The author gives details to his background that help readers to understand his personality. We learn what it takes to thrive in the army, to see and survive conflict and to recover from the immense physical and psychological trauma of warfare. Having put military life behind him, Pinner was motivated to volunteer his services with the Ukrainian Army due to his wife’s Ukrainian nationality. But as he admits, he had also struggled to find career satisfaction outside of the camaraderie and excitement of army life. Repeatedly throughout the book he emphasises that during life-threatening situations he didn’t feel fear. It’s hard for the civilian reader to understand this, but easy to take him at his word throughout an authentic account that needs no exaggeration for dramatic effect. Put simply: men like Pinner are a breed apart. By helping in the fight to liberate Ukraine, we can only be thankful that there are soldiers with both conviction and the courage to act on their principles.

If you’re looking for an insight into what it’s like to be at the heart of modern warfare, then ‘Live, Fight, Survive’ is a compelling first-hand account. There isn’t much that Pinner doesn’t experience. He describes the friendships he forged with Ukrainians and how he doesn’t have time to grieve for one young man whose death in conflict he learns of at a crucial moment. Having explained how essential it is for a British national, likely to be considered a mercenary, to avoid being caught, he is nevertheless captured by Russian soldiers during the siege of Mariupol.

The bulk of the book is taken up with the aftermath of Pinner’s incarceration inside an unnamed black site in occupied Ukrainian territory. There are many efforts on the part of the Russian military to destroy his morale. He is driven through local towns that he knew in peacetime that have been reduced to rubble. There is also the constant threat of torture and illnesses such as dysentery that come with malnourishment and ill-treatment. There is the mundanity of a life in confinement that could drive any person crazy too. In describing how to pass time and try to keep spirits up during months of imprisonment in brutal conditions, the book is like a modern day version of Solzhenitsyn’s ‘One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.’ One difference is that now, captured soldiers’ phones are confiscated and their photographs and social media accounts scoured to find ways to compromise them. The author paints a vivid picture of some of his tormentors, including ‘Mr Balaclava’, who comes across like a Bond villain’s henchman.

The final part of the book gives an account of the part of the story that gained considerable media attention and brought Shaun Pinner’s name to international prominence. He stands trial in a Donetsk People’s Republic courtroom, accused of many things including treason. He knows full well that the kangaroo court is interested in finding him guilty, where the likely punishment would be execution. It is a stunning example of how, in warfare, the battlefield isn’t the only place where you can find yourself in mortal danger.

‘Live, Fight, Survive’ is a detailed insight into modern warfare and an eyewitness account of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It will appeal especially to any reader who has a keen interest in current affairs and military operations. Necessarily, it is a male-dominated story and one with some choice language: two factors which may limit the book’s target audience. As a piece of writing, it is fascinating, and Pinner’s strength is in sketching out his emotional reactions to events, as well as giving readers a good idea of the characters of the men he was serving with or imprisoned alongside. It is fair-minded too. There is no attempt to demonise ordinary Russian soldiers. Pinner reserves his ire for those in authority.

In capturing a broad chronological sweep of his experiences, ‘Live, Fight, Survive’ does become repetitive at times, especially once Pinner has been captured and is moved between prisons, each time establishing a new and frustratingly limited routine. However, the final chapters are the strongest and most eventful in the book, and they come with a rewarding emotional pay-off. Readers will have these passages fresh in their minds as they reach the final page.

The audiobook version is narrated by Shaun Pinner himself. His no-nonsense and clear tone of voice is authentically militaristic, and therefore the ideal choice to convey the story. An actor would probably have made the prose too flowery. The downside is that there are fewer nuances in his vocal delivery than is common for audiobook readers. Nevertheless, the dramatic events of each chapter ensured that our attention held throughout ‘Live, Fight, Survive’.

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK audio Narrator: Shaun Pinner Publication date: 28th September 2023 Buy ‘Live, Fight, Survive’

The post Shaun Pinner – ‘Live, Fight, Survive’ audiobook review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

As Palin admits in ‘Great Uncle Harry’, he was aware of his great uncle’s personal affects, including his diaries that were returned from the Front to the safekeeping of the family, for some years before Harry’s story pushed itself to the forefront of his mind. There was a series of ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ to write and film, and then many other projects came along in a rich, varied and rewarding career that has also spawned countless travel documentaries and accompanying books.

