Vintage stuff (Published in 1982) - Authored by Tom Sharpe - About a teenage boy

The confusions and shortfalls of public schooling, a headmaster with an unusual approach to learning and a dimwitted teenage boy who carries out each and every thing said to him, in the most literal manner- mix all this together with a journey through England and France and what you get is another explosive read from author Tom Sharpe. Vintage Stuff was published in 1982. One of Tom Sharpe’s last few novels before his death in 2013, the novel is in no way less than any of his prior books.
The story of Vintage Stuff is about a teenage boy by the name of Peregrine Roderick Clyde-Brown. He is not just naïve or dimwitted but also a sort of bumbling savage. While the same thing can be said of many other boys his age, what unfortunately makes him stand far apart from his fellow students is his proclivity towards following through on anything said to him. The most innocently said thing is always taken literally by our protagonist.
Obviously, no school wants anything to do with him, especially when he starts folding foliage when he is told to turn over a new leaf!! But after a lot of cajoling, coaxing and heavy amount of bribing his parents successfully manage to get him admission at Groxbourne. Where the faculty feels that Peregrine’s knack for taking the smallest order literally and not having a single individual thought, will make him a promising candidate for the British Army. At Groxbourne, Peregrine meets the unusual headmaster Gladstone, whose teaching methods include lashing among other things.




What follows is true to Tom Sharpe’s style of writing. Gladstone manages to take Peregrine on a mysterious journey which does start in England, but soon crosses borders into France, and lands up exploding with Peregrine storming a French castle. If that wasn’t enough Peregrine does manage some mischief, mayhem and above all a murder within the French castle.
Tom Sharpe out does himself with this novel, especially by displaying a wonderful command over the English language and allowing the readers to truly enjoy all its nuances and innuendos. A boy who takes every order and command, no matter how innocently said, literally. Together with a headmaster who is just a little beyond extreme, the duo manage to stir up enough trouble which results in car crashes, shootings and chaos.
Though the novel feels a bit dated, it is an enjoyable and entertaining read. As always, one can expect larger than life situations, unrealistic characters and a completely insane plot which creates a fast moving witty book full of twists and unexpected surprises. Do not expect it to make sense, but you can expect a delightful play on words, and typical wry British humor which is showcased beautifully through Peregrine’s actions.
Like all of Tom Sharpe’s other books, this one too, is a quick read which will leave you in splits from the word go. If you have read a Sharpe book before, then you know what you are in for; but if you haven’t, then buckle down for complete anarchy.

Banker (Published in 1982) - Authored by Dick Francis, about a murder and a banker

Never one to disappoint, Francis couples equine mystery and white collar fraud in the Banker. The story spans three years. Timothy Ekaterin is a banker at the Paul Ekaterin Merchant Bank Ltd, great grandson of the founder. He is met with the ludicrous sight of his sensible boss Gordon Michael, ‘one of the steadiest banking brains in London’ - standing in his pinstripe suit (what's wrong with that?) - in a fountain in the forecourt. As he helps the delirious man out of the watery abode, Gordon keeps mumbling something about the people with white faces who need to be standing alongside him in the fountain. A bewildered Tim drives him home, where his wife Judith discloses the fact that Gordon is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.
And so begins Tim’s sojourn with decision making and risk taking on behalf of his indisposed boss. He starts by approving the loan for five million pounds for the purchase of a thoroughbred champion called Sandcastle. The bank is in trouble and he must ensure that the reputation the family has built over generations is not at stake, despite the risks stacked up against him, in this case, the prospect of profits is equally high. He consults with top breeders who vouch for Sandcastle’s champion genes.
Trouble begins when the horse, which is put out to stud, fathers foals that are malformed. On the personal front, he feels a growing camaraderie with the horse’s owner - Oliver Knowles and his daughter, Ginnie. His investigation leads him into the world of genetic altering drugs and subterfuge. Also, Oliver stands to lose everything as the value of his investment in Sandcastle plummets. An equally devious subplot is taking form as a serial murderer and rapist is on the rampage, and his victims are young women from neighboring stud farms. The horse’s owner’s daughter is found murdered, her mangled remains dumped by the fence, a bottle of dog shampoo found on her person.




Although the plot develops over three years, Francis is able to make the journey smooth for the reader, and one does not feel the weight of the years. Timothy is the quintessential Francis hero - dependable and principled, gifted with great presence of mind. There is also the undercurrent of Tim’s feelings for Judith, his boss’s wife, who is also strongly attracted to him, but the two never once cross the line and make advances towards one another. The highlight of the story is also Francis’s treatment of women characters in the novel - they are strong, lovable, with shades of human nature to make them more believable. Judith Michael - his love interest, Pen Warren - a respected pharmacist, Ursula Young - a bloodstock agent - all women with separate energies in Tim’s life.
The characters are all a real picture of the many we see all around us - some straightforward, others dark. Himself a jockey, Dick Francis has amazing insight into the world of horseracing and horses - especially the dark underbelly of money and violence that plague the beloved animals and their fates. Herbal healers, evil veterinarians, shady business deals, insider information being leaked - all add to the milieu of the story as it progresses over the rather longish period of time.

