Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

 

 Rating: 5/5

Review:

Simply stunning

 

I think Riddley Walker is simply stunning. I first read it forty years ago when it was first published and it is just as brilliant on re-reading now.

So much has been written about the book that another review from me is perhaps rather redundant, but it is worth saying that it’s a fantastic read. A story written in an unfamiliar dialect and set a couple of thousand years after a nuclear holocaust which took place roughly in our present may sound unwelcoming, but this really isn’t one of those almost unreadable books which people who have always read the entire Booker Long List tell you that you ought to read because it Will Be Good For You. I found it quite easy to read, incredibly atmospheric, a gripping story and full of thoughtful and thought-provoking ideas.

It’s very hard to summarise, but it’s about independent thought and its dangers, how ideas may become lost or changed in a largely illiterate society and much, much more.

I absolutely loved the language and the brilliant way in which Russell Hoban suggests it may have evolved – like "vack your weight" for leaving (evacuating) somewhere, for example and then finding it declines to "vack my weight" etc. The use of language is just fantastic, as is Hoban's understanding of what might be passed down and distorted in a long oral tradition. There's the vocabulary, like the Pry Mincer and the Wes Mincer, tiny traces of the 20th century, as in the chant which begins "Heard it and the news of 10..." which is presumably a reference to News At Ten, the building of new creation myths and so on. I found it quite easy to get into, only having to pause occasionally to sound a word or phrase in my head - and even that was a pleasure. I found the whole effect mesmerising and although not everything is explained (and is possibly not explicable) it set off resonances, pulled me in and held me spellbound for long periods.

I am reminded of Alan Bennett's essay Comfortable Words about the Book Of Common Prayer in which he says, "Those who rewrote the Prayer Book complained very much at the time  - and understandably - that many of the protests came from those, such as myself, whose connection with the Church was tenuous, the argument implicit in this being that the clergy know what is best for their congregations.  This is the same argument that is advanced by farmers in answer to protests about the grubbing-up of hedges and the destruction of field patterns. The land is the farmer's bread and butter, the argument goes, and so he must therefore have its welfare more at heart than the occasional visitor.  So in their own field the liturgical reformers grub up the awkward thickets of language that make the harvest of souls more difficult, plough in the sixteenth century hedges that are hard to penetrate but for that reason shelter all manner of rare creatures: poetry, mystery, transcendence.  All must be flat, dull, accessible and rational.  Fields and worship."

Riddley Walker has some similar thickets which shelter all manner of rare creatures, but it’s still wonderfully readable. It is genuinely among the best, most enjoyable and most rewarding books I have read and I would urge anyone to give it a try.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Rating: 1/5

 

Review:

Not for me

I didn’t like The Pat Hobby Stories. Fitzgerald writes very well, of course, but I found them unpleasantly bitter, profoundly depressing and in the end a little vacuous.

Pat Hobby is an almost-forgotten hack writer, scratching a living in Hollywood where he was once a celebrated writer. Written at a time when Fitzgerald himself was working in Hollywood, they represent a satirised picture of his life there. The problem for me is that, rather than satire, each story is a slightly farcical tale of Hobby pulling various fast ones to try to get work and improve his status, in which he fails humiliatingly. To me, thestories just weren’t funny, they had no real bite as satire and really didn’t add up to much at all. I just found them a rather insipid and depressing portrait of a place and an industry awash with ego and self-interest – but we already know all that about Hollywood. Added to Hobby’s own unpleasantness, manipulativeness and litany of failure and humiliation, it produced a series of stories which I tired of very quickly. I read about half of them, which was as much as I could take, and then gave up, I’m afraid.

F.Scott Fitzgerald may have produced some of the great literature of the 20^th century, but The Pat Hobby Stories most certainly don’t qualify as that; they are more a rather sad footnote to the life of a fine writer.

Tim Dorsey - Mermaid Confidential

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Review:

Very entertaining 

Mermaid Confidential isn’t one of Tim Dorsey’s absolute best, but it’s still very good and very entertaining.

Serge has discovered the joys of slowing down, having a place of one’s own and just taking life at a leisurely pace...and is on a manic, caffeine-fuelled drive to achieve it. In the meantime, the usual Florida cheats and criminals are active, including an extremely wealthy drugs family, a group of fugitive killers from Vermont, a swindling doctor...and so on. Frankly, it’s far too complicated to summarise, but if you’re familiar with Serge and Coleman that won’t matter because they’re both on fine form and you’ll just understand, and even if you’re not you’ll enjoy the ride.

I thought it got just a little too involved for its own good this time, and there’s not quite enough hideous revenge on Florida low-life, but it’s still very enjoyable and, as always, leavened with some fascinating minutiae of Florida’s life and history. Recommended.

