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The Blue Pencil
"You're expendable. A young journalist making his way up the ladder. You're not a public figure like some of them. Not yet anyway." Recovering from the horrors of war and the Great Depression, Britain clings to dreams of peace as Europe slides towards Fascist dictatorship. Amidst a web of half-hidden alliances, where rumour and reality interweave, Roger Martin begins his career in Fleet Street journalism. As he is drawn deeper into the murky world of international politics, he quickly realises that discovering the truth is only half of the challenge . . . This compelling story follows an idealistic young journalist from his first steps along Fleet Street to the dark and dangerous heart of 1930s Nazi Germany as he uncovers the secrets kept from us by the British Government.
299 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 31, 2015
David Lowther’s debut novel ‘The Blue Pencil’ was published in 2012 and encompasses the author’s love for historical fiction. It is 1936, Britain is in recovery, emerging from the depths of the greatest depression of all time and still reeling from the effects of the Great War. As expansionist forces in Germany threaten to turn Europe into a fascist dictatorship, the British government cling desperately to any hope of peace. The Blue Pencil focuses on the coverage of foreign events in London’s Fleet Street from 1936-1939, shedding a new light on the lengths the British Government went to, to hide the truth from the Great British public.
The book takes its name from the infamous ‘blue pencil’ traditionally used by editors and sub editors to show corrections. The dreaded receiving back of a piece of work covered in blue pencil akin to the corrections shown by teachers in secondary school is something most of us can relate to. These days the blue pencil has been largely replaced by a red pen. I’ve had many conversations with fellow writers over the despair of receiving a piece of work back covered in red ink.
The Blue Pencil is written in the style of a diary, and follows the life of recent university graduate Roger Martin. Coming from a comfortable middle class background, and having just graduated from Cambridge, with a “good degree”, Roger feels he owes it to his parents to decide what he wants from life. Roger’s news savvy girlfriend awakens within him a renewed interest in international affairs, which sets him on the path towards his future career:
“The Spanish Civil War, and the interest in it from newsreels and newspapers changed my life. For the first time I became aware that there was life away from Cambridge and that greedy men wanted to seize power for themselves without caring two hoots about the quality of life for the majority of citizens.”
With support from his university tutor Roger writes to several newspapers, and soon lands his first real job as junior reporter at ‘The Globe’, a fictional left wing newspaper. Roger describes at length his first impression of the newspaper’s press office during his interview, and the effect that the atmosphere had on him:
“Everybody in the room seemed either to be talking into the phone or typing, and those phones not in use seemed to be ringing. The air was thick with smoke and most desks seemed littered with ashtrays, piled high to overflowing, and cups and saucers.”
Lowther’s description of the Globe’s offices particularly appealed to me, conjuring up vivid images of Lois Lane tapping away at her desk in the Daily Planet press office.
Roger quickly settles in to his new role and before long finds himself more or less leaving behind film and sport reviews for more important coverage of international affairs. He covers Hitler’s movements throughout Europe, attempting to make his stories as hot and hard hitting as possible.
As it becomes evident that the government is determined to strangle the press, Roger has a different aim in mind, to let his readers know the secrets the government is working so hard to cover up. Despite several warnings from those close to the Prime Minister, which put much more than just his job in danger, Roger insists on publishing nothing but the truth. When faced with confrontations with ‘the blue pencil’, the owners of the newspaper, and even the police Roger does not back down.
The Blue Pencil is an incredible story of the attempts by authoritative figures to suppress the press in what turned into the most devastating war in British history. The novel introduced me to a piece of history I knew nothing about. While Roger may be a fictional character I know that his unpleasant experiences at the hands of Chamberlain’s government, whether direct or indirect are Lowther’s description of a very real, and shocking truth.
I was particularly impressed by the detailed picture of the 1930s which Lowther presented; the level of research which must have gone into writing this book is truly incredible. The story is historically accurate but this goes far beyond the realms of European politics at the time. Lowther clearly put an awful lot of time and energy into discovering the entire time period. The journalists and reporters who Roger comes into contact with are all real people; the hard hitting news stories were actually published, including ‘The Tragedy of Guernica’ by George Steer. Lowther even keeps up to speed with the results of the Ashes, and the films of the time, often sporadically name dropping films and actors. This is all done so naturally that it feels as though one were actually living at the time of all these events.
