The Captive Prince, by CS Pacat

Obviously influenced by dark fantasy writers such as Anne Bishop, CS Pacat lacks her ability to create a fully formed alternate world. She fails to set the stage or build characters to care about before plunging into an orgy (literally) of violence that verges on torture porn. There is plenty of action but no-one to cheer for. The political intrigue is often nonsensical. The captive prince himself is not especially likeable or appealing, but most of the other characters are so revolting that he is all there is. Women are on the periphery, which at least means they are not the victims of the perverted violence for a change, but it leaves a picture of a society that is curiously unbalanced. There are a few female slaves and courtiers, with no real role in the story, but no princesses, queens, wives or female soldiers or powerbrokers of any kind. The geography is unimaginative; the character list is unnecessary; and a number of invented words are inserted into the narrative, to mysterious purpose. This is apparently the first book in a trilogy – don’t expect to read reviews of the next two on this blog.

Chances, by Freya North

Freya North’s early novels were fresh and zesty, with a healthy dose of quirky thrown in. Funny, sexy and ultimately romantic, her heroines were appealing and her heroes attractive; a tiny element of magic realism added something a little different to the chick lit genre. Later novels took on a slightly darker edge, with some difficult dilemmas thrown in and boy and girl not always ending up where you thought they would. Chances, her eleventh outing reads a little tired and by the numbers. North has always teetered on the edge of didactic, notably in her Tour De France-themed novel Cat, and here she topples over it. Facts and figures about trees and wood are shoehorned into the narrative – she did the arboriculture research and she is bloody well going to use it. Hero and heroine are too good to be true and the regret of the ex is just not credible to any degree. Nothing of the outcome is left to imagination or speculation, a strength of earlier stories. It could have used a bit more work and a tighter edit on some unnecessary repetition. That said, Chances is a pleasant enough tale of recovery from heartbreak, whose most appealing character is the pear tree in the back yard.

Olive Kitteridge, directed by Lisa Cholodenko

A portrait of an ordinarily dysfunctional marriage in small-town Maine over 25 years rings depressingly true. Pharmacist Henry and teacher Olive are not well matched. She is tough and practical with no filter on her harsh tongue. Even though she means well and does care for people, she doesn’t suffer fools gladly and often lacks sympathy, affection and compassion. He is easy-going to a fault, a kind and sweet man with little drive and too much sentimentality. There is love and even passion, between them, but they constantly disappoint each other, both seeking their emotional (him) and intellectual (her) needs elsewhere. Their son Christopher is a product of his environment and seems doomed to repeat their mistakes. Frances McDormand is sublime as Olive, a woman who doesn’t realise the negative impact she has on others, especially on those closest to her. The love and care she lavishes on her husband comes too late and there is no redeeming her relationship with her son. Nevertheless, with life there is hope. This is TV for grownups.

Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi

This rather provocative title is actually perfectly accurate. The author is a professor of literature who has written a book on Nabokov and ran a book club for her female students who wanted to read classic novels banned in Iran in the 1990s. It is difficult to understand the seemingly blind complicity of Iran’s population with the totalitarian takeover of their country by a radical Islamic regime. Nafisi’s memoir explains how relatively easy it was to divide and conquer in a classic case of, “if you tolerate this, then your children will be next.” Non-religious opponents of the Shah, leftists and moderate Islamists found themselves sidelined, demonised and persecuted as the Ayatollahs gained strength. Women had it the worst as their country was taken back to the dark ages and they had to conform or leave if they didn’t want to die. In this the book holds useful lessons for today, with neo-fascists employing similar tactics, in various parts of the world,to divide and conquer their opponents. As much a book of literary criticism as a memoir, it is most interesting when it draws parallels between heroines of literature and the author’s students who resist the regime. Apart from encouraging these students by starting the forbidden book club Nafisi retreated from the regime rather than defying it; probably a sensible choice given the potential consequences. She was fortunate enough to have the means to eventually escape to the US after persuading her husband to waive his privilege. Most of her students eventually followed her lead in leaving Iran. This book was published in 2003, when the Islamic Republic had started to ease up, although life was still restricted and dangerous for its opponents. It would be interesting to read a more recent analysis of the state of affairs and the impact of a loss of generation of writers and artists on culture and society.