Raymond Chandler - Farewell, My Lovely

 

 Rating: 5/5

Review:

Still brilliant

 

This must the fourth or fifth time I have read Farewell, My Lovely and it's still brilliant. It’s the second Marlowe book and opens with an unforgettable scene in which the huge Moose Malloy literally hauls the unwitting Marlowe into an old nightclub to look for Velma, the singer whom he loved there before doing eight years for an armed robbery. The plot becomes convoluted but is always comprehensible, and involves jewel thieves, blackmail and murder – and poor old Marlowe being knocked out and ill-treated more than once.

I have to say that right at the start, the racist attitudes and language of the USA in 1940 are obvious and very ugly. It can be hard to take (it was for me) but that is how it was then and it has to be faced.

Everything else about the book is brilliant. The prose, the characters and the plot are just as great as ever; Moose Malloy, Lieutenant Nulty, Anne Riordan, Mr Lindsey Marriott and others – even the man on the desk of a hotel, who makes a brief appearance – are are all unforgettable. And no one does similes better than Chandler, I think (with the possible exception of Wodehouse, of course). "I felt like an amputated leg", "a blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window", “Mr Lindsey Marriott’s face looked as if he had swallowed a bee”, and so on. Genius. Added to this are occasional contemplative paragraphs, some humorous, some quite profound – like this, after Marlowe has been knocked unconscious:

“I had been out for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes sleep. Just a nice doze. In that time I had muffed a job and lost eight thousand dollars. Well, why not? In twenty minutes you can sink a battleship, down three or four planes, hold a double execution. You can die, get married, get fired and find a new job, have a tooth pulled, have your tonsils out. In twenty minutes you can even get up in the morning. You can get a glass of water at a night club—maybe.”

Chandler was in a class of his own in this genre. After eighty years it remains quite outstanding, I think – and I’m sure I’ll be reading it again at some point, just for the pleasure of it.

John Mortimer - The Trials Of Rumpole

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Review:

A sheer delight 

 

This is the second book of Rumpole stories, adapted by John Mortimer from his scripts for the TV series, and it’s as entertaining as the first – with some quite serious issued beneath the amusing surface.

Rumpole’s narrative voice remains a delight; he is still the crusty old cigar-smoking, sceptic of healthy eating, quaffer of Chateau Fleet Street at Pommeroy’s, quoter from The Oxford Book Of English Verse (the Quiller-Couch edition, of course), wily old courtroom advocate – and bastion of realism and defender of the underdog. These half-dozen cases are varied and tackle a range of issues, some of which are very serious matters – racism, police malpractice and the sexual exploitation of an underage girl, for example. While Mortimer never makes light of them, the attitudes of the period were more lax in these areas it is interesting (and to me, gratifying) to see how much more unacceptable they now are than they were in 1979.

These stories remain a sheer pleasure to read. Very warmly recommended.

Derek Raymond - I Was Dora Suarez

 

Rating: 3/5

 

Review:

Simultaneously lyrical and stomach-churning 

 

I’m unsure about whether I’m glad I read I Was Dora Suarez or not. It certainly had its merits, but it is pretty stomach-churning in places and had some narrative flaws which I found a bit off-putting. Be aware that there are some frankly disgusting descriptions of murder and other acts and that anyone sensitive about swearing should avoid this book.

The nameless narrator is called back to the police department from which he has been dismissed, in order to investigate two particularly disgusting murders which are described in horrible detail in the opening chapter. It is utterly repellent but done in a way that is not exploitative or sensational; Derek Raymond brings us the reality of what a nasty murder really might mean. The remainder of the book is the narrator’s investigation and pursuit of the killer over the following couple of days; this, too, is vicious and occasionally violent and uncovers some truly vile practices in the criminal underworld.

First published in 1990, the book has some then topical themes of AIDS and rogue, violent police officers. What redeems it from being just another exploitative gore-fest is Raymond’s writing which is thoughtful, lyrical, and sometimes poetic. I found it compelling for much of the time, but it does have its flaws. For example, extracts of writing from notes left by the eponymous victim are in exactly the same lyrical voice as that of the narrator, which doesn’t fit at all with what we know of her background and education. Writing of her impending death, for example, she writes “...and so, with unearthly intentions, I go into a dark room as a dark bride.” It’s haunting – but written by a poorly educated woman from a violent home who worked as a supermarket cashier and was then forced by circumstances into prostitution? I think not, and there was quite a lot of this. The book does get rather repetitive as the detectives question and threaten witnesses; there are detailed descriptions of things the narrator cannot possibly have seen; suddenly, and with no evidence shown to the reader, they think the killer is responsible for another dozen murders...and so on.

