Yesterday I started reading 'The Edge' by Dick Francis. The one about the train full of owners and horses travelling across Canada, stopping at various places for racing.
This morning I finished it. It was a reread; I've probably read it three or four times before over the years since it was published in 1988. He had a genius for depicting the inside workings of different professions; just off the top of my head I remember glass blowing, the jewellry business, two books centred on painting... in 'The Danger' he seemed to know far too much about how kidnappers might operate.
He made no secret of how his wife helped; (from Wikipedia)
His villains are always very villainous, his protagonists always very clever, insightful i1ngenious. Later books were not as violent as the early ones, as I remember.
This time I was reading it because of one character, the lady in her final weeks of illness who, because she was confined to bed, was always available to relay telephone messages (no mobile phones back then). She's a minor character, but made a strong impression on her.
24 hours to read a book? It can happen....
This afternoon I completed a sheet of bookmarks for the World Day of Prayer. The earlier version was in the nature of a trial. Today I started again from scratch, and I'm happier with the results.
Love the second incarnation of the bookmarks [and I thought the first was good- but these are lovelier] I devoured all the Dick Francis books I could find in my thirties, then read them again. Yes I remember the painting one [set in Oz] and the air-taxi one. Not to mention Proof [wine shippers] and all the Sid Halley ones. They are VERY formulaic - first person, mid thirties, not lucky in love [till later in the book] I think his son Felix is just about getting into the swing of writing them by himself [F&D collaborated after Mary died] I seem to remember Michael Williams and Judi Dench were the stars in one which was made into a film [Whip Hand?] They are also so easy to read, you CAN polish them off in a day, or on holiday. I agree, they became less violent over the years - early ones were quite gruesome in places [all that murder with plaster of paris!!] I have tried John Francomes horse racing books, but they never worked for me.
ReplyDeleteI never wanted to read the John Francombe books, and only read one or two of the Felix partnership ones. It's the background detail, and the weird and wonderful names he comes up with, that fascinate me!
DeleteGlad you like the bookmarks, I've emailed a pdf to you.
I used to read Dick Francis, and hunted for every new book. Such a good writer.
ReplyDeleteThey are real page-turners, aren't they!
DeleteSounds like a wonderful day, reading! My sort of day although I've never read a whole book in a day.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a voracious reader! My mother used to laugh because when my friend came 'to play' in the Summer, she used to look out of the window and see we had each climbed our own tree and were sitting there reading, maybe for an hour or more.
DeleteLike those bookmarks.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I really enjoyed doing them.
DeleteI can read a Richard Osman in 24 hours: I surround myself with sandwiches and flasks of coffee and don't budge from the sofa 'til I'm done. It's a tough job , but someone has to do it.
ReplyDeleteLove the bookmarks.
That takes reading to a whole new level of dedication!
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