I know that many of you are a fan of this novel by Fredrik Backman. Now made into an American film with Tom Hanks as Otto. I also loved the book and the Swedish film, where the man is called Ove. Yesterday evening the author visited Malmö together with the American film version. Before the film was shown, Backman was interviewed on stage and told us a little bit of the background to the character. It seems he 'collects' real life characters and situations, which he then puts in a mental storage. These characters tend to jump out when he finds a suitable place for them in a story. Backman has a lot of humour, which I think we all see in his writings. He also has a very good eye for how we live our lives. I really loved this version with Tom Hanks. He seems perfect for the role. I think not an eye was dry in the salon during the film. It was well transferred into an American setting, and worked well there as well. Which might mean that Backman has written a universal story. I can definitely recognise myself in some of the things Otto does. Even if I don't point it out, I think about how people behave, and scan't they get their act together. I have also read My Grandmother Asks Me To Tell You She's Sorry. It is also a tragic, comical story and so well describes people and events in Sweden. However, I think they can be recognised everywhere in the world. I really loved this version with Tom Hanks. He seems perfect for the role. I think not an eye was dry in the salon during the film. It was well transferred into an American setting, and worked well there as well. Which might mean that Backman has written a universal story. I can definitely recognise myself in some of the things Otto does. Even if I don't point it out, I think about how people behave, and thinking, why can't they get their act together. Have you read the book and seen the film? What do you think?

While travelling in Portugal and was about to visit Estoril after a week in Lisbon, I found a recommendation on a travel blog for Neill Lochery’s book Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-45. Historian Neill Lochery is a specialist on Portuguese history, it is well researched, and makes for exciting reading. We are talking about spies, diplomacy, refugees and businesses, where Lisbon was a hub at the time. It was the only way out of Europe for those who needed and wanted to leave. "Lisbon had a pivotal role in the history of World War II, though not a gun was fired there. The only European city in which both the Allies and the Axis power operated openly, it was temporary home to much of Europe’s exiled royalty, over one million refugees seeking passage to the U.S., and a host of spies, secret police, captains of industry, bankers, prominent Jews, writers and artists, escaped POWs, and black marketeers. An operations officer writing in 1944 described the daily scene at Lisbon’s airport as being like the movie Casablanca, times twenty.” As you can imagine from the introduction above, this is an exciting part of, not only Portuguese, but European history. Estoril today is a quiet place. The famous Estoril Casino looks a little bit run down, but might be elegant on the inside. “The interior of the casino bore a resemblance to the gambling room in Rick’s Café in the film Casablanca, but on a grander scale. Among those who played at its tables during the war was a young British intelligence officer, Ian Fleming, who took inspiration from both the casino and the hotel for his future James Bond books.” “… Lisbon became affectionately knows as “Casablanca II.” The real-life version had all the ingredients of the fictional storyline: broken romances; desperate refugees trying to obtain the correct paperwork and selling the family jewels to finance their onward passage; a thriving black market as supply dictated that the prices of diamonds and other rare stones fell to record low levels; cafés and hotel bars full of refugees and spies scattered across the city center and along Lisbon’s coastline resorts.“ Lochery guides us through the Allies' and Axis' powers and their diplomatic efforts and spy games. It was the time of dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, who had come to power in 1932, and left only in 1968. He was a workaholic, had several minister post at the same time, and spent the war time years trying to keep neutrality for Portugal, as well as keeping up businesses. One of the most important commodities at the time, the wolfram, or tungsten, was eagerly sought after, especially by the Axis. That is how Portugal got hold of an immense amount of gold, of which, it is believed, there might still be some hidden in banks in Portugal. For those interested, Lochery’s book has much more to tell. Not all refugees were lucky enough to have money and many tragedies happened. Politics, allies vs axis, diplomacy, economy and, in the end, the people who tried to do something. Sometimes successfully, other times not. If you are interested in Portugal you can read The Content Reader Newsletter where I have several articles on our trip around the north western part of the country.

