Mr Chris Fox is Head of Sixth Form at Queenswood, in addition to teaching Religious Studies. Chris has just finished reading two books, Sarum by Edward Rutherford and Kazuo Ishiguro's prize-winning tale of a thwarted life, The Remains of the Day.

Edward Rutherfurd – Sarum (1987)

This is an enormous novel, vast in its scope, and one that’s tremendously immersive. It spans the length of British history from the Ice Age right up to the year 1985, and is told through the stories of a number of fictional families who live in and around Salisbury. Reading Sarum certainly requires an investment of time – but it’s worth it! The book isn’t particularly literary in terms of style, but it seamlessly navigates through every period of history with a convincing tale of what ‘might’ have played out at a local level in response to the national situation at any given time. Highly recommended for those with an interest in history.

Kazuo Ishiguro – The Remains of the Day (1989)

This beautifully written book tells the tale of Mr Stevens, a butler at one of England’s great houses, as he embarks upon a motoring trip in 1956. During his journey, he reminisces about his time at Darlington Hall under a previous employer in the years between the two world wars. Very funny and simultaneously very moving, it’s easy to see why this novel won the Booker Prize, and its author the Nobel Prize for Literature. Highly recommended for those who love literature – it doesn’t come any better than this!