Ian McEwan. (Author focus)

With, The Children Act, hitting the cinema this week, I thought it apt to do my next author focus.

So, for this post, Ian McEwan, author of the aforementioned, and such books that you may recognise from previous visits to the cinema as, Enduring Love, with Daniel Craig and Rhys Ifans, On Chesil Beach with Saoirse Ronan and of course, Atonement with Vanessa Redgrave and Keira Knightley, and, let’s not forget last year's excellent BBC adaptation of, The Child in Time, with Benedict Cumberbatch.

So, it's fair to say that at some time or another, most of you would have come across something written by this author, but, how many of you have actually read one of his books?

I confess that the extent of my reading is what you see in the picture on the left, so, no Atonement then, and I've yet to read his latest novel, but most of what I have read, I have enjoyed - some more than others of course.

Solar, was one that I didn’t really get on with, along with, The Daydreamer, but Sweet Tooth was excellent, capturing the dim, smoke filled offices and soot covered buildings of the 1970's very convincingly and along with Saturday, which takes us through one particular Saturday in the life of an eminent neurosurgeon, from a mundane traffic collision, through an epic squash match, to a climax that had me reading at double speed, they rank as my favourite McEwan books to date.

His novels aren't long, (so no excuses), with most not even making three hundred pages, and they can lack a bit for their brevity, but what you do get is an intense ride, intense characters and in some cases - Enduring Love being the one that really stands out for me - something that sticks with you. (The appendix in Enduring Love is worth buying the book for alone).

So, whether you like books narrated by a foetus, a child who time travels, young married couples who fear intimacy, or raving madmen who become infatuated, there seems to be something for everyone here, and hopefully, as long as McEwan keeps writing, we’ll get some excellent viewing pleasure too.

So, the film: Emma Thompson in the lead role, Ian McEwan as the writer, set in my old home town of London, what more could I want? (Maybe I'll let you know once I've seen it).

The Children Act, book review. (Ian McEwan)

As is the norm with this eminent authors' books, we have a relatively short novel that centres around a single main character; in this instance, a high court judge by the name of Fiona Maye, but as is also the norm, we find ourselves unable to put the book down until we've read to the end.

How a mundane trip in a car, or a relatively boring night, sifting through paperwork, keeps one enticed, is still beyond me, but it does, and before we know it, we’re in a courtroom, we’re by the bedside of a dying teenager, we’re reeling from the absurdity of her husband’s proposal of an open marriage, and we’re biting your nails in anticipation of her ruling.

After several rulings - on whether parents have the rights to decide their children's fate or not - we reach the core of the book, the central plot.

Her ward, a young boy of seventeen, is refusing treatment on religious grounds, and also has the backing of his parents and the elders in the community, but needs urgent medical attention if he is to live.

Will she go against his wishes? Will the law allow it? If he survives, what will become of him? Will he be ostracised, or welcomed home with open arms?

This book doesn't quite have the grit and verve that I found in Sweet Tooth and it doesn't have the explosive ending of Saturday, but it does have superb characters, with a depth of emotion that renders them very believable.

Ian McEwan is fast becoming a firm favourite with me; long may he continue writing genuinely interesting books, about everyday life but with a twist. 

On a personal note, I like a long book as much as I like a short one, so please, please, please Mr McEwan can we have something around the five hundred page mark next time? Go on, you know you want to!

Three and a half star for this one then, and the bonus that it will only take a few days to read.

Saturday, book review. (Ian McEwan)

I do like the way Ian McEwan writes; he seems to make the mundane almost interesting, and it's exactly what he's done in his book, Saturday.

The simple preparation of an evening dinner, is one of my favourite scenes in the book (for want of a better expression) and his expert grasp of the English language, even makes a journey to the corner shop interesting.

Told over a single Saturday, we wake early with our custodian for the day, a Neurosurgeon living in the centre of London, and follow him through the trials and tribulations of the day.

There's an anti-war protest to throw us off the scent, a daughter returning from Paris, which brings much drama, and the squash match to end all squash matches.

I've never played squash (because I'm too lazy), but I felt the sweat running down my back after reading that scene and the surgery performed was eloquently described. 

An altercation with a thug near the beginning of the story, comes to a heady climax near the end and is the main backbone of the book. Back story to support his father-in-laws inevitable candour, a pregnant daughter and a wife he adores (and makes love to twice in one day), fills in the blanks.

Better that Solar, but not as good as Sweet tooth, it earns a very solid three and a half stars. 

A good solid book then, and like most of Ian McEwan's books, a quick read. 

Ian McEwan redeems himself with Sweet Tooth.

Ian McEwan has been on my radar for a while now. Friends have recommended him, and films have been made from his books, so I took the plunge late last year when I found an immaculate unread copy of Solar in the charity shop. 

It was short, but then most of his books are, and his characters where intriguing, but I found the story slow and to be honest a bit boring. 

I like a bit of escapism when I read, whether that means trolls and wizards or fast moving action, I don't really mind, but there needs to be something that grabs me. I love good realistic characters but I like it when they have more to aim for than just normality, and that isn't to say I don't like gritty realism, I do, I just need something with a little more umph.

When a copy of Sweet Tooth came my way, I was sceptical, but the blurb pulled me in and what a breath of fresh air. 

I raced through the book in a week and it was full of great characters, intrigue and a nice little twist to top it all off. 

Thoroughly recommended this one. A solid four stars and Ian McEwan is back on the radar again. (I have 'Saturday' waiting in the pile).

Inspiration for the day goes to all the short novels out there. It doesn't need to be a brick to be good.