Griefwork is James Hamilton-Paterson's third novel. It is more carefully crafted than Gerontius and Ghosts of Manila, more serious than The Bell-Boy and more meditative than any of his other works.

Griefwork is set in the time period immediately following World War II and encompasses a lyrical and detailed character study of Leon, a brilliant, eccentric, self-taught curator of Palm House, a large greenhouse in the botanical gardens of the capital city of an unnamed Northern European country. Leon struggled against near-impossible odds to preserve Palm House throughout the Nazi occupation of the city and is now engaged in a battle against city authorities who would like to close the garden and develop the land on which it sits.

Hamilton-Paterson tells the story of Leon's life in flashbacks, slowly exposing the loss that serves as its defining factor and catalyst for his now slowly encroaching insanity. The son of a North Sea fisherman, Leon is irrevocably changed when, as a teenager, he spends a summer as an assistant to a visiting naturalist, one who recognizes Leon's talents and encourages him to make full use of them.

More importantly, Leon becomes obsessed with Cou Min, the young daughter of the scientist's Asian servant. Even though he never again sees her, her loss affects Leon so deeply that it becomes the backdrop of his life; the reason for all he does thereafter.

Leon's obsession is complicated by the events of WWII when he rescues a young gypsy from a Fascist mob and enters into a strange and haunting relationship with a beautiful Asian princess who wants to hire him to create a botanical garden in her own country and who may or may not be interested in him personally. This lyrically meditative story slowly spins a web that eventually catches everyone involved in ultimate disaster.

The book is not without its own stylistic devices, however, and some of them border on the pretentious. Leon is so attuned to the plants in Palm House that, at times, he can even hear them speak to him, just as they speak to the reader in a pseudo-Greek chorus at the end of each chapter. This can be disconcerting at first, especially as the plants are possessed of some of the wittiest dialogue in the book, certainly more so than Leon, whose grimness is unrelieved.

Hamilton-Paterson, however, is a master at writing about the natural world, so this particular stylistic device eventually works and we are keenly aware of Leon's frustrations in evoking a "natural" world that can only exist under the protective barrier of glass.

In a world where popular fiction is usually fast-paced and brutal and literary fiction cool, ironic and postmodern, Hamilton-Paterson can be seen as an anomaly or as a phenomenon. A private man, fifty-something, and with no institutional affiliations, he may be seen by some as far too artistic for his own good. Defying the brand-name classification many publishers demand of today's novelists, all of Hamilton-Paterson's novels, despite a similarity of style and theme, are wildly different books.

Readers who are intelligent enough, or lucky enough, to discover this wonderfully versatile author however, will find themselves richly rewarded. For James Hamilton-Paterson is a wonderfully versatile author and a passionate writer. His narratives are richly imagined, his themes odd and knotty but filled with subtle and compassionate characters we come to care about deeply. And, as always, he tells his stories in gorgeous, haunting and wonderfully precise prose. Who could ask for anything more?

Griefwork is James Hamilton-Paterson's third novel. It is more carefully crafted than Gerontius and Ghosts of Manila, more serious than The Bell-Boy and more meditative than any of his other works.

Griefwork is set in the time period immediately following World War II and encompasses a lyrical and detailed character study of Leon, a brilliant, eccentric, self-taught curator of Palm House, a large greenhouse in the botanical gardens of the capital city of an unnamed Northern European country. Leon struggled against near-impossible odds to preserve Palm House throughout the Nazi occupation of the city and is now engaged in a battle against city authorities who would like to close the garden and develop the land on which it sits.

Hamilton-Paterson tells the story of Leon's life in flashbacks, slowly exposing the loss that serves as its defining factor and catalyst for his now slowly encroaching insanity. The son of a North Sea fisherman, Leon is irrevocably changed when, as a teenager, he spends a summer as an assistant to a visiting naturalist, one who recognizes Leon's talents and encourages him to make full use of them.

More importantly, Leon becomes obsessed with Cou Min, the young daughter of the scientist's Asian servant. Even though he never again sees her, her loss affects Leon so deeply that it becomes the backdrop of his life; the reason for all he does thereafter.

Leon's obsession is complicated by the events of WWII when he rescues a young gypsy from a Fascist mob and enters into a strange and haunting relationship with a beautiful Asian princess who wants to hire him to create a botanical garden in her own country and who may or may not be interested in him personally. This lyrically meditative story slowly spins a web that eventually catches everyone involved in ultimate disaster.

The book is not without its own stylistic devices, however, and some of them border on the pretentious. Leon is so attuned to the plants in Palm House that, at times, he can even hear them speak to him, just as they speak to the reader in a pseudo-Greek chorus at the end of each chapter. This can be disconcerting at first, especially as the plants are possessed of some of the wittiest dialogue in the book, certainly more so than Leon, whose grimness is unrelieved.

