329Books62Followers
329Books62Followers
Books in the “Podcast: Bookclub” bookshelf created by BBC Radio 4
Simon Mawer talks about Tightrope, an espionage story featuring the enigmatic agent Marian Sutro which is set during World War II and the years into the Cold War.
Tightrope opens as Marian returns to England having survived Ravensbruck concentration camp. She had been parachuted into France by the Special Operations Executive and captured by the Germans in Paris. As peace comes Marian finds it impossible to adjust and find a role for herself. Then, enemies become friends, friends become enemies as an iron curtain is drawn across Europe. Spies are in demand. It is in the clandestine and secret world of the new espionage that Marian finds purpose and is recruited by the Soviet Union.
Mawer's evocation of poor, battered post-war London, still a drab city of thick and clammy fogs won praise from critics, who also likened Marian to James Bond – both in terms of bravery and promiscuity. Marian walks the tightrope between the people in her life who have sent her into danger, those whom she must fear, and those she seeks to protect.
Tightrope won the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction 2016.
Presented by James Naughtie and including questions from an audience of readers.
Presenter : James Naughtie
Producer : Dymphna Flynn
April's Bookclub Choice : The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes (2008)
Tightrope opens as Marian returns to England having survived Ravensbruck concentration camp. She had been parachuted into France by the Special Operations Executive and captured by the Germans in Paris. As peace comes Marian finds it impossible to adjust and find a role for herself. Then, enemies become friends, friends become enemies as an iron curtain is drawn across Europe. Spies are in demand. It is in the clandestine and secret world of the new espionage that Marian finds purpose and is recruited by the Soviet Union.
Mawer's evocation of poor, battered post-war London, still a drab city of thick and clammy fogs won praise from critics, who also likened Marian to James Bond – both in terms of bravery and promiscuity. Marian walks the tightrope between the people in her life who have sent her into danger, those whom she must fear, and those she seeks to protect.
Tightrope won the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction 2016.
Presented by James Naughtie and including questions from an audience of readers.
Presenter : James Naughtie
Producer : Dymphna Flynn
April's Bookclub Choice : The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes (2008)
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Clare Chambers talks to James Naughtie and readers about her bestselling novel, Small Pleasures. Set in the London suburbs in the 1950s, it tells the story of Jean Swinney, a journalist who is asked to investigate a letter sent to her paper, from a mother claiming her daughter is the result of a virgin birth. Jean meets the mother, Gretchen; her husband, Howard and daughter Margaret and is drawn into their family life. Her investigations soon expand both her world, and her heart. Upcoming recordings, at BBC Broadcasting House in London: Wednesday 24 April at 1800 - Nicholas Shakespeare on Six Minutes In MayWednesday 15 May at 1300 - Lucy Caldwell on These Days. Thursday 6 June at 1245 - Marlon James on A Brief History of Seven Killings Wednesday 10 July at 1830 - Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ on Stay With Me Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part. Over 18s only.
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Bookclub travels to Northumberland to meet best-selling crime writer Ann Cleeves. She joins James Naughtie and listeners to discuss her novel, Hidden Depths: Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets out to solve two murders which are apparently linked, although there are no clues to connect the victims.Upcoming recordings - 1830 BBC Broadcasting House in London : 26 March - Clare Chambers on Small Pleasures
24 April - Nicholas Shakespeare on 6 Minutes In May Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part. Over 18s only.
24 April - Nicholas Shakespeare on 6 Minutes In May Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part. Over 18s only.
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Graeme Macrae Burnet joins James Naughtie and readers to reveal the secrets behind his award-winning historical novel, His Bloody Project. Set in the Scottish Highlands in 1869, His Bloody Project explores crime, justice and retribution through the confessions of a young man accused of murder, and an account of his trial.Upcoming recordings at BBC Broadcasting House in London: Tuesday 26 March 1830 - Clare Chambers discusses her bestselling novel, Small Pleasures.Wednesday 24 April 1830- Nicholas Shakespeare discusses Six Minutes In May: How Churchill Unexpectedly Became Prime Minister
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Marking 200 years since the birth of Wilkie Collins, crime writer, and Collins admirer, Elly Griffiths discusses one of his best known works -The Moonstone - with James Naughtie and a group of readers.
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Donal Ryan discusses his book The Spinning Heart with a group of readers, It's a powerful, moving novel told through twenty one individual voices. Set in Ireland in the immediate aftermath of the Celtic Tiger 'boom' years, each character reveals how the sudden and dramatic 'bust' affected their lives. At the centre is Bobby Mahon, once a respected and reliable foreman for a building company who suddenly loses his job when the firm's owner disappears overnight. Presenter: James Naughtie
Producer: Nicola HollowayUpcoming recordings: 13 December at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London - Elly Griffiths is our guide to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins 24 January 2024 at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London - Graeme Macrae Burnet discusses His Bloody Project Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part.
