war in the 1970s, but it is also about the nature of truth and betrayal and human weakness; wonderful English writing. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte A rallying call for all feminists and romanticists; endlessly copied but nothing comes near it. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett This book introduces Sam Vimes, captain of the city night watch, for the first time. I love Terry Pratchett and Sam Vimes is a great hero who goes on to feature in many other stories. Dangerous Davies by Leslie Thomas Leslie Thomas is a very underrated British writer who tells entertaining stories with warmth and humour. Spies! by Michael Frayn A remarkable novel about children caught up in an adult world during WW2; the plot construction is impressive and Frayn’s portrayal of human nature stays with you for a long time. 5 great reads from Mr Brigg The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro A fascinating book in which people’s narrow, parochial attitudes are prevalent, and our tendency to see the small picture rather than the big picture is satirised. Life of Pi by Yann Martel A totally absorbing account of a boy’s journey across the Pacific in a small boat with a live wild tiger- alarming and full of symbolism! Birdsong Sebastian Faulks A very moving account of life in the First World War- a beautifully written and horrifying description of trench warfare. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor A sad story of a small girl who is lost to her parents and re-discovers them years later. Trevor is an incredibly intense writer with passages that can move you to tears. A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell This twelve book series follows the life of various public schoolboys. It is interesting to observe the contrasting fates of the children: some of the stars at school fade away whereas some of the failures find true success. 5 great reads from Mrs Youldon
The Three Musketeers Alexander Dumas. Set mainly in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Jean Dominique Bauby This is a translation from French of the memoirs of the relatively young author, from the moment he suffered a massive stroke that left him with an able mind trapped in a very unable body. The book details every day events for a person in this state and the thoughts that pass through the authors head. In order to write the book an assistant recited the alphabet until Bauby blinked at the correct letter to be written down. Although this book is not the best technically, it does provide a harrowing insight into the emotions of a human being trapped by this medical condition. Frenchman’s Creek Daphne du Maurier The beautiful headstrong Lady Dona St. Columb escapes the stifling The Lady and the Unicorn Tracey Chevalier Set in Mr God This Is Anna Fynn Fynn finds Anna as an abused runaway roaming the streets of |
