A century ago, Wilfred Owen, one of the greatest of the first World War poets wrote ‘Dulce et Decorum est pro Patria ‘ [It is sweet and right to die for your country] It was a bitter commentary on the savagery of war, written from Wilfred Owen’s personal experience. Move forward to the present day, and Owen Sheers, also a poet, gives a dramatised account of three young men who leave Bristol to fight in Afghanistan. Has much has changed? Absolutely nothing. Because however ‘sophisticated’, however ‘primitive’ the weaponry, now as then, the outcome is the same, the probablity of death or terrible injury. Of the three young soldiers, one is blown up by an IED, another...
Read MoreEcho is sharp and sassy – she courts challenge – meeting and losing her first and only love, discovering hidden information about her missing father, an obsession with a Welsh poet, and the very person who should help her – lets her down spectacularly – the revenge is sweet and entertaining. You will love Echo from the beginning to the end – It is a compelling read. Lorraine Edington
Read MoreEcho – Marguerite Valentine. This page-turning novel is set in a dramatic landscape that reflects Echo’s early experiences in handling relationships. We are taken on an adventure into the heart of a feisty teenager who doesn’t flinch in adversity but remains true to herself whatever the circumstances. Anna Schlesinger (5 stars)
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Who hasn’t been entranced by Chagall’s surreal and vividly coloured paintings of lovers surrounded by flowers and clasped in an embrace flying across the sky? And who wouldn’t be captivated by the writer’s Daniel Jamieson’s portrayal of Chagall’s love affair with his first wife. Marc Chagall played by Marc Antolin and Bella Chagall by Audrey Brisson, perfectly capture their childlike delight for each other and their joy for life. It’s a marriage made in theatrical heaven, and brought to Bristol’s Old Vic by Emma Rice, formerly Director of the Kneehigh Company. The production, the story of their life together, veers between fantasy and harsh reality but it is...
Read MoreThere’s three kinds of writers; one embarks on a journey with a map, they know where they’re going. Another type gets in a car and drives as far as they can see their headlights. A third combines the two approaches. They have a vague idea of where they’re going and if or when they get lost, then they bring out the map.Which are you? I’ve always been the ‘let’s see where this is taking me’type and that was true even when I wrote non-fiction. It usually worked. I’d begin with the problem, move onto a discussion and then wrap it all up. So far so good. It worked for shortish academic papers of about five thousand words, but what of the...
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Marguerite Valentine is a former child protection specialist now writing psychological thrillers. Her debut novel is 'Between The Shadow And The Soul'.