Producer: Nicola HollowayUpcoming recordings: 13 December at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London - Elly Griffiths is our guide to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins 24 January 2024 at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London - Graeme Macrae Burnet discusses His Bloody Project Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part.
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Katherine Heiny answers readers questions about Standard Deviation, her hilarious novel about marriage, parenting and the road not travelled. Audra is married to Graham, who is divorced from Elspeth. While Audra is sociable, loving, outspoken, tactless, kind and funny, Elspeth is contained, reserved, controlled and reticent. Despite loving Audra, Graham begins to wonder if his life should have taken a different path.
Katherine Heiny reveals the real-life moments that inspired the book, her love of the funny side of life and why she can never pass up on writing a good joke.
Upcoming recordings at BBC Broadcasting House, London
Wednesday 15 November at 1300 - Donal Ryan on The Spinning Heart
Wednesday 13 December at 1830 - Elly Griffiths is our guide to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part.
Katherine Heiny reveals the real-life moments that inspired the book, her love of the funny side of life and why she can never pass up on writing a good joke.
Upcoming recordings at BBC Broadcasting House, London
Wednesday 15 November at 1300 - Donal Ryan on The Spinning Heart
Wednesday 13 December at 1830 - Elly Griffiths is our guide to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part.
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Bernardine Evaristo joins James Naughtie and readers to discuss Mr Loverman, her 2013 novel about Barrington Walker, a married man with a secret life. Ever since his teens in Antigua, Barry has been in love with Morris and despite both men moving to London, marrying and having children, their love affair has never faltered. Now he’s in his seventies, Barry decides it’s time to tell the truth. It’s a funny, poetic, moving novel about love, family, prejudice and forgiveness.
Upcoming recordings:
Thursday 12 October at midday, BBC Broadcasting House in London - Katherine Heiny on Standard Deviation
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part.
Upcoming recordings:
Thursday 12 October at midday, BBC Broadcasting House in London - Katherine Heiny on Standard Deviation
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part.
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James Naughtie is joined by Denise Mina to talk about her book The Long Drop. This intriguing true-crime story is set in 1950s Glasgow when notorious serial killer Peter Manuel spread fear throughout the city. The Long Drop alternates between Manuel's trial and a extraordinary night he spent with Glaswegian businessman William Watt, whose own family Peter Manuel was suspected of killing. Despite this, the two men form an unlikely alliance and tour the bars and dives of Glasgow together.
Recorded at The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh.
Upcoming recordings at BBC Broadcasting House in London:
21 September at 1300 - Bernardine Evaristo on Mr Loverman
12 October at 1200 noon - Katherine Heiny on Standard Deviation.
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part
Recorded at The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh.
Upcoming recordings at BBC Broadcasting House in London:
21 September at 1300 - Bernardine Evaristo on Mr Loverman
12 October at 1200 noon - Katherine Heiny on Standard Deviation.
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part
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Mick Herron answers readers' questions about his novel, Slow Horses, the first in his hugely popular Slough House series.
In it we meet the 'Slow Horses’ for the first time; failed spies who instead of being pensioned off, find themselves working in Slough House, near the Barbican in London. Here, they carry out menial administrative tasks of little or no importance, led by their offensive, vulgar boss Jackson Lamb. In this novel, the Slow Horses find themselves unexpectedly at the centre of the action.
Our next recordings:
Thursday 17th August: Jenni Fagan on her novel Luckenbooth . 7pm at The Portobello Bookshop, Portobello, Edinburgh. (Free tickets are available via the Bookshop's website)
At BBC Broadcasting House, London:
Thursday 21 September at 1300 - Bernardine Evaristo on Mr Loverman
Thursday 12 October at 1200 noon - Katherine Heiny on Standard Deviation.
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part
In it we meet the 'Slow Horses’ for the first time; failed spies who instead of being pensioned off, find themselves working in Slough House, near the Barbican in London. Here, they carry out menial administrative tasks of little or no importance, led by their offensive, vulgar boss Jackson Lamb. In this novel, the Slow Horses find themselves unexpectedly at the centre of the action.
