Category Archives: Review

Book Review: Geraint Thomas – The world of cycling according to G

Posted on July 10, 2018 by odeboyz

Geraint has written an insightful book about pro-cycling. There are relatively short flashbacks to his early life in Wales but they’re the garnish to the main dish. He’s been in the forefront of elite cycling from its inception under the … Continue reading →

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Book Review: John Bew ~ Citizen Clem: a biography of Attlee

Posted on June 26, 2018 by odeboyz

Bew hasn’t made this colourless, dour, uncharismatic and secretive man interesting, which is disappointing with 564 pages to read. Endless remarks about Attlee’s shyness, “He was painfully shy and modest and kept up his guard at all times, ‘lest strange … Continue reading →

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Football Review: England vs Tunisia 18th June 2018

Posted on June 19, 2018 by odeboyz

The bookmaker Paddy Power is offering odds of 250-1 on England winning the World Cup: 250-1 for new customers.1 The form-book is the FIFA world rankings: England at 12th with Tunisia lagging at 21st. Sure enough the form came through … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Performance (James Fox and Mick Jagger) (1970)

Posted on June 12, 2018 by odeboyz

An archive film from 1970 might not seem interesting, especially as it’s a pathetic attempt to cash in on Jagger’s fame and notoriety. Jagger was presumably intended to emulate the cute Beatles. Performance absolutely isn’t Help! What the producers got … Continue reading →

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Book Review: John Burdett – Bangkok Eight

Posted on June 5, 2018 by odeboyz

John Burdett’s book is a very exotic thriller. Burdett begins Bangkok Eight with a murder. Unlike routine thrillers this murder isn’t crude and obvious. This murder is exquisite in its sophistication. Bangkok Eight hasn’t anything like the Anglo-Saxon thriller genre. … Continue reading →

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Concert Review: The Rolling Stones- 22 May 2018 London

Posted on May 25, 2018 by odeboyz

Former rock royalty Liam Gallagher was the backing artist. He had a terrific backing band who were badly let down by their front man. He didn’t understand what he had to do. A Rolling Stones audience knows what they like … Continue reading →

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Film Review: Lean on Pete – Charlie Plummer and Steve Buscemi

Posted on May 15, 2018 by odeboyz

Lean on Pete is a charming film about a fifteen year old boy who’s living a ‘trailer trash’ life. His father is a feckless, irresponsible man who’s fallen out with Charlie’s (Yes! Charlie Plummer and the principal character are both … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Keigo Higashino – The Devotion of Suspect X (translated by Alexander O Smith)

Posted on May 8, 2018 by odeboyz

Those of us who read a lot of Anglo-American thrillers are used to a particular narrative arc. There’s usually a sadistic murder say of a woman/women, a maverick Detective Inspector accompanied by a hero-worshipping sergeant, who solve the crime. Often … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Andre Aciman – Call me by your name

Posted on May 1, 2018 by odeboyz

Aciman’s wonderfully sensitive book about a teenager’s rite-of-passage proved eminently translatable to the big screen. It was a wonderful film but the book is possibly(?) better. Aciman sets his novel in an erudite hot-house intellectual atmosphere. Elio, the son of … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Vince Hilaire (and Tom Maslona) ~ Vince: The autobiography of Vince Hilaire

Posted on April 3, 2018 by odeboyz

He was an outstanding athlete excelling in cricket where he played at Essex Schoolboy level, which was dominated by those that were being privately educated (it still is). A black working-class boy from east London was as rare as hens … Continue reading →

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