Reviews and Reviewers

Have TV review programmes of books and films become platforms for 'fast-talking, full-of-their-own-importance' guests with nether-region body parts replacing their mouths, instead of a panel of experts providing comprehensible reviews for readers and viewers respectively? Are these programmes merely a showcase for 'wanabe celebs'?

I watched a programme recently that slated a film for its plot, content and acting but praised its fantastic 'style' and artistic technique. I thought cinema-goers paid to be entertained. If one wishes to admire style, surely one should visit the Hermitage in St. Petersburg,  Le Louvre in Paris, Gaudi's La Pedrera in Barcelona or the Tate Modern in London.

                                                 

It is a similar situation in respect of TV drama programmes. Plots have become so predictable and thin that productions appear to focus merely on visual techniques leaving the viewer confused and wondering why they watched, waiting in vain for the compelling finale or unexpected twist.

I may be old fashioned but I love books, films and TV dramas of substance that enthuse me to recommend them to friends and acquaintances.

COVERS for RISK

       


Thanks to Trisha (who is Trisha?), the front and back covers of my latest novel, Risk are ready for publication.
         The final draft of the manuscript is almost completed. Hoping to publish in March 2013. Risk is a 'companion' to Les Ruines, published last year. Both books are historical fiction, focussing on the exploits of the French Résistance during WWII.
          I undertook research for both novels during the past two years, visiting sites of historical importance and interviewing local inhabitants who were either involved with or were related to those in the various resistance groups.
          As Risk is about escape lines from France into Spain
via the Pyrenees, I was fortunate to become a member of ELMS, the WWII Escape Lines Memorial Society based in the UK.



Synopsis of Risk:

The youngest of three brothers, Geoffrey is proud of his working class roots; he despairs of the inequality pervading English society. When war breaks in 1939, the opportunity arrives to prove his worth. His brothers join the RAF; Geoffrey joins the Royal Artillery.

When the allied forces capitulate, Geoffrey finds himself stranded in France. He joins refugees fleeing the Nazis. A wealthy French politician befriends him. Though prejudiced against his aristocratic rescuer, Geoffrey accepts his assistance to escape via Spain. Back in England, the Special Operations Executive recruits him as an agent. He parachutes into France to set up escape networks but his role demands the potential sacrifice of subordinates’ lives, conflicting with his principles. Against all rules, he also has an affair with the politician’s daughter, despite having a fiancée at home.

His dangerous activities transform an innocent war victim into a risk-taking crusader, whilst his romantic liaisons plunge into chaos. In 1944, reports list Geoffrey as ‘missing presumed dead’. The official secrets act conceals his clandestine exploits; the record of his illustrious career dies with him. Seventy years later, his descendants discover the truth, sending shockwaves through two families believed connected previously only by the English Channel.

Word Count: 92,500

Pages:                 146