The new Quirke novel from John Banville, writing as Benjamin Black
Elegy for April (Quirke Mysteries)
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'Banville's literary skill shines through, and the atmosphere of 1950s Dublin, a city riddled with bigotry and double standards, is perfectly portrayed.' --Books Quarterly
'As always, Black's Ireland is simultaneously drab and darkly dangerous, but as his fans (or those of his more rarefied alter ego John Banville) will expect, flinty humour lightens the darkness and diamond-sharp prose puts the quotidian in a new light.' --Daily Telegraph
'The plot is relatively uncomplicated, the author seeming less concerned with fancy footwork than with holding the reader's attention with gorgeously precise and expressive prose, which he does superbly' --The Guardian Review
`Quirke is an endearing hero and, as in the previous two novels in which he appears, the Dublin of the 1950s - wet, cold, foggy, sinister - is evoked with harsh realism and nostalgia... Elegy for April is a beguiling read.' --The Times
'This is an interesting and accurate take on mid-twentieth-century Ireland, a chilly place for cheerless people in a corrupt society... beautiful writing' --Literary Review
'Classy writing by a fine prose stylist.'
--Saga
'The evocations of a fog-swathed 1950s Dublin are exquisite' --Metro
'As always, Black's Ireland is simultaneously drab and darkly dangerous, but as his fans (or those of his more rarefied alter ego John Banville) will expect, flinty humour lightens the darkness and diamond-sharp prose puts the quotidian in a new light.' --Daily Telegraph
'The plot is relatively uncomplicated, the author seeming less concerned with fancy footwork than with holding the reader's attention with gorgeously precise and expressive prose, which he does superbly' --The Guardian Review
`Quirke is an endearing hero and, as in the previous two novels in which he appears, the Dublin of the 1950s - wet, cold, foggy, sinister - is evoked with harsh realism and nostalgia... Elegy for April is a beguiling read.' --The Times
'This is an interesting and accurate take on mid-twentieth-century Ireland, a chilly place for cheerless people in a corrupt society... beautiful writing' --Literary Review
'Classy writing by a fine prose stylist.'
--Saga
'The evocations of a fog-swathed 1950s Dublin are exquisite' --Metro
Book Description
1950’s Ireland. As a deep, bewildering fog cloaks Dublin, a young woman is found to have vanished. When Phoebe Griffin, still haunted by the horrors of her past, is unable to discover news of her friend; Quirke, fresh from drying out in an institution, responds to his daughter’s request for help. But as Phoebe, Quirke and Inspector Hackett speak with those who knew April, they begin to realise that there may have been more behind the young woman’s discretion and secrecy than they could have imagined. And while Quirke finds himself distracted from his sobriety by a beautiful young actress, Phoebe watches helplessly as April’s family hush up her disappearance, terrified of a scandal; and all possible leads seem to dry up, bar one she cannot bear to contemplate . . . When Quirke eventually makes a disturbing discovery, he is finally able to begin unravelling the great, complex web of love, lies, jealousy and dark secrets that April spun her life from . . .
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By S. B. Kelly
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Banville undoubtedly writes beautifully and many a sentence causes me to pause to admire its beauty. But the finely-tuned prose almost gets in the way of story, character and atmosphere.
Quirke remains likeable, although a recent stay at a drying-out clinic has not cured his thirst for booze (white wine doesn't count as `a drink', according to Quirke; useful to know).
The plot seems perfunctory, almost irrelevant: a friend of Quirke's neurotic daughter Phoebe has gone missing and evidence at her flat suggests that this may be following an abortion. Her family, who have long disowned her, are important people -- her uncle a government minister -- with a family mythology to uphold. Quirke, brought up in an orphanage, is condescendingly dismissed as not understanding such things.
Quirke remains likeable, although a recent stay at a drying-out clinic has not cured his thirst for booze (white wine doesn't count as `a drink', according to Quirke; useful to know).
The plot seems perfunctory, almost irrelevant: a friend of Quirke's neurotic daughter Phoebe has gone missing and evidence at her flat suggests that this may be following an abortion. Her family, who have long disowned her, are important people -- her uncle a government minister -- with a family mythology to uphold. Quirke, brought up in an orphanage, is condescendingly dismissed as not understanding such things.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Quirke is back for his third outing and he's on top form. Perhaps there is a little more emotion from him and it's good to see his return to favour via his daughter. For followers of this series, the author doesn't let his readers down.
A girl vanishes, Quirke's daughter, Phoebe, asks for his help in trying to find her and like the bulldog (Phobe and other females suggest he's more like a bull!) he doesn't let go.