Lowther’s unique writing style, which combines the commonplace with historical events, has the effect of drawing the reader into deep into the pages of the book. Through this method the main character grows, becoming a person that the reader relates to, and knows on an almost personal level. Roger travels to Berlin and relates first-hand one of the most horrific nights in Jewish history “Women were screaming, children were crying and the Nazis were celebrating”. He tells the reader of the anti-sematic rag, Der Stürmer with it vulgar caricatures of Jewish men. At the same time we are made aware of the way Roger feels, his terror and disgust, and the emotional exhaustion he felt upon returning to England. Roger is more than just a hard boiled reporter, he has a real life and is a person like any other, with a mother who worries if he is not home for dinner, and a girlfriend, with whom he goes on country outings, and trips to the cinema: “things quietened down for a while. I spent a lot more time with Jane. We saw Paul Muni in The Life of Emile Zola (Not bad) and Will Hay in Oh Mr Porter (very funny)”. Historical fiction is at its best when it is relatable to those who have not lived through the events in question, and Lowther’s original method of interlacing the poignant with the mediocre achieves just this.
Overall I would rate The Blue Pencil very highly, it was comprehensible and interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I was captivated by Roger’s story, and drawn in by the realness of the characters and the situations; it really did feel as though I was stepping back into the 1930s. My one slight gripe is that there are multiple grammatical errors and spelling mistakes throughout the text, which is a shame. That said the mistakes were not so frequent as to ruin the book for me, and I would definitely still recommend it to others.
Originally posted on Jade the Obscure
The book takes its name from the infamous ‘blue pencil’ traditionally used by editors and sub editors to show corrections. The dreaded receiving back of a piece of work covered in blue pencil akin to the corrections shown by teachers in secondary school is something most of us can relate to. These days the blue pencil has been largely replaced by a red pen. I’ve had many conversations with fellow writers over the despair of receiving a piece of work back covered in red ink.
The Blue Pencil is written in the style of a diary, and follows the life of recent university graduate Roger Martin. Coming from a comfortable middle class background, and having just graduated from Cambridge, with a “good degree”, Roger feels he owes it to his parents to decide what he wants from life. Roger’s news savvy girlfriend awakens within him a renewed interest in international affairs, which sets him on the path towards his future career:
“The Spanish Civil War, and the interest in it from newsreels and newspapers changed my life. For the first time I became aware that there was life away from Cambridge and that greedy men wanted to seize power for themselves without caring two hoots about the quality of life for the majority of citizens.”
With support from his university tutor Roger writes to several newspapers, and soon lands his first real job as junior reporter at ‘The Globe’, a fictional left wing newspaper. Roger describes at length his first impression of the newspaper’s press office during his interview, and the effect that the atmosphere had on him:
“Everybody in the room seemed either to be talking into the phone or typing, and those phones not in use seemed to be ringing. The air was thick with smoke and most desks seemed littered with ashtrays, piled high to overflowing, and cups and saucers.”
Lowther’s description of the Globe’s offices particularly appealed to me, conjuring up vivid images of Lois Lane tapping away at her desk in the Daily Planet press office.
Roger quickly settles in to his new role and before long finds himself more or less leaving behind film and sport reviews for more important coverage of international affairs. He covers Hitler’s movements throughout Europe, attempting to make his stories as hot and hard hitting as possible.
As it becomes evident that the government is determined to strangle the press, Roger has a different aim in mind, to let his readers know the secrets the government is working so hard to cover up. Despite several warnings from those close to the Prime Minister, which put much more than just his job in danger, Roger insists on publishing nothing but the truth. When faced with confrontations with ‘the blue pencil’, the owners of the newspaper, and even the police Roger does not back down.
The Blue Pencil is an incredible story of the attempts by authoritative figures to suppress the press in what turned into the most devastating war in British history. The novel introduced me to a piece of history I knew nothing about. While Roger may be a fictional character I know that his unpleasant experiences at the hands of Chamberlain’s government, whether direct or indirect are Lowther’s description of a very real, and shocking truth.
