Cricket, Wonderful Cricket
-
- $7.99
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
Remarkable cricket by remarkable people, from Rory Bremner to the Duke of Edinburgh.Boundaries, maidens, Botham and Bell; centuries, ducks, Lara and Laker...in this amazing collection of interviews, John Duncan explores the idiosyncratic, historical and entertaining game of cricket through people who share a true passion for the sport. Drawing upon various cricketing memories of some of the most respected names in British culture, busines and politics -- including Michael Parkinson, Sir Tim Rice and the Duke of Edinburgh -- and covering a variety of topics such as classic matches and personal cricketing heroes, Cricket Wonderful Cricket is an entertaining and unique insight into the eccentric and indeed wonderful game of cricket.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edinburgh Insp. John Rebus is far and away the greatest creation of best-selling author Ian Rankin, but neither the brooding, dogged detective nor his creator is well-served by this amateurish book. Cabell begins with an interesting premise: "I'm simply interested in the man and his creation here and the parallels between them." There are parallels, and Cabell strives mightily to unearth how Rankin developed his popular character (Rebus was "retired" in the 2007 novel Exit Music) through a combination of close reading of the books and interviews. But the results are rarely satisfactory. The writing is sloppy, and the insight isn't insightful enough to really "explain" the riddle that is John Rebus. Some of the best observations come from Rankin himself ("I think Rebus joined the Police Force because it allowed him to be a voyeur it allowed him to look into other people's lives rather than look into his own."). Cabell is better when he explores Rankin's other main character, Scotland, and, in particular, Edinburgh and the stark contrast between its public, tourist-friendly face and its background of crime and corruption. (He also provides some literary insight, pointing out the connections between Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the Rankin novels Knots and Crosses and Hide and Seek.) The volume includes nice photos of Rankin and Rebus's Edinburgh haunts as well as summaries of Rankin TV shows and a Rankin bibliography.
