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84th out of 206 books
—
46 voters
Nineteen Seventy Four (Red Riding Quartet #1)
by
David Peace
It's winter, 1974, Yorkshire, and Ed Dunford's got the job he wanted. Crime correspondent for the Evening Post. He didn't know it was going to be a season in hell. A dead little girl with a swan's wings stitched to her back. A gypsy camp in a ring of fire. Corruption everywhere you look.
In Nineteen Seventy Four, David Peace brings passion and stylistic bravado to this terr...more
In Nineteen Seventy Four, David Peace brings passion and stylistic bravado to this terr...more
Paperback, 295 pages
Published
October 1st 2000
by Serpent's Tail
(first published 1999)
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1.
As long as nothing really happened this book was pretty readable. It moved along at a quick clip, it had a certain zip to the writing style and it was like a junior league mid-period (LA Quartet) era James Ellroy. Sort of.
Once stuff started happening the book got worse. And as more stuff happened the worse the book got. And then as the book started to resolve and the mysteries began to be solved the book got even worse still. If the book had gone on much longer it may have turned into a mucoi...more
As long as nothing really happened this book was pretty readable. It moved along at a quick clip, it had a certain zip to the writing style and it was like a junior league mid-period (LA Quartet) era James Ellroy. Sort of.
Once stuff started happening the book got worse. And as more stuff happened the worse the book got. And then as the book started to resolve and the mysteries began to be solved the book got even worse still. If the book had gone on much longer it may have turned into a mucoi...more
UPDATE 9/11/11: Well, its a year later but the Red Riding Quartet is still haunting me. I'll be doing dishes, and then realize I'm thinking of Ike Pigott or Badger Bill or the reporter whose name has slipped my mind but whose character and cynical rot has not. The question of the truth argument and the realism stays with me, but when a book series haunts you this much, I have to give the 5star.
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UPDATE 5/17/11: I still can't give the book a 5star, because of some sense I have that...more
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UPDATE 5/17/11: I still can't give the book a 5star, because of some sense I have that...more
VERY GENERAL SPOILER ALERT
I just saw the TV movie dramatisation of this, entitled “Red Riding 1974” and I wanted to make a couple of notes here for myself really, to try and figure out a) why I hated it and b) why everyone else loved it. This is a not unfamiliar feeling for me of course but usually it’ll be some major Hollywood blockbuster (Avatar!) or some chintzy adaptation of Charlotte Bronte that everyone is swooning about while I remain sneering haughtily at the array of lemmings before me....more
I just saw the TV movie dramatisation of this, entitled “Red Riding 1974” and I wanted to make a couple of notes here for myself really, to try and figure out a) why I hated it and b) why everyone else loved it. This is a not unfamiliar feeling for me of course but usually it’ll be some major Hollywood blockbuster (Avatar!) or some chintzy adaptation of Charlotte Bronte that everyone is swooning about while I remain sneering haughtily at the array of lemmings before me....more
11 likes · like · see review
Normally, I don’t read crime fiction very often - which might make me inappropriate to review this kind of books. Naturally, there are some good ones, but it is difficult to distinguish them among the less complicated and very sick and twisted books. But, as this is about a journalist and sounded interesting, I decided to give it a try. I regret that. Now, it will take a long time before considering this genre again.
So, what is so disturbing about it? Well, let us have som examples.
Everyone in t...more
OK, sure here's December 1974, John Lennon just released his shittiest post-lost-weekend album, and David Peace has the gall to create a journalist-detective who's tougher than Jesus? Seriously, our narrator here -- a junior reporter who just lost his dad (zzzzzzzz) -- bumbles through this complex and dangerous murder investigation (dead raped girl with live swan's wings stitched to her back) while constantly drunk, hungover, popping pills, pulped, bloodied, tortured: a Caviezel-cavalcade of mar...more
4 likes · like · see review
This is the second of David Peace's books I have read (the first being The Damned United)the first was good, but for me 1974 is streets ahead. A real stormer of a book. I started it Saturday morning and finished it Sunday night. I am so looking forward to reading the next three in the series.
