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Review
Channels the rough music of everyday life with a tragicomic subtlety, a pin-sharp ear for dialogue and a flair for every nuance of character and class. Louise Dean's fearless, frank and darkly comic novels have brought a fresh colour and character to English fiction (Boyd Tonkin Independent )
Dark, scurrilous and richly comic. There is so much to treasure in this terrific book, but its deepest joy is the sharp, perceptive writing (Financial Times )
Dean is able to demonstrate her unobtrusive skill as the creator of comic set-pieces...painfully funny (The Sunday Times )
Very appealing...so vivid are the quintessentially British characters and the snappy, well-observed dialogue. Delightful, eccentric (Observer )
Dean's observations have a lyrical intensity few can match (Guardian )
A warm-hearted comedy of bad manners (Daily Mail )
Dean writes with beautifully controlled clarity about family ties, social class, the generation gap and the vanished England of the past. She's extremely funny, but also humane and moving (The Times )
Sharply observed (Psychologies )
Compassionate and amusing (The Times Literary Supplement )
Dark, scurrilous and richly comic. There is so much to treasure in this terrific book, but its deepest joy is the sharp, perceptive writing (Financial Times )
Dean is able to demonstrate her unobtrusive skill as the creator of comic set-pieces...painfully funny (The Sunday Times )
Very appealing...so vivid are the quintessentially British characters and the snappy, well-observed dialogue. Delightful, eccentric (Observer )
Dean's observations have a lyrical intensity few can match (Guardian )
A warm-hearted comedy of bad manners (Daily Mail )
Dean writes with beautifully controlled clarity about family ties, social class, the generation gap and the vanished England of the past. She's extremely funny, but also humane and moving (The Times )
Sharply observed (Psychologies )
Compassionate and amusing (The Times Literary Supplement )
Review
Channels the rough music of everyday life with a tragicomic subtlety, a pin-sharp ear for dialogue and a flair for every nuance of character and class. Louise Dean's fearless, frank and darkly comic novels have brought a fresh colour and character to English fiction -- Boyd Tonkin Independent Dark, scurrilous and richly comic. There is so much to treasure in this terrific book, but its deepest joy is the sharp, perceptive writing Financial Times Dean is able to demonstrate her unobtrusive skill as the creator of comic set-pieces...painfully funny The Sunday Times Very appealing...so vivid are the quintessentially British characters and the snappy, well-observed dialogue. Delightful, eccentric Observer Dean's observations have a lyrical intensity few can match Guardian A warm-hearted comedy of bad manners Daily Mail Dean writes with beautifully controlled clarity about family ties, social class, the generation gap and the vanished England of the past. She's extremely funny, but also humane and moving The Times Sharply observed Psychologies Compassionate and amusing The Times Literary Supplement
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If ever there was a candidate for next year's Booker Prize, then this should be it.
As the book opens we meet Nick and his partner Astrid who are driving to Hastings to pick up Nick's father Ken, a miserly, cantankerous old man, living in Hastings on the South Coast with his unfortunate wife June. They are all going to have lunch with Dave, Nick's brother and his wife, Marina. The lunch will be dominated by Ken's announcement that he wants to leave all his money to son number two, Dave, and expects Nick, a lawyer, to draw up the will which will so determinedly favour his brother. Astrid can't help herself from exclaiming, "What about Nick?", only to hear the irascible old man reply, "Thank you young lady, but you're new to this family. You're not even in the this family, matter of fact, so I'll ask you to keep your nose out".
Ken's appalling behaviour suffuses this book. He really is a wicked old man, blind to his own failings and judgemental about everyone else's. When people treat him as he deserves he is puffily hurt and fails to see how he his own provocations are at the root of his troubles.
We meet a fine cast of characters, most notably Ken's ex-wife Pearl, who is equally outspoken, and lives off the charity of kind-hearted Dave while proclaiming a bogus pride in her own self-reliance. I enjoyed the way that Louise Dean doesn't just concentrate on Ken his family but lets her readers into the lives of all her characters, even the minor ones like Nick's ex-girlfriend Morwen, or the creepy divorced Dad who tries to make a girl-friend of his twelve-year old daughter. I enjoyed reading about Astrid's delightfully-drawn, oh-so middle-class parents who meet Ken for a lunch encounter which for readers has much akin to watching a car-crash.
The relationship between the two brothers is surprisingly endurable despite heavy squalls along the way. Dave, the conciliator, trying to be at peace with everyone else, eventually loses his rag and blurts out some home truths. Upwardly-mobile Nick can't help but revert to his father's type when the chips are down, despite loathing what the old man stands for.
We go into some peculiar places in this book. Ken fills up his spare time by volunteering with at a funeral directors business in St Leonards, owned by the woman he idolises, the plump and business-like Audrey, who Ken admires, turning a lustful eye not only on her appearance but also the money she turns over.
Louise Dean obviously enjoys locating her books in the real-world of streets and pubs and it is easy to follow the routes taken by the characters as they go to the shops of visit relatives. If you know anything of the area within the triangle of Hastings, Rye and Tenterden you could enjoy tracking this story on Google Earth Street View.
I am pleased to say that The Old Romantic will be one of my "best reads" for 2010 and I wish Louise Dean every success with this, her latest novel.
As the book opens we meet Nick and his partner Astrid who are driving to Hastings to pick up Nick's father Ken, a miserly, cantankerous old man, living in Hastings on the South Coast with his unfortunate wife June. They are all going to have lunch with Dave, Nick's brother and his wife, Marina. The lunch will be dominated by Ken's announcement that he wants to leave all his money to son number two, Dave, and expects Nick, a lawyer, to draw up the will which will so determinedly favour his brother. Astrid can't help herself from exclaiming, "What about Nick?", only to hear the irascible old man reply, "Thank you young lady, but you're new to this family. You're not even in the this family, matter of fact, so I'll ask you to keep your nose out".
