Sunday, March 26, 2006

MARTIN DAVIES The Conjuror's Bird ****

Ever wondered what 'a pacy confection' (The Times) or 'successful... entertainment' (The Independent) means? It means that a literary critic is embarrassed to say how much they enjoyed a book which isn't great literature.

And this book is great fun - a cross between a Dick Francis thriller and a Georgian bodice-ripper.

It's about [a] a modern-day naturalist-cum-taxidermist caught up in a cloak-and-dagger chase to find a stuffed extinct bird (which may or may not exist) and [b] 18th century naturalist Joseph Banks and the woman he falls for.

A real page-turner.

Rachel really enjoyed it too.

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