book reviews and features

'We are bowled over!' Thank you for your messages of love and support

Tom Birchenough Friday, 14 November 2025

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Ian Leslie: John and Paul - A Love Story in Songs review - help!

John Carvill Wednesday, 25 June 2025

Do we need any more Beatles books? The answer is: that’s the wrong question. What we need is more Beatles books that are worth reading. As the musician and music historian Bob Stanley pointed out...

Samuel Arbesman: The Magic of Code review - the spark ages

Jon Turney Wednesday, 11 June 2025

The slightly overwrought subtitle, "How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World and Shapes Our Future", gives a good indication how computer enthusiast Sam Arbesman...

Zsuzsanna Gahse: Mountainish review - seeking refuge

Leila Greening Tuesday, 29 April 2025

Mountainish by Zsuzsanna Gahse is a collection of 515 notes, each contributing to an expansive kaleidoscope of mountain encounters. Translated from the German by Katy Derbyshire in...

Patrick McGilligan: Woody Allen - A Travesty of a Mockery of a Sham review - New York stories

John Carvill Wednesday, 09 April 2025

Patrick McGilligan’s biography of Woody Allen weighs in at an eye-popping 800 pages, yet he waits only for...

Howard Amos: Russia Starts Here review - East meets West, via the Pskov region

India Lewis Tuesday, 01 April 2025

Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruin of Empire, the journalist Howard Amos’ first book, is a prescient and fascinating examination of the borderlands of a bellicose nation. Focusing...

Henry Gee: The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire - Why Our Species is on the Edge of Extinction review - survival instincts

Jon Turney Saturday, 15 March 2025

Henry Gee’s previous book, A Brief History of Life on Earth, made an interestingly downbeat read for a title that won the UK’s science book prize. He emphasised that a...

Jonathan Buckley: One Boat review - a shore thing

Leila Greening Tuesday, 11 March 2025

One Boat, Jonathan Buckley’s 13th novel, captures a series of encounters at the water’s edge: characters converge...

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It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.

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Jessica Duchen: Myra Hess - National Treasure review - well-told life of a pioneering musician

Bernard Hughes Tuesday, 25 February 2025

Myra Hess was one of the most important figures in British cultural life in the mid-20th century: the pre-eminent...

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latest in today

'We are bowled over!' Thank you for your messages... ...

Album: Lorde - Virgin

Lorde’s trajectory is continually fascinating. From the minimalist, sparse electropop of...

Aldeburgh Festival, Weekend 2 review - nine premieres, three...

Actually it was a Thursday evening to Saturday experience, but what riches in seven concerts. The only Britten I heard was one of the S...

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As producer Jerry Bruckheimer cautioned a preview audience, “Remember, this is not a documentary. It’s a movie.” Bruckheimer teamed up with...

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It’s somewhat surprising to read that The Boss wasn’t happy with Born in the USA. After all, it was –...

Brad Mehldau Trio, St George's Bristol review - exquisi...
There's something luminous about the Brad Mehldau Trio. The music they create with such joy shines with a special clarity, in which ever-changing...

Dangerous Matter, RNCM, Manchester review - opera meets scie...
Opera can take many forms and fulfil many purposes: this chamber opera by Zakiya Leeming and Sam Redway is about vaccination. Based on history, it...

Ian Leslie: John and Paul - A Love Story in Songs review - h...
Do we need any more Beatles books? The answer is: that’s the wrong question. What we need is more Beatles books that are worth reading. As the...

Album: BC Camplight - A Sober Conversation
A Sober Conversation is the work of a master songwriter, one who knows how to achieve their goals. As the album’s nine tracks pour from...

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