The Last Dickens - Matthew Pearl

I know this isn't down the left as one of the books that will be coming soon but I found this in a charity shop and thought it might be a quick read. I had started reading 'The Folks that live on the Hill' by Kingsley Amis but...well...I've never really got on with Kingsley and Martin so I thought this might be a bit of light relief, after all, it has a quote on the front from Dan Brown. I am in no way snobbish when it comes to Dan Brown. I've enjoyed all his books apart from the last one, 'The Lost Symbol' which was far too self-indulgent to see the basis of a good story.

Anyway, back to this book. It starts off very promising. There are two stories several years apart told in alternating chapters, one set in India and the other in Boston. The story progresses to describe the tour given by Charles Dickens around America before his death. It deals with the lack of copyright law in America at the time and the crimes that went on between publishing houses in order to secure copies of manuscripts. All very intruiging. The main plot then unfolds. Fastforward a few years and Fields, Osgood and Co., Dicken's American publishers, have been receiving installments of Dicken's new novel 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' when suddenly Dickens dies leaving the story incomplete...or did he?

James Osgood travels to England to discover what is left of the remaining chapters and whether he can secure the official ending of the book before rival publishing houses begin to print unofficial cheap copies of the novel as it stands. This is where I started to lose interest. I was. indeed, impressed with the author's research into Dicken's family and his home at Gadshill. However the story began to annoy me on two levels. First of all 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' turns into a sort-of biography and all the real characters start to creep out of the woodwork, we veer off into the backstreets of London and the whole thing turns into a heroin smuggling nightmare...I'm getting confused writing this all down if I'm honest.

The second thing that annoyed me is not really the author's fault although it sort of is. Reading this as a candidate for this blog meant that I was looking for specific locations that I could pinpoint on maps. Well, they are few and far between. As you'll be able to see on the map I've really tried my best. Certainly for people who have a vague idea of Dickensian London this wouldn't pose a problem but knowing that Dickens' locations, history and inspirations are so heavily documented it just felt all a little vague for me.

One thing I do want to say in praise of the novel, however, is the strong female character Rebecca. She was well drawn with a good back story which had me rooting for her more than any other character, however, she is one the few entirely fictional characters in the story. I also think that Matthew Pearl writes Dickens' character particularly well especially his mannerisms and dialogue. I wish that the story of Frank Dickens and the British Raj could have been more developed though.

As always, though, this is my opinion and looking at reviews on his website he has garnered a good range of positive criticism for this book. I was very surprised by the historical note at the back of the book, probably the most interesting part in the whole thing, by the amount of real people and situations used and for this the author must be praised.

Locations

Here is the map. If the click on the image it will take you to the full version and all the markers have descriptions of the plot points concerning each location.

Surrey Theatre:

The Surrey Theatre is no longer standing but the history of it is very interesting. It survived fire in the Victorian Age before being shut down in the 20s before finally being demolished in the 30s. This is the link to wikipedia's listing for the theatre. I've found this to be the most concise history with some good illustrations. If you would like a more in-depth history visit here. Also for a look at the sorts of shows performed at the Surrey Theatre please visit here to see one of the playbills.

Bloody Bridge:

Although the novel gives the impression that this is located in the East End near the Ratcliffe Highway all the research I have done points very firmly to Sloane Square in West London. It was, indeed, used as a place to rob and murder people as indicated in the book. The Bridge covered the Westbourne River, previously mentioned in the 'Neverwhere' post. It has come to be known as the Grosvenor Bridge because of the large property located nearby. Please visit this website for an indepth history of the Bridge.

Tiger Bay and Palmer's Folly:

I found this research into this incredibly interesting. The area between St. Katherine's Dock and Limehouse was frequented by seamen who had docked nearby as well as criminals, drug dealers and prostitutes. People who ventured into this area were seen as taking their lives into their own hands. Tiger Bay and Palmer's Folly were nicknames for two of the districts in this area. Please click this link to find a brilliant extract from the book 'Mysteries of Modern London' by James Greenwood published in 1882. It describes the area and it's inhabitants in fantastic detail.

St James's Hotel, Piccadilly:

This hotel was once a gentleman's club. Now it is a 5* luxury hotel with a rooftop area giving amazing views over central London. It has been modernised but visit their website to see photographs of some of the rooms to give you an idea of what it would have looked like when James Osgood and Rebecca stayed here.

The Thames Tunnel:

Information for its exact whereabouts took some digging. Designed by Marc Brunel, Isambard's father, it linked Rotherhithe and Wapping but is now closed to the public being used as a train tunnel. I came across this blog about London Transport which has an excellent write-up on the history of the Thames Tunnel. Also vist the Brunel Museum website for even more information. In 2010 the Tunnel was open for tours for two days. The website now states that it is seeking permission from TFL to lead tours.

If you have anymore information about the locations from this book please leave comments below!

Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer by Russell Hoban

Review

Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer is an interesting novel and the first Russell Hoban I have ever read. The cover of the book dragged me in first of all, although I freely admit it did sit on my bookshelf for a week gathering dust (damn you Star Wars Novels), it is an image that doesn't encapsulate the plot but more the emotions of the protagonist.

If anyone has ever seen the fantastic 'Bedazzled' by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, not that dreadful remake with the loathsome Liz Hurley and wonderful Brendan Fraser, then this book follows along similar lines and themes.

