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Enigma #2
The Great Cyprus Think Tank
The Great Cyprus Think Tank is narrated by Bart Beasley, a dejected Canadian author of cultural memoirs who yearns to return to Cyprus, where he spent his youth and where he might shake off his ennui. He forms a think tank of renowned but flawed experts to tackle crises still besetting the fabled island in 2024. The birthplace of Aphrodite is parched, its famed sea turtles face extinction, its songbirds are swallowed whole by native epicures, and Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, if no longer dispatching one another, rarely send over a bottle of wine. A string of felicitous adventures and seeming successes follows, while romantic liaisons spring up within the think tank's ranks. Where else but in Cyprus could the Fellows hope to unearth Pygmalion's ancient showgirl sculpture of Aphrodite in time for Kataklysmós, an annual celebration of Noah's flood when Cypriots take to the sea and flirtatiously splash one another? Unknown to all but alert readers is a counterplot to waylay the think tank's best designs.
184 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2021
About the author
Larry Lockridge
7 books4 followersLarry Lockridge is a writer living in New York City. Professor Emeritus of English, New York University, and a Guggenheim Fellow, he is best known for the prizewinning biography of his father, "Shade of the Raintree: The Life and Death of Ross Lockridge, Jr., Author of Raintree County." He is publishing four standalone yet interrelated novels, "The Enigma Quartet," with Iguana Books, Toronto--"The Cardiff Giant," "The Great Cyprus Think Tank," "Out of Wedlock," and "The Woman in Green" (2021-23).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 28, 2021
“The Great Cyprus Think Tank” is the second standalone novel in The Enigma Quartet by Larry Lockridge.
Bart Beasley, author and adjunct creative writing professor at NYU, is in a slump. Nothing inspires him anymore; it appears he has lost his muse. Barely making ends meet, Bart realizes he needs to do something different and, hitting 62 years of age, takes off on an adventure to the island of Cyprus, where he spent a few years in his youth. Approaching the Soros Foundation with the idea of creating a think tank of individuals who can help solve the island’s problems, Bart receives funding to fuel his plan, recruiting specialists with the skills needed to address serious issues on Cyprus. Relationships are created among this quirky group of individuals and working together on their projects forms a bond as they share their adventures, especially as things happen that make it seem like the universe is working against them. Maybe not the universe, but things do go wrong at inopportune times. The perception of success shifts as they experience outcomes different from what is expected.
Having read Lockridge’s “The Cardiff Giant,” I was excited to get my hands on his latest novel. Once again, I was not disappointed! It was a pleasure to immerse myself in the adventures of Bart Beasley and his quirky think tank members. The eccentric characters and their unique missions made for a fun read, some of the issues including obesity, desertification, extinction of species native to the island, finding a missing statue of Aphrodite, and internal conflicts among the Cypriot Greeks and Turks. The lively banter occurring amongst the characters was engaging and entertaining to follow.
As with “The Cardiff Giant,” the author uses actual locales and historical events and characters to create a sense of realness for the foundation of the story. Lockridge then incorporates his creative talent on top of this foundation to create a uniquely enjoyable plot. The satirical touches add enough humor that I often found myself laughing out loud. Much like my experience reading Lockridge’s last novel, I looked up information about people, places, and events to discover what was actually true. I love being inspired to do this, it’s one of the marks of a superb storyteller.
Readers will truly enjoy taking an escape from reality with “The Great Cyprus Think Tank.” Highly recommended. 5 stars!
Bart Beasley, author and adjunct creative writing professor at NYU, is in a slump. Nothing inspires him anymore; it appears he has lost his muse. Barely making ends meet, Bart realizes he needs to do something different and, hitting 62 years of age, takes off on an adventure to the island of Cyprus, where he spent a few years in his youth. Approaching the Soros Foundation with the idea of creating a think tank of individuals who can help solve the island’s problems, Bart receives funding to fuel his plan, recruiting specialists with the skills needed to address serious issues on Cyprus. Relationships are created among this quirky group of individuals and working together on their projects forms a bond as they share their adventures, especially as things happen that make it seem like the universe is working against them. Maybe not the universe, but things do go wrong at inopportune times. The perception of success shifts as they experience outcomes different from what is expected.