Hamilton-Paterson, however, is a master at writing about the natural world, so this particular stylistic device eventually works and we are keenly aware of Leon's frustrations in evoking a "natural" world that can only exist under the protective barrier of glass.

In a world where popular fiction is usually fast-paced and brutal and literary fiction cool, ironic and postmodern, Hamilton-Paterson can be seen as an anomaly or as a phenomenon. A private man, fifty-something, and with no institutional affiliations, he may be seen by some as far too artistic for his own good. Defying the brand-name classification many publishers demand of today's novelists, all of Hamilton-Paterson's novels, despite a similarity of style and theme, are wildly different books.

Readers who are intelligent enough, or lucky enough, to discover this wonderfully versatile author however, will find themselves richly rewarded. For James Hamilton-Paterson is a wonderfully versatile author and a passionate writer. His narratives are richly imagined, his themes odd and knotty but filled with subtle and compassionate characters we come to care about deeply. And, as always, he tells his stories in gorgeous, haunting and wonderfully precise prose. Who could ask for anything more?

In a haunting, complex book, James Hamilton-Paterson brings the reader into an enclosed world under glass--a hothouse filled with tropical plants. This warm, steamy world exists in juxtaposition to the cold climate of Germany outside its glass walls. Inside is a man who also lives an unreal life, spellbound by the strange plants and trees which become his whole world. Sometimes he hears them speak "We happen to be particularly sensitive to cold. Our lives hang on a few degrees which isn't true of humans. But they have their own problems, our gardener especially. It's to do with their hearts, I think." As World War II rumbles into life Leon, who is the curator of the hothouse, manages to keep it running. He is 'the genie in this enchanted forest'. Interwoven is the story of his young love affair and his friendships with a princess from a warm foreign land, and an abandoned gypsy boy. Hamilton-Paterson's prose is lyrical, it sings. Griefwork is a powerful book, an unforgettable story of fantasy, love and loss

Wistful, poignant and beautifully written, this is a touching and elegaic novel. Blending fact with imaginary events, Hamilton Paterson takes an extraordinary, but true, event from Elgar's life and constructs around it a simple but fabulous narrative about a man at a creative crisis. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Music lovers as well as those who enjoy fine writing will find Hamilton-Paterson's imaginary account of a voyage up the Amazon by Edward Elgar not only entertaining and thought-provoking, but also ultimately very revealing of the contradictions and conflicts in Elgar's character. Hamilton-Paterson's research has been as thorough as his sympathy for his protagonist is obviously deep. This novel won the Whitbread prize for best first fiction

As a resident of Manila since birth, I applaud James Hamilton-Paterson's excellent work. I hesitate to call it fiction since the events he says are mostly ripped from the newspapers. For an outsider, Paterson's backstories and subplots may sound too fantastic. But it is all too real. He didn't need to push his imagination on the events described on this book. Just observe the city and a lot of magical-realist stories will come to you. His weaving together seemingly unrelated events is his true talent. Yes, the Manila described here is unflattering but it is the only city with a character all its own.

I am from Manila, but I am young. I did not go through this period of Manila, which was literally on the brink of anarchy. This story is set during the latter years of Marcos, and those were rather scary years. Goverment policies weren't getting anything done. People were miserable, and the government was under heavy criticism. When my mom tells me about it now, it is so unbelievable.

Manila is such a different city now. In the book, it was terrifying. People were getting killed left and right, and it was the work of the government, so no one could do anything. Kids of prominent dissidents were kidnapped and tortured. Women were raped. It was not a good time to be living in Manila.

Much credit must be given to James Hamilton Paterson, who has managed to portray a city so haunting and scary, it scared even me, a true blue Filipino, residing in Manila. I might know the streets and places in this book, but I am sure glad I did not live through these horrible events. If Manila's walls could talk, they would probably tell this story.

i read this book so many years ago, but i can still remember
how good it is. this book is not only about the underwater
world but also about the goings-on in a typical barrio in
the philippines. it has a socio-economic aspect to it that i
found quite realistic, having been born and raised in that very
same third world country. it amazed and pleased me that a
foreigner like hamilton-paterson could,quite accurately, capture
the very essence of filipino rural life---like the old woman who

he suspects isnt so aloof and taciturn as she seems
and the children of the barrio who frolick in the water and
in their humble amusements, oblivious of the shortcomings of a
third world upbringing. the book is an unusual stew of underwater
adventure and an unpatronizing account of a life among the natives.

