Product Description

In the early 1960s, a golden age for newly-discovered writers, Chris Duffy was something of a nearly man. His debut novel was reasonably successful; his second was turned down as being too like the first. Thanks to procrastination and heavy drinking, he has published nothing since. Settled now in Brighton, where he ekes out a living running a market bric-a-brac stall, Duffy dreams of the blurred decades that seem to have slipped through his fingers: where did it all go wrong? But during one confusing weekend, on the opening days of the Brighton Literary Festival, everything looks set to change. Lurching through the razzmatazz of stilt-walkers, mime artists and unicyclists, Duffy learns of the existence of a long-lost manuscript by a famous novelist, now dead, and resolves to get hold of it, pass it off as his own and thus give his wilted career a kick-start. Unfortunately, little in Duffy's disordered life ever runs smoothly, particularly on this crowded weekend!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1044085 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Review
'A wonderful comedy about indolence and underachievement by a very "unDuffyesque" writer who proves with his 15th novel that he is as gifted as ever.' -- Harry Ritchie, Mail on Sunday 'Funny and light-hearted [and] written with what appears to be an airy ease ... With the lightest of touches, Waterhouse brings Duffy, and us, to a hard place; where things are as they really are.' -- Allan Massie, Scotsman 'Duffy's self-delusion and his heroic amount of displacement activity keep our sympathy ... [the] sense of small-scale tragedy comes through more strongly for being so comically told.' -- David Horspool, Sunday Times 'Waterhouse writes so well about those staples of comic literature: the shabby boarding house, the faded splendours of the louche seaside town. The seediness of Brighton is wonderfully evoked ... engrossing and frequently very funny' -- David McLaurin, Tablet

Christopher Hart, Literary Review
'Highly entertaining'

David Robson, Sunday Telegraph
'Effortlessly brilliant ... a comedy of London life which tastes as fresh as a new-baked croissant'

Customer Reviews

Palace Pier by Keith Waterhouse

This is the story of Chris Duffy, who had a one hit wonder with his book Razzle Dazzle during the 1960's when a vast amount of new writers were being given opportunities to be published. However, that was it for Chris, he was unable to get his second manuscript published and spent the next thirty years calling himself a writer, but never actually writing anything or getting anything published. During those years, he got married, then divorced (he thinks!) and moves from Blackpool to Brighton.


The story begins during the Brighton Literary Festival, where Chris thinks he is eligible to mix with the top authors of the time. He has a plan that he believes will help him return triumphantly to the literary world. His landlady has an unpublished manuscript of a well known literary genius of the 60's, who passed away many years ago. Chris is intent on getting his hands on that manuscript and passing it off as his own. The book follows his funny and pitiful journey to recover the manuscript.


This books is mainly a character driven story. You follow Chris through a journey from personal vanity to self realisation that actually he really is not a very good writer and that his book was not really his story to tell. By the end of the book, Chris realises what he has become; an alcoholic reduced to stealing in order to achieve glory. I believe the moral of this story is that in order to move on with your life, you need to look behind the mask, to reveal who you really are and what you are capable of. Have your dreams, but be realistic as to what you can achieve.


The book is set in Brighton, which I really enjoyed as it is a place I visit frequently. It talks about the famous Brighton Pier, the burnt remains of West Pier and the famous shopping streets, The Lanes.


I found this book an interesting read. I felt sorry for Chris, as his life had really reached rock bottom. He spent his days, drinking from morning to night, sleeping with whichever female gave him any attention. It seemed a very sad existence, but by the end I felt he could actually see his life for what was worth and hoped that he changed his ways. This book is about real life and there is no hype, what you see is what you get.