9 h. ago The Rose Field review: Immerse yourself in Philip Pullman’s dark imagination

It’s a story about growing up. But it’s really about Pullman’s nostalgia for the world in which he grew up

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10 h. ago Book of Dust review: Immerse yourself in Philip Pullman’s dark imagination

It’s a story about growing up. But it’s really about Pullman’s nostalgia for the world in which he grew up

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4 d. ago The Rose Field by Philip Pullman review: 'absorbing and transporting'

The final part of Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust trilogy hints at various possible futures, writes Stuart Kelly

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1 week ago Lyra’s last story – exclusive extract from Philip Pullman’s final installment in The Book of Dust trilogy

Thirty years ago, The Northern Lights introduced the world to Lyra Silvertongue. Now, Pullman completes her story in The Rose Field – plus listen to an audiobook extract read by Michael SheenShe washed herself as well as she could in the little basin with its lukewarm water, and looked in the mirror dispassionately. The bruises on her face were fading, but she was tanned by the sun, and her cheeks and the bridge of her nose not far off from being actually burnt, so she must find some cream or ointment to deal with that. A broad-brimmed hat would help too.She spread a very little of the rose salve on her nose and lips, her cheekbones and forehead. Then she sat down and thought about Ionides. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Lyra’s last story – exclusive extract from Philip Pullman’s final instalment in The Book of Dust trilogy

Thirty years ago, Northern Lights introduced the world to Lyra Belacqua. Now, Pullman completes her story in The Rose Field – plus listen to an audiobook extract read by Michael SheenShe washed herself as well as she could in the little basin with its lukewarm water, and looked in the mirror dispassionately. The bruises on her face were fading, but she was tanned by the sun, and her cheeks and the bridge of her nose not far off from being actually burnt, so she must find some cream or ointment to deal with that. A broad-brimmed hat would help too.She spread a very little of the rose salve on her nose and lips, her cheekbones and forehead. Then she sat down and thought about Ionides. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen audiobook review – an immersive all

Actors Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Bill Nighy and Marisa Abela are among the cast in a pacy adaptation that retains Austen’s sharp plotting and comic precisionDoes the world need another Jane Austen adaptation, on top of the mountains of TV dramas, stage shows and movies already in existence? Probably not. Even so, this new audio version of Pride & Prejudice, made to mark the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth, is a proper treat. Instead of a straightforward narration, Audible has thrown its considerable resources at an all-star dramatisation, adapted with skill and sensitivity by Lulu Raczka.Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays the voluble Mrs Bennet, who is keen to get her five daughters married off, if only the longsuffering Mr Bennet (Bill Nighy) would see the urgency of the situation. New on the scene are eligible singletons Mr Bingley (Toheeb Jimoh) and his monosyllabic friend Mr Darcy (Harris Dickinson). Darcy’s air of disdain irks the outspoken Elizabeth Bennet (Marisa Abela) and l...

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3 w. ago From the Archives: Stuart Kelly reviews La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman in 2017

With the third instalment of Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust trilogy due to be released later this month, we revisit Stuart Kelly’s review of the opening book in the series from 2017

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