The story, when it eventually begins, is sort-of-autobiographical and the first third is truly heartbreaking, being the story of the author's parents both dying, very close together, and his bringing up - in his 20s - his seven year old brother "Tofe" (for Christopher). This was well written and very interesting.
Unfortunately, the story moves to California where they produce a magazine, and this part truly is boring (as the author himself admits in his "rules and suggestions"). The story becomes less about the interesting Tofe, which is a shame.
Doreen didn't particularly like the book, which was a "pretty smart-arse book" written in a very knowing way.
Jean had also read this book, and like Doreen she had bought it on the strength of reading excerpts. Unlike Doreen, however, Jean did not read the non-story bits at the beginning until she finished the book - and maybe this made her feel less negative about it. She agreed that the magazine story was very dull, and so was the account of the author's attempt to get onto a TV show.
The book read very true-to-life - the story of the 20 year olds' reminded her of intelligent people of this age she'd known some years ago and felt very accurate. True, they could also be irritating but she enjoyed this aspect of the book.
The first part of the book was very moving, as was the story of the
author's effective single-parenthood. Jean recommends this sometimes very
funny book.
Doreen
The book deals with growing up in this country being black, Asian or mixed race. It's a story about being an outsider, and also about social life in London.
The book is extremely funny and very well done, and Doreen really enjoyed
it. A thorough recommendation.
Doreen
A fairly light book, but very nicely done with a strong sense of place
and very detailed.
Doreen
A heart-rending romance, or rather pair of romances, run through the book, which is about immigrants in America. The book pulls together lots of disparate stories, and you see connections falling into place.
The stories are fascinating and very well written - Jean liked the book
more than The English Patient. Very good and powerfully romantic.
Jean
Westward Ho! is a boys' adventure book which Gill really enjoyed - she's
not sure why. But the story was never predictable.
Gill
The book is about Red, a magician who is bewitched into a romance with
Rosa, an Irishwoman. She then disappears and the book follows Red's
attempt to find out what has happened. Unfortunately, virtually all the
characters in the book are unpleasant, and half-way through Andrew really
didn't care anymore. He felt the trip to Amsterdam was included in order
to add a bit of salaciousness into the story (shades of John Irving,
chorused the bookclub).
Andrew
But Caroline enjoyed it, as did Jean.
Caroline
A book that everybody should read.
Coincidentally, Seán had recently read about the destruction of the
cattle of Africa by the rinderpest virus, brought in the nineteenth
century. This had the effect of killing virtually all of the nomad's
cattle and reducing them to starvation an destitution, in which condition
they were easily subdued by the colonizers. These same colonizers found a
largely uninhabited wilderness, a situation which they tried to recreate
in the great game parks, without realising that this was an irregular
condition brought about by a cattle plague: as a result, the African
people who lived in harmony with nature have been excluded.
Caroline
The book opens strongly at the trial of Mary Queen of Scots, where her life is forfeit should her enciphered correspondence be read. This provides an opening for Singh to relate a history of the techniques used in attempts to make correspondence secret, and to read the secrets: since ancient times men - mostly men, mostly in pursuit of war - have used the latest techniques both to make and break ciphers and codes.
During the course of the book Singh relates the story of new cipher techniques and how in turn each method was cracked, in an arms race which - as he relates it - is almost over. Digressions include the Rosetta stone, Egypian hieroglyphics and the decipherment of Linear A - all fascinating stuff. Finally, by the middle of the twentieth century formidable technologies made secret messages almost impenetrable - technologies including, of course, Enigma.
The book deals with Enigma at length, and shows how it was broken by a combination of insight, genius and German fallibility. Had the Germans used it properly, it probably would not have yielded to Bletchley Park's efforts.
Rather frustratingly at this point, Singh mentions the American and British wartime cipher machines but gives no further details - and this raises the question of secrecy, because the more contemporary his account becomes the less information is available. The vast majority of work in these areas is carried out by governments, and they are understandably wary of sharing their discoveries.
As an example, the unbreakable-by-any-publicly-known-means technology of RSA encryption, available freely to many millions of computer users the world over, was discovered three years earlier by researchers at GCHQ.
Finally, Singh deals with quantum computers - if buildable, they might
easily crack all current encryption systems - but they will also offer
the potential of a new, never crackable system. The arms race would be
over, and for the first time secure messages would remain secure, for
ever.
Seán
The book tells of an American missionary and his family, who go to live and work in the Congo just before independence, and it follows through to their departure and beyond. Their experiences in Africa shape all of their lives.
The story is detailed and involving, the writing always good and sometimes very moving and passionate. Seán wanted to cry when he read the very brief, matter-of-fact death of one child, and felt moved to anger by the Belgian and American governments' treatment of the people of the Congo.
A highly recommended book.