News

« Headlines

Most reviewed: The Remarkable Lives of Bill Deedes

31.03.08 Anna Richardson

Securing exclusive access to Bill Deedes, with the proviso of not publishing a biography until after his death, has put Stephen Robinson in a unique position, ensuring, among other things, extensive coverage for his new book, The Remarkable Lives of Bill Deedes (Little, Brown), and making it the most reviewed of last weekend (28th to 30th March).

All reviewers reveled in reminiscing about what Lynn Barber desribes the "fully accredited national treasure” that was Deedes, and to what extent he deserves a biography to be written. Rod Liddle, reviewing in the Sunday Times, started: "Few members of this disreputable trade deserve lengthy biographies, but Bill Deedes, I suppose, is one of them . . . it is improbably that we shall ever see his like again. One might say, a little unkindly perhaps, that this is a good thing."

Barber in the Daily Telegraph also pointed out that "if he had died at, say, 60 we would probably not be reading his biography today. The best of Bill came after his bus pass". However, she suspected that "fans of Deedes are bound to be upset by this biography". Robinson must be applauded "for unearthing so much new information", but "fans will probably prefer to remember Deedes in the old Dear Bill version", concluded Barber.

Meanwhile, Salman Rushdie's much-heralded new novel, The Enchantress of Florence (Cape), attracted a colourful spread of comments from critics. Ursula K Le Guin in the Guardian exclaimed that "we English-speakers have our own Ariosto now, our Tasso, stolen out of India. Aren't we the lucky ones?", while a more disgruntled Peter Kemp in the Sunday Times wrote: "Sadly, by the time you reach the end of this novel with its garish banalities and depthless sensationalisms, what you're most aware of are the 1,001 ways in which it would have been more profitable and enjoyable to pass the time."

MOST REVIEWED (28th March to 20th March)

The Remarkable Lives of Bill Deedes by Stephen Robinson
(Little, Brown 9780316730334 £20)
"Evocative and candid" Guardian
"Fair rather than fond" Daily Telegraph
"Fascinating" Sunday Times
"Excellent" Sunday Express

Once Upon a Time in England by Helen Walsh
(Canongate 9781841958682 £14.99)
"The kind of book whose events you find yourself repeating to friends" Daily Telegraph
"Chippy, lyrical and moving" Times
"Not particularly original" Guardian
"Not for the faint-hearted" Sunday Times

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie
(Cape 9780224061636 £18.99)
"Brilliant, fascinating, generous" Guardian
"Splendid" Daily Telegraph
"The worst thing he has ever written" Sunday Times

The Angel of Grozny by Åsne Seierstad
(Virago 9781844083954 £14.99)
"Tells [the] stories with poignancy and compassion" Independent
"The reader deserves more" Sunday Telegraph
"Important book" Guardian

Media Anna Richardson Most Reviewed Stephen Robinson

See Also