Ataraxia

  The Sabre Squadron by Simon Raven Nine out of 10     Having been enthused by the first two volumes of the roman fleuve Alms For Oblivion, respectively Fielding Grey  http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/fielding-gray-by-simon-raven-10-out-of.html  and Sound the Retreat   http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/sound-retreat-by-simon-raven-10-out-of.html  , yours truly has been less enthusiastic about The Sabre Squadron, perhaps or surely on reasons of too high expectations…there is a positive psychology rule or exercise that prompts one to lower one’s expectations.   It is very likely that the under signed has missed the greatness of this volume and he can only hope that the magic, glory of the first two instalments will be regained with the fourth part, The Rich Pay Late, which should be finished in about ten or twelve days’ time, given that the cherished books are spaced out, so that je ne m’etouffe with so much pleasure, but it could also be that ...

  The Judas Boy by Simon Raven, volume V of Alms for Oblivion Nine out of 10     The first two volumes of the epic Alms of Oblivion, Fielding Gray  http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/fielding-gray-by-simon-raven-10-out-of.html  and Sound the Retreat have been more than a pleasure to read, then followed the less exulting The Sabre Squadron, which gave way for Friends in Low Places  http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/10/friends-in-low-place-by-simon-raven-10.html , the latter being more rewarding and exciting than The Judas Boy, which does not meet the admittedly high expectations…   Fielding Gray, the hero of the first chapter in this roman fleuve, has already returned in The Saber Squadron  http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-sabre-squadron-by-simon-raven-nine.html  and he is at the center of the plot here, wherein he is called by writer, political pundit and now BBC employee Tom Llewyllyn to travel to Cyprus to investigate a story for his...

  Juno by Diablo Cody has been nominated for four Academy Awards, Diablo Cody won for Best Writing, Original Screenplay and the film has many trophies: it is charming, amusing, romantic, original, outré and so much more – I was thinking to look it up on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made site, but what would be the point, I enjoyed it very much, so there is no need for that validation…here is the self-promotion part, pointless, but this is The Power of Habit -one of the more than five thousand posts is on this one – you find reviews on magnum opera from The Greatest Books of All Time and other sites, notes on film from the NYT 1,000 and other lists, as already mentioned, more than five thousand of them on my blog and YouTube channel https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2025/09/do-you-have-any-feedback.html For Sandu   8 out of 10   Juno was one of the best motion pictures of 2007 and indeed, it would be among the Top 1,000, maybe even the first 300 ...

  City of the Mind by Penelope Lively, adapted for BBC Radio Matthew Halland is the hero of this interesting, meditative, thought provoking narrative, dramatized for BBC Radio. The first line announces the main theme – the dimensions of our existence: breadth, width, depth and…time. Jane is the daughter of the protagonist and she is the one who asks about time, first her mother, who is separated from her father, who says she does not know how to explain and then, when the hero hears that his ex-wife did not have an answer…he is sure to give one. The stars are there and yet, they may be already gone, for it takes so many thousands of years for their light to reach us and, once it does, they may be already dead, vanished. Jane has an accident and given that her father is not there – although he runs to the hospital as soon as he finds out – she is worried and concerned that he is not there…in general, inviting us to think. A child can open up a discussion with deep impact, for she me...

  The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford 11 out of 10     What a glorious magnum opus this is and furthermore, it comes as part of series of magnificent masterpieces that the under signed has been fortunate to read over the past few weeks, including Malice Aforethought  http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/11/malice-aforethought-by-anthony-berkeley.html  , The Uncommon Reader  http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-uncommon-reader-by-alan-bennett-11.html  the latter mentioning, among many phenomenal writers, Nancy Mitford and her resplendent novel.   The main character is Linda – soon to be portrayed by the ravishing Lily James in a series that had started filming at the beginning of the year, only to be delayed and postponed by the outbreak of the pandemic – although the story is told by her cousin, Fanny, the latter being abandoned by her mother, the Bolter, having thus the chance to grow among her cousins, in the mansion at Alconleigh, where Uncle M...

  Torch Song by John Cheever Excellent     This is an excellent story about a friendship between a man- Jack and a woman- Joan. This relationship has ups and downs, which is only natural, but the exceptional thing is that they stay in touch for so long. They have not been very close, unless I am wrong in assessing this companionship that goes through marriages and other lovers. Jack is married twice and has a child. But Joan on the other hand has a series of lovers. There is a count first, who comes from Switzerland if my memory is not failing me, and he is a drug addict. Then we meet Hugh who has another addiction, this time to drink. The series is continued with a nasty German named Franz. Franz is arrogant, nationalistic and abusive, one would say like all the other men in the life of this strange woman. At a party where Frank and his first wife are present, the German talks with his friends about the superiority of the German system. Education is mentioned first and t...