Books – August Heat by Andrea Camilleri

Star rating – 8/10

This is the 10th novel in the Inspector Montalbano crime series. For those who have grown to know and love, and at times get infuriated with, the Sicilian Inspector over the past fifteen years, then this latest offering does not disappoint. This time however, the suave and renegade policeman is showing his age somewhat. His hearing is started to worsen, and his attraction to a beautiful girl young enough to be his daughter leaves him in a moral dilemma. But even in his middle age he is still an attractive man, and Camilleri reminds us that ‘he looked exactly like Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace’.

All the usual elements of the series are here. There is his explosive relationship with his girlfriend Livia, who lives in a different town, and whom he seems to disappoint on a very regular basis without even really trying to. He always seems happier on is own than when she is around. And that certainly suits his long serving housekeeper Adelina, who cannot stand Livia and will not even come to the house when she is around. Adelina prepares an endless supply of delicious meals for Montalbano (and his readers) to salivate over:

‘Adelina had made a pappanozza for him. Onions and potatoes boiled for a long time and mashed with the back of a fork until they blended together. For seasoning: olive oil, a hint of vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper.’

And when he is not sampling the delights of Adelina’s cooking, he is usually to be found at his favourite local trattoria, Enzo’s, where he gets special treatment whatever hour of the day he visits.

Camilleri is not afraid of expressing political and moral views via his inspector. He reads a detective novel by two Swedish authors ‘in which there wasn’t a page without a ferocious attack on social democracy and the government. In his mind Montalbano dedicated the book to those who did not deign to read mystery novels because, in their opinion, they were only entertaining puzzles.’ The mafia, for example, come under fire as being ‘like an obscene ballet’.

And so what of the crime that unfolds in the sweltering Sicilian heat? As usual, the crime is really just the framework on which to hang the well observed machinations of Montalbano. He has to fight his colleagues and the criminals of the island alike to solve his mysteries. But he is dedicated to his job day and night. This is a familiar yet very welcome addition to the series. Camilleri manages to keep us interested in and on the side of Montalbano. These are gentle crime stories alongside many others in the genre, but nonetheless extremely they are enjoyable all the same, and not afraid to place then in a solid moral and political framework.

Exhibition – Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy of Arts, London

Star rating – 8/10

Ok – so what is all the fuss about was pretty much my mindset on visiting the latest exhibition by sculptor Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy. And now I know. These sculptures are pretty wonderful. From the moment you enter the courtyard of the building you are met by a giant sculpture of shiny silver balls piling high into the sky on top of one another. The balls reflect the buildings around them and defy gravity as they perch marvellously on top of each other.

Inside the gallery and everything is big and bold and often shiny. The ‘Shooting into the Corner’ display is a giant cannon which fires crimson wax into a smaller anteroom every 20 minutes, presumably to build up a veritable wall of wax by the time the exhibition closes in December. So this is what the signs as you enter the exhibition warn you about – beware as the exhibits may ruin your clothes! Not mine though…

Going further through the rooms and there is a magnificent yellow convex sculpture on one wall, suitably entitled ‘Yellow’ As you approach this sculpture, it becomes apparent that it is actually concave and not convex. Similar tricks are played on the senses in the hall full of the giant concave mirrors of many shapes. Again it is partly the sheer size of these installations that is amazing and intriguing.

The centre piece of the exhibition is entitled ‘Svayambh’ and is a vast red wax block that moves slowly and inexorably through three rooms and back again, leaving a trail of wax as it goes. Also worth a mention is the highly suggestive and sensual ‘Slug’ (pictured here). Kapoor obviously likes things crimson red – and I have to agree.

So a highly thought provoking exhibition which is nothing less than an assault on the senses – in the nicest possible way. So that is what all the fuss is about.

Film – Creation – directed by Jon Amiel

Star rating – 6/10

This beautifully shot film about tells how Charles Darwin’s grief at the loss of his beloved daughter Annie at the age of 10 inspired him to write his masterpiece ‘On the Origin of Species’. Paul Bettany is very impressive as the troubled and grieving Darwin, and his wife Emma is also sensitively played by Bettany’s real life wife Jennifer Connolly. We learn a lot about how tortured Darwin was about his scientific research, which put him into direct conflict not only with the beliefs of the society around him, but put him at odds with the deeply held religious views of his own wife.

