2 MAY 1998, page 37

In The Grip Of The Plot

Ian Sansom A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR by John Irving Bloomsbury, £16.99, pp.547 T he opening sentence of a John Irving novel is set like a gin trap; it clamps to your wrist, or......

A Deal Of Skimble-skamble Stuff

David Crane THE LATE MR SHAKESPEARE by Robert Nye Chatto & Windus, £16.99, pp.399 T here are certain books about which there can be no critical middle ground and Robert Nye's......