Nick and Jake: An Epistolary Novel

by Jonathan Richards, Tad Richards

America in 1953 seems hell-bent on squandering the flood tide of international goodwill earned in WWII. Senator Joe McCarthy is on a red-hunting rampage in Washington, and the fledgling CIA under Allen Dulles is starting to dabble in nation-building.

Into this moment of history wander Nick Carraway and Jake Barnes, refugees from Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. They begin a correspondence that leads to a close friendship, and widens to include a bizarre cast of characters. From the classic fiction of the period come Larry Darrell (The Razor's Edge), Alden Pyle (The Quiet American), Lady Brett Ashley and Robert Cohn (The Sun Also Rises), and from real life, Roy Cohn (Robert's nephew) and his pal Davey Schine, Roy's boss Joe McCarthy, the Dulles brothers, the Weavers, French intellectuals Sartre and De Beauvoir, Iranian premier Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, novelist Jackie Susann, music moguls Jerry Wexler and Ahmed Ertegun, and sex-change pioneer Christine Jorgensen. Jake discovers a CIA plot to cause a coup in France, and Nick and Jake must do their best to save their country from itself while affairs of the heart change both of their lives and teach them lessons about life and love. Nick & Jake finds the uproarious comic potential in a chilling period of American history that has alarming echoes in our own.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Books About Books, Literary Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 out of 5 stars to Jonathan Richards's book, Nick and Jake: An Epistolary Novel, published in 2012. I'm not ashamed to admit it, but I had to look up the word "epistolary," as I had no clue what it meant. Usually I'm good at determining the meaning of a word by breaking it up into smaller words, using my etymological skills; I am either getting old or I just had brain freeze; it shouldn't have been that hard since it's Latin and French. Epistolary means "written in the form of letters," which is exactly how this novel was created.



Why This Book
All hail NetGalley! I liked the cover. I enjoyed the overview. It seemed like something different, once I knew the definition of the word epistolary. It became #9 on my NetGalley reads this year. For those unfamiliar, go check it out at https://netgalley.com, a site where publishers and authors provide an opportunity to win free books in exchange for honest reviews. Family was visiting for the Easter holiday and had just left, so I opened this book on my iPad Kindle Reader and finished it in about 2 hours, as it's only about 200 pages.



Overview of Story
Nick and Jake work in the newspaper business in the 1950s, but they've never met at the beginning of the story. It's a few years after World War II, where McCarthy's fear of the Reds and Communism has taken over the country. The head of the CIA and other operatives are working across the world to track down any Communist supporters and arrest them, but if you even said something nice about Russia, or once passed someone on the street who was a Red supporter, you'd be accused yourself. Nick's accused himself, but gets out of it and leaves for Paris, having nothing but ill-feelings towards the US government despite his love for the US itself. Jake's already moved to Europe and publishing a newspaper, but they develop a friendship through their columns and words, supporting one another through various personal crises. Nick even gets divorced and re-married during the course of the story. The book is full of other characters, all who seem to be playing each other on different sides in the Red War. You can never quite tell who is being honest and who is a secret agent. But over the course of a few months, a few "stings" are executed to catch the criminals, ending with a bit of freedom and a small surprise or two.



Approach & Style
1. For starters, the book is written in the form of newspaper articles, telegrams and letters. Of the 10 major characters, they lives in the US, Europe and Asia, staying at houses, hotels and with friends. You get to see various post styles and handwriting samples, trying to figure out who is connected to who throughout each section.

2. The book is full of made-up and real characters... from fictional people in novels like the Great Gatsby to Senator McCarthy and George Bush. It includes Christine Jorgensen, the first person to have a sex-change (man to woman) and various family members of the primary characters who could be gay or are playing gay, including Maurice Chevalier. It's quite and unusual cast.

3. Humor and satire can be your friends.



Strengths
This is a highly imaginative story, full of facts and fiction. As a reader, if you are familiar with all the books being used as fan fiction, and you know a lot of about the real people involved in Senator McCarthy's war, you will love this book. It's very clever and instantly transports you back to the fear-mongering of the 50's. I am not familiar with the depth from this time period, but reading the transcripts of one "trial," if that actually happened (the way people were questioned), I'm super ashamed for the USA for that behavior. I have a feeling this was not an exaggeration, too.

The writing style is quick and easy, full of different handwriting styles, formats and voices. It's a fun and quick read, as you maneuver your way through each of the sections to try and figure out who is good and who is bad. The friendship between Nick and Jake is a really strong basis, especially when you realize it was the 50s and one or two of them might be playing the other!



Open Questions & Concerns
1. What was with the obsession with the male body part in this book? I understand the sex-change story-line as that is an important piece of history, but Nick's obsession with his own member... Jake's curiosities about surgery, the way it became common conversation in letters... I thought I was reading an entirely different book at a few points.



2. Some of the characters and history were lost on me, as I'm not too familiar with McCarthy other than the basics of the communist war. I also didn't read all the books being noted in this novel, so I feel like I missed out on some of the clever writing. That's my fault, not the books... though I think the description and overview could have been more clear, so I knew going into it what I was getting myself into.

Final Thoughts
I wasn't too keen on the novel when I first started it, but by about 15 minutes in, the quirky and clever writing made it a much easier read. It's sharp and has good focus. I suspect had I more historical info on what had actually happened, this might have been a 4 out of 5 stars. So if you do, then you should read it. If you don't... or the discussion of the male body part doesn't appeal to you (I feel so peculiar putting that in a book review that's not an erotic or romance book...), then perhaps this isn't for you. But be warned... it's an odd one... funny... not dirty at all... just a bit different.



About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.

[polldaddy poll=9719251]

[Stacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An entertaining riff on the McCarthy era told in letters, articles, & telegrams by characters both real & imagined (& who are mostly located in Paris). Quite fun. If you enjoyed the movie "Midnight in Paris" (a complete gem of a film), you may get a kick out of this book. Different time period but a similar vibe.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny & entertaining romp through the 1950s, starring major literary characters of the 1920s & 30s.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick and Jake: An Epistolary Novel by Jonathan Richards and Tad Richards mixes literary figures with historical persons.

In 1953 Nick Carraway, one-hit wonder novelist and Assistant Undersecretary of State for European Affairs, becomes friends with Jake Barnes, expatriate veteran and newsman with a conscience.

America is embroiled in a Cold War and a nuclear arms race, with Vietnam emerging as the central playing field. The CIA is interfering with foreign governments. On the homefront, McCarthy's witch hunt for Reds is peaking and the CIA is spying on Americans.

CIA maverick Robert Cohn's nephew Robert is Senator McCarthy's top aide and is on a book burning tour of American government libraries in Europe.

True Blue Nick is losing his rose-tinted view of the homeland and is finally starting that second novel. Jake's war wound may be reversible thanks to cutting-edge surgery developed when Dr. Hamburger turned George into Christine Jorgensen.

I had great fun identifying the references. Nick (from The Great Gatsby) and Jake (from The Sun Also Rises) are products of the 1920s, watching a younger generation dismantle the world they fought to preserve. Readers meet a host of other characters ranging from schoolyard bully Bill (William) Buckley, CIA director Allen Dulles, neo-conservative pioneer Irving Kristol, collaborator Maurice Chevalier, TV director Jimmie Dodd (host of Mickey Mouse Club), and Ronnie Gilchrist, a young singer mistaken for The Weavers' Ronnie Gilbert.

The novel is a fun jaunt, but also a provocative reminder of America's past sins. It connects the dots between choices made in 1953 that created problems that impact us to this day--like the destabilization of the Middle East. And it is a timely reminder and warning not to repeat the past.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

[Boria Sax · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I obtained a copy of the FBI file on my father (part of it anyway), dating mostly from the 1950s. I was amazed at how much life seemed to remain in the old typewritten manuscripts, with their smudges, print irregularities, typos, and anachronistic slang. Tad and Jonathan Richards have discovered this as well. Actually, this novel is not written as an FBI file, though most of the communications in it would be likely to end up in one. It is a novel constructed of letters and memoranda, which provides a panorama of that decade.

Contrary to the various stereotypes, the 1950s were neither particularly idyllic nor repressive compared to the present. The Richards brothers have captured the idiom of the period brilliantly. The characters speak in a way that is usually blunt, even brutally direct, and almost always informed by "common sense." But their common sense is very different from ours, so their communications often end up sounding utterly bizarre.

I find myself unable to identify with, or even care strongly about, any of the individual characters. They are too fragmentary, and too numerous, and the relations among them are too complex. But the real protagonist here is the decade of the 1950s, which has conflicts and personality enough to animate any tale. In this respect, the book probably reflects the influence of the cable television show "Mad Men."

The authors show a vast knowledge of the period, and the eminent people who make an appearance include Albert Camus, Roy M. Cohen, Jacqueline Susann, Kim Philby, Telonious Monk, and many others. But this was before critics and historians had type-cast them, and they confound our expectations every time.

Full disclosure: I am a friend of Tad Richards, and I can also remember the 1950s, though just barely.

[Suad Shamma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, and cannot recommend it enough to anyone interested in literary characters being brought to life. I bought this book on the sole premise of it being based on two characters of two different novels and having them communicate and correspond.

The book is completely constructed of letters, memorandum, telegrams, and so forth. With high-strung Nick, from The Great Gatsby, and laid-back Jake, from The Sun Also Rises, being the main protagonists here, it quickly became an amusing and entirely entertaining read with wonderful twists and turns - ALL in the form of letters and notes.

