Survival of the Fittest

by Robin Hawdon

The tale of two extraordinary romantic relationships, one modern, one historical - which become inextricably linked and together affect man’s vision of the world.

Charles Darwin formed his revolutionary Theory of Evolution during decades of research and sickness. Throughout it all his devoted wife Emma nursed him and edited his work, even though, devout Christian that she was, she feared for his soul as she realised where it was leading him.

The publication of Charles’s seminal work ‘Origin Of Species’ shook philosophy to its foundations and brought the perennial debate about the existence of God to the forefront of man’s consciousness. Yet in the book - partly because of Emma’s admonitions - he refrained from interpreting the religious implications for fear of adding to the public furore.

But suppose that he did in fact write down his conclusions as a secret Addendum. And suppose that Emma kept her own secret journal in which, not only does she describe the hectic day-to-day doings of the enormous Darwin household, but also comments on this hidden postscript.

The modern-day story involves the detective search for these two hugely significant works. Maurice, an eccentric London antiquarian book dealer, his own life in turmoil over the loss of his beloved wife, is hired by an equally eccentric American billionaire to track down the documents for his world famous collection of original manuscripts.
The complex investigation ranges across England, from historic towns and stately homes, to prisons and Darwin houses. Along the way it reveals the spiritual struggle within the extraordinary Darwin family, and produces an epiphany in Maurice’s own turbulent existence.
It culminates in a revelation that threatens to affect man’s thinking for ever.

Extracts from reviews on the You-Write-On authors’ website where the book achieved a top five position:-

• ‘This was the most fascinating piece of work I have read in a long time. I just couldn’t stop reading.’
• ‘The writing is so precise well-formed that I feel somewhat humbled.’
• ‘Amazing command of language, a keen eye for details and a warm expression of emotions based on very good understanding of the human nature.’
• ‘The language is wonderful, with different styles playing out successfully which add to the story.’
• ‘A very engaging writing style that carried me along. I felt I was on a journey that was going to be both exciting and illuminating.’

See Amazon reviews below.

Robin Hawdon is one of Britain's most prolific playwrights. His plays have been seen in over forty countries. At any one moment there may be over twenty productions running across the USA, Europe, and elsewhere. This is his third novel.
Publisher's website: http: //sbpra.com/RobinHawdon
Author's website: robinhawdon.com

414 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2013

About the author

Robin Hawdon’s varied career has spanned numerous aspects of the arts. Actor, playwright, novelist and theatre director. Now one of Britain’s most prolific novelists and playwrights, with productions in at least forty countries and twenty languages. (see www.robinhawdon.com).

THE LAND, THE LAND, is his newest and perhaps most topical book - a psychological thriller involving a family's battle to preserve one of Britain's most beautiful landscapes.

NUMBER TEN is quite different. A fast action political thriller in the Lee Child genre, soon hopefully to be seen on Netflix.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST is Robin’s third novel and encompasses three of his deepest concerns – the extraordinary impact of science on mankind’s progress, the distorting effect of so much religious and superstitious prejudice on that progress, and the telling of real human stories (in this case three stories, all fundamentally inter-connected).
A RUSTLE IN THE GRASS, his first novel, has now been republished after it was discovered that, with the advent of the digital age, it has attracted an extraordinary list of 5 star reviews on Amazon.
Robin has been married for over forty years, has two daughters and four grand children, and lives between Bath, the South of France and Australia.

Reviews

[Viera Némethová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kniha má v anotácii popis od vydavateľa českého prekladu, vydavateľstva xyz, že ide o moderní detektívny príbeh, historický popis bojov jedného z najväčších vedcov sveta a špionážní príbeh z druhej svetovej vojny. Ani jedno nie je pravdou.

Kniha je príbehom hľadania súkromného denníka manželky Charlesa Darwina Emy, ktorá prežila s manželom všetky pracovné aj zdravotné strasti jeho života. Je to kniha, ktorá v sebe údajne nesie posolstvo a základný rozkol medzi darwinovou teóriou pôvodu a vývinu druhov a tradičným skostnatením kresťanským ponímaním života na našej planéte a Boha ako hýbateľa vesmíru a sveta. Do príbehu je, ako to už v podobných knihách tohto typu býva ešte linka na väzenský denník Klausa Fuksa, vedca, ktorý stál pri vzniku atómovej bomby a bol zároveň aj ruským špiónom.

Kniha je dnes už skoro šablónovitou formou podanou historickou témou, istou záhadou naviazanou na slávneho človeka, dielo a pod., ktorá na jednej strane prináša čitateľovi poznatok o skutočnosti, ktorú pozná iba námatkovo ale na druhej strane veci výrazne splošťuje a tému prekrúca a zdánlivo popularizuje cez fiktívne príbehy s nádychom špionáže, trileru a detektívneho žánru.

Silnou stránkou knihy je jej atmosféra a to najmä anglického vidieka, starých domov, sídiel a kníhkupectva so starými knihami. Tieto skutočnosti veľmi umocňujú čítavosť knihy. Na druhej strane je tu veľmi nevhodne bagatelizujúci prvok vraždy/ zabitia človeka, ktoré nezanecháva na aktéroch ani pozostalých žiadnu ľútosť, strach... Autor sa nevyhol zjednodušovaiu a do príbehu je samozrejme zasadená aj obligátna trocha nepravdepodobne umelo vytiahnutá romantická linka.

Celkovo hodnotám knihu skôr na 2,5 hviezdičky, ako slabší priemer

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a terrific book! A real page turner and superbly written (in 3 completely different styles reflecting the 3 different voices of the characters and periods involved). And involving hugely important issues for today's world. Surely a contender for awards?

[Robin Hawdon]

Top review from the USA -
Linda Pagliuco
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Examined lives
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2014
"The unexamined life is not worth living" - Socrates

Some books defy classification within a single genre, and that is true of Survival of the Fittest, a new novel by British playwright and actor Robin Hawdon. Part historical fiction, part mystery, and part spiritual/philosophical journey, it’s based upon the private, unpublished papers of Charles Darwin and his wife, Emma. Following the recent trend of splitting plots into two or three subplots, Survival opens with depressed widower and London book dealer Maurice Aldridge, who after four years has yet to emerge from his grief over the death of his wife. Maurice relies upon his work and frequent dips into the whiskey stash in his desk to get him through the day. His routine is interrupted one morning by a visit from an American collector of rare books, who want Maurice, for a princely sum, to track down copies of the private journal of Emma Darwin, and the addendum in which the great scientist himself spells out his own beliefs about the existence of God. Both of these prizes have been the topic of rumors for 150 years, but to date, no one has managed to locate either. Maurice is in for the adventure of his life.

Interspersed between Maurice’s chapters are segments from the journals of Mrs. Darwin, in which she details her deepest concerns about the spiritual well being of her husband, whom she fears (and many believe today) has imperiled his soul by daring to denying God’s role in creation. She paints a vivid picture of family life, which was full of love, loss, the raising of ten children, and some very odorous scientific research, and these passages vividly portray Darwin as man rather than icon.

The third major character in Survival is writing from prison in 1951. Klaus Fuchs is a physicist who worked at Los Alamos on the development of the atomic bomb that put an end to the Second World War. During that period, he was working as a secret agent, providing the Russians with the project details, and following the war was convicted of treason and espionage. With so much time on his hands, Fuchs sets himself to describing the many reasons, most quite moral, profound and philosophical, which guided his actions.

Judging by this novel, Robin Hawdon is a fine author, his writing intelligent, clear, and engaging. His characters nearly step out of the pages, all three protagonists struggling with serious, life altering questions. Their emotions and experiences become those of the reader, and linger in the mind after the book has been closed. This is a work of fiction that could be taken as biography, and has prompted me to look more deeply into Darwin’s life and work. It’s also a first rate detective story, with its full share of surprises and turnabouts.