It has some fantastic prose and brilliant narrative flow. The research seems impeccable. A supreme crime novel and set not just in England but also in an area close to where I now live.
For me you would prob...more
It has some fantastic prose and brilliant narrative flow. The research seems impeccable. A supreme crime novel and set not just in England but also in an area close to where I now live.
For me you would prob...more
2 likes · like · see review
Peace writes like a less fetishized James Ellroy, all speed and action and corruption, with Yorkshire subbing in for Los Angeles. It was an absolutely compelling story, though at times I did feel that Peace was trying to pack in as much horror and depravity as he could into such a slim volume. He does have an excellent way of conveying meaning through short and succinct phrases (one that struck me was Edward's constantly checking his "father's watch;" you can intuit a lot from that kind of caref...more
I've heard '1974' being described as like reading a scream. I know exactly where that’s coming from. Peace’s narrative is intense, visceral, gritty, dark, unrelenting and unsettling. It is very tightly written and through the flair and style of the prose, the contextual framing, and the palpable sense of realism, it produces a powerful affective response from the first page. If anyone is looking for the ultimate noir, then 1974 must be near the top of the pile. The story is a long way from horro...more
The first book in David Peace's series set in the north. I liked it in general, though after a while felt a bit disconnected from the text, as it's rare for any paragraph to be much longer than 3 or 4 lines. A young newspaper reporter finds himself doing the police's work for them as he investigates a number of crimes that all seem to be pointing back to the same people; he finds to his cost that there is a very good reason why the police aren't doing the investigating themselves. The style is d...more
Sep 22, 2011
Patrick McCoy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contemporary-fiction,
crime-noir
1974 is the first installment in David Peace's “The Red Riding” teratology series about crime set in the Yorkshire area of England. Eddie Dunford is a young crime reporter fresh from his first professional success in reporting on “the Ratcatcher” murder where man had inexplicably murdered his sister. A girl goes missing and Dunford’s reporting leads him into a conspiracy of other missing children, corruption, and misuse of power among the police and powerful private individuals that control the...more
I'll review the entire Red Riding Quartet, since the books really compose one large narrative.
David Peace takes us into one of the bleakest worlds I've encountered even in the most hard-boiled detective literature -- northern England from 1974-1983 (with some flashes back into an equally dismal late 60s) in which a child abductor and killer is running rampant, the Yorkshire Ripper is terrorizing the region, and the police force is hopelessly corrupt and in bed with some very bad businessmen. Squ...more
David Peace takes us into one of the bleakest worlds I've encountered even in the most hard-boiled detective literature -- northern England from 1974-1983 (with some flashes back into an equally dismal late 60s) in which a child abductor and killer is running rampant, the Yorkshire Ripper is terrorizing the region, and the police force is hopelessly corrupt and in bed with some very bad businessmen. Squ...more
I actually read all four books in the series, thinking that at one point, I would change my mind and join David Peace's ever-growing fan club.
No such luck for me!!
The premise of the books is certainly very clever and promising: coming back to the same place and the same group of characters, every few years, to try and unravel murders that are obviously so interconnected that they seem to be the work of serial killer(s).
I also thought it was a good idea to change narrator with each book and pa...more
No such luck for me!!
The premise of the books is certainly very clever and promising: coming back to the same place and the same group of characters, every few years, to try and unravel murders that are obviously so interconnected that they seem to be the work of serial killer(s).
I also thought it was a good idea to change narrator with each book and pa...more
Okay, so. I'm fucking sick of it.
I'm sick of thrillers that burn through female characters like the author is keeping score. None of these women have any agency: they're clearly there to be fucked and beaten and raped and abandoned and called bitches and be mad drooling hags and be violently killed. Oh, except for the one lucky woman who gets to be the hero's mom.
