From the Bookshelf of Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

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What Members Thought

Deanne
Jul 04, 2011 rated it really liked it
Rather disturbing main character, and a story that pulls you in.
Lucy J Jeynes
Apr 15, 2010 rated it liked it
Shelves: read-in-2010
I hadn't even heard of Patrick Hamilton, and I realise this is an omission, particularly since it turns out he was also a playwright (Rope, Gaslight). I sometimes worry about these gaps in my education.

This book reminded me of Somerset Maugham in its evocation of a sense of place and time, locations, dialogue, habits. 1939 and the war about to start. Lives lived in boarding houses and dingy pubs, too much to drink, friends that do you no favours. A nice man devotedly pursues an absolute bitch of
...more
Deodand
Jul 26, 2025 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction, europe, wwii, kobo, ebook
I'm not certain I'd see this movie, but what a book. The protagonist is unreliable; it's best if we stay in his point of view because if you got an outsider's look at the pathos of it all you'd walk away in disgust. He is a dumb son of a bitch all right, and the love interest he sweats over doesn't have a clue about him other than that he has a wallet. ...more
Ph
Nov 12, 2007 marked it as to-read
Shelves: 1001
Maria
May 30, 2008 rated it liked it
Darcy
Jul 12, 2008 marked it as to-read
Tim
Jan 22, 2009 marked it as to-read
valpal
Jun 17, 2009 marked it as to-read
Shelves: unavailable
Amber
Jun 28, 2009 marked it as to-read
Shelves: 1001-books
Empyrio
Mar 28, 2010 marked it as to-read
Rebecca
Apr 10, 2011 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: 2011
Briggs
Apr 25, 2011 marked it as to-read
Chas
Aug 28, 2011 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Bette
May 21, 2012 rated it liked it
Shelves: british
Adrianna
Mar 25, 2013 marked it as to-read
C.L.
Jan 02, 2014 marked it as to-read
Terri FL
Feb 14, 2015 marked it as to-read
Shelves: novel, london
Jocelyn
Dec 26, 2017 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Mandy
Nov 18, 2023 marked it as to-read
Emilie
Feb 08, 2025 marked it as to-read
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Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die