Book #53 The Quincunx by Charles Palliser

The Quincunx

The Quincunx by Charles Palliser was recommended to me by Internet buddy Helen who knows I like Victoriana style literature. In The Quincunx a young boy named John grows up under a cloud, his mother alludes to their being in danger but does not state what this danger is, and they live under a false name.

I could not decide whether this book, a story of an extended family's fight over a will was a homage to Dickens or mocking Dickens, it certainly feels like a satire and therefore mocking of the sort of thing that Dickens produced. There are elements of Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, David Copperfield and most fundamentally Bleak House throughout the entire tale. Henrietta for example reminded me of Estella and the character of Bissett reminded me of a female Uriah Heep.

There is plenty of suspense and action as John lurches from disastrous episode to disastrous episode, but I found I became infuriated by how often he is repeatedly tricked and cheated, suspects the wrong people and doesn't trust the right ones and ends up in a worst state than he was in before.

The book incites genuine feeling in the reader which not all books manage to do. In this book, it's severe irritation in the early stages with both conniving servant Bissett and foolish mother Mary. Others such as Miss Quilliam manage to pull off both respect and pity. So in that manner it is a well written novel because you do genuinely care.

One of the things I liked best about The Quincunx particularly in the initial stages was that the shadowy figures pulling the strings behind the scenes are not initially referred to as who they are but by what they represent. Power, Justice, Equity, Law. You don't know who they are, but you know what they are I thought this was clever. The mystery aspect too is genuinely intricate.


On the other hand the inter connections and general ancestral history of the family are (probably deliberately) highly convoluted and genuinely confusing. Towards the end it feels farcical, as heirs seem to sprout up from every corner. The Quincunx at over 1,000 pages long is quite the task to read in terms of sheer man hours, and in my opinion could have been pared back by about 400 pages.

A good book, but only if you like the style of writing of Dickens and his peers . 8/10 

Book #24 The Paperchase by Marcel Theroux

The Paperchase

The Paperchase by Marcel Theroux (son of Paul, brother of Louis) appears to be out of print on Amazon UK but can be purchased used.

The Paperchase concerns Damien March, who works a dull job at the BBC, he hears his Uncle Patrick has died and attends his funeral more as a break from the norm than for any other reason. Then he discovers he has inherited the bulk of his Uncle's estate, in particular his home on Ionia an island off the coast of Massachussetts. His Uncle, a fairly cantankerous old man had been involved with disputes with practically all other relatives leaving Damien the last option. A bequest apparently borne of spite rather than benevolence.

Damien disconnected from and discontented with life decides to spend sometime on Ionia and in so doing becomes encumbered by his Uncle's many possessions, but amongst his paperwork discovers intrigues and secrets.

A fairly slight novel at just over 200 pages, The Paperchase is nevertheless imbued with a real sense of place and atmosphere on Ionia and manages a good level of depth of characterisation with both Damien and Patrick. It also leaves a couple of interesting open ended questions worth considering, or so I thought personally.

It was enjoyable and very readable, although the story isn't "a big one", packed with incident it is deftly handled and engaging. I think my biggest complaint would be that it was too short which is a compliment to the writer really.   Certainly worth the couple of hours of your time it would take to read, and the low price on Amazon. Shame it's out of print. 8/10