tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post3702651219882580425..comments2024-03-25T11:29:25.356-04:00Comments on Existential Ennui: Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald (Gollancz, 1976): the Original Novel, Basis for the 1985 MovieNick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)http://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-4288889123136845552012-07-23T06:33:22.072-04:002012-07-23T06:33:22.072-04:00Indeed, Dave, although I've only discovered Jo...Indeed, Dave, although I've only discovered John D. and Ross latterly. You may be right on Gregory Mcdonald's only strength being dialogue – I must admit the plots of the subsequent Fletch (and Flynn) novels have vanished from my memory. But that dialogue alone is reason enough to read him, I reckon.Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-44199209493368170262012-07-20T22:54:05.166-04:002012-07-20T22:54:05.166-04:00You couldn't be a suburban American teenager i...You couldn't be a suburban American teenager in the mid-80s without seeing this film endless times on HBO or Cinemax. As you mention, Nick, it's emminently quotable and definitely the best thing Chase has ever done, IMHO.<br /><br />The sequel was funny, too, but just not as much as the original. The sequel, Fletch Lives, wasn't based on a Gregory McDonald book, but the storyline, where Fletch inherits a Louisiana Plantation from his Aunt, begat some humorous one-liners and sight gags.<br /><br />The original film brought me to the books. I read a few of them, but didn't cover the entire series. The dialogue, as has already been mentioned, is the chief attraction in a GM novel. I think mainly because he just had the one particular strength and no other I quickly lost interest and moved on to richer territory. But I definitely remember the "M" area in the Mystery section of all the bookshelves in all the malls in the 80s were lined up back to back with John D. MacDonald, Ross MacDonald, and Gregory McDonald. It was a good time to be a Mystery writer with the last name Mc/MacDonald;-) lolDave Plantenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-42134274921703289592012-07-05T10:50:06.333-04:002012-07-05T10:50:06.333-04:00Wow--so much for the old saying "You can'...Wow--so much for the old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover." They judge the book ON its cover. Though judging by the color of these covers, they should all be be gruesome Italian murder-fests, soon to be a movie by Mario Bava or Dario Argento. :)Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00271250698430923736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-39248638492999487882012-07-05T04:07:06.126-04:002012-07-05T04:07:06.126-04:00Haha, you evidently haven't seen many Gollancz...Haha, you evidently haven't seen many Gollancz jackets, Chris. Common practice with that publisher's yellow (and red) wrappers: click on the Gollancz tag at the bottom of the post for further examples; the blurb on Day of Misjudgement in particular has to be seen to be believed.Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-76029681169588354202012-07-04T16:08:14.600-04:002012-07-04T16:08:14.600-04:00I confess, I don't often see mini-reviews from...I confess, I don't often see mini-reviews from the publisher on a book cover. Blurbs, yes. Mini-reviews, no.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00271250698430923736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-38148695710221272562012-07-04T08:16:56.524-04:002012-07-04T08:16:56.524-04:00Great summer reading indeed, Amy. Have you read an...Great summer reading indeed, Amy. Have you read any of the sequels? I don't recall them being quite as great as Fletch, but certainly the early ones are worth a look.Nick Jones (Louis XIV, the Sun King)https://www.blogger.com/profile/17716508525331235684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5448581132479481740.post-65609402900379707362012-07-04T07:29:35.919-04:002012-07-04T07:29:35.919-04:00I read this book in the late 1980s - really enjoye...I read this book in the late 1980s - really enjoyed it and could see why it translated well into a movie. The humor and crime/mystery combination was great summer reading.Amy Neftzgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07290229026909232592noreply@blogger.com