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The Man Who Saw Everything
The Man Who Saw Everything
Deborah Levy | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What can I say about The Man Who Saw Everything? Firstly, I enjoyed reading it. It certainly wasn’t predictable, and I had no idea how the book was going to go in either half. As I read on to the second half, it began to become a little clearer as to why that was, exactly. There is a reason why the main character, Saul Adler, slips around in time. And I can’t tell you why, because to do so will give away the whole book!

This is a book where time, sexuality and personality are all malleable and difficult to pin down - all at the same time. You don’t know what’s real, and what’s in the imagination. Past and present are portrayed not just in the ages of the main character, but also in the former East and West Germany and the old and new (post-Brexit) Europe.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly explain this - even if I tried. I do know, however, that I really liked it.
  
Only the Good Die Young
Only the Good Die Young
Julie Mulhern | 2023 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It Was a Fall, Wasn’t It?
This is a short novella that is set back between the first two books. While Ellison and her daughter are off in Europe, Ellison’s mother, Frances, gets involved in a mystery. When she goes with one of her friends to check on the friend’s mother-in-law, they find the woman dead in her bedroom. But it couldn’t be murder. Frances doesn’t get involved in murder. The woman hit her head in a fall, right? Right?

I found Frances’s horror at getting caught up in the case to be funny. I also liked the fact that we got to know her better, something I definitely needed. The rest of the characters aren’t super well developed. Likewise, the mystery is a bit simple, but it kept my interest and reached a great climax. The thing to keep in mind is that this is a novella, and I read it in about an hour. As long as they remember the length, fans of the series will be happy with this story.
  
Fearless and Free: A Memoir by Josephine Baker
Fearless and Free: A Memoir by Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker | 2025 | Biography
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fearless and Free is a really interesting memoir, told through the interviews that journalist Marcel Sauvage had with Josephine Baker. And what a life she had!

Born in 1906, mixed race, Josephine made it from St. Louis to New York and then on to Paris - and she was still a teenager. She became famous in Paris for her banana dress in the Danse Sauvage, and she was also a jazz singer and an actress. During WW2 she was a spy, she loved animals, adopted children and donated to many causes.

This memoir ends in 1949, so we don’t get any details about her involvement in the Civil Rights movement, but we do see what happens when she travels home to the US - and it’s not good. Her reception is the complete opposite to the way she’s received in Europe.

When reading this, Josephine’s voice shines through. Her vivacious, fun, tenacious personality is there throughout, which does make up for the non-linear accounts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
  
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