The Underground Man
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Mick Jackson makes films. It's no surprise, then, that his first novel, The Underground Man, should be so economically told, the action evoking a mise en scène. The novel takes the form of journal entries interspersed with eyewitness accounts from servants and neighbours. The "Underground Man" portrayed in the novel, William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott, the Duke of Portland and a resident of Nottinghamshire, is mightily eccentric; the man was real (1800-1879), as was his eccentricity. Historical fact: the Duke commissioned eight tunnels on his estate. Present-day fact: if you walk the estate today, you see the skylights--2ft in diameter and 4in thick. But why did he build them?
In the last few days of the Duke's life, eccentricity burgeons and madness follows. The reader learns that his odd view of the world was shaped by early tragedy, the full truth of which is withheld until the last few pages.
The Underground Man is that most delectable blend of fact and fiction, one in which the intriguing details of a real life are richly explored through imagination. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"'Quite simply, astonishing.' Observer"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What can I say about this phenomenal book...? I am reading it for the third time and it just gets better and better!! Mick Jackson's prose is exquisite - each sentence is so beautifully crafted, his vocabulary so rich and the anti hero so poignantly described.Dare I say a Dickens of our time? Whilst there are little moments of humour,to me this is essentially the most moving and powerful study of the loneliness of an individual, and his mental decline. Absolute genius!!
The ending haunted me for days... I
The ending haunted me for days... I
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an odd little story that meanders along in a strange but compelling way.It's also laugh out loud funny in parts,as the Duke sets off on his various adventures for reasons known only to himself.I really enjoyed this quirky tale and was touched by the musings of the Duke in his quest for the 'answer.'
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Underground Man tells the tale of an endearingly dotty and delightfully eccentric old Duke. During the course of the novel the Duke asks for a series of tunnels to be built beneath the grounds of his estate so he can travel to the outskirts of his land, by coach, but completely underground. He also engages in such eccentric behaviour as travelling between the floors of his mansion in a dumb waiter; taking the study of phrenology to insane extremes and wondering at length just what exactly does happen to all the whale bones deposited on the sea bed. He's a beautifully strange and lovable creation, but beneath the wayward charm there seems to be something rather dark nagging at his consciousness. He worries about the past, fretting upon something he cannot quite recall, and he occasionally sees a young boy out of the corner of his eye that no one else ever notices.
What raises this book above being simply the character study of a delightfully strange old gentleman is the quality of the prose. Mick Jackson has a gift for the beautiful metaphor and the dazzling simile. At one point the Duke recalls a young lady he loved and lost asleep on a divan in all her finery, describing her defenceless state as being "beautifully capsized". At another he meditates on the weather-worn gravestones in the churchyard, wearing their tattered garments of green and brown. There's a definte melancholy edge to much of the writing, but all the same the key-note of the book is one of gentle humour. The Duke's observations, and the way his long-suffering staff relate to them, are exquisitely funny: the maid discovering the old gentleman suspended upside down from a tree by his trousers is a beautifully comic moment.
There is, in truth, little in the way of plot but the superb writing and the delightful company of the Duke make this an engaging and memorable book. Lyrical, lovable and melancholy, and with a dark twist in the tale that I personally didn't see coming. Recommended reading for a winter's night by the fire.
What raises this book above being simply the character study of a delightfully strange old gentleman is the quality of the prose. Mick Jackson has a gift for the beautiful metaphor and the dazzling simile. At one point the Duke recalls a young lady he loved and lost asleep on a divan in all her finery, describing her defenceless state as being "beautifully capsized". At another he meditates on the weather-worn gravestones in the churchyard, wearing their tattered garments of green and brown. There's a definte melancholy edge to much of the writing, but all the same the key-note of the book is one of gentle humour. The Duke's observations, and the way his long-suffering staff relate to them, are exquisitely funny: the maid discovering the old gentleman suspended upside down from a tree by his trousers is a beautifully comic moment.
There is, in truth, little in the way of plot but the superb writing and the delightful company of the Duke make this an engaging and memorable book. Lyrical, lovable and melancholy, and with a dark twist in the tale that I personally didn't see coming. Recommended reading for a winter's night by the fire.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Grows on you
We read this for our book group. I started it,didn't get on with it, put it down but then determined not to be beaten had another go. And I'm glad I did. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Title page
Something a bit different
This was recommended to me by a couple of people so i decided to give it a try, im glad i did. Just finished reading today and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Read more
Published 6 months ago by M. Wood
Booker Award warning
I should have been alerted by the "Shortlisted for the Booker Award" warning on the front cover of The Underground Man. I found the book frightfully boring. Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2009 by Charles Smith
The Underground Man
This novel contains some wonderful prose and Jackson creates a surprisingly touching portrait of a man trying to understand himself in relation to the world around him. Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2009 by Rich
Undervalued classic
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize back in '97 and winner of that year's Royal Society of Authors award for a first novel, Mick Jackson's elegant exploration of High Victorian... Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2009 by R. Wood
A Remarkable Book
An astonishing debut novel!
Poignant, melancholic, Gothic and endearing are but a few of the multitude of words that could be applied to this captivating book. Read more
Poignant, melancholic, Gothic and endearing are but a few of the multitude of words that could be applied to this captivating book. Read more
Published on 20 May 2009 by Graham S
A Sad Sad Tale.
I overheard someone recommending this book to someone else, I thought I would find out more, so I did purchased a copy and took it on holiday with me. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2008 by Jante
Inside the mind of an eccentric
This is a superb and totally unique book. In it, we are treated to the musings of the slightly unhinged Duke (based on a real person) as he explores the corners and contents of his... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2008 by Secret Spi
charmingly disarming
a beautiful story immaculately told. The duke is utterly convincing, and his descent into madness, told from a first person perspective, is heart rendingly tragic - the revelation... Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2008 by JN Jaitch
A hauntingly beautiful book
A book both melancholy and beautiful, sad and lyrical. I found myself enthralled from page one of this story about the 5th Duke of Portland. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2007 by Didier
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