Mr. Toppit

I wouldn't exactly say this book had me gripped, and yet somehow I was interested enough to get through the whole thing in a few days, so clearly, it had something. It's written in a witty, enjoyable tone, with lots of dry humour, memorable descriptions and fun cultural references. The plot provided......more

An encounter at his death of a writer leads to posthumous fame for his obscure series, The Hayseed Chronicles, and the sinister Mr. Toppit who is at the center of the books. Covering decades from post World War II British film industry boom years to the late Twentieth Century, this nice debut novel......more

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.) This is the debut novel of a British producer of TV costume dramas (among other projects of his was the rec......more

Who is Mr. Toppit? When you find out you will care. Trying to remember why this was recommended to me...Luke is the sulking victim, Rachel is the gradually psychotic daughter, Martha is the drunken crazy mother, Arthur is the inaccessible father. Oh, and Laurie is...wtf is Laurie? Crazy fat person?......more

While Mr Toppit turned out to be a pretty good read, the novel suffers from an identity crisis, as do its various characters. Charles Eton has combined fantasy, coming-of-age, the publishing business, celebrity, and dysfunctional family in an uneasy stew that occasionally induces queasiness in the......more