Tag: books

Blue-Eyed Dissident

There is something fascinating about Russia. For so long hidden behind the ‘iron curtain’, the world’s largest nation (geographically speaking) is an enigma, a private, pariah state. Indeed, for an entity so colossal it seems odd that our impressions in the west are largely forged by the dominant presence on the international stage of Vladimir Putin and a few oligarchs drifting around the world in super yachts, buying up football teams and the most expensive property in vulgar, ostentatious displays of wealth. However, we also know that in its cultural heyday, Mother Russia has contributed some of the most profound works of literature, music, art, philosophy and dance, the world has ever witnessed. Still, the country that gave us Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Chagall and Nureyev has also cultivated an important line of dissident figures: Solzhenitsyn, Sakharov, Nemtsov and most recently Alexei Navalny.

This compelling biography is Navalny’s life in his own words. New York Times bestseller, Sunday Times bestseller, British book awards 2025, the international accolades all the more remarkable, when the reader remembers the poisoning of the author in 2020 by the Russian security services. It was a global event, in the wake of which, Navalny began to write. Once recovered that he was driven to return to his homeland, in spite of the consequences, is a measure of the man and the book includes his prison diaries, published here for the first time. In 2024 Navalny died in a brutal Siberian prison. Yet, this book is remarkably uplifting and speaks to the spirit of a man unwilling to be silenced, unwilling to look the other way, determined to challenge the corruption that he believed has blighted his nation.

“The only moments in our lives that count for anything are those when we do the right thing, when we don’t have to look down at the table but can raise our heads and can look each other in the eye. Nothing else matters.”

I listened to the audiobook version (which I had reserved on ‘Borrowbox’ and it was well worth the wait), narrated superbly by Matthew Goode. 16 hours, 47 minutes. Harrowing at times, bleak and at the same time absorbing, unfailingly positive and to my surprise, inspirational. 

I immersed myself in ‘Patriot’ soon after ‘Politics on the Edge’ by Rory Stewart and while I was struck by the courage of the British politician, Navalny assumed the status of a different order. Few men (or women), in my lifetime, have reached genuine ‘hero’ status – Mandela; Obama; Churchill; but I am now minded to add Navalny! Perhaps, we can still count on Russia to fascinate… and to horrify at times, but even in adversity, we may also find voices to amplify and admire. This posthumous critique of contemporary Russia, is a fine example, from a self-confessed patriot.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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.

Revenge on Repeat…

This was my first experience of Brennig Jones’ work and I came to the author’s indie novel, published in January 2023, with an open mind and came away with some really positive first impressions. There is a sense of latent risk when the reader pulls a book from the top of the tbr pile (assuming s/he hasn’t researched in advance), but also a surging sense of possibilities and Mr Jones did not disappoint. Of course, the odds of a favourable encounter may have been mitigated by our shared location in Wales and our respective military backgrounds (mine was orientated towards aircraft), but in any event the thrilling plot zipped along like a windsurfer off Copacabana beach.

Die-hard ‘thrillers’, as a genre, can feel a little passe at times, yet if well-written, well-paced and plausible (though improbable), the sense of excitement can touch a sweet-spot that suspends the reader’s disbelief in favour of an adrenaline-fuelled page turner.

What sets ‘Tempest’ apart is the unusual main character, Laura Guerra and the quirky time loop in which she is trapped. That the author should cast a female anti-hero in the context of a struggle against a dark, malevalent and violent foe seems counterintuitive. However, though Laura is notionally 28, she is locked into a groundhog existence that restarts after a year, or until she dies, whichever comes first. Through this perpetual rewind mechanism, Laura has developed a formidable range of skills and abilities and honed a plan to deliver deserved retribution. She is also isolated within this lonely crusade, that is until this latest cycle.

I found the concept intriguing and Laura’s character gained added depth by her exposure to friends and lover. Of course, the execution of the plan with its bangs and blasts and tech’ are an important element of the story, but this reader was also left wanting to know more about Laura and what next for her? So, I was delighted to read that this is book one in a trilogy, with the second novel, “Storm” released in January 2024 and the final installment, “Hurricane” currently ‘in production’.

Brennig Jones’ writing style is well-researched and atmospheric, as the story alights in contrasting global locations. Definitely thrilling, but also laced with food-for-thought, ‘Tempest’ has proven a tantalizing appetizer.

Rating: 4 out of 5.