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The Rumor Game/Thomas Mullen

The Rumor Game is set in Boston in 1943 and features as central characters a Jewish activist journalist (Anne) and an Irishman (Devon Mulroy) who works for the FBI. Both are conflicted. Anne wants to be more involved in exposing rising anti-semitism, chiefly inflicted by the Irish community, and [...]

March 27, 2024 // 0 Comments

More Daphne du Maurier/Radio 4 drama

The second Daphne du Maurier dramatisation by Paula O’Shea on Radio 4 (broadcast yesterday) was not an adaptation of one of her stories but rather a chance meeting late in Daphne’s life on one of her coastal Cornwall walks between her – played excellently by Helena Bonham Carter – [...]

March 7, 2024 // 0 Comments

All The Light We Cannot See/Anthony Doerr

For those who do not enjoy reading, or may be intimidated by a 500 page book, you can start – as I did – with the Netflix film starring Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie. I was sufficiently engaged – and thought the film may not have done justice to the novel – to read the book. [...]

March 5, 2024 // 0 Comments

The Glass Pearls/Emeric Pressburger

This novel is absorbing but troubling. The writer Emeric Pressburger was a distinguished film maker who, with Michael Powell, made such classics as Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus and A Matter of Life and Death. He wrote this novel in the 1960s and it has just been republished by Faber. The subject [...]

February 3, 2024 // 0 Comments

The decline & demise of José Mourinho

Last week José Mourinho was sacked from AS Roma. After his time at Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United he moved down a level to Tottenham Hotspur and Roma. Now where? He has not managed PSG nor Barcelona, nor AC Milan, but more likely he will take over the Portuguese national [...]

January 24, 2024 // 0 Comments

The state of England rugby union – Woodward has a ten point plan

I must begin today by declaring an interest that, despite his illustrious rugby union playing career as a centre threequarters (21 caps for England) and, of course, his subsequent stint as England head coach which culminated in the historic 2003 England Rugby World Cup victory in Australia, I am [...]

December 30, 2023 // 0 Comments

West Wittering outing

On Wednesday I organised a day trip of Rusters to Bob Tickler’s beach hut on West Wittering beach. The trip was organised some time ago and of course –  when the day arrived – Storm Gerrit was on its way. A cricketer turned successful artist friend of Alice’s is painting a [...]

December 29, 2023 // 0 Comments

Xmas Day Thoughts

There seems to be a disconnect to the way that Xmas is built up, particularly in the TV ads, and people’s actual enjoyment of the so-called festive period. As a single person I guess there are those that feel sorry for me, deprived as I am of a family Xmas. For me, its a time to read, listen to [...]

December 25, 2023 // 0 Comments

Dear England/James Graham

James Graham’s latest play has had an extended run from the National Theatre and we saw it yesterday at Cameron Mackintosh’s Prince Edward Theatre. I can see why as, whilst my theatre companion was a football fan and follower like myself, the play went beyond its central theme of how Gareth [...]

December 10, 2023 // 0 Comments

Terry Venables

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Terry Venables . He was more than an acquaintance less than a friend. As in lifetime, opinion is divided on his merits and achievements. For some he was a progressive football man managing at the highest international and club level. For others he did not [...]

November 28, 2023 // 0 Comments

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