The Almighty (published in 1982) by Irving Wallace - A power drunk man

Irving Wallace was born in Chicago, to Jewish parents,Bessie and Alexander Wallace Who had emigrated from Russia. He completed his studies in California and started out as a journalist at a tender age of 15. He studied creative writing at the Williams Institute in Berkley and from the mid-30s he worked as a free-lance correspondent. In 1941 he married Sylvia Kahn; they had two children. Irving Wallace served in the air force during world war two and later collaborated in several movies as a writer. His first book "Sins of Peter Fleming" did not attract much attention. But his second book influenced by the Kinsey report was a best seller. He has been a prolific churner of best sellers and his books have been adapted as major movies. He died on June 29, 1990.
The Almighty is the story of a man who becomes so drunk with power that he thinks that he can control everything in the world. This novel indicts the current news media which manipulates the news to boost its TRP's. As the number of information media increases, the customer thinks he is the king with his remote controls, but little does he realize the marketing tactics which subtly control his power.



Edward.J.Armstead, the son of Ezra Armstead, the media tycoon inherits his fathers riches which includes the newspaper, New York Record. But there is a catch to his inheritance, he can only call the paper his own if within a year he can surpass the circulation of the new York Times. Edward tired of being in his fathers shadow takes up the challenge of conquering and besting his father's achievements and starts with seducing his father's mistress, Kim Nesbit. He has no feeling for his invalid wife Hannah and his outdoorsy son Roger.
He recruits Victoria Weston who is the daughter of harry Weston, the White House Press Secretary and assigns her the crime beat under the tutelage of Nick Ramsey. She gets the scoop from a slimy informant, Gus Pagano about a tunnel under the prison. This news is utilized by Armstead who helps Sam Yinger, a death row inmate to escape from prison. Yinger tries to kill the defense attorney who sent him to prison and is saved by Victoria and the whole scoop is reported in the New York Record. This scoop helps the New York Record to zoom ahead of the New York Times consolidating Edwards inheritance.
Soon this incidence whets Edward hunger for more success. He develops a plan with his close associates to be the first one with the scoop. He organizes a gang who help him create and manipulate the news. And so begins the sinister chain of events, where this gang in the name of the terrorist Carlos undertake the kidnapping of the King of Spain, the UN secretary general and the Israeli PM. All this news is reported under the pseudonym Mark Bradshaw by Edward. AS the sales zoom up, Edward becomes reckless and plan more daring scheme. Soon things start going wrong, as the abduction of the Pope is foiled and other actions fail.
Victoria at first jealous of Bradshaw soon starts to suspect the veracity of these reports and along with Hannah Armstead and Kim Nesbit brings down the empire of Edward. In the end Edwards narcissism and greed for being the Almighty bring him down. A book for all ages and times which opens your eyes to the menace of selective news reporting. Read and understand the world information flow.

Partisans (published in 1982) - written by Alistair Maclean - the fight against the Germans in Yugoslavia

Alistair MacLean is a Scottish writer who specialized in writing thrillers and crime stories. He was third son of a Scottish minister and joined the Royal Navy during the world war two. He was a senior torpedo operator at the height of his career. He was in the thick of the war theater during the world war and saw action on many fronts especially the arctic north. After retiring he started penning his novels based on the war he saw and many of them became best sellers. MacLean never looked back as a writer until his death in 1987.
Another book about the battles in world war two from the MacLean Stable. Here the author takes the reader to Yugoslavia where the war rages on with its convoluted politics. On one hand the Germans and the Italians are fighting the war with the native Yugoslav's called Partisans ably aided aadn supported by the communist led by general Tito. They are thwarted by one of their own I.e the Chetniks who side with the germans. The allies try to hitch their horse to the Partisans to defeat the Nazi's.



The main lead is Pete Peterson, an Yugoslav royalist who is the typical macLean man with his dour and cynical ways receives coded orders from his German commanders to deliver it to the German resistance deep in Yugoslavia. Just as the Germans even the readers are confused about the name Pete Peterson for an Yugoslav. But MacLean has an humorist explanation for that. It seems that Pete is the son of an Englishman who never went back to england after coming to Yugoslavia. MacLean provided another funny anecdote about a village in Italy populated by Scots who had landed there decades ago for a battle. It seems those villagers had ruddy Scottish faces and a name starting with “Mac” .
Well the fun ends there for this novel. The plot meanders through the boring fist fights and Nazi vs Allies dialogues. Pete is accompanied by two operatives, gEorge the fat and Alex the dour. He gets two radio operatives, part of the Yugoslav Royalist gang, Sarina and Micheal, the pretty fraternal twins. And so they set pace to Yugolavia and meet many characters on the way, the drinking Giacomo, pretty Lorraine, Marija, Major Harrison and of course the villains.
No prizes for guessing that Pete is really a Partisan. But the loyalties of the other participants is always circumspect. They fight the Nazi's and are captured many time. But each time they are released as a group in tact to reach the other side. Contrary to MacLean's earlier books the fighting is pretty tame and easy passage for the heroes. In the end the villains are captured, the traitors are unmasked and the hero loves his pretty operative. As usual the women whine a lot and cry over his shoulder. One gets her husband and the pther falls for Pete. The villains are captured and delivered to the Britishers.
MacLean is said to have reached a low point in his career during the 80's and many books witness his decline and this book is one of those. There is nothing much to offer the reader and I do not recommend it during a holiday. Just pick it up when you just need to fill your gaps in your day with some light reading.