Doug Lewars's Blog, page 31

The Great Pursuit

The Great Pursuit by Tom Sharpe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

For me, this was the best of all the Tom Sharpe books. I think, perhaps, he was putting much of himself in this one seeing as it focuses on writing. In it he takes no prisoners. He skewers authors, publishers, agents, critics, readers and marketing. Among the authors, he takes a few pointed shots at classical writers such as Fitzgerald and Conrad but, presumably wary of libel, stays away from most who are still alive. There may be one exception. This book was published in 1977. One of the characters is very much into ecology and has the woods around her and her husband's mansion stocked with bears. There are a number of suggestions - all of which are refuted with disgust by the husband - the woman is 'into bears'. The husband character makes a point of ridiculing the idea and saying no woman could possibly be into bears. That's about the end of it; however, in 1976, Marion Engel published Bear, a story in which a woman is, most definitely into bears, or at least one bear and not in the ecological sense. I don't know if Tom Sharpe read that book but it's possible. Unfortunately he's dead and can't be asked.

Know at the outset, if you don't like black humour and farce, you won't like this. In addition, I doubt younger readers would enjoy it. I suggest the ideal reader is older, reasonably widely read, and has utter contempt for what passes as award winning literature these days. If you're looking for character arcs and delving into the human psyche, take a pass on this one. There are a plethora of books out there of that nature, but this isn't one of them.



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Death of Ivan Ilych

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a very short book and reminded me just a bit of the song, 'Day in the Life' by the Beatles. I rather liked it although there wasn't much plot. A man lives what he perceives as an exemplary life only to realize that by meeting everyone's expectations of what a person should do in society, he has become so false to himself he must judge his entire life as a failure. There was an element of satire tucked alongside the ruminations which I quite enjoyed. For the sake of a couple of hours I think it's worthwhile.



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War and Peace

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

At 1386 pages, this book is more than a little daunting and the long Russian names didn't help one bit which is why I never tackled it in the past. This time I decided to try the audio version figuring 60+ hours was a bit less intimidating. It was quite interesting and the reader had an excellent voice.

The author paints on a huge canvas with a very broad brush. Technically it's a novel but it is also a history and philosophy book. In addition it was reflective of the times so there's a dash of sociology tossed in for good measure.

I was expecting it to be rather dull and there were a few places which might have been abbreviated; but for the most part I found it remarkably interesting. Some chapters abandon the plot entirely and become essays - related to the topic but essays nonetheless. The ones in the second epilogue I found rather tough sledding but I enjoyed them for the most part.

If you want to give this work a try I think you'll find it worthwhile and the author certainly provides his readers with plenty to think about; however, it took me 30 days to work my way through it and if you don't have a couple of hours every day to devote to reading it will take longer.



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The Gropes

The Gropes by Tom Sharpe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I love farce but if you don't, I guarantee you won't like this book.

The author uses black humour to satirize helicopter parents, crooks, the police and a certain form of man-hating feminism.

It's a slight variation from Tom Sharpe's other books because a couple of characters actually have a happy ending.

I loved this one which is true of every Tom Sharpe book I've read and I recommend it to all those readers who don't take stories or books too seriously. I think it would help if you're over the age of forty-five.



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Vintage Stuff

Vintage Stuff by Tom Sharpe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is a farce pure and simple. If you don't like British comedy shows such as Fawlty Towers, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Keeping up Appearances or Last of the Summer Wine, you won't like this. If you're looking for well-drawn characters with proper character arcs who start out flawed, meet with adversity and rise to a new and better level, move on. This is just a fun romp through the British Education System and a shot at International Diplomatic Relations and the police. I found it very humerous as I have with all Tom Sharpe's works. My only regret is I've read them all now and I doubt I'll find an author quite as good as him.



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Wilt In Nowhere

Wilt In Nowhere by Tom Sharpe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I read this one out of order. While I enjoyed the final work in the series, I think this one is best of all. I also like a number of things the critics don't. The POV changes frequently. In fact, for much of the book Wilt plays a fairly minor role. I found the other characters much more amusing. And in particular I enjoyed the quads - fourteen year old sociopaths that they are. The pacing was good and I enjoyed most of the humour.

Having sat that, this book is definitely not for everyone. Once critic complained it was written by 'an angry old man venting his spleen' while another suggested it's 'outdated and boring'. I agree with the first individual and the 'outdated' part, but boring it was not. Still, if you're under the age of 45 you'd likely be better off reading something else. As for the venting of spleens, the author clearly prefers a Britain of the past before liberal politicians converted it into a dung heap.

This work is a farce. If you don't like farce, move on. Don't expect character arcs. Don't expect a character driven story. True, most of the characters are two dimensional. They are simply used to advance the plot and aid in the satire. The author is taking a shot at aristocratic perverts, politicians and their hypocrisy, and certain police forces, forces in which, if jumping to conclusions was an Olympic sport, they'd be candidates for gold medals.

