“As a guest, Emily Price had three main drawbacks: she was incapable of saying please, incapable of saying thank you, and incapable of saying sorry, all the while creating a surge in the demand for these expressions.” At Last is Edward St. Aubyn’s fifth book in his Patrick Melrose series. Patrick Melrose, a product of a dysfunctional family, has managed to stop being a junkie but now is fighting alcoholism. He’s separated from his hyper-maternal wife and trying to figure out what to do with his middle-aged life. You don’t need to read the previous four Patrick Melrose novels to appreciate the various dilemmas Patrick has to contend with in At Last. The snarky quote above gives you an idea of what you’re in for. GRADE: B+
AT LAST By Edward St. Aubyn
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I’ve always had a warm spot in my heart for The Cowboys (1972). In my quest to replace my favorite 100 movies (yes, I’m working on that list, Rick!) with Blu-ray versions, I found The Cowboys at BJ’s Warehouse for $7.99. What a deal! John Wayne, abandoned by his regular cowhands, takes a chance and hires 11 greenhorn schoolboys to assist him in a grueling 400 mile cattle drive. The supporting cast of Colleen Dewhurst, Bruce Dern, and Roscoe Lee Browne deliver memorable performances. Special Features include an interview with director Mark Rydell, a cast reunion featurette, and the original trailer. If you haven’t seen The Cowboys you’re missing a wonderful film. GRADE: A-
Max Allan Collins finished this manuscript of a Mike Hammer novel. If you’re a fan of Mickey Spillane and Mike Hammer, this is a must-buy. Somehow Max Allan Collins manages to channel Spillane. The writing of both authors is seamless in this book. Lady, Go Die! was lost in the 1940s. It’s the Mike Hammer novel Spillane wrote between I, the Jury and My Gun Is Quick. But it was never published. Yes, it’s a relic of the past, but I enjoyed reading every page!
I found reading John Leonard a little like eating chocolate cake. A little is great, a lot is too much. Partly because of Leonard’s almost beatnik writing style, partly because Leonard’s sentences meandered all over the place, and finally because no one else wrote like him, I grew to be a fan of John Leonard. I believe the New York Times Book Review was at its best when Leonard was the Editor. When the New York Times ran a column in the Arts & Leasure section written by “Deep Eyes” (a variation of “Deep Throat”) I knew immediately it was John Leonard. For 16 years, Leonard appeared on CBS SUNDY MORNING with movie reviews and social commentary. Reading For My Life collects a sampling of Leonard’s work: essays, book reviews, film reviews, thought pieces, and political analysis. Just reading Leonard’s scintillating prose again brought back how much I miss him. John Leonard was one-of-a-kind. GRADE: A
If you’re in the mood for some snarky British social commentary, Edward St. Aubyn’s The Patrick Melrose Novels delivers some very black humor. The four novels in this omnibus volume, Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and Mother’s Milk tell the life story of Patrick Melrose whose father is abusive and whose mother concerns herself with saving the world rather than taking care of her son. In Bad News, Edward St. Aubyn creates the frighteningly real world of a drug addict. Patrick Melrose spends most of the novel chasing around New York City trying to score some drugs. Yes, there’s humor but it’s pretty grim. Bad News is the most convincing depiction of addiction that I’ve ever read. St. Aubyn cleverly develops the arc of Patrick Melrose’s life from childhood to middle age. The books are filled with witty conversations and shocking scandals. Edward St. Aubyn captures life in this segment of the British class system perfectly. If you put P. G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh in a blender, the result would be Edward St. Aubyn. GRADES: Never Mind, B; Bad News, A; Some Hope, B; Mother’s Milk, B+
