Leslie Thomas (1) (1931–2014)

My friend Justine passed me this little portal to winds, waves and seabird calls. As I recall, she simply said, “charming”. It was held together by a thick rubber band, having fallen apart in the middle: at the pages of black and white photographs. So, perhaps appropriately as the book is about ten islands, I read it in slices. The first island felt a bit like a travel guide, but it’s so well written that there is a magic about it and, by the time I picked up the second half I felt as show more though Leslie Thomas, a seeker of remote places, could take me anywhere.

We seemed to fix on the exact seam where the Atlantic and the North Sea meet and don't take to each other. One ocean buffeted us, the other rolled us and threw us back on the first. It was July. p. 36.

Each of the ten islands is a journey (a world) in itself and the stories gather, like gulls over fish, to create a sense of presence, even familiarity, with the hard lives and resolve of the island people. These lives, interrupted by modern times and comforts, tend towards a sense of loss or nostalgia without a whiff of complaint. Most of the islands are introduced at a distance before we arrive on some craft, most notable being the currach before the vertiginous climb up Skellig Michael. The understated title of this book is an apt preparation for this warm-fire-with-Guinness treat. Thanks Justine. show less

The book takes as its base the experience, or lack of, of young conscripts sent to Malaya. As Private Briggs is put through his paces along with the other new conscripts, but this is not WW2. There is a lot of slack time and the conflict is indirect, a series of guerrilla attacks rather than face to face contact. This gives the young lads time to dream, time to obsess about sex. Briggs fixes his eye on Phillipa, the daughter of the RSM, and she also seems keen. As both are virgins, they show more decide to find partners with more experience, with Briggs visiting a prostitute and Phillipa having her eye on the Sergeant Driscoll.

Thomas himself was a conscript in Malaya, which gives the book such an air of authenticity. The writer plays on the humour in the interactions, the desperation of the young people to lose their virginity, to live life to the full far from home caught up in a war, yet freer than their counterparts back in Blighty. I found the book really enjoyable, funny and tragic, but certainly entertaining. show less

A saucy series of semi-carnal adventures all dealt with in Thomas' customary wry humour and acute observations of personality and character through perplexingly odd situations.
The anti-hero Arthur McCann is one of my favourite literary characters - he's a seamen of the 'any port lady in a storm, war, accident' type depositing semen when the opportunity arises - however, he is also lonely and behind his adventures he's looking for a loving relationship (something his fickle, sharp wife back show more in England will never be): The closest he gets is someone that wants the same, but they could never be for some quite revealing reasons... which I'll leave to the reader to discover.
Like all the much respected author's work it is a very entertaining read. show less

An entertaining tale. Despite being a work of fiction, there was a strong vein of realism informed by the Author’s own experience as a National Serviceman in Malaya. While there was some (likely atypical) action, the events relayed were underpinned by a frank, painful honesty and a sense of a grim, harrowing drudgery.
Despite the healthy, regular humour; I have no doubt for many this recalled their own experiences.
But for all that, it was never a page turner and often I wanted it to speed show more up the pace to each chapter’s conclusion.
A worthy tale, but no need to revisit. show less