The Bloodstone Papers [Hardcover]

Glen Duncan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0061239666 | ISBN-13: 978-0061239663 | Publication Date: July 31, 2007

India, the 1940s: a time of political turmoil and violence; a country on the verge of its tryst with destiny. Ross Monroe is a boxer, a Catholic and an Anglo-Indian. Throughout his youth, Ross is sustained by a single dream: to box his way to Olympic victory -- until a devastating betrayal by an Englishman sends him into exile, and an obsession which will change his life for ever. In present-day England, Owen Monroe, aspiring novelist, is writing the story of his father's life in an attempt to avoid confronting the problems in his own. But family chronicle turns to amateur sleuthing when a chance discovery provides a clue to the whereabouts of his father's long-lost enemy. The quest that follows takes Owen through the secrets of the Monroe past and into a love affair he could never have thought possible...

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A listless part-time teacher and writer of pornographic novels helps his elderly father quench a decades-old thirst for revenge in Duncan's sixth novel (after Death of an Ordinary Man). Anglo-Indian narrator Owen Monroe, long accustomed to his quasi-bohemian lifestyle in contemporary London, has been hearing from his father, Ross, for years about the devious Skinner, the English con man who, decades before, ruined Ross's Olympic boxing dreams. Though Skinner disappeared, Ross has never given up hope of finding him, but it is Owen's chance discovery in a library (a novel by a pseudonymous author Owen and Ross believe to be Skinner) that finally gives them a lead. Posing as a literary scholar, Owen tries to arrange an interview with the author, but ends up instead in bed (repeatedly) with the author's daughter, Janet. As Owen continues his investigation, Duncan cuts back to pre- and post-partition India, where Ross, a railroad worker, first encounters Skinner and eventually becomes unwisely involved in a scheme to boost freight from a train Ross and his longtime friend Eugene work on. The plan's consequences are far-reaching for all involved and propel the novel toward a surprisingly anticlimactic conclusion. Though the narrative sometimes feels coyly deceptive, Duncan's polished, merciless and frequently hilarious prose supplies a trove of pleasures all its own. (Aug.)
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Review

Superb...Perhaps this book will finally bring him the mainstream recognition he deserves. (Arena )

“Duncan’s polished, merciless, and frequently hilarious prose supplies a trove of pleasures all its own.” (Publishers Weekly )

“A vigorous roman à ghee, reminiscent at turns of Vikram Seth, Zadie Smith and Douglas Coupland.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“He is a major writer” (The Independent on Sunday )

‘Richly satisfying. Duncan manages to fuse racial and personal dislocation beautifully in this long, seductive narrative....A terrific yarn.’ (The Independent on Sunday )

“An appallingly intelligent writer” (The Guardian )

[A] sprawling, ambitious work…it loops back and forth through history with remarkable lucidity… ultimately very moving.’ (Alfred Hickling, The Guardian )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (July 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061239666
• ISBN-13: 978-0061239663
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good idea, poorly executed, May 8, 2010

By 

Wendy Miller "Wendy Miller" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bloodstone Papers: A Novel (Paperback)

I bought this book in a Books A Million store on a clearance rack for $2. And I'm glad that's all I spent. When I read the blurb on the book jacket, it sounded great. It sounded like it would be a thoroughly enjoyable, engaging read. However, I found that it really seems to be poorly executed. The transition from past to present to past is abrupt and rough, there are things that need more details but don't have them, and thing with tons of unnecessary details. It seems to be rather slow most of the time.

Personally, I would not recommend this book to others. I see some have enjoyed it, but I was not one of them.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good read, December 25, 2008

By 

Dawn Williams "voracious reader" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bloodstone Papers (Kindle Edition)

I've been a fan of Glen Duncan for years and was really looking forward to a new book. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as some of his others. I learned a lot about the Anglo-Indian culture, and Duncan's prose was as lovely as ever, but the book lacked the raw emotionality of some of his earlier works. That may not be a bad thing. I still haven't recovered from reading _Hope_ and _Love Remains_. Altogether I'd recommend this book with the caveat that it differs from Duncan's usual style.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new favorite, July 21, 2009

By 

C. McCutcheon (Lakewood OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bloodstone Papers: A Novel (Paperback)

There are a few books that I am willing to read more than once, but this is one of those few. It's one of the few contemporary books that has depth, edginess, and charm. The main characters have a sweet vulnerability and a tenderness toward each other, and are so well drawn that it's like a close friend telling you the family story. Glen Duncan's touch is light, gentle, and human, so that even disturbing scenes (that in other books might have made me feel repulsed or angered) evoked compassion and a sad sense of intimacy, rather than revulsion. Not, by any means, a book for everyone - certainly not for anyone who views the world with a conventional or conservative moral outlook. Its morality is beyond convention in many ways - thoughtful, humane, and profoundly forgiving.