Hero's totally the wrong word, though, of course. Instead of anyone remotely admirable or interesting, we're forced to suffer through...more
I'm sick of thrillers that burn through female characters like the author is keeping score. None of these women have any agency: they're clearly there to be fucked and beaten and raped and abandoned and called bitches and be mad drooling hags and be violently killed. Oh, except for the one lucky woman who gets to be the hero's mom.
Hero's totally the wrong word, though, of course. Instead of anyone remotely admirable or interesting, we're forced to suffer through...more
17 likes · like · see review
An excellent, if depressing, read.
Yorkshire, 1974. A young girl goes missing, and North of England Crime Correspondent Edward Dunford follows the case with growing interest. Soon he discovers that the girl's disappearance might be linked to the abduction of two other girls, but that, as it turns out, is only the tip of the iceberg.
It's really horribly depressing, but oh so very good. I can't honestly judge how well David Peace did with capturing the "spirit" of the time and place, but it sure fe...more
Yorkshire, 1974. A young girl goes missing, and North of England Crime Correspondent Edward Dunford follows the case with growing interest. Soon he discovers that the girl's disappearance might be linked to the abduction of two other girls, but that, as it turns out, is only the tip of the iceberg.
It's really horribly depressing, but oh so very good. I can't honestly judge how well David Peace did with capturing the "spirit" of the time and place, but it sure fe...more
A centoventi all'ora.
Quando ci ripenso alla fine dopo aver tirato il fiato, mi rendo conto che la cruda trama dei fatti narrati, benchè complicata da riassumere, non è poi così originale: ma il romanzo colpisce, e colpisce duro, perchè qui è lo STILE che fa da padrone, lo caratterizza in modo indelebile e determina un impatto che potrà anche avere alcune ascendenze (Ellroy) ma è assolutamente unico nell'estremizzazione dei suoi componenti.
Un ritmo che corre sempre più accelerato, travolge tutto...more
Quando ci ripenso alla fine dopo aver tirato il fiato, mi rendo conto che la cruda trama dei fatti narrati, benchè complicata da riassumere, non è poi così originale: ma il romanzo colpisce, e colpisce duro, perchè qui è lo STILE che fa da padrone, lo caratterizza in modo indelebile e determina un impatto che potrà anche avere alcune ascendenze (Ellroy) ma è assolutamente unico nell'estremizzazione dei suoi componenti.
Un ritmo che corre sempre più accelerato, travolge tutto...more
Local newspaper reporter Eddie bites off more than he can chew when he investigates the death of a murdered child. Cue 300 pages of hangings, beatings, scalpings, chokings, bummings, roses stuffed where they should not go and copious amounts of 70s pop culture references so you can go "ooh, remember that?" while trying to comprehend the grimmest, unlikeliest and most incomprehensible plot ever written.
Who DID kill almost every character in the fucking book? Who fucking cares? Nobody except mayb...more
Who DID kill almost every character in the fucking book? Who fucking cares? Nobody except mayb...more
I won't lie: I came to this book because of the Red Riding Trilogy TV series. I felt the show was decent, but lacking something that I hoped would be in the original source material. While this volume did feed a great deal more information into the (already complex) plot of the television adaptation, I still came away from it largely unsatisfied.
Peace's style takes some getting used to, particularly coming from the pile of classic literature I recently finished. His writing is somewhere between...more
Peace's style takes some getting used to, particularly coming from the pile of classic literature I recently finished. His writing is somewhere between...more
I will continue to read this series (four novels, each with an annual title), but will hope that there is less frenzy in the protagonist(s). It is what might be called a "journalism procedural," where the main actor is a young Yorkshire newspaper writer, peripherally on the crime beat. The crime, callousness, and rushing from place to place are somewhat repellent. In a police procedural, there is the structured investigation, centrality of place, concatenation of evidence, and following of rules...more
Peace's frenetic, ultra-violent novel is a crime noir and so much more. Like all great genre fiction, Nineteen Seventy-Four's plot is imbued with serious social commentary; in this case, regarding life in early- 70's northern England. The pop culture references to the era's music, style and social mores convincingly capture a moment in time– and it's extremely seedy underbelly. Yes, the book is about a journalist's attempts to piece together a series of child disappearances and one unspeakable m...more
Feb 05, 2012
Ollie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People from up North.
