ABOUT THE BOOK

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 interviewers, 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 delicious 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.

David Lodge is Honorary Professor of English at the University of Birmingham, where he taught from 1960 to 1987. The author of ten novels, he has also written stage plays, screenplays and several works of literary criticism. He lives in Birmingham.

 

Here are some readers' comments on Home Truths:

"This novella was originally written as a stage play and would probably make for a pleasant night at the theatre.
However, as a novel I can only describe it as a little lightweight bed-time reading.

The action is set in a country cottage in Sussex. A has-been author agrees to give an interview to a female reporter reputed for being less than kind to her interviewees. He has of course a hidden agenda. He also has a sauna and a wife who returns earlier than expected.

The outcome is rather predictable. However, the writing of David Lodge still makes it an enjoyable read."

(A member of Raheny Library Reading Group.)

 

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"Adrian Ludlow, a novelist, has retired to the country with his wife and his memories of erstwhile fame. His peace is disturbed when a university friend and successful screenwriter calls and recounts his fury over a vicious article by a female barracuda journalist in the Sunday paper. The friends concoct a revenge but this backfires.

The book is more like a play. It is well written and holds interest until the end which is rather weak and contrived."

(Member Raheny Library Reading Group)