The Eighth Continent: Tales of the Foreign Service [Paperback]

Philip Gould (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 27, 2000

"In brilliantly depicting the 'hazards and delusions of foreign service life'...Gould assembles his three-part story around a theme of tragedy and retribution. A poweful and haunting resolution ties toghether "the many networks of people in their life'. Gould handles exotic settings and character portrayal with impressive skill." -Publisher's Weekly

"Marvelous reportage on some far places." -Kirkus Review

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In brilliantly depicting the "hazards and delusions of foreign service life," former government information officer Gould ( Kitty Collins ) assembles his three-part story around a theme of tragedy and retribution. In "European Episode," press consul Charlie McKay is commencing his career in mid-1950s Munich when he falls for Caroline Draper, a young reporter. Caroline is in love with an older Polish nobleman, Stefan Z, whose memoirs she is helping write. When the Russians invade Hungary, Stefan, who is reputed to have saved Baltic Jews during WW II, abandons Caroline and disappears behind the Iron Curtain. "The New People" finds Caroline and Charlie married and living in India, where they encounter a hideously self-serving American couple, political officer Tony Greer and his wife. Tony's shrewd manipulations and lewd behavior result in tragedy for the U.S. consul general's family. During these dark events the McKays learn that the maharajaha of Chittipore had once known Stefan. Then an elderly European at one of the maharaja's gatherings suggests that Stefan might reappear. The mysterious Pole resumes a central role in the title story as Charlie pursues the identity of the maharaja's European guest. A powerful and haunting resolution ties together "the many networks of people in this life." Gould handles exotic settings and nuanced character portrayal with impressive skill.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A trilogy which begins in the Fifties in Munich, has a middle in India, and ends in the Seychelles, chronicles the lives of Charlie McKay, American diplomat, and his reporter wife Caroline Draper. They live out their lives in a variety of exotic locales and experience several mildly exciting intrigues along the way. A mysterious Polish count, Stefan, friend of Caroline, disappears in part one and his anticipated reappearance lingers until the end. Charlie and Caroline are passive and uninspiring. The events and locales are promising, but the dedicated spy thriller fan won't find much in the way of action or excitement. Not recommended.
- Bri an Alley, Sangamon State Univ. Lib., Springfield, Ill.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595094511
• ISBN-13: 978-0595094516
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,218,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, poignant, eminently readable, October 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eighth Continent: Tales of the Foreign Service (Paperback)

A floating and barely perceptible island of sophisticated innocents abroad, the eighth continent is not entirely unknown in other fictions or in films. There, its topography is rendered in broad strokes of primary color; but in this narrative, Philip Gould provides some key nuances, both chromatic and structural. Even more than his first novel, _Kitty Collins_, _The Eighth Continent_ draws strength from Gould's sure sense of place and his sensitivity to fragile, ambiguous situations, as well as his ear for the stress points and lacunae of speech between characters of radically different disposition and culture. A witty, poignant, eminently readable book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Publishers Weekly and Other Reviews, September 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eighth Continent: Tales of the Foreign Service (Paperback)

"In brilliantly depicting the 'hazards and delusions of foreign service life,'Gould assembles his three-part story around a theme of tragedy and retribution. A powerful and haunting resolution ties together 'the many networks of people in this life.' Gould handles exotic settings and nuanced character portrayal with impressive skill." --Publishers Weekly

"A chewy, tripartite novel with old-timey foreign service atmospheric appeal. Marvelous reportage on some far places." --Kirkus Reviews

"Gould packs an astonishing amount of history and character observation into this incisive shadow game and writes in a flexible, lyrical shorthand that conjures erotic longing, political background and physical description with equal aplomb." --The Seattle Times

"Gould's writing is tight and expressive, his charcters complex and absorbing." --Los Angeles Reader

"Disciplined story telling, lean, lucid, literate." --Buffalo News