Margaret Cook's Blog

In conjunction with Indie Authors World and fellow author John McGee, I shall be at Waterstones, Sauchiehall St Glasgow on Sunday 29th April at 1 pm for an event in which John and I will talk about our respective books. With some well-placed questions from Kim...

The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book is beautifully written, calm and understated. It deals with the effects of antisemitism in Switzerland, dating from events in WW II; about hidden heroism, fear and prejudice as well as the redeeming effect of loving relationships in unlikely places. Wonderfully free of cliche and sentimentality.



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In my book, "Border Brothers" is a very understated love affair. In the first draft it was almost completely left to the imagination. My editor was outraged! She wanted me to be more explicit and more descriptive. I did, albeit reluctantly, give the reader a little more, enough to know, I hope, the depth of passion involved.
But the reason I wrote so little was because the affair was so intense that I felt details were best left to the reader's imagination.
I wonder what people think about this? Is it lazy authorship, or is it a tactic to stimulate the reader's mind?

The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One of those books you are so glad to have read. it's a mind-expanding book, you'll never be quite the same again after reading it. Not only the biography of Michelangelo - which clearly closely follows reality - but the art and the history of the time in such detail. More than this - it is such an insight into human nature in the raw, that is in a situation of absolute power - I refer to the popes, the noble and wealthy families, royalty. Michelangelo is portrayed as a man fixated, obsessed, by his artistic creations and he is driven to amazing feats, as well as extremes of self-denial. His loyalty to his grasping, insatiable father provoked both admiration and fury in me. Hierarchy in families was obligatory then, but his father was just a parasite.
I've got another of Stone's books lined up - Lust for Life.
I'm really grateful to whoever suggested this author.



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There are so many choices, but I, like most women, am conservative. I like to own and keep a book I've read and enjoyed. I seldom borrow from libraries, I do use a Kindle on rare occasions, but it's a big treat to go to a bookshop and buy a book, while anticipating reading it.
So it's a weird feeling of betrayal when I find a fabulous book shop online, only to discover it doesn't exist. There was this wonderfully named shop, 'FoundItAtLast' in the depths of the countryside in the Scottish Borders, and lo, I found only the door of the erstwhile shop which was now a smithy and a store-room. I'd thought it was so brave to run a bookshop in such a remote place, but clearly it didn't work out.
Many websites exist as ghosts of a former glory.
The bookshops that flourish seem to create an engaging cafe society ambience.

I am a Newby to Goodreads, finding it baffling to cope with at times.
Most concerning for me are the inaccuracies on my Author's page. I have written only 4 books, and several more mysterious titles are attributed to me.
Any help in cleaning up this particualr act will be gratefully received!