Duncan Williamson

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This book, which I have almost finished listening to as a audiobook, is a fascination. It is the second Amis’s books I have listened to since he died, having never touched his work before. I have read a few reviews and synopses of this book and they all concentrate on the John Self based novel. Well, fine but what about the other half of the book? What about the highly detailed history of money? The Self aspect reminds me of Ed Reardon’s week, a BBC Radio 4 series that I find fabulous. The history of money aspect is deep, serious and scholarly to say the least. I studied economics but didn’t study the history of money in such depth so almost all of this is new to me. So, I have two questions about the history of money part of the book: Is it really part of the book or only to be found in the audiobook? Is the history of money aspect of the book as scholarly and accurate as it appears? Nine more hours of listening to go and I am enjoying both aspects of the book.

When i went to the Killing Fields memorial outside Phnom Penh, I said everyone has to go there or to a similarly engaging and raw testimony of the absolute horror of conflict and tyranny. I feel the same about this film: everyone needs to watch it for appreciation and not as a voyeur. This film has to be required viewing for everyone in a position of power and authority. Military commanders, politicians, senior government advisors, academic war historians and more. We really must ensure that there is no glorification of slaughter as it seems far too easy, as it was in the first world war, to rally the public with a war cry. War destroys people and it is no solution to anything.