Our next recordings:
Thursday 17th August: Jenni Fagan on her novel Luckenbooth . 7pm at The Portobello Bookshop, Portobello, Edinburgh. (Free tickets are available via the Bookshop's website)
At BBC Broadcasting House, London:
Thursday 21 September at 1300 - Bernardine Evaristo on Mr Loverman
Thursday 12 October at 1200 noon - Katherine Heiny on Standard Deviation.
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part
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To mark our 25th anniversary, Julian Barnes returns to Bookclub. He’s answering readers' questions about his Booker-shortlisted novel Arthur and George. It's based on real events and tells the story of Arthur Conan Doyle’s campaign to overturn the conviction of a young solicitor, George Edalji,
Upcoming recording:
Thursday 13 July 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House in London - Mick Herron on Slow Horses.
Thursday 17 August 1900 at The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh - Jenni Fagan on Luckenbooth
Upcoming recording:
Thursday 13 July 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House in London - Mick Herron on Slow Horses.
Thursday 17 August 1900 at The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh - Jenni Fagan on Luckenbooth
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Mary Lawson joins James Naughtie and a group of readers to answer questions about her novel, Crow Lake. An international bestseller, it tells the story of four siblings, orphaned by a road accident who have to find a new way to live as a family. The story is narrated by Kate, looking back at that dramatic rupture in her childhood. As she tells her story, Kate comes to understand not only how it affected her, but also her siblings - big brothers Luke and Matt, and baby sister Bo. Meanwhile, on a neighbouring farm, the Pye family faced their own crisis....
Upcoming recordings
13 June 1830 BBC Broadcasting House in London - Julian Barnes on Arthur and George
13 July 1830 BBC Broadcasting House in London - Mick Herron on Slough House
email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
Upcoming recordings
13 June 1830 BBC Broadcasting House in London - Julian Barnes on Arthur and George
13 July 1830 BBC Broadcasting House in London - Mick Herron on Slough House
email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
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James Naughtie and readers are joined by novelist Sarah Winman, answering questions about her novel Tin Man.
It's a moving and intimate portrait of three characters, Michael, Ellis and Annie. They variously fall in love, and fall out of touch, but are always deeply connected.
Tin Man is a short and powerful novel about love, loss and kindness.
Our next Bookclub recordings are with
Mary Lawson, discussing her novel Crow Lake, at 1300 on 24 May at BBC Broadcasting House in London.
Julian Barnes discussing Arthur and George at 1830 on Tuesday 13 June at BBC Broadcasting House, London.
email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part
It's a moving and intimate portrait of three characters, Michael, Ellis and Annie. They variously fall in love, and fall out of touch, but are always deeply connected.
Tin Man is a short and powerful novel about love, loss and kindness.
Our next Bookclub recordings are with
Mary Lawson, discussing her novel Crow Lake, at 1300 on 24 May at BBC Broadcasting House in London.
Julian Barnes discussing Arthur and George at 1830 on Tuesday 13 June at BBC Broadcasting House, London.
email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to take part
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Tan Twan Eng talks to James Naughtie and a group of readers about The Garden of Evening Mists.
A lyrical novel set largely in 1950s Malay (now Malaysia), it tells the story of Yun Ling, imprisoned by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War, and Aritomo, a master gardener who once worked for the Emperor of Japan.
It's a complex and moving story about forgetting, forgiveness and mercy.
Our next Bookclub recordings:
(email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to join us)
Wednesday 19th April at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House in London.
Sarah Winman will be answering questions about her novel Tin Man.
Wednesday 24 May at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House in London
Mary Lawson on Crow Lake
A lyrical novel set largely in 1950s Malay (now Malaysia), it tells the story of Yun Ling, imprisoned by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War, and Aritomo, a master gardener who once worked for the Emperor of Japan.
It's a complex and moving story about forgetting, forgiveness and mercy.
Our next Bookclub recordings:
(email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to join us)
Wednesday 19th April at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House in London.
Sarah Winman will be answering questions about her novel Tin Man.
Wednesday 24 May at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House in London
Mary Lawson on Crow Lake
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Writer Tan Twan Eng talks to James Naughtie about The Garden of Evening Mists.
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Nadifa Mohamed joins James Naughtie and readers to talk about her award-winning novel The Fortune Men. Set in Cardiff in the 1950s, the novel is based on the real-life trial of Mahmood Mattan, a Somali seaman accused of murder. It's a powerful, moving read and a dazzling portrait of a proud, bewildered young man and his life in Cardiff's Tiger Bay.
Upcoming recordings:
15 March at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London: Tan Twan Eng will be answering questions about his novel The Garden of Evening Mists.
19 April at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House, London: Sarah Winman on her novel Tin Man
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to come along.
