Rating: 
Summary: Loverly read
Review: ... I only wish I could write half as well as that at my advanced age of 60#. Yes, Ella had problems and was most likely as crazy as her family history made her out to be. James admits he was naieve or however you spell that word. Sarah was just as crazy as her cousin but got away with her crime for almost 50 years. ... I look forward to more from Mr. Mason. .
Rating:
Summary: A must Read!
Review: From the moment i picked up this book i just couldnt put it down! Dont be bothered with those other uppity reviews people gave, this book is a must read. The main characters James and Ella get you caught up in their love and take you on a very thought provoking ride through the brief moment of love they shared. The twist and turns in this book kept me going and made me hunger for more. If you love a good love story mixed in with some class and sexy turns then read this book! Even if you dont like that Read it anyways! Trust me you'll thank me later!
Rating: 
Summary: Let the author try again - in 20 years or so
Review: Mason is being touted as some kind of adolescent prodigy, but the book simply doesn't deliver. It is an extremely convoluted and unlikely story, overstuffed with cities, castles and too obviously 'interesting' rich people. Characterisation hardly evolves beyond caricature, which is fatal especially for the main figures, James and Ella. Ella emerges as some kind of histrionic Gorgon, fickle and highly unlikeable, which makes it hard to see why James would fall in love with her in the first place, let alone have his every emotion and action dictated by her (fancy attempting to have sex with your best male friend only to prove to your girl, who suspects you of being gay, that it doesn't work for you. There's a bit of twisted psychology for you if ever there was!) This uncritical slavery doesn't inspire much sympathy for his character either. Mason doesn't bother to explain all this, probably being too busy keeping the storyline together. Yet the love of James for Ella is the pivotal element, without an understanding of which the plot simply falls apart.Mason's inexperience, not as much as a writer but simply in life, shines through on every page. He seems selfconscious about this, judging by all the times he lets his (elderly) narrator muse on the inexperience and silliness of youth. All this is not too convincing. Though not per se badly written, there are some irritating mannerisms, not least the far too frequent use of the tag 'you see', probably meant to create the intimate feel of the narrator directly addressing us. But in a novel where there is really so very little to be seen (and what there is, you will have seen at least 20 pages before the narrator comes out with it) this did strike me as somewhat ridiculous: like somebody telling you the clue (ta-taaa) to a joke that has fallen flat long before. So forget about this book. Too many words to describe too little, too many aspirations and too little realisation of them.
Rating:
Summary: Drown the book
Review: At times I thought I was re-reading David Copperfield. It should not take this long to define the characters. The plot is worthy of a short story, at best, a novelette. My copy stated that he is working on his second novel...what a waste.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I liked that the book was written from the future, and the flashbacks are now. The main character was very human, the story was unpredictable and it was just a lot of fun to read. I've passed this book on to friends and eagerly await Mason's next book.
