The legendary Greek Book Reviews
Sometimes you come across something so deliciously random, you just have to share it. In 2010 Benedict Cumberbatch reviewed several books for the Richard & Judy show. This conveniently took place in the grounds of a gorgeous Greek hotel in Mykonos and, luckily for us, was captured on camera.
Exhibit A, Benedict’s review of the book Mr. Toppit by Charles Elton (buy it here). Amazon description:
“When the author of The Hayseed Chronicles, Arthur Hayman, is mown down by a concrete truck in Soho, his legacy passes to his widow, Martha, and her children – the fragile Rachel, and Luke, reluctantly immortalized as Luke Hayseed, the central character of his father’s books. But others want their share, particularly Laurie, who has a mysterious agenda of her own that changes all their lives. For buried deep in the books lie secrets which threaten to be revealed as the family begins to crumble under the heavy burden of their inheritance.”
But let’s hear what Benedict thought about it. In a cowboy hat. In a whirlpool. And there are Crocs. Just do yourself a favour and click play:
That’s not everything, maybe Guernica by Dave Boling (buy it here) is the book for you. Amazon description:
“An extraordinary epic of love, family, and war set in the Basque town of Guernica before, during, and after its destruction by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War.
In 1935, Miguel Navarro finds himself in conflict with the Spanish Civil Guard and flees the Basque fishing village of Lekeitio to make a new start in Guernica, the centre of Basque culture and tradition. Once there, he finds more than just a new life – he finds someone to live for. Miren Ansotegui is the charismatic and graceful dancer he meets and the two discover a love they believe nothing can destroy . . .”
Benedict’s take on the book is presented in 2 very beautifully filmed minutes here (and before anyone asks: the girl is Olivia, his girlfriend at the time):
But we are not done yet, in this last video Benedict reviews Mystery Man by Colin Bateman (get it here). Amazon description:
“A superbly gripping and blackly funny mystery by the king of the comic crime caper.
He’s the Man With No Name and the owner of No Alibis, a mystery bookshop in Belfast. But when a detective agency next door goes bust, the agency’s clients start calling into his shop asking him to solve their cases. It’s not as if there’s any danger involved. It’s an easy way to sell books to his gullible customers and Alison, the beautiful girl in the jewelry shop across the road, will surely be impressed. Except she’s not – because she can see the bigger picture. And when they break into the shuttered shop next door on a dare, they have their answer. Suddenly they’re catapulted along a murder trail which leads them from small-time publishing to Nazi concentration camps and serial killers…”.
This video review features more whirlpool action, swimming, and more glorious facial hair.
I find these videos hilarious personally and think Benedict does a great job presenting the books. I’d certainly love to see more of the same. Maybe you got some inspiration for additions to your reading list? Or why not make Mykonos your next holiday destination? It certainly looks stunning.
Write a comment
You need to be logged in to leave a comment.