It`s amazing that despite all the moving, taking photos, swimming, eating and so forth, I still managed to read three books while away. So this is a quick review of the trinity.

Irwin Shaw – The young lions

Perfect summer read. Second world war scenery, covered from three sides. German, American and Jew. Personal stories mixing with battle descriptions, varying from Normandy to the plains of Africa. The three main characters each battle with their own fears and desires, coming together at the exact end of the novel. What the war does to people and what people are doing in war and how there were devils and angels on both sides of the front, The young lions make a convincing case and a good book. Reminds me of Thin red line. Highly recommended.

Emmanuelle Arsan – Emmanuelle

Perfect crap. If you are in need of a toilet paper or/and something to light a fire with, this book was made for you. I was appaled by it, and not because it tells a story about a young girl who is discovering sexual freedom, but because this voyage is so badly written that the only thing that was hard while reading, was my laughter. Seventeen inch cocks, endless gushes of sperm and every other possible cliche is here. Of course, in the eighties, this stuff was dynamite, but nowadays, lust turns to rust. You might however find it amusing to read about our young heroine declaring sexual freedom and nevertheless wearing thousands of pieces of clothing, from stockings, underpants, stocking belt and other apparel that made me think that the poor girl went skiing rather than vising her husband in Thailand. Crap de force.

Dino Buzzati – The Tartar Steppe

Another war-inspired story, this one condemning it all together and showing the absurdity of it. Following the story of a young colonel Drogo who is posted to a remote fort that is overlooking the desert, waiting for The attack of the tartars that never comes. Only when the young colonel is old and dying, the attack finally comes, leaving Drogo heartbroken since he could not attend it. A mixture of Kafka and a dash of Camus, this book is short and to the point.