Paterson is living on a small island in the Philippines and he is joining the natives in diving (i.e. fishing) for a living. We scuba-divers, as we only come for 1-2 week vacations, often are not experiencing the reality around our dive sites. Paterson's book was helping me understanding more of the countries I was visiting. Very instructive are his personal insights about ecology in a third world country and the connections to the economical and social structure. I found it very valuable that the insights do not follow the well known beaten paths about the third world but are rather well founded, personal observations. This makes this book a much more interesting read than any other book about the subject that I have ever read before.

James Hamilton-Paterson is an author-poet who according to a '92 Vanity Fair article has quietly become one of England's greatest writers. His oeuvre is virtually unknown yet extraordinary and beautifully written. His works are wonderful, insightful and utterly engrossing.

The sea is a key element in most of Hamilton-Paterson's work. The house in the waves, a children's book written in 1970 when he was twenty-eight is about a 14 year old orphan. Martin lives in a fantasy world where nobody can enter and nothing can hurt him. The boy is slowly losing all contact with reality and is send to a special home close to the shore. He is inexorably drawn to the sea and one day runs away to find it. On his quest he finds a strange balloon with a note which starts the dark adventure which ultimately leads him out of his isolation. This is a wonderful story which can be read on many levels and I think, will specifically appeal to Harry Potter readers.

I also recommend The Great Deep, a meditation on man's relationship to the sea and the semi-autobiographical Playing with Water. William Gass wrote in his NY Times book review of the latter, "I was reminded of those intense and aimlessly happy hours spent in the pages of books before I became a professional skimmer and scanner and interpreter of texts, and how immersed my soul was in the superior spirit of another."

it was very interesting and it was very educational the ways they told you and also how it was accomplished , so yes, i liked it veyr much

This delightful book of short stories is one of my favourite books. James Hamilton Paterson writes with sensitivity and style, and handles a marvellous range of settings and situations. 'Carney Palafox' is the pick of the bunch, but there is not a weak link among them. Simply wonderful.

First, I would like to warmly applaud Mr. Hamilton-Patterson for his fine research. I read the book and have several points to hightlight. The evolution of U.S. and the Philippines was the end result of our neocolonial and geopolitical interests in the Philippines, mainly severing our own interests; Ferdinand Marcos, for a long time until his death, made others, including himself, believe he was this "hero," when in fact "fabricated his war hero-story"; the tremendous influences we have carved into the Filipinos raising questions of what is Filipino Filipino and what is a Filipino with a desire to be more American than Filipino. Is this a rejection of self for the other?

I have visited the Philippines at least six times in my life. I have seen, witnessed, and can testify to the unequal society which is very poor, very impoverish, very disillusional. Marcos did not only control and exploit the Philippines but he did so with the Filipinos approval, consciously or subconsciously. Mr. Patterson discusses at lenghth Marcos and does discuss the Philippines, especially for someone with at least twenty years of experience with the Filipino culture.
It is virtually hard, if not outright impossible to not think in terms of Marcos and expoitation, Marcos and martial law, Marcos and his fabricated war hero lie, Marcos and all the money. Yes, I firmly believe he did a lot of injustice to the Philippines. But the Filipinos did not opppose, protest, or attempt to stop Marcos until the twenty one year hour. Therefore, a pressing question is why did Filipinos wait, wait, and wait so patiently? Because they believed in him just as many still believe in him posthumously

.
I agree with Mr. Patterson ending piece. Marcos did not do this alone. Yes, his wife was involved; yes, his crony circle of elite friends were involved; yes, our tax dollars were involved in this; and yes, the people remained sedated with television hoopla, the electronic drug, and all the show biz illusions of what is reality or what they socially constructed to be their reality.
Yes, I have compassion for the Philippines. For the people who want to raise their human dignity. And there are many, I am sure, who believe in self respect and honor. But there is a growing "Americanistas," who refuse to revist history, politics, colonialism theory, and how much this has impacted and perhaps hindered their own personal and country's development.
The Philippines is a country were the rate of poverty is rampant. It is also the place that people are still dreaming "America," instead of the Philippines. How can they develop their own ideas and their country? This is a puzzling question.

Most of all, the people have had to succumb to not only Marcoses, Aquinos, and others, like Joseph Estrada who continue to ride the backs of the poor. When will enough be enough?
For any country to develop it must grow in ideas. In the Philippines many ideas are borrowed from America. America no longer has a major interest in the Philippines, at least not for now. What will keep the ship afloat?

Wonderful authorship, I suppose thats because he's British and therefore a reliable third party with unbiased insight. It never occured to me that my father was born on the right side of the Agno. I always wondered how he got a sinecure in the armed forces, which he was very well found on. Some of the Hamilton-Paterson's conclusions are quite emasculating to many Filipinos especialy to elites, which is nonetheless true as I can tell and am Filipino living in the West. He is very astute in coining crony monopolism instead of crony capitalism. The part about economics are the parts that draw me to the book as it is my avocation. Just by reading that chapter just smacks you of market failure. And this book is recomended also to people who has some erudition in economics and want to learn some developmental economics pertaining to the Philippines.

