Rebecca Hunt / Features / Untitled Books

"I found this book impossible to leave alone and read it more or less one in giant binge."

Rebecca Hunt

Rebecca Hunt graduated from Central Saint Martins College with a first class honours degree in fine art. She lives and works in London. Mr Chartwell is her first novel, described by the Guardian as "bold, original and frequently very funny. I can't wait to see what Hunt comes up with next." She shares some of her personal favourites...

Robert Scott by Ranulph Fiennes

The Antarctic fascinates me, and the courage, sheer grit and resourceful approach to unimaginable hardship of the men in Captain Scott's polar expeditions is both deeply affecting and inspiring. Ranulph Fiennes uses his experience and knowledge of the South Pole to provide a balanced and considered account of the final voyage and its ultimately tragic end. The men's diary entries, along with Fiennes' personal recollections and analysis, describe a fierce, majestic landscape upon which fate fluctuates on the turn of a die between salvation and execution.

Room by Emma Donoghue

I found this book impossible to leave alone and read it more or less one in giant binge. Told through the eyes of five year old Jack imprisoned in a room with his mother, the novel is disturbing, moving, and absolutely gripping.

Butcher's Crossing by John Williams

I'm not naturally drawn to westerns, but Butcher's Crossing is one of those books which leave vivid mental images long after it's finished. At least, it certainly does for me. Charting the journey of Will Andrews to the small, isolated town of Butcher's Crossing and then on an expedition with a group of local men to kill buffalo in a secluded valley, I often think of this book.

............................................................................................................................................................

Mr Chartwell is published by Penguin Books

............................................................................................................................................................

Friday, 29 October, 2010