Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde

 62%

24.05.24

Billed as an eccentric futuristic romance, this was actually more of a terrifying dystopian satire - funny at times, certainly clever and inventive, but neither cosy nor reassuring. Which isn't a bad thing, especially as some of the ideas are oddly plausible, but it suffered from a lack of emotional connection to the characters' rather desperate plights.

Golden Hill - Francis Spufford

72%
13.02.17

I wait ages for a decent novel and then two come along together, although I imagine this tour de force provokes strong reactions either way. Personally, I enjoyed the nods to 17th-century picaresque farce, the Henry Fielding references and the unusual, intriguing setting. The air of mystery around the central character was well sustained, and there is probably much to consider if you fancy writing an essay about it. But I don't.

Expo 58 - Jonathan Coe

55%
07.08.14

I've never really got on with Jonathan Coe's arch, faux-documentary style but this sounded promising enough for me to reserve it at the library. But I didn't really get on with its arch, faux-documentary style. Was it a satire? Was it a thriller? Was it simply a humorous book with occasional serious slants? Fine for a summer read.

The Herring Seller's Apprentice - LC Tyler

53%
24.09.11

I will be fair and say that there were moments when I laughed out loud. The plot was a tad predictable but perhaps that didn't matter in a satire such as this. It's interesting to note that the most vivid character didn't actually appear in person at all. It's also interesting to note that one of the main characters was called Elsie (LC), but I'd be very surprised if the book was autobiographical.

The Believers - Zoe Heller

66%
28.11.10

Another, very different, take on the immigrant experience. Why did I enjoy this more than "Hearts & Minds"? There was humour, for one, and a more concentrated scope, which kept the drift towards "issues" mostly in check. I liked the characters more, too, because they were less likable, grittier, more frustrating. Despite its title, it wasn't particularly believable, but that wasn't really its intention, I suspect.

Indignation - Philip Roth

45%
10.01.10

No doubt this is clever, satirical, a skewering of American social history. But the narrator, who could have been a hilariously ironic anti-hero, was just so irritating that I was reluctant to engage - so it all seemed a bit slight. I just didn't like it.

The Collector Collector - Tibor Fischer

63%
23.06.09

Bawdy, surreal, funny and twisted - this is many things that most modern literary fiction is not. An easy, poetic read, just on this side of pretentiousness, but with whatever depths a readers cares to dive for. Certainly different, certainly unsettling but ultimately too clever to be wholly enjoyable. But that's not to say I didn't like it.

Arlington Park - Rachel Cusk

43%
19.11.07



I was so bewildered by this that I checked its reviews on Amazon, which were equally split between one and five star opinions. I'd tend towards the one star. On the plus side, it's unusually feminist and has some amusing turns of phrase, but otherwise it's a collection of vignettes about a group of middle-class women with no discernable differences in personality, all hating their husbands and children. Enormously overwritten, with metaphors that didn't make sense, and two or three words that I had to look up in the dictionary. What is the author trying to prove?

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid - Bill Bryson

65%
20.06.07




Bryson accomplishes his dissections of given subjects so effortlessly that it's amost as if he isn't trying. Perhaps he doesn't need to try - he just seems to be naturally satirical and genuinely funny.

Left Bank - Kate Muir

45%
05.02.07




Pointless unconvincing chick-lit.

Woman's World - Graham Rawle

29.08.06
83%




The cover says this is 'a work of genius' and for once the review is right. This book is absolutely brilliant on a variety of levels. Made entirely from collage, with delightful turns of phrase, the story too is a compelling (if slightly obvious) one. Five years of gluing paid off.

Vernon God Little - D B C Pierre

09.11.05
75%




At last - a challenging novel with something to say. Cleverly constructed, poetically written and sharply satirical., it's almost like a lot of other books - but better. Perhaps not an enjoyable read, but a rewarding one. Brilliant.

Death and the Penguin - Andrey Kurkov

51%
06.06.05




Modern Ukranian literature, heavy with emphatic metaphor and stilted translation. Another culture, another perspective, quite an ingenious plot but too detached and odd to make a satisfying read.

Timoleon Vieta Come Home - Dan Rhodes

64%
14.12.04




I'd forgotten that, after having read exerpts from his previous stories, I'd decided to avoid the works of Dan Rhodes. He's undeniably a clever, lyrical writer, but this isn't so much dark as a black hole brimming with pain, disappointment and death, unredeemed by even the strongest love. Like 'The Wrong Boy', this was billed as funny, but the comedy is indistinguishable from the tragedy. It's good for me to read edgy novels once in while but I don't have to enjoy them. Marks here are for execution - in one sense.
[Ju's note: I'm surprised I gave this book such a high mark as I remember it with distaste. It was so cynical and mean-minded - I'll certainly avoid Mr Rhodes' works after all.]

The Scheme for Full Employment - Magnus Mills

60%
22.03.04




It's hard to know what to make of Magnus Mills' novels. This one seems to have a clearer metaphorical meaning than 'Three to See the King', but as soon as you think you've pinned it down, you realise you're not quite right. This fable seems highly political, tersely written, but also eccentric and funny. Mills, it is safe to conclude, definitely has his own idiosyncratic style. [Editorial note: I suspect they practise The Scheme for Full Employment where I work...]

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

75%
03.01.04




Is it a fable? A subversive political satire? An old-fashioned adventure story? Who cares? On any level, it's clever, absorbing and funny - as well as a very useful survival manual if I should ever find myself shipwrecked with a tiger.

Dead Famous - Ben Elton

58%
12.09.03




Parody with 'Big Brother' with added murder twist. Irritatingly one-sided, with no discernable characterisation - perhaps that was the point, given the theme of media superficiality. Mainly notable for not revealing the victim until halfway through, but no big surprises or subtlety to be found.

Three to See the King - Magnus Mills

68%
07.04.03

This could be a biting satire on religion / Communism / women / delusion / politics / leadership / the concept of community. Or it could just be pretending to be a satire, a satire on satire. I rather suspect it's the latter, but that's in no way a criticism. So clever that the reader feels as if they've been tricked - no bad thing.

Janice Gentle Gets Sexy - Mavis Cheek

58%
04.04.03




Perhaps I miss the point with satire - I find these glimpses of wasted lives achingly sad rather than achingly funny. This is not as distressing as 'The Wrong Boy', but humour doesn't fit comfortably among these people trapped in their own personalities and freed only by luck or coincidence. Clever but somehow mean-spirited.

Happiness (TM) - Will Ferguson

57%
16.06.02




This satire on publishing and modern life should have struck a chord with me, but it's not as clever, deep or funny as it thinks it is. More emphasis on character development and less on in-jokes would have helped.