A marvelous book about my homeland, the Philippines ; some of the villagers depicted in the anecdotes almost seem like people I actually know. Patterson is SPOT-ON about the Filipino personality, believe me. I wish I could meet the author of this book and shake his hand.

This is an enchanting book about the ubiquitous misreadings between West and East. Here the twain is met, with both comic and tragic results.

Satirizing the eclectic "industry" of religions and cults in the impoverished town of Malomba, the author effectively parodies the spiritual/physical healing quest of Mrs. Hemony, towing along her daughter, Zoe, and son, James. Zoe, in particular, is an appealing character (raised chiefly in an Italian commune, she is told by a representative of their entrepreneurial guru, "you'd be a sensation in California!") who drifts from her mother's well-intentioned control to the more secular/sexual appeals of Malomba.

The book takes a few too many cheap shots at the Westerners, and Laki, the hotel's poorly-paid concierge, is written somewhat too broadly. Laki is eventually punished after his successful courting of the Hemodys, and this denouement seems contrived, as if to make up for the oh-so-loveable portrait previously drawn. However, enjoy it for the farce, and the sensual descriptions of the author's holy-city fantasy!

Once again, the well-heeled deluded Americans make fools of themselves in the Third World, which in turn does its best to delude and fleece them. But the neatly crafted charm of the writing slips the message down painlessly, and the goofy innocence of the Americans and the jolly, cynical resilience of the downtrodden cast a peculiarly merry light over this dark comedy.

An intresting subject ruinied by over doses of the authors observations and prose. This may be due to the outcome of the search. The book starts out with an intresting premise the search for two sunken ships said to contain gold. From this premise I was subjected to an overwhealming ardous discription of the "cast of chracters" and there problems, interspersed with descriptions of there mission. My favorite parts of this book were the descriptions of the two ships; there loss; and the effort to find them. I read this book in less than one day (as I scanned by the portions I felt trivilized the story.

This book is a breezy and rather chatty account written by a worldly and irreverent Englishman who accompanied a salvage expedition attempting to locate two WWII wrecks in the Atlantic, the Japanese sub I-52 and the British liner Aurelia. The former was sunk by the Americans and was known to be carrying gold to Germany, the latter was sunk by the Italians and possibly was carrying gold from South Africa to Britain.

The expedition members, based in the U.K., chartered a Russian ship, the Keldysh, which is the mothership to a pair of deep-sea manned submersibles that can dive to deeper depths than virtually any other craft on the planet. (This ship was involved in dives on the wrecks of the Titanic and Bismarck.) Unfortunately for Orca, the salvage expedition, the Keldysh is a research vessel, and it was only because the Russians were strapped for cash that they were willing to lease out their ship and crew. The crew, composed of oceanographic scientists, took a rather dim view of Orca's mercenary intent and was constantly trying to break out of the charter to wander off and examine black smokers and other exotic underwater sites in the mid-Atlantic.

The author deliberately focuses on the personalities and the human conflicts and cultural clashes between crew and expedition, rather than the technological details of the search. This may be because ultimately, the search turned out to be rather disappointing. (A separate American expedition found one of the targets after Orca had given up on it, although as of 1999 it had not recovered any gold.) While the portrayals are for the most part sympathetic, the expedition members come off as rather flawed, as does the chief Russian scientist.

The laidback tone of the book is occasionally interupted when the author feels an abrupt and jarring need to wax literary and to proffer untranslated epigrams in foreign languages as proof of his sophistication. He also gets a little too impressed with his fabulous globe-trotting adventures and general wonderfulness.

Those flaws aside, however, the book shows a side of salvage expeditions that is not often seen, and provides some details on the little-known Italian submarine campaigns of the war. For those who enjoy reading about the discovery of sunken wrecks, this would be an acceptable choice.

Oh, by the way, the Keldysh remains active to this day, although it seems to be devoting more of its time to money-making tourist charters for dives on famous wrecks rather than pure science. Somewhere, the author of this book is weeping.

"Within an hour we're under way again. The sun climbs; land falls astern and the wheeling seabirds thin to a couple of mournful die-hards following our wake. Barring the unpredicatable we shant's see land again for a least a month. We're off to give a wrecked submarine (1944) our undivided attention". Thus, Mr.Hamilton-Paterson launches the reader on an adventure that has something for everyone-lovers of lost treasure, students of science,biology, history and the dynamics of people of different nationalities, working toghether and against one another on an exploration ship bound for the coast of Africa. After finishing this one will no doubt want to read more by this author!