Does this book have literary merit? No. Could it have benefitted from a copy editor who knows "it's" from "its"? Oh, my goodness, yes. Were there a feDoes this book have literary merit? No. Could it have benefitted from a copy editor who knows "it's" from "its"? Oh, my goodness, yes. Were there a few errors that were easily avoidable with a quick Google? Absolutely. But does it do what it says on the tin? Again: absolutely.
I bought this for a friend's birthday (along with a scented candle with a label that reads, "Smells like I have Taylor Swift tickets," which she loved) but because I'm running very behind on this year's Goodreads reading challenge read it first, albeit very gently and without cracking the spine. I came into it skeptical because of the other reviews on here, and so I was pleasantly surprised. Over the many years of being a Taylor fan, I've had to read a lot of printed rubbish, some of it downright offensive, so the focus of this book on her achievements, hard work, and successes is a nice change.
But what really works in this book, and what impressed me the most, is the way the author embeds Taylor into the sartorial and musical firmament, placing her as a deserving part of the fashion and entertainment narrative. He explains the history of various garments, from hoods to Oxford shoes, and traces threads from icons like Amelia Bloomer and Oscar de la Renta through to what Taylor wears walking down the street or up the red carpet. And he draws on examples of Jimi Hendrix (velvet suit), Bob Marley (beanie), and Carole King (cat suit) to provide additional context, this time from the music industry. So, you know, it's not just glossy pictures.
Though, it is mostly glossy pictures, and for this fan that's more than okay, too. Also the cover of my copy was a picture from the Eras tour, which was better....more
One day Hollywood will stop making films out of Nicholas Sparks books, and I cannot wait for that day, because it'll mean I can stop reading these.One day Hollywood will stop making films out of Nicholas Sparks books, and I cannot wait for that day, because it'll mean I can stop reading these....more
Never before have I bought a book as quickly as I did this one - at most two full seconds passed between seeing it on the shelf at Waterstones to my gNever before have I bought a book as quickly as I did this one - at most two full seconds passed between seeing it on the shelf at Waterstones to my grabbing it and holding it close. The foundation of my cycling fandom having been laid in the '90s and 2000s, I have to admit I had a massive crush on Jan Ullrich. Sure, to my shame I was a Lance Armstrong apologist until the very last possible moment, but it was Ullrich I liked to watch most. Where Armstrong inspired me (in the Before), Ullrich made my adolescent heart flutter.
So I was always going to be an eager audience for a biography of the man I described as "*smoking*" in my written reaction to his retirement announcement in February 2007, when I was fifteen (see below footnote). While I'm not sure how much it would resonate with non-cycling fans, or even with a casual fan, for me Friebe's book was catnip.
The cover is eye-catching, with its bright yellow jacket and single picture of Ullrich below the block-text title. It's gorgeous, even if the subtitle is damning. After I purchased it, I showed off the book to my parents, only to have my father turn away in disgust. "Is it the doping?" I asked my mother, who replied, "Partly the doping, but my guess is mostly the disappointment of all the wasted potential." Which is the exact point of The Best There Never Was, this angle painting rather a tragic portrait of both Ullrich the cyclist and Ullrich the man.
There can be no denying the book is detailed, thorough, and exceptionally well-researched. What Friebe does especially well is contextualising Ullrich and his cycling story within the broader spheres of events both historical - the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent opening of borders and reunification of the East and West Germanies - and sport-specific - a career basically bookended by scandals, with Festina early on and Puerto cutting it short.
There are a lot of big players throughout the narrative but, strangely enough, one of them is not Ullrich himself. In fact, he doesn't seem to have much agency (except when relying on his sheer, prodigious talent on the bike) nor does he appear to have been the architect of his own success, or even of his own destruction. The Ullrich emerging from this book is an impotent, almost pathetic one, at the mercy first of seismic global changes and then of personalities stronger than his own indulgent self. It doesn't always make for pleasant reading, but it does tell an important story, descriptive and matter-of-fact in equal measure.
Friebe is obviously passionate about cycling, and this spoke to me even beyond my nostalgia for Julys spent watching the Tour de France and eating blueberry pancakes, with my dad fast-forwarding the VHS recording while my sister complained he never let us watch the whole stage. But the Tour is not the only race on the cycling calendar, and likewise there is so much more to this book than just a man dogged by a single adversary, despite what the synopsis says. (In fact, while the chapter spent in Lance Armstrong's company was illuminating and nauseating, it wasn't the backbone of the story.) This isn't just a biography, and that makes the impulse purchase worth it.