Having read Lockridge’s “The Cardiff Giant,” I was excited to get my hands on his latest novel. Once again, I was not disappointed! It was a pleasure to immerse myself in the adventures of Bart Beasley and his quirky think tank members. The eccentric characters and their unique missions made for a fun read, some of the issues including obesity, desertification, extinction of species native to the island, finding a missing statue of Aphrodite, and internal conflicts among the Cypriot Greeks and Turks. The lively banter occurring amongst the characters was engaging and entertaining to follow.
As with “The Cardiff Giant,” the author uses actual locales and historical events and characters to create a sense of realness for the foundation of the story. Lockridge then incorporates his creative talent on top of this foundation to create a uniquely enjoyable plot. The satirical touches add enough humor that I often found myself laughing out loud. Much like my experience reading Lockridge’s last novel, I looked up information about people, places, and events to discover what was actually true. I love being inspired to do this, it’s one of the marks of a superb storyteller.
Readers will truly enjoy taking an escape from reality with “The Great Cyprus Think Tank.” Highly recommended. 5 stars!
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October 11, 2021This Think Tank is one big quest composed of many smaller ones, all overcomplicated by romantic and sexual attraction. While a fictional account, reading it resembles opening an authentic adventure log kept by an eminent scholar. The characters bicker, banter, educate and flirt on the strange shores they study, freely taking many detours from the rigid road of research.
It's an intriguing and playful parable.
Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2021/10/04/the-g...
It's an intriguing and playful parable.
Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2021/10/04/the-g...
November 5, 2021
Larry Lockridge has a way with words and will have the reader hooked from the first page. The Great Cyprus Think Tank may appear like it is starting slow, but the reader soon realizes that the writing style Larry Lockridge applied was best suited for the book. You get to read a paragraph and enjoy the narration even before getting the full concept of what is happening. The Great Cyprus Think Tank is your ideal book if you enjoy deep stories that have real life lessons that touch on various phases of a man and different sectors in the running of a nation.
The Great Cyprus Think Tank is a great book to read if you enjoy political satire, discussions on contemporary society and insightful exploration of issues that affect human beings. The book is set in the distant future. In the book, we follow the story of Bart Beasley, a somewhat miserable Canadian author of cultural memoirs. In his misery, Bart Beasley has always wanted to go back to Cyprus. This country is special and significant to the Canadian author as it is the place where he spent his younger years and also made major memories. Bart Beasley treasured his time in Cyprus and the reader can see why. As a reader, you get to visualize the time in Cyprus and get to virtually experience the country.
The country is in the middle of political turbulence. Everything seems to be in disarray and citizens appear to be in anarchy. The social, political, economic and even environmental state of the nation is nothing but disorder. The rising sea levels are a threat to the renowned sea turtles, songbirds are being eliminated by native epicures, and Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Bart Beasley decides to create a think tank of experts. They include a zoologist, meteorologist, neurologist and others. Though professionals, these experts have some flaws, which made their characters more interesting, grounded and authentic. I loved how Bart’s mind worked. In some instances, the reader would feel that the Canadian author is trying too hard, but Larry Lockridge would soon show a different side of him that the reader never expected. Bart is an excellent main character; entertaining to follow, unpredictable, but also solid on whatever stance he took.
Larry Lockridge wrote an exciting book that will get one to think about the future, human activity, governments and how nature can be kind or cruel depending on what path humans choose. The Great Cyprus Think Tank has a lot of political themes, which was great to read especially for readers that enjoy stories on governance, civics and political satire. Larry Lockridge was also exceptional with the description of events especially when the storyline had romance and human struggles in it.
The Great Cyprus Think Tank is a great book to read if you enjoy political satire, discussions on contemporary society and insightful exploration of issues that affect human beings. The book is set in the distant future. In the book, we follow the story of Bart Beasley, a somewhat miserable Canadian author of cultural memoirs. In his misery, Bart Beasley has always wanted to go back to Cyprus. This country is special and significant to the Canadian author as it is the place where he spent his younger years and also made major memories. Bart Beasley treasured his time in Cyprus and the reader can see why. As a reader, you get to visualize the time in Cyprus and get to virtually experience the country.