The darkness of 1950s Dublin is brought again into the story, the atmosphere in the city is, for some of us, very nostalgic. Life's pace is slow, somewhat improved by Quirke's purchase of an Alvis Roadster much to the dismay of cyclists and pedestrians alike.
But this small piece of humour is offset by the story of the girl. Quirke's investigation, alongside his very good friend, Inspector Hackett, brings him into conflict with a powerful Irish family, a government minister and a hard-nosed dowager-like matriarch each intent on preventing a bleak family history returning into the glare of the modern world.
The end is reached very slowly, actually but the side story of Quirke's life and times fills the book with an easy-to-enjoy step back into an almost forgotten time. The fog - or smog as I recall, the non-stop smoking, the heavy drinking, the badly handled liaisons with the opposite sex, all make for a book which is a joy to read, despite the fact that when the end is reached, the tragedy of lives lost is a sad reminder of what goes on behind closed doors.
I've already read (and reviewed book 4) so I guess it'll be a long wait for book 5 but I have the patience! Anyway, it seems Irish writers, rather like their Scandanavian counterparts are on the increase - 'Dublin Dead' is next on my list.
A girl vanishes, Quirke's daughter, Phoebe, asks for his help in trying to find her and like the bulldog (Phobe and other females suggest he's more like a bull!) he doesn't let go.
The darkness of 1950s Dublin is brought again into the story, the atmosphere in the city is, for some of us, very nostalgic. Life's pace is slow, somewhat improved by Quirke's purchase of an Alvis Roadster much to the dismay of cyclists and pedestrians alike.
But this small piece of humour is offset by the story of the girl. Quirke's investigation, alongside his very good friend, Inspector Hackett, brings him into conflict with a powerful Irish family, a government minister and a hard-nosed dowager-like matriarch each intent on preventing a bleak family history returning into the glare of the modern world.
The end is reached very slowly, actually but the side story of Quirke's life and times fills the book with an easy-to-enjoy step back into an almost forgotten time. The fog - or smog as I recall, the non-stop smoking, the heavy drinking, the badly handled liaisons with the opposite sex, all make for a book which is a joy to read, despite the fact that when the end is reached, the tragedy of lives lost is a sad reminder of what goes on behind closed doors.
I've already read (and reviewed book 4) so I guess it'll be a long wait for book 5 but I have the patience! Anyway, it seems Irish writers, rather like their Scandanavian counterparts are on the increase - 'Dublin Dead' is next on my list.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
In my opinion the best of the 'Quirk' tales. Deep, dark and intriguing. In Banville style. Almost every sentence is poetry, difficult to get through without re-reading and savouring delicious sentences and paragraphs.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous read!
I couldn't put this book down! It has a really good plot and I like the way it's written. Intriguing!
Published 18 hours ago by Patricia Murray
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slow but quite compelling
It took a little time to get hooked on this story. There is possibly a . little too much detailed descriptive narrative for a pacy thriller or mystery. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Andrew Winton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well written easy read.
First one I have read by this author, would like to read more to understand characters better, nice easy read
Published 2 days ago by Pat Sellers
3.0 out of 5 stars
Understand why other people like it, but not quite me
First of all, please don't let the fact that this is a 3 star review put you off this book. I picked this up for my Kindle under special offer - so reading book 3 without having... Read more
Published 14 days ago by Bookworm
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good read
I've just discovered the Quirke series and have been through them all back to back. It's is a good read, interesting main character and atmospheric setting of Ireland in the 50's. Read more
Published 14 days ago by GA84
3.0 out of 5 stars
Try and keep interested at begining then it will improove but lousy...
this book was hard to get into at the beggining and i found myself flying through the pages not reading them properly. Read more
Published 20 days ago by cookie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Single addict with relationship issues
A fair smattering of detective story cliches. Slow and a tad ponderous at times. Won't bother with any more Quirks novels
Published 22 days ago by Angela Bruce
4.0 out of 5 stars
Elegy for April
I enjoyed this book and would be interested in others using Quirke and his skills! The Irish setting being familiar made it even more enjoyable.
Published 25 days ago by petedb
3.0 out of 5 stars
Overworked
Interesting storybut the writer came across as too descriptive? Lost its way half way through but a fun ending on the coast
Published 27 days ago by Hebsey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable read
a good read for in the bath or at bedtime. I would read others in the series, even though I would need to go 'back'
Published 29 days ago by wildflowermeadow
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