Gesa Stedman mourns the death of Michael Bond, inventor of the Paddington bear stories. Michael Bond has died aged 91. Although well-known to many, his fame is by far outdone by his famous creation, Paddington bear, who arrived at Paddington Station from “Darkest Peru” in 1958. In his blue duffle-coat, […] Read more
Gesa Stedman reviews Rachel Seiffert’s latest novel, set in Ukraine in 1941, which is as devastating as it is masterful. Ukraine, 1941. Two boys, on the run. A German road engineer, waking to the sounds of German soldiers rounding up Jews. The schoolmaster, his elderly mother, his wife and their […] Read more
Gesa Stedman is surprised that The Year of the Runaways received so much praise and a Man Booker Prize shortlist nomination in 2015. The novel is compelling but panders to middle-class emotional requirements. Sunjeev Sahota’s second novel tells the story of three Indian men, Tochi, Avtar and Randeep, and one […] Read more
With her second novel, writer and bookshop owner Evie Wyld won three awards, the Miles Franklin Award, the Encore Award and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. Gesa Stedman reviews the powerful and haunting All the Birds, Singing and hopes for more from this talented writer. All the Birds, Singing, will […] Read more
Gesa Stedman reviews Kate Tempest’s first novel, The Bricks that Built the Houses which does not stand up to the praise heaped upon it. Raving reviewers should be read with caution, and their advice followed at one’s own peril. The Independent attests Kate Tempest “a talent that knows no bounds” […] Read more
Looking for something to read for the holidays? Gesa Stedman reviews a number of books by Aminatta Forna, Taiye Selasi, Edna O’Brien, and Jenny Offill. Jenny Offill’s heartbreaking, brilliant, and formally challenging short novel Dept. of Speculation (Granta Books, 2014) is a disturbing account of what happens to a relationship […] Read more
While publishers and reviewers might see a new novel by Zadie Smith as an event, Gesa Stedman questions this from the perspective of the reader. Stereotypical characters, a global plot, and an unlikeable protagonist make Swing Time a novel with less than average appeal. A new novel by Zadie Smith […] Read more
Derek Walcott has died at the age of 87 on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. He was one of the best-known Caribbean writers, famous for his poetry and his plays. He published about 20 poetry collections and 30 plays and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 […] Read more
The creator of Princess Smartypants, Babette Cole, has died aged 67, following complications after a collapsed lung. Known and beloved by everyone whose sense of humour is a little whacky, and by children and parents who prefer their reading irreverent and subversive, she will be sorely missed. In particular her […] Read more
One of Berlin’s legendary booksellers, Robert Kiepert, has died aged 88. From 1912 onwards, the Kiepert family were key players in Berlin’s bookshop scene with Robert Kiepert entering the family firm in 1956. Most famous was the enormous, sprawling but wonderful bookshop in Charlottenburg, housed in the equally famous “Haus […] Read more
