Books: New Review: A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
The title may suggest a work of non-fiction, and its chapters headed by snippets from a real-life guide, but Suzanne Joinson’s stylish debut is actually a wonderfully literary slip into time. In 1923 Eva, an avid lady cyclist, arrives at the ancient Silk Route city of Kasgar with her sister Lizzie to help [...]
Exhibition: Little Black Jacket
When Karl Lagerfeld gets to work with Vogue-supremo Carine Roitfeld at his side, the results weren’t likely to have been anything but perfect.
What’s On: Homeland
Intelligentsia: Claire Danes as Carrie Matheson in Homeland. Image: Channel Four. Caitlin Williams watches the start of US thriller, Homeland’s, second series, with baited breath. The start of the second season of Homeland is already racing across our screens like a bullet shot from the barrel of Tom Walker’s gun. Starting several months [...]
New Review: Peaches for Monsieur le Curé by Joanne Harris
From the best-selling author of Chocolat, Peaches for Monsieur le Curé returns to the life of master chocolatier Vianna Rocher, who moved eight years previously to the sleepy French village of Lansquenet and tempted life and passion back to into the souls of its inhabitants by opening a chocolate boutique opposite the stifling church. Vianna [...]
New Review: You and I by Emily Gillmor Murphy
However confidently you stride around campus it is difficult to shake off the distinct awkwardness that surrounds all first years, says Sarah Weir, and You and I is the most resonant new novel out there. In her debut novel, Emily Gillmor Murphy proves herself to be one of very few writers able to [...]
New Review: The Radleys by Matt Haig
If you’re still waiting for Edward Cullen to grow up, you need to read The Radleys says Catherine Brett. Matt Haig, a former University of Leeds student, somehow manages to twist the vampire legend into a modern story with a gritty edge in this surprising gem of a book. The Radleys are a normal [...]
Theatre | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Review
4/5 stars In this adaptation of ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ everything does what it says on the tin. Heroine Maggie ‘the Cat’ (Zoe Boyle) slinks, purrs and pounces in her attempts to seduce her stoic husband, Brick (Jamie Parker), who, true to his name, is stony and silent in the face of her [...]
Dance | Friday Firsts #1: Bish Bash Bosh
3/5 stars The programme for ‘Bish Bash Bosh’ stated that one should expect “a most unpredictable evening of dance”…and it was exactly that! Showcasing work from groups, duos and solo performers, the audience were exposed to a variety of pieces; from a dance involving a cello, to a girl throwing spaghetti across the room. The [...]
Classic of the Week: The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky
‘The whole casino was crowding around… I experienced some sort of irresistible pleasure in snatching and raking in the banknotes… The experienced player knows what this ‘capricious luck’ means.’ Capriciousness is one of the main themes in this tale of intriguing obsession; a tale Dean Moriarty would be proud of no doubt. Aleksy Ivanovich, [...]