Sun 17 Jul 2016
Reviewed by Barry Gardner: JONATHAN GASH – The Lies of Fair Ladies.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[6] Comments
JONATHAN GASH – The Lies of Fair Ladies. Lovejoy #15, St. Martin’s, hardcover, 1992. Penguin, paperback, 1993.
I’ve been more or less a fan of the Lovejoy series since it began, though I thought the last one (The Great California Game) was a total waste of paper. I approached this one with some caution, but hoping that a return to native shores would restore the series to something like normalcy.
For those new to the series, Lovejoy is an antique dealer, womanizer, and thoroughgoing rogue who lives only for antiques (women are more of a nuisance). He’s back home and his usual self, juggling a few lovers and on the lookout for the main chance. The plot is a hodgepodge of elements that all come together (after a fashion) in the end: a major antiques robbery, 17th century witch hunts, an apprentice who is the Mayor’s wife, and a popular radio announcer. To explain it coherently would overtax my power to synopsize briefly.
The main attractions of the series for me have always been the antique lore and the speech patterns of Lovejoy and his cronies. Those remain, but in the last few books the plots have seemed to me to be a little loose, and I suspect that I’m growing less fond of Lovejoy himself. The series may be wearing a little thin, but is still worth your time if you’re a fan.
July 17th, 2016 at 1:49 am
With the author 83 this year (real name John Grant), and since the most recent book in the Lovejoy series has been #24, Faces in the Pool, was published five years ago in 2008, I think it’s safe to say that the series has come to an end.
I’ve read only two or three of them, and while I found them quite readable, I didn’t find them to be as enjoyable as others have. That’s fair enough. I’m sure I’ve enjoyed plenty of books that those “others” would look down their noses on.
July 17th, 2016 at 4:13 am
The first ten or so books are excellent, and I think that THE JUDAS PAIR/THE GRAIL TREE/SPEND GAME & FIREFLY GADROON stand out particularly. I’ve heard that John Grant was not particularly fond of the TV show, but I suspect that its popularity meant that the publishers were happy to accept more and more Lovejoy novels. It always seemed to me that the series of books was spun out way past its natural life. I also got the feeling that Grant was trying to distance his character from McShane’s version. The result was a far more unpleasant main character and plots that were too thin to carry a whole novel. I pretty much jummped ship after THE VERY LAST GAMBADO, and I’ve never been able to capture my early enthusiasm for the later books. I tried to re-read GAMBADO the other year and was so bored that I couldn’t make my way to the end. A terrible shame, because I also re-read the books that I mentioned at the beginning and they still stand up really well.
July 17th, 2016 at 9:16 am
I thought McShane wonderful in the series. Full of life, smarts and charm, but in its final seasons, especially after the departure of Phyllis Logan/Lady Jane, it seemed repetitive, harsh and one dimensional. McSchane/Lovejoy had one memorable line, and it was the last one of the sixth and final season:
“The past is in another country and Lovejoy doesn’t live there any longer.”
July 17th, 2016 at 12:41 pm
I personally think that the very first season was the best of the lot, where everything seemed perfectly balanced, and they were still using some of the plots from the early novels. Dudley Sutton, who played Tinker, claimed that McShane was never entirely satisfied with the format and always kept making changes (much to the exasperation of his friends and co-stars). In the end McShane admitted that he should just have left well alone, since the original format was absolutely perfect.
July 17th, 2016 at 2:57 pm
I’ve heard negative comments relative to McShane from various sources, Dudley Sutton included. Too bad, a talented guy, but apparently uncooperative.
July 17th, 2016 at 10:16 pm
I too am a fan of the early LOVEJOY books. I also enjoy watching the TV series over at the Acorn streaming site.
I lost interest in the books when Grant began to do the Dr. Clare Burtonall book series. Lovejoy was a lovable womanizing cad but I got the feeling Grant wanted to prove he wasn’t the sexist his character was. However Lovejoy belonged in the 70s and the character has no place in today’s modern society.