One Man's Opinion: THE UNDERSTUDY by DAVID NICHOLLS

 

When you've just read and loved a book, it often makes sense to follow it up by another by the same author, which is why I plumped for The Understudy as my most recent read. Starter For Ten really hooked me and I was happy to to along with it wherever it went. Another Nicholls had to be worth a punt. 

This one, as the title suggests, follows the ups and downs of the understudy (Stephen C McQueen) to one of the hottest properties of screen and stage, Josh Harper. It's a gig for McQueen, but clearly not the one he wants. What would suit him better would be for some disaster to befall Harper so that the break that he so deserves will finally arrive. McQueen will be able to show those who matter to him (ex wife and daughter) that he hasn't been deluded when thinking he will make it as an actor some day. 

The plot thickens when Josh invites Stephen along to a party. Of course, it's all a big misunderstanding and things don't go quite as Stephen hoped. On the plus side, however, he gets to meet Josh's wife and finally manages to feel connected to another human being in a meaningful way. 

Oh the roller coaster ride that follows. The twists and the turns. The comic moments and the hilarious scenes. There's a lot of fun to be had, that's for sure. Only it's not as engaging as Starter For Ten. Some of the situations seem forced. There are elements of predictability. It's not easy to like the central characters (inlcluding Stephen himself). When the thumbscrews were really tightened, it wasn't quite as cut and dried as I would have liked, which left me feeling ambiguous about the possible outcomes. Many of the film and actor references were too easy and instead of gliding through the gears there was more cruching and swerving. There were also too many appearances of the word effeminate for my taste, which wasn't helped by reading the two books back-to-back- it's a great word, but it felt like there was an axe to grind or something and it just bugged me. 

I enjoyed it,I did. But that's as far as it went. I'll go back for more, I know I will, as One Day awaits in the wings. It won't be for a while, though, as I've learned my lesson on that front. 

  

Something To Write Home About: THE MUSIC LIBERATION FRONT SWEDEN

I've always been fond of the story Sleeping With The Fishes, something I penned a good few years ago now. Very kindly, and without prompting, my brother Geoff recorded a version of it and left it out there so anyone could give it a listen (given that he's a top radio producer of quite some repute, that was a lovely gesture). And today I was sent a link to this new twist, put together by The Music Liberation Front Sweden. 

The story now comes with musical accompaniment, thanks to a splendid composition that successfully accentuates the mood of the tale. 

I'd urge you to go and check it out over here and give it a free listen at Bandcamp. I hope you enjoy the story, the narration or the music (any one out of the three means your time won't have been wasted).

Many thanks for trying.  

One Man's Opinion: STARTER FOR TEN by DAVID NICHOLLS

It's a snooker final day, so the University Challenge final has been knocked back from its rightful place until next Monday, which is okay by me as it simply delays the fun. 

I'm not an addict, but I'm a fairly avid watcher. Not that I can answer many of the questions. I tune in to marvel at the capacity of human minds and to enjoy the tension, pleasure and pain that comes with any competetive event that I care about. 

This year, it's easy to place my allegiance. From the off, I've been in the Anyone-But-Warwick camp, mostly on the grounds that Hart and Siddle take the most ungainly buzzer positions and partly because of that Hart's silver crucifix. He's a very clever guy, mind, so hats off really when all's said and done. 

None of which explains my choice of reading for the start of my holiday. Without the usual lineup on my home shelves, I picked out Starter For Ten as it's been catching my eye for a while now. Mostly, I've been avoiding it because of its size. Now, I'm delighted that I finally took the plunge. 

It's a coming of age story in the main, disecting the trials and tribulations of a young teenager moving away to university and attempting to navigate the pitfalls of growing up in a minefield of self-awareness and self-loathing. 

Brian is our main man. His dad is dead, his background is simple, his skin is acne-riddled, his muscles small, complexion pale, hair a mystery, dependence on alcolhol higher than it should be, self-doubt huge, ability to concentrate poor and his love for Alice way out of proportion. 

In a series of short chapters and extreme misadventures, we follow Bri through excruciting experiences, a mess of emotional roller coaster rides that suggest a law of nature that for every up there's a significant down and that for every significant down there's a pile of guilt and misery attached. 

He's aiming to get into the university challenge team, to become a great poet and to win Alice's heart. Not that Alice is a suitable partner. Rebecca might be a better match, or Lucy even. Which is all part of the fun. 

As well as the tangled knot of romance, there are complications with his family life and the world that he's moved away from. At first glance, he appears to have outgrown his old mates, but when Spencer turns up and brings his anger and contempt for the snobbery he encounters, it's not so clear what direction their friendship will take. 

I started this on Friday night and finished it on Sunday. Strangely, I can't recall reading it all that much and I've done plenty of other things besides. I think that's an indication of how much pleasure I got from the book. Lots of laugh out loud moments, some wonderful set pieces of embarassement and madness. the romantic drama and the whole University Challenge thing, it was an absolute delight. 

Nicholls writes with a pleasingly simple style that suggests novels just pour from an author's mind. Pick this one apart, though, and there's a complex structure framing the multi-faceted characters in which each move and step is deftly taken. Great entertainment and stimulation. The perfect way to pass time before the UC final. Lovely stuff. 

 

 

 

One Man's Opinion: SAVAGE SEASON by JOE LANSDALE

 

This one's a really intersting one for me. Going back in time, I read a string of Hap and Leonard books and absolutely loved them. The characters and the levels of connection I felt with them, as well as the tight action, had me riveted to the pages. 

I recently decided that I should check out the first book in the Hap and Leonard series, Savage Season, drawn in just like I was with Mucho Mojo et al with its crazy cartoon cover and twisted font when I saw it on the shelf. 

Hap and Leonard are going about their business and just about keeping their heads above water, when in walks Trudy. Trudy's an ex of Hap's and his huge attraction to her and the memories he holds of their relationship are his own form of Kryptonite. Back when they were an item, they were idealistic youngsters hoping to change the world by any means necessary. 

As it turns out, Trudy's re-appearance is no accident. She's after Hap to find some money for her. It's stolen money and it's likely to be at the bottom of a river somewhere, but if he can locate it, he'll get a cut and that will be the end of it. 

Hap deals Leonard in and the pair set off with a set of diving equipment on a hiding to nothing. 

Which is when they meet the rest of Trudy's team, a bunch of revolutionaries who never grew out of their ideals and didn't manage to come to much of anything between them. Their plan is to retrieve the money to fund an operation that they hope will bring meaning to their empty lives. 

The chemistry of the group is odd and Hap and Leonard's addition sets off a set of reactions that create a whole lot of friction.

The funny thing about Savage Season is that, if I'd actually started with this book, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have moved on to any of the others. For me, it lacks energy for too long. The first half is slow and lacks interest. It picks up as the search for the money finally gets underway and definitely kicks off in an exciting way for an explosive final fifth, but it's not quite enough of a payoff. 

I'm not sure whether the book doens't measure up to the others because I've changed or because the books got better as Mr Lansdale got to know his creations, or whether I'm simply wrong, so I'd be interested to hear what you think. Let me know in the comments.