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qatsiBook Review: The Madness of July, by James Naughtie
When I saw this in the work book sale I picked it up out of curiosity. Though the month was wrong, I immediately thought of Brexit, but on reading the blurb it turns out to be set in the 1970s, in a midsummer heat wave. On arrival home, I was disappointed to discover a surprisingly low rating on Goodreads.
Nevertheless, I persisted. I do feel the story has a weak start - the story breaks rapidly, characters are barely introduced, it all feels rather claustrophobic - but I am glad to say I did find it worth persevering. The review "Echoes of John Buchan and John Le Carré" excerpted in the blurb is unhelpful. Though it's fair to say the story does revolve around spies - and in particular, spying on those other than the traditional adversary - the pace is different. The story in its entirety takes place over a (long) weekend, with a body discovered on Thursday and all the loose ends wrapped up by the following Tuesday. For me, the lasting impression is of an oppressive working culture - both politicians and civil servants seem to be working all hours and it's difficult to see how they get any chance to sleep. Will Flemyng, the principal character in all this and Foreign Office Minister, is an ex-spy and called upon by the Cabinet Secretary to discover just why a dead American has been discovered in the Houses of Parliament - though for procedural reasons, Special Branch have removed the body so that it will be officially discovered in his hotel. Over the course of the weekend, Flemyng's relationships - with his wife, with his political colleagues, and with his brothers in the Scottish highlands - are all tested. The espionage tale, though it is the reason for the story, almost plays second fiddle; there was opportunity to explore more the familial relationships in particular. It's not a bad book, but don't expect too much from it.
When I saw this in the work book sale I picked it up out of curiosity. Though the month was wrong, I immediately thought of Brexit, but on reading the blurb it turns out to be set in the 1970s, in a midsummer heat wave. On arrival home, I was disappointed to discover a surprisingly low rating on Goodreads.
Nevertheless, I persisted. I do feel the story has a weak start - the story breaks rapidly, characters are barely introduced, it all feels rather claustrophobic - but I am glad to say I did find it worth persevering. The review "Echoes of John Buchan and John Le Carré" excerpted in the blurb is unhelpful. Though it's fair to say the story does revolve around spies - and in particular, spying on those other than the traditional adversary - the pace is different. The story in its entirety takes place over a (long) weekend, with a body discovered on Thursday and all the loose ends wrapped up by the following Tuesday. For me, the lasting impression is of an oppressive working culture - both politicians and civil servants seem to be working all hours and it's difficult to see how they get any chance to sleep. Will Flemyng, the principal character in all this and Foreign Office Minister, is an ex-spy and called upon by the Cabinet Secretary to discover just why a dead American has been discovered in the Houses of Parliament - though for procedural reasons, Special Branch have removed the body so that it will be officially discovered in his hotel. Over the course of the weekend, Flemyng's relationships - with his wife, with his political colleagues, and with his brothers in the Scottish highlands - are all tested. The espionage tale, though it is the reason for the story, almost plays second fiddle; there was opportunity to explore more the familial relationships in particular. It's not a bad book, but don't expect too much from it.