FEAST OR FAMINE

The Seaside: England’s Love Affair  by Madeleine Bunting (2023) is set along the coastlines of England: ‘No European capital can lay claim to as many coastlines as London … all an easy day trip by train or car. Not to mention the delights further afield.’  Madeleine Bunting travelled to about 40 seaside resorts, staying in hotels, caravans, and holiday camps. Her aim was to understand the ‘enduring appeal of seaside towns, and what has happened to the golden sands, cold seas, and donkey rides of childhood memory.’ The book is sectioned according to the country’s beaches that the author visited, in a clockwise direction: Scarborough in North Yorkshire; Skegness in Lincolnshire; Dovercourt to Canvey Island in Essex; Margate to Folkestone in Kent; Brighton to Bognor in Sussex; Torquay to Weston-super-Mare in the South-West; and Blackpool and Morecambe in Lancashire. For her ‘research’ Madeleine Bunting talks to residents and holidayers, takes swims, and eats the local fare – main...

 

French cartoonist  Jean-Jacques Sempé (1932-2022) is known for his illustrations in children’s books, particularly  Le Petit Nicolas  (1959).   Born near Bordeaux, he moved to Paris in 1950 and began a career in comics. He turned professional in 1952 after he won an award for his works.    His style is ‘mute watercolours’ and single image sketches.   He is best known for the illustrated covers on  The New Yorker  magazine. His first cover was in 1978 and his works have been on the cover more than a hundred times. MARTINA NICOLLS MartinaNicollsWebsite    I     Rainy Day Healing    I    Martinasblogs    I     Publications     I     Facebook    I    Paris Website    I    Paris blogs    I   Animal Website    I   Flower Website   I   Global Gentlemanliness SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR N...