This is a difficult book, at least it was for me. I was about to give it up 4-5 times before I got my act together. The last time was on my way to Lisbon, just before Christmas. I thought it would be easier to read while I was there, but decided to give up already on the flight there. Probably because I was so tired, having been up very early. If you have read my newsletter you know that already on the first day I had an encounter with Saramago, and Pessoa (link to newsletter) since we ended up at the restaurant that both authors frequently visited. It turned out we had chosen the same table as Saramago used to sit at, and behind me on the wall was a picture of him. 'Noblesse oblige' as they say and I realised, there and then, I had to finish his book. “If proofreaders were given their freedom and did not have their hands and feet tied by a mass of prohibitions more binding than the penal code, they would soon transform the face of the world, establish the kingdom of universal happiness, giving drink to the thirsty, food to the famished, peace to those who live in turmoil, joy to the sorrowful ... for they would be able to do all these things simply by changing the words ..." The power of the word is evident in Portuguese author José Saramago's novel, The History of the Siege of Lisbon. His protagonist, a proofreader named Raimundo Silva, adds a key word to a history of Portugal and thus rewrites not only the past, but also his own life." The story sounded intriguing, and is, but I found the way in which it was written difficult. There is only text, no air on the page; hardly any full stops, the sentences just linger over page after page; the dialogue is included in the text, without citation marks or any other hint; a comma here and there (not visible in the text below). “Every novel is like this, desperation, a frustrated attempt to save something of the past. Except that it still has not been established whether it is the novel that prevents man from forgetting himself or the impossibility of forgetfulness that makes him write novels. I persisted, and I am happy about that. I did find the beginning mystifying, but then there was only long discussions, or monologues, leading nowhere. After half the book the story picked up and I found myself enjoying this part. Maybe because I was walking the same streets as Saramago’s protagonists, could see where they were heading, where Silva was living and understand the hilly nature of any walk in Lisbon. The prose and descriptions of the surroundings, the people, the houses, life and love is beautiful. There are so much wisdom hidden in the lines of this book. When I really took the time to immerse myself into it, I saw it with different eyes. Just look at this extract from the novel. So much information hidden in a description of Silva having his morning coffee. “Raimundo Silva entered, said good morning to no one in particular, and sat at a table behind the showcase where the usual tempting delicacies were on display, sponges, mille feuilles, cream cornets, tartlets, rice cakes, mokatines and, those inevitable croissants, in the shape dictated by the French word, a pastry that has risen only to collapse at the first bite and disintegrate until there are nothing but crumbs left on the plate, tiny celestial bodies which the huge wet finger of Allah is lifting to his mouth, then all that remains will be a terrible cosmic void, if being and nothingness are compatible.” José de Sousa Saramago (1922-2010) received the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature for his " parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony [with which he] continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality.” I am eager to read something else by him, just to compare this novel to others he wrote. Have you read anything by him? What can you recommend?

Thank you to all of you who introduced me to this book. Although a great book, a modern classic, I find it very difficult to review. It leaves so many questions unanswered, but maybe that is why it gives you the impression it is a story beyond life. When her mother dies, eleven-year-old Unn goes to live with her aunt. At school she is keeping her distance although the class mates are eager let her into their community. Siss is the leader and feels rejected when she cannot draw Unn into her sphere. It all changes when Unn one day invites Siss over after school. The meeting is somewhat mysterious. Two teenage girls discovering each other. Unn says she has a secret to share with Siss, but not now. Siss is not entirely comfortable, and after some time she goes home. Both girls feel revived after the meeting, although next morning Unn feels she cannot face Siss and decides to visit the Ice Palace. It is a frozen waterfall, that looks like a palace. She goes in and out of different ‘rooms’ and enters further into the palace, until she cannot go further. The disappearance generates a general research for several days, without result. Siss was the last one who saw Unn and everyone is sure that she knows something. That Unn revealed a clue to her disappearance. "It was only something I said ! "I don't think so. I can see you know something. What did Unn say ?” "I can't tell you.” "Why not ?" "Because it wasn't like that, she didn't say it ! And she didn't say a word about hiding." Tarjei Vesaas was born in Telemark in Norway. He was ridden by guilt since he refused to take over the family farm. His youth was mostly spent in solitude where he was seeking comfort and solace in nature. His literary career spans over 50 years, writing about simple rural people exposed to some psychological drama. All these aspects are clearly visible in The Ice Palace. Beautiful prose and description of nature, and above all the ice palace. He takes you with him on a visible tour of the surrounding landscape in this story. A landscape where people has not yet taken over. Although the novel does not give you any clear answers, you can feel the underlying tension of the two teenage girls, who is venturing towards a grown up world. Relationship, underlying sexual tension, secrets and maybe a hint of wanting to put a mark in the world. The drama and the beauty of the story makes this a magical read.

