The National Theatre: part 2

Last year I reported on Peter Hall's memoirs of his time as director of the National Theatre (see the blog at Theatrical tales) and now I can mention Richard Eyre's account of his time in the same job, National Service: Diary of a Decade. It was another fascinating and enjoyable read which gave a real insight into the pressures of running such a complex theatre. I had not really previously stopped to think of how many plays run there every year and the artistic and financial planning that entails. But that, of course, is only a fraction of a job which  requires management, ambassadorial, political, literary and artistic skills. The joy of a diary format is that you live the highs and lows with the writer and patterns emerge - the fear of having chosen the wrong play and of having cast it poorly, the frustration and exhilaration in roughly equal measures during the rehearsal process, the anxiety during previews and press night and so on.

This book has a rich cast of characters: not just the actors (delightful sketches of many well known names), directors and support staff who are at its heart but also politicians such as Thatcher, Major, Kinnock and Blair (and various Secretaries of State for the arts who do not always have an appreciation of their subject) as well as royalty. Eyre displays a keen sense of humour and frequently ends a diary entry by recalling a joke or a wickedly amusing comment. Add to this Eyre's easy and sensitive prose style, and you have a delightfully engaging bedtime read.

Eyre took a sabbatical during his time at the NT during which time he wrote his autobiography Utopia and Other Places. I shall add it to my list.

Reflections on Scoop

The book group met at Caroline's last night where we discussed many things (as ever) including our views on Evelyn Waugh's novel Scoop. In a lively exchange of views we all realised that it seemed funnier and more absurd in the retelling than it did in the reading, and that was without trying to read aloud some of the hilarious telegrams that Boot received from his Fleet Street masters during his time in Ishmaelia. We agreed that it felt very dated, that we had all taken a little while to become enthusiastic about it (to a greater or lesser extent) and that we found some of the colonial undertones patronising and the non PC language quite shocking and jarring. However, there was a consensus that it was sharply well observed and throughly entertaining. A classic, perhaps, and although it feels very much of its time, its satire on journalism is enduring and as apposite today as in 1938 when it was written.

Some high level research (sounds good, but of course I refer to Wikipedia) reveals that Waugh based the novel on his experiences in Abyssinia for the Daily Mail. Boot was supposedly modelled on the young William Deedes who apparently arrived in Abyssinia with "a quarter of a ton of baggage" just as Boot arrived with his cleft sticks, canoe, Christmas lunch with all the trimmings etc. As Sally J remarked with feeling, "typical man..... all the gear, no idea!"

We meet again on 2nd May and in the meantime we will all read You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik, a novel set in Paris which has been recommended by Isla in the Kew Bookshop; the reviews suggest that it provokes a range of opinions and so it should give rise to a spirited discussion after Easter.

Orange Prize long list

Caroline has shown remarkable prescience in her recommendation of Madeline Miller's book The Song of Achilles (see the blog at Classic choices for the new year) for it has just been long listed for the Orange Prize. Miller appears to be one of the few unknown authors on this year's list (you will recognise the names of many of the others). This has prompted David Lister to ask, in today's Independent, whether we still need an prize exclusively for women authors. He points out that in this week's WH Smith fiction charts 13 of the top 20 paperbacks and 12 of the top 20 hardbacks are by women. On those statistics, he has a point (although I've not looked at the WH Smith charts so it may be that they are stuffed full of Katie Price books which would undermine his point). However, to my mind the prize has added interest and relevance since all the judges are women as is the governing committee (the most recent addition to this being Martha Lane Fox). And as a book group we seem to respond well to the Orange prize since I think we have read, either collectively or individually, many of the past winners (think Bel Canto, On Beauty, Half of a Yellow Sun, Small Island and many others). The shortlist is announced on 17 April and the winner on 29 May by which time I am determined to have read The Song of Achilles.

Inspiration from other book groups (part 2)

I can pompously announce that this is now an annual feature (well, at least, this time last year I reported on the reading habits of other book groups and it feels about the right time to do it again). My research leads me to believe that there are both clear similarities and wide differences in the styles of book groups in west and south west London.

So whilst, predictably, The Sense of an Ending, appears to have been prescribed reading for virtually every book group last year and many groups are reading or have recently read Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, the differences in reading habits are stark and I suspect reflect the personalities of the book groups.

From a Chiswick group, a report on A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry which I am told is definitely a top 10 book. The reviews I have read confirm that this indeed the case and I've just downloaded it onto the Kindle.

I can't resist reporting on a Chiswick/Barnes group which I normally admire for their erudite choices, which has been reading One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner. I am told it is embarrassingly bad and a front runner for a bad sex in literature award; the suggestion was that it had been chosen whilst blindfolded in Tesco!

A Sheen group generally follows a similar pattern to us, working through a cycle of different genres. However, having read Middlemarch (noted as a book to revisit in retirement!) and The Dubliners (apparently not a popular choice) in the last twelve months, they are now tackling Anna Karenina and so are obviously binging on classics. I admire their fortitude.

An edgy Chiswick group has been reading Annabel, a debut novel by Canadian author Kathleen Winter. It is, I am told, a story about an intersex baby and follows the decisions the parents make about deciding whether it should become a girl or a boy and the consequences of that choice. They have also recently read Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, a novel set on the day that Philippe Petit did his high wire walk between the Twin Towers. There is, of course, a proximity to 9/11 and McCann's family was touched by the events of that day although the novel is firmly planted in the drama of Petit's extraordinary walk in 1974. I am fascinated by the idea. Read the review here [Guardian review] if you are.

Pure by Andrew Miller won this year's Costa award and is the current choice of groups in both Ealing and Kew. The Kew group in question (and I know of at least 3) has great ambition as they choose two books at each meeting (something that is a rarity for us - we know our limitations!). They obviously have a theme going on around capital cities; Pure, a historical novel, is set in Paris and their second choice this month is very contemporary, Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. I have looked at a few reviews and they all refer to it as an "urban fantasy" for which I read "thriller" so perhaps not for me.

Finally, a report not on content but process. A friend told me that her Twickenham group had had their "AGM" recently. Upon questioning, it turns out that this is an excuse to drink champagne rather than wine and to plan their reading for the next 12 months. They choose, in advance, 6 books for a 12 month period (in alternate months they meet to discuss what else they have read). This year's reading will culminate with a Dickens novel and themed candlelit dinner (for which I'm assuming costumes will be required). Talk about setting the bar high for the rest of us.