Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? - Nicci French

53%

14.07.25

This was a weird mix of genres, starting off as a family drama and abruptly changing to a police procedural halfway through. While the focus on family relationships, and the lasting effects of trauma, was refreshingly unusual for a murder mystery, it was still a lumpy and ultimately unsatisfying read.

Breaking Away - Anna Gavalda

49%
31.10.16

Points gained for a good, colloquial translation (for once) of a rather forgettable snapshot of four irritating, self-entitled siblings. I think the reader is expected to be on their side, but they were all so selfish that I didn't care. Interestingly French atmosphere, though.

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair - Joël Dicker

53%
05.10.16

Books in translation and books about books always ring my warning bells. Sure enough, the stilted, unnatural dialogue clunked away as poorly edited translations do, and the writing about writing about writing was tediously self-indulgent. The story was OK if you're into overblown thrillers but 'book of the year'? I don't think so.

Oh Dear Silvia - Dawn French

48%
24.01.14

I like Dawn French. She is a charming, funny and intelligent comedian. Unfortunately, her novel is none of those things. I could list a whole lot of reasons why it was badly written but it was the poor punctuation (as evidenced in the title) that annoyed me most - incorrect commas everywhere and underlining instead of italics, which I've not seen in printed material since about 1996. Ugh. All evidence that if the name's big enough, editors and proofreaders are seen as an unnecessary extra cost. Well, they're not.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery

50%
17.06.12

So I happened to take two philosophical novels in translation on holiday with me. I know, most people take a nice murder mystery or exotic romance when they want a break, but I like a challenge, me. It will be a while before I finish The Discovery of Heaven but what makes that so enjoyable while this was tedious and preachy? Mostly because the characters were totally unbelievable: no 12-year-old thinks or speaks like that, and the motives for the other narrator's secrecy were flimsy at best. The endless ruminations on art were presented as universal truths. The quality of the writing was fine but it just needed a burst of the Mulisch panache to bring everything to life.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominque Bauby

53%
01.03.09

The film is moving and memorable. For some reason, the book from which it was adapted is not. In fact, it's cold and disjointed, which can't be explained away by the awkward translation and unusual method of dictation. The pathos isn't enough to touch the heart.