I actually listened to this book. It came recommended from book bloggers/vloggers and I loved it. A different kind of detective story. Alan Conway is a bestselling crime writer. His editor, Susan Ryeland, has worked with him for years, and she's intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. Alan's traditional formula pays homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. It's proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job. When Susan receives Alan's latest manuscript, in which Atticus Pünd investigates a murder at Pye Hall, an English manor house, she has no reason to think it will be any different from the others. There will be dead bodies, a cast of intriguing suspects, and plenty of red herrings and clues. But the more Susan reads, the more she’s realizes that there's another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript—one of ambition, jealousy, and greed—and that soon it will lead to murder. The story definitely takes you to Agatha Christie and it is difficult not to make comparisons between Atticus Pünd and Hercule Poirot. It is like reading one of her mystery books about the famous detective. The story also has much of Christie's genius way of telling a mystery. However, Horowitz has built up the story in quite an unusual manner. I will not reveal it here, since I think it will be a big spoiler. You just have to trust me that it is an exciting thriller which takes unexpected turns. It is also as difficult to guess the culprit as in a Christie mystery. While recommending the book to a Swedish friend, and looking for the Swedish title, I came on the information that is has been made into a TV-series. Wow, I thought, I just have to watch it. Turned out that I had already seen it, but did not connect it to this book. Of course, the Swedish TV-series title was totally different, but did make sense. I love the show, so I can recommend either the book and/or the TV-series, but probably better to read the book first. Horowitz seems to be a well known author and screen writer and there is a second novel in the Magpie series, Moonflower Murders. Something to look out for.

I reviewed this book back in 2018. Since I have just attended a Beethoven festival last weekend, I came to think of this book. I decided to take it up again, as I have just been attended a Beethoven festival. I write about the festival and Beethoven and his influence on people today in my newsletter this week. The book has an interesting topic, of which I had never heard before. Since I love a real life mystery, it was a must read for me. It seems that when Beethoven died in March 1827, the fifteen-year-old musical protégé Ferdinand Hiller was in Vienna, visiting the composer together with his instructor Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Hiller later wrote: "He lay, weak and miserable, sighing deeply at intervals. Not a word fell from his lips; sweat stood out on his forehead. His handkerchief not being conveniently at hand, Hummel's wife took her fine cambric handkerchief and dried his face again and again. Never shall I forget the grateful glance with which his broken eyes looked upon her." Three days later Beethoven died and a day later they went back to pay their respect. "The two did not remain for long beside the coffin, but before they left, young Hiller asked his teacher if he could cut a lock of the master composer's hair. …Hummel quietly whispered yes to his student, and the two of them were moved by the deep sadness of the moment. Ferdinand Hiller took the scissors he had brought with him, lifted a small lock of Beethoven's long half-gray hair, pulled it away from his head, and cut it free." This is the story of how the hair travelled through the Hiller family in Germany, through the Second World War and Denmark and ended up in the United States with two Beethoven enthusiasts, Dr Alfredo "Che" Guevara and Ira Brilliant. Circumstances made them find a note in Sotheby's catalogue about the sale of a lock of Beethoven's hair. They used part of it to make forensic tests to find out what ailed Beethoven. Now starts an investigation into, not only finding out what medical problems Beethoven had, but also to verify where the hair came from. It is truly a fantastic story of dedication and love for something that belonged to one of our greatest composers. The pair tracked down the hair from Hiller to his children and grandchildren, it travelled to Denmark during the second world war and ended up with a local doctor in the small town of Gilleleje in Denmark, and through his daughter to an auction in London. It is more exciting than any made-up story. (Warning - spoilers) The outcome of the examination of the hair was surprising. Most of the samples contained the normal elements found in hair, but his hair also contained "an average of forty-two times more lead than the control samples did". Walsh, one of the scientist, believed that Beethoven had been "massively poisoned by lead at the time of his death and may have been for decades before". This could also explain his health problems. Of course, in those days, nobody knew how dangerous lead was. A well-written, pedagogical, not too long book about a real life mystery. The authors mix the mystery with facts about Beethoven's life and deeds. It is exciting and when you are in the middle of the search for the Hiller family, it is difficult to put the book down.

