Ceris Gardner recommends
Ceris is a partner and one of the founding members of MTG.
Read on to find out which six books Ceris recommends, and why…
I would love to have more time to indulge in my favourite pastime. I keep telling myself “one day…”. Looking back on books I have read over the years, I have come up with a list of some of the most unforgettable. My taste in reading is eclectic so there is no one theme. I enjoy a good thriller for a relaxing read but for what I call my “serious” reading, I find I am drawn to what some may describe as harrowing novels. I have found it hard to narrow the list down as I have read so many amazing books by great authors: Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen, Kate Atkinson, William Boyd to name but a few. Also looking back at others’ recommendations, I can see that I still have a huge number of wonderful books to read. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to MTG Recommends to date. So for my list, here it goes.
The Quincunx: The Inheritance of John Huffam
Charles Palliser
This is a very long (over 1000 pages) Dickensian-like mystery novel set in 19th century England and follows the varying and intricate fortunes of a young man called John Huffam and his mother. The novel is described as a Victorian pastiche but don’t let that put you off. The novel is intriguing, the narrative is fast paced and presents a hidden story within the story. It is a compulsive read, so much so that I couldn’t put the book down even when in Venice celebrating my husband’s 50th birthday. It was almost the end of a marriage! Perhaps that’s why it is in my most memorable novels list… It really is such a page turner!
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Ken Kesey
This one falls into my category of “harrowing” novels. It had a profound effect on me at the time and has forever stuck in my mind as a great book. It has, as many of you will know, been adapted into an excellent film starring Jack Nicholls which was highly acclaimed but as is often the case, it is well worth reading the novel as it contains many subtleties that cannot be portrayed in a film. The novel is set in a mental ward and explores how the individuals on the ward are controlled and manipulated through subtle and coercive methods employed by the formidable and cruel Nurse Ratched. The novel portrays the mental ward as a miserable instrument of oppression but don’t think the novel is overwhelmingly depressing. It is a must read in my view.
Lessons in Chemistry
Bonnie Garmus
I read this book a few months ago on the recommendation of MTG’s Sophie Mazzier (also a contributor to MTG Recommends) and I have been recommending it to friends ever since. They have all come back to say they enjoyed it so much that they couldn’t put it down. The story is about a female chemist in the 1960s whose career goes off the rails (misogyny at work) and eventually finds herself the reluctant presenter of a highly unusual cooking show that eventually becomes a huge success against all the odds. A lovely novel in every way.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
John Boyne
This harrowing novel tells the tale of the secret friendship between two young boys at Auschwitz, on different sides of the wire fence. One is German from a comfortable home and the other a Jewish boy in Auschwitz concentration camp. The young German boy is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from his home to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no one to play with. The novel is cruel and touching at the same time and the ultimate end is shocking. Unforgettable.
The Wolf Hall Trilogy
Hilary Mantel
I am sneaking three books in here for the “price” of one! These great historical novels are set in England in the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne but has no male heir and wants a divorce from his wife Anne Boleyn which the Pope is refusing to grant. Enter the “fixer” Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is the son of a blacksmith, a devastating and ruthless political operator, an arch manipulator who bribes, charms and bullies to get results both on behalf of the King and in pursuit of his own interests. In Hilary Mantel’s brilliant novels, the psychology of the characters, what makes them tick, is explored in vivid and rich detail and there is never a dull moment. An absolute tour de force!
The Luminaries
Eleanor Catton
This novel is a really cleverly constructed and complex historical ghost/detective/crime story. It is set in New Zealand in 1866 and a young Walter Moody has arrived to make his fortune in the New Zealand goldfields. It evokes a world of shipping, banking, and gold rush boom and bust. Shortly after his arrival, Moody is drawn into the mystery of a series of unexplained events. A wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk: a network of fates and fortunes ensues. The novel is a gripping page-turner and I really enjoyed the many twists and turns.