Wedding Fever, by Kim Gruenenfelder

Told from the alternating points of view of three close friends, Wedding Fever delves into modern relationship dilemmas with warmth and wit. Nicole is blissfully in love and is about to get married, but is she really ready to be a stepmother? Seema is in love with her best friend, but hesitates to tell him and potentially wreck the friendship. Melissa has spent six years with a man who won’t commit – should she persist or cut her losses? The tale takes lots of twists and turns for before the women wind up just where they are meant to be. At times the three lead characters seem just a little too good to be true, but then they usually do something realistically petty or stupid to bring things back to reality. This is chick lit with style and substance.

The Night Manager, directed by Susanne Bier

This spy thriller based on a John le Carre novel offers the intriguing story of anti-hero Jonathan Pine and boasts a very strong cast. Hugh Laurie obliterates memories of House, if not quite of Blackadder, in his chillingly charming portrayal of “the worst man in the world”, billionaire arms dealer Richard Roper. Olivia Coleman is competent and appealing as mid-level intelligence officer Angela Burr, who is battling internal politics and the condescending and corrupt arseholes of MI6 to get her job done. Elizabeth Debicki is coolly graceful as femme fatale Jed and a solid support cast, including Tom Hollander and Natasha Little, never misses a beat. Who is Jonathan Pine? No-one seems to know, least of all him. Tom Hiddleston hits all the right notes as the ex-army officer turned hotel night manager. He is initially accidentally embroiled in a world of violent international criminals and later embroils himself, with encouragement from Burr, who is on a crusade against Roper. Beautifully filmed exotic locations and Pine’s weakness for women that could prove his downfall lend a touch of Bond to proceedings. The six episodes are densely packed with not a moment wasted and a constant tension that escalates to a satisfying conclusion. It is easy to see why there is buzz around Hiddleston as the next James Bond, but he has done his spy turn now and would be wasted in the role.

Damn Him to Hell, by Jamie Quaid

The dastardly Acme Chemical company is up to its terrible tricks again, blasting green and pink gas over Baltimore’s radioactive zone. Newly qualified lawyer Tina Clancy must get to the bottom of what the gas has done and how to remedy its effects, all while trying to manage her evolving powers as one of Saturn’s daughters and control her libido. This sequel to Boyfriend From Hell further develops Tina’s relationship with her mysterious boss Andre Legrande and the unusual inhabitants of the Zone. Former boyfriend Max has returned from hell, but will he be a hindrance or a help in dealing with his villainous family, who own Acme? Good fun.

The Rules of Backyard Cricket, by Jock Serong

Reading more like an autobiography than a novel, Serong’s account of two brothers is better written and far more interesting than most actual cricketing bios. Spurred on by their fierce single mum, prodigies Wally and Darren Keefe make their mark on their sport from an early age. Poor choices are Darren’s downfall in cricket and in life and he fails to meet his potential in either. The brothers’ relationship rings very true, with fierce rivalry in every aspect. Their story calls in elements of Steve and Mark Waugh, David Warner, Shane Warne, Hansie Cronje and various ‘bad boys’ of other sporting codes, notably Gary Ablett Snr. The brothers are two sides of the same coin, but sometimes the coin gets flipped. Perfect by-the-book Wally turns out to have sold his soul and larrikin fuck-up Darren is the one with a heart. The story is completely believable, which begs the question how accurate a picture is it of the corruption of cricket at all levels. With recent revelations of tennis match fixing, it is probably all too true. Ultimately this is something of a horror story, disturbing and unsettling, posing more questions than it answers.