I was particularly impressed by the detailed picture of the 1930s which Lowther presented; the level of research which must have gone into writing this book is truly incredible. The story is historically accurate but this goes far beyond the realms of European politics at the time. Lowther clearly put an awful lot of time and energy into discovering the entire time period. The journalists and reporters who Roger comes into contact with are all real people; the hard hitting news stories were actually published, including ‘The Tragedy of Guernica’ by George Steer. Lowther even keeps up to speed with the results of the Ashes, and the films of the time, often sporadically name dropping films and actors. This is all done so naturally that it feels as though one were actually living at the time of all these events.
Lowther’s unique writing style, which combines the commonplace with historical events, has the effect of drawing the reader into deep into the pages of the book. Through this method the main character grows, becoming a person that the reader relates to, and knows on an almost personal level. Roger travels to Berlin and relates first-hand one of the most horrific nights in Jewish history “Women were screaming, children were crying and the Nazis were celebrating”. He tells the reader of the anti-sematic rag, Der Stürmer with it vulgar caricatures of Jewish men. At the same time we are made aware of the way Roger feels, his terror and disgust, and the emotional exhaustion he felt upon returning to England. Roger is more than just a hard boiled reporter, he has a real life and is a person like any other, with a mother who worries if he is not home for dinner, and a girlfriend, with whom he goes on country outings, and trips to the cinema: “things quietened down for a while. I spent a lot more time with Jane. We saw Paul Muni in The Life of Emile Zola (Not bad) and Will Hay in Oh Mr Porter (very funny)”. Historical fiction is at its best when it is relatable to those who have not lived through the events in question, and Lowther’s original method of interlacing the poignant with the mediocre achieves just this.
Overall I would rate The Blue Pencil very highly, it was comprehensible and interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I was captivated by Roger’s story, and drawn in by the realness of the characters and the situations; it really did feel as though I was stepping back into the 1930s. My one slight gripe is that there are multiple grammatical errors and spelling mistakes throughout the text, which is a shame. That said the mistakes were not so frequent as to ruin the book for me, and I would definitely still recommend it to others.
Originally posted on Jade the Obscure
August 16, 2022
4'5
'The Blue Pencil' is a very good book in which you will learn a lot that you may not know, the narrative is very interesting and the story will have you hooked up at the same time. I have to highlight the way in which the chapters are set. They are short and each one beings with a famous quote from someone. That is something I really liked and the length of the chapters makes you want to jump to the next one and read more and more without you even realising. It is noticeable that the author made a great deal of research as the novel is very well documented. It makes you believe that for one moment, you are back there in that time. The only slight flaw that I see in 'The blue Pencil' is that it includes a few grammatical and spelling errors. But not that many as to make your reading getting interfered, so not really that big deal.
Overall, I think it is a very good novel that I would highly recommend to anyone.
'The Blue Pencil' is a very good book in which you will learn a lot that you may not know, the narrative is very interesting and the story will have you hooked up at the same time. I have to highlight the way in which the chapters are set. They are short and each one beings with a famous quote from someone. That is something I really liked and the length of the chapters makes you want to jump to the next one and read more and more without you even realising. It is noticeable that the author made a great deal of research as the novel is very well documented. It makes you believe that for one moment, you are back there in that time. The only slight flaw that I see in 'The blue Pencil' is that it includes a few grammatical and spelling errors. But not that many as to make your reading getting interfered, so not really that big deal.
Overall, I think it is a very good novel that I would highly recommend to anyone.
August 5, 2019
Knowing next to nothing about the 2nd World War I've recently read a few superb books on specific aspects of the war, for example D-Day (Giles Milton), Double Standards (Lynne Picknett & Clive Prince). I now wanted to understand in basic terms what were the events leading up to the war. Searching through some reviews on Good Reads I came across this novel which looked promising as one reviewer commentated that there was too much historical background and not enough story, which sounded just the job for me.
I must say that it did the job perfectly and anyone wishing to be informed in the same way can find no better novel/book. Having said that it took a while to relate to the main character who seemed too squeaky clean to be real but having said that I realise that these people do actually exist and so could relate to him OK.
