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Amazon.co.uk Review
Review
An endearing romp. Continents, and eras, come together in an infectious celebration of a mixed-up music - and the mixed-up people who create it (Boyd Tonkin Independent )
A rollicking novel...energetic, divinely plotted. If the description of Lick raising the roof of a honky-tonk doesn't make your heart beat a little faster, there might be something wrong with your heart (The Times )
Hugely enjoyable (Independent on Sunday )
A formidable work of imagination (Evening Standard )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magical masterpiece,
By A Customer
This review is from: Twelve Bar Blues (Paperback)
An amazing book: writing like poetry, a light romantic touch and a passionate feel for humanity make this one of the most compelling novels I've read in a long time. The facts of the plot are in many ways deeply depressing - poverty, rape and murder at every turn! - but the whole is infused with such belief in the capacity of the soul to rise beyond anything (even death) that it leaves you with a profound sense of hope. Undoubtedly crafted, 12 Bar Blues nonetheless has the satisfying texture of a bedtime story. I've no idea whether the numerous different voices (of aged jazz men, young pimps, African chiefs and ancient myths) are authentic but they FEEL authentic and that's the main thing, giving the whole novel the joyful intimacy of oral tradition, as if the tales are woven together before your eyes, just for you. All in all, as charming and seductive as one of Musa's magical dreams. Read it and you'll know what I'm talking about!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
sho' is stylish,
This review is from: Twelve Bar Blues (Paperback)
A great story stylishly written. I found the swagger of 1920's Mount Martre hugely enjoyable (and natural) to read and the witchdoctor and village chief characters were funny and entertaining.Like a previous reviewer said it's a tragic story with rape and murder and prostitution and there's plenty of very strong language that some may not like but it's definitly a great story For me the though its the author's writing style that makes it 5 stars. For example he refers to Sylvie not as just Sylvie but rather constantly as "Sylvie (who wasn't no blood relation)", which is never irritating and just adds to the style. As Neate might say : "it sho' don't detract from the story any"
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Story,
By MrShev "mrshev" (Gloucestershire, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Twelve Bar Blues (Paperback)
The other reviewers have probably done a better job, but...In a nutshell, this is the story (stretching over two centuries) of a black family tree and how that tree has been splintered around the globe for one reason or another. It jumps between three times which ultimately refer to each other. Blues and Jazz are almost the counterpoint to the whole drama and one feels that music is the common thread throughout the book. The things that really makes this book special are the characters and the stories that they tell. Each person has a history and that history is beautifully drawn and they really spring off the page - they are so resonant and their relationships to each other so intricately rendered that they become real. If only other authors could take a leaf out of Neate's book... Also, the stories that each character has - the history that makes them who they are - are wonderful. Sometimes extraordinary, sometimes ordinary but always interesting. This is all interweaved into a saga that spans two centuries. When I started this review I was going to give this book four stars, because sometimes the narrative wanders a bit, but this book stays with you so I am giving it 5 stars. Recommended!
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