| London Fields 10:52 - Dec 20 with 8106 views | FFC1 |
Anyone read this? The main guy Keith Talent (ex armed robber and soon to be murderer) is a QPR fan and much of the action revolves around pubs in the Golborne/Portobello Road area- brilliant local detail and focus on things like darts and pub culture in the late 80's, well worth a read |  | | |  |
| London Fields on 06:48 - Dec 21 with 1365 views | londonscottish |
| London Fields on 02:19 - Dec 21 by SonofNorfolt |
Tim Lott, probably like Nick Hornby, is a good story teller, but when it comes to association football, I like/want the facts to be right, especially when Rangers are involved, and he makes mistakes, much as Hornby doesn't watch footie at 'Fever Pitch' like most of us on here, or certainly me.
This is part of the reason I had a go at writing, I wanted it to be real and accurate, which it certainly wasn't in their efforts.
I recall reading Martin Amis's 'cheese & onion crisp' comment, & it still makes me me laugh to this day.
If you have not got a clue about a subject, don't write/patronise the many by pretending you do, like silver spooned Amis, Clarkson or that Blur vvanker James. |
I hear where you're coming from. In Tim's defence Rangers are there in some of his writing the background and he doesn't really labour the point.
Nick Hornby, though, really rams his "football credentials" down your throat in a way that I found really irritatiting.
I must read your book - remind me how I can order it.
Ta |  |
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| London Fields on 08:11 - Dec 21 with 1348 views | londonscottish |
| London Fields on 06:48 - Dec 21 by londonscottish |
I hear where you're coming from. In Tim's defence Rangers are there in some of his writing the background and he doesn't really labour the point.
Nick Hornby, though, really rams his "football credentials" down your throat in a way that I found really irritatiting.
I must read your book - remind me how I can order it.
Ta |
Found Grounds for Divorce on Amazon - bought it :-) | |
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| London Fields on 09:19 - Dec 21 with 1333 views | MrSheen |
I used to think Amis was a very sharp and funny writer until London Fields came out. "Money" is very entertaining - I've never forgotten his comments aboput Los Angeles - "you can get your chimp shampooed and your dick tattooed, but you can't get a drink in LA". I think the game at the beginning of London Fields was when we beat West Ham 2-1 thanks to Danny Maddix, which was a brilliant game, in part because in those days league games before internationals were only postponed if you had a certain number of players in the squad, so our game was the only Division one game in London, and sold out. I digress. Anyway, when you read Amis talking about the right wing approaching the other team's right back, you realise that for all the research and immersion he talks about, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Not only does he despise his characters, but he seems to write the same book over and over - John Self is Keith Talent is now Lionel Asbo. |  | | |
| London Fields on 10:01 - Dec 21 with 1323 views | FFC1 |
| London Fields on 09:19 - Dec 21 by MrSheen |
I used to think Amis was a very sharp and funny writer until London Fields came out. "Money" is very entertaining - I've never forgotten his comments aboput Los Angeles - "you can get your chimp shampooed and your dick tattooed, but you can't get a drink in LA". I think the game at the beginning of London Fields was when we beat West Ham 2-1 thanks to Danny Maddix, which was a brilliant game, in part because in those days league games before internationals were only postponed if you had a certain number of players in the squad, so our game was the only Division one game in London, and sold out. I digress. Anyway, when you read Amis talking about the right wing approaching the other team's right back, you realise that for all the research and immersion he talks about, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Not only does he despise his characters, but he seems to write the same book over and over - John Self is Keith Talent is now Lionel Asbo. |
I agree he doesn't have a clue when it comes to football, but I suppose he creates caricatures and exaggerated personality types, but without wholly alienating the reader in my opinion- i.e. our sympathy is still somehow with Keith depite his flaws, possibly because of the harsh treatment he's getting from the author | | | |
| London Fields on 11:04 - Dec 21 with 1299 views | MrSheen |
| London Fields on 10:01 - Dec 21 by FFC1 |
I agree he doesn't have a clue when it comes to football, but I suppose he creates caricatures and exaggerated personality types, but without wholly alienating the reader in my opinion- i.e. our sympathy is still somehow with Keith depite his flaws, possibly because of the harsh treatment he's getting from the author |
I read it a long time ago, so I can't really argue with you. But I am sure Money is better - if you liked London Fields, you'll love it. I seem to remember more sympathy for John Self than Keith Talent, but then Self was sort-of-creative whereas Talent was a caricatured monster. | | | |
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