PAPERBACKS OF THE WEEK

The Temporary Gentleman

Sebastian Barry

Faber & Faber €9.99

Sebastian Barry’s heart-rending novel begins in newly independent postwar Ghana, where former UN observer Jack McNulty is reflecting on his past life, and in particular on the death of his beautiful wife. Only gradually, as Jack’s flawed character comes to be fully revealed, do we grasp the extent of his tragedy and his responsibility for past events.

Breakfast with Lucian

Geordie Greig

Vintage €25.50

The British Mail on Sunday editor Geordie Greig got to know Lucian Freud during the final years of his life, and this utterly engrossing and lavishly illustrated book is both a personal memoir and a revealing biography. Freud was a complex and often difficult man. He was also the most important British artist of the past century, and Greig succeeds in bringing the man and his work vividly to life.

Waterloo

by Tim Clayton

Abacus €15.75

Waterloo must be the most exhaustively analysed battle in history, but Tim Clayton has plenty of fresh and original insights in this enthralling account of the defeat of Napoleon. Clayton is particularly good on the events that led up to the day of battle and on the contributions of Wellington’s allies, often overlooked by British historians.

January Window

Philip Kerr

Head of Zeus €15.99

Scott Manson is a former footballer and ex-convict who is now team coach for Premiership new boys London City FC, but everything goes pear-shaped when the manager is found dead. Hats off to Kerr. The flashy, cash-strewn world of football is such a perfect fit for a tale of murderous corruption that it’s a wonder it hasn’t been tackled before.