Rating: 
Summary: One of the finest books I have ever read
Review: This is one of the most astonishing, fascinating and rewarding books I have ever read. I am normally a murder mystery buff, thriving on action, detection and courtroom drama. This book is infinitely more subtle, and every bit as gripping. I frequently turned to the photo on the book jacket, amazed that the perception, perspective, wisdom and sheer writing genius I was enthralled by could possibly be the product of a man so young. Readers of this fine novel are on the threshhold of a genius' career. I will buy, read, and collect every book by young Richard Mason and I devoutly hope he is prolific. A gripping, unusual, page-turning and intellectually rewarding read. I recommend it unreservedly to intelligent readers.
Rating: 
Summary: The Drowning People
Review: Wonderful, engrossing story of obsession, love, passion, delusion, and guilt. Once grabbed by the first paragraph, you will find it hard to leave this book, which is designed as a confession with detailed descriptions and explanations of events fifty years past. My only knock is that, on occasion (rare occasion), the dialogue perhaps is a bit too clever. I found it a terrific read. I am awed and a little jealous of the talent of its very young first time author.
Rating: 
Summary: blablabla
Review: The Drowning People proves to be a stunning accomplishment for a 20-year-old novice, Richard Mason; but disregarding the age factor of the author, the novel itself is not exactly an extraordinary piece of literary work. The story line is rather trite and uninspired. It follows the tired scheme of criticizing a society bound by traditions, blinded by superficiality, and obsessed with materialistic needs. At the center-stage are, of course, the typical rebellious youths: James Farrell and Ella Harcourt. Together, they strive to break free of conventions, of whatever expectations others have for them. When Edith Wharton wrote on this theme of "societal conventions" in the 1920's, the subject was new, perhaps even radical in its criticism. Since then, however, it has been written on over and over again. The Drowning People is an excellent psychological thriller. It holds the reader's attention with the usual mix of love, lies, and jealousy; but again, nothing original. It has the feel of the typical romance novel. The single distinguishing aspect of the entire novel, however, is Mason's atypical insights into the human psyche. At age twenty, Richard Mason assumes the mentality of a seventy-year-old man surprisingly well. His construction of James Farrell's reminiscence displays an incisiveness and a maturity beyond his years.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Review: I had to read The Drowning People for my college literature class, and it was my favorite of the books that we have read. The Drowning People differs from most books I have read. Mason was only eighteen years old whe he began writing this novel. I was impressed by the amount of insight and emotion he was able to express through his characters. One would think that a person as young as Mason would have little life experience to draw from, especially when telling a story through the eyes of a seventy-year old man. Richard Mason's plot formation was unusual. In the prologue, the reader learns that seventy-year old James Farrell has just murdered his wife of forty years. The novel does no have the typical who done it plot line that keeps the reader guessing at the identity of the perpetrator. Instead, Mason presents a story in which the reader learns why Farrell has killed his wife. The novel follows young James as he is initiated into the harsh realities of the world. The tragedies that befall James and his friends all lead up to the eventual murder of his wife. None of the characters are likable in this novel, but that is not a weakness. Mason did not intend for the reader to find anything redeeming in them. He intends to show the dark side of the British aristocracy, without the glamour and prestige. Most of the characters are self-serving and will stop at nothing to get what they feel they deserve. As a result, revenge and deciet are common themes, which is part of the reason why this novel is so intriguing to read. Mason does an excellent job of showing that the character's selfish motives only bring them tragedy. they are essentially drowning themselves in their own actions. I was extremely impressed, especially because Mason is only a few years older than me. I can't wait to read his next book.
Rating:
Summary: "...The arrogance of it chills me."
Review: The Drowning People is full of delicious sentences and the structure of the book was surprisingly well done. As the bookjacket had said, Mason depicts his characters and the society just as Henry James had. There were subtle foreshadowings to the ending so it wasn't much of a surprise, however I was still compelled to continue reading for the ending for some unexplainable reason.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and difficult to put down.
Review: James was a naive and gullible young man but I still enjoyed reading his story. I thought both Ella and Sarah were pretty evil women. Even though James kept telling us how wonderful Ella was, her actions did not speak of goodness, but selfishness and self absorption. It was a sad day for James when he got mixed up with that family. He should have run in the opposite direction at the sight of either one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good plot, but literarily too pretentious
Review: I really liked the plot. It's the type of story that keeps you reading. Especially the scenes in Prague are beatiful. In that sense it really looks a lot Donna Tarrt's The Secret History. However, whereas Tartt writes at a determined pace, Mason is too pretentious in describing his "major themes", which slows down the pace annoingly. Furthermore, he has practically nothing to add at a thematic level. That makes his writing sometimes even presumptuous. Another aspect I didn't like is the constant repitition of certain phrases. I didn't count, but he mentions dozens of times that he should stick to his story and not walk ahead: he couldn't be more right. Overall, a more than average book, but it deserves this qualification entirely by its story-telling skills. As a thriller it is superb, as a litarary thriller it fails.
Rating:
Summary: Well, not exactly, but--
Review: Four stars probably would be fairer, but quite honestly, the only other even remotely decent book I've read this year is Jake Arnott's "The Long Firm." I suspect that it's because both gentlemen are British, and the whole "workshop fiction" craze hasn't taken over there in quite the same way it has here. Yes, parts of this book do seem to have been written by a twenty-year-old who's been told all his life how smart he is. But we've all got to start somewhere, and for its flaws, this book is still startingly original and well-crafted. American publishers seem committed to printing mostly memoirs of astonishing self-absorption these days. Thank heaven this book slipped the net.
Rating: 
Summary: These characters weren't worth it.
Review: Try as I might, I couldn't find anything in these characters to like. I wanted to find a redeeming value in Ella, but at her essence there was nothing redeeming about her. The same for her cousin Sarah, and finally, James at 70 hadn't learned a thing. He was still juvenile. The writing, while at times slow, was still better than much of what is written, and the book did engage. But I learned nothing about the essential human nature and any redeeming value in relationships. That's too bad.
Rating:
Summary: EVELYN WAUGH FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Review: If you love the novels of Evelyn Waugh, you'll love this new take on the world of the Bright Young Things - told in exquisite prose.The writing and characterisation are a delight; and the plot is wonderfully zippy - pulling you along like there's no tomorrow. I have to confess: I cried. A nearly perfect first novel - I can't wait to see what young Mason comes up with next.
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