I must say that it did the job perfectly and anyone wishing to be informed in the same way can find no better novel/book. Having said that it took a while to relate to the main character who seemed too squeaky clean to be real but having said that I realise that these people do actually exist and so could relate to him OK.
January 20, 2014
I really enjoyed this novel, set in Britain and Europe between 1936 and 1939. I am have a huge interest in that period and am a great fan of the novels of Alan Furst. For example his most recent Mission to Paris: A Novel 'The Blue Pencil' succeeds in capturing, like Furst, the feel of the times. The looming danger, the suspicion, the refugees, the ever threat of war on the horizon.
'The Blue Pencil' tells the story of a young Englishman, from a comfortable middle-class background, recently graduated from Cambridge. He is trying to find his place in the world. The Spanish civil war awakens his political leanings and he enters the profession of journalism primarily with the purpose of shining a light on the evils of fascism. He gains employment with a liberal minded newspaper on Fleet Street. As he begins to cover the major events of the period; Hitler's takeover of the Rhineland, then Austria, then Czechoslovakia, he becomes determined to bring his reader's attention to Chamberlain's appeasement. His writings make him an enemy of Chamberlain's government and he becomes a target of political dirty tricks.
The novel exposed a slice of history that I was completely unaware of despite being a serious history buff. Specifically Chamberlain's attempts to silence his critics by fair means or foul. Echoes of the current NSA spying crisis abound.
Anyone interested in the origins of WWII will find this book fascinating.
The period is very well researched. The young journalist, when he is not covering politics is also reviewing movies and covering sports events such as the Aussie cricket team at Lords with Don Bradman playing. The author casually drops in the names of the movies of the time, and the current sports events of the time, as well as every details of the time, and it is done is such a way that the reader is taken back. It is easy to forget that it is not 1938 when you are within the pages of 'The Blue Pencil'.
'The Blue Pencil' tells the story of a young Englishman, from a comfortable middle-class background, recently graduated from Cambridge. He is trying to find his place in the world. The Spanish civil war awakens his political leanings and he enters the profession of journalism primarily with the purpose of shining a light on the evils of fascism. He gains employment with a liberal minded newspaper on Fleet Street. As he begins to cover the major events of the period; Hitler's takeover of the Rhineland, then Austria, then Czechoslovakia, he becomes determined to bring his reader's attention to Chamberlain's appeasement. His writings make him an enemy of Chamberlain's government and he becomes a target of political dirty tricks.
The novel exposed a slice of history that I was completely unaware of despite being a serious history buff. Specifically Chamberlain's attempts to silence his critics by fair means or foul. Echoes of the current NSA spying crisis abound.
Anyone interested in the origins of WWII will find this book fascinating.
The period is very well researched. The young journalist, when he is not covering politics is also reviewing movies and covering sports events such as the Aussie cricket team at Lords with Don Bradman playing. The author casually drops in the names of the movies of the time, and the current sports events of the time, as well as every details of the time, and it is done is such a way that the reader is taken back. It is easy to forget that it is not 1938 when you are within the pages of 'The Blue Pencil'.
January 6, 2015
In his charismatic autobiographical style, Lowther captures the clean, fluent side of narrative, set in a time of worldwide vacillation about just where the world's future lies: either with Hitler or with the Free World. It is rare for me to read anything but Alistair MacLean but I found Lowther's style and characters eminently readable and this book had me visualising it alongside the likes of McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes'. Lowther is a veteran journalist in his style, conveying historical facts throughout, with liberal quantities of apt opinion neatly rendered in. The author has achieved in this book an effectively entertaining account of life and politics in the secretive and uncertain era of World War II. It is Lowther's mature-minded approach that keeps you reading.
A captivating and even-weighted analytical of warfare, tragedy, conspiracy and heroism, set in the time when the world might have become an anti-Semitic purgatory under Hitler. Lowther is thankful that it didn't.
A captivating and even-weighted analytical of warfare, tragedy, conspiracy and heroism, set in the time when the world might have become an anti-Semitic purgatory under Hitler. Lowther is thankful that it didn't.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews