Adrian Mayfield – Tricks of the Trade
Posted by Josh~ in Books, Reading, tags: Netherlands |
Rarely has a book for young adults been so eagerly anticipated as Tricks of the Trade, the third book by the popular young author Floortje Zwigtman. She understands better than anyone else that adolescents aren’t looking for a neat book of instructions for the future. These are stories that tell it like it is, historical novels about surviving in conditions where the laws and morals of polite society no longer seem to apply. Adrian Mayfield is born in the poor East End of Victorian London, the son of a pub landlord and a seamstress. However, a different career lies in store for him. It’s not a scenario that the street-hardened lad could have envisaged: a wealthy older gentleman falls in love with him and takes him home. The man is Augustus Trops, a second-rate artist from Flanders. He introduces Adrian to the flamboyant circle of Oscar Wilde, where he meets other men like Augustus and finds work as an artist’s model. The work pays well and he meets the most interesting and powerful people of his time. Adrian is very pleased with his new life at first. Everything appears to be going swimmingly. Until, that is, London’s beau monde decamps to Europe for the summer holidays, as happens every year. Adrian, by now accustomed to luxury, ends up without any income. |
In a male brothel he discovers the flip side of his new life in the twofaced London of the nineteenth century, where gossip, blackmail and brutal police violence make homosexuality a highly dangerous way of life. Then he faces the choice of whether to put his integrity and his friendships on the line so that he doesn’t have to live in a mouldy, cockroach-infested garret.
Tricks of the Trade is an intense book that is difficult to put down. It draws the reader in without resorting to cheap sensationalism. This is a result of Zwigtman’s unique ability to combine critical distance with open intimacy. The raw, breathtaking writing of this sharp, historical portrait really makes the reader think about life. Zwigtman is one of the great modern writers of books for young adults.
This is the first book in a series of three and was published in Dutch under the title “Schijnbewegingen” and in German as “Ich, Adrian Mayfield”. There is no English translation yet because all interested publishers asked the author to removed some of the detailed sex scenes considering the age of the target audience but Zwigtman refused to do so.
Sadly enough, I’m fluent only in English, with a smattering of Japanese, Spanish, and French. Any publishing agencies that print in English toying with the idea of printing this novel in English?
Sounds like a great story, and I like new authors.
=/ I only know English, Spanish, and some Japanese.
Maybe I should publish my books in German since America doesn’t like detailed sex scenes lmao.
I’m glad the author refused to remove the detailed sex scenes. Though i can read German i can’t understand it but i’ll gladly learn German or even Dutch to read the book with out an adultered version.
The story sounds a little bit simular to “The Hustler” (Der Puppenjunge) by John H. Mackay. It was written in 1926, in more prudish times I think this is the reason why it’s also available in the land of the free
@Starbat
I thought the Americans don’t read books anymore since the tv was invented.
Hi Robert,
This is “Bob.” I’ve read both these books in German (and The Hustler in English as well). “The Hustler” is my all-time favorite novel (I’m no longer counting “Knock on Any Door” by Willard Motley, because I was so young when that novel just tore me apart). “Ich, Adrian Mayfield” is right up there in 2nd place. They are not really comparable, though they both deal with the young teens drifting into hustling. At least not to my mind. They take place in such different worlds and with characters that have such different personalities. The writing styles are also very different. I wouldn’t presume to judge them in German, but I will guess that Zwigtman is the better writer.
I can’t wait for the English translation of “Tricks of the Trade” to appear so I can get it for a friend of mine who doesn’t read German. I’m in the first half of the sequel “Versuch einer Lieber” and enjoying it almost as much, though I have to admit the older the protagonist gets the more my interest wanes. I’m not proud of it, but that’s the way it is.
If you enjoyed “The Hustler,” I can’t imagine you not loving “Trick of the Trade.”
Sorry this turned into such a long ramble!
Crowebobby
Where is the next bookseller of my confidence?
Ooo… I’d love to read that book, and after some googeling i found out that the book is translated into danish “Jeg Adrian Mayfield”. Since swedish, norwegian and danish are very very similar languages I will try to read in danish.
Thanks for the critique;an excellent piece of prose. I would love to know when this book is translated and published in england. Keep up the excellent work.
thx milkboys… I am allready a big fan for 5 years off floortje zwigtman. she has written it in dutch and wenn i was about 13 years old my mom give the first book of triologie to my. (why, i dont know, i didnt tell her anything about boys around that age !! ) afther that ife read every book off her… i really love it !!
@ Starbat: haha
English is all I know, and I would love to read this book someday (sooner the better).
This sounds like an interesting read, be sure to keep us updated if an English publisher picks it up!
Im from germany :]
My uncle was giving me the book to x-mass
It´s one of my favorit books and I was reading it in two days [doing nothing other then reading]
sorry for my bad english -___- Im still learning …