Book Review
The Critic books of the year
Reading highlights from our editors and contributors
In praise of people’s parks
A civilising tradition has been sadly neglected
Chapter and verse on the unknowable Bard
The striking thing about Sir Stanley’s Shakespeare is how unsexy he is
The meaning of laughs
In praise of Douglas Adams, a comedy legend
From the Trojan War to conflict in Ukraine
Rich insights into eras of incessant bloodletting
Time to ask “But what about the children?”
Not talking about the facts is counterproductive
Beyond the spires
Oxford is full of architectural riches
Murders for December
A cornucopia of killings for the Christmas season
One of these books is worth reading …
Their rhetoric is unhinged, yet still they preen
The Plot thins
Everything Dorries encounters proves how right she is
Most Read
The martyrdom of Young Bob
On ebbing power of the political influencer
Why has Keir Starmer been so unpopular?
He was the perfect embodiment of a failing system
Grooming gangs and the truth
We should not give ammunition to deniers of the grooming gangs scandal
How religion shapes football fandom
The meaning of football is intertwined with the meaning of faith
Babies need women
Leaving children with only men who are not their parents is foolish and dangerous
Under the volcano
As Sicilians say, Mamma Etna gives more than she takes away
The truth about the “Quiet Revival”
Churches have been growing in Britain — just not all of them
Is it time to let the doctor die?
Doctor Who has become increasingly incoherent and increasingly ideological
Unusual summer reds
Think exotic spices, maraschino cherries and curly shoes
The hollow men
T. S. Eliot understood contemporary politicians better than they understand themselves
The errata of history
Misprints are just one in a catalogue of literary disorders
Angst in the Anglosphere
England’s existential crisis is being played out at the World Cup
Kemi always gets it right
Whatever the crisis, the Conservative leader invariably discovers that events have vindicated her.
The problem with prohibiting political dishonesty
It will be used to stifle freedom and not just to curb mistruths
This apology for a political comedy
Amusing as a war crimes trial, and seems to last twice as long
Carry on, matron
The crisis in nursing can be reversed by a return to Florence Nightingale’s vision of vocation and a rebuilt hierarchy on the wards