From Publishers Weekly
This first novel by the Scottish author of the well-received novella collection Several Deceptions is an unusual mixture of genres: part thriller, part social comedy and part, as the cunningly punning title suggests, a study of how a variety of different people make unexpected connections in a great city. The story revolves around an elderly Greek banker, Mr. Eugenides, living alone in an odd corner of the city, who is the only living link to what may be a considerable treasure, in artifacts and real estate, linked to a Greek-founded London church destroyed in the WWII blitz. An unscrupulous, snobby young lawyer learns of it and becomes involved with some cold-blooded Greek plotters in a scheme to confuse the old man and wrest the treasures from him. Meanwhile, Eugenides is befriended by Sebastian, a dashing, gay scholar of Greek antiquities who shares his love for classical poets. The plot lines converge when Jeanene Malone, a forthright young Australian student of Sebastian's, working part-time as a pharmacist, becomes suspicious of a prescription she is asked to fill by the crooked Greeks. Throw in Jeanene's Indian lawyer lover; Alicia, a cheerful crusader for open spaces who hopes to salvage the church site as a community garden; her ever-hungry dog Alice; Sebastian's rather square lover, Giles; and a climactic motorcycle chase through Gloucestershire, and you have a fair idea of the range of character and incident that crowds Stevenson's ebullient creation. It is rather overstuffed, in fact, but written with such tenderness, wit and brio, and deep affection for London and its people, that it is irresistible. National advertising.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
In this fun first novel from a Scottish writer, an elderly Greek, Mr. Eugenides, lives alone in a big old house in London that is crammed with rare manuscripts, books, and other treasures. He may be the only link left to the valuable real estate of a Greek church destroyed during the London blitz. This sweet little old man becomes the focal point of a colorful group of characters: a slimy lawyer, two mysterious Greek swindlers, a dashing gay professor of Greek antiquities along with his Australian student and her Indian lover, and a perky crusader for green spaces. When Eugenides winds up dead under suspicious circumstances, events spin out of control, and the tale ends with a wild motorcycle chase through Gloucestershire that involves Alice the Lurcher, a Druid, and an explosion of teddy bears. Even though this reviewer laughed out loud, this is a literate, well-plotted thriller, part mystery, part social commentary, and very well written, with a crisp and involving narration by Christopher Kay. Stevenson's style is heavily influenced by Dorothy Sayers and Evelyn Waugh; highly recommended for all public libraries. Barbara Perkins, Irving
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