Now the time has been ripe to delve into the archives and conduct his own investigative research into his family’s history. Palin has clearly relished his genealogical adventure. Although his immediate descendants were not public figures, their lives reveal much about recent British history. In ‘Great Uncle Harry’, Palin vividly captures the late Victorian and Edwardian eras as revealed through his relatives’ encounters with historical events. As just one example, he divulges his great grandmother’s experience of the Irish Potato Famine. He also brings elements of his own life into the narrative, such as comparing his memories of education at Shrewsbury with his great uncle’s time at the forbidding public school.

As Palin documents, his Great Uncle Harry was something of a free spirit, although another less generous interpretation might be a lost soul. Probably, like so many of us, Harry wandered between the two. Despite that, there were opportunities for him in the final decades of the British Empire, and Harry spends much of his young adult life abroad. First, he works in India, failing to make much impression, ultimately leaving just as the Monsoon season dries up. He later moves to the other side of the world and finds work as a farm hand in New Zealand.

However, as with so many young men who happened to be born at the end of the Nineteenth Century, he soon becomes caught up in international events as war breaks out. Serving with the New Zealand Division, Harry sees action in Gallipoli before being transferred to the Western Front. As he records in his diary, the Battle of the Somme saw the first use of tanks in warfare. Shortly after receiving a promotion, and finally having his talents recognised, Harry’s diary entries end.

Through his investigative research, Palin uncovers the truth about the fate of his Great Uncle, or at least the testimony of a friend and soldier who served beside him. The author retraces his relative’s steps and finds the location of his death to aid in the writing process. He records how it is a struggle to imagine the innocuous countryside as the hellhole that claimed Harry’s life just over a century earlier.

Palin’s ‘Great Uncle Harry’ neatly traces the societal changes from the buoyant confidence of the late Victorian era into which Harry was born through to the hell of the Great War. During Harry’s short life, society and the world utterly changed. Palin’s success with the book is to signpost these changes to his reader, never failing to tell the human story, never lapsing into a dry history lesson.

The first part of ‘Great Uncle Harry’ documents the jolly adventures of Harry’s father, Edward, which provides a contrast to the fate of one of his sons. By the chapter in which Palin wraps up his account of Harry’s life, the mood of the book has changed starkly. There is no anger in the author’s tone, just pity for the waste of human life, and immense compassion and sadness for the unimaginable grief that his forebears went through.

Palin creates such a compelling portrait of his great uncle that by the end of it, the reader can’t help but feel immense sorrow, and perhaps even shed tears. In so doing, the trauma of World War I is brought home by detailing the life of one soldier. From Harry’s romances to mundane details about military drills, it’s possible to see that he was just an ordinary man. Like everyone whose life was cut short by the horrifying events of war, often sacrificed as machine-gun fodder through the brutal orders of High Command, Harry had hopes, dreams, loves and disappointments.

Ultimately, readers will remember Harry’s journey through the war that Palin guides his readers through. The powerful closing chapters that pull on the heartstrings will live long in the memory after reading it. The introductory chapters, which are necessary to establish the family life that Harry was born into, arguably hold up the main narrative for too long, though Palin reveals his interest in telling at length the story of Harry’s father, Edward (whom the author later played in a film).

‘Great Uncle Harry’ is also available as an audiobook which is read by the author. A talented actor like Michael Palin brings plenty of nuance to his narration. There’s a warmth and an authenticity to his tones as well. As a masterful storyteller, Palin keeps listeners engaged as he leads them through myriad emotions on this deeply personal journey. Coming to the end of the story, the reader can only imagine that Great Uncle Harry Palin would be beaming with pride at the achievements of his Great Nephew, as well as feeling gratitude for presenting his all-too-short life as such a moving and compelling story.

