PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Hayao Miyazaki is the most beloved animator in Japanese history and the creator of several successful films, including the 2002 Academy Award(R)-winning SPIRITED AWAY, CASTLE IN THE SKY, PRINCESS MONONOKE (winner of the Japan Academy Award for Best Film release of 1997), MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE. Whether working with comics or animation, Miyazaki's work is known for its entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking art. He currently works out of Studio Ghibli, where he writes, draws and directs with partner Isao Takahata (GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES).
In Sweet Poison and A Hollow Crown, David Roberts virtually created a genre: the elegantly retrospective mystery novel with a period setting and ill-matched period heroes, but with the whole thing shot through with a wry modern sensibility. This latest mystery for Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Brown is a delight - and for several reasons. While Roberts plays fair with the reader in his recreation of 1930s middle England (the period detail and character mores are as sharply observed as one could wish) he doesn't introduce extraneous elements: sex, for instance, is subtly handled, although the relationship between the two principals has all requisite spark. Returning from a sojourn in New York, Edward finds Verity up to her old sleuthing tricks and pulling him into the investigation of a murder in Spain. But the year is 1936, and the Spanish civil war looms. Verity's lover in the Communist Party has been convicted of murder, and though she asks for Edward's help, she is fully aware that the two men are rivals for her affections. The plotting is quite as idiosyncratic as we have come to expect from Roberts, though it's the irresistible interplay between the principal characters that makes this novel such a pleasurable experience. (Kirkus UK)
