reviews

Beethoven box sets reviews: Which anniversary bumper box hits all the high notes?  

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Now that’s what I call Ludwig! Three bumper Beethoven box sets mark the 250th anniversary of his birth… but which hits all the high notes? By David Mellor for Event Published: 22:02 GMT, 25 January 2020 | Updated: 16:03 GMT, 26 January 2020 Beethoven 2020: The New Complete Edition          DG/Decca, out … Read more

Craig Brown reviews a book examining the golden age of luxury travel

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Trains, Planes, Ships & Cars: The Golden Age 1900-1941 James Hamilton-Paterson Head of Zeus £30 Rating: Ah, the Golden Age of Travel! This is not a book to be read while you are standing cooped-up on a crowded staircase for ten minutes as part of Ryanair’s ‘Priority Boarding’. In James Hamilton-Paterson’s judgment, the Golden Age … Read more

Dresden by Sinclair McKay and The Crew by David Price reviews: Two masterful and sobering WWII books

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The still burning problem of Dresden: Sinclair McKay’s masterful Dresden and David Price’s sobering The Crew show both sides of the story By Simon Griffith Published: 22:01 GMT, 1 February 2020 | Updated: 17:51 GMT, 4 February 2020 Dresden Sinclair McKay                              … Read more

Critics give mixed reviews to Justin Bieber’s album Changes which celebrates love for wife Hailey

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He dropped his fifth studio album Changes on Valentine’s Day. And critics have had a variety of reactions to Justin Bieber’s first album release since 2015’s Purpose. What they can agree on is that the new music reflects the 25-year-old Canadian pop star’s joy at being married to Hailey Baldwin and the bliss of life as … Read more

This is a Valentine’s Day cracker: BRIAN VINER reviews new movie version of Emma 

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Emma (U) Verdict: Lavish step back in time  Rating: Sonic the Hedgehog (PG) Verdict: More chronic than tonic Rating: What could be a bigger treat for Valentine’s Day than a new adaptation of a Jane Austen novel? In truth, you can probably think of quite a few contenders. Do we really need another excursion back … Read more

Women could be allowed to freeze their eggs for DECADES as government reviews ten-year limit 

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Women could be allowed to freeze their eggs for DECADES as government reviews current ten-year limit After 10 years frozen eggs must be used in fertility treatment or destroyed Campaigners say the current practice is  arbitrary’ and has no scientific basis Treatment cycles with frozen eggs rose from 410 in 2012 to 1,462 in 2017  By … Read more

Dickens with 2020 vision: BRIAN VINER reviews The Personal History Of David Copperfield

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The Personal History of David Copperfield (PG) Rating: Verdict: What the Dickens! The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (15) Rating: Verdict: Incoherent fun Years pass without a single film based on an autobiographical novel about an aspiring young writer emerging out of genteel impoverishment in the mid‑19th century . . . then, what do you … Read more

The Inspector reviews Gravetye Manor in Sussex

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An Inspector Calls… A blooming lovely hotel nestled among 6,000 tulips with delicious (albeit fussy) Michelin-starred food on the menu The Inspector checked into Gravetye Manor in Sussex which was built in 1598 Jeremy and Elizabeth Hosking bought the manor nine years ago  At the restaurant there is a seven-course tasting menu on offer for £95 … Read more

The Inspector reviews Mannings Hotel in Truro, Cornwall

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An Inspector Calls… The friendly Cornish hotel and restaurant that’s popular with locals (but you wouldn’t want to spend a romantic night there) Mannings has 30 rooms and nine apartments fronting a car park The Inspector checked into an apartment which had a ‘whiff of old shoes’ The a la carte breakfast menu comes recommended over … Read more