Lilley & Chase

by Tim Waterstone

Peopled with a rich cast of characters whose lives range across the London world of publishing, advertising and church intrigue, it deals with the problems of human relationships, love, forgiveness, loyalty and loss with acuity and sympathy.

310 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Kathryn Lepage]

I have not read a review of this book that seems fair, so I decided to write one of my own. This is a story of loss, unhealed grief, betrayal, love, loyalty all based around a small publishing firm that does important and interesting and challenging books not very profitably. The main character Sam Lilley, is likeable, intelligent, successful in many ways, emotionally undiscoverable in many ways. The strength of this book is not just the plot within the confines of Lilley and Chase and its story, interesting enough. especially for booklovers, booksellers, anyone who loves anything about the business of getting books to people; it is the story of its main players, particularly Sam, but also the lesser ones, the attempt to portray the individual emotional conflicts, the reasons, the inter-connectedness of all of them in their relationship to Sam. I haven't quite finished the book, but I sense where it is going. I particularly liked the fact that I felt I had learned something important about the male psyche, as I often read books with women as central (or at least shared centrality) characters.

I finished the book, and while the ending is somewhat less resolved than I was expecting, it is very believable. I enjoyed this book; it is a bit quirky and book-world specific, but I think many people would enjoy reading it.

[Laura]

An Aga-saga written by a man... not quite sure what to think of this! It's as good as any of Joanna Trollope's work, one of those quietish reads where there's some sturm-und-drang but not a whole lot of anything.

The prevailing sense of loss and betrayal that the main characters experience does give one pause, particularly Sam's life being divided between those that are pure and those that betray. On the whole, this world seemed very black-and-white, with few shades of grey.

[Dottie]

An excellent read. Waterstone -- of Waterstone's Books turns his hand to writing and did a pretty good job of it in my opinion.