East Fortune

by James Runcie

Jack has been sleepwalking through his middle age. His wife has left him; his grown-up daughters no longer need him; and he rarely leaves his remote house on the east coast of Scotland. But when he is involved in an horrific accident, he is jolted out of his stupor, and embarks upon a new friendship that helps him to re-evaluate everything.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

James Runcie is a British novelist, documentary film-maker, television producer, theatre director, and Artistic Director of the Bath Literature Festival.

Reviews

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gentle book, kickstarted by a horrible event, about a fairly dysfunctional family of brothers.
There are premonitions of the Grantchester books in some of the conversations here, particularly the ones between the young Polish woman and the isolated translator/lecturer. So many of them reminded me of conversations between the Reverend and his German wife . . .

[Fictionophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who enjoys the novels of Rosamund Pilcher will appreciate this book. Set in Scotland and written from a male perspective this novel depicts one year in the life of the Henderson family. Three middle-aged sons, their families and their parents. And of course, the family home, ‘East Fortune’. It examines what home means to different people, how life's defining moments shape our character and our future. It causes the reader to become introspective...

For my complete review see my blog:
'Fictionophile'

[Alison J Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely well written book. The author addresses a number of issues with the build up of the characters and this made the sense of family life so much more "normal". Very enjoyable despite the sadness.

[Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could see that much research had gone into this book and it started off very well, however the main problem for me was that the author insisted on lines and lines in Latin! This, and then the English translation underneath got extremely tiresome. Fortunately I can read German because at one point, near the end, the mom speaks German and there isn't a translation. Unfortunately I can't read Polish (or Russian) and there are frequent Polish quotes in this book; sometimes without translation.

As a person who has a soft spot for Scotland and Scottish culture I enjoyed the setting of this book (just outside Edinburgh) and as a linguist I appreciated the Scottish language lessons. It never fails to amaze me just how many similarities there are between Scottish and Afrikaans, so I was fascinated with some of the dialogue in this book.

The story was about a withdrawn middle aged Scottish man (a professor) and his relationship with not only his family but also a younger Polish woman whom he met under difficult circumstances following a suicide. This could have been a much more enjoyable and moving book but there was far, far, too much dialogue. At times I was confused as to who was speaking and I quickly became fed up with the Latin (and sometimes Polish) being repeated again in English; so much so that towards the final third of the book I was so bored I started skimming over the Latin and started praying for the end. This book did have some beautiful quotes and very thoughtful, honest and moving poignant moments but for me these were completely overshadowed by far too much unnecessary language.

[Kath Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I doubt I would ever have read this book had it not been a book of the month for my village Book Group. It deals with Jack, a classics lecturer, who is involved in a fatal accident when a young man jumps in front of his car. The man is known to his family to be suicidal so they attach no blame to Jack but on the contrary they feel apologetic that he became involved and invite him to the funeral. Jack is divorced and though he enjoys being steeped in a solitary academic existence, he feels an attraction towards the man’s girlfriend, the Polish girl Krystyna.

In this book, which one reviewer said ‘nothing happens’, I found the history of Jack’s family compulsive reading. Krystina disappears and Jack is a suspect. His brothers’ lives are the subject of scrutiny to some extent and if you love family sagas it’s got a lot to recommend it. What I found so absorbing is the author’s attention to detail. I really felt I knew some of these people. It’s a well-written, nicely paced story and I really enjoyed it.

[Marianna Still · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down! I've never read anything that described emotions, relationships and family dynamics so well. So perfectly. It was a pleasure to read. It was a pleasure to be part of the family - however messed up it was. I'm kind of sad it's over...

[Dani Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, like Canvey Island and just like that book this was a little hard going at times. You definitely didn't feel sorry for the main character, at times I felt frustrated! All in all, a good read.

[Edwina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I was ready for such a wordy book. I'm sure I could have learned so much about language, but were is the story?

[Lynsey Easton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, different type of read with interesting themes of relationships.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit depressing but some interesting insight into the personalities of all the key characters.