BooksReviewInés of My Soul by Isabel Allende makes Natasha Walter reflect on the perils of pasticheInés of My Soul
by Isabel Allende, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden
321pp, Fourth Estate, £17.99
Isabel Allende's early fiction, particularly The House of the Spirits and Eva Luna, had an emotional warmth about it that readers found hugely compelling. Together with the fey twists and turns of magical realism - which you either love or you loathe - her ebullient inventiveness led inevitably to comparisons with García Márquez.
The tennis court explained | Fitness
Learn to play tennisFitnessThe tennis court explainedThe markings on a tennis court show the boundaries for every shot.
Glossary1. Baseline
Start each point just behind the baseline, whether you're serving or awaiting your opponent's serve. The baseline is where a lot of the modern game occurs.
2. Singles' sideline
This is the outer edge of the singles court, where you will place down-the-line balls to take your opponent out wide.
Why many LA Galaxy fans don't believe David Beckham deserves a statue
David BeckhamThe former England captain has been honoured for his time in LA. But players like Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan were far more crucial to the team
Deciding on a statue is never easy. There is the archetypal celebration statue, as demonstrated by the Thierry Henry knee-slide statue that stands in front of the Emirates Stadium. Then there’s the arms folded, stare into the middle distance look usually reserved for managers – see Sir Alex Ferguson’s statue outside Old Trafford.
Faith Healer review Aidan Gillen is mercurial and mysterious in Brian Friels classic
Swivelling through the space … Aidan Gillen as Frank Hardy in Faith Healer. Photograph: Ros KavanaghSwivelling through the space … Aidan Gillen as Frank Hardy in Faith Healer. Photograph: Ros KavanaghTheatreReviewAbbey theatre, Dublin
Gillen, Niamh Cusack and Nigel Lindsay deliver haunting monologues in director Joe Dowling’s production
Frank Hardy, faith healer, was too brainy to be a true artist, his manager thought. And in Aidan Gillen’s portrayal of the itinerant healer in Brian Friel’s celebrated play, Frank’s questioning intelligence is never in doubt.
How to tell if a home battery could save your household money in 2023 | Finn Peacock
‘Home batteries are now an economically rational way to get bills even lower than with solar panels alone … There is a lot more choice nowadays, with reputable brands including PowerPlus Energy, BYD, genZ and SolarEdge.’ Photograph: MediaNews Group/The Riverside Press-Enterprise/Getty Images‘Home batteries are now an economically rational way to get bills even lower than with solar panels alone … There is a lot more choice nowadays, with reputable brands including PowerPlus Energy, BYD, genZ and SolarEdge.
How very 2017: the trial by media of 11-year-old Keaton Jones | Hannah Jane Parkinson
OpinionSocial media This article is more than 6 years oldHow very 2017: the trial by media of 11-year-old Keaton JonesThis article is more than 6 years oldHannah Jane ParkinsonA viral video of a boy crying about being bullied was picked up by mainstream media – sparking more bullying, this time on a global scale
Patience used to be a virtue. Now it’s gold dust. Especially when it comes to mainstream media picking up social media intrigue.
Its not the cow, its the how: why a long-time vegetarian became beefs biggest champio
FoodNicolette Hahn Niman was an environmental lawyer who became a cattle rancher, and didn’t eat meat for 33 years. For both the ecosystem and human health, she argues, it’s how animals are farmed that matters
After refusing to eat meat for 33 years, Nicolette Hahn Niman bit tentatively into a beefburger two years ago. She had become a vegetarian because she was concerned about animal welfare and the environmental cost of meat.
Nicholas Hoult: Part of your brain doesnt want to walk down a corridor naked
Nicholas HoultFrom starring opposite Hugh Grant aged 11 to joining the X-Men, does nothing faze the actor? Well, there was one scene for his latest role ...
Preparing for his role as Emperor Peter III of Russia in the TV show The Great, Nicholas Hoult wondered if he should go for the accent. The 31-year-old had just finished filming The Current War, a movie in which he played the inventor Nikola Tesla, and it struck him he could, without too much effort, repurpose his Serbian into a passable Russian.
No:1650: Jaid Barrymore | | The Guardian
No:1650: Jaid BarrymoreOh dear, another Barrymore tale of drugs, drink and general excess. Selfish child! Apparently, Drew was a little annoyed when Jaid auctioned her daughter's babyclothes over the internet. Posing for Playboy in 1995 - nine months after her daughter - caused some friction, and trying to steal Drew's boyfriends didn't go down too well either.
Quick biog, please. Born Ildiko Jaid in Munich, she worked her way across America in various nightclubs before meeting John Drew Barrymore, the son of a famous actor, in a club on Sunset Strip.
Supermarket sweep as 'riot' breaks out for Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel collection
Fashion blogChanel This article is more than 9 years oldThis article is more than 9 years oldDesigner plays to fashion's consumerist heart with Paris show in which 'frowers' play shoplifting as models stroll down the aislesA riot broke out in a French supermarket on Tuesday morning, as well-heeled shoplifters – including pop star Rihanna and the model Cara Delevingne – tried to pilfer household goods and own-brand consumables. Well, not quite.