Just discovered Patrick Gale

[OhExpletive]

Picked up Tree Surgery For Beginners from the library the other week and finished it (in the bath, bliss!) last night.

What an odd little book, but really charming, and easy to read, and a bit funny, and very sad, and ridiculously far-fetched and twee but that seems so forgivable because of everything else I mentioned. His characters are all so likeable but not unrealistically so - very flawed at the same time.

What's the rest of his stuff like? I might borrow more just to enjoy gazing at his picture smiling out at me from the back cover

Yes, he is VERY handsome in real life too

Rough Music is my favourite, I find his later stuff better

I loved Notes from and Exhibition, about an artist and her family in Cornwall. Recommended!

I second that: Notes from an Exhibition is very good.

Friendly Fire is hands down my favourite.

I must read some of his other books. Notes from an Exhibition is the only one I have read.

It is such a humane book, a real model in coming to understand a person for whatever he or she is, to see them and to cherish them.

And it has a picture of an ambivalent mother, someone whose motherhood is compromised both by illness and by her priorities as an artist. The only other ambivalent mother in lit recently I can think of is the mother in We Need to Talk About Kevin, who is quite hard and witholding. This mother (in NFAE) is much more humanely presented, and it is easy to warm to her.

I have read Notes from an Exhibition and today i got "Friendly Fire" from a charity shop

Loved Notes from an Exhibtion.

Loved Notes from an Exhibtion and this thread has made me think about suggesting it to the book group that I go to.

Interestingly, DP got me Kevin for my birthday and I read it not long ago. I'm still not sure if I enjoyed it so I'll try Notes and see if it gives me better perspective.

I discovered him a few months ago and have since read anything of his I can get my hands on. I agree fedup, I couldn't put Friendly Fire down, it really drew me in.

I loved Note from an Exhibition and I've read another one - can't remember the title BUT I've just read 'all the day through' which was fantastic - only about 250 pages and I read it in an afternoon - the end was a surprise and there were sad bits and some funny bits - think I'm adding it to my list of favourites

He is brilliant. I am only sorry that I have now read everything and there is nothing else left to read! Last one I read was "Ease" - ace. Not one of the books are anything less than a 9.5/10.

I only discovered him recently so have lots to go yet. I loved Notes from an Exhibition.

Would also recommend Rough Music.

A Sweet Obscurity is great too. Set in and around St Just near Penzance.