Edward Trencom's Nose: A Novel of History, Dark Intrigue, and Cheese

A book subtitled "A novel of history, dark intrigue, and cheese" should have been my ideal reading material, but wow, was it not. Edward Trencom has a gifted nose. His family has run a London cheese shop for centuries, and like his predecessors, he can identify every detail about a cheese--and many other things--with a whiff. Those descriptions are awesome. Less awesome is that every generation of cheesemonger in his family, as far as it can be traced, has been assassinated (why the entire family line hasn't simply been wiped out is one of the many frustrating mysteries of the book). As he realizes he's being followed by strange Greek men and his reliable nose becomes less reliable, Edward digs into his family history to find out why show more the pattern continues.

For one, very little was actually about real cheeses, and it ignored actual cheese history and availability in London, especially in the 1960s when commodity cheeses ruled and artisan cheeses were actively dying (YES, as a history and cheese geek, I will criticize this first). Even more, this is a 300-page book wherein there is almost no plot progression for 275 pages. Edward is told time and again that he'll be told the truth soon. Meanwhile, sporadic chapters detail the gruesome deaths of previous generations, and there are gratuitous descriptions of awkward sex, many of them reading like fat jokes. When things finally are revealed at the end, it doesn't feel like much of a surprise because the hints were all there early on, but Edward needed to bumble along for prolonged pages first. Many elements are left unexplained. The book seemed to go for British dry humor with magical realism, but from a strong start, it lost me as the plot itself lost its way. If it wasn't for the cheese angle, I would've stopped reading early on. I was left with the impression that this concept would've made for a great short story. show less

I've read some of Giles Milton's non-fiction books, and always found myself wishing he'd written a novel instead, since he seemed to like to embellish things. When I saw he had written a novel, naturally I had to pick it up. Edward Trencom's Nose: A Novel of History, Dark Intrigue, and Cheese (Thomas Dunne, 2007) is the story of a not-so-humble cheesemonger (the eponymous Edward Trencom), one of a long string of cheesemongering Trencoms with a distinctively-shaped and unbeatable nose.

The discovery of a small trove of family papers, plus the realization that some dark somebody seems to be following him, leads Edward Trencom down the rabbit-hole of genealogical mystery, in which he discovers that his male forebears all seem to meet show more mysterious and somewhat violent ends. Naturally, he's got to get to the bottom of things. Milton alternates Edward's tale with vignettes from the lives of his ancestors, which adds something of a sideshow flair to the narrative.

Slightly absurd, often very funny, and utterly predictable at the end, I'd call this book a useful palette-cleanser, halfway between the brain candy of Dan Brown and something more serious. I did, I admit, enjoy it much more than I usually do Milton's historical writings, and hope he'll offer more in the way of humorous fiction in the future.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2009/09/book-review-edward-trencoms-nose.html show less

Despite being not as funny as promised in the blurb, and having quite an obvious ending I really enjoyed this book.
The cheese descriptions in paticular are very good, and made me quite hungry at times.
I would reccomend it to someone who wants to read a book with some substance, but that wont tax your brain too much.

I picked this book up because of its title, read about the author's other books, and decided to give it a try. It kept my interest, but I don't need to keep it.

SPOILER: I liked the ending and did not expect it: Edward Trencom's wife saves the day!
The story is about an ordinary man with an extraordinary sense of smell who tries to discover the secret of his ancestors, who all seem to die in behalf of a mystery (they are the rightful rulers of Greece). Edward becomes more daring and interesting as the story progresses. Just as he is about to repeat the actions of his forefathers, his wife shows up and entices him back to his life as a master seller of cheese and thus probably saves his life.(Trying to follow one's destiny leads to show more death, frequently unpleasant, for Edward's predecessors; living in the present---enjoying one's life---is better than worrying about the past and the future. I'm reminded of Kazanzatkis saying that women are about the here and now and the real world, while men are the ones who dream of lofty ideals. I was impressed because I had thought that the stereotypical woman was "flighty" and that men were more down-to-earth.) show less

I enjoyed this. It's a quirky and funny read, which is no bad thing.

Edward Trencom has always lived an unremarkable life. He is the owner of Trencom's cheese shop in London, and is married to the feisty Elizabeth. The only thing that makes Edward stand out from the crowd is his very unusual nose. Not only is it unusual in shape, but it is also extremely sensitive to all sorts of smells.

Edward's life of normalcy soon appears under threat however, when he realises that he is being followed, and also unearths documentation relating to his family history. As Edward investigates the Trencoms who came before him, he realises that the last nine generations of his family have come to a sticky end, and it looks like he might be about to do so show more as well.

This book has a lot of mystery, mixed in with some eccentric comedy, and while unlikely to be very memorable in the long term, it is certainly an amusing and enjoyable read.

I would definitely read more by this author. show less

This is a strange one and no mistake. Edward Trencom is the owner of a top cheese shop in London. He has a fine nose which is capable of smelling out to a remarkable degree a wide selection of rare cheeses. His life is settled and satisfying until strange things begin to happen to him. He discovers a crate of family papers in the cellars beneath his shop,which change his life forever and sends him on a dangerous quest to find his roots. Apart from a rather unsatisfactory ending,this is quite a fun read.

What if your birthright were a hereditary knowledge of cheese and a rather remarkable nose? You would likely, as Edward Trencom and all the Trencom's before him, become a cheesemonger. This little mystery centers Trencom, his nose, his family history, and a whole lot of cheese. I can't really go into detail, because after 77 pages, not much had happened, and I gave up. I picked this up as a lark, but found that I don't have the patience to suffer through an awful lot of pretentious cheese references just to find the plot. The author, who I had not heard of, but seems to be known for his nonfiction, certainly does have a serious knowlege of cheesy comestibles, but has failed to make this book (or the first 77 pages) more than just a show more funny little joke for those in the know. I doubt there are enough cheese experts in the world to build a strong readership. show less