Recommended to Ollie by:
ex co-worker
David Peace's debut crime novel starts out fantastically well, with an unlikeable young journalist entering the investigation of the disappearance and murder of a young girl that may be connected to other missing children cases. Leeds' dreariness towards the end of 1974 is perfectly set up for this noir that borrows from Irvine Welsh's style and taste for the brutal (violence and humor), peopled by corrupt cops, drunk journalists and thoroughly miserable denizens.
So it's a big disappointment wh...more
So it's a big disappointment wh...more
I started reading "Nineteen Seventy-Four", because I was originally supposed to read "Nineteen Seventy-Seven" for a book club. When I found out that "Nineteen Seventy-Seven" was actually the second book in a 4 part series, "The Red Riding Quartet". I decided that I would read the first book in the series, and then read the assigned book for the club. I honestly, did not like this book. It was extremely hard to follow; I found myself having to re-read pages and skipping over the ramblings or dial...more
Po sielskich-anielskich pejzażach Skandynawii z trupem w tle przyszła kolej na "1974". Peace nie ma litości dla czytelnika.
Nikt nie znajdzie żadnego zacisza domowego ogniska. Tu jest krew, ból i spora ilość gówna. Wydawca polski na wszelki wypadek umieścił książkę w bezpiecznej kategorii horror, ale w przeciwieństwie do "Level 26" (to bardzo słabe, o którym pisałem parę dni temu) nie ma tu nic nadprzyrodzonego. Ludzie ludziom.
Dziennikarz, który w przeciwieństwie do skorumpowanej policji trafia...more
Nikt nie znajdzie żadnego zacisza domowego ogniska. Tu jest krew, ból i spora ilość gówna. Wydawca polski na wszelki wypadek umieścił książkę w bezpiecznej kategorii horror, ale w przeciwieństwie do "Level 26" (to bardzo słabe, o którym pisałem parę dni temu) nie ma tu nic nadprzyrodzonego. Ludzie ludziom.
Dziennikarz, który w przeciwieństwie do skorumpowanej policji trafia...more
Jul 11, 2010
Jenny
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Jenny by:
Audible
Shelves:
listened-to-audio
I listened to this book based on an Audible recommendation. I almost didn't keep listening as I found it difficult to follow, but there was something about the book that I couldn't leave. The language is foul throughout, and the F bomb is dropped repeatedly, but having said that, it added a realism to the setting and time. Normally really intense books give you a soft place to rest every now and again, this book was not one of those. It's gruesome and miserable. I read to the end, only to be dis...more
1 like · like · see review
I'm writing this review just after finishing the novel, so my mind is still frenetic and dazzled at the ending. I am still confused over the ending - but I like unreliable narrators and I love how it just descended into chaos.
The prose was gripping. I loved the writing style because of the mood, tone, and especially the pace that it set. I thought that because of the subject matter I would take my time with this one, but I ended up flying through it - even when it made me feel uncomfortable and....more
The prose was gripping. I loved the writing style because of the mood, tone, and especially the pace that it set. I thought that because of the subject matter I would take my time with this one, but I ended up flying through it - even when it made me feel uncomfortable and....more
If you know me and are looking at the books I've read - probably best to skip this series.
I'll put the same review on all four of them:
Nineteen Seventy-Four
Nineteen Seventy-Seven
Nineteen Eighty
Nineteen Eighty Three
I read them as a challenge - based on camaraderie with coworkers.