I admit that I haven't actually read Hemingways' The Sun Also Rises, but I didn't feel like I needed to in order to enjoy the book.

I absolutely loved all the literary references and insertion of different writers and characters - such as Françoise Sagan, author of Bonjour Tristesse, and many others. I found myself constantly googling different names if I couldn't connect the dots myself. Many parts were completely baffling, while other parts had me laughing.

In one letter to Jake, Nick is having trouble finding a topic to write another book about (besides The Great Gatsby of course), and as he brainstorms he outlines the plot of Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, only to have Jake write him back telling him to stop coming up with idiotic plot lines because no one wants to read about a troubled young man, and to keep brainstorming - in not those words exactly of course. But man, that got me chuckling.

I loved how Nick kept referring to Gatsby as Gatz. I loved his developing relationships with all those he was corresponding with, and I loved the way it all ended.

Very interesting book, and a quick read to boot.

[Lorri Steinbacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was like a social studies assignment written by a high-functioning eighth grader. Much penis related hijinx. Maybe I'm just not the target audience. This might work as a YA novel, though, since it effectively characterizes certain historical realities and the celebrity/character naming foreshadowing wouldn't distract a pre/teen since most of the names would have little import to them. If you're looking for a pretty inoffensive way to spend an afternoon, this should work.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1953 – Senator Joe McCarthy has discovered power through intimidation and along with his boy, Roy Cohn, busily destroying reputations and lives. Europe, especially France, is in cultural renaissance with writers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus and the enfant CIA was beginning to try to create havoc around the world.

Into this social universe, comes Nick Carraway, last seen in F Scott Fitzgerald’s THE GREAT GATSBY and Jake Barnes, late of Hemingway’s THE SUN ALSO RISES, but they are real people, not fictional characters here – Nick Carraway is with the State Department and Jake Barnes a star reporter for the Paris edition of the The York Herald Tribune.

This novel is rich in literary and historical references and is a joy for those with some familiarity with late 20 Century American history and literary history of that period.

If you are looking for a novel told in letters and cablegrams and one full of laughs with intriguing characters, then jump on this baby and save your copy – you’ll want to read it again and again and again – it’s that good.

[Marie (UK) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book with low to no expectations except to fulfil a GR challenge. There were difficulties with the font on Kindle some of the letters being in tiny script which did not change with increasing font size. Fact and fiction intermingle as the characters of some American classics come to life in the McCarthy era. Political machinations Joutrnalistic ethics and the odd sex change make it an interesting and quick read

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute, fun, inventive, especially if you know all of the characters from real life, which I did.

[Robert Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is somewhat of a funny look at Cold War era and was recommended by a friend and I was looking forward to reading it as many of the characters were taken from some of my favorite novels,such as Jake Barnes" the sun also rise's" Nick Carraway " the great Gatsby" Larry Darrel " the razors edge" and many more. The book is somewhat of a funny look at the Cold War era,which was not funny at the time.
The book is written in the form of a series of letters,documents,telegraph's ( this was 1953 no texting) and newspaper clippings and I wasn't enthused with the epistolary form of writing and I could not see Carraway,Barnes and Darrel and so many other of the fictional characters involved in espionage,however the real characters characters,such as Allen Dulles ( Director CIA) and Senator Joe McCarthy( US Senator Wisconsin) and others were most certainly into espionage.
The book was funny at times but for whatever reason it just didn't do it for me.
P.S. I'm sure that Larry Darrel" the razor's edge" ended up driving a cab in Chicago after leaving Europe.

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up at the library because I was entranced by the idea of a novel featuring Nick Carraway (from The Great Gatsby) and Jake Barnes (from The Sun Also Rises.) Alas, much more about politics than about literature. I didn't appreciate many of the literary references because the characters came from other political novels. Nice writing, which captured the many different voices.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I read for CROSSOVERS. The title characters are Nick Carraway (THE GREAT GATSBY) and Jake Barnes (THE SUN ALSO RISES), who strike up a friendship in Europe in 1953, and become embroiled in many major real-life events from that year. A few other literary characters appear too, as well as a character from a Christopher Guest film and an iconic female TV protagonist.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun reimagining of a rough time in american history. Gives you a feel for what it was like to deal with mccarthy-ism. The characters were interesting, though I did find the penis references not so funny. I was a little sad the last line came back to that again.

[Elwood D Pennypacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives me free reign to write crap like this.

Crap is a compliment by the way.

[Trace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to have a weakness for epistolary novels.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nostalgic, humorus story for those long in tooth. And a reminder for all ages that things haven't changed much. A fast, enjoyable read for anyone.