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nocto's review
2.0
I've read this book excruciatingly slowly, over about six weeks, and it's only short to start with. I managed to miss any possible connection between the two threads of story in the plot and, fairly obviously, got rather bored with the book. I am intruigued to see mention of Gale's later book Rough Music as a "sequel" though as I loved that book and can't remember any connection between this and that apart from the Cornish setting. Will have to figure that out.
nicnacnoo's review
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
nening's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
stefhyena's review
2.0
This book did not live up to its early promise. I have to agree with critics even about the over-written bit with some sentences so carefully crafted that the flow is lost in the self-conscious artistry. But apparently the author was young back then, I suppose I would give his work another try although I didn't end up liking how this one unfolded.
It starts off with two clear protagonists. One a young boy returning from school. He is 15 and plays a violin. He is reading a dirty magazine and thinking about sex. The other is a police woman, hurt by the misogyny of her profession, also wedged between feelings of loyalty for less privileged classes and the job which she is good a, but which sometimes conflicts with her sense of what is right. As the chapters continue it becomes clear that the boy is gay and that the police woman is a lesbian. There is no apparent connection between them.
The boy's family is full of a sort of air of tragedy and pointless business to hide (under very cultured tastes) a sort of moral vacuum where nothing matters except being seen to patronise the arts. There's church music, and sculpture and cakes and looking down on people with cockney accents. He has a sister who seems troubled, she projects a sophisticated identity so hard at people that you just know something is going to crumble (and it does). I found their wealthy lack of purpose irritating and their feelings of superiority crass. Along comes Roly and seduces Seth and initially calls into question the privileged lifestyle but it transpires that he is a sort of patronised parasite himself anyway.
Similarly the police officer Mo, begins to question the "system" (and falls in love with a petty criminal...a very petty one) and decides to be subversive. But she does not really strike a blow for fairness or anything like that she just pilfers things and indulges in small lies. Once again pointless and privileged. I am prepared to try o consider that her "transgressions" are politically motivated but they just look selfish and childish (perhaps because we see Seth more than her, quite possibly because the author identifies with Seth to some degree...or at least when I unbalancedly tend to write one POV it's because that is the character I identify with).
There are some puzzling things, like the criminal that Mo catches by the end of the book (I am not sure if the book led me to the conclusion or if I guessed it but she stumbles on it). The insanity of the perpetrator of the crimes (or possible visionary sanity), coupled with the insanity of Evelyn (who midway through the book believes a virgin birth is about to happen, despite supposedly being a very sophisticated and cosmopolitan woman), the mysterious scent of roses when one of the problems in the book abruptly and unaccountably fixes itself....more than a leap of suspended disbelief is asked for in a book that in other ways is grittily realistic.
Anyway a crazy book, a book to challenge. I liked that it was written to subvert the "romance genre". I didn't mind how separate the two threads were almost the whole way through (and barely touched at the end at which point I wanted to smack Evelyn and her patronising views). I liked that the sex scenes were intimate but not graphic.
It had some merit but more flaws. If you are a curious person who reads widely then this short thing is worth having a crack at...the pages mostly turn themselves at least.
It starts off with two clear protagonists. One a young boy returning from school. He is 15 and plays a violin. He is reading a dirty magazine and thinking about sex. The other is a police woman, hurt by the misogyny of her profession, also wedged between feelings of loyalty for less privileged classes and the job which she is good a, but which sometimes conflicts with her sense of what is right. As the chapters continue it becomes clear that the boy is gay and that the police woman is a lesbian. There is no apparent connection between them.
The boy's family is full of a sort of air of tragedy and pointless business to hide (under very cultured tastes) a sort of moral vacuum where nothing matters except being seen to patronise the arts. There's church music, and sculpture and cakes and looking down on people with cockney accents. He has a sister who seems troubled, she projects a sophisticated identity so hard at people that you just know something is going to crumble (and it does). I found their wealthy lack of purpose irritating and their feelings of superiority crass. Along comes Roly and seduces Seth and initially calls into question the privileged lifestyle but it transpires that he is a sort of patronised parasite himself anyway.
Similarly the police officer Mo, begins to question the "system" (and falls in love with a petty criminal...a very petty one) and decides to be subversive. But she does not really strike a blow for fairness or anything like that she just pilfers things and indulges in small lies. Once again pointless and privileged. I am prepared to try o consider that her "transgressions" are politically motivated but they just look selfish and childish (perhaps because we see Seth more than her, quite possibly because the author identifies with Seth to some degree...or at least when I unbalancedly tend to write one POV it's because that is the character I identify with).
There are some puzzling things, like the criminal that Mo catches by the end of the book (I am not sure if the book led me to the conclusion or if I guessed it but she stumbles on it). The insanity of the perpetrator of the crimes (or possible visionary sanity), coupled with the insanity of Evelyn (who midway through the book believes a virgin birth is about to happen, despite supposedly being a very sophisticated and cosmopolitan woman), the mysterious scent of roses when one of the problems in the book abruptly and unaccountably fixes itself....more than a leap of suspended disbelief is asked for in a book that in other ways is grittily realistic.
Anyway a crazy book, a book to challenge. I liked that it was written to subvert the "romance genre". I didn't mind how separate the two threads were almost the whole way through (and barely touched at the end at which point I wanted to smack Evelyn and her patronising views). I liked that the sex scenes were intimate but not graphic.
It had some merit but more flaws. If you are a curious person who reads widely then this short thing is worth having a crack at...the pages mostly turn themselves at least.
scarerkite's review
3.0
I’ve enjoyed all the Patrick Gale books I’ve read so far, although there is often some aspect that I struggle with.
Again, I enjoyed reading this book. There were some interesting characters and I love books set in Cornwall. I found the juxtaposition of the 2 stories a bit odd, there didn’t really feel like enough of a link to warrant them being in the same book. I found myself more drawn to Seth’s story than Mo’s, so the switching back and forth was a bit of an annoyance.
However, overall an enjoyable read.
Again, I enjoyed reading this book. There were some interesting characters and I love books set in Cornwall. I found the juxtaposition of the 2 stories a bit odd, there didn’t really feel like enough of a link to warrant them being in the same book. I found myself more drawn to Seth’s story than Mo’s, so the switching back and forth was a bit of an annoyance.
However, overall an enjoyable read.
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