All this makes it hard to give the book a rating. Some aspects of it are very good, others really aren’t, so three stars is the best I can come up with. Worth reading but approach with caution.

Castle Freeman - The Devil In The Valley

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Review:

A fine, readable novel

 

I enjoyed The Devil In The Valley. I don’t usually get on with books with a supernatural element, but Castle Freeman writes so well and uses wit, humanity and classical allusion to such good effect that this was a noble exception.

The story is a sort of updated take on the legend of Faust but goes its own way with the idea. Set in rural Vermont, a solitary, drunken man named Taft is visited by Mr Dangerfield – a thinly disguised Mephistopheles – who offers him all he wants on earth in exchange for his soul in Hell in a few months time. So far, so familiar, but Taft uses his new powers not for self-enrichment and indulgence, but to relieve the sufferings of others in various ways. Freeman then plays with the paradox of a pact with evil being used for good very effectively. He also writes with subtle wit and allusion to the mythology of Hell, so that Dangerfield’s assistants (well, more like enforcers) are called BZ and Ash, for example, which I liked very much. There is also real humanity here, as in this passage after the death of a popular teenager:

“Soon would have to begin the search for comfort, for strength, a search perfectly vain, reduced at best to reliance on ancient solace, the bleak assurance that the good die young and the young die good, spared as they are the disappointments, disabilities, and dissolutions that inevitably afflict those of us who live on. True, perhaps, but not a truth that has ever brought much relief to survivors in pain…”

I absolutely loved Castle Freeman’s Lucian Wing trilogy. This is perhaps not quite as brilliant, but it’s a fine, thoughtful and readable novel which I can recommend warmly.

Karin Slaughter - Girl Forgotten

 

Rating: 3/5

 

Review:

OK but somewhat clichéd 

 

This is (unbelievably) the first Karin Slaughter I have read. I thought it was well written and decently done, but nothing really special.

A prologue recounts the death of eighteen-year-old Emily Vaughn in 1982. We then meet Andrea Oliver in the present day as she is finishing her training to be a US Marshal; she is then assigned to protect Emily’s mother as she approaches retirement as a judge...and to try to prove that Andrea’s own father was responsible for Emily’s murder 40 years before, in order to keep him in prison, because he is a manipulative, dangerous man.

Slaughter gives us an engaging protagonist in Andrea and the background in the US Marshal Service is very interesting. Other characters are pretty convincing and well-drawn, but they did all seem pretty stock thriller characters. I found the cutting between the present day and the period leading up to Emily’s murder rather annoying, to be honest, and the This Time It’s Personal aspect felt silly and clichéd. I ended up skimming some bits and didn’t feel I’d missed an awful lot.

Overall, I’d say this was a competent thriller rather than anything exceptional. It’s probably 3.5-stars, but I’m rounding down rather than up because I really did think the personal involvement aspect was such a badly worn and unnecessary plot device.

(My thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC via NetGalley.)

David Quantick - Ricky's Hand

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Review:  

Bonkers but fun

I enjoyed Ricky’s Hand. It’s a pretty mad plot, but it’s very well done and I found it an amusing and a gripping read.

Ricky is a sleazy paparazzo in Florida, tracking Scala Jaq, a pop star. He wakes up one morning to find that he now has someone else’s hand...and it eventually transpires that others also have new, different body parts, including Scala. A support group is convened by the mysterious Don...and a weird, rather complex but entertaining story ensues involving time-travel, body appropriation and some major skulduggery.

In the wrong hands this could be terrible, but David Quantick makes it immense fun. His characters are believable and very well drawn, the tension really does build and the dialogue is excellent – as you’d expect from such an experienced screen writer. There’s an excellent balance of humour, sharp observation and exciting plot and although this sort of sci-fi stuff isn’t usually for me, I enjoyed the book very much and I can recommend Ricky’s Hand.

Carl Hiaasen - Star Island

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Review:

Not one of Hiaasen's best, but still great fun 

 

Star Island isn’t one of Carl Hiaasen’s best books, but it’s still funny and very readable.

This time the target of Hiaasen’s satirical eye is talentless celebrities and those who work to keep them popular by lying, fabricating and obfuscating. The talentless singer in this case is teenage Cherry Pye, whose parents employ an actress called Ann as a double to stand in as a decoy or fake presence whenever Cherry is too drugged, drunk or otherwise incapable to appear in reality. The plot is the usual Hiaasen mayhem, with sleazy, deluded paparazzi, homicidal bodyguards, kidnappings, fake kidnappings...and, of course, the Captain.

I think my reservations are really that, apart from Ann, there are almost no decent characters to stand against the scumbags and that the Captain is not in his natural element in the swamps, but negotiating the big, bad city, which doesn’t work so well for me.

