Anyone But England (Mike Marqusee)

Mike Marqusee
Anyone But England : cricket and the national malaise

Interesting run through of the history of cricket focusing on England (or should that be England and Wales?) with a comparison to the wider political and economic changes in the UK and it's empire.

Written in 1994 by an American who is obviously pretty left wing and gives a corresponding analysis. I don't agree with everything written in the book and I must confess whilst it's uncomfortable having some home truths thrown at you by someone who has settled here of their own volition (i.e. not a refugee in any way) I do feel a bit like asking whether your native country is any better - or indeed much worse. Nevertheless a thought provoking book. I wonder what Bruce will think of it.

Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)

Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre

Very readable story about a young woman's fight to get on in the world whilst preserving her self respect. Beautifully descriptive and a gripping story. Spoiler alert... The long section about her cousin gets a bit tedious and seems very uncharacteristic of Jane in her offer to her cousin. I wonder if that was put in to suit contemporary tastes as to the place of women given religious sensibilities although that seems very odd given the rest of the book. The ending is pretty standard for novels of this time although still very satisfactory as our heroine wins out. Now to read the introduction by a scholar to find out the hidden meanings I missed or misinterpreted!