15 NOVEMBER 2008, Page 40

Justin Cartwright

The best book of the year for me was The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross (Fourth Estate, £20), a revelatory account of the rise of modern music. Two books which disappointed were from two of my favourite novelists: Philip Roth’s Indignation (Cape, £16.99), a muddled and incredible rehash of his favourite themes, and John Updike’s Widows of Eastwick (Penguin, £18.99). At least with the Updike there is some acute obvservation.