An astonishing book. The story of a fourteen year old Hungarian Jew
imprisoned in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Narrated as seen through the eyes
of this teenager it brings a deeply realistic perspective of one who
genuinely lived through the experience, made all the more chilling by the
innocence of the childl's way of thinking.
Tuesday 31 July 2007
Authenticity by Deidre Madden
This is a very accomplished novel abour artists, about relationships, about
life generally, but perhaps most of all an examination of the dynamics of
both loss and redemption, what may be redeemed and what may not be.
Roderic, a middle-aged abstract painter successful in his work but at the
cost of his family life and his personal equilibrium meets Julia a
struggling young artist twenty years his junior, who also becomes
strangely attached to a wealthhy businessman in need of her help. The
story ranges across the lives of these three intermeshed characters for all
of whom art and the artistic passion is central and family relationships
are complex.
life generally, but perhaps most of all an examination of the dynamics of
both loss and redemption, what may be redeemed and what may not be.
Roderic, a middle-aged abstract painter successful in his work but at the
cost of his family life and his personal equilibrium meets Julia a
struggling young artist twenty years his junior, who also becomes
strangely attached to a wealthhy businessman in need of her help. The
story ranges across the lives of these three intermeshed characters for all
of whom art and the artistic passion is central and family relationships
are complex.
The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
I have come to this bestseller rather later than most people. I picked it
up for a few pence at a school fete a few weeks ago and decided it might be
a good read for the plane on the way to Greece this summer. I read finished
it a couple of days into the holiday. What I hadn't realised from earlier
reviews was that this is a book about the arts as well as about travel.
Botton looks at how a variety of artists and writers have treated travel
and the sense of place in their works. He covers amongst others Baudelaire,
Edward Hopper, Flaubert, Wordsworth, the Book of Job, Vinccent van Gogh,
and John Ruskin. It is a meditation on the lure of travel, what we hope for
from it, and the nature of paying attention which links the artistic
endeavour and travel. I found it a very thought- provoking and satisfying
read.
up for a few pence at a school fete a few weeks ago and decided it might be
a good read for the plane on the way to Greece this summer. I read finished
it a couple of days into the holiday. What I hadn't realised from earlier
reviews was that this is a book about the arts as well as about travel.
Botton looks at how a variety of artists and writers have treated travel
and the sense of place in their works. He covers amongst others Baudelaire,
Edward Hopper, Flaubert, Wordsworth, the Book of Job, Vinccent van Gogh,
and John Ruskin. It is a meditation on the lure of travel, what we hope for
from it, and the nature of paying attention which links the artistic
endeavour and travel. I found it a very thought- provoking and satisfying
read.
Monday 9 July 2007
Mission-Shaped Spirituality:the transforming power of mission
Sue Hope writes out of her experiences and those of others about moving church life and ministry from the "come" to the "go" mode. The Church of England has been used to being a settled church but now it needs to go out in mission to its own community. This sounds daunting but in fact has the potential to transform the lives of churches, communities, and Christians. She uses stories from her own ministry and other stories too to testify to this.
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