It’s time for #6degrees. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up.
This month we begin with Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.
There are probably all sorts of clever Shakespearean-related links to be made, but I’m linking by name to Maggie Shipstead, whose forthcoming novel Great Circle is on the list of 2021 releases I’m looking forward to.
Great Circle is a fictional story about a female aviator. Paula McLain’s Circling the Sun is also about a female aviator, but records the true story of Beryl Markham. Markham was the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic from Britain to North America. She was also part of the ‘Happy Valley set’ in Kenya.
James Fox’s novel, White Mischief, focuses on the Happy Valley set. It was a good book, but the film was even better. Another book that made an even better film (or rather, series) was The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante.
I’m not mad on Ferrante, and yet I keep picking up her books… I recently finished The Lying Life of Adults, a story in which a bracelet plays an important part. Similarly, a necklace is critical in Adrienne Brodeur’s gripping memoir, Wild Game.
I didn’t expect to ‘fly’ from Shakespeare to jewellery. Where will other chains go? Link up below or post your link in the comments section.
Next month (February 6, 2021), we’ll start with Anne Tyler’s latest novel, Redhead By the Side of the Road.