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK audio Narrator: Michael Palin Publication date: 28th September 2023 Buy ‘Great Uncle Harry’

The post Michael Palin – ‘Great Uncle Harry’ audiobook review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

To give away a spoiler: unlike the author’s account, King Arthur, he of round table and Holy Grail legend, is not historically accurate. That’s Mitchell’s opening gambit. He goes on to explain why the evidence for Arthur existing is slight to non-existent, before moving on to monarchs for whom there is an abundance of verifiable research to prove they really did once live.

The chapter on King Alfred the Great is a good example of Mitchell’s irreverent, intellectual approach to retelling the history of England. He points out that, as Alfred pre-dates William the Conquerer, generally considered the first king of a largely unified England, he can’t be considered Alfred the First. Not only that but the moniker ‘the Great’ results from a contemporary hagiography, meaning that Alfred’s achievements don’t quite impress in the same way as others afforded the same suffix. There is a hilarious aside on why overly-sensitive historical revisionists wish to rebrand ‘The Dark Ages’ to cast them in a more favourable light. Commendably, Mitchell offers a robust defence of the traditional nomenclature.

Many names from opening chapters on the Dark Ages and Early Middle Ages may be unfamiliar to readers with but a casual interest in English history. Don’t worry, the author vividly brings every single one of the monarchs to life. Their stories are told with Mitchell’s trademark comic timing. There are even a few punning chapter headings, such as ‘See Next You Tuesday’ and ‘A Pair of Cnuts’, to provide a touch of cheeky schoolboy humour.

Mitchell takes each monarch in chronological turn, examining their reign and their contributions to history. They are humanised by their abundant weaknesses and character flaws. Edward I is unable to understand nuance; Edward II is too prone to pick favourites in the royal court, thus creating enemies, Richard II is vain and incapable of self-reflection. Others who are already considered rotters, like Richard III who is unable to escape Shakespeare’s Machiavellian depiction, are given a fair hearing (without actually being acquitted of being, in many ways, utter bastards).

At first glance it may be counterintuitive that the book ends with the long reign of Elizabeth I. After all, there have been numerous monarchs since. The point that Mitchell makes is that her successors were British rather than English monarchs, and, especially following the execution of Charles I and the Interregnum, their powers would diminish as Parliament’s grew. Therefore their contribution to our national story is less significant. It’s a fair enough point, but I enjoyed ‘Unruly’ so much that I hope Mitchell will write a sequel and cover the British monarchs up to the present day.

I cannot remember the last time I laughed as much as I did listening to ‘Unruly: A History of England’s Kings and Queens’. Mitchell’s take on history is unremittingly funny as well as insightful. There are so many exquisite turns of phrase but it would not be possible to do justice to them in a review and out of context. I had to stop listening whilst cooking for fear I’d drop red-hot pans, I was shaking with laughter so much. I couldn’t wait for any opportunity to shove the headphones back in and hear more. But there is a wider point that, in capturing so much history so effectively, Mitchell also proves his worth as a cultural commentator of considerable merit. If every history teacher in the land made his or her subject come to life in the way that David Mitchell achieves in ‘Unruly’, then the next generation would know our national history back to front and could probably give a potted summary of every monarch in chronological order.

Although Mitchell is eminently successful in his primary objective of making his reader laugh, he also never loses sight of the human stories behind the often tragic history. It is this historian’s critique that makes the subject so essential to keep alive. Although his own thoughts and feelings bubble to the surface occasionally, this is often to explain how some people achieved considerable power and what conditions were like for their subjects. It’s hard to disagree with Mitchell’s take in the final chapter that describes the burgeoning artistic scene culminating in the plays of Shakespeare. Truly, his conclusions make one’s heart sing.

I expect that ‘Unruly: A History of England’s Kings and Queens’ will prove to be an enormously enjoyable book when read off the page. I have never previously experienced an audiobook where the text and the narrator are so well-paired. David Mitchell reads his own words as if he is delivering one long anecdote. He has the perfect voice for humour: authoritative but at the same time self-effacing in that English way of not wanting to seem too cocky, educated without being off-puttingly posh or effete, and perhaps most crucially, able to inject a splash of acid whenever some human folly or malice really grinds his gears.