I do have one criticism of the Wilt series. They work because Wilt is forever stumbling into weird situations and mix-ups. Often he gets into difficulty because he's drunk. To me it seems like cheating to constantly use inebriation as a plot device to get him into difficulty. Personally I think he should have found other means and I will concede, on some occasions Wilt's messes are the result of his prudish attitudes. Still, far too often the author relies on his character being drunk and while it advances the plot in the way the author desires, it seems a bit facile.

Those things aside, I thought the book was great and I'm sorry to have come to the end of the Wilt series.



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The Wilt Inheritance

The Wilt Inheritance by Tom Sharpe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I think this is the best Wilt book I've read so far. Unlike many of the others, the author spreads the narrative around, sometimes following Wilt, sometimes Eva, the peripheral characters and even the quads. I particularly enjoyed the latter as they set about spreading mayhem wherever they went.

This book is a farce and for those who don't like things like Fawlty Towers and Monty Python I'd suggest moving on. Likewise if you're politically correct or under the age of 45 I doubt this one is for you. Personally I thought it was great. I believe this is the last of the Wilt series but I missed one so I'm looking forward to reading it.



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Ancestral Vices

Ancestral Vices by Tom Sharpe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book is a farce from cover to cover and should be read that way. Don't expect character arcs. Don't expect any deep dive into the human psyche. This is a fine romp which satirizes both the moneyed elite and left wing activists who oppose them. I found it thoroughly enjoyable but I don't think it's for everyone. I believe any reader under the age of 35 might do better reading something else.



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Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Given the sheer number of reviews for this book there is next to nothing I can add. I liked it. Beyond that I can only wonder who else might enjoy this book and who might not.

I think a younger audience would not enjoy this one. For one thing, at over seven-hundred pages it is a little daunting to begin and difficult for many readers to find enough time to complete. In addition, it is so far removed from present society with its technology and social media I doubt many would find any relevance at all.

Therefore I think someone who might enjoy this work would be older and have sufficient discretionary time for reading to undertake the effort. Likewise the themes of religious belief and devotion to duty will alienate a certain segment of the population. Those with strong feminist beliefs might do well to pass this by as it will only annoy them. It was written at a time when a woman was unquestionably subordinate to her husband. On the other hand, those who like a more relaxed and extended telling of a story with neither guns blazing nor car chases might quite like relaxing with it. The language is archaic and a bit stilted to the modern ear; however, for some that adds charm. Those who like classical authors and in particular Jane Austin will probably enjoy this novel.



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A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Well, that was quite something. Although interesting, this is not a book you can read in an evening. It took me eight days and since it was something of a page-turner, quite a bit got read each session. I haven't watched the television series since I think it might be a bit of a disappointment so I didn't know quite what to expect when I started. Based on what I'd heard of the series, I expected quite a bit more gore and violence, but at least in the first volume there's more character introductions and political maneuvering than outright fighting. There are also a goodly number of surprises along the way.

Some of the earlier sections read more like a history book than a novel but at no time was I bored. The pacing was good and the author kept things moving along. If you like fantasy with a twist of sword-and-sorcery medieval political maneuvering you'll enjoy this book.

I glanced at the Wikipedia article on the subject and learned the book is 694 pages long and 292,727 words. That's a lot for any book. I felt a bit sorry for the poor publishers who had to take a chance on the first book of the series without knowing in advance what its reception would be. Normally publishers prefer works closer to 80K words. According to Wikipedia the third and fifth volumes are in the neighborhood of 414K words. I expect to read them, just not right away.

The ending is a bit abrupt but given there are quite a few more books in the series and the author has stated he views the whole thing as one long story I guess that's understandable.

I think many or most people will enjoy this book but I particularly encourage authors to read it. George R.R. Martin had an interesting problem and it's interesting to see how he solved it. There are nine houses comprising 199 characters. True, some of them are dead but there are plenty still alive. Keeping track of that many characters is pretty much impossible. Just keeping track of the houses must be a challenge. I have heard that in a later volume he has a sixty page appendix just listing characters within houses, or some sort of groupings. The details don't matter. How he juggles that degree of complexity without losing readers along the way is impressive and makes the book worth reading whether or not you care for fantasy. For the most part he follows a few specific individuals identified in the chapter titles. Still, behind the scenes he needs to keep track of the various backstories and political intrigues going on. Book five was released in 2011. It's now 2023 and no release date has been set for the next. I can sympathize with him. As characters and groups of characters increase, complexity appears to increase exponentially. I wish him well as this is a massive undertaking. He has, however, provided a number of good ideas for managing the problem and for this I thank him.

If you enjoy world-building on a massive scale, political intrigues and some pretty good rough and tumble battles I encourage you to jump in and start reading. Just know at the outset it's going to take a while.



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