Time for another Classic Club Spin, and this month the wheel ended up on # 18. For me that is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I can only say that I will not be able to read it until the dead-line. I bought the physical book recently at the book sales, and, as you know, it is thick. I want to read the great books of Dostoyevsky, but am not ready to do it now. Furthermore, I am travelling and the book is back in Sweden. It just have to sit and rest for a while. In the meantime I am reading another classic author, Stefan Zweig. I visited Salzburg during the weekend and bought two of his books. He lived there for some years. More about him, his life and books later. The visit to his house is a story in itself.

It is quite embarrassing that I have not written any real reviews since the beginning of February. I have been reading a lot, but did not have the urge to write reviews. Maybe, because I have read rather easygoing literature, and although interesting, not necessarily anything to ponder on in a review. Just an excuse for being lazy. I try to remedy the lack of longer reviews with a few shorter ones. Books read in February Red Queen (Reina Roja) by Juan Gómez-Jurado First book in a series of international thrillers with gruesome murders. A special squad is gathered to solve the crimes. A though woman at the front, and an anti-hero police man as the protagonists. The story kept up until the end with some really exciting parts. Agatha Christie reading I have decided to read AC books from the beginning. So far I have read Five Little Pigs, The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule P), The Secret Adversary (T&T), The Murder of the Links (HP) and The Man in the Brown Suit. I mostly liked the HP books. Hercule is often enjoying to read about. Five Little Pigs took a different angle on murder and I enjoyed that. The others were more so, so ... Book Lovers by Emily Henry This book got raving reviews from blogs/vlogs I follow. I was not overwhelmed and thought it dragged out a little bit too much. Maybe for a younger audience than me. Det omaka paret, Tjeckernas och slovakernas historia by Ingmar Karlsson A nonfiction from a former colleague of mine. Ingmar Karlsson has been ambassador to Czechoslovakia and written a short history of the two countries of today, Czechia and Slovakia. Very interesting how two areas were, artificially (?), made into one country and why it did not work. Seven Kinds of People You Find In a Bookshop by Shaun Bythell Loved Bythell's first book and I want to read the second. This one is fine, but I enjoyed the first one more. Aldrig mer trött by Pia Norup Never again tired, sounded like a good title for someone who is tired all the time. It is an interesting book, written by a doctor, who is also en expert on, should I call it, welfare problems. Lots of good advice, and a two week menu that really made all the difference. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Dostoyevsky is a favourite author, but I must admit, I did not understand too much of this story. I found the characters rather irritating in all their undecidedness and flimsiness. Kallocain by Karin Boye I am not much for SF, but did like this take on a scary future. It seems so up to date in today's world, although it was written in 1940. It gives you a clear idea of what it is to live in a totalitarian world, where everything is decided for you. Thank you to Marianne at Let's Read for the gift.

