[ebooktalk] Re: PETER ACKROYD THE CASEBOOK OF VICTOR FRANKENSTINE

  • From: "Steven Bingham" <steven.bingham1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:29:08 -0000

Hi Shell 

 

Hawksmoor was a difficult one. It was complicated by the fact that the
present day detective was dreaming about the 18th century architect who was
also a character in the book. So you had time jumps and dream sequences to
cope with as well as the coincidences of the stories. 

 

I enjoyed it but it was rather dark.

 

I haven't enjoyed all of the Ackroyd books I have read - English Music just
didn't click for example. I can't even remember what it was about now. 

 

Steve

 

From: ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Shell
Sent: 29 October 2013 18:49
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: PETER ACKROYD THE CASEBOOK OF VICTOR FRANKENSTINE

 

Steve, I did attempt to read Hawksmore by Peter Ackroyd some years ago and
couldn't get on with it.  I haven't read him since, but then I was a lot
younger when I tried him and might get on better now.

Shell.



--------------------------------------------------
From: "Steven Bingham" <steven.bingham1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 12:16 PM
To: <ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ebooktalk] PETER ACKROYD THE CASEBOOK OF VICTOR FRANKENSTINE

> Hi 
> 
> 
> 
> I have nearly finished this fascinating novel. It is a retelling of the
> Frankenstine story for the point of view of Victor Frankenstine. Shelley
is
> a character in the story.
> 
> 
> 
> One thing that strikes me about Ackroyd's writing is that he is very good
on
> smell. Smell doesn't often get a look in in fiction and I suppose this is
> reasonable as we don't really notice it. Today the prominent smell of most
> of our towns and a good bit of the countryside is the smell of petrol or
> diesel oil from vehicles. Transport has always had a large impact on the
> smell of a place up until the end of the first World War it would have
been
> the smells associated with horses. Up until the adoption of modern sewage
> treatment and particularly the water closet much of the smell of a place
> would have been attributable to human waste. 
> 
> 
> 
> The book is set in the period around 1820. At that time the smell of
London
> must have been horrendous by modern standards. Not only did you have the
> horse and human waste but cattle were kept, often in cellars, to provide
> milk; there were large numbers of slaughter houses to provide meat and of
> course all these animals to feed provide dairy produce and eggs would have
> to be driven through the streets. Then there was the river . We have all
> heard about the 'Great Stink' of the 1850s. 
> 
> 
> 
> So ackroyd does describe the stench of the places, not obsessively, but
> enough to make it fairly real.
> 
> 
> 
> Steve
> 
>

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