A confession. As a Jersey-born writer I feel it my duty to pay attention to my fellow landlocked fiction-smiths, and it was out of this notion of camaraderie that I downloaded Tess of Portelet Manor. Ever since Hardy and Bronte at university I've given a fair birth to novels about headstrong female hut-dwellers (a hangover from my time in the SAS bare-knuckle boxing Corp) so I started Tess with a deep breath and in the hope that at the very least the author would do me the favour of making a half decent job of plot, prose and character.Bingo. I had nothing to worry about. Roy McCarthy is a fine writer, and within several pages I found myself settling down into what proved to be a gripping and ultimately rewarding read.
We join Tess in the mid nineteen-thirties at the age of sixteen, living with her mother in a ramshackle property on Portelet common, full of grade issue teenage angst and painfully aware of her lower social standing. A likeable and (impressively) well rounded character, we are privy to her hopes, fears, failures and triumphs for the following decade as Tess finds her way in the world. It would be impossible not to ponder McCarthy's Tess without hearing an echo of her famous literary cousin, and the author's simple, elegant prose and frequent depictions of Tess's relationship with her natural world are similarly reminiscent of Hardy's approach to storytelling. I'm guessing McCarthy's a fan. I'm also guessing that the elder writer would have approved of McCarthy's portrayal of Tess' sexual appetites; this is a courageous, red-blooded heroine, not afraid to dish two fingers and a 'yer Mum' to a pack of ill-mannered Nazis or rip some lucky fellow's trousers off as the mood takes her.
As a historical novel Tess of Portelet Manor is a solid outing. McCarthy has obviously done his homework, with Pre, Mid and Post Occupation Jersey skilfully rendered through his descriptions of the island and the characters with whom Tess shares the novel. Islanders like myself will learn new things about familiar places, though the novel's pace and vibrant characterisation ensure that this isn't specifically a 'Jersey' novel (I couldn't resist a smile at Tess' career arc; from goods production and farming into property development and financial services - allegory intended?)
A final, though important note that speaks volumes about the author's approach to his craft; the e-book was beautifully formatted, and lacking any of the grammatical or presentational flaws that mar many of the self (and, unbelievably, professionally) published efforts I have encountered of late. A small point, but for me an important one. Roy McCarthy has worked hard to write a novel that both entertains, educates and engages, and in this he has most definitely succeeded. Give it a go.
AMAZON LINK TO PAGE:
http://tinyurl.com/p2gcq3s
A final, though important note that speaks volumes about the author's approach to his craft; the e-book was beautifully formatted, and lacking any of the grammatical or presentational flaws that mar many of the self (and, unbelievably, professionally) published efforts I have encountered of late. A small point, but for me an important one. Roy McCarthy has worked hard to write a novel that both entertains, educates and engages, and in this he has most definitely succeeded. Give it a go.
AMAZON LINK TO PAGE:
http://tinyurl.com/p2gcq3s
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