This potentially very interesting tale is, however, somewhat spoilt here by an overly sentimental telling of it. The treatment of Annie’s deathbed scene, and the way she reveals herself as a ghost to her father felt a little too mawkish and unnecessary.

But the on screen chemistry between Charles and Emma is touching, as is the confident and commanding portrayal of their daughter Annie, played here by Martha West, daughter of Dominic. The film features beautiful autumn scenes and creative shots of fauna and flora. But it does not really major on what could have been a more interesting central theme enough – the research of Darwin itself. It is moving in parts but could have been even more moving if it had not tried so hard to be in keeping with the Victorian over sentimentality which it reflects.

Exhibition – Angels of Anarchy – Women Artists and Surrealism – Manchester Art Gallery

Star rating – 8/10

This wonderful new exhibition brings together the important women artists who formed part of the Surrealist movement, even though at the time many were neglected by both their male surrealist counterparts, and by the art world in general.

Angels of Anarchy brings together paintings, sculpture, photographs and other objects that were created from the 1930’s onwards. Much of the exhibits have languished in the storerooms of galleries for decades – not considered important enough to display.

Of the women artists featured here, possibly the most famous is Frida Kahlo, the Mexican artist who is best known for her pain, suffering, monobrow, and marriage to fellow artist Diego Rivera. Khalo’s painting set in a heart shaped shell frame is one of the highlights of the exhibition. It is called ‘Diego y Frida 1929 – 1944’ and she created it to celebrate their 15th anniversary. The faces of herself and her husband merge beautifully in the midst of heart capillary vessels. It is a work of love and beauty.

Another self portrait featured here is one by Leonora Carrington from 1937-38. In it she uses images of herself in a room with a rocking horse, contrasting with the image of a wild and free white horse outside, to symbolise the story of her escape from her domineering father.

There are very striking photographs included, such as ‘On Being an Angel # 1’ by Francesca Woodman from 1977; and the self portrait with sphinxes by Lee Miller from 1940. The photos of Frida Kahlo herself, taken by her friend Lola Alvarez Bravo, show her in a new light – as a strong, beautiful and confident woman, rather than a tortured pain racked soul as she is often perceived.

The painting of ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ by Dorothea Tanning from 1943 has a wonderful Alice in Wonderland feel to it as it portrays a gothic, oppressive home environment for the little girls featured in it.

Angels, sphinxes, and the objectification of women are central themes running through much of this work. My favourite exhibit was possibly the ‘Maitresse’ whip by Mimi Parent. She apparently cut off her hair on discovering the infidelity of her husband, the artist Jean Benoit. She created a whip out of these two golden plaits – sort of Rapunzel meets the Marquis de Sade.

So full marks to Manchester Art Gallery for displaying this wonderful work by these gifted and important women. It is not the usual surrealist fare – but they give it a feel all of its own, and bring a fresh vibrancy to this view of the world to rank alongside any of their male contemporaries. Come on the girls!

Books – All the Nice Girls by Joan Bakewell

Star rating – 6/10

They say that everyone has a novel in them – and fair play to Joan Bakewell for publishing her first at the age of 74. Cards on the table – I really admire her as a broadcaster; cultural and ethical commentator; and as a woman. I have recently read her excellent autobiography ‘The Centre of the Bed’, and enjoyed it immensely. I have enormous respect for her.

So I wanted to really enjoy this Second World War romance – and I did enjoy it. I read it in a couple of days – eager to find out what happened. But it would not be honest of me to say that I found it without fault. Maybe because I was so recently acquainted with some of the details of her own wartime story, the parallels with her own experiences were a bit obvious for me. The imaginary town of Staveley, positioned between Manchester and Liverpool , is a device which seems to be a bit clunky here.

The novel tells the story of a girls’ grammar school adopting a ship during the war, and of the relationships which develop between both the school as a whole, and in particular the romances that blossom between two of the pupils; their head mistress and three of the crew. There are some very touching moments in these stories, and Bakewell does bring to life the morals and values of the time, and how they stifled both women and girls, especially those who openly challenged social mores. She deals with real issues such as pregnancy outside marriage; adultery and adolescent sexuality well before the sexual revolution that was to follow in the 60’s.

