Page 9 - Ickford Informer Newsletter JUNE Issue 2022

Book Reviews The Anglo-Saxons, by Marc Morris

by Jo Tiddy A little bit of non-fiction that I am
dipping in and out of to counteract the
excitement of all those brilliant women
E ARE HURTLING TOWARDS MIDSUMMER, above. Marc Morris takes on a huge
and hope for hazy days when a good book and a swathe of British history from the end of
Wcold drink is all we require. With this in mind, here the Roman era to the Battle of Hastings.
is some tip-top summer reading. When the empire fell, isolated Britain
became a violent and unstable ruin.
Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus Foreign invaders from the sea quickly
established themselves as the new
This is an absolute corker of a novel. I have rulers.
already called it for ‘Book of the Year’; it is
smart, joyous and funny. 1960s America, Early kingdoms fought among
and Elizabeth Zott is a dangerous creature, themselves, and were almost overrun by the Vikings, but from
a woman with an opinion. Her all-male these turbulent days came the rule of law, great kings, and a
colleagues at The Hastings Research system of land governance that still remains. The Anglo-Saxons
Institute take a dim view of equality. All embraced Christianity and abandoned their old Gods. They
except one, the brilliant, unpopular, Nobel- reinstated towns and trade, and in time created a new society,
prize nominated Calvin Evans, who falls a new culture and a new nation. Morris uses archaeology, the
madly in love with Elizabeth and her written record, and art to shine a light on this area of history.
brilliant mind. Life, like Chemistry, can be Fascinating.
unpredictable, and Elizabeth’s world is
turned upsidedown. Fast forward ten years, . . . and something
and she is a single mother and the reluctant host of a TV cookery
show, Supper at Six, where her unconventional approach to cooking for the little ones
proves a great hit. Slowly she starts to dismantle the patriarchal status
quo, one recipe at a time. Not everyone is a fan of her approach.
“Cooking is chemistry,” Elizabeth tells her viewers, “and chemistry The Shark Caller, by Zillah Bethall (9+)
is life. Your ability to change everything – including yourself – starts
here.” A beautiful book that came out mid-
pandemic, this is a very moving story
Laugh-out-loud funny, observant and witty, Elizabeth Zott and her set in Papua New Guinea. Orphaned
cast of supporting characters will stay in your mind long after Blue Wing yearns to be a shark caller,
you’ve turned the fi nal page. (Available in hard back). a mystic who can charm the fi sh from
the ocean. She also wants revenge
Great Circle, by Maggie Shipstead on the shark who caused her parents’
deaths.
Staying with feisty women (sorry, Chaps),
this recently arrived paperback was When newcomer Maple arrives on
shortlisted for the Booker and The her island, Blue Wing is instructed to
Women’s Prize. It’s an epic and literary befriend her. But Maple is grieving too,
novel centred on the single-minded and stroppy, and at fi rst the girls are determined not to like each
and fearless aviator Marian Graves, other. Gradually they discover they have many things in common
plucked as a baby from the icy waters and their friendship grows. Big themes of grief, revenge,
of a shipwreck, raised in rural Montana, friendship and love are woven through this tale and descriptions
and obsessed from a young age with the of island life and the ocean hark back to a simpler life. The
urge to fl y. The novel’s sweep takes in unexpected twist at the end had me in tears.
the whole of early 20 – century aviation
th
history from barnstormers to the ATA How to count to one (and don’t even think
who delivered planes for the RAF during about the bigger numbers),
the Second World War. The culmination of Marian’s tale is her by Caspar Salmon and Matt Hunt
endeavour to circumnavigate the globe, a ‘Great Circle’ via the
poles. Shortly before completing her journey her plane disappears This is a hilarious and very bossy
over Antarctica. picture book all about counting. The
rule is you can only ever count ONE
The main story is interspersed with that of Hadley Baxter, a thing. So, although the pages are
disgraced former child star who is off ered the comeback role of a fi lled with lots of enticing drawings
lifetime, to play the central role in a biopic of Marian’s life. Hadley of fun things to count; Whales,
feels an immediate bond with Marian, with her fearlessness and Baboons, Sausages; you must not be
refusal to be bound by societal rules. As fi lming concludes, Hadley distracted! But, maybe there is a way
begins to believe that Marian may have succeeded in her quest. to outsmart the book...

I absolutely loved this, couldn’t put it down, and was even fascinated A fun and interactive book that will delight both little and grown-up
by the ‘aeroplaney’ bits. Goggles on, contact, chocks away…. number nerds. v

ourickfordnewsletter@hotmail.com 9 June 2022