Christopher Rush

This is a memoir of a childhood on the east coast of Scotland, in the 1940s and 1950s, in a village whose lives are dominated by the rhythms of the fishing cycle and the rhetoric of the Bible. That probably doesn't sound like the most gripping or relevant of reads, and indeed, not much happens. One chapter deals with the village crazies, another with the intimidating teachers at the school, another focuses on the tall tales of the village gravedigger. Two tour de force chapters focus on the show more cycles of the year (weather, sea, plants, fish).

But the book is still one of my discoveries of the year so far. It is a deeply moving portrayal of a world which has completely vanished. Rush is not sentimental about the brutal aspects of the life, but the reader can't help regretting some of what has disappeared - in particular, the way that the villagers are so in tune with their surroundings and. It's also intensely poetic - steeped in metaphors of the Bible and the sea. For me, it was a book that needed to be read as slowly as possible, and preferably aloud - I did this for myself, out of necessity, but it would be wonderful to hear it read by someone with the right Scottish burr. show less

I am a big fan of Robert Louis Stevenson and in particular 'Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes' (1878) so I was very excited to discover this memoir by Scottish novelist Christopher Rush (who is new to me). I was expecting an "in the footsteps" re-enactment with literary history and of course 'Hopefully' has these elements, but it turns out to be an original and beautiful work in its own right. The first 100 pages are about the life of Rush and how he suffers a series of terrible losses show more in his family. Desperate with grief and anger he sets off to re-trace Stevenson's journey in southern France and along the way he re-connects with himself and ultimately finds hope to continue living. Rush writes with honesty and humor, intelligence and learning. Very powerful, uplifting, full of wisdom and truth that is rare and beautiful.

Although a memoir it really has the elements of a novel, specifically a character who encounters diversity, travels and finds answers and changes to become a better person. This is the sort of travel memoir that is the most satisfying. It is also a story of finding hope and anyone facing depression from personal loss, bad health, etc,, would benefit from this powerful tale. show less

A wild psychedelic ride through the last hours of a dying man's mind, where that man is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare recounts his life as he dictates his last will to his lawyer friend. A clever device as Shakespeare's will is one of the very few documents left about him.

There are some longuers but this is a book to savour if you love language and you love Shakespeare. Christopher Rush has woven the plays into the life.

If too many adverbs, adjectives, allusions and alliterations are show more never enough, you will love this book. show less

This book imagines Shakespeare on his deathbed, remembering the story of his life. It's dense with puns, poetry and allusions to the plays - for example, in the story of his childhood you are shown all the influences which created his imagination, his beliefs and his personality. It's also crammed full of sex, violence (political violence against humans and butchery against animals), and bodily functions. I did enjoy reading it, but it would have been far better at about half of the 600 pages.