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This is a collection of books 1-5 of the Patrick Melrose series.

I struggle to rate this series because there were so many good things about this series, I loved Patrick's sarcasm and his humor and I loved the philosophy and the depth so much of this was written in. This captured so much about humanity and life. It was lovely. At the same time this also had a lot of parts I felt dragged a bit for me and so many characters that were terribly shallow that I didn't care for. This was a definitely an above average read for me but I also can't say it is a personal favorite.

The summaries of the books are as follows:

NEVERMIND: This is the first book in the series and takes place when Patrick is 5 years old. We first meet his father and mother before we meet the carefree Patrick who is playing by the well. We quickly see that his father is cruel and abusive and his mother is completely uninvolved as she too is victimized by Patrick's father.

This was a really good introduction to Patrick's childhood and the people that surrounded him. Mostly toxic people, the books introduced several couples. The most confusing thing about this is that they didn't always tell me who these people were in relation to the Melrose family until later on. It sometimes felt they were on a tangent and I didn't know where it was headed. Overall a really good start to the series.

BADNEWS: We meet back up with Patrick when he is in his early twenties, just after he has discovered his father has died. He travels to the states in a herione induced stupor to retrieve his father's body. Patrick seems okay with his father's death because he had the abused that was inflicted upon him during his childhood.

This was the first episode in the showtime series and the one we have been seeing the most promos for. This made us realize early on the damage that was done to an innocent child as Patrick tries to self medicate by popping pills and shooting up cocaine and heroine. This was the most entertaining of the stories and my favorite one of the bunch.

SOME HOPE: We meet Patrick again in his thirties, as a recovering drug addict who is still trying to find alternate ways to heal from his past. This story takes us to a social gathering with other English high society members.

This story went deeper into some of the dynamics of the English high society and we start to see patterns emerge that are common conduct to others in this realm.

MOTHER'S MILK: This time we are introduced to the story by Robert, Patrick's son. He is an articulate and observant child who delves in to what I mean to be connected to a mother. This becomes a sort of philosophy all it own and we see where Patrick falls on this continum. Patrick, never having had a strong bond with his mother, feels both the pull of his wife to his children and his desire to be a good father and offer them the things he never had. His relationship with his wife is strained by this especially by the second son, Thomas who forms a closers bond.

This is the longest book of the series, and while it is important to see who Patrick is in relation to his mother, it was tedious read as there was so many details I felt had been brushed over before.

AT LAST: Patrick is now in his late thirties and is attending a funeral. This was a suitable wrap up for the series as we get to re-meet many people we have already met in previous stories.

While I enjoyed this addition it was some more review to things we had touched upon before.

renegade1234

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Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2023

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ST. Aubyn is a pleasure to read.

Mariann Grace

Brilliant. Utterly brilliant.

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2020

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With that being said, here is my caveat emptor to the prospective reader: I didn't finish these novels on the first try. I read about 50 pages and then just wasn't motivated to pick it up again. It took almost two years and the coronavirus sheltering-in-place mandate to inspire me to give it one more shot. I truly wanted another chance to understand the overwhelming acclaim and praise of this edition's featured reviewers.

Mission accomplished. And to the reader who has not yet discovered the amazing, thought-provoking words of Edward St. Aubyn, let me give you a bit of advice that might encourage you to stay the course.

In addition to the author's particular style, novels have a certain rhythm and pace. The rhythm and pace of St. Aubyn's writing, to me, starkly contrasts that of most Western fiction. There is a standard accounting of people, places, and events, but these stories are punctuated by deep dives into the innermost thoughts and musings of the main characters. These journeys take on a life of their own, in a stream-of-consciousness meandering of concepts starting with whatever is "happening" within the story but then often going far afield.

These forays into the character's wandering minds may seem pointless at first. But if you stay the course, you will realize they are all on purpose, and you can observe the main character's development by tracking the variations on themes within his musings.

St. Aubyn's writing is fearless, and admittedly, a few passages are difficult to read. Knowing the "Patrick Melrose" novels are semi-autobiographical, I truly admire the sheer audacity of St. Aubyn's self-revelations.

