BookkooB : Patrick Parker's Progress - Mavis Cheek : Compare Book Prices

	title:	Patrick Parker's Progress
	author:	Mavis Cheek
	format:	Paperback
	publisher:	Faber and Faber
	released:	March 3, 2005
	isbn:	0571214487
	isbn-13:	9780571214488

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Book Details / Review - supplied by Amazon UK
This really is delightful stuff. With Patrick Parker's Progress, Mavis Cheek demonstrates once again that she is one of the wittiest and most enjoyable of writers, with a grasp of modern social comedy that puts many of her peers in the shade. Those who consider their dealings in love and sex to have been somewhat fraught will recognise many moments here. The year is 1940, and the city of Coventry is in flames. One child miraculously escapes the flames, and is sent to London. This is Mavis Cheek's protagonist, the eponymous Patrick Parker, who has a shining future ahead of him. He is to be an architect in the vein of his idol Brunel, and build great civic structures. But things will not go as smoothly as Patrick might wish: his relationship with the determined Audrey Wapshott has seemed to be the perfect choice--she adores him, and their destinies appear to be interlinked. But Patrick then does the unthinkable--he dumps Audrey to take up with a woman who will be able to advance his career. Audrey leaves for Paris, and begins to forge a new life--and when Audrey and Patrick meet again, there will be significant changes ahead in both their lives. As in the equally delightful The Sex Life of My Aunt, Cheek has total command of the pitfalls of human relationships--her characters (both beautifully characterised) bounce off each other in highly diverting ways, but not at the expense of a plausible narrative. Comic this may be, but it plays fair by its own internal rules. The observation here is spot on, and this is highly enjoyable fare. --Barry Forshaw

Book Details / Review - supplied by Amazon UK

This really is delightful stuff. With Patrick Parker's Progress, Mavis Cheek demonstrates once again that she is one of the wittiest and most enjoyable of writers, with a grasp of modern social comedy that puts many of her peers in the shade. Those who consider their dealings in love and sex to have been somewhat fraught will recognise many moments here.

The year is 1940, and the city of Coventry is in flames. One child miraculously escapes the flames, and is sent to London. This is Mavis Cheek's protagonist, the eponymous Patrick Parker, who has a shining future ahead of him. He is to be an architect in the vein of his idol Brunel, and build great civic structures. But things will not go as smoothly as Patrick might wish: his relationship with the determined Audrey Wapshott has seemed to be the perfect choice--she adores him, and their destinies appear to be interlinked. But Patrick then does the unthinkable--he dumps Audrey to take up with a woman who will be able to advance his career. Audrey leaves for Paris, and begins to forge a new life--and when Audrey and Patrick meet again, there will be significant changes ahead in both their lives.

As in the equally delightful The Sex Life of My Aunt, Cheek has total command of the pitfalls of human relationships--her characters (both beautifully characterised) bounce off each other in highly diverting ways, but not at the expense of a plausible narrative. Comic this may be, but it plays fair by its own internal rules. The observation here is spot on, and this is highly enjoyable fare. --Barry Forshaw

