BookTalk
BookTalk
Book Talk
with Smiffs book & card store, Nerja
German-born Gerta Pohorylle (1910–1937), whose professional
name was Gerda Taro, was the first woman photojournalist to
report from, and die on, the
battlefield. She learned from
the celebrated Hungarian
lensman who went under the
name Robert Capa. He was
her partner in life as well as
the camera. The couple went
to Spain to support and
report on the Republican war
effort in the civil war. She
died in an accident during
the Battle of Brunete in 1937.
Robert Capa was originally
an alias under which Taro
and Capa, real name Endre
Friedmann, promoted their
work jointly. A substantial
proportion of their work in
1936–37 was actually by
Taro. Calle de Gerda Taro, a
street in Madrid, is named after her.
journey through the mountains of Kentucky, USA, and
onwards. In the face of many dangers, they are determined to
bring books to people, to
share the gift of learning to
change lives. The
consequences for them and
their partners create a drama
of loyalty, justice, humanity
and passion. This is a funny
and, at times, heart-breaking
novel of friendship, love, and
reaching for the stars.
Former military policeman
Jack Reacher is back
investigating in Blue Moon (l),
by Lee Child. Sitting on a
Greyhound bus, Reacher sees
an elderly man asleep with an
envelope of cash hanging out
of his pocket. As a mugger on
the bus moves in on the
tempting target, Reacher prevents a theft. While the intended
victim is grateful, he rejects
Reacher’s offer to help him
home and seems scared and
in trouble. Local gangs
appear to have some hold on
the old man, and Reacher
must decide whether and
how to resolve the situation.
Taro is the central character
in The Girl With The Leica
(p), a novel by Helena
Janeczek, an Italian author. It
explores Taro’s story within
the context of 1930s’
economic depression, the
ascent of Nazism, anti-
refugee sentiment in France,
ideological warfare, and the
rising status of photography.
Under its Italian name, La
Ragazza Con La Leica, the
book won Italy’s premier
literary award, the Strega
Prize, in 2018. It is now
available in English
translation in paperback.
Akin (l) is Emma Donoghue’
first contemporary novel
since Room, her breakout
bestseller. In the latest tale of
love, loss and family, Noah
Selvaggio, a retired New
York professor’s orderly life
becomes chaotic when he
takes his great-nephew to the
French Riviera. The French-
born professor hopes to
discover his mother’s
wartime secrets. It is a
humorous and heart-
wrenching novel of an old
man and a boy who unpick
their painful stories and
begin to create a new one.
The Girl With The Leica
leads off this month’s Soltalk
Hotlist of titles, some
entirely new, others moving
into small paperback format
for the first time or being
reissued, sometimes after
years out of print. All are due
for publication on dates in
October, with availability in
print this month or in early
November. The Hotlist helps
readers to plan and budget
for book ordering.
The End Of The Ocean (l),
by Norway’s Maja Lunde,
author of the international
bestseller, The History Of
Bees, is an engaging novel
about the very real threat of
a worldwide water shortage.
It is seen through points of
view of a father and
daughter. In 2019, Signe, 70,
embarks on a perilous
voyage to cross an ocean in a
The Giver Of Stars (l), by
JoJo Moyes, is also inspired
by a true story. It centres on
a quintet of inspiring women
and their remarkable
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