The country is in the middle of political turbulence. Everything seems to be in disarray and citizens appear to be in anarchy. The social, political, economic and even environmental state of the nation is nothing but disorder. The rising sea levels are a threat to the renowned sea turtles, songbirds are being eliminated by native epicures, and Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Bart Beasley decides to create a think tank of experts. They include a zoologist, meteorologist, neurologist and others. Though professionals, these experts have some flaws, which made their characters more interesting, grounded and authentic. I loved how Bart’s mind worked. In some instances, the reader would feel that the Canadian author is trying too hard, but Larry Lockridge would soon show a different side of him that the reader never expected. Bart is an excellent main character; entertaining to follow, unpredictable, but also solid on whatever stance he took.
Larry Lockridge wrote an exciting book that will get one to think about the future, human activity, governments and how nature can be kind or cruel depending on what path humans choose. The Great Cyprus Think Tank has a lot of political themes, which was great to read especially for readers that enjoy stories on governance, civics and political satire. Larry Lockridge was also exceptional with the description of events especially when the storyline had romance and human struggles in it.
March 12, 2022
A book won’t sell if it doesn’t have secrets, therefore, don’t look for spoilers nor a boring plot summary in this review.
Loquacious narrator Bart Beasley, eager to return to Greece, but perhaps reluctant to board a Royal Caribbean luxury liner and endure midnight pizza parties with boring nine-to-fivers for a fortnight, concocts a more innovative odyssey instead: he forms a think tank of unlikely panelists, highly educated adults with far too much time on their hands, who will be no more able to solve the local problems than your barista would. Nevertheless, they do persist; if not, there would be no 184-page narrative, would there?
My neighbors greatly resented the immoderate mirth-quake “The Great Cyprus Think Tank” provoked. As I chortled over a titillating description of shadow sex in Bellapais, giggled at the reappearance of deceased wordsmiths (e.g., Lawrence Durrell, Rimbaud, Verlaine, etc.), and snort-sniggered at each mention of applying for grants from the Soros Foundation, the sleep-deprived souls next door would kick and batter our common wall until paint flaked from the ceiling, making me sneeze through Chapter Eight as a statute of Aphrodite was being disinterred by divers.
Greece’s tumultuous history is on tap along with a newly created boisterous milieu of visiting “thinkers.” The American quartet attempts earnest engagement, which unfolds neatly and as carefully layered as moussaka. They mingle with local Cypriots, probe the possibility of sexual mischief, indulge in hand-wringing over imperiled wildlife, and re-imagine the siege of Famagusta (except for one think-tanker who stuffs his ears with pita).
Pour a glass of ouzo (Greece’s national drink) before reading. This anise-flavored liqueur will soothe your throat as you guffaw and chuckle through this gleeful page-turner.
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Loquacious narrator Bart Beasley, eager to return to Greece, but perhaps reluctant to board a Royal Caribbean luxury liner and endure midnight pizza parties with boring nine-to-fivers for a fortnight, concocts a more innovative odyssey instead: he forms a think tank of unlikely panelists, highly educated adults with far too much time on their hands, who will be no more able to solve the local problems than your barista would. Nevertheless, they do persist; if not, there would be no 184-page narrative, would there?
My neighbors greatly resented the immoderate mirth-quake “The Great Cyprus Think Tank” provoked. As I chortled over a titillating description of shadow sex in Bellapais, giggled at the reappearance of deceased wordsmiths (e.g., Lawrence Durrell, Rimbaud, Verlaine, etc.), and snort-sniggered at each mention of applying for grants from the Soros Foundation, the sleep-deprived souls next door would kick and batter our common wall until paint flaked from the ceiling, making me sneeze through Chapter Eight as a statute of Aphrodite was being disinterred by divers.
Greece’s tumultuous history is on tap along with a newly created boisterous milieu of visiting “thinkers.” The American quartet attempts earnest engagement, which unfolds neatly and as carefully layered as moussaka. They mingle with local Cypriots, probe the possibility of sexual mischief, indulge in hand-wringing over imperiled wildlife, and re-imagine the siege of Famagusta (except for one think-tanker who stuffs his ears with pita).
Pour a glass of ouzo (Greece’s national drink) before reading. This anise-flavored liqueur will soothe your throat as you guffaw and chuckle through this gleeful page-turner.
#
April 16, 2022
Lockridge’s second witty, whip-smart farce, which tells and a story of almost magical realism of a group of well-meaning but self-absorbed intelligent fools trying to restore Cyprus to its former glory.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews