Twelve Cities - Roy Jenkins

Roy Jenkins – Twelve Cities (2002)
Memoir – 250 pages – my copy (hardback; 2002) bought for 50p from Plymouth Library during 2010
- 2 nods out of 5 -

Roy Jenkins was an outstanding man of notable ability: born the son of a Welsh coal miner, he became a leading light in the Labour party and one of the great parliamentarians of the twentieth century, serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary. From 1977 to 1981, President of the European Commission, and upon his return to English politics he was a brief time the leader of the newly formed Social Democratic Party, that later merged with the Liberals. Jenkins ended his days as grandly named The Right Honourable Lord Jenkins of Hillhead; yet he was also an author of considerable talent and great output, including biographies upon Churchill, Gladstone and Asquith… as well as the little known, Twelve Cities, the very book under the Worm’s lens in this review.

Jenkins himself garnered no pretence as to the book’s aspirations; in the very first line of the preface he labels it ‘this little book’, stating how it was aimed ‘as a relief for those who found Churchill heavy to hold and long to read’. Twelve Cities is, he comments, his own holiday after the arduous slog of getting his excellent biography on Churchill from the research stage to print. And although Twelve Cities is dubbed a memoir, Jenkins too pulls back from an autobiography: ‘One navel-gazing is wholly permissible. Two would point to self-obsession’

So, what are we, the reader, left with? Twelve Cities is a collection of essays upon Jenkins’ favourite cities (minus London). British cities are most numerous, including his former parliamentary constituencies in Birmingham and Glasgow, as well as the “hometown” of Cardiff; whilst the author waxes lyrically about both New York and Chicago; yet the main cream of his attention is saved for the European mainland: Paris, Naples, Brussels, Barcelona and Berlin. Even little Bonn gets a look in, with these European cities surely showing Jenkins’ fond affection for his time as President of the European Commission.

Mostly, the book is a collection of scattered memories and dull conversations with Jenkins’ former acquaintances. The reader is left to hear about his numerous visits to New York, the years, the residences. Perhaps the strongest essays within the book are the cities Jenkins had limited intimate knowledge; including Chicago and Barcelona. Yet even here Jenkins struggles to put in little more than a typical historical run-through of the cities past achievements and stand-out events. At no point does Jenkins ever threaten to get into the psyche of these cities, to peel back the skin and flesh out some truths.

Sitting amongst Jenkins’ long bibliography – alongside the likes of his fantastic biographies of Gladstone and Churchill – Twelve Cities is a stunted infant who knows his place; dwarfed by his larger siblings, yet with little hope of ever growing strong. As a light relief for Jenkins himself, the tonic appears to have worked. However, for the reader, Twelve Cities is a collection best left to only the most ardent Jenkins enthusiastic. And perhaps Jenkins himself would be the first to admit there aren’t too many of those around.

The Rules of Attraction - Bret Easton Ellis

Bret Easton Ellis – The Rules of Attraction (1987)
Novel – 320 – my copy (paperback; 2006) purchased from Plymouth Waterstone’s in late 2008
- 2 nods out of 5 -

The Worm is a self-confessed Bret Easton Ellis fan. Perhaps one may have already guessed, considering the amount of space this author has taken up in previous reviews, including his first novel Less Than Zero and his most recent offering, Imperial Bedrooms.

However, The Rules of Attraction was not an instant attention grabber. Wrongly bought as the Worm foolishly believed, in a sheepishly tired state, to be Less Than Zero, thirty pages were initially read before it was ominously put upon the ‘To Read’ pile. Flash forward two years: and it was the turn of The Rules of Attraction once more.

The novel is Ellis’ second; narrated by multiple characters. It focuses its attentions primarily on Paul, Sean and Lauren; all of whom end up fucking one another, as well as a host of others. The story is the trauma of them dealing with one another, trying to make sense of themselves, in a tumultuous time when at university. Ellis, as ever, regales the reader with endless parties, with drug use (and abuse), pointless conversations, and, of course, the fucking.

The characters go round in circles, their lives are repetitious; perhaps this is Ellis’ will – or perhaps he is bereft of a greater idea. Whenever a chance to jump ship to a different view point, Ellis is ever willing to do so, mostly with pointless consequences. Due to the lack of actual plot, the novel drags in many places, before racing off, frustratingly refusing to solve the initial problems posed.

The Rules of Attraction acts as Ellis’ interim fallow period, just after the big success of Less Than Zero, and before the breakthrough that became American Psycho. And some later themes are seen in fermentation in this novel, most notably the troubling character of Sean Bateman – the psychotic Patrick Bateman’s younger brother (indeed, Patrick even makes a brief appearance). Never admitting his true feelings, leaving a life-like-dream, Sean has the infant characteristics that Ellis would use to such dramatic and sensational effect.

Within Ellis’ back catalogue, The Rules of Attraction is a book left alone. Although at times it has the author’s touch of hilarity and his bleak look upon the modern world, it fails to inspire and entertain for sustained periods. So, it is back to the pile with this book, this time labelled: ‘To Give-Away’.

Rubicon - Tom Holland

Tom Holland – Rubicon (2003)
History – 400 pages – my copy (paperback; 2007) bought from an independent bookshop in Totnes, sometime in 2008
- 4 nods out of 5 -

Tom Holland made narrative history sexy again. His first book, Rubicon, was an absolute sensation, earning plaudits far and wide, enthusiastically shown within the opening pages of this paperback edition that notes universal acclaim from all and sundry. He chose his topic well: books upon Roman history have much mileage to go; especially ones well written upon ‘The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic’.

Rubicon sets out the fall of the Roman Republic and its overthrow to become the Roman Empire, during the first century, B.C. Holland begins by settling in the reader, explaining the Republic and its paradoxes, and the century’s earlier upheaval when Sulla became dictator of Rome. This proved a temporary measure; but the next time would prove long lasting.

All of the major players are here: Caesar, Pompey, Cicero and Cato; including much, much more, from the great to the small. All their parts in Rome’s downfall are carefully plotted, whilst the characters themselves are lovingly and colourfully portrayed. Within the action, rarely does Holland intrude in order to dispute facts or bring in a debate of historians. The author notes the great holes in our knowledge of the past, yet remains confident in bringing the shards and pieces together to form a pleasing whole. As he notes in the book’s introduction: ‘a narrative may still be reconstructed – but what is gone can never be repaired’.

The climax itself occurs with Caesar’s coming of full power as Rome’s dictator; however, the story itself is not over, with Holland showing Caesar’s assassination at the hands of Brutus, the second triumvirate, continuing civil war, until Augustus’ final victory. By then, it is a new world; and all the previous players have long since departed.

Admittedly, there is nothing new within these pages. This story has been told a thousand times before; and this is the largest single fault to be found with Rubicon. However, Holland manages to conjure enthusiasm and life back to these characters and events, making them fresh again to our eyes. The author has a novelist’s touch with words and description, creating a book that is hard to put down and leave alone. For anyone wishing for an introduction into this anarchic and confusing period, nobody could do better than to pick up a copy of this book right away. And for those well informed with the period, what better way to get re-aquatinted with old friends that via a comfortable and well-stocked host?