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Thursday January 31, 2013
Books in January
- At the Villa Rose by A
E W Mason
This is the second of the "free" vintage - presumably out of copyright
- detective novels I downloaded from the internet.
I was really keen on this story - both for the period detail, as well
as the mystery plot aspect.
It did seem to me it would make a good screen adaptation as it is written
in a very picturesque way, with a charming landscape as a backdrop and
with characters that could expand beyond the writing. and indeed I find
it has been adapted three times for the screen: first in a 1920 silent
version starring Manora Thew, and then in further versions in 1930 starring
Austin Trevor, and in 1940 when the title role was played by Kenneth
Kent. All of these have eluded me!
- The Newgate Jig by Ann Featherstone [read by Gareth
Armstrong]
Yet again I can't praise Ann Featherstone enough, and from reading the
reviews I am not alone in my view on this novel. I'm afraid its another
poignantly sad little story and yet I find her way of telling a tale
so captivating. It's true that the core of the story is set around acts
of deeply unpleasant violence, which I am sure convincingly had its
place in Victorian society as much as it does today. However, in the
everyday life of our hero, Bob Chapman, one of life's innocents, ("For
you should know that I am not an adventurous man. I like a life that
is calm and well-ordered."), she describes a world in which
for the greater part, people are generally good to one another - and
even the slightly less sympathetic peripheral characters are only acting
out of interests of preserving their own world, not any underlying ill
will. Don't get me wrong - she does not draw a winsome rose-tinted view of jolly Victorian life - the harsh reality of urban life is all too evident. Alongside this stable picture of Bob and his solid friendships, and maybe because of it, she manages to convey
a deep sense of sinister unease and real threat to Bob's world from
the "Nasty Man" and his network - a threat which essentially stems from only bad luck and a misunderstanding.
The story ends sadly but not tragically (as does Walking in Pimlico*
I would say) - again much in keeping with real life. Although in hindsight,
and without giving the game away too much, it is perhaps true that the
events really did have a most tragic affect on Bob's life.
* I did enjoy Ann's sidelong
reference to Corney Sage (and Lucy) from the previous novel who make
a fleeting appearance in passing as they perform in the run down Constellation
music hall - with the comment that he was "too good for this gaff".
Apparently - in 2011 at least - she plans a third novel focussing on
another of the characters from the Pavilion Theatre that appear in this
book. I am looking forward to it already.
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Posted by Christina at 9:37 AM. Category: Books of the Month