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Customer Reviews
a great read - Rated This is the fifth Mavis Cheek novel I've read and I think she gets better with each one. If you're expecting the same book from her every time, you'll be disappointed. Mrs Fitton's Country Life and Aunt Margaret's Lover are hilarious. The Sex Life of My Aunt is moving and very perceptive. Patrick Parker's Progress is more serious, it looks at the role of women, how they've always been expected to play second fiddle to men's creativity and how their own has never been encouraged. It's a really good story with some wonderful characters. Mavis Cheek has a very particular style, which maybe you like or you don't. I love it! An absorbing,funny and intelligent novel - Rated I found this book fascinating as it mirrored the career of my single-minded brother over the same period. I found the single-minded selfishness of Patrick appalling and was so relieved when he got his come-uppance.It was also a dire warning to dominant mothers of talented sons! Good Holiday Reading - Rated Just had to tell you I've finished reading "Patrick Parker's Progress" which I didn't want to put down. This is the second novel I've read by Cheek, the 1st was "Mrs. Fytton ..." which I thought made wonderful holiday reading. This one though I enjoyed because of the arty and architectural background but above all I identified with Audrey - I enjoy Cheek's unobtrusive feminism. Other books I've read and enjoyed are: Sue Gee's "Hours of the Night, Jane Urquhart's "The Underpainter" and"The Stone Carvers", Mary Stanley's "Revenge",Jane Gardam "Faith Fox" and most of Anita Shreve's novels. Please let Mavis Cheek know there are a few intelligent readers out here thirsting for more. Thank you. Great Holiday Reading! - Rated Just had to tell you I've finished reading "Patrick Parker's Progress" which I didn't want to put down. This is the second novel I've read by Cheek, the 1st was "Mrs. Fytton ..." which I thought made wonderful holiday reading. This one though I enjoyed because of the arty and architectural background but above all I identified with Audrey - I enjoy Cheek's unobtrusive feminism. Other books I've read are: Sue Gee's "Hours of the Night, Jane Urquhart's "The Underpainter" and"The Stone Carvers", Mary Stanley's "Revenge",Jane Gardam "Faith Fox" and most of Anita Shreve's novels. Please let Mavis Cheek know there are a few intelligent readers out here thirsting for more. Thank you. Disappointingly bad - Rated I had heard something of Mavis Cheek and was looking forward to a wittily written story. Instead I got pages and pages of 'and then this happened and then this happened and then this happened.' The first rule of writing is 'show, don't tell' but obviously no one has ever pointed this out to Ms Cheek. As a result her characters are uninvolving and their lives flash before us in a series of lists detailing what happened without any sense of being involved in the process as a reader. I also became more and more annoyed by what I presume is a deliberate style. To put full stops in the middle of. Sentences in a totally arbitrary. Fashion. Annoying huh? The humour was laboured and, as with the bizarre punctuation, became increasingly annoying. All in all one to avoid.

Customer Reviews

a great read - Rated 5/5
This is the fifth Mavis Cheek novel I've read and I think she gets better with each one. If you're expecting the same book from her every time, you'll be disappointed. Mrs Fitton's Country Life and Aunt Margaret's Lover are hilarious. The Sex Life of My Aunt is moving and very perceptive. Patrick Parker's Progress is more serious, it looks at the role of women, how they've always been expected to play second fiddle to men's creativity and how their own has never been encouraged. It's a really good story with some wonderful characters. Mavis Cheek has a very particular style, which maybe you like or you don't. I love it!

An absorbing,funny and intelligent novel - Rated 5/5
I found this book fascinating as it mirrored the career of my single-minded brother over the same period. I found the single-minded selfishness of Patrick appalling and was so relieved when he got his come-uppance.It was also a dire warning to dominant mothers of talented sons!

Good Holiday Reading - Rated 4/5
Just had to tell you I've finished reading "Patrick Parker's Progress" which I didn't want to put down. This is the second novel I've read by Cheek, the 1st was "Mrs. Fytton ..." which I thought made wonderful holiday reading. This one though I enjoyed because of the arty and architectural background but above all I identified with Audrey - I enjoy Cheek's unobtrusive feminism.

Other books I've read and enjoyed are: Sue Gee's "Hours of the Night, Jane Urquhart's "The Underpainter" and"The Stone Carvers", Mary Stanley's "Revenge",Jane Gardam "Faith Fox" and most of Anita Shreve's novels. Please let Mavis Cheek know there are a few intelligent readers out here thirsting for more. Thank you.

Great Holiday Reading! - Rated 4/5
Just had to tell you I've finished reading "Patrick Parker's Progress" which I didn't want to put down. This is the second novel I've read by Cheek, the 1st was "Mrs. Fytton ..." which I thought made wonderful holiday reading. This one though I enjoyed because of the arty and architectural background but above all I identified with Audrey - I enjoy Cheek's unobtrusive feminism.
Other books I've read are: Sue Gee's "Hours of the Night, Jane Urquhart's "The Underpainter" and"The Stone Carvers", Mary Stanley's "Revenge",Jane Gardam "Faith Fox" and most of Anita Shreve's novels. Please let Mavis Cheek know there are a few intelligent readers out here thirsting for more. Thank you.

Disappointingly bad - Rated 1/5
I had heard something of Mavis Cheek and was looking forward to a wittily written story. Instead I got pages and pages of 'and then this happened and then this happened and then this happened.' The first rule of writing is 'show, don't tell' but obviously no one has ever pointed this out to Ms Cheek. As a result her characters are uninvolving and their lives flash before us in a series of lists detailing what happened without any sense of being involved in the process as a reader. I also became more and more annoyed by what I presume is a deliberate style. To put full stops in the middle of. Sentences in a totally arbitrary. Fashion. Annoying huh? The humour was laboured and, as with the bizarre punctuation, became increasingly annoying. All in all one to avoid.