The Riverside Villas Murder
by Kingsley Amis
SNT 1976-06-26
Upgraded to 256K
In the middle part of his writing career, Kingsley Amis alternated his caustic, brilliant novels about the state of contemporary England with far more experimental work. The Riverside Villas Murder, while avoiding the abstract approach he demonstrated in The Anti-Death League, or the supernatural experimentation of the Green Man, falls into this category. Set in a leafy London suburb in the 1930s, the novel follows Peter, a 14-year-old schoolboy about to be initiated into the adult world through his involvement in a violent local murder. Exploring the sordid underside of genteel suburban life, in a time most of us would assume was more innocent, Peter is a brilliantly drawn character. Amis is particularly astute in judging the moods and opinions of his protagonist, and Peter's sexual "awakening" is especially well-handled. Few writers would have Amis' deftness of touch in this area - he makes it clear that while at the same time Peter is as obsessed with sex as any other 14-year old boy, he is still a child. Smoking illicit cigarettes one minute, he'll be playing with toy aeroplanes in the field behind his house the next. Amis' characterisation is easily as effective in his portrayal of the relationship between Peter and his father - in most Amis novels, it is dialogue that reveals the essential truths of his characters, but with Peter's father it is what he does not say that reveals the most about him.
A superbly entertaining novel about a reserved, and in many ways hypocritical, society about to be changed irrevocably by war, The Riverside Villas Murder is also an excellent whodunnit, a masterful rites-of-passage tale, and being by Kingsley Amis it is of course extremely funny. It's a shame this book has been out of print for so long - we can only hope that this situation is rectified as soon as possible, so that more readers can access one of the best novels by one of post-war Britain's best novelists.
Replies
Thanks Rick.
One more reply, and then I'll be quiet. I often think that some members will get tired of seeing my comments, but then it is you and the other posters I am writing to, and I do want to let you know how much I enjoy and appreciiate Times Past. Thank you for your comment about being thanked.
I see that the Whodunit membership will reach the 300 mark very soon. Congratulations to all posters who have made it such a success!
Just as long as the comments are civil, write what you want. I always tell members that if you have something to say that is not good either PM it or forget it. As long as we are civil with each other it's OK. Members can voice dissatisfaction and still keep a civil tone. We a re all here for the same reason, the great stories and great acting.
Thanks for sharing
If it gets much better than these, I don't think I can handle it. lol
At the moment I am only posting what was not in my collection until recently and upgrades of some excellent plays that I have recently acquired. It may get better, who knows, we still have the rest of the 70s, the 80s and the 90s to go. I am glad that you and the rest of the members are enjoying these. I also thank you for the consistent thank yous. Those that say thanks run between 5% and 10% of those that actually download the posts. I am happy with that because it is up from the 1% it used to be before I threatened to stop posting. LOL, like that was going to happen. I am addicted to it. a lot better than some other addictions I guess. LOL
Thank you so much, Rick, for all these great SNTs. Oh Boy!!
Hi Gayle,
Before it was arbitrarily decided that no play should be over 57 or 58 minutes, forgot which, was when you had the best plays from the BBC and the BBC Mysteries are the absolute best. I am in the process of working on my SNT collection and finding some real goodies. Glad that you are enjoying them. ------------------------------ Rick