Drowning People Abridged

Rating:
Summary: A damn good read...
Review: Stylish, lyrical prose. Gripping plot. The author's extreme youth is betrayed only by a slight tendency to mistake an elegantly-phrased platitude for a profound moral statement, but otherwise a remarkable first novel. I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: The Thinking People's Pot Boiler
Review: If you like intelligent, well-constructed and intriguing novels, this is one for you. The Drowning People deals with a 70 yr old man who's just killed his wife - and as he tries to understand why he's done this, he retraces the events of his life (which are complicated, to say the least.) Much emotional realism, a beautifully fluid style, and occasional moments of humour to lighten the darkness distinguish Richard Mason from this season's crop of would-be bestsellers. Get your hands on a first edition while you can!

Rating:
Summary: Read It!
Review: Beg, borrow, steal (even buy) a copy of this novel if you can. But make sure you leave it for a day when you've not much to do - because once you've started, you won't be able to put it down. Rarely have I enjoyed a book so much. This is classy and intriguing, dealing with English society in all its looniness - but making it real and understandable too, for those who don't move in such rareified circles. Was reminded of The Great Gatsby and a little of du Maurier's Rebecca. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: Unusually good
Review: I read a lot of first novels - and have seldom encountered one as assured or mature as this. With practised ease, Mason handles a complex (but gripping) plot, and manages to look at large life issues with clear-headed insight. Loved his style, too - his words flow very easily. Almost gave it 5 stars, but am going to leave that for his second novel.... Let's just hope it's as good as this one.

Rating:
Summary: Green with envy
Review: Being an aspiring writer myself, I've beena little green over recent weeks at all the attention The Drowning People's been receiving. So I (grudgingly) bought it to find out what all the fuss was about - and found (grudgingly again) that I couldn't put it down. Wonderfully old-fashioned (an end to Easton Ellis mania, thank goodness), this is a provocative, original and compelling read. Through clenched teeth I recommend it heartily.

Rating:
Summary: Great great great
Review: Speaking of great, Richard Mason's first novel The Drowning People has been likened by at least one recent reviewer (yes, I read the GQ books page) to the Great Gatsby. And there are similarities.... Set in a world of beautiful, affluent people, Mason manages to make them as real as their environment is artificial; and the pace of the narrative makes this an impossible book to put down. Loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Savor the pages.
Review: Richard Mason's debut is not only startling in its depth of human motivation and emotions, it's also a page-turning mystery. As played out in the castles, manors and London drawing rooms of contemporary English aristocracy, The Drowning People is a stark testament that none of us is made of wood. When a wrong is committed, you and those in your world will-- each in their own agonizing way-- sink. But this is not the ordinary murder mystery that keeps the pages turning. Mr. Mason has created true literature. Imagine Cormac McCarthy gone to Oxford. Prose that curls around your lips and fingers as you slowly turn the pages. The Drowning People doesn't win you with a quick sledge hammer to the head. It lulls you in, like the harmless mare beckoning from its stall, right before you feel a back hoof in your teeth.pragwatt

Rating:
Summary: Bought and Devoured
Review: THE DROWNING PEOPLE is the debut novel of an exciting new author, Richard Mason. The pace of the narrative grips right from the beginning and the extraordinary denouement satisfied a web of complex emotions. As the story unfolds we are able to examine the consequences of youthful passions, choices and desires, with the wisdom of hindsight. The quiet intensity and unstrained beauty of its style holds much promise for the future of the new author. As the London TIMES put it: "What would be a remarkable novel from a 40 year old is extraordinary from someone of just 19."

Rating:
Summary: The drowning reader...
Review: This is an ungainly hyrbid between a schmaltzy romance that doesn't charm, and a thriller that doesn't thrill. Add to that a tendency to pontificate on grand themes in a pompous, dated style and you've got a real disappointment. I almost got through it, determined to get my money's worth, but in the end I just couldn't. This is one annoying book.

Rating:
Summary: Read it and decide....
Review: Yes, the hype around this book has been tremendous; and Richard Mason seems to have the looks and charm to sell his book even if it weren't read-worthy. However, the novel holds its own telling a great story of robust characters and demands a moral honesty from the reader. A literary feat. Watch this writer.