Tourist Settlement Koversada Blesicka, Vrsar

Advantages: Great album, still sounds great twenty years later.
Disadvantages: A few duff tracks.

...Way back in my youth I was introduced to lots of different music by my peers, there was such a varied amount of sounds in the early eighties that we were spoiled for choice and as such, my tastes became eclectic. One minute I would be listening to Michael Jackson, the next I would be rocking along with Queen or Led Zeppelin. There was also a huge live music culture in the west coast of Scotland, a healthy part of that was focused in my area and I was a regular at all the local live venues to hear my favourite local bands. Whilst roadying for a mates big brothers band I heard them playing a tape of a band called XTC, I was Immediately captured by their middle English pop sound, they seemed to offer something just that wee bit different from everything else and I was hooked from that moment. English Settlement is one of these... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautifully yet honestly written, vivid characters and a quietly compelling story
Disadvantages: No grand plots to speak of, requires your full attention.

...Having experienced something of a bad run with good books lately (I'd just read 4 extremely good but very depressing books in a row) I decided that I was in need of a little lighthearted literary 'therapy'. What I wanted was a book that would entice, enchant and entertain me - absorb me with its characters, endue me with wonderment and generally restore my faith in the goodness of humankind. My wife, bless her cotton socks, knew just the book.. And so with much expectation (and perhaps a little trepidation) I began 'The Accidental Tourist'. I mean, with a title like that it's gotta be fairly light hearted right? On page one I'm introduced to our central protagonist, Macon Leary. Macon is a reclusive, insular, anally retentive, emotionally inept, socially incompetent, compulsive worrier who hates traveling and writes travel... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: good read
Disadvantages: none

...The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler This book was written in 1985 and it won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Then in 1988 the book was adapted for a film which starred William Hurt, Kathleen Turner and Geena Davis. The story is set in Baltimore, Maryland and the story centres on Macon Leary who is a Travel Guide writer. His son who was twelve had been killed in a shooting incident at a fast food restaurant. Sarah his wife and Macon were coping with the loss of their son separately and there marriage was under the strain of collapsing. Eventually Sarah did leave. Macon had a fall and became unable to look after himself so he stayed with is Sister who was called Rose and Porter and Charles who were his brothers they were a little strange and eccentric. Charles had very strange habits and he had to have... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful