Making Love: A Conspiracy of the Heart

by Marius Brill

1st Black Swan 2004 trade paperback, fine In stock shipped from our UK warehouse

Genres: Fiction, Humor

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Marius Brill attended St John's College, Oxford, after a career as a doorman, journalist and prize-winning playwright at the Soho Theatre. The script of his film, Diary of a Surreal Killer, was nominated for a BAFTA Carl Foreman award. His comic radio series, sLaughter in the Dark, played to critical acclaim on Radio Four. Making Love: A Conspiracy of the Heart is his first book.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is... funny, absurd, clever, different, totally improbable, self-depracating, completely at odds with conventional novels and...a brilliant read!

After a rather slowish start (later explained by the book itself, which is its own narrator and makes comments about itself along the way), the story unfolds, involving a set of wacky characters : a totally sploppy romantic heroine who earns her living as a sanitary napkins demonstrator, a supposedly heartless & ruthless "dark, handsome and mysterious" secret agent, a useless stalker who looks like Trotsky, a flirtatious type who gets dismembered along the way, a next door neighbour (aptly named Tony Fromnextdoor) who is full of surprises and a gondolier named Guido...among others!

Marius Brill loves to play with words and language and the result is brilliantly funny (the crazy MI5 meeting in the jungle office is hilarious).

This is one wacky book, I loved it!

[Simon Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marius Brill’s ‘How to Forget’ is my favourite novel. Brill’s style and approach is unlike any other, mixing unusual post-modern structure, terrible punning, deeply sympathetic, utterly messed-up characters, and plots that leap around the world. And this…this novel is equally, utterly extraordinary, compelling, ridiculous, heartbreaking, heartwarming, toe-curling, daft and brilliant.

[MrsMascara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and funny

[James Kidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't judge a book by its cover or its title people!!!
This a mad book at the end. I loved the premise (the book tells the story) and the "one dress" worn by Miranda. A delightful set up, well told and as I say, bonkers at the end, but great, great fun. I read it years ago and suddenly thought of it the other day (I know not why) and have now got my mits on a copy all of my own (thank you Amazon marketplace).

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly absurd and quite surreal – a novel about and narrated by a book about love so dangerous that the powers that be are out to destroy every copy that exists. Classifiable only as a cracker of book, and yet amid the potential for utter confusion Brill manages to keep our it all under control (even in the moments of most outrageous James-Bondesque excess - yip, absurdity, conspiracy, adventure and romance, all in one).

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book ... once you get to grips with how it's written ... it's fantastic ... a very gripping and funny read

One of those books when you're browsing through your bookshelf ... you look at and smile ... it's one of those books when you're reading it which will make you go: "ooo", "ahhh", "no!!!", "eeek, i can't believe you did/said that !!!"

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, changed my life. Aside from that, who is Marius Brill?
I think he is really Jasper Fforde in disguise

[Merry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surreal comic fantasy. Fast, funny, clever and entirely unpredictable. I loved it.

[Rainie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books. The Shepherds Bush library and bedsit settings helped!

[Emma Terander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!