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The world (including me) mostly knows George RR Martin for the Song of Ice and Fire sequence that is the basis of the Game of Thrones TV series. I will admit to being a fan of the series but I’ve never read any of the cycle that underpins it, though the Book God and a couple of friends keep on telling me that I should. And I may very well do in the future but for now, and as my last read for Once Upon a Time VII, I decided to pick up an earlier volume that the Book God also recommended.
Fevre Dream is fairly high concept: vampires on riverboats. It tells the story of Abner Marsh, a steamboat captain who has fallen on hard times and is approached my a very distinctive person in the form of Joshua York who funds the building of the boat that will be known as the Fevre Dream, one of the finest of its kind ever to be built. But it becomes clear that Joshua is not only not what he appears but that he has a mission which brings them both face to face with others of Joshua’s kind who do not share his views, and a mighty struggle is inevitable.
I enjoyed this very much, and not just because vampires are my supernatural monster of choice. There is a verve and swagger and romance in the telling of the story which makes this more than vampires on a boat. A love of the ships and the lifestyle and the river really shines through, and the growing respect and friendship between two men who couldn’t be further apart adds a great deal to what could have been, in other hands, a bit of a potboiler. It also has a quite wonderfully aristocratic villain who makes a worthy opponent.
This would have been a brilliant Hammer film.
The conclusion was rather lovely and very satisfying, and I’m glad that my participation in this year’s challenge ended on such a high note.
About The Great Gatsby:
The Great Gatsby is one of the great love stories of our time. In it the author distilled the essences of glamour and illusion so powerfully that his book has haunted and tantalised generations of readers.
When did I first read this? 1975
What age was I? 13
How may times since then? This is the seventh time that I can be sure of, possibly more
Thoughts about the book:
I was at quite an impressionable age when I read this. I think the reason I first got a copy was the fuss around the release of the film in 1974 starring Robert Redford (I had quite a thing about him at that age having seen Butch Cassidy and The Sting) and Mia Farrow who looked so ethereal on the cover of the film-tie in version which is the first edition I bought. I think I’m on my third copy now having learned not to lend it to people as I don’t get it back (I now buy books that I want people to read rather than part with my precious volumes).
I remember that it had a huge impact on me. I think it was the first really proper adult literary novel that I had read (other than some of the classics like the Brontes and Robinson Crusoe and so forth) and I was amazed that (even though I’m sure I didn’t understand half of it) so much could be captured in a book that was so short. I think I realised that Gatsby’s story was tragic both because what happened to him was unfair and because his own desire to recreate himself and try to recapture a past that never really existed was never going to end well.
As I’ve got older and re-read it I have come to really dislike Daisy for all sorts of reasons (I always hated Tom for being a bully and for setting up the denouement as he did), and realise just what an unreliable narrator Nick is (as a young reader I don’t think I was entirely aware of the concept and took everything Nick said at face value, and of course he is one of the very few people who stick by Gatsby at the end).
I was thrilled to read this again as part of my Big Re-Read project but also in preparation for the new film (which I will review over at Bride of the Screen God shortly) and to find that it has lost none of its power or lyricism. I still think it’s one of the greatest novels ever.
So we beat on, boats against the current , borne back ceaselessly into the past.
This was Part 2 of my Gatsby weekend
Part 1 of my Gatsby weekend was attending the Saturday matinee performance of a new ballet based on The Great Gatsby by The Northern Ballet at Sadler’s Wells. Wonderful mix of modern and more traditional dance styles, incredibly clever sets, jazz and fabulous costumes. Enjoyed it very much indeed.
Bride of the Book God 