Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
heavy handed, self-indulgent introspection, 17 May 2007
I was distracted, and irritated, throughout this book by the constant self-pitying, self-indulgent, introspection of the main character, James. The author told us over and over again how naïve James was, how young, how he was blinded by his love for Ella, and how neither of them was old enough or experienced enough to think about the consequences of their selfish actions. It really wasn't necessary to keep labouring this point in such a way, and it distracted from the telling of the story.
The story describes the love affair between James, a promising young violinist, and Ella a society butterfly. Ella feels trapped by her long and illustrious family history (dating back to Charles II) and turns to James to help her escape. Lovely as she is, we find that Ella is a cruel and manipulative person, who sets out deliberately to damage her cousin Sarah, and who insists on the most unreasonable proof of James' love for her. James, in turn, is naïve and self-absorbed; in attempting to fulfil Ella's demands he treats his best friend in the cruellest way imaginable.
After this crisis, he imagines he will never see Ella again and sets about rebuilding his life, though it feels empty. After three years, he is persuaded to contact Ella again, but, before he actually manages to meet her a sensational family tragedy occurs (I don't want to give away too much of the story, as this is a psychological thriller and much of the pleasure in reading it comes from the twists and turns of the plot). In the resulting fallout, James and Ella are irrevocably estranged and James marries Ella's cousin, Sarah.
The characters themselves (James, Ella, and Eric) were beautifully drawn; the reader really gets to know them. However, I found their incredibly naïve behaviour, not to be too convincing. James refers to them as being like children playing adult games - but these were not teenagers, they were in their mid 20's and I couldn't really believe, for instance, that James would have treated Eric the way he did.
I also couldn't believe in the details of the final denouement - but unfortunately I can't explain this without giving away the story line, which I am reluctant to do!
In summary, a good idea and well drawn characters. However, a lot of the plot wasn't sufficiently credible to hold my attention and the ending (ie the explanation of what happened) was just not convincing enough. A good read - I have marked it down because of the continual and irritating introspection of the (now 70 year old) narrator, James.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book that will stay in mind for years to come., 15 May 2007
This was an amazing book to read. I often during reading reflect on the choice of front cover and on this occasion it added to the overall experience. I found the book very moving and one of the few over the years that I would contemplate reading again at some point. I was touched by how sad some of the characters' stories were and how they seemed to have a relevance to moments of my own life and others I know. Not to the extent where I know people who have been in this exact situation but that the emotions experienced echoed other incidents.
At times the prose became a challenge to follow and I lost the thread of the plot - but this did not happen often. I instantly warmed to the characters and found myself forgetting about Sarah, his wife mentioned in the prologue. It was a plot full of twists and turns, designed to fool the reader like a good thriller should. The characters are easy to relate to. I can't say I warmed to all of them but each was unique and brought something special to this tale.
During the novel there were moments where I wanted something pacey to happen (this was the times where I lost my thread) and Richard Mason would simply 'drop' something into the plot that made me sit up and think had I missed something? I hadn't but it was great for refocusing me on what was happening.
Towards the end it became clear who was responsible for what had happened but I still needed to know 'how'. I was captivated right to the very last full stop and I genuinely did not want my reading to end. I found it very difficult to put down and in fact read long into the night to finish it.
A beautiful piece of writing with a poignant title reflecting on each of the characters. A moving front cover that even raises a sad smile as I type this.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When's His Next Book Out?, 5 Oct 2003
I have just been given The Drowning People by a university friend and, though I don't usually write online reviews, feel compelled to do so in this case. Mason turns the genre of the murder story upside down by telling us 'who did it' on the first page. The plot, as it unfolds, is the story of 'why' - and it makes compelling reading. I loved the prose, too: finely nuanced, with a real ear for characterisation and moments of memorable insight. I've been hunting for a new book by this author. Does anyone know when one might appear?
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Richard Mason
by Sadie Jones
by Kate Atkinson
by Kate Morton
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home