Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger

Moon Tiger has the kind of heroine that appeals to me, red-haired, sharp-tongued and quick-witted. The kind of woman who travels to exotic places, verbally spars with male colleagues and takes lovers.

The Plot: Dying in her hospital bed, Claudia reminisces about her life and the men she has loved; Gordon, her brother and rival, Jasper, fickle and charming and Tom, the love of her life. Non-linear, the narrative skips between Claudia's childhood, her time as a war correspondent in Egypt and her dotage.

Rating: ««««¶ (4/5)

For my full review click under the jump, but in brief if you enjoy novels such as Julian Barnes Sense of an Ending or Alison Moore's The Lighthouse, books about retrospection and nostalgia, this should also appeal to you. Moon Tiger is full of charm, glamour and truth.  

Fitzwilliam museum

Just along from Pembroke College in Cambridge, is the wonderful Fitzwilliam museum. It houses collections from the ancient world, medieval manuscripts and European and Oriental decorative art. The outside of the building is undergoing repair work, but the museum is open as usual.

The Egyptian artefacts are always my favourite, and unlike the chaotically busy British Museum, Fitzwilliam was practically empty so we could get nice and close to the displays.

Part of me does think that we should give all the artefacts back to their country of origin, but I am very grateful that I get to see them.  

 

 more pics after the cut:

Lynn Voedisch- The God's Wife

I was going to wait until I'd finished this book before reviewing- as I think that's fair, but I can't. The God's Wife is just so poor. I've read some pretty rubbish books (*ahem* Alex) but this defeated me, thank god I didn't actually spend any money on it as I got it on a kindle freebie.

The Plot: Rebecca has just been the awarded the lead in her dance company's upcoming performance, but her random fainting spells, and preoccupation with dreams about ancient Egypt are jeopardizing her role and her relationships. Neferet, princess of Egypt and priestess has been married to the god Amun, a privileged position, but also dangerous. Her mother, half brother and incestuous brother/lover all wish to exploit her favoured position.

Lynn Voedisch really needs to go and make an offering to Seshest, (ancient Egyption goddess of literature) because this novel is appalling.  Racist undertones and misogyny all feature in the modern parts of the book. The plot is clichéd, dull and poorly written.

Definitely give this one a miss.

The British Museum & Mildred's

Today we visited The British Museum and Mildred's, a small vegetarian restaurant in Soho.

Ok admittedly, this post has little to do with books or cuppas, though in my defense we did drink tea and there was a library in the museum.