Famous Last Words

I gather book recommendations in a fairly indiscriminate fashion, from friends, family, acquaintances, strangers I’m introduced to at weddings, other books, libraries, social media, blogs, newspapers, etc. I’ve been doing so for many years. As a consequence, there are books on my To Read list that trigger no memory of why I ever intended to read them, let alone who recommended them to me. ‘Famous Last Words’ is one such mystery. I think it’s been on the list (in its various forms) for at least eight years. Then a few weeks ago I happened upon a copy in a charity shop. It is an odd novel, technically a conspiracy thriller told in a peculiar form of flashback. It begins in the closing weeks of the Second World War, as Allied show more soldiers reach a prestigious hotel to find the corpse of Hugh Selwyn Mauberly. He is known as a Fascist sympathiser and has left a detailed confession written across the walls of three hotel rooms. This tells the tale of a conspiracy involving the former King Edward VIII and his wife, von Ribbentrop, and Charles Lindbergh.

Given this flashback structure, the sense of tension in the novel is erratic. Various moments and events are extremely tense but, ultimately, the reader knows from the start what will happen to Mauberly. Moreover, the stakes regarding the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (who are central to the conspiracy) never seem hugely high in retrospect. Nonetheless, there is a well-developed air of paranoia about the whole thing. Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, is by far the most interesting character seen through Mauberly’s eyes. Mauberly himself does not come off well and his motivations are somewhat baffling. Similarly, the soldiers who find Mauberly’s testament display an interesting variety of perspectives, but Quinn, the other main narrator, remains enigmatic. I found his sympathy for Mauberly hard to understand.

‘Famous Last Words’ reminded me at times of [b:The Magus|16286|The Magus|John Fowles|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441323311s/16286.jpg|1816475] (the paranoia, confusion, and sense of events being manipulated by those much more powerful) and [b:Earthly Powers|8822|Earthly Powers|Anthony Burgess|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355598044s/8822.jpg|1282899] (the heavy atmosphere of dread and various elements of Mauberly's characterisation). Both are, I think, better structured and more powerful novels, though. (Especially [b:Earthly Powers|8822|Earthly Powers|Anthony Burgess|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355598044s/8822.jpg|1282899], which is sublime.) ‘Famous Last Words’ has a neat conceit and some very memorable imagery. However it cannot sustain tension when the reader already knows too much of the ending. Also, Mauberly’s motivations are not clear enough, nor the reader deep enough in his mind, to make him a truly compelling narrator. An unusual novel, though, and there is plenty to enjoy about it. show less

Wow! This was one terrific book. I have a new admiration for Findley's writing and I'm glad I've got Headhunter on the TBR pile.

In this book, Findley has an imaginary person (Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, a person named in a poem by Ezra Pound) tell a story about real people during World War II. The real people include: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ezra Pound, German Foreign Minister van Ribbentrop, German Deputy Leader Rudolf Hess, Canadian millionaire Harry Oakes and the famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh. The premise is that a cabal of people from both sides of the war are planning a new order to rule the Western Hemisphere (at least) after the war. They want the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to be their King and Queen. Mauberley, a friend show more of the Duchess for 20 years, is delegated to get the Duchess on side and keep her there. We know this plot was not successful because at the book starts with Mauberley fleeing to an Austrian hotel towards the end of the war. He writes his story on the hotel walls with a silver pencil. When the Americans get to the hotel, Mauberley and everyone else has been killed although Mauberley still clasps his silver pencil. As you read his story, the details are so realistic that you can't help but wonder if there is some truth to it.

All of the characters, even minor ones, are exquisitely well-drawn. The Duchess is as bitchy as they come but you also can't help but feel sorry for her. Mauberley appears at first to be a dilettante, living on the edge of high society, but as the story progresses he is immersed in the cloak and dagger scheme.

It's a fascinating read and I would recommend it to anyone. show less

As the Allies sweep through the Austrian Alps in the closing days of WW2, a group of American soldiers encounters a hotel strewn with corpses. One of these is Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, a noted writer later known for his friendship with figures such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and others suspected or known to have fascist leanings. Mauberley has written his life’s story across the walls of the hotel, and it is a story of corruption and faded glamour, not to mention murder—the murder of Sir Harry Oakes.

I read this after reading Murdered Midas, Charlotte Gray’s biography of Harry Oakes, and this combination was interesting. The last couple of parts of the book, the ones with Harry Oakes in them, were more interesting to me for show more that reason. The rest of the book was pretty good, but it was hard going in places. I could of course attribute that to pandemic brain, so if you like the idea of this book, by all means check it out. show less

Having recently completed a biography of Sir Harry Oakes, I decided to re-read this novel by Timothy Findlay in which Oakes plays a role.

Timothy Findlay is one of my favourite authors, and I've read everything he's written. This is a historical novel, looking at a WW2 plot to install the Duke and Duchess of Windsor as monarchy of a new world order. Lots of intrigue, and in Mr. Findlay's hand, a moving story about ambition, love and loyalty.

the interplay between egotism and fascism is very well described by this Canadian Novelist. The ambiguous role played by Edward VIII is given the sinister twist and the chilling result is played out by principals and followers alike.

Findley is seriously underrated. This novel beautifully blends history and fiction, weaving together figures like Ezra Pound, the Duke of Windsor, Wallace Simpson, Charles Lindbergh, and Sir Harry Oakes. Moody, absorbing, clever; reading this book is like being submerged - and not wanting to come up for air.

I have read quite a few books about the despicable characters who have open season during a war for their nefarious activities, but this is one of the most notable for absolutely depraved human behaviour. Although the truth of the horror of war in other books is no less strong, somehow in Timothy Findley, it seems so much more direct and real, not remote and foreign.