Eureka

‘'With night descending the yellow glare of the street lamps lent it an air at once forlorn and promisingly sleazy.''

Anthony Quinn has always been a writer highly recommended by good friends of mine and his Freya has been on my TBR for quite some time. When I requested Eureka, I was mainly attracted by the whimsical, groovy cover and by the fact that the story is set during the late 60s,a period of time that I consider to be one of the most fascinating in History.I am glad my instinct was right because this has been a very interesting reading experience.

We follow the people involved in the making of a film called ‘'Eureka'' which is based on a script inspired by The Figure In The Carpet, a short story by Henry James. The man responsible for the screenplay is Nat, an Oscar winner that tries to regain fame and acceptance. The novel itself isn't action packed, it is rather a slow burner, but terribly interesting, in my opinion. Besides being allowed a glimpse in the process of filmmaking at the time, we come to live with the characters and understand them better through their choices and actions in their social, professional and private life.

The characters are rich and fully developed. Nat is eccentric -in many ways- but he is deeply sympathetic. He is charmingly vain and kind hearted and a bit naive in a childish, almost innocent way. Freya is a journalist, a modern woman full of wits, grace and charm, but with a rather complicated private life. Billie is a young aspiring actress who struggles to find her place in the acting professions and along with it, she tries to find the courage -aided by her family and Nat- to escape an abusive relationship with Jeff, who is someone I'd cut in half with a blunt chainsaw if I had the chance...Reiner is a German director with an interesting background story and Sonja is a German actress who tries to do her job as best as she could and in the same time be there for everyone. And of course, we have Vere, a legendary actor, who for some reason made me picture the great Derek Jacobi as I was reading. So you see? It is a rare case that we have such a fascinating cast of characters who are nicely introduced, fully fleshed-out and realistic without being irritating or superficial. I was really impressed on that ground.

However, in my opinion, the true attraction and asset of Quinn's novels isn't the story, not even the people who populate its pages, but the setting, both in terms of time and of place. I don't think I've read a better description of the swinging sixties, nor one as finely inserted in the story as this. The references to the music -the Beatles being the focus, obviously- the clothes, the outrageous parties, the new cinematic techniques and movements that were just starting, forming the experimental cinematography, were vivid and I felt as if I've been a child of the sixties. Furthermore, the whole setting has a strong, urban feeling which I really loved and felt familiar with. I would say that the descriptions of beautiful Munich with the urban, haunting atmosphere of Maximilianstrasse during the night (and those who have been to the wonderful Bavarian city will know what I'm talking about) were some of the best I've ever come across in a book. Equally beautiful, though a bit more common, were the images of the autumnal London during the dusk.

So, needless to say, Quinn's writing is very interesting. The dialogues echo the ‘'sound'' of the times and they feel natural and flowing. The film script that had the function of the story-within-the-story was a special feature that may seem irrelevant to some, but if we bother to look into it in depth (as we ought to, because we are readers after all), we'll understand that it serves in realising the characters' motives and prevents the writer from becoming too descriptive and repetitive. The story itself isn't so interesting, though. I felt, at times, that it was only a background, an excuse (in apositive way) for our portagonists'unfilding of their strengths and weaknesses.

Eureka is the kind of book that becomes memorable for its cast of characters and the successful depictions of one of the most beautiful and unique eras of our times. There is danger and debauchery and frivolity and joy and death. I don't know about you, but this is the kind of books that definitely make a lasting impression on me.

Many thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.