We have been visiting Salzburg for a weekend. A wonderful city, full of culture, music and history. It was also the home of Stefan Zweig for a few years. We did a lot of sightseeing but I had saved the best to the last day, that is, a visit to the house once owned by Stefan Zweig (1881 -1942). He was an Austrian author, and at the height of his career, one of the most popular writers in the world. He was a journalist and excelled not only in fiction but also as a biographer and playwright. He grew up in Vienna, and studied philosophy at the university there. Between 1919 and 1934 Zweig lived in Salzburg, He bought a mansion known as the Paschinger Castle on Kapuzinerberg. The building dates back to the 17th century. Here he wrote several of his most successful works. He travelled extensively in Europe at the time, being involved in many cultural projects. In 1934, due to the Nazi Party’s rise in Germany, Zweig emigrated to England. He moved on to New York and then Brazil in 1940. At the time he was much disillusioned about the future of Europe. He wrote his last book and memoirs Die Welt von Gestern (The World of Yesterday ) in 1942, shortly before he and his second wife Lotte committed suicide. The book looks at the declining years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and has been called “the most famous book on the Habsburg Empire.” (Wikipedia and Giorgio Manacorda (2010) Nota bibliografica in Joseph Roth, La Marcia di Radetzky, Newton Classici quotation: "Stefan Zweig, l'autore del più famoso libro sull'Impero asburgico, Die Welt von Gestern.) The house has been in private hands for some time and not accessible to the public. However, in 2020, a member of the Porsche family bought it, and in co-operation with the Zweig center, opened some of the rooms as a museum. A must visit for me, in other words. I had seen a picture of the house, a stately, pink house on the hill, and had located it by vision from the other side of the river. The start of the climb to Kapuzinerberg #5, the address of Zweig's house. Not so steep, yet, but there was more to come. We started the serpentine road up the hill. I would not say the road was vertical, but at least 80% was. It was really hard to try to walk up the road. Finally, up ther, no signs to guide you to the house. I had to gather my breath before trying to find out where the house was. We were standing at a view-point over the city and surroundings. To the left were stairs leading down the hill to the city. A little bit further down, just below the monastery was a big, pink house, that looked liked the one I had seen. We started down the stairs, and I was thinking, that if we would have to go up again, I would not make it. Finally, down by the pink house, but it was not anything like a museum. A private name at the door. Asking people passing by did not help. Nobody knew where the house was. What don’t I do for literature? I did venture up the stairs again. Martin had already gone up, but I needed to stop every 10th step. IT WAS STEEP. And, it must have been far more than hundred steps. It felt as I could have ended up at the hospital with a heart condition. Once up on the hill again, having caught my breath, I saw Martin speaking to someone from the monastery museum. It turned out that the house was situated just opposite the monastery. I had already taken a photo of that building (on top here) which you could see over the garden area. But, the house was yellow?! And … it was closed for renovations. I was somewhat mad, since it said on line that the museum was open. The pink house I had seen on-line was the Zweig center which is situated on the other side of the river. No time for a visit there, but one has to leave something for the next time. I do hope the house is open as well. We slowly took the stairs down again, and made it to our hotel to pick up the luggage. No more sightseeing that day ... or the next. To be prepared I was not sure they would have any books for sale at the museum, so I had visited a bookshop downtown, and purchased the two books by Zweig they had in English; Messages From a Lost World, Europe on the Brink and, The World of Yesterday. Lucky I did. I am reading the first one now. If you are interested in what we did in Salzburg, and other places, you can subscribe to my The Content Reader Newsletter .

Since we recently visited Venice, I wanted to read books that takes place there. I came to think of the popular books by Donna Leon, and downloaded the first one in the series of Commissario Brunetti Death at la Fenice. The author Donna Leon is an American author who lived over 30 years in Venice. She was working as a lecturer in English literature, and also taught English at an American military base in Italy. She drafted her first story and then left it in a drawer, until a friend persuaded her to submit it for a writing competition. She won it. Up until now, the last came in 2023, she has written 32 novels about Commissario Brunetti. The first one was published in 1992. They have been translated in numerous languages, but not in Italian, on Leon's request. German TV has made a number of the books into a very popular TV-series which, of course, is filmed in Venice. It is a pleasure to see them, since they give you the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this fantastic city on water. After less than a month, I am on my 9th novel. This is an indication that the books are an easy read, and that you get totally hooked, almost addicted. You can read them in any order, but to read them in order give you a sense of the development of the characters. Reoccurring characters are: The characters Commissario Brunetti Paola Brunetti, his wife Raffaele and Chiara his teenage children Vice-Questore Patta, his boss Signorina Elettra, Patta's secretary who assists Brunetti and is a master of research. She saves the day in every novel Inspector Vianello, his colleague and a few other characters The stories In each novel Brunetti faces a different crime. Leon uses these crimes to highlight the darker side of society, as well as the corruption in Italy. If you are expecting a typical murder/crime story where the culprits are brought to justice in the end, you will be disappointed. Most of the time Brunetti find him, or her, but they are not always put to trial. In Italy, it seems, it is a matter of the people you know, and the influence they can provide that decide the outcome. Trends The first book was written already in 1992. Leon takes up various crimes and many of them seem relevant also today. That makes you wonder wether nothing has happened. Typical crimes could be; sex tourism, migration frauds, black market work, money laundering, murder, corruption, financial crime, and many more. All of them still on the menu today. Brunetti is a very likeable character, not like many depressed, middle aged, over worked detective inspectors we read about today. Leon describes Brunetti in her first novel Death at la Fenice as " a surprisingly neat man, tie carefully knotted, hair shorter than was the fashion; even his ears lay close to his head, as if reluctant to call attention to themselves. His clothing marked him as Italian. The cadence of his speech announced he was Venetian. His eyes were all policeman".He is portrayed as honest, intelligent and diligent in his work. He is happily married to Paola, a university lecturer, and has two children, Raffaele (16) and Chiara (13). He is well-educated (with the title dottore) having read classics at university, and speaks English well, from working in the USA for a period. He is by turns philosophical, intelligent and compassionate, but also pragmatic, with "native skills of subterfuge, trickery and deceit ". A very likeable character in other words. He keeps a low key, one can even compare him to Hercule Poirot. Some thoughts about him and his family. Although Brunetti is happy that his wife is working, and she is highly educated, she still takes care of everything at home. The understanding wife, always making lunch for the family and seem to do other chores at home as well. Although, in one of the books, it seems he goes around the house with the vacuum cleaner. They do discuss his work and she does give him a good discussion. Still seem to be a little bit of inequality in their relationship, since he expects the service at home. Maybe because we don't get to know very much of her work. She is a lover of Henry James, so some, if not all, is forgiven. A rather unusual, and sympathetic character is the secretary Elettra of which Brunetti is both fond and admire. She has skills in computer handling of which he has no idea. Almost every day, Brunetti remarks about her fashionable clothes, and how stunning she is. This is maybe more the Italian style, even today, I don't know, but seems a little bit condescending between the sexes today. However, he acknowledges her extraordinary skills in many areas of her work. I do like her character very much, because she is her own person, and does not care what other people think. To start a new book is to see old friends again. That is probably why I start a new book, almost immediately after having finished one. Leon gives a vivid picture of Venice with all it peculiarities, being a city on water. After having lived there for so many years, she knows it all. You can use the books to find restaurants, bars and tourist places. Almost like a guide book how to go from one place to the next in Venice. Having just been there, this brings extra excitement to the reading, since you know, more or less, where the people are. Have you read any of her books? If not, and you are interested in detective stories with a touch of reality, you should try them out.