That said, it’s still great fun. Even Hiaasen not at his very best is still well worth reading and I can recommend Star Island.

Shirley Jackson - The Missing Girl

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Review:

A good introduction 

 

This is a selection of three short stories by Shirley Jackson which show her to be a very fine writer of unsettling pieces.

The Missing Girl recounts the story of a young woman who goes missing from a summer camp and the rather chilling response to her disappearance. Journey With A Lady is more lighthearted with a subversive twist, and Nightmare is a dreamlike story which may be a vision of a dystopian society or – more probably in my reading – a literal nightmare. They are quite varied, but each one very well written, unusual and disturbing in its own way.

For me, this has been a very good introduction to Shirley Jackson and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Raymond Chandler - The Big Sleep

 

 Rating: 5/5

Review:

Still brilliant

 

This is probably the fourth or fifth time I’ve read The Big Sleep and it is still brilliant. It is Chandler’s first full-length novel and establishes him instantly as a very fine writer, as well as being exceptionally readable and enjoyable.

Right from the opening paragraph, Chandler's style and brilliant prose catch the mood, and Marlowe’s laconic narrative voice is a huge pleasure throughout. There are fewer wisecracks than most people think, but some wonderful similes, like orchids with "nasty meaty leaves and stalks like the newly washed fingers of dead men". It's "newly washed" which is so brilliant there, I think. There is also some penetrating (and quietly angry) observation on the state of US local politics in 1939; the political chicanery, the wealthy protected by the police (including wealthy racketeers) and so on. Marlowe is a moral man doing his best to navigate an immoral world with as few compromises as possible, and his thoughtful, sometimes cynical take on things is another pleasure of Chandler’s novels.

One or two aspects have not dated well. The homophobia is hard to take sometimes, for example. I know it was the prevailing attitude in 1939, but it's pretty repellent to modern sensibilities (well, to my sensibilities anyway). Still, we can't pretend attitudes were otherwise; I just took it on the chin, and the rest of the book is just great.

Chandler is as good as his reputation suggests. He is a truly great writer of English, in my view, and he also produced some superbly entertaining books. The Big Sleep is one of them and I can recommend it very warmly.

G.W. Shaw - Dead Rich

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Review:

Enjoyable but disposable 

 

Dead Rich is enjoyable enough as a brain-off read, but despite its setting aboard the super-yacht of a super-rich oligarch, it’s a pretty run-of-the-mill, generic thriller.

The set up is probably the best part of the book. It’s a slow build, but a good one; Our Hero, Kai, is adrift in London as his career as a successful music producer and DJ has declined. He has a new relationship with the daughter of a Russian oligarch, and when she is summoned to join her parents on their yacht in the Caribbean, Kai accepts her invitation to join them. However, Sinister Forces are at work and the family are under threat. We also meet Erin, the supremely competent First Mate of the yacht; she and Kai don’t get on at all to begin with…and of course, I wouldn’t dream of giving away any spoilers about that or subsequent developments on the yacht.

It reminded me rather of some old Alistair MacLean thrillers; decent protagonists battling evil, an unlikely but rather obvious romance - plus a little added modern geopolitics. It’s competently written, there’s plenty of action and the aftermath plays out for some time – too long, in my view, so that it got more than a little silly by the end. Nonetheless, it did hold my attention despite having to suspend disbelief, sometimes from a considerable height.

This would make a good beach read in that it’s quite enjoyable but rather readily disposable. 3.5 stars rounded up.

My thanks to Quercus Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Nap Lombard - Murder's A Swine

 

 Rating: 4/5

Review:

Enjoyable nonsense

Murder’s A Swine is a light, enjoyable mystery, originally published in 1943. It is well told, has quite engaging protagonists and the early wartime setting is interesting.

The plot...well, it’s pretty silly really. Agnes Kinghof discovers a body in an air-raid shelter and there follow some sinister goings-on involving threats to a neighbour in the form of pig-related apparitions at windows, and so on. Agnes and her husband Andrew are drawn into the investigation, there are some high-jinks and light-hearted badinage and the whole thing is a bit of a romp.

It’s well enough done to carry it off, although some of the husband-and-wife banter isn’t as amusing as it thinks it is and the solution and dénouement are really pretty absurd. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it overall, largely because Agnes is very likeable, some of it is genuinely quite funny and the writing is good. There is the occasional descriptive nugget like this, for example: “The cottages were Tudor, delightful to the tourist, unpleasant for the inhabitant; but the most enthusiastic admirers of rural England do not, as a rule, have to live in it.”

In his interesting introduction, Martin Edwards describes the book as “a cheerful mystery” and says that “To be able to lose oneself in an enjoyable, unserious book is an under-estimated pleasure.” I agree and I can recommend Murder’s A Swine.