3 OCTOBER 1987, page 34

Quietly Excellent And Very English

Anita Brookner THE GOOSEBOY by A. L. Barker Hutchinson, £9.95 A . L. Barker is such a quiet writer that she often passes unnoticed while noisier performers commandeer the stage.......

Not About The Dordogne

Richard Cobb THAT SWEET ENEMY: A PERSONAL VIEW OF FRANCE AND THE FRENCH by Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson Cape, £12.95 F rance is a big country, so there is plenty to choose......