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 > >