[Charles Remington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maurice Aldridge is a London-based antiquarian book dealer. Along with most independent bookshops in the age of the worldwide web, his business is struggling. He is surprised but cautiously optimistic therefore when invited to lunch at the Ritz by a rich American collector who entices him by promising an interesting and lucrative commission. Survival of the Fittest by Robin Hawdon describes how Maurice accepts a seemingly hopeless challenge, and embarks on a search for a missing diary and an unpublished postscript to Darwin’s Origin of Species. The collector has unlimited funds available and Maurice, doubtful at first of any success in the venture, starts to piece together the available clues. Using contacts in the trade and speaking to descendants of the families involved, making visits to the Darwin family home and others, he starts to believe that the diary, at least, could be found. He is shocked however, when he is arrested on suspicion of the murder of an individual whom he had never met but who he believed to be in possession of the very object he is searching for. The chapters of Survival of the Fittest alternate between chapters written in the style of the modern-day thriller and those from an imagined diary written by Emma, Darwin’s wife, through which we are able to get a view of Darwin’s family and social life and his approach to the publication of his magnum opus. Many of the chapters are also headed with extracts from Darwin’s Origin of Species and Descent of Man. Cleverly constructed, the book maintains a good pace throughout, proceeding to a most satisfactory conclusion with plenty of twists, turns and surprises along the way.
Let me say right away that I greatly enjoyed Survival of the Fittest. I found it intriguing, informative, engaging, and a thoroughly good read. I had very little knowledge of Charles Darwin before reading Mr Hawdon's book but now feel much better informed and rather pleased with myself at having acquired the knowledge in such a pleasant way. Survival of the Fittest is well-written and peopled with solid, carefully drawn characters, all set in vividly-described scenarios. The book is intelligent, lucid and entertaining and deserves a wide readership. I can easily see it being produced as a film or TV series. Congratulations to Mr Hawdon for a clever, thought-provoking piece of work. I hope to see much more from this talented author.

[Rosalind Minett · Rating 4 out of 5]

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

This the third novel of Robin Hawdon, the international playwright. The concept of Survival of the Fittest is immediately seductive: the idea that a central thesis about our universe exists, but the document has yet to be found and published. All the more compelling if only a select, secret few hold a copy.

Of all theorists, Charles Darwin has shaken our world the most. Suppose he had formed a logical conclusion, based on his lifetime’s research, about the origin of Man and hidden it for posterity? He would have wanted to protect his family, even after his death, from the furore which would follow: strong scientific argument, evidence based, versus centuries of religious belief. Writing it, Darwin would have guessed that a future time might find it easier to consider. Until then, such an addendum had to be hidden. Suppose his wife, Emma, was the only person to know where the writing was hidden? Suppose she herself secretly wrote about Darwin’s beliefs?

This novel has two scenarios intertwined. The deep-thinking, conscientious wife of Charles Darwin confides her anxieties to a secret diary that she does not wish the world to see. Therefore it is hidden by the following generations so well that its existence is only whispered about by the few whose life revolves around priceless antique books.

One of these is antiquarian book-seller, Maurice, a widower whose daily round is made manageable with the bottle of scotch he always carries with him. Unexpectedly, Maurice is contacted by a rich American dealer who sets Maurice off on a quest to find Emma Darwin’s secret diary, and more significantly still, the last section of Charles’ Darwin’s treatise. The two men discuss the financial worth of an addendum which reveals Darwin’s logical conclusion about the existence of God.

Too contentious to publish in his lifetime, and a source of great anxiety to his wife, who feared his chance of Heaven would be compromised by his beliefs, Emma felt she could only confide the existence of these in her secret diary. In life, there was no-one she could trust with such ideas.

The plot consists of Maurice’s adventures in tracking down any scent of either volume. This involves him with various members of the extended Darwin family, both exalted and the reverse. He suffers refusals, embarrassments, upset and downright danger in the process. Ultimately, he is faced with more than one ethical dilemma before a satisfying conclusion is reached, at least for the reader.

There is a third strain to the novel, when Maurice comes across the writings of another outstanding scientist, Klaus Fuchs, who recorded his beliefs, actions and philosophy during a period of forced inactivity. Fuch’s communism was as dear to him as religion was to Emma. Fuch’s rationale for his actions related to the atomic bomb forms an interesting parallel to Darwin’s ultimate theory. It also raises the question of ownership of discoveries.

I liked the structure of the novel, alternating between the nineteenth and the twenty-first century. This made for an easy read, allowing a switch from the inward thoughts of Emma to the increase of tension while Maurice makes his forays into detective work. Both main characters are appealing in their own way, inviting affection. Their niceness is well offset by some less wholesome minor characters.

