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I first read this book in June 2012, and then reread it in March 2014 having read all of Patrick Hamilton's novels in the interim (excepting Monday Morning which is out of print but scheduled to be republished soon), and I enjoyed this biography every bit as much second time round, and discovered that being more familiar with the novels made the experience even richer and more rewarding.
This is a splendid biography of a wonderful writer. Nigel Jones manages to critique and contextualise all of P ...more
This is a splendid biography of a wonderful writer. Nigel Jones manages to critique and contextualise all of P ...more
This is a fascinating portrait of a talented author, whose reputation and works have been highly regarded but often been neglected when compared to other writers from the same era. It follows Patrick Hamilton鈥檚 life from the third child of a braggart and bully of a father and a possessive and adored mother to his decline and descent into alcoholism. Nigel Jones examines the family of Patrick Hamilton in detail, especially the relationship with his beloved mother and his older brother, Bruce. It
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A heavily researched biography which draws on what seems to be a mountain of letters between Patrick and his author brother Bruce, the authors work, and comments from those around him. If there is such a number of letters why doesn't a publisher publish the letters in a volume of their own? I found it frustrating that almost every page contained an excerpt from one of these letters or long excerpts from Hamilton's novels themselves. Having read the novels the excerpts were not needed and I felt
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Described as the greatest chronicler of urban life since Dickens, Hamilton's keen observations of life and its conflicts should be on everyone's must-read list. Nigel Jones' detailed and insightful biography of the man lays bare Hamilton's own weaknesses and flaws. This life story serves to illuminate yet further the background to the tales Hamilton spun of the seething frustration of the drabness of suburban life between the wars. "Holding on in quiet desperation is the English way" wrote Roger
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Superb biography. Well researched and written.
Apr 20, 2010
Justin
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Nov 01, 2011
Robert Brokenmouth
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Oct 18, 2015
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Mar 03, 2016
Sophia
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Apr 20, 2017
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Aug 24, 2017
Jane Deane
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Feb 20, 2018
Sarah Carless
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Oct 03, 2022
Cosmic Arcata
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May 07, 2025
Charlie Billingham
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