Lynn

A new series on Starz

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2018

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After watching Jennifer Jason Leigh's interview on The Talk and an excerpt from a new series - Patrick Melrose - I was intrigued enough to read the book. She stated that the story line was of a woman who is terrified of her abusive husband but cannot leave the marriage. She thought the book and writing was humorous (!) and the story was compelling.

If you like English novels and a look into lives of indolence and the prices that are paid for lack of purpose, then you may like this collection of stories. The chapters are well written and the dialogue is the foundation of the storytelling. The setting includes a cast of characters who are the product of inherited wealth and the result of dwindling resources when subsequent generations fail to work. Marrying to preserve their lock on luxury sometimes succeeds and sometimes results in misery. Coping with the reality of their lifestyles coming to an end by being disinherited or finding out that the family funds are running dry made me glad I am an American.

In the USA there are still paths to lives worth living as well as the potential of creating personal wealth without the snobbery of comparison to those who may have inherited wealth through an accident of birth.

Lynn S.

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pandorauk

Beautifully written, compelling reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2018

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I bought this after listening to Edward St Aubyn interviewed on a Radio 4 book programme. I was captivated by his voice and his slow, carefully chosen words - he reminded me initially of Will Self but without the rather self-conscious cynicism, and with a great deal more self-deprecating charm. But I became even more interested when I realised that these novels are semi-autobiographical, and describe (thinly disguised) the author's struggle to come to terms with being sexually abused by his father at the age of 5, growing up in an elite world in which he could not talk about this, taking refuge in heroin and then psychotherapy. It is a very courageous journey from the damage caused to an intelligent and sensitive child by a sadistic father, to finally realising as an adult that his self-destructive drug use and suicidal feelings could be (somewhat) purged through bringing his own darkness up to the light, and telling his story. His fear of revealing the truth of what had been done to him to people who knew him (and to people who didn't) is so typical of children who carry a heavy sense of shame as a result of their hidden abuse.
As he says himself, he did not want to write one of those "Why Daddy, Why" type of abuse stories that litter supermarket bookshelves. There is no self-pity here - but there is anger at those who failed to protect him, and a savagely ironic pillorying of those around him who live shallow, superficial and inauthentic lives. Edward St Aubyn is a survivor who writes the most beautifully crafted and evocative prose, liberally sprinkled with wonderfully funny black humour.
I absolutely loved these novels and felt they were one of the best things I had read in the last 20 years. For those who don't flinch at the mention of emotional or sexual abuse, and who enjoy the emotional complexities of intelligent human beings, I cannot recommend these novels enough.

sky

Fascinating psychological study of the origins of addictions and other maladaptive behaviors

Reviewed in Canada on September 27, 2022

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This is a series of 5 books. The first one is very tough to get through. I almost put the book down at that point, but decided to keep going. It was worth it to follow the in depth exploration of a character in the context of his past experience and present environment.

Evalynne

No wrapping protection

Reviewed in Singapore on May 13, 2022

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The book came straight out from a envelope with no protection or whatsoever, the pages and the front page is not in the perfect condition. Kinda sad as I wanted to keep it as a collection. Other then that, everything else is fine. No missing pages or anything.

Cindy Spowart

Excellent Compilation

Reviewed in Canada on August 12, 2018

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For anyone that enjoyed the five episodes made for TV w/ Benedict Cumberbatch, this is a must have read. Obviously, the book (or compilation of five separate stories) is able to go into more detail than the TV series. It is very psychologically dark and disturbing, so one must be in the right mood when attempting to read it. A great find w/ all five stories in the one book. This particular copy is also nice if you did watch the TV series because you already have the picture in your head of what Patrick looks like, but it's reiterated w/ the book jacket. Fantastic!

Ingrid Rauchfuß

Gewalt. Familie. Leben. Lieben.

Reviewed in Germany on September 29, 2021

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Wie schafft man es, so gütig und genau über Gewalt in der Familie zu schreiben und weiter zu *leben* und zu lieben?
Sagenhaft!

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