18 NOVEMBER 2000, page 53

Francis King

In a year when at least half-a-dozen well- known novelists fell far below their usual form (nonetheless one of them, amazingly, managed to enter the Booker short-list), for me......

Rupert Christiansen

Both the best and the worst was Gavin Lambert's Mainly about Lindsay Anderson (Faber, £18.99), a self-congratulatory, gar- rulous ramble through Lambert's own life that also......

Christmas Books I

Books of the Year A selection of the best and worst books of the year, chosen by some of The Spectator's regular contributors Philip Hensher Neither of the two discoveries of my......

Anita Brookner

Not a good year. The most original novel was John Lanchester's Mr Phillips (Faber, £15.99), which has the benefit of a quirky and plausible central character and his progress......