The voice of Emma is convincing – her sad losses but strength of purpose, upheld by the fervent religious beliefs so important to her. A sweet-natured, loving woman emerges from the diary, one whose main grief is the one difference between herself and her husband, the central tenet of his life’s work.

Maurice is also a character who comes alive on the page. He is modest and unassuming, never expecting to be liked or respected nearly as much as he is. We all have a dark side, and Maurice is no exception. What is revealed of this side is both shocking and understandable, so that the reader forgives him and remains identified with him and his search. This proves to be a search of a professional and personal nature.

Underlying the plot is the theme of discoverability and responsibility. How long does an individual hold the right of private communication? What are the rights of ownership? And how far should the concept of God Moving in Mysterious Ways be upheld? For Emma, and the Victorian world, the Addendum was far too dangerous. For Fuchs, by comparison, restricted ownership of new technology presents too great a threat. His beliefs strongly resonate with current concerns.

The imagined Charles Darwin’s own words form a satisfying end to the novel.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books defy classification within a single genre, and that is true of Survival of the Fittest, a new novel by British playwright and actor Robin Hawdon. Part historical fiction, part mystery, and part spiritual journey, it's based upon the private, unpublished papers of Charles Darwin and his wife, Emma. Following the recent trend of splitting plots into two or three subplots, Survival opens with depressed widower and London book dealer Maurice Aldridge, who after four years has yet to emerge from his grief over the death of his wife. Maurice relies upon his work and frequent dips into the whiskey stash in his desk to get him through the day. His routine is interrupted one morning by a visit from an American collector of rare books, who want Maurice, for a princely sum, to track down copies of the private journal of Emma Darwin, and the addendum in which the great scientist himself spells out his own beliefs about the existence of God. Both of these prizes have been the topic of rumors for 150 years, but to date, no one has managed to locate either. Maurice is in for the adventure of his life.

Interspersed between Maurice's chapters are segments from the journals of Mrs. Darwin, in which she details her deepest concerns about the spiritual well being of her husband, whom she fears (and many believe today) has imperiled his soul by daring to denying God's role in creation. She paints a vivid picture of family life, which was full of love, loss, the raising of ten children, and some very odorous scientific research, and these passages vividly portray Darwin as man rather than icon.

The third major character in Survival is writing from prison in 1951. Klaus Fuchs is a physicist who worked at Los Alamos on the development of the atomic bomb that put an end to the Second World War. During that period, he was working as a secret agent, providing the Russians with the project details, and following the war was convicted of treason and espionage. With so much time on his hands, Fuchs sets himself to describing the many reasons, most quite moral, profound and philosophical, which guided his actions.

Judging by this novel, Robin Hawdon is a fine author, his writing intelligent, clear, and engaging. His characters nearly step out of the pages, all three protagonists struggling with serious, life altering questions. Their emotions and experiences become those of the reader, and linger in the mind after the book has been closed. This is a work of fiction that could be taken as biography, and has prompted me to look more deeply into Darwin's life and work. It's also a first rate detective story, with its full share of surprises and turnabouts.

Enjoyable, thought provoking, and wholly worthwhile.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved this book free from goodreads.

I really enjoyed this book! I was committed equally to all the three stories and they were all well written and interesting. I found myself on a journey to find the manuscript with Maurice and felt I was intimate with Emma by hearing her secrets and thoughts. The whole adventure into the past and present was truly a treat to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction adventure. You dont need to be interested in Darwin or science to get into this book, it is so well written for everyone. Really glad I read this!

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Survival of the Fittest as a Goodreads giveaway. This novel has three subplots. My two favorites were Charles Darwin's wife, Emma and Maurice (a book dealer) who was trying to find Emma's private journal. I was not that interested in the third main character's story-Klaus Fuchs who wrote his story from jail. The novel was well written and I found myself checking the internet to verify facts. I enjoyed learning about Charles Darwin's personal life and accomplishments. The entire novel was interesting and I would highly recommend this book.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book from a goodreads giveaway. It is sort of like The Da Vinci Code with the protagonist looking for a lost Darwin manuscript. It was an ok idea, but the characters were a bit flat and I didn't feel the suspense.

[Staci Suhy · Rating 5 out of 5]

** I received this book for free as part of a First-Reads promotion