Rumpole and the Reign of Terror, By John Mortimer

Long-time fans of PBS’s Mystery series require no formal introduction to Horace Rumpole, the sixtyish and eccentric British barrister of Old Bailey Criminal Court fame. Our Horace is equal parts Falstaff and Clarence Darrow, and is as likely to quote Wordsworth in a murder trial summation as cite legal precedent. Since the mid- 1970s, John Mortimer–a divorce attorney–has authored twelve Rumpole short story collections as well as two novels; the short stories were the basis of the tv series. Although actor Leo McKern, who played Mortimer’s protagonist for three decades, died a few years ago, the author apparently intends to keep our Horace on the Old Bailey court calendar to hector pompous judges and bedevil priggish prosecutors for another few sessions. This second novel propels Horace into international headlines as he defends a Pakistani doctor accused of aiding al-Qaeda. Rumpole’s mantra of “The presumption of innocence is the golden thread that weaves through English justice” is not only ignored but spurned because of changes in legal procedure that favor the Crown: changes adopted because of a terrorist attack on London’s public transportation system. After our hero’s arguments, “she [the Judge] looked at me with all the eager interest of a vicar’s wife hearing her husband repeat a sermon she had heard twenty times before.” Fans must remember that Rumpole, unlike Perry Mason, doesn’t win all his cases, so we never know the outcome until the final page. Most of the chambers regulars reunite for this installment: “Soapy Sam” Ballard, self-righteous Head of Chambers; Fig Newton, sneezy and sniffling private eye; Judge Bullingham, aptly nicknamed the Mad Bull; opera-loving and snooty Claude Erskine-Brown. Faithful readers will miss ancient Uncle Tom, a dotty but garrulous attorney who practiced his golf game in the clerk’s office and chambers hallway. But readers are awarded a double dollop of Doodoo Mackintosh, Hilda’s old school friend, who visits to dispense unwanted advice and servings of her inedible cheesy bits (a running joke in this series). Those entertained by the numerous domestic conflicts in the Rumpole household (Horace calls wife Hilda, She Who Must Be Obeyed) will be amused by Mortimer’s choice of organizing this novel. Each chapter alternates between a chapter in Horace’s memoirs and one in Hilda’s memoirs. The pair’s differences are contrasted almost point by point. We also discover Hilda has a life beyond Horace, including a mild flirtation with the Mad Bull! Why an aging, bewigged barrister has become such a popular character in the United States is difficult to explain. Mortimer’s right-on satire of the legal system? Memorable characters? Plots based on contemporary issues? Then again, perhaps the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

4 out of 4 Stars

Reviewed By: Michael Shinn, Academic Learning Center/Disability Services

Reading Lolita in Tehran, By Azar Nafisi

In July of 2006, I was in the Charlotte/Douglas airport. I was trying to get to Chicago, 11 hours later (don’t ask), I was finally en route to Chicago. I started this book in the airport. I didn’t read it, I studied it. It is a tough read, with many layers, but it was worth it. Azar Nafisi grew up in a well-to-do family in Tehran. Her father was the mayor of Tehran when the Shah was in power. Azar was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. She is fluent in English, French, and Farsi. She completed a B.A., Master’s, and PhD. in English in the U.S. In the 1980’s she and her husband decide to move back to Tehran. Azar accepts a teaching position at the University of Tehran. She talks about her love of Nabokov, Fitzgerald, James, and Austen. Azar loves Tehran deep down in her bones, but she knows she can not stay. It is with great sorrow that she leaves Iran. This book is part memoir, part women’s studies, part political analysis, and part a college English class. If you are a woman and you love literature, try it. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is worth it.

4 Out of 4 Stars

Reviewed By: Anne Egger, Library Services

The Bookseller of Kabul, By Asne Seierstad

I really thought it was a good idea. I proposed to my mother that I would drive her to Chapel Hill. My sister lives there, we would stay over night and see the Monet Exhibit at the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh. My sister and her husband have a gorgeous house in Chapel Hill that is four stories. (Yes, I did say four stories) I always bring a book with me just in case. My guest room was, you guessed it, on the fourth floor. It was a lovely attic shaped room with wonderful light and a rocking chair. I started the book there. It was an easy read.

I now have two places I don’t want to travel to, Iran and Afghanistan. The author is a foreign correspondent who comes upon a bookseller in Kabul. She enjoys a couple of hours away from warfare. She enjoys talking to the bookseller. She asks if she can live in his house for three months and write about his family. He says yes. She does not know the dialect he speaks, but the bookseller and two family members speak English. She gives great insight into the country and how families interact in Afghanistan. As a woman and as a U.S. citizen I think it is an important book to read as well.

4 out of 4 Stars

Reviewed By: Anne Egger, Library Services