Synopses & Reviews
The locals in the southern Italian town where he lives call him Signor Farfalla--Mr. Butterfly: for he is a discreet gentleman who paints rare butterflies. His life is inconspicuous--mornings spent brushing at a canvas, afternoons idling in the cafes, and evening talks with his friend the town priest over a glass of brandy.
Yet there are other sides to this gentleman's life: Clara: the young student who moonlights in the town bordello. And another woman who arrives with $100,000 and a commission, but not for a painting of butterflies.
With this assignment returns the dark fear that has dogged Signor Farfalla's mysterious life. Almost instantly, he senses a deadly circle closing in on him, one which he may or may not elude. Part thriller, part character study, part drama of deceit and self-betrayal, A Very Private Gentleman shows Martin Booth at the very height of his powers
Review
"[A] brilliantly creepy psychological suspense novel....With first-rate characters and a gradual buildup of suspense, Booth constructs his most focused, tightly written novel to date..." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Haunting, shocking, and tense....[Booth's] writing is crisp yet lyrical, simple yet intelligent. Readers looking for thought-provoking literary fiction can't do any better than this." Emily Melton, Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Booth has no trouble creating the beautifully detailed thoughts of this cool customer, but it may be difficult for some readers to believe the combination of intellect and industrial skills.....The scenery, however, is always exquisite. Bitter, but possibly good for you." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The work of a remarkable writer...a novel of power and fascination." Evening Standard (U.K.)
Review
"Booth's prose exhibits such a nicely pointed clarity that it would be all too easy to devour this beguiling story and to take for granted its artful construction, its sparkle, its vivid conjuring of character and landscape." Sunday Times (U.K.)
Review
"There are echoes of Nabokov in this tense and poetic mystery." Today (U.K.)
Review
"Suspense builds artfully in this classy novel, and the prose is measured carefully. Even the use of first-person narration doesn't diminish the sense of uncertainty." Library Journal
Synopsis
From the Booker shortlisted author of
Islands of Silence and
The Industry of Souls comes a fascinating portrait of a man with a double life and a dark trade.
Synopsis
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE,
THE AMERICAN, STARRING GEORGE CLOONEY AND DIRECTED BY ANTON CORBIJN
The locals in the Italian village where he lives call him Signor Farfalla--Mr. Butterfly--for he appears to be a discreet gentleman who paints rare butterflies. But as inconspicuous as Farfalla tries to make himself, his real profession is deadly, unbeknownst to the sometime brothel worker, Clara, with whom he sleeps.
Of a certain age, and as his feelings for Clara intensify, Farfalla has resolved to make his next job his last--all the while sensing a treacherous circle closing in on him.
Synopsis
"Crisp yet lyrical, simple yet intelligent...haunting, shocking, and tense."--
BooklistThe locals in the Italian village where he lives call him Signor Farfalla--Mr. Butterfly--for he appears to be a discreet gentleman who paints rare butterflies. But as inconspicuous as Farfalla tries to make himself, his real profession is deadly, unbeknownst to the sometime brothel worker, Clara, with whom he sleeps.
Of a certain age, and as his feelings for Clara intensify, Farfalla has resolved to make his next job his last--all the while sensing a treacherous circle closing in on him.
Martin Booth, novelist, critic, biographer, children's author and social historian, died this year in Devon, England. His novel Islands of Silence was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize.
About the Author
Martin Booth is a critically acclaimed novelist and a documentary and feature film writer. He has written thirteen novels including
Islands of Silence,
Hiroshima Joe, and
The Industry of Souls. His most recent non-fiction books include
Opium: A History and
The Doctor, the Detective and Arthur Conan Doyle -- a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.