Upcoming recordings:
15 March at 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London: Tan Twan Eng will be answering questions about his novel The Garden of Evening Mists.
19 April at 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House, London: Sarah Winman on her novel Tin Man
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to come along.
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James Naughtie and a group of readers talk to Cal Flyn about her acclaimed book, Islands of Abandonment, an exploration of places which have been reclaimed by nature. She talks about her travels to Cyprus, the Orkney Islands, First World War battlefields in France, and beyond, chronicling the fightback that plants have staged once humans have left. She reveals why finding hope in even the most desolate places is important to her, and why it's ok to leave lawns unmown.
Our next recordings are both in-person events at BBC Broadcasting House in London.
16 February 2023 at 18.30 Nadifa Mohamed will be answering questions about The Fortune Men.
15 March 2023 at 1830 Tan Twan Eng on The Garden of Evening Mists
To come along and take part, email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
Our next recordings are both in-person events at BBC Broadcasting House in London.
16 February 2023 at 18.30 Nadifa Mohamed will be answering questions about The Fortune Men.
15 March 2023 at 1830 Tan Twan Eng on The Garden of Evening Mists
To come along and take part, email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
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Historian Ross King answers listener questions about his book Brunelleschi's Dome. An incredible story of one man's determination to build an apparently impossible structure, it's a tale of ingenuity, artistic rivalries, and single-minded obsession. Although building had started on Florence's Santa Maria del Fiore in the late thirteenth century, it wasn't until 1418 that local goldsmith Filippo Brunelleschi came up with an audacious way of constructing the magnificent dome, which still dominates the Florence skyline today. But as Brunelleschi's Dome reveals, the architect faced huge obstacles and opposition along the way.
Our next Bookclub recordings:
18/01/23: Cal Flyn will be talking about her book, Islands of Abandonment. 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House, London.
16/02/23: Nadifa Mohamed on The Fortune Men. 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to send in a question, or come along.
Our next Bookclub recordings:
18/01/23: Cal Flyn will be talking about her book, Islands of Abandonment. 1300 at BBC Broadcasting House, London.
16/02/23: Nadifa Mohamed on The Fortune Men. 1830 at BBC Broadcasting House, London
Email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to send in a question, or come along.
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James Naughtie is joined by writer A J Pearce and a group of listeners, as she answers their questions about her bestselling novel Dear Mrs Bird. Set in London in the 1940s, it’s the story of Emmy who has ambitions to be an intrepid war reporter, but instead finds herself working as a secretary on the agony aunt pages of an old-fashioned women’s magazine. Her main duty is opening and sorting the post but Emmy just can't resist sharing her opinions...
Dear Mrs Bird is a funny, heart-warming novel which does not shy away from the true horrors of war.
Our next Bookclub recordings:
Ross King, on 8th December. He'll be taking us to Italy with his book Brunelleschi's Dome. To take part, in person or online, email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
1300 on 18 January at BBC Broadcasting House: Cal Flyn on Islands of Abandonment. email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to come along
Dear Mrs Bird is a funny, heart-warming novel which does not shy away from the true horrors of war.
Our next Bookclub recordings:
Ross King, on 8th December. He'll be taking us to Italy with his book Brunelleschi's Dome. To take part, in person or online, email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
1300 on 18 January at BBC Broadcasting House: Cal Flyn on Islands of Abandonment. email bookclub@bbc.co.uk to come along
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Juan Gabriel Vasquez answers audience questions about The Sound of Things Falling. Set in Colombia, the novel examines the personal and private impact of the drug wars that ravaged the country during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. It's the story of a strange friendship between two men, Antonio and Ricardo, told through Antonio's eyes. He sets out to investigate his friend's mysterious life, after Ricardo is murdered. It's a novel about memory and storytelling, and about the lasting impact of living in a country ruled by violence and criminality.
Our next guest on Bookclub is A J Pearce answering your questions about her debut Dear Mrs Bird. To take part email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
Our next guest on Bookclub is A J Pearce answering your questions about her debut Dear Mrs Bird. To take part email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
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Curtis Sittenfeld answers listener questions about American Wife, a novel which follows Alice Lindgren's path from school librarian to First Lady, and is based on the life of former First Lady Laura Bush.
Our next recording is at Broadcasting House in London on 13th October 2022. Juan Gabriel Vasquez will talking about his novel, The Sound Of Things Falling. To take part and ask a question, email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
Our next recording is at Broadcasting House in London on 13th October 2022. Juan Gabriel Vasquez will talking about his novel, The Sound Of Things Falling. To take part and ask a question, email bookclub@bbc.co.uk
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