My teenage self wouldn't have thanked Friebe for pulling back the curtain. But as an adult I am grateful to have revisited first celebrity crushes the naive and complicated world of '90s and '00s cycling.
______________________ *Footnote: I vividly remember writing this reaction in my assignment pad during fourth period English with Mrs Rothbard in tenth grade. And I recently found it again and put it into my copy of the book, along with old newspaper clippings saved throughout the years, to keep all of my Ullrich mementoes together. I won't upload a photograph of it, because no one needs to see my handwriting from back then, but excerpts include the following gems: "This is just to say that Jan Ullrich is one of the greatest cyclists in the world"; "His retirement came as a total and complete shock to the entire cycling world"; "Mr Jan Ullrich had so much potential for even greater success" (an early play on Friebe's theme, actually); and the finale of, "But for me, all I can say is: Man, this guy is *smoking*. He brought the bike to life, always dancing on the pedals. This man was one of the reasons to watch cycling."...more
Okay. Here's the thing. It should not have taken me - or, really, anyone - four days to read a 165-page book about a Christmas tree or about a king. AOkay. Here's the thing. It should not have taken me - or, really, anyone - four days to read a 165-page book about a Christmas tree or about a king. And if that's what it had been, it wouldn't have taken four days.
I bought this book at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, where it was shelved in the children's section, primarily because I love Christmas and I love royal biographies, so the combination seemed a no-brainer! But it was either mis-shelved or incorrectly marketed, because while the writing is frequently whimsical and history seen in binary black-and-white the author presupposes certain existing knowledge on the part of the reader that (let's say) most children would not possess.
Take this passage, for example: "You only had to hear what Himmler was telling the young men who joined the SS to become aware that Nazism was not simply brutal and totalitarian. It was by way of being a weird cult of which its crazed anti-Semitism was just symptomatic" (160). This is the first and only mention of Himmler in the entire book, and I had to read the second sentence several times to comprehend it. Or this: "Professional historians long ago discarded the 'Great Man' theory of history" (148). I'm a thirty-year-old with a Bachelor's Degree in history and can figure out what the author is talking about, but there is no in-text explanation or real reason for this sentence. The book's final line is also a trip and a half, but I won't quote it here.
It is, however, very much a story worth telling. King Haakon the VII of Norway was clearly a man of outstanding moral fibre and the whole story of Scandinavia during WWII is fascinating and one not taught in American schools. To learn more I'll just have to find a different book than this one, because a military history parading as a children's book about a Christmas tree is not the ideal vehicle. Which is a shame....more
Now that I'm in my thirties I find myself basing judgments of children's and/or young adult books on whether I would be willing to buy them for any fuNow that I'm in my thirties I find myself basing judgments of children's and/or young adult books on whether I would be willing to buy them for any future children I might be lucky enough to have one day. Or/and also whether I would like to have read the book when I myself was growing up.
This one definitely fits the bill. I adored it. And how could I not, with its theme of historical cookery and backdrop of culinary competition? Like it was written for me.
Our protagonist, Alice, is clever and resourceful, and just petulant enough to be a realistic twelve-year-old. Her father and most of the other adults are not two-dimensional, the teaching moments are engaging and feel unforced, and the cooking scenes are likewise interesting and educational.
I loved this book as an adult, and I just know I would have read and re-read it, and then probably read again, as a kid. Some things weren't perfect but I rounded up to five stars primarily because of a scene in the beginning, when Alice very proudly brings something from home to school for an interesting project. Her classmates make fun of her, and even her teacher dismisses her, so she sadly and in confusion goes back to her desk and eats alone the food she brought to share with everyone. I have been this girl (too many times). The scene is written extremely, painfully well and I felt so seen.
And Alice stubbornly steadfastly continuing to champion her father, her family, and their unique and wonderful hobbies in the face of such teasing made her one of my favourite characters in any children's/young adult book. Well, Alice and Ella from Ella Enchanted (the book and NOT the film, of course)....more
One of my favourites from when I was younger, and it continues to be truly excellent. I know as a child I was grateful for the emphasis on history andOne of my favourites from when I was younger, and it continues to be truly excellent. I know as a child I was grateful for the emphasis on history and knowledge and family (and baking!), and as an adult surprised myself with how much I remembered, word for word, which is a true testament to the accessible yet not dumbed-down nature of the language (and also to how many times I'd read it)....more
Occasionally, books we read as children don't have the same resonance when read as adults, but I am pleased that Harrison Loved His Umbrella is not onOccasionally, books we read as children don't have the same resonance when read as adults, but I am pleased that Harrison Loved His Umbrella is not one of them. This one was a particular favourite in my family, with Harrison still being referenced from time to time to this day, and everyone understanding that he certainly loved his umbrella. It's a pithy story about individuality, with gorgeous and colourful illustrations, and will forever hold a special place in my heart.
