My week in brief? Quiet, snotty and surprisingly restorative.
It’s been half-term here, and my daughter’s cold has morphed through various icky permutations, the only consistent thing being its heaviness. So plans have been cancelled and days spent at home. Books read, movies watched, projects crafted, newsletters written. We’re both homebodies, so ‘permission’ to stay cosy and close for a week at the tail end of winter was gracefully and gratefully received.
Here are some of my reading and viewing highlights of the week.
Reading:
A Visible Man by Edward Enninful made my week. Enninful is the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, and his memoir tells the fascinating story of his journey to that career pinnacle. But this book is so much more than that. He has an incredibly authentic voice and the way he talks about creativity is like magic, it just leaps off the page. Beyond that, the tireless work Enninful has done to make the fashion industry more diverse and representative, even before it was a driving agenda, is truly inspirational. I was genuinely moved. I’ll be delving into this one a bit deeper in a newsletter, I think. And buying a shelf copy. And resubscribing to Vogue.
Watching:
Darkest Hour (this disappeared off Netflix in the days after I watched it and currently isn’t free to stream anywhere, sorry!)—I really enjoyed this retelling of Winston Churchill’s early days as Prime Minister. As the title suggests, it depicts a bleaker situation and weaker Churchill (a magnificent, Oscar-winning, Gary Oldman) than we’re usually presented with on screen. He wrestles with his instinct to fight on when all around him are pushing for the negotiation of a peace treaty with Germany. An invitation to reconsider the man behind the bravado and bowler hat.
Slow Horses (AppleTV)—The theme of the week appears to be Gary Oldman, as I went back to Slow Horses for season 2. (Bonus points for Kristin Scott Thomas and Samuel West also being in both Darkest Hour and Slow Horses.) Thoroughly enjoyed another adventure with the marvellous misfit agents of Slough House. A shock in the middle, but otherwise perhaps didn’t hold my attention quite as much this time around. I’ll still be back for more when the next season turns up.
Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories (BBC iplayer)—I read about this Paula Rego documentary in Katy Hessel’s latest Great Women Artists Substack newsletter. I had no prior knowledge of the artist or her work, but the film, made by Rego’s son Nick Willing, was completely engaging. Her paintings are so bold and powerful, but the woman herself quiet and private, and much comes out in the discussion of her life and work that even her family hadn’t previously known. Fascinating.
Honourable mention this week for Autumn de Wilde’s 2020 adaptation of Emma. Watching this colourful favourite was made all the sweeter by it not even being my idea. When your nine-year-old daughter chooses to self-medicate a nasty cold with Jane Austen, you know you’ve been passing on the right life lessons!
Your turn! Tell me about your week. What did you watch? What did you read? Did you actually leave your house?!
(Includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an excellent bookselling website supporting indie bookshops)
I didn't leave my house! I'm the type that likes to stay at home whenever I don't have to. I've read Emma, started hidden figures and watched the newest episode of sort your life out.
Ooh, I had no idea GWA had a Substack. I recently read the book and thought it was brilliant. Certain things definitely frustrated me. So recommended!
Otherwise, I started reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari which is brilliant! Just read the chapters on the Big Tech this morning and I am totally mortified, even though, subconsciously, I already knew the things. Worth a read!
Oh, and we discovered another Iranian director: Abbas Kiarostami. His style is unusual but explores interesting themes.
Started a fiction book to balance out all the heavy stuff too haha. A Taylor Jenkins Reid book: Maybe in Another Life. Also, eagerly waiting for the Daisy Jones and The Six TV to hit Prime in March. Loved that book!
P.S. Glad you two had a restorative week. Sounds like you got just what you needed! :)