DEAN PARK PRESS & COMELY BANK PUBLISHING
  • Welcome
  • Dean Park Press
  • Our Current Authors
  • Blog/News
  • Resources for Talented New Authors
    • Submissions
    • Style Guidelines
    • Formatting
    • Covers
    • Dealing with Writer's Block
    • Sequels Advice
    • A Guide to Scrivener
  • 'Legacy' Comely Bank Publishing Authors
    • T D Burke >
      • The Man From Outremer
    • Gordon Lawrie >
      • Four Old Geezers and a Valkyrie
      • The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwell-Hume
      • The Blogger Who Came in from the Cold
      • The Piano Exam
      • Recipes
      • 100 Not Out
    • Lucy Lloyd >
      • Russian Doll
    • Jane Tulloch >
      • Our Best Attention
      • Assured Attention
      • Christmas At Murrays
    • Roland Tye >
      • Weekender
  • Bookshop
  • Info for Booksellers
  • Terms & Conditions
  • About Us
  • Contact
Community Publishing for the community

Review: "The Third Policeman" by Flann O'Brien

30/11/2013

0 Comments

 
The Third PolicemanThe Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It was with the greatest joy that I finally drove myself over the finishing line in this book. Lent it by a friend, I felt obliged to give it my best shot, but despite its brevity (just over 200 pages, many of which have massive footnotes) I found myself wanting to throw it away – literally – at times.

Flann O'Brien's novel was rejected in his own lifetime. It was written around 1940, and if you can imagine Joyce mixed with Dali you might have the picture. The story – such as it is – is narrated by someone who has (I think) jointly committed a murder, then runs into two bizarre policeman. These policemen won't give straight answers to questions, answering 'no' most of the time, and they lecture the central character on the philosophy of bicycles. At times, the latter take on semi-human characteristics. I thought the book might be allegorical, but I gather it's not particularly.

Yet the book is funny – exceptionally so at times – especially in the footnotes, where a whole subtext about the works of a writer called "de Selby" are analysed, including commentaries from equally amusing names such as Hatchjaw (apologies to any readers with either of these names). These footnotes are a wonderfully satirical take-off of the academic style. But in the end, it's not funny enough to justify an entire novel, and in truth the book's a bit of a one-trick pony. Well, maybe two tricks, but no more. My wife would give this no stars if she could, and she's actually read it twice!

I gather this languished unread for long enough until it it got a boost from the showing of "Lost" some years back, after which it attained an undeserved cult status. The edition I read had a publisher's note at the end which explained the key to the story. Neither my wife nor I would have worked it out otherwise, which tells it all.

It might have been all right as a longish short story. Now I've earned the right to read something I can enjoy.

TRUST ME I'M TRYING TO BE POSITIVE HERE...

View all my reviews
0 Comments

BookWeek Scotland events

29/11/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture








Gordon Lawrie spoke to two groups of writers on the subject of "Getting Published" this week at Dalkeith Public Library (Tuesday 26th November) and Penicuik Public Library (Thursday 28th November). Lots of enthusiastic and promising writers turned out, and anyone who would like him look over their manuscript is more than welcome to send it on.

0 Comments

New Edition of Four Old Geezers And A Valkyrie by Gordon Lawrie

14/11/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
A new revised edition of Gordon Lawrie's debut novel Four Old Geezers And A Valkyrie is due out on Thursday 20th November, ISBN 978-0-9573521-6-2.

Available online and from decent Edinburgh bookshops.

0 Comments

Review

9/11/2013

0 Comments

 
Death in BordeauxDeath in Bordeaux by Allan Massie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Allan Massie - better known in Scotland as a journalist - surprised me with this atmospheric detective story set in the early days of World War 2 as the Germans occupy France. The story - two, actually - weaves in with description of how different sections of local society view events as they unfold around them. I like Massie's central character Superintendent Lannes, but I like sidekicks, too, especially the enthusiastic René. By and large, though, all the characters are pretty rounded, and like Philip Kerr Massie even allows for the possibility of the 'acceptable Nazi'.

There's an interesting, measured pace about the novel which is reminiscent of Fred Vargas, and of Siménon before that. I'm not sure if there's something peculiar about the French that lends itself to the quieter style - probably there are hard-boiled French crime novels out there, I just haven't stumbled across them yet.

I was lent this by a friend, who claims there's at least one more. I look forward to it.

View all my reviews
0 Comments

    News

    Latest news from
    ​Comely Bank Publishing


    ARCHIVED Posts

    PLEASE NOTE That links in archived posts may no longer be valid

    August 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Picture
    Click here for more about author Roland Tye
    Picture
    Click here for more about author T.D.Burke
    Picture
    Click here for Gordon Lawrie author page
    Picture
    Click here for more about Jane Tulloch
    Picture
    Click here for more about Lucy Lloyd

    Picture
    proud sponsors of
    ​
    Friday Flash Fiction

    Picture
Picture

Website by Platform 36
Photo used under Creative Commons from gianandreap