Private Library of the Future

Jeffrey Koterba 

God I'd love to have my own library, with a step ladder that slides around the many, many shelves of literature. I could be like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, or that woman from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Disney, you have instilled so many unattainable aspirations in my life.

Book a Month Mission; A Study in Scarlet

Well after the dismal failure of last months Book a Month Mission, I thought it was time to go for something with a bit more promise. Now if you haven't been hidden under a gigantic cultural rock then you would know that Sherlock Holmes has had a bit of a revivification, mostly due to the dashing talents of Robert Downey Jnr and the BBC/Moffat modern day, i-phone using version.

Now here is not the place to discuss the unrivalled AWESOMENESS that was the BBC's Sherlock as this is ground that I feel we have already covered. But due to my absolute obsession with it, it seemed only fitting that I gave the actual, undiluted Doyle a go.

Before the Hollywood version of Sherlock Holmes I have to admit that whenever I thought of the ol' dear stalker and pipe it just seemed a bit stuffy. A bit dull. But nevertheless I have high hopes for this book now, you never know I might want to read more.

Book a Month Mission; The Verdict

A Week in December;

Well I've finally finished it. Notice the word 'finally' there because it feels like i've been reading it for a solid eternity. I am genuinely so disappointed in this book, not a great start to the year then.

I get what Faulks is trying to do, he's trying to encapsulate modern day London life, through a series of interlinking characters of various classes and lifestyles. But it just doesn't work for me. I think he's cast his net a little too big, he's chosen to focus on too many characters and so most of them seem a little flat.

Faulks has clearly put a lot of research into his novel in order to make it seem more realistic, but I think perhaps it's a little too realistic, to the point it's actually dull. There are long descriptive passages about complicated financial transactions, which frankly, speaking as someone who's idea of finance is not spending my whole wage in Topshop, is really rather tedious. Faulks seems to spend most of his time describing John Veals the hedge fund manager, than anybody else... but maybe that's because I find it so boring that I tend to notice it more. Whilst we're talking about time spent on characters you don't even meet one of the seven main characters until 170 pages into the book. That's like halfway through.

Also everyone seems to be so unhappy and so alone, I mean I know life isn't a bed of roses but there is a single character who seems satisfied with their lot in life. There's the emotionally isolated wife of John Veals, the desperately competitive book critic, the socially inept tube driver and the sexual bully Radley Scott. I just don't believe that everyone in life is that unhappy all the time.

No I'm sorry I tried to love it but I just couldn't. He's trying to achieve so much and rather than giving me a Dickensian feel of Christmas in London, it left me feeling bleak (and not in the Christmassy mid-winter way), depressed and a little bit scared of humanity.

Overall then I have to say that despite my love of his other work, this is just not worth the hassle.

Sorry Faulks: 3/10