A colleague of mine is due to have a baby in two months, so when I got to thinking what book I'd like to buy for her child's future library, this was one that came up (the main contender, of course, was Ruth's Bake Shop because that is my favourite children's book of all time). Our copy when I was growing up was a discarded library book we probably bought for a nickel, the plastic dust jacket crinkling and disintegrating in our hands and several pages torn out, all of which added to its charm. For the baby I found a new or almost-new copy, and something about the pristine hardcover and cloth spine warms my heart - I am happy to bring this book to a new generation, even if it doesn't reach the same status in my colleague's family as it had and continues to have in mine....more
Utterly delightful. Like reading an episode of Rosemary & Thyme, but even better. It's a slow burn, and not perfect (4.5 stars rounded up), but it wasUtterly delightful. Like reading an episode of Rosemary & Thyme, but even better. It's a slow burn, and not perfect (4.5 stars rounded up), but it was a wonderful read and I wanted to meet every single character in the book, possibly with one or two exceptions.
Full disclosure: I adore Richard Osman. He may be my favourite person on television. But he definitely holds his own in this field as well, and I am already looking forward to the next instalments in the series....more
What a story. It's impossible to overestimate the number of unique moments Lady Glenconner has witnessed, the delights and trials she has lived througWhat a story. It's impossible to overestimate the number of unique moments Lady Glenconner has witnessed, the delights and trials she has lived through, the amount of history in which she has played a part. And that's even without the chapters detailing her roles as Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, which were charming in and of themselves. The book is moving and sweet, humorous and lively, detailed and touching, and for the most part it was a delight to read.
However, Lady Glenconner is not a writer. She seems apparently very fond of a certain type of sentence structure, and uses it with incredible frequency. Regrettably, there were times when form distracted from content and times when getting through a paragraph took longer than should have been strictly necessary. Occasionally, there were unnecessary comments or observations, to the point where one did wonder what the angle could be. I've been torn about awarding the book three or four stars and, upon reflection, went with three for this reason.
It's a beautiful, bittersweet, incredible life Lady Glenconner has lived. I am grateful to have been privy to moments of it, and happy to have read this book. I only wish it had been written or edited a bit better....more
Been a while since I've been so angry with a book that sounded so promising for wasting my time like this. Absolute rubbish.Been a while since I've been so angry with a book that sounded so promising for wasting my time like this. Absolute rubbish....more
Definitely more like 3.5 stars, but the 0.5 taken off because the author has clearly never bought baked goods in Prague.
This was like reading three boDefinitely more like 3.5 stars, but the 0.5 taken off because the author has clearly never bought baked goods in Prague.
This was like reading three books in one. Each was interesting, especially in world-building, but didn't exactly connect well with the others. Which was a shame, as up until the last one hundred pages I was gripped....more
I called a few of the twists before they happened but in no way did this destroy my overall impression of the book. Masterful writing and storytellingI called a few of the twists before they happened but in no way did this destroy my overall impression of the book. Masterful writing and storytelling....more
As a story, this definitely earns a full complement of stars. But, as others have said, as a written piece it's...not entirely brilliant. It's a bit rAs a story, this definitely earns a full complement of stars. But, as others have said, as a written piece it's...not entirely brilliant. It's a bit repetitive, occasionally confusing and, ultimately, aimless. But the beginning is rife with tension and suspense, and there are humorous moments peppered throughout that are fantastic, so not a total loss. I'm actually quite eager to view the film, now that I've finished the book....more
A brutish, toxic masculinity wet dream for those who use patriotic rhetoric as not-very-thinly-veiled racism, written by someone who, I can only imagiA brutish, toxic masculinity wet dream for those who use patriotic rhetoric as not-very-thinly-veiled racism, written by someone who, I can only imagine, never met an actual person or heard how actual people speak. Sadly, a perfect reflection of the politics of our time but an assault on all senses for cooler heads....more
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