Wednesday 16 February 2011

Scarlett Thomas and Sally Vickers


My first Scarlett Thomas book “Popco” attracted my attention because of the interesting cover.  I read the first page in the shop and was hooked.  I don’t know if you ever get that rush when you realise that you have found a brilliant new author?   I read that first book three times and then rushed back to get “The End of Mr Y” the following week.  Popco makes you think a lot about advertising and commercialism and what it does to us.  Interestingly  enough, it also rekindled my interest in maths and code breaking!  The End of Mr Y is a stranger book, less grounded in reality.  Parts of it are bleak, but the ending makes you feel hopeful.  Her latest book, “Our Tragic Universe”, is not as good as Popco but I probably liked it better than The End of Mr Y.  It is not as bleak as Mr Y and the ending is far more satisfying.     

Sharing the shelf with Scarlett is Sally Vickers.  Her gentle books are undemanding but still keep your interest.  “Miss Garnet’s Angel” is the story of a retired school teacher discovering Venice.  She goes for a holiday and just never goes home.  I love the way she decides to stay and immerses herself in her new life.  “Mr Golightly’s Holiday” is a different kind of holiday.  The mysterious Mr G decides to take his holiday in an English village.  Whilst you read the book you start to realise who he really is, as well as learning about the lives of his neighbours.


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