Author! Author! - David Lodge

Author, Author begins with the Great Man`s death, surrounded by worried servants (struggling to cope with his growing irrationality) then we are shown his remarkable life, including his friendship with the affable Punch illustrator George Du Maurier. The literary success and the American ex-pat James` social lionising by the cream of London society are strikingly conveyed, as is the man`s sexual repression. The most powerful passages involve James' disastrous failure as a playwright, and this section crowns Lodge`s achievement. Lodge fans may prefer his customary style, but there are riches here.