lunababymoonchild

My copy is the Wordsworth Classics one, complete and unabridged, containing the banned chapter 9 and translated by Constance Garnett. It is seen by some critics (it says on the back) as Dostoevsky's masterpiece. I can't comment on that because I haven't read his other work. This book is long, almost 700 pages and the story proper doesn't start until page 600. Thus it requires a bit of stamina to get there but once there the reader is rewarded with multiple murders and much drama. The prose is marvellous and that's what kept me reading. There is a wealth of characters (around 50) and some of the main players have two different names that they are referred to e.g. the first character we are introduced to is Stepan Trofimovitch Verhovensky. Most of the time he is referred to as Stepan Trofimovitch but sometimes as Verhovensky. This can be confusing and I found the constant using of first names and second names when referring to a character distracting too e.g. even with dialogue Stepan Trofimovitch was referred to as Stepan Trofimovitch, and just when you were getting used to this he would be referred to as Verhovensky. Some characters only have one name so there's a lot to get a hold of. The story is based on a real life murder and the characters are written about extensively. Some get away and some don't. I did not guess the ending, which was good for me. I found this tough going and somewhat dense to get into but once I was there it was marvellous. Recommended but only if you are willing to make an effort.

A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness

Just got halfway through the first part of The Art of Drumming for the second time. It's a series and boy it took a bit to get a hold of the rhythms they were talking about, even the Heavy Metal ones.

A Discovery of Witches was very good Madeleine, I've seen it and look forward to the next episode

They are here :Books of Val McDermid

I get condemned everywhere I go for being loud and outspoken and nobody supports me. I'm still loud and outspoken. Serena Williams broke the rules. Rules that she is familiar with and adheres to everywhere else. I saw part of her outburst, she told the umpire that she had a daughter, what does that have to do with the price of chips? Is Serena now exempt from the rules?

I watched John McEnroe at Wimbledon - in these days you could barely get tennis in colour let alone 'foreign' tournaments - and I don't recall him ever smashing a racquet to smithereens on court. And he suffered a great deal for his tantrums. One year the Wimbledon referee called McEnroe into his office and told him that if he disrupted the tournament that year he would be instantly disqualified and banned for life. It's amazing how quickly he learned to keep his mouth shut. And now that he's on the senior circuit the audience expect him to have a tantrum as some of them get tickets and travel just to see that. Serena's coach admitted that he was coaching her from the side of the court but the fact that 'everybody else does it and gets away with it' doesn't make it OK. Serena is not a new competitor, she knows the rules and she knows the prejudices and she has won that tournament before so she knows what she needs to do. Giving birth isn't an excuse to have a tantrum, imho.

Fear: Trump in the White House, Bob Woodward

I have bought this in hardback and await it's delivery

Don't you think that you should get that examined by a health care professional? I'm glad that you are alive though, so well done on evasive manoeuvres

Thank you Momac, I've been swithering about this so I might just get it

Obviously I did not know that Meg to the rescue!

Well done!

I wasn't aware that there was a rule against members posting their own poetry so go right ahead!

Hello Poppy and welcome. Please continue to post where ever you like and feel free to start a thread