Ken's appalling behaviour suffuses this book. He really is a wicked old man, blind to his own failings and judgemental about everyone else's. When people treat him as he deserves he is puffily hurt and fails to see how he his own provocations are at the root of his troubles.
We meet a fine cast of characters, most notably Ken's ex-wife Pearl, who is equally outspoken, and lives off the charity of kind-hearted Dave while proclaiming a bogus pride in her own self-reliance. I enjoyed the way that Louise Dean doesn't just concentrate on Ken his family but lets her readers into the lives of all her characters, even the minor ones like Nick's ex-girlfriend Morwen, or the creepy divorced Dad who tries to make a girl-friend of his twelve-year old daughter. I enjoyed reading about Astrid's delightfully-drawn, oh-so middle-class parents who meet Ken for a lunch encounter which for readers has much akin to watching a car-crash.
The relationship between the two brothers is surprisingly endurable despite heavy squalls along the way. Dave, the conciliator, trying to be at peace with everyone else, eventually loses his rag and blurts out some home truths. Upwardly-mobile Nick can't help but revert to his father's type when the chips are down, despite loathing what the old man stands for.
We go into some peculiar places in this book. Ken fills up his spare time by volunteering with at a funeral directors business in St Leonards, owned by the woman he idolises, the plump and business-like Audrey, who Ken admires, turning a lustful eye not only on her appearance but also the money she turns over.
Louise Dean obviously enjoys locating her books in the real-world of streets and pubs and it is easy to follow the routes taken by the characters as they go to the shops of visit relatives. If you know anything of the area within the triangle of Hastings, Rye and Tenterden you could enjoy tracking this story on Google Earth Street View.
I am pleased to say that The Old Romantic will be one of my "best reads" for 2010 and I wish Louise Dean every success with this, her latest novel.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I loved this Book - its one of the most original Novels I have ever read.
Its undoubted strength lies in its brilliant characters.The author's ability to create gems like Ken made me never want to stop reading. The multi faceted Characters are so real. Their mannerisms, joys and lows will stay with me for a long time.
The real joy of this Book is the many laugh out loud moments - the times I had to stop and put the Book down while I belly laughed.However then in the space of a few minutes I would be thinking deeply about some personal memory relating to Family etc that the Author makes you think about.
This is a Book to be treasured.Funny,insightful and above all so endearingly human I adored it.
Its undoubted strength lies in its brilliant characters.The author's ability to create gems like Ken made me never want to stop reading. The multi faceted Characters are so real. Their mannerisms, joys and lows will stay with me for a long time.
The real joy of this Book is the many laugh out loud moments - the times I had to stop and put the Book down while I belly laughed.However then in the space of a few minutes I would be thinking deeply about some personal memory relating to Family etc that the Author makes you think about.
This is a Book to be treasured.Funny,insightful and above all so endearingly human I adored it.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fantastic new dark comedy by Louise Dean and a great Summer read. Set in and around Hastings, East Sussex, it follows the trials and tribulations of a family split by issues of the past. The main character, Ken, and his oldest son, Nick, are reunited after 20 odd years. Nick has moved on and doesn't want anything to do with his father. Nick won a scholarship, went to Cambridge and is now a professional man but comes from very humble beginnings which he would rather forget. Ken coming back in his life illustrates where he came from and he doesn't want to be reminded.
The characters in the book are great - funny, witty and colourful and I laughed at the witty banter.
Great for the holiday so would strongly recommend grabbing a copy - oh and you'll learn a little bit about embalming too.
The characters in the book are great - funny, witty and colourful and I laughed at the witty banter.
Great for the holiday so would strongly recommend grabbing a copy - oh and you'll learn a little bit about embalming too.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Curates egg - good in parts
Louise Dean is clearly talented. The Old Romantic is a darkly comic tale of life, death, family and relationships. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Drambuster
"He's what you call a hymn short of a funeral service."
It is Christmas, and Nick Goodyew has not seen his father, Ken, in fifteen years, or Pearl, his mother, in twenty. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mary Whipple
I adored it .....
I loved this Book ...
Very original story,with great characters.
Set in Hastings a coastal town I often visit, which is perhaps why I bought it. Read more
Very original story,with great characters.
Set in Hastings a coastal town I often visit, which is perhaps why I bought it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Dee
Perceptive
I have never read this author before, but I was very impressed, and will definitely look out for more books written by her. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Pen pal
Great Book - Loved It!!
I ordered this book on the recommendation from the Mail and was drawn to it mainly becuase it is set in my hometown. Read more
Published 20 months ago by MelHales
A book to enthrall you!
So many five star reviews say it all. There is very little I can add except to say that it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Alice in Wonderland
Dark, funny, thought provoking
There is an old joke, the body of which I've long forgotten, but the punch line remains with me constantly: "The only thing in life you HAVE to do is die". Read more
Published 22 months ago by Susan Martin
nice book shame about the cover
Great book - nice to see Dean still on form - However really not happy with the cover - makes it look a bit "chick-lit" which it so isn't - this not a shallow comment honest!
Published 22 months ago by Mr. N. Edgar
A beautiful, dark, insightful, funny and fabulous read!
I finished this book in a day and a half, something I haven't done in a long time. I was riveted by the characters who are utterly authentic, deep and rich and flawed with the most... Read more
Published 22 months ago by John D
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