Bordeaux
The Bitter Finish; A Vengeance in the Vineyard Mystery

Wilberforce although surrounded by what were obviously well-heeled trappings is drunk and disorderly, alone, friendless and hallucinating about a kidnap. How did he get there? Torday tells the story of the previous four years of Wilberforce's life backwards in four parts, one for each year. Torday i......more

Once I realized that the timeline of this book was not linear, I kept reading it, and then I began to see it as a minor masterpiece. I saw traces of Thomas Hardy in it, as well as Italo Calvino and other authors. No spoilers here, but if they were allowed I would write quite a bit about this book. I......more

A much more bleak and sombre second novel from Paul Torday who debuted with the entertaining Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. The main character here becomes increasingly dislikeable as his wrong-footed life choices come home to roost. Wilberforce makes for a thoroughly unreliable narrator as he seeks t......more

I really like Paul Torday's books with the exception of his last one which was OK. The others I thought were exceptional and this one was perhaps my favorite. It was so different. Poor Wilberforce. I have three versions of this book. 1. Uncorrected bound proof with a drawing of a man sitting at a tab......more

A chilling and sad story of a young man's downward spiral. The story begins at the end of Wilberforce's existence, and his bleak tale is told in flashbacks. Years after reading this haunting book, I still frequently recommend it to friends. The story is well crafted and clever. The main character is......more