A Far Cry From Kensington - Muriel Spark

52% 

02.06.26

I wasn't sure what to make of this character-led slice of life. Time was treated interestingly - the narrator looks back and forth on a surprisingly modern 1950s - and the scenes, especially of publishing, clearly had some basis in an amusing and awkward reality. But the plot, such as it was, seemed bolted on, and the odd and slightly unreliable narrator never seemed to get to the point. I doubt I'll remember it in a couple of months.

The Driver's Seat - Muriel Spark

51%

11.10.10

More of a long short story than a novel, it's also more of a concept than a story. Admittedly, I don't choose to read books as dark as this, and undoubtedly it's clever and well written, so I can't completely underrate it. But it's just too weird and uncomfortable for my taste, a collection of elements slotted together around a single idea, without coherent character development.