A great book with a bad cast!
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Another great book by Gale but what I get again is a cast of characters that I don't care about and could quite easily dislike! A very good story but why oh why aren't these people likeable? This is Gales biggest weakness, a cast of brilliant characters that no one likes. In future make me care!
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I might be out of step with the other reviewers here, but this is my favourite Gale novel!
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I recently bought a copy of Patrick Gale's latest novel "Notes From An Exhibition" and I thought before reading it I'd re-read this book as it has always been my favourite of Gale's novels and made a real impression on me when I read it back in the mid 90's. At first I felt disappointed, I'd had this book taking up space on my bookshelves for over ten years and it really wasn't doing much for me, but then, and I think this is one of Gale's skills as a storyteller, it began to draw me in and I found myself really caring for characters I hadn't particularly liked at the start of the book. And once the author has drawn you in and you begin to care he starts to put you through the emotional wringer - one moment I was laughing aloud the next I felt like crying. There's an air of melancholic nostalgia which permeates the whole book and which is absolutely beautiful. Three generations of the Pepper family live or stay at The Roundel in this novel which spans from the post-war years to the present day. The house is given to Sally Pepper, a doctor, by a childless woman friend with the proviso that it continues to be passed down the female line of the family, but interestingly enough, it is the male characters on which the house seems to exert more of its influence, particularly Sally's husband, Edward who lives in the grounds for the duration of the novel and for whom it is an escape from the harsh realities of his past, as a German Jew and also for his grandson, Jamie, who uses the house to escape from the realities of his present, as he uses it as a retreat whilst suffering from AIDS.
It is extremely well-written and fully deserves its place on my bookshelf where it will now be going back on the space it left waiting to be re-read again at some point in the future. It still remains my favourite of Patrick Gale's novels (with "Rough Music" coming in second) and it has made me look forward to reading the new one.
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An engrossing epic
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Like Gale's most famous novel, 'Rough Music', 'The Facts of Life' features two narratives several years apart concerning the same family. While the two threads are not interweaved in the same way as 'Rough Music', and do not have the same obvious link, both prove gripping reads, and the strong characterisation of Edward Pepper is retained throughout. As is common in Gale's work, a key theme is homosexuality and its complexities, but it would be unfair to pigeonhole this purely as 'gay literature' - anyone who appreciates strong storytelling will enjoy this novel. The contrasts between Edward and Jamie, the similarities between Sally and Alison and the three key deaths all provide particularly strong moments; and fans of Joan Collins are sure to indulge in a wry grin at the character of Myra Toye...
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Gale warning
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I, like most, discovered Mr. Gale through Rough Music. I enjoyed it very much, particularly the haunting echoes reverberating through so many of the pages. It, on several occasions, confronted me with stark uncomfortable truths about life, and forced me to deal with them, sending a shudder down my spine as it did so - I enjoy books which make and impact and present me with a challenge, so I eagerly awaited his next publication. And enjoyed it - A Sweet Obscurity - so much that I immediatly went back to the bookshop to seek out the rest of his back catalogue. At first glance, The Facts of Life seemed as if it would offer the most, and the critics certainly seemed to like it. To say I didn't quite share their sentiments would be something of an understatement. By the end of it, I was quite seriously considering suing for misrepresentation, or at the very least offering my sympathy (and perhaps the name of a good doctor) for their clearly dwindling analytical abilities. I would share the other reviewers' opinions on the first half to some extent, in that there are some intreiguing aspects, and it can be relatively involving. There are some interesting points made about the changing nature of women's roles in life due to the war, and it creates some convincing and touching sentiment between Edward and Sally, and Sally and Dr. Pertwee. It is not great, however, and makes the attrocious second half appear even worse. It is badly written (I would push a copy of Eats, Shoots and Leaves in the author's direction), uninvolving, unconvincing, and apparently pointless. It is impossible to care about any of the characters as they all remain unrealised and unrealistic. No emotions are evoked sufficiently to create any genuine empathy, and I felt myself dully ploughing on all but blankly as the drab prose droned on and on. It also became far too contrived, with the author trying much too hard - and failing miserably - to create a profound parallel between the holocaust and HIV, and the two merciful deaths. I strongly recommend you don't waste the time or money on this, and instead go straight for A Sweet Obscurity, which is as original and delicious as it's title suggests.
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A great, involving read
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Over the past year I've been working my way through Patrick Gale's novels. Yes, Rough Music is his masterpiece but you can't compare everything to it (see other reviews). I thought this book was very moving. It is two stories and at times I couldn't really see any reason for putting them in one volume but as you get nearer the end of the second part you see that stories from both parts mirror each other. The Holocoust and AIDs, a grandfather and his grandson both in hospital and mercy killings. These things go towards making up the "facts of life". And maybe the novel also offers different ways of surviving: blocking things out,loving too much, living through other people or just passing through as the Hollywood star does. My only complaint is that Mr Gale doesn't tie up all the ends of the novel but maybe this is deliberate. It means that you keep the lives of his characters in your mind and plot what you think should have happened. I won't give anythnig away but Alison, you must tell him! It's about time one of Mr Gale's books was dramatised for tv and if a producedr could successfully link the two partsthis would make a great start (or what about A Sweet Obsucrity?)
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