Jonathan is a flawed unlikeable character who indulges his own misery and finds himself at Piccadilly tube station drunk and alone; pitied by passers-by. As he drifts in and out of his misery and alcohol fuelled musings a mysterious character comes up and offers him a seat at the Opera later that evening. What follows is a story that seems supernatural but quickly becomes a thriller with twists and turns on every page. What we believe to be the story, the reality for all these characters, can change in a sentence as this plot gallops along. The main point that Hoban seems to be getting at with this novel is that you like to think that you are in control of your life and destiny but you're not really. It is only when you accept that your life is not in your power to control that you gain some control over your own destiny.

The characters in this novel are heavily flawed, there is no hero. There are victims. A stronger victim takes advantage of a weaker victim and so on and so forth until we get a pyramid of victimisation. That isn't to say the book doesn't have its moments of comedy or light-heartedness, it is just that it can be seen as gallows or dark humour. 

London in the Book

London in Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer can be seen as a character within the book, during the day it seems quiet and nurturing but when the night comes the darkness descends and the horror of the book truly begins. The majority of the locations within this novel are found in the Earls Court area of London with occasional forays into the artistic West End of the city.

Below you will find a map and list of the locations and links to some of the places to give you an idea of what they look like.



Locations in Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer: Piccadilly Tube Station, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Belgravia, Eaton Place, Earls Court Rd, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Nevern Place, Kenway Rd, National Gallery, Penywern Rd, Grays Inn Rd, Chancery Lane, Lord Jim Hotel, Edgware Road, Notting Hill, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Wimbledon, Fulham Broadway, Moore Park Road, Eel Brook Common, Harwood Rd, Bedford Square, Great Russell Street, Trafalgar Square, Waterloo, British Museum, Purcell Room, Hungerford Bridge, Embankment, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Festival Hall.

Overall this book is brilliant and provides so many great moments and characters, not to mention a wealth of brilliant locations to explore in London. I highly recommend this book and urge you to go out and read it!



Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

'There are two Londons. There's London Above - that's where you lived - and then there's London Below - the Underside - inhabited by the people who fell through the cracks in the world. Now you're one of them. ' Marquis de Carabas

Trust me to choose a book that is almost impossible to write about not only because I run the risk of sticking SPOILER ALERTS all over the post but because it is so difficult to get my head around all the layers in this story without going on and on at you without even getting to the locations! Here goes...

'Neverwhere' is the story of Richard Mayhew, a newcomer to London, who finds himself caught up in in a murder mystery/kidnap plot/treasure hunt that takes him literally to the underside of the city all this whilst being pursued by two of the most evil villains I have ever encountered. He encounters human embodiments of some of London's most famous landmarks including Old Bailey , an old man, known as a roof-dweller, who can talk to pigeons and rats, and The Black Friars who guard the Bridge and talk in riddles. The story is packed with little references to areas away from the tourist trail as well as transforming some of the most famous places into fantastical worlds while the rest of London Above is asleep.

It is a brilliant story, perfect for people who like alternate reality novels as opposed to full-blown fantasy epics. Neil Gaiman hints in the introduction that he could revist the idea in the future but possibly not as a sequel set in London, although I wish he would. There is a whole world that could be expanded on like Terry Pratchett's Discworld, after all who hasn't finished this and wondered, Why don't you want to meet the shepherds at Shepherd's Bush? or Why are there still Romans camped out by the Kilburn River?

The edition I have is the Author's Preferred Text, like a Director's Cut, and has lots of interesting things at the back like an interview with Gaiman and the original prologue. This is where I discovered that the series had already been adapted for the television, in fact it started as a teleplay and Gaiman wrote the book to include all the scenes that got cut. The DVD is cheap enough on Amazon although it did come in for some criticism because of the filming quality. I haven't seen it, probably something to write about in the future, but if you would like to see some clips you can see them on youtube here and here.

Locations

Many of the locations in 'Neverwhere' are real although some are virtually unknown to many Londoners. Due to the location of London Below a lot of the action takes place in sewers, disused tube tunnels and alleyways and if you look hard enough they really are there. All the locations are located on this googlemap with the plotpoints linked for reference but be warned inevitably there will be spoilers.

I've also included below links to some brilliant sites I discovered in my quest to find pictures of some of the underground locations many of which are closed to the public.

Underground Stations

Neil Gaiman reveals in the introduction and interview that filming took place in Aldwych and Down Street Stations. Down Street Station is a location in the book presumably as the setting for Serpentine's dining room. I found a brilliant site all about the disued rail stations and excellent pictures from inside. Click here to take you to the tour of Down Street Tube Station but also make sure you visit here for before and after shots of British Museum Station. I have found it very hard to find pictures of latter and many urban explorers have said it is much harder to access disued tube stations in recent years.

Introduction to De Carabas

Near the beginning of the story Door sends Richard to deliver a message to the Marquis De Carabas and Gaiman details specific instructions on how to get there. In January I followed the route. Being a frequent visitor to London I already knew in my mind's eye where this location was based on Gaiman's instructions but I was still surprised by how accurate it was. Yes there is no Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street anymore neither but the souvenier shop is still there hey presto there is

leading to

but no Orme Passage (there is an Orme Court in London but nowhere near Oxford Street) however the Indian Restaurant, now a Chinese Restaurant, is still there but next to a brick wall where Orme Passage should be. You can see really good shots of where it would be if you GoogleStreetView it.

Fictional Locations

As far as I know the following places in 'Neverwhere' are fictional:

• Little Comden Street - where Richard lives.
• Down Street - not the disued tube station the actual street.

There are also some non-descript places that probably do exist in London but do not have specific locations such as the abandoned victorian hospital that Croup and Vandemar spend a majority of their time as well as the place that Richard meets the Iliaster and descends into London Below.

If anyone has any ideas or more information please leave your comments!