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The Maintenance of Headway
 
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The Maintenance of Headway (Hardcover)

by Magnus Mills (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.00
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The Maintenance of Headway + Only When the Sun Shines Brightly + Explorers of the New Century
Price For All Three: £15.48

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (3 Aug 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1408800357
  • ISBN-13: 978-1408800355
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 13.2 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,018 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #1 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > M > Mills, Magnus

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Product Description

Review

`Deeply bizarre, occasionally menacing and often funny ... It's real life, but not quite realism, and strangely brilliant'
--The Times

`Anyone who has wondered why buses arrive either in gangs or not at all should find the answer in Mill's delightful satire about the least reliable forms of public transport ... This novel should be required reading for those in charge of our chaotic public transport system'
--Daily Mail


Product Description

'It's a matter of procedure,' I explained. 'Strictly for the record. You don't get sacked from this job unless you did what Thompson did.' 'What did he do then?' 'We never mention it.' In Magnus Mills' brilliant short novel he transports us into the bizarre world of the bus drivers who take us to work, to the supermarket, to the match and home again. It is a strange but all too real universe in which 'the timetable' and 'maintenance of headway' are sacred, but where the routes can change with the click of an inspector's fingers and the helpless passengers are secondary. The journey from the southern outpost to the arch, the circus and the cross will seem as familiar as your regular route, but then Magnus Mills shows you the almost religious fervour which lies behind it, and how it is fine to be a little bit late but utterly unforgivable to be a moment early. 'To write one unique book is a rare achievement. The ability to produce several is truly special.' Independent
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Maintenance of Headway
90% buy the item featured on this page:
The Maintenance of Headway 3.2 out of 5 stars (20)
£6.00
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3% buy
The Restraint of Beasts 4.0 out of 5 stars (44)
All Quiet on the Orient Express
3% buy
All Quiet on the Orient Express 3.8 out of 5 stars (21)
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Explorers of the New Century
3% buy
Explorers of the New Century 3.9 out of 5 stars (15)
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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars like waiting for a bus, 3 Sep 2009
By Teapot (Mexico) - See all my reviews
I love Mills' deceptively simple deadpan style of writing, and this book contains some classic off-beat, surreal philosophical dialogue. However, I still found the Maintenance of Headway surprisingly dull, much like waiting for a bus that never turns up. Throughout the book one is left waiting for the mundanity of the bus drivers' lot to change into absurdity, which it never truly does. The Maintenance of Headway neither contains the humour of Restraint of Beasts, nor the foreboding of All Quiet on the Orient Express, nor the absurdity of the Scheme For Full Empoyment. All in all, this book came in well short of expectations.
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Still a thoroughly enjoyable book, 29 Jul 2009
By D. Sanderson (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Any criticism of a Mills novel which centres around the pointlessness of the plot tells you very clearly that the reviewer does not 'get' Mills, and that's fine, because he is certainly a writer for those with a particular sense of humour. It is undoubtedly the case that the 'drama' which unfolds in the book is relatively insignificant when compared to that of other novels, but this is not a weakness - in fact, it is very much the point.

I would, however, agree that the lack of an underlying sense of a sinister or perplexing direction to events means The Maintenance of Headway lacks the enthralling qualities that made The Restraint of Beasts and All Quiet such fascinating works. As such, Maintenance is probably the weakest of Mills' releases so far (with the possible exceptional of Explorers, about which I have particular reservations). Though, of course, a weaker novel by this writer is still well worth a look if you've read some of his others and appreciate what a unique voice he is in the literary landscape.

Overall, a thought provoking and enjoyable addition to the Mills catalogue, though let's hope there is still plenty more to come.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars I'll Tell You Why, 7 Aug 2009
By P. Milner (Great Britain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I'd been looking forward to the next Magnus Mills for some time, but when this one arrived it was a bit of a disappointment. I'm hoping that, like London buses, there will be another one right along behind it.
"The Maintenance of Headway" seems to be a companion volume to "The Scheme For Full Employment". In both books, there are the public vehicles on their circuits, the supervisors, the management, the cups of tea, the strange little rules. And whereas I enjoyed "Scheme" for its surreal, warped version of England, in "Headway" it's all too familiar.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Insubstantial
I have been an avid reader of Magnus Mills' books since The Restraint of Beasts but this is such a let down, especially after waiting for such a long time since the last... Read more
Published 9 hours ago by Apple Pops

1.0 out of 5 stars No Headway from Mills
A bitter disapointment... The first three books - absolutely brilliant. This, considering he's an ex bus driver and the subject of the book is London buses, goes (rather like the... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Mark West

5.0 out of 5 stars The Maintenance of Headway
I think it was Peter Cook who referred to someone 'living at a slight angle to the universe' - he could well have been talking about Magnus Mills. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Peter Burke

4.0 out of 5 stars Ickle, but sweet
The Maintenance of Headway could be consumed in an afternoon. It's the sixth novel (it's a novella actually) by one of my favourite British writers; the bus driver who is Magnus... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. Catherine Mcblane

4.0 out of 5 stars book review transport
This is an interesting book for anyone who is or has been involved in bus work. Probably its appeal is limited to those with an interest in public transport.
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Frederick Pearce

3.0 out of 5 stars For loyal fans and bus drivers!
Having read Magnus Mills'previous novels and short stories,this came as a minor disappointment.The slight"otherworldliness"and understated humour is still there but the signature... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jerry Brown

2.0 out of 5 stars Trouble at t' Mills
I'd probably describe myself as a fan of Magnus Mills. I absolutely loved "The Scheme for Full Employment" and the first half of "Explorers of the New Century" before it went off... Read more
Published 2 months ago by A reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Mills scores again!
If you liked 'The Scheme for Full Employment' by the same author, you'll love this - more of the same but also different. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Paul Villa

4.0 out of 5 stars Dead-pan Comic Wonder
The words 'demented dead-pan comic wonder' were quoted in publicity material for Mills' first novel; 'The Restraint of Beasts. Read more
Published 2 months ago by L. N. Nixon

3.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't really satisfy
The Maintenance of Headway is an odd little book. At only 150 small pages, it doesn't take long to read but the author's name alone - Magnus Mills - is enough to whet the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mister Hobgoblin

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