and so i have read a couple more novels. two, look you see, not three or one or five. actually, in total over the years i have read loads, but here i mean that i have read a further two (not three or just one or six) since the last time i posted about how many novels i had read (two). now is the time, then, to reflect on this triumph.
to stick with how i would normally do this sort of thing, a look at the books (two) that i read, followed by a spoiler free comment. you know, a kind of "yay or nay" opinion on them, for those in a rush or wish to remain as spoiler free as possible. if, for some reason, anyone uses my musings as some sort of guide to their own reading adventures.
indeed, Transcription by Kate Atkinson is probably not the sort of thing that i would usually read. with no idea what it would be like and few expectations, my conclusion is basically "not that bad". for more standard fare for me, Girl On Fire is the latest (in paperback) "Max Wolfe" novel off of Tony Parsons. it gives and does precisely what all the other ones in this series delivers, only with a trifle more of the "soap opera" side of it thrown in, presumably in the hope that it helps lure in someone to buy the filming rights.
right. be alert, be aware. whilst care shall be taken, do please note that from here on out a splendid, colourful and quite loud *** SPOILER WARNING *** is in place. and it is one very much meant in this instance, for it shall be all but impossible to discuss the first without giving some of it all away. so, you have been warned.
provenance of my copy? Tesco, but of course. it was on offer as one of their £3 or even £3.50 "books of the week". having heard of the author, and being fairly pretty sure one of my friends (i don't have too many) had spoken quite highly of her. so i gave it a go.
the plot? one not easy to describe. the protagonist kind of has a few names, but let us simplify it by referring to her here as Juliet Armstrong, served in World War II as a transcriber for MI5 set up meetings luring in and capturing fifth columnists and traitors. she is eventually drawn into being more involved with this, with (in the interests of trying to keep spoilers out of this) "consequences". the story is told in a bit of a "Tarantino style" (not that he invented it) backwards and forwards way, with chunks set in the 1940s and then the 1950s being bookended by "reflective" sections from 1980.
did i enjoy this novel? yes, no, maybe. without actually knowing anything about Kate Atkinson or her usual style, the best way i can describe this is how Jane Austen might have written a John le Carre novel, if women were allowed to speak of or express an interest in thingie (sex) in the era of Ms Austen. to this end, there are some genuinely funny and witty parts, an awful lot of dull dragging and a fair bit of assuming that you were supposed to know something that you did not, but just pretend and read on anyway hoping it will make some sense.
one aspect i did very much like was the third person narrator's description of the protagonist's thoughts as she achieved some level of sexual awakening. having her thoughts described as seeing herself as "an apple, ripened and ready to be plucked" or "ready for her fields to be ploughed" were both delightful and charming. assuming that this was how ladies would actually speak, since it was a lady writer, i did indeed on one instance ask my (considerably) better half if she felt either of those metaphors (or whatever) applied to her. it did not go down well.
a big frustration, and i would remind you of the spoiler warning, is how it all ends. the use of an unreliable narrator is a splendid literary device, if, and i want to make this clear, you are using a first or second person narrator. when you pull this stunt with a third person narrator, it is simply cheating. yes, true, all fiction writing is basically "making it up as you go along", but you are kind of expected to do it in a consistent way. to just wildly throw in things at the end which the reader could not possibly have anticipated or realistically expected screams "let's put this in to make an interesting ending, even if it makes little sense".
there was certainly enough in Transcription to say that i would totes try reading another novel by Kate Atkinson. as point of fact, a good friend (one of the few, yes, i know i am generally not too well liked) has already recommended one or two. but if it turns out to have the same frustrations and disappointments as this one, the next one i read of hers shall also be the last, then.
far more simplistic reading adventures, then, with the next book. yes, Tony Parson "returns", although he never really goes away i suppose, with the latest jolly adventure for London super copper Max Wolfe. Girl On Fire, this one is called.
what of the provenance of my copy? quite an interesting story, even more so than usual for those of you who for some reason find this aspect interesting. i was accidentally in a branch (or chapter, if you will) of WH Smith an noticed it was being sold, as the sticker says, for "half price". as WH Smith are notorious for overpricing everything, i was at once amazed and wary, but went ahead and bought it. yes, of course, after the fact i discovered that absolutely everywhere else was selling it for between 66% and 75% off the standard price. oh well. i have come to terms, and reached some inner peace, with my rush to purchase judgement by for some reason convincing myself that buying a novel from WH Smith is in fact a "very Tony Parsons" thing to do.
plot? DCI (or whatever) Max Wolfe gets caught up in a massive, very deadly terrorist attack in London. he is involved in the hunt for the perpetrators, which turns to tragedy. boiling tensions are escalating as Wolfe and the rest of the coppers try to capture both those further involved in the terrorist attack and those who are for some reason using the events as a blanket or masquerade for murder. whilst all of this is going on, Wolfe's personal life goes uber soap opera, with every aspect in turmoil and facing upheaval.
is it any good? well, yes, if you either like fast paced thrillers and are grown up enough to have a sense of perspective with regards to the preposterous parts, or indeed if you are a fan of the traditional Frederick Forsyth perspective, in which "simple" problems have "straightforward" solutions and good shall always triumph, with a little bit of cost attached.
let us be honest here. Tony Parsons is one of them ones that has a "locked in" audience. me telling you whether you should or should not read one of his novels is in no way going to influence anyone. good luck to him, them, all, everyone. but one sad thing i noticed was the "by the same author" list inside the book. for some reason all non-Max Wolfe novels, which is to say them he wrote before he had this idea, have been removed. quite peculiar.
so, then, that is that for this post. my thanks again for reading, and hopefully you read only the parts relevant to you in light of the fab spoiler warning what i did.
will i be reading any further books? i would hope so. at some stage one book i read shall be the last that i do, but i am not sure i am prepared to let that final one be a Tony Parsons work.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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