Judge Savage: A Novel [Paperback]

Tim Parks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2004

"There is no life without a double life. And yet one grows weary..."Recently promoted to the position of Crown Court judge-jealous colleagues suggest it might be because he is black-Daniel Savage decides at midlife that it's finally time to settle down, foreswear philandering, and rededicate himself to his family.His career demands the most responsible behavior-he must be above suspicion.But Savage has been leading a double life for far too long, and a young woman from his past-who holds a secret that could ruin his career and marriage-begins making mysterious calls to his house.As tangled lies are solemnly ironed out in his court, Judge Savage finds his own existence suddenly descending into a mess of violence and confusion, and attempts desperately to get a grip on his world in the face of increasingly certain disaster.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Using the same captivating narrative technique as in 1999's highly acclaimed Europa, Parks relates the dizzying tale of a man in crisis. The veteran British author employs a modified version of interior monologue to capture the crash and roar of the life of Daniel Savage, a judge in England's Crown Court circuit. Savage is a man in free fall. His turbulent 20-year marriage is again on the rocks, this time because of his brief affair with a 20-year-old Korean woman who served on one of his juries. Sarah, Savage's 18-year-old daughter, has decided to skip college and join a Christian sect. His best friend, Martin, has again fallen into the throes of a crippling depression, and Savage tries, but predictably fails, to beat back the amorous advances of Martin's wife. Parks, author of 16 works of fiction and nonfiction, sets all this up through Savage's frantic, at times hilarious narration. Adding to the dynamic is Savage's own perception of himself; he's a colored man of "obscurely mixed origin" who is wracked by an odd form of guilt because he never seems to pay the price for his personal and professional indiscretions. The somewhat scattered plot picks up pace when Savage is beaten into a coma by the husband and brothers of his Korean mistress. But that incident even works in his favor when the press, ignorant of the actual facts, makes him a hero. As will happen, however, Savage's luck runs out, and when it does, it goes all at once. Parks allows his plot to become a little long-winded at times, particularly during the novel's many court scenes. Yet his inventive prose, incisive social commentary and bizarre sense of scene and character reaffirm his standing as one of England's better stylists.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"There is no life without a double life. And yet one grows tired. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing; First Edition, First Printing edition (October 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559707402
• ISBN-13: 978-1559707404
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,943,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Contemporary Novel in Years, March 19, 2004

By 

Q (Springfield, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judge Savage: A Novel (Hardcover)

Simply put, this is the best contemporary novel I have read in a few years. Multilayered, complex, and humane, the novel is a tour de force in capturing a man (and family) in crisis. Weaving issues of race, marriage, family, work, and the legal system into a coherent and humane whole, Mr. Parks has produced a fine and gripping work digging into the consciences of his characters to illuminate the messiness that is daily life. In Daniel, Parks has created one of the most indelible characters in modern fiction. There are no easy answers to be had in this book, but the attempts to get there have rarely been so rewarding for readers.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a smart, gripping, beautifully written novel, November 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Judge Savage: A Novel (Hardcover)

parks has written terrific nonfiction about italy, and terrific novels, too, but this is absolutely one of his best--a lively, believable tale, a great protagonist (almost clintonian in his intellect and inability to stay out of trouble), and a really good cast of secondary characters as well. pure pleasure, as a reading experience, something I rarely ever feel, and I read more novels than most. highly and totally recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Man in crisis..., May 16, 2008

By 

D. Kanigan (CT, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Judge Savage: A Novel (Paperback)

Daniel Savage, a "colored man of obscurely mixed origin" and adopted child of white parents, is a lawyer who has been "promoted" to Judge in England's Crown Court. Story set in late 90's / early 2000's. Similar to the themes of the author's later books "Europa" and "Cleaver", the story is centered around its main character (Daniel Savage), who is a man in crisis. Savage's serial philandering come to the surface and place him at risk - his life at risk with the Korean Mob - his marriage of 20 years at risk - his relationships with his children at risk - and finally his professional position with the court is placed at risk. He shares his travails with his best friend Martin, who is in the throws of what appears to be severe depression - who pushes Savage to "come clean." The story then weaves in some compelling legal cases that are presented in front of Judge Savage. Savage's conscience runs overtime with guilt - he tries to do the right thing and he finds himself further entangled.

Tim Parks is a master of placing you in the mind and thoughts of its principal character. The interior monologue is weaved in and out of Savage's conversations and Savage's personal thoughts so you are along for the ride with him the entire way. Parks' writing extends beyond a simple murder/who-done-it mystery as he shares some of the major struggles of social and individual day-to-day life at the time.

I found the story line somewhat underwhelming (3-rating out of 5) but the quality of Park's writing to be best-in-class (6-rating out of 5) to average down to a 4.

Andrew Riemer, the Herald's book reviewer, said it best in his review of this book: "it's how well you write (and with how much integrity), not what you write about, that makes for compelling fiction."

My ratings scheme with 10 being high grade:

Page Turner: 7

Memorable: 6

Character Development: 10

Live the Story: 7

Flow / Easy to Follow: 8