The Charmer (Movie Tie-In)

I greatly enjoyed this book, and think and feel that I can not really elaborate on this book much more in relation to the other critiques. I will say that I was surprised by the ending and found the ending to be profound on a philosophical level. In otherwords, Gorse became a victim of his own misguided desire. I will say no more than that, so that I do not give away the end--Give this book a try!

If you're looking for a tightly written, disciplined thriller,a la Dorothy Sayers, this is not the book for you. However, if you like pitchperfect satirical writing on a par with Kingsley Amis, "the Charmer" will leave you as sweetly satisfied as a strychnine petit four. Hamilton is an oddly overlooked novelist. His plays "Rope" and "Gaslight" (from "Angel Street") garnered him welldeserved attention, but his novels are brilliant, and I don't understand why they're out of print. "The Charmer" is a portait of four suburban British self-deluded "normal" people, each playing out his or her own fantasy of who he/she fancies himself, while the author gives us an unsparing, brilliantly misanthropic portrait of who each actually is. -Doesn't sound thrilling, but this novel is funny, hard to put down, and ultimately profoundly sad.It was made into a PBS Masterpiece Theatre series a decade or so ago, with Nigel Havers as the eponymous Charmer.

Ernest Ralph Gorse - you can call him "Rafe" or "Ralph", is the best way to discover how easy it is sympathize with the criminal kind. Hamilton is wonderful at sending up those-who-should-be-sent-up. Originally titled 'Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse", this is part of 'The Gorse Trilogy" chronicalling the rise, rise and fall of E.R.G. Available in England only as a trilogy. Please, please insist upon re-publication of it in this country

Fans of sharp, dry wit will love this book. The unfolding of the plot is entertaining, and the stellar writing makes it even better. This is one of the best books I have ever read. Check out the Masterpiece Theater presentation of the book as well.

In a provincial English village, a dashing young stranger comes to town, triggering a series of shattering and tragic events. Despite characters that seem to be heading toward disaster, the author¹s insights into their lives is hilarious. This is one of the funniest books I¹ve ever read. Hamilton¹s rapier-like wit is an absolute delight