Rebel of the Sands - Alwyn Thomas

64%
19.04.17

Although there are too many characters and confusing political and cultural backstories, at heart this is an exciting adventure story with a(nother) strong female protagonist. I do wish that books setting themselves up for a sequel finished properly, though.

The Slaves of Solitude - Patrick Hamilton

70%
30.06.14

Sarah Waters recommended this 1947 classic so of course it was good. Its influence on her work is clear in its merciless dissection of daily life, the carefully chosen words, the nuances of communication, the well-drawn characters who may - or may not - get what's coming to them. And, as a chronicle of the tedium and deprivation of the war years, it is unusually vivid.