Richard Temple

Richard Temple has beaten his Nazi captors. He has mentally outfoxed them. To withstand the beatings and torture, the underground agent fabricates a fictitious persona to "reluctantly" share with his tormentors. Once satisfying his interrogators, Temple must reassemble his mental state, putting his psyche back together by conducting a minute examination of his life. Narrator Graeme Malcolm does a splendid job of bringing life and interest to this highly detailed interior process. His quick pace and bright and expansive inflection draw listeners into what some may feel to be a far too introspective look at the life of this inventive hero. T.J.M. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

April 3, 2006
Loyal fans of the prolific O'Brian may welcome the opportunity to round out their collections with this first American edition of his 1962 novel about a bohemian artist in 1930s England, but those anticipating a rollicking yarn in the tradition of the celebrated Aubrey/Maturin series will be disappointed. It's 1944 when the novel opens on Richard, pegged as an Allied agent, withstanding torture and interrogation at the hands of the Gestapo in a French prison. In his cell in between beatings, he retreats to his memories, which make up the bulk of the novel. The story casts back to his bleak childhood as son of a strict rector and his pretty wife. He studies painting in France, and eventually returns to England, facing the life of a starving artist in London. There, he falls in with a gang of thieves and becomes a forger of famous paintings, drifting along hand-to-mouth until he coincidentally meets Phillipa Bret, a wealthy socialite who becomes his patron and object of desire. By this time, the Nazis have invaded France, and at Philippa's urging, Richard tries to enlist. Poor health leaves him fit only for intelligence-a career switch O'Brian quickly glosses over. This desultory character study will thwart readers looking for action and intrigue.