Rating:
Summary: Drowning in Richard Mason
Review: Never before have I read a novel this gripping, that eloquent, so beautiful. I must admit it took me quite a couple of pages to really get the hang of the (at first) nearly incomprehensible writing style of the divine debutant. The incredibly long phrases (I found there was one page on which only seven sentences were used to tell a part of the story) almost unabled me to get through the first pages. I'm sure that for a reader whose native tongue is English (and one who was as well educated as Mr. Mason himself) it must not have been as hard as it was for a Dutch guy like myself, but I simply had to read it in its original language. If it weren't for a friend of mine, who actually was given the book directly and personally by the author himself, I probably would have thrown the gem I later found it to be as far away from me as possible. Untill page 10, that is. That was the page where the remarkable writing skills of Richard Mason kicked into full gear for me. From thereon I experienced every new phrase like the sonnet, the poem in itself which, let's face it exactly, they are. I kept on reading through the nights and could not stop doing so during the day. The perfect story, not so much because of an horrific plot or soap-like romances or anything. Simply because it is the most beautifully written story ever to have graced pages all over the world in a long time. I for one cannot wait for Richard Mason to finish his second novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and well written debut
Review: This is certainly an impressive debut from a talented young man. I hope to read more of his creations in the future. In many ways this book reminds me of another great debut novel - "A Secret History" by Donna Tartt, where this a murder mystery where we know who did it, we just don't know why.The story is well crafted and the characters believable. Many of the other reviewers have criticised the novel for being too wordy, and Mr Manson is certainly infatuated with the English language, but I don't think this detracts too much from the work. The story becomes more and more predictable as it progresses, and again this has been a criticism, but I think it is more a deliberate plot device, slowly drawing the reader in. Whereas the ending is not a surprise by the time it arrives, it has a punch nonetheless. If I have a criticism of the book, it is that I had some real issues in placing the story in any particular time. It almost reads as if it is set at the turn of the century, but it is clearly not. At one point I thought it was set in the 60s, but this does not add up when you consider how long the main character has been married. But it is a small criticism, and doesn't really distrct from the enjoyment of the book. Yes, it is impressive. Wordy and predictable maybe, but still a very enjoyable read, and I do recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A wholly frustrating, unremarkable novel
Review: Mason's novel, much to my dissapointment (considering I went to Eton for a short time and edited a literary magazine he once wrote for), is a sadly awful book. You are strung along into believing that Mason's revelation of the mystery will be an unbelievable surprise, but in the end, it is completely predictable and unexciting. The prose is so forced, the descriptions so ponderous that it is difficult to stay awake. I found myself skimming over lengthy sections of boring foreshadow that served little purpose. Ideas were repeated at least 3 times throughout (not to mention the trite phrase "from a distance of 50 years" which appeared at least 30 times), and the overarching "themes" of the book were so explicitly stated so as to make them completely unnatural. Unless you have a personal interest in the author, or how young writers can never live up to expectations, do not read The Drowning People. Trust me, you'll regret it. I hope, however, that as Mason matures so will his writing and perhaps there are good things to come from him... or maybe not.
Rating:
Summary: Drowning in the Sea of Love
Review: One has to admit that 20 year old Richard Mason certainly took on a lot and in his defense, "The Drowning People," while not the "literary masterpiece" it was heralded to be, is still an impressive debut for someone so young. Perhaps one of the main flaws of the novel is that even though it is set in the 1990's, the dialogue and mannerisms are definitely nineteenth century and therefore, it's hard to fully get into the dialogue these people use. However, the central plot is rather mesmerizing, and although the true villain of the piece is rather obvious, Mason takes his time in revealing the identity, and when it comes, it is more "tragic" than "surprising." I agree that the central characters are very unsympathetic, merely victims of their own lusts, desires, and inconsideration of other people they are supposedly close to. Ella takes Charles away from Sarah just to show you can; then James takes Ella away from Charles, and then enter gay Eric, whose love for James seems the most genuine in the book. Alas, Eric's fate is pretty obvious, and after his untimely departure, he is merely a skeletal shadow, obscured by James' continued obsession (not love) with the exasperating and ultimately demented Ella. James is rather self-pitying, and even though in the beginning we know he has murdered his wife, you have to wonder why he even stayed married to her for forty-five years. A dark, brooding expose, a character study, it offers very little suspense or chills; it is a cozy, wordy foray into the triangle of love, written by an obviously talented young man. If he can remember to give his readers a firm understanding not only of the characters, but of the times in which they live, he just may be a great writer.
Rating:
Summary: a good first effort
Review: there were some errors and some confusion (so maybe the editor wasn't "on the job"). but this was an interesting story and although it took a while to get into, i found it a good attempt at storytelling. The author is young and you have to applaud the success at having a book published - the essence of first love so well documented and his attempt to tell it backwards from an old man's point of view. This is not a book for everyone. A nice rainy day kind of book, when you have nothing more pressing to do, except curl up and listen to the rain - which will certainly add to the mood.
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