• Schrödinger's Cat
  • A PhD Rollercoaster
  • Book reviews
Menu

Nilam McGrath, PhD

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Writer and researcher

Nilam A. McGrath, PhD

Nilam McGrath, PhD

  • Schrödinger's Cat
  • A PhD Rollercoaster
  • Book reviews
Website+banner+Jan2019.jpg

Book reviews

Independent book reviews by Nilam McGrath

Hilary Mantel: A Culture Show Special

October 2, 2011 Nilam Ashra-McGrath

Writers can always learn from each other, but we have to wade through a lot of guff to find the gems. The Culture Show Special on Hilary Mantel was one such gem. This was an honest account of how her life overseas and her illness has shaped her aspirations and her writing. It’s a documentary that stays with you a while and has received glowing reviews. What’s interesting (for me) is how she organises her writing process. She has stacks of files (I spotted over 20 for Wolf Hall alone), arranged alphabetically according to each character. She also keeps files on objects, customs and manners from specific historical periods, and at one point stands next to a flipchart with key dates and plot points mapped out. She then transfers her notes onto screen and shapes them so they follow through to dialogue and character traits. This might sound like the bleeding obvious, but routine, in whatever form it takes, is important for writers because ‘sometimes you go so slowly...sometimes you think you’ve forgotten everythingyou’ve ever learnt...[and] sometimes it’s like chasing a ghost...’ that the familiar pattern of transferring your research onto the page is the only way forward. And this routine is also important because ‘happiness depends entirely on the last sentence you wrote.’ How true. A superb and studied account of a writer’s life - catch it if you can.

In Writing Tags Culture Show Special, guff, HIlary Mantel, honest account, plot points, Wolf Hall, Writing
← Short story ‘Rouen’ published in LitroWhat, no Nagra? →

Other reviews…

Featured
26 May 2018
Nudging your way to impact
26 May 2018
26 May 2018
8 Nov 2015
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
8 Nov 2015
8 Nov 2015
27 May 2015
Tender Hooks by Moni Moshin
27 May 2015
27 May 2015
4 May 2015
Count Arthur Strong: Somebody Up There Licks Me - national tour
4 May 2015
4 May 2015
8 Oct 2013
A small, excited audience with Jhumpa Lahiri
8 Oct 2013
8 Oct 2013
18 Oct 2012
Danny Bhoy's boutique gig, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Oct 2012
18 Oct 2012
18 Oct 2012
24 Jul 2012
The Library Book (published by Profile Books in support of The Reading Agency)
24 Jul 2012
24 Jul 2012
11 Jul 2012
Book review: Get Her Off The Pitch! by Lynne Truss
11 Jul 2012
11 Jul 2012
27 Jun 2012
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
27 Jun 2012
27 Jun 2012
19 Jun 2012
Book review: The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
19 Jun 2012
19 Jun 2012
18 Jun 2012
Chef by Jaspreet Singh
18 Jun 2012
18 Jun 2012
17 Jun 2012
Gifted by Nikita Lalwani
17 Jun 2012
17 Jun 2012
22 May 2012
Mark Steel, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Oct 2007
22 May 2012
22 May 2012
22 May 2012
Lee Mack, City Varieties, Nov 2007
22 May 2012
22 May 2012
14 May 2012
‘Watching Tagore’ selected for publication
14 May 2012
14 May 2012
18 Apr 2012
Book review: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
Last Seen in Lhasa by Claire Scobie
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
Serious Men by Manu Joseph
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
Review: Milton Jones, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, March 2011
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
Review: Count Arthur Strong’s Command Performance, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, March 2011
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
Review: Mark Thomas, Extreme Rambling: Walking the Wall, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, Feb 2011
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
Review: Mark Steel, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield, January 2011
18 Apr 2012
18 Apr 2012
1 Mar 2012
My World Book Day gift to you...
1 Mar 2012
1 Mar 2012
15 Feb 2012
Valentine
15 Feb 2012
15 Feb 2012
9 Nov 2011
Short story ‘Rouen’ published in Litro
9 Nov 2011
9 Nov 2011
2 Oct 2011
Hilary Mantel: A Culture Show Special
2 Oct 2011
2 Oct 2011
9 Jun 2011
What, no Nagra?
9 Jun 2011
9 Jun 2011
30 Mar 2011
Writer's rant: The distant hum of white noise
30 Mar 2011
30 Mar 2011
1 Feb 2011
Dear Diary.....
1 Feb 2011
1 Feb 2011
6 Dec 2009
Bye bye Borders
6 Dec 2009
6 Dec 2009

Copyright Nilam McGrath 2025
Member of Society of Authors and the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society.

Bluesky