A Short Walk from Harrods

Rating:
Summary: Olives, Sheep, and Nicotiana
Review: How to write a domestic horror story and gardening book in one. Terror so subtle it could happen to you, olives so ripe you'll be picking in no time:

Dirk has a lovely garden. He also likes trees. A lot. There's a guy who gets his legs chopped off by accident, then there's Dirk's conscience. Is he really responsible for so much death? He thinks he is. Coming in with his black cloak and scythe, Monsieur Bogarde lives with his so-called 'agent' who gets colon cancer and alzhimer's (is this Dirk's doing?). They plant things and pick olives and live in France, then they don't plant things and pick their noses and live in England. But death cannot be escaped. Dirk has a stroke, his 'agent' drops dead, and they all live happily ever after. Based on a true story.

Rating:
Summary: An extremely intelligent, heartfelt account of a man's life
Review: Mr. Bogarde has written a book that is so personal and engaging, the reader feels as though he is peeking into a private diary. Each sentence is exact and necessary. There is no flowery narrative, no swanking, no attempt to remind us that he is a film star. It is a simply written, glowing example of a man's desire to share a deeply private part of his life and of himself. Any reader who has enjoyed Mr. Bogarde's prior works will not be disappointed. (Please note his name is DIRK, not Dick)

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating and entertaining read
Review: This is a lovely book, a really honest and heartfelt description of a phase in Dirk Bogarde's life that was both wonderfully happy and crushingly sad. It could be a very depressing book, but somehow it reads delightully. As an aside it is also a lovely insight into the delights of Provence, so well portrayed by Peter Mayle in his Provence trilogy. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating and entertaining read
Review: This is a lovely book, a really honest and heartfelt description of a phase in Dirk Bogarde's life that was both wonderfully happy and crushingly sad. It could be a very depressing book, but somehow it reads delightully. As an aside it is also a lovely insight into the delights of Provence, so well portrayed by Peter Mayle in his Provence trilogy. I highly recommend it.