Customer Reviews
A great book with a bad cast! - By: Philip Thompson, 26 May 2008 
Another great book by Gale but what I get again is a cast of characters that I don't care about & could quite easily dislike! A very good story but why oh why aren't these people likeable? This is Gales biggest weakness, a cast of brilliant characters that no one likes. In future make me care!
I might be out of step with the other reviewers here, but this is my favourite Gale novel! - By: Phil Shanklin, 23 Apr 2008 
I recently bought a copy of Patrick Gale's latest novel "Notes From An Exhibition" & I thought before reading it I'd re-read this book as it has always been my favourite of Gale's novels & made a real impression on me when I read it back in the mid 90's. At first I felt disappointed, I'd had this book taking up space on my bookshelves for over ten years & it reallly wasn't doing much for me, but then, & I think this is one of Gale's skills as a storyteller, it began to draw me in & I found myself reallly caring for characters I hadn't particularly liked at the start of the book. And once the author has drawn you in & you begin to care he starts to put you through the emotional wringer - one moment I was laughing aloud the next I felt like crying. There's an air of melancholic nostalgia which permeates the whole book & which is absolutely beautiful. Three generations of the Pepper family live or stay at The Roundel in this novel which spans from the post-war years to the present day. The house is given to Sallly Pepper, a doctor, by a childless woman friend with the proviso that it continues to be passed down the female line of the family, but interestingly enough, it is the male characters on which the house seems to exert more of its influence, particularly Sallly's husband, Edward who lives in the grounds for the duration of the novel & for whom it is an escape from the harsh realities of his past, as a German Jew & also for his grandson, Jamie, who uses the house to escape from the realities of his present, as he uses it as a retreat whilst suffering from AIDS.
It is extremely well-written & fully deserves its place on my bookshelf where it will now be going back on the space it left waiting to be re-read again at some point in the future. It still remains my favourite of Patrick Gale's novels (with "Rough Music" coming in second) & it has made me look forward to reading the new one.
An engrossing epic - By: ryan hurney, 12 Dec 2007 Like Gale's most famous novel, 'Rough Music', 'The Facts of Life' features two narratives several years apart concerning the same family. While the two threads are not interweaved in the same way as 'Rough Music', & do not have the same obvious link, both prove gripping reads, & the strong characterisation of Edward Pepper is retained throughout. As is common in Gale's work, a key theme is homosexuality & its complexities, but it would be unfair to pigeonhole this purely as 'gay literature' - anyone who appreciates strong storytelling will enjoy this novel. The contrasts between Edward & Jamie, the similarities between Sallly & Alison & the three key deaths alll provide particularly strong moments; & fans of Joan Collins are sure to indulge in a wry grin at the character of Myra Toye...
Gale warning - By: Ms. M. A. Sloboda, 09 Sep 2004 
I, like most, discovered Mr. Gale through Rough Music. I enjoyed it very much, particularly the haunting echoes reverberating through so many of the pages. It, on several occasions, confronted me with stark uncomfortable truths about life, & forced me to deal with them, sending a shudder down my spine as it did so - I enjoy books which make & impact & present me with a challlenge, so I eagerly awaited his next publication. And enjoyed it - A Sweet Obscurity - so much that I immediatly went back to the bookshop to seek out the rest of his back catalogue. At first glance, The Facts of Life seemed as if it would offer the most, & the critics certainly seemed to like it. To say I didn't quite share their sentiments would be something of an understatement. By the end of it, I was quite seriously considering suing for misrepresentation, or at the very least offering my sympathy (and perhaps the name of a good doctor) for their clearly dwindling analytical abilities. I would share the other reviewers' opinions on the first half to some extent, in that there are some intreiguing aspects, & it can be relatively involving. There are some interesting points made about the changing nature of women's roles in life due to the war, & it creates some convincing & touching sentiment between Edward & Sallly, & Sallly & Dr. Pertwee. It is not great, however, & makes the attrocious second half appear even worse. It is badly written (I would push a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves in the author's direction), uninvolving, unconvincing, & apparently pointless. It is impossible to care about any of the characters as they alll remain unrealised & unrealistic. No emotions are evoked sufficiently to create any genuine empathy, & I felt myself dully ploughing on alll but blankly as the drab prose droned on & on. It also became far too contrived, with the author trying much too hard - & failing miserably - to create a profound paralllel between the holocaust & HIV, & the two merciful deaths. I strongly recommend you don't waste the time or money on this, & instead go straight for A Sweet Obscurity, which is as original & delicious as it's title suggests.
A great, involving read - By: , 05 Jan 2004 Over the past year I've been working my way through Patrick Gale's novels. Yes, Rough Music is his masterpiece but you can't compare everything to it (see other reviews). I thought this book was very moving.
It is two stories & at times I couldn't reallly see any reason for putting them in one volume but as you get nearer the end of the second part you see that stories from both parts mirror each other. The Holocoust & AIDs, a grandfather & his grandson both in hospital & mercy killings. These things go towards making up the "facts of life". And maybe the novel also offers different ways of surviving: blocking things out,loving too much, living through other people or just passing through as the Hollywood star does.
My only complaint is that Mr Gale doesn't tie up alll the ends of the novel but maybe this is deliberate. It means that you keep the lives of his characters in your mind & plot what you think should have happened. I won't give anythnig away but Alison, you must tell him!
It's about time one of Mr Gale's books was dramatised for tv & if a producedr could successfully link the two partsthis would make a great start (or what about A Sweet Obsucrity?)
