Not Untrue & Not Unkind
Ed O'Loughlin
Not Untrue & Not Unkind
In Dublin, a newspaper editor called Cartwright is found dead. One of his colleagues, Owen Simmons, discovers a dossier on Cartwright’s desk. And in the dossier Owen finds a photograph, which brings him back to a dusty road in Africa and to the woman he once loved. Not Untrue and Not Unkind is Owen’s story – a gripping tale of friendship, rivalry and betrayal amongst a group of journalists and photographers covering Africa’s wars.
3.4 out of 5 based on 4 reviews
|
Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Fiction |
| Genre |
General Fiction |
| Format |
Paperback |
| Pages |
288 |
| RRP |
£12.99 |
| Date of Publication |
April 2009 |
| ISBN |
978-1844881857 |
| Publisher |
Penguin |
| |
In Dublin, a newspaper editor called Cartwright is found dead. One of his colleagues, Owen Simmons, discovers a dossier on Cartwright’s desk. And in the dossier Owen finds a photograph, which brings him back to a dusty road in Africa and to the woman he once loved. Not Untrue and Not Unkind is Owen’s story – a gripping tale of friendship, rivalry and betrayal amongst a group of journalists and photographers covering Africa’s wars.
Reviews
The Guardian
Duncan Campbell
"It is more than 50 years since the appearance of Thomas Fowler, the world-weary foreign correspondent at the heart of Graham Greene's The Quiet American, but he casts a long shadow ... And it's not untrue and not unkind to say that O'Loughlin's limping, regretful hack is a worthy successor to Monsieur Fowler of Saigon."
20/06/2009
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The Daily Mail
Clare Colvin
"O'Loughlin's writing is vividly descriptive and evokes the sights and sounds of war-torn Africa in the late 1990s. The dialogue and rivalries between hacks and snappers have the ring of truth, though the plot which links the episodes is thin and the female characters insubstantial in comparison with the men. But overall, it's a gripping picture of what it was like to be there."
10/04/2009
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The Daily Telegraph
Sameer Rahim
"This book is a jumble of ideas and intentions. At one moment Owen is quipping about the vanity of television news presenters; the next he is describing the bravery needed to escape a rebel attack. But Not Untrue and Not Unkind is neither as callous as Edward Behr’s favoured title nor as haunting as the straight reportage found in, say, Philip Gourevitch’s book on the Rwandan genocide. The combination of so many tones was brave and I am not sure the risk has paid off."
25/08/2009
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The Financial Times
Michael Holman
"Sometimes it is embarrassing reading. Early on, in a painful combination of generalisation and cliché, we are told: “In Africa the sun beats down hard most days, flattening shadows and bleaching out colours.” ... As O’Loughlin develops the plot, and gets into his stride, the writing gathers strength and confidence. And then fresh doubts surface... For all these flaws, Not Untrue & Not Unkind may well be the debut of a considerable talent."
14/04/2009
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