The Time Traveller’s Wife review – eternal romance is a bumpy ride
Joss Stone and Dave Stewart’s strangely forgettable score does little to lift this musical but there are some wonderful set pieces
Sputnik Sweetheart review – Haruki Murakami’s love triangle staged in style
The enigmatic 1999 novel about three entwined lives is sleekly adapted by Bryony Lavery and sharply directed by Melly Still
Tough Crowd by Graham Linehan review – all joking aside
How a self-defeating obsession derailed the career of one of Britain’s most successful comedy writers
Butcher’s Crossing review – Nicolas Cage keeps quiet in buffalo-hunting western
Cage leads a strong cast into the wilderness in an adaptation of John Williams’ punishing novel that cannot quite convey the full horror of its events
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) by Sly Stone review – funk, fame and addiction
The genre-bending musician has an astonishing story to tell – but wrestling it into a conventional narrative doesn’t quite work
Family Meal by Bryan Washington review – sexploits and ennui
A deep dive into the friendships, hardships and sexual abandon of twentysomething queer life
Sparks by Ian Johnson review – China’s underground historians
A skilful exploration of the artists, writers and film-makers challenging the country’s official account of its recent past
The Women Who Made Modern Economics by Rachel Reeves review – why values matter
With these clear, crisp portraits of the economists who shaped her worldview, the shadow chancellor has set out a powerful statement of who she is and what she wants to achieve
I Am Urban review – powerful memoir of lost children in Leeds is played for larks
A strong cast including an intense turn from Fraser Kelly as the 11-year-old title character can’t stop the gritty ambition of the story sliding into schmaltz
A Northern Wind: Britain 1962-1965 by David Kynaston review – cheerfulness through the gloom
A government clinging on, railways in crisis… This latest volume in the social historian’s mighty history of postwar Britain may sound horribly familiar – but at least there was the Beatles
Crime and thrillers of the month – reviews
There’s little goodwill among the cast in Janice Hallett’s latest, while there are chills aplenty in an Icelandic thriller and a tale of a woman showing signs of Alzheimer’s
White Holes: Inside the Horizon review – Carlo Rovelli turns time on its head
In his latest brief but dazzling journey to the edges of understanding, the theoretical physicist takes us into the heart of a black hole and out the other side
Baumgartner by Paul Auster review – amiable aimlessness
The celebrated writer’s new novel, about a widowed septuagenarian, opens strongly but can’t resolve the vast number of threads it starts to spin
Concussed: Sport’s Uncomfortable Truth by Sam Peters review – rugby’s shame
This investigation into the increasing risk to players’ health in professional rugby is a passionate call to action
Lord Jim at Home by Dinah Brooke review – a devilishly brilliant hidden gem
First published in 1973, Brooke’s dark tale of an upper-class coming-of-age is full of the kind of truth only fiction can deliver