In November 2022, I reviewed The Bridge of Little Jeremy by Indrajit Garai. I have received a copy of another of his books, The Man Without Shelter for a fair and impartial review. "Lucy, a young lawyer, is on fast track to partnership in her firm. Arnault, a convicted felon, leaves prison after two decades through a piece of evidence in his favour. The two of them come together during a rescue operation at the centre of Paris, and then they go on with their separate lives. Months later, their paths cross again at a camp for migrants on the edge of Paris." We meet Arnault has he is suddenly, in the middle of the night, released after 23 years in prison. He does not get any information why, and is recommended to contact his lawyer. As he wanders out in the Paris night, it is a total different world he meets. He walks around his old quarters but does not feel he wants to go back there. The little money he has earned in prison he has to be careful with. As he wanders around he sees the world of the homeless, and decides this is the way to live for the time being. He buys a tent and a few utensils, looks up a deserted spot by the Seine where he settles down, guarded by a couple of swans. He cannot do anything without renewing his ID-card and walks around Paris trying to find work. As he does so, he gets to know people from a migrant camp which he tries to help. He notices gangs of crooks trying to use the migrants and threaten the people he loves. These worlds are very well described and you are there with Arnault as he tries to come back to a normal life. Lucy is a lawyer working for a fancy firm, making a lot of money. One day the police invades the offices. It seems the management has, in their fight for more money, stretched the laws and done illegal business. Lucy happens to come into contact with Arnauld who she meets when he rescues a small boy from falling from a building. Hearing about his case, she starts working for the voluntary lawyers who helps people who cannot afford paying for one. Arnault is like Little Jeremy, a good soul that happens to be used by lesser people. From page one you love this character, his sens of honesty, his acceptance of how the world is, and by wanting to help where he can. Once again this is a lovely story of real people. Garai has a talent for describing the life of ordinary people, the poor and the exposed in society. Highlighting what is wrong in our society and how honest people have to fight for their rights. As the story continues Arnault's and Lucy's paths are crossing more than once, when Lucy is trying to get Arnault acquitted from the crime he was accused of. It is a short book, only 122 pages, but filled with wonderful, and not so wonderful, characters making up this story that takes place during a few months. There were some chapters in the middle of the book where the story turned somewhat unclear, and I could not really grasp what was happening. But that was soon over and as you near the end of the book, the thrill of the story is rising, and it is difficult to put down.

Original title: Liebe in Zeiten des Hasses. Chronik eines Gefühls 1929-39 I have just recently heard of Florian Illies, a German writer and art historian. Marianne at Let's read recently reviewed his 1913: The Year Before the Storm which have got very good reviews. When I saw his latest book in the book shop, read the back cover, I knew I had to have it. " 1930s Europe - as the Roaring Twenties wind down and the world rumbles towards war, the great minds of the time have other concerns. Jean-Paul Sartre waits anxiously in a Parisian café for his first date with no-show Simone de Beauvoir. Marlene Dietrich slips from her loveless marriage into the dive bars of Berlin. Father and son Thomas and Klaus Mann clash over each other's homosexuality. And Vladimir Nabokov lovingly places a fresh-caught butterfly at the end of Verá's bed. Little do they all know, the book burning will soon begin. Love in a Time of Hate skilfully interweaves some of the greatest love stories of the 1930s with the darkening backdrop of fascism in Europe, in an irresistible journey into the past that brings history and its actors to vivid life ." With this book Florian Illies takes a look at European history from 1929-1939. He does it in an unusual way, through the love life of the intelligentsia and artist in Europe. The book is divided into three parts: Before, 1933 and After. It is fascinating reading to say the least. It is a brilliant and thrilling story of artists who tried to survive as dark clouds lingered over Europe. The love stories are told in short paragraphs, going from one couple to another in parallell lines, which makes for a fast pace. It is told in the present and follow the development of each person, as regards their love stories and creative work. It is a genius way of telling political history at the back drop of love stories. Makes for more understanding of the times in which they were living. Illies must have made a huge amount of research, considering that a lot of the information are rather private. His knowledge is very impressive. He makes the people come alive and showing how the political development very much affected also artists. Most of them, but not all, go into exile in other countries in Europe, and/or continue to the United States. Even if we are quite free these days when it comes to love, sex and relationships, the twenties and thirties in Europe seemed to have been a time of free love. At least among the artist communities. The marriages and relationships we read about, were littered with bi- hetero- and homosexualities, unfaithfulness, by the husband and/or the wife and people seemed to sleep with one another left and right. Maybe it will be true to say that when times are bad, love tends to flow freely, also as a desperate measure in desperate times. I really enjoyed the book and can only recommend it to anyone interested in Europe of the 1930s. Illies has found another way of seeing, and connecting, to history. One of the best books I have read. Furthermore, what an excellent title, and I love the cover.