Rating: 
Summary: Don't believe the hype
Review: I had read somewhere that this book is like The Beach by Alex Garland and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It's not. Richard Mason is either trying to write in a pseudo-gothic style for atmosphere, or he is simply writing the way he thinks that a grown-up should. The result is a poe-faced, archaic story with dreadful dialogue. The story is good, though and there are some nice literary devices, but he should have sat on it a while instead of letting the publishers hype him as a child genius.
Rating:
Summary: mediocre story, dull writing
Review: Beware the hype on this one. The story itself is OK, and is just about interesting enough to get you through to the end, but the characters are irritating beyond belief and the tone of the whole thing is unremittingly earnest. I didn't so much as smirk while reading this. As a portrayal of posh kids in London it's not too far off the mark, but I can't be more generous than that. The publishers will have you believe they've discovered a major new talent - they haven't.
Rating:
Summary: Not convincing
Review: I picked this book up in the UK and was surprised to discover after reading it that it was being 'hyped' over there. It's a remarkably flat and ungainly read, the style erratic and curiously old-fashioned. The narrative is also very clunky and, for me at least, rarely came to life. I found the depictions of the emotional life of the characters almost painfully unconvincing. The author is young, but I can't see that this is something that readers should be expected to take into account. Maybe Mr Mason should do a little more living before writing about life. I'm afraid he hasn't really got the picture yet (and sitting in a study somewhere he probably won't).
Rating: 
Summary: This is a must read....
Review: This is an astounding debut. It is a long time since a novel captured my heart as this one has done. Richard Masons writing is both fluid and complex, and captures scenes and situations with a clarity and reality that is simply mind-blowing. I could not put this book down. Read it or miss out on the best new writer this decade....
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling debut
Review: I purchased this novel in Germany recently, and was absolutely entralled by the intensity of the characterisation, and the believability of the young authors depiction of a 70 year old man looking back on his life. It is extraordinary that Richard Mason is able to write with this depth of compassion and understanding whilst still a teenager. This book has it all, and I would reccomend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: A ready pen, but...
Review: James Farell's wife has shot herself through the head. At least, that is what the police believe. In fact James killed her and he tells us so right at the beginning of what will become a confession of almost 400 pages, why, after 45 years of a not unhappy marriage he killed her. That is a challenge: begin with the end and go back from there. The author was 18 when he wrote this and considering his age he did a good job, but.. he clearly (yet)lacks the ability to draw a convincing 70 year-old man. He tries to put deepness in Farells thinking, but i.m.o. he failed. While reading I couldn't help thinking: this could have been told in 200 pages, I wouldn't have missed a thing. Only because of his smooth pen and the fact that I somehow wanted to know what happened I read on. Mason also shows that he knows a lot of little facts about classical music, history, Prague etc. that I think are meant to give it a literary character, but that didn't veil the disappointing outcome. The writing on itself was rather good, but to me, that didn't save the book. Pondering..this book does have qualities to become a bestseller: a nice looking, young author and not do bad a story. Mason must have read 'A secret history' by Donna Tartt, but I won't say he comes near it.
Rating:
Summary: These sorts of things should be left in the drawer
Review: Poor Richard Mason. The talent that allows some of his very good writing and the perspicacity that generates amazing wisdom for one one so young, can also produce potential literary disasters. Very few first novels should be let out of the bottom left hand drawer of the battered wooden desk. One should read them every couple of years as a reminder of the necessity of time and time again. As for the results, sorry Kid but Scott Spencer and Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine cornered this market years ago and not on a first time basis.
Rating: 
Summary: worth the wait
Review: This book was at times slow moving, and the detailed descriptions were often repetative and frustrating. Despite this, I could not stop reading it. The story was haunting, and worth the wait. The slow pace seemed to fit the main character's slow revelation of what had taken place. Although I did figure out the ending before the author gave it away, I don't feel it was too obvious.
Rating:
Summary: A delicious read...but 4, not 5 stars for implausibility
Review: I am not a big fan of English film and perhaps that's the reason I didn't really like this book. It just kept going and going and going. I found so many areas extremely boring but I always (well almost) finish a book once I start. There was not enough story for the length of the book.
Rating:
Summary: a ho-hum story brought to life by terrific prose...
Review: Richard Mason should be proud. It is hard to believe that a 20 year old university student can produce such sumptious prose in his first novel ('The Drowning People'). The words flow beautifully. Not only is it an effortless read, the prose is on par with the best of today's fiction writers. So yes, I loved this book. However the story itself isn't exactly flawless. The story is a about a love triangle (actually, a quadrangle) set in modern London. A talented violinist falls in love with a troubled young woman with a bizarre past. The bane of this woman's existence is her identical cousin (..hmmm, sounds like 'The Patty Duke Show'). Further complicating matters is the relationship of a (very close) male friend. Sounds like a soap opera? Well, it actually works better than it sounds. A bit contrived, but thanks to the prose it is all compulsive reading. Bottom line: a fantastic debut of a promising writer. Recommended.
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