Home Truths

By David Lodge

Book Overview

From the author of the Booker Prize finalist Small World . Adrian Ludlow, a novelist with a distinguished reputation and a book on the "A" level syllabus, is now seeking obscurity in a cottage beneath the Gatwick flight path. His university friend Sam Sharp, who has become a successful screenwriter, drops in on the way to Los Angeles, fuming over a vicious profile of himself by Fanny Tarrant, one of the new breed of Rottweiler interviews, in a Sunday newspaper. Together they decide to take revenge on the interviewer, though Adrian is risking what he values most: his privacy. David Lodge's dazzling novella examines with wit and insight the contemporary culture of celebrity and the conflict between the solitary activity of writing and the demands of the media circus. "Sharp, intelligent, surprising and fun."-- The Times "Lodge is pure dazzling style, book after book, in his fusion of form and content."-- The New Republic

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140291806
• ISBN13: 9780140291803
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

A Lovely Read

This novella was originally a play and the metamorphosis is seamless. One can sense the transition from stage directions to descriptions and the reincarnated dialogue, but it is all done so deftly that it causes no distractions. Contra one editorial reviewer, this is not a farce, but a blunted novel of manners. The characters are all touching in their way--even the barracuda journalist--and the writing is exquisite. All David Lodge fans should be sure to read HOME TRUTHS and new readers might want to wet their feet here (or dampen their entire skin, given the function of the protagonist's sauna). The resolution of the plot (which I won't spoil) casts all that went before in a changed light, as good endings should. We don't see it coming and the result is a change in mood that is very effective. David Lodge is more than our finest student of academe; he is one of the great novelists of the twentieth century (and beyond). He simply does it all with such a light touch that we are tempted to overlook the difficulty involved in attaining that achievement.

minor, but worthwhile

David Lodge is justly revered as both one of the best comic novelists of recent decades and as a writer who explores serious moral themes through his satire. Folks then were somewhat disappointed when this novella was published, because it's not quite up to the standards of his novels. Perhaps they're being a tad fanatical. As Mr. Lodge acknowledges up front, Home Truths began life as a play and for purposes of this novelization he did not make major alterations. This leaves it with all the unnaturalness of theater--a single setting, just four characters, and a reliance on dialogue--despite the new format. You can either accept the limitations this imposes and be grateful for a chance to read an awkward but worthwhile piece that wasn't coming to a theater near you anytime soon, or you can dwell on the matter and not enjoy the book. Adrian Ludlow is a somewhat accomplished but now mostly silent author who's "retired" to an isolated English cottage with his wife, Eleanor. Over breakfast one morning they agonize over, and thrill to, a newspaper interview their old friend, screenwriter Sam Sharp, gave to an up and coming journalist, Fanny Tarrant, who's made her reputation by eviscerating the self-absorbed celebrity subjects of her profiles. A representative sample from the story on Sam reads: The first thing you notice about Samuel Sharp's study is that it's plastered with trophies, certificates and citations for prizes and awards, and framed press photographs of Samuel Sharp, like the interior of an Italian restaurant. The second thing you notice is the full-length mirror on one wall. "It's to give the room a feeling of space," the writer explained, but you can't help thinking there's another reason. His eyes keep sliding sideways, drawn irresistibly by this mirror even while he's speaking to you. I went to see Samuel Sharp wondering why he had been so unlucky in matrimony. I left thinking I knew the answer: the man's insufferable vanity. It gets worse. But the truth is even these old friends are enjoying seeing him get his comeuppance, because he is just as vain as he's made out to be in the article. However, Sam soon arrives at the cottage and enlists Adrian's help in a scheme to get back at Ms Tarrant. Adrian will submit to an interview too, but even as he's being profiled he'll secretly profile her and sell the resulting hatchet job to a rival paper. The middle portion of the book--Act II, if you will--consists of the counter interviews. Ms Tarrant turns out to be not only quite attractive and a decent enough sort but also an unabashed fan of Adrian's best known novel. Adrian remains guarded as he digs into her life and eventually convinces her to try his sauna. Eleanor, who'd not wished to be a party to the charade, arrives home at a guilty-looking moment and, when Adrian is out of the room, simply unloads on

Size doesn't count after all.

This witty, ironic novella plays with comtemporary assumptions and cliches about the media and its supposed victims. Lodge's terse novel adaptation of his play reveals insight into the virtually inseparable egocentricities and insecurities of authors and critics alike. Do not be misled by this volume's lack of bulk. Lodge's minimalist cast of characters and settings suffiently frame his hypothesis on the appearance and reality of literary endeavor. Consequently, the characters reveal "home truths" about themselves through their actions and reactions to each other, commencing with a slash and burn expose of a successful teleplay writer by a notorious interviewer/critic.Similar to Lodge's other fictional characters, the stars of *Home Truths* are familiar, flawed, semi-sympathetic, and all too human, which makes themexquisitely comical. David Lodge scores high marks for this appealing satire. Don't miss it!

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING -- IT IS REAL SHORT

Okay. First of all, I've read most of Lodge's books and recommend THERAPY, PARADISE NEWS, and NICE WORK, in that order. now, you've read all of those. what to do? HOME TRUTHS is quite clever and leads you to some illuminating thoughts like all of Lodge's books. THe ending is particularly well done. THat said, it is a short book -- about an hour's worth--and it is adapted from a play of the same name (and reading the book is not that different from reading a playscript.) But I would have regretted not reading it, so it gets 4 stars. Maybe Lodge is working on something longer.

Nice Work

As Lodge indicates in his Author's Note, this novella is based on his play of the same title first produced in February 1998. The novella continues to have the feel and sound of a play. The location never changes and we see the characters interacting as though on a stage. Action out of the house is reported rather than directly observed. While this does lend the work a degree of artificiality, the reworking of a play does translate pretty well into the novella format. Lodge's ideas are interesting and topical and his characterizations are well observed. As usual with Lodge's fiction, Home Truths is well put together and nicely paced. However, it is not for those who want a long read - I finished it in about an hour and a half.