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| | | | | The Gifts by Liz Hyder review – vivid Victorian fantasy | | by Lucy Popescu Feb 27, 2022 | | From the author of Bearmouth, this stirring tale of women who sprout wings is impressive in its scope Liz Hyder sold the film rights to her YA debut, Bearmouth, a dystopian thriller about child miners fighting injustice, before it had arrived in the bookshops. In The Gifts, a Victorian novel for adults, four feisty women struggle against the constraints of a patriarchal society. When two of them grow wings, they are exploited by a ruthless surgeon, Edward Meake, who believes he is serving science and God’s purpose. Etta, inspired by the real-life Mary McGhie from Ludlow, is the daughter of a freed slave and a former plantation owner. After their father’s death her stepbrother banishes her from the family house and she resides in the keeper’s cottage with her beloved dog, Scout. A budding botanist, Etta spends her days tramping over the Shropshire countryside classifying and sketching plants. Continue reading... | | | | | Tears for Fears: The Tipping Point review – an elegant, long-awaited return | | by Phil Mongredien Feb 27, 2022 | | (Concord)
The veteran pop duo process difficult times on this beautifully crafted, if not quite catchy, new album Eighteen years after its predecessor, and five years after Roland Orzabal first announced it, the seventh Tears for Fears album (and the second with Curt Smith back on board) is finally upon us. Its gestation has been far from smooth: Orzabal’s first wife died in 2017 and he suffered a bout of ill health immediately afterwards. Meanwhile the band’s former management were discouraging them from making a record at all (as detailed in the lyrics of the sarcastic Master Plan). So The Tipping Point’s very existence is a triumph of sorts. All that time spent working on these songs is apparent: the arrangements are unfailingly lush, the musicianship beyond criticism. And there are plenty of moments to savour here: My Demons throbs in a manner that’s improbably reminiscent of Goldfrapp circa Supernature, thanks to new collaborator Sacha Skarbek’s synths; the title track unflinchingly recalls Orzabal’s bereavement; the uptempo End of Night is as uplifting as songs about the Mistral are likely to get. But while it all sounds impeccably polished, it lacks the sort of killer hook that used to consistently elevate them above their mid-80s peers. The end result finds elegance trumping excitement. Continue reading... | | | | | |
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