Month: January 2026

A Love Letter to the ‘Bard of Avon’

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Can there be a finer advocate for the joy of Shakespeare than one of the plays’ greatest contemporary performers? Dame Judi Dench is undoubtedly a ‘national treasure’ and this book (part biography) reads like the transcript of a conversation between friends, or a very informal interview, but alights on various plays by the Bard and enables Ms Dench to reminisce about her career in key roles, but also to unpack the stories from the actor’s perspective. There is more than a hint of nostalgia and given her long career, the author has played alongside a who’s who of British theatre (e.g. Olivier, Gielgud, Branagh) and worked with the finest directors, but the book is far more than a vehicle for name-dropping, replete with thoughtful insights into Dame Judi’s approach and her actor’s take on the emotional underpinning of a range of characters. The to and fro with Brendan O’Hea also gives the narrative depth and keeps it interesting throughout. Much more than a simple bio’ (though clearly the author has the material), it felt like eavesdropping a far more interesting exchange.

“There’s something for everybody in Shakespeare. Everything you have felt or are yet to feel are all in there in his plays: oppression, ambition, loneliness, remorse, everything. If you need to understand jealousy, read Othello or Winter’s Tale; if you’re in love, listen to Romeo and Juliet……his writing has the capacity to make us feel less alone.”

Of course, over her career, Judi Dench has nurtured a special relationship with the work of William Shakespeare (he is after all credited with paying the author’s rent), but for those of us who have not had that opportunity, or might be curious, this book provides a wonderful glimpse into why Shakespeare remains a cultural and literary touchstone, over four hundred years after his death. And for those who are familiar with the plays, the perspective of one of the bard’s greatest living exponents offers fascinating insights into his continuing relevance.

Check out too, the grand dame’s accompanying sketches, which lend a further informality and interest to a really worthwhile read.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Eva Molenaar – Hunted & Hunter

Overall I have enjoyed the five book series describing Eva Molenaar’s wartime adventures, which, in this final episode, tracks into an uncertain post war period, wherein powerful forces are seeking to dominate a new international order. With intrigue aplenty, there’s still a role for the diverse skillset of Eva, Brandt, de Witte, et al, drawn together, despite the diminishing drumbeat of conflict, for one last hurrah.

The book has the feel of a finale, with the familiar cast of characters reassembled for one last bow. Even spymaster, Chainbridge, is winkled out of retirement, but having survived the war, can their luck hold? For Eva and Brandt particularly, their relationship having withstood recent years of separation (the latter having been incarcerated in some Russian hell hole), the stakes are set high. It’s to the author’s credit that Mr Craven manages the plot threads of drama and romance, turmoil and poignancy, humanity and tyranny with the assuredness of an accomplished storyteller. The villains are despicable, the heroes unassuming, but determined and similarly ruthless.

The ending also takes no prisoners, though having bought into the group’s journey across five volumes, the culmination of their collective sacrifice seemed somehow deflating. Perhaps, the message is deliberately philosophical, when it comes to war, there can be no ‘winners’….

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.