The parallel modern day story she tells of the daughter of one of these women, who gradually uncovers hitherto secret elements of her own personal history, does not work quite so well. Bakewell also seems to be packing a lot of social history into the tale – almost making it feel like a visit to the Imperial War Museum.

But it is a good story, told with feeling and with honesty, and I did maintain an eagerness to find out what happened to the main characters. It might have been better to stick to the telling of these tales via a more detailed autobiography. Bakewell has written her novel. It is good - but not great. But she is still a great role model for any young girl.

Gigs – Ray Lamontagne at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Star rating – 9/10

Ray Lamontagne is famously shy on stage, and so was true to form tonight. But honestly, who needs spoken words when he sings so beautifully, and with searing honesty, about his passions and pain (but mostly his pain). His set tonight opened with ‘Empty’, one of the strongest tracks from his second and arguably his best album, ‘When the Sun Turns Black’, and he worked his way through highlights from all three albums.

There was a moment of bizarreness when a woman jumped onto the stage in a very short dress, and was quickly escorted off it. When an audience member asked him if he had enjoyed that, Ray answered ‘Not particularly no’ – which I thought was a fair enough reply under the circumstances. He did helpfully inform us that ‘Hey Me, Hey Mamma’ was about Nebraska. As he said, we would not have known that ‘from the melody, the lyrics or the title’ so he thought he would tell us. Again, fair enough.

I am quite happy for him to let his wonderful singing voice and powerful and soul stripped bare lyrics do the talking for him. And as usual he was generous and supportive to his two support acts Ethan Johns (the producer of all his albums); and the very promising Josh Ritter; who both joined him on ‘Hey Me, Hey Mamma’.

He did some of more rocky numbers, such as ‘Three More Days’ and ‘Meg White’, but it his soulful ballads that shine out. We were treated to ‘Trouble’, ‘Shelter’, ‘Hold Me in Your Arms’, and ‘Let it be Me’ to name but a few. He finished his encore with a beautiful rendition of the haunting and wonderful ‘Jolene’. He still may not know what love means but he sure can sing about it.

Books – Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Star rating - 9/10

The theme that runs through this original and spellbinding book in the daring wire walk between the Twin Towers in New York in 1974. But it is about so much more than that. It is an interweaving of lonely characters that leaves a lasting imprint.

Emptiness and loss in very different senses are at the heart of these most moving stories that are very cleverly and seamlessly interlinked. Claudia, a wealthy resident of the well heeled Upper East Side is trying to come to terms with the loss of her son in Vietnam. So desperate that she even tried to pay one of friends to stay with her for a few hours. Corrigan is escaping childhood hurt in Ireland by befriending prostitutes and trying to stay true to his religious order. Tillie, herself a prostitute, imbues her desperate situation with humour:

‘I used to love the joke where the last line was: Your Honor, I was armed with nothing more than a piece of fried chicken.’

McCann tells these stories, and many others, in a vivid and deeply compassionate way. He seems to be spinning a web of loss, and even with backgrounds that are not steeped in sadness, it seems he sees trouble ahead. As one of his characters remarks:

‘I used to think it was difficult for children of folks who really loved each other, hard to get out from under that skin because sometimes it’s just so comfortable you don’t want to have to develop your own.’

The New York he brings to life so skillfully is the dangerous 1970’s city of violence and malevolence – not the current cleaned up version. This is a book that is haunted by the spectre of both the wire walk, and by the 9/11 tragedy that we know all too well that will come, but that is not referred to here.

But the book is also one of hope, and the wire walk is used to pull all the stories together and lift them out of the depths. Most of the references to it are about other people’s reactions to the amazing feat. But in the middle of the book, at its taut centre, McCann explains that:

‘The core reason for it all was beauty. Walking was a divine delight. Everything was rewritten when he was up in the air. New things were possible with the human form. It went beyond equilibrium.’

And McCann certainly takes the form of novel to new places in this brilliant book. It is sad, beautifully balanced, and very moving. A haunting work indeed.