It must have been something about reading Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher that made me reach this morning as I left for work for a Mervyn Peake - thinking of the gloomy spires of Gormenghast.
but this is a different book in feel from the Gormenghast trilogy and although you sense some dark twist is looming it is so far enjoyable and pacey as Mr Pye weaves his magic on the island community of Sark.
Bullet points between pages 1 - 81
* Mr Pye gets a single ticket, which raises an eyebrow, for the boat to Sark and from the very start arouses curiosity from everyone who sees the rather portly smiling traveller who keeps himself strictly to himself
* On the island Mrs Dredger is waiting to put him up in her guesthouse and she is portrayed as a woman of strong reserve who doesn’t suffer fools at all and is known on the island as a formidable character
* Mr Pye starts changing the status quo almost from the off by offering the carriage he is meant to be picked up in by Mrs Dredger to Miss George her sworn enemy leaving the boarding house owner stomping up the hill
* At the crest of the hill Mr Pye orders Miss George out and heads off to calm down and take over the Dredger house swallowing on fruit drops all the time – which becomes his nickname on the island – and becalms the woman
* He explores the island from top to bottom in six weeks and then starts to unveil his master plan to infuse the entire population with love aided by his great pal God who he talks to about his plans all the time
* Having turned the world of Mrs Dredger upside down he turns his attention to the rest of the population and particularly Miss George who he invites to live with Mrs Dredger promising to change her life for the better
More merriment and mystery tomorrow…
but this is a different book in feel from the Gormenghast trilogy and although you sense some dark twist is looming it is so far enjoyable and pacey as Mr Pye weaves his magic on the island community of Sark.
Bullet points between pages 1 - 81
* Mr Pye gets a single ticket, which raises an eyebrow, for the boat to Sark and from the very start arouses curiosity from everyone who sees the rather portly smiling traveller who keeps himself strictly to himself
* On the island Mrs Dredger is waiting to put him up in her guesthouse and she is portrayed as a woman of strong reserve who doesn’t suffer fools at all and is known on the island as a formidable character
* Mr Pye starts changing the status quo almost from the off by offering the carriage he is meant to be picked up in by Mrs Dredger to Miss George her sworn enemy leaving the boarding house owner stomping up the hill
* At the crest of the hill Mr Pye orders Miss George out and heads off to calm down and take over the Dredger house swallowing on fruit drops all the time – which becomes his nickname on the island – and becalms the woman
* He explores the island from top to bottom in six weeks and then starts to unveil his master plan to infuse the entire population with love aided by his great pal God who he talks to about his plans all the time
* Having turned the world of Mrs Dredger upside down he turns his attention to the rest of the population and particularly Miss George who he invites to live with Mrs Dredger promising to change her life for the better
More merriment and mystery tomorrow…
