Follow Berthold and Violet who are neighbours in a block of flats in North London. This book alternates in each chapter from Berthold’s point of view to Violet’s and back again. Berthold is however the main character in this modern day novel.
Do not expect an entertaining EastEnders style of reading from this book. The whole story is rather dull and I did not develop an empathy for unemployed actor Berthold. Violet is written in to tease but Stacey will steal her spot.
I was disappointed by The Lubetkin Legacy which is a shame because I so enjoyed Marina’s second novel Two Caravans which I read in 2009 and blogged…
I enjoyed this book and I vote it a HIT. It explores the economic realities of migrant workers here in the UK. Marina clearly has her finger on the pulse. This novel shows the ugly face of capitalism and the characters in this book are the victims, not the heroes. There is romance in this book which is written in the style of a thriller. Marina is a clever writer and her book shows the other side of the coin.
...But The Lubetkin Legacy for me FAILS. It is in a similar mode but is very WEAK. There is no sharpness to this story and my reading experience was DIM. It is NOT a novel to turn new readers ON. Yes, it shows promise but it does not fulfil.
I did like the way Marina worked foreign accents into her text, for example when Inna refers to “Indunky Smeet” who is clearly the present Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the UK Parliament (Iain Duncan Smith) commonly called IDS, not to be confused with IBS.
The plot of this story is rather tame and has as much thrill as a garden make-over programme on television. Much focus is made of everyday tasks like making hot drinks but even that is sloppy as Marina writes…
He looks confused. ‘My leccy got cut off last week. I should be all right when I start my job.’
...Yet a few paragraphs later on, Marina continues…
The kettle boils and she makes four cups of tea. Len adds a saccharine tablet and sips slowly, which seems to perk him up a bit, though he still looks pale.
...There is also some mild humour, for example…
The agency that found her this flat in Madeley Court specialises in student lettings, and it is furnished with seven narrow beds, seven desks, seven wooden chairs, seven small chests of drawers, and a small round table in the kitchen. How did seven people squeeze into here? Maybe they were dwarves?
…So there you have it, I found The Lubetkin Legacy a disappointment and consider it a POOR read that I will vote just the 2 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Fig Tree for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.
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