The audiobook version of David Mitchell’s ‘Unruly: A History of England’s Kings and Queens’ is the perfect marriage of text and narrator. If you like David Mitchell’s comedy and have an at-least-passing interest in English history, there’s a very good chance you’ll absolutely adore this book. It is witty, sparkling and enormous fun from start to finish. As an added bonus, you may even learn something too!

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK audio Narrator: David Mitchell Publication date: 28th September 2023 Buy ‘Unruly: A History of England’s Kings and Queens’

The post David Mitchell – ‘Unruly: A History of England’s Kings and Queens’ audiobook review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Using magic realism – elements of the fantastic woven into a naturalistic narrative, ‘Victory City’ finds Rushdie in familiar territory and playing to his strengths. A vivid opening chapter finds a young girl and the heroine of the novel, Pampa Kampana, witnessing the shocking death of her mother in a public act of self-immolation. In her overwrought state, Pampa Kampana hosts the goddess Parvati, who bestows upon her some extraordinary gifts. In keeping with the moralistic core of fairy tales, these gifts turn out to be a mixed blessing.

Using seeds given to her by the goddess, Pampa Kampana grows a city from scratch. Needing men to help her to establish rule over the first generation of inhabitants, Pampa Kampana co-opts the assistance of cowherd brothers Hukka Raya and Bukka Raya. Whilst they worry about trivialities such as whether or not the male citizens are circumcised, the brand new city of Bisnaga is grown into being.

Much of the rest of the book is taken up with the development of Bisnaga and the impressive empire that it becomes. Hukka Raya and Bukka Raya take it in turns to rule over the city, and as time passes, new generations of citizens come along, as well as visitors to Bisnaga. One of the newcomers is Portuguese traveller Domingo Nunes, who has an affair with Pampa Kampana and fathers some of her illegitimate children. Questions over succession to the throne and warring dynastic factions naturally arise. At the same time, Pampa Kampana’s curse begins to reveal itself – the goddess has granted her a long life where she retains her youthful appearance over several generations. Thus she sees her lovers and children grow old, weak and die before she is even middle-aged. Who among us would desire or envy such a fate? Whilst the mortals play their brief parts in the rise of Bisnaga, Pampa Kampana must constantly adapt to a rapidly-developing empire, and fight to retain her power and significance in the life of the city.

‘Victory City’ has some delightful touches that imbue it with the charm of folk tales. There is a magical forest where uncertain men can turn into women, and where humans can converse with the other animal species such as birds and snakes. Other playful conceits embellish the storytelling. The unknown narrator tells us that his account is based upon the Jayaparajaya, Pampa Kampana’s epic poem which is her account of the history of Bisnaga from centuries earlier. Thus the narrator can comment favourably or unfavourably about the events of the story as they unfold.

As with all of Salman Rushdie’s works, ‘Victory City’ also has something to say about the contemporary world and human frailties. It is critical of fanaticism and is at pains to show how Bisnaga takes the wrong track under theocratic rule. In having Pampa Kampana as the strongest and most intelligent character, as well as the protagonist who shapes the action, Rushdie also strongly implies that the liberation of women is the key to the fairest society with the best outcomes. Petty jealousies and insecurities are also held up to gentle yet persuasive mockery.

From start to finish, the reader or listener can only be impressed by the literary flair of Rushdie’s compelling storytelling. The attention-grabbing opening as the women commit sati and a goddess intervenes in human affairs is just the start of an epic journey. The ups and downs of the empire is told with flair and a great deal of humour. It was only in the final part of the book, once Pampa Kampana has outlived every one of the characters introduced in the first part, that the story is anything other than totally engrossing. However, the narrative wraps up in a satisfying way, leaving readers sated.

The audiobook version is expertly read by Sid Sagar, who captures the poetry and cadences of Rushdie’s prose and conveys the story and its colourful characters with great clarity. ‘Victory City’ is a joy to listen to. The book is perfect reading material if you love allegorical tales told in a traditional way, which also examine truths about our own social problems. Salman Rushdie proves once again that he is a writer of considerable power and panache. He allows his characters to tell their story, and in so doing, permits his readers to derive their own meaning from a beautiful tale, well-told.

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK audio Narrator: Sid Sagar Publication date: 9th February 2023 Buy ‘Victory City’

The post Salman Rushdie – ‘Victory City’ audiobook review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Rather than being a continuation of her memoirs, ‘The Light We Carry’ is instead part-reflection upon the tumultuous political period since her husband left office, and part-motivational self-help book designed to encourage her readers to keep their progressive dreams alive. This takes the author into some refreshingly candid and personal territory. We learn of her feelings of anxiety when her husband asked her if he should run for President, and how they supported one another as a couple throughout his campaign and then time in office. We hear about her childhood, and how her father never allowed his health problems to become a burden for others. She also divulges what she learnt about good parenting from her mother, and how she adapted lessons from her upbringing when it became her turn to parent.

These insights find ‘The Light We Carry’ at its strongest and most compelling. Michelle Obama is adept at storytelling and is masterful at communication. She also has that rare gift in ensuring that every reader believes that she is reaching out and speaking to them directly and personally. If anything, her writings reveal what strengths she would bring to the Presidency should she ever successfully run for office herself.

However, the book does reveal some weaknesses. In truth, it is patently written for a partisan readership who already agrees with the author’s worldview. Even within this context, Obama finds no room for self-reflection. Conservatives are painted as self-evidently bad, and are always acting from malign motives. There is no attempt to understand why the American electorate held their noses to narrowly place a man with as many obvious character flaws as Donald Trump in the White House when the Obamas vacated it. Rather, the author sails close to blaming the electorate for choosing the wrong candidate. There is throughout the book an unwillingness to address hard questions or facts that are in conflict with the author’s worldview, which tends to adopt all of the progressive causes but also the more obviously counter-productive victimhood narratives that come along with it. Perhaps the best illustration of this is when she entreats her readers to “Stay outraged” in her otherwise rhetorically exhilarating closing statements. One can imagine what she might say if a conservative commentator encouraged his or her readers to do the same.

It is worth anybody’s time to read or listen to ‘The Light We Carry’ if for no other reason than it is a well-written and valuable insight into the prevailing thought of mainstream left-wing policymakers. The self-help sections will undoubtedly prove invaluable to many readers who are looking for that kernel of nurturing guidance to improve their lives and strive to reach their potential, often in the face of significant hurdles. As a motivator, Obama is clear-eyed and thought-provoking. At the same time, it’s hard to shake off the nagging feeling that the lady protests too much when it comes to protecting her family’s legacy when it comes to their record in office. As such, the political commentary is too often shallow or riddled with assumptions. In one sentence, Brexit is lumped in with Trump’s presidency as if it’s all the same thing and as if it all occurred in the same country. There is a familiar absence of any desire on the part of the author to explain the competing arguments behind it, or even what the European Union is and which country left it. For effective analysis of the last seven years from a left-wing perspective, there are stronger volumes.

‘The Light We Carry’ is available as an audiobook from Penguin and is read by the author. It is a sensible approach to have Obama articulate her own words. As an experienced public speaker and masterful communicator she is well-placed to do so. Without the adrenaline-buzz of a live audience, it is sometimes obvious that she is reading off the page, which means some moments vary between extremes of sounding mechanical or overly-emphasised. But as a non-actor, Obama does a creditable job of sustaining the listener’s interest at book-length. As an accompaniment to any daily task or leisure time, Michelle Obama’s ‘The Light We Carry’ is an enjoyable, forthright, confident and upbeat book.

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK audio Narrator: Michelle Obama Publication date: 15th November 2022 Buy ‘The Light We Carry’

The post Michelle Obama – ‘The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times’ audiobook review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

The book begins after the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658, as monarchy is restored. The title derives from an Act of Parliament, overseen by King Charles II, that granted a royal pardon to those who had committed crimes during the civil war, but with one exception. Those men still living who signed the death warrant of Charles I, the new king’s father, are to be executed for regicide. General Edward Whalley and Colonel William Goffe, the former a childhood friend of Cromwell’s who later served under him in multiple campaigns, know that their names are on the list and their days are numbered. They flee England for America, looking to start a new life in the colonies where they will be free to practice their Puritan faith. However, to do so, they must uproot their lives, leave behind wives and children, and with a sizeable ransom on their heads, forego ever trusting another living soul.

For Whalley and Goffe, their problems are only just beginning. Richard Nayler, secretary of the regicide committee of the Privy Council, a singularly obsessive and determined operator, is on their trail. His track record in bringing to ‘justice’ the signatories on the late King’s death warrant is exemplary. Even taking the manhunt to another continent is no obstacle for him. Nayler inexorably tracks Whalley and Goffe across the New World, whilst they in turn must use all their wits and powers of survival just to stay alive in a wild country and one step ahead of their would-be assassin. Knowing that a single intercepted letter to loved ones could betray them, their world becomes ever more isolated and paranoid, when they have only one another and their faith to provide them with the strength to carry on.

Robert Harris’ remarkable book vividly captures the period of the Restoration. He skilfully merges details from meticulous historical research into his compelling narrative. Through characters that breathe on the pages, he examines the religious and ideological divides that had brought England to civil war. The overpowering influence of Oliver Cromwell and King Charles I looms large throughout the book. Mostly, they are off-stage characters, though we do eventually meet both of them as the circumstances recorded in history books break through into the lives of common people. They in turn are sucked into deep waters by the wake of national events.

Whalley and Goffe are relatable characters driven into a foreign land. We learn through the former’s memoirs of his time serving under Cromwell more about what motivates him, and Goffe’s strong long-distance relationship with his wife Frances and love for their children is what keeps him going. If the book has a weakness, it’s perhaps that it is hard to round out and make scintillating company devout men of God, and there is a repetitiveness to their interactions with one another. But it is the character of Richard Nayler (just about the only one in the book that is purely an invention of the author’s) that strongly captures the reader’s imagination. Nayler is like a modern day Inspector Javert from Victor Hugo’s epic masterpiece ‘Les Miserables’. Myopic, driven and unstoppable, his search for the regicides is, the reader intuits, inexorable. Once Nayler reaches America, ‘Act of Oblivion’ becomes a compelling manhunt that relentlessly surprises to the very last page. Most readers will be breathless by the time they finish the book.

The setting of America in the Seventeenth Century also provides Harris with scope for commentary. Areas were under English jurisdiction, others Dutch, and New York is founded during the course of the book. Native American tribes, on the back foot as the colonisers encroach ever further into the continent, have a part to play in influencing the narrative. Their inclusion adds nuance to the historical context within which the events of ‘Act of Oblivion’ unfold.

If you enjoy works of historical fiction and thrilling manhunt stories, it’s highly likely that you’ll love ‘Act of Oblivion’. Robert Harris proves once again why he is an enduringly popular bestselling author. His attention to detail and thorough grasp of history is so potent when combined with his natural gift for telling exciting stories. The book is especially successful in examining the human consequences of the English Civil War, and why it took a generation, and yet more bloodshed, for the nation to come to terms with the execution of a monarch.

The audiobook is read by Tim McInnerny, whose extensive credits range from ‘Edge of Darkness’ to ‘Blackadder’ and ‘Game of Thrones’. His rich, theatrical voice is ideal for bringing to life Robert Harris’ sparkling prose. One or two character voices are a little odd, it has to be said. The cadences for the Puritans are touch patronising, and the effete quality given to Nayler and the female characters is sometimes in danger of slowing the pace unnecessarily. However, he undoubtedly makes sense of the flow of the narrative and holds the listener’s attention. He sounds as if he is genuinely enjoying bringing the book to life, and that can’t help but transfer to the listener.

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK audio Narrator: Tim McInnerny Publication date: 1st September 2022 Buy ‘Act of Oblivion’

[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]

The post Robert Harris – ‘Act of Oblivion’ Audiobook review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.