A J Lattimer & Co. - Michael Reidy

My review of Ian Thomson's new novel, A Dish of Apricots may be found here on Amazon, and also on Goodreads where it appears under my nom de web .  Below are some additional comments I shared with Ian and are not in a carefully structured review. This is not a book that spoilers can really spoil. Indeed, Ian gives the reader ample notice of what is going to happen.The genius is that it doesn't spoil anything. What at first glance is an amusing yarn is really something else. It hit me about 50 pages from the end and will hit other readers at different times. I know these characters; for the most part, I like them; none of them does anything out of character, but they certainly aren’t puppets. I also like how smoothly the narrative moves from the close detail of the first part of the book to a broader brush in the last third. That this was done without letting it feel anything but under perfect control was masterful. It never felt rushed. I love the band names: Nagasaki Flange ...

  I have always admired Eleanor Tilney. Though a minor character in Northanger Abbey , I believe she is one of the most intelligent women in 19th century literature, right up there with Marian Halcombe. In this short novel, Sherwood Smith recognises Eleanor's intelligence and good sense. She also develops some depth in her, showing her to be caring and sensitive, and deserving of a good, loving marriage. While Eleanor demonstrates a strong, yet gentle, nature, she did strike me as being rather idle, unlike, say, Emma, who is always trying to do good, or the Bennetts who are always busy with needlework, helping each other or working in the family kitchen. Now, it would not be right for Eleanor to work in the kitchen, but she does not even pick up a pair of secateurs. She is not musical either, though she dances well enough. Smith's depiction of Catherine Moreland is almost indistinguishable from Austen's and she fits into this pastiche with admirable ease. There is a cle...