Once I started the series, didn't especially want to wimp out, and then was compelled to read thru to the last book to see if I could possibly figure out what the "ending" was.
I'm not faulting the author - it was a un...more
I'll put the same review on all four of them:
Nineteen Seventy-Four
Nineteen Seventy-Seven
Nineteen Eighty
Nineteen Eighty Three
I read them as a challenge - based on camaraderie with coworkers.
Once I started the series, didn't especially want to wimp out, and then was compelled to read thru to the last book to see if I could possibly figure out what the "ending" was.
I'm not faulting the author - it was a un...more
this world is hell and we're all gonna die, but there's a slight possibility you might be able to do something good before the end, not that it would matter in any way, shape, or form, to anybody, because we're all demons.
it's not a bad book; peace writes good sentences, but i couldn't tell any of the characters apart and got tired of everybody farting all the time and getting pissed and shat on every ten seconds. no one in this world can ever enjoy anything; if someone by some miracle happened...more
it's not a bad book; peace writes good sentences, but i couldn't tell any of the characters apart and got tired of everybody farting all the time and getting pissed and shat on every ten seconds. no one in this world can ever enjoy anything; if someone by some miracle happened...more
It wasn't the brutality, it's wasn't the misogyny, it wasn't the stunted North of England milieu, or even the jolted disjointed narrative. In the beginning, I actually liked that the main character was a coward. Against expectations, the crime-fighting journalist hero isn't very heroic. But, he's such a miserable worm that he stopped making any kind of rhetorical sense. Yes, the idea that the fighter for truth-and-justice is morally nil is consistent with the book's relentlessly bleak vision. Bu...more
argh! everyone in this novel is awful, everything that happens is awful. there is no way to like anyone or to make any sense of what happens (not a failing of the author - nothing that happens makes any sense, cause that's what life is like). there's none of the satisfaction you get from solving a crime in a more standard crime novel cause really, when you get down to it, everyone is a criminal more or less. if you like grittiness and violence and don't mind if the hero occasionally rapes and be...more
Le premier tome de la tétralogie du Yorshire (appelé Red Riding Trilogy en vo) est un diamant brut de perfection littéraire. Des petites filles handicapées disparaissent dans le Yorshire et sont retrouvées mortes, des ailes de cygne cousues dans le dos. L'enquête qui s'ensuit, menée par un journaliste natif de la région mais exilé à Londres pour y suivre ces études, écœuré par la mentalité, la corruption, la petitesse de ces concitoyens est un condensé de révolte pure et d'ambiance glauque. Foud...more
Jul 26, 2011
Ian Young
added it
1974 was David Peace’s first book, and arrives like a punch to the kidneys. The first part of what became known as the Red Riding quartet, the novel is set in a Yorkshire filled with sleazy journalists, corrupt police and crooked politicians (not much has changed then!). There are no good characters here – the best that can be said is that some are less unpleasant than the others, and to read this book will not leave you feeling uplifted. The pages should be smeared with blood, dirt, foul smells...more
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David Peace was born in 1967 and grew up in Ossett, near Wakefield. He left Manchester Polytechnic in 1991, and went to Istanbul to teach English. In 1994 he took up a teaching post in Tokyo and now lives there with his family.
His formative years were shadowed by the activities of the Yorkshire Ripper, and this had a profound influence on him which led to a strong interest in crime. His quartet of...more
More about David Peace...
His formative years were shadowed by the activities of the Yorkshire Ripper, and this had a profound influence on him which led to a strong interest in crime. His quartet of...more
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“My father used to say, 'If you want to know the artist, look at the art'.
He was usually talking about Stanley Matthews or Don Bradman when he said it.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
He was usually talking about Stanley Matthews or Don Bradman when he said it.”
and if i had one for each time somebody agrees to take my offer... bah! who am i kid...more
Sep 27, 2010 03:29pm
Sep 29, 2010 05:55am