Memoirs of a Master Forger

by W Heaney

Hardcover, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

823.914

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

Gollancz (2008), Hardcover, 304 pages

Description

William is a dissolute book-forger. A talented writer in his own right he would rather scribble poems anonymously for an asian friend (who is becoming increasingly successful as a result), and create forgeries of Jane Austen first editions to sell to gullible collectors. He's not all bad. The money from the forgeries goes straight to homeless hostel and William's crimes don't really hurt anyone. And there are reasons William hasn't amounted to more. He did something he was ashamed of when he was a student, he drinks far too much and he can't commit to any relationships. Oh and he sees demons. Shadowy figures at the shoulder of everyone around him (except the woman who runs the hostel, she remains untouched), waiting for a moment's weakness. Or is just that William can see the suffering of the world? And then an extraordinary woman, who may just be able to save him from the world's suffering, walks into his life. This is William's own story. But who can believe a master forger?… (more)

Media reviews

Fantasy & Science Fiction

This novel builds up a powerful head of steam—but it does it slowly enough that I wondered at times how Joyce was going to pull all the threads together by the end of the relatively slender volume. This is typical of Joyce's novels. They aren't zero to sixty in point six seconds Ferrari-style

books. They're more like old-style Soviet tractors: the kind that run on bear grease at eighty below zero, plow a straight furrow in solid rock, and can be conveniently retrofitted as tank chassis the next time the Germans invade.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy

Although Memoirs of a Master Forger is targeted at the Fantasy market I think that this does a great dis-service to this book as it will limit the amount of people that will get to read it and that really is a shame. The fantasy element is a touch of magical realism as the autobiographical author,

William Heaney*, can see demons. Not the slavering, big teeth and claws that'll rip you to shreds type of demon but those that cause all the little moments of suffering you encounter in your life. Flashbacks tell us how this came about and how it's shaped the life of our narrator. Ultimately, this is a warm-hearted, uplifting and moving story of life and how we choose to live it.

*a pseudonym of Graham Joyce

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6 more

LibraryThing member m4marya

Normally, when I pick up a Graham Joyce book, I am sucked in and every word makes me laugh, think or bit my lip in anticipation. This novel however, did not quite capture my whole attention, and while written with Joyce's usual skill it fell flat with me.

I found myself wanting to know more about

the side characters, and annoyed by the main character. His mid-life crisis seemed lame, and his fears silly. The other characters seemed more alive, more real, and their troubles seemed true.

I am glad I read it, and will read anything that he puts out, a nominal book by Joyce is an excellent book compared to what is out there.

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LibraryThing member mmyoung

My response to this book might be, in part, due to the circumstances in which I read it -- but I found myself deeply uninterested in any of the people involved. Technically the writing was good but most of the characters felt to me as if they existed only to fulfill a spot in the writer's plan for

the book. In short I was overtaken by a combination of the eight deadly words, a lack of interest about the world in which they functioned and a profound disinterest in the actual unfolding of the story.

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LibraryThing member SaturdayReadingGroup

Sorry to say, but I was rather disappointed with this. I found the characters either bland, under developed or unlikeable. The plot felt like three or four disparate short stories uncomfortably glued together with neither demons nor forgery playing much of a part in any of them. Rather than the

tale of nefarious supernatural activities I was expecting I got something that felt like a mid-life crisis with a dash of middle aged male wish fulfilment sprinkled on top. Nice cover, though...

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LibraryThing member prettycurious

I picked this book up because of the cover, which is lovely and then read it because it seemed as though it may be an interesting supernatural tale. It's not, not really. It's more a narrative about redemption and guilt; the 'human condition'. For the first half I was quite enthralled, since it

switches between the present day narrative and what happened in the protagonist's past and I wished to find out what had happened and why William could see the demons. However, once this plot thread has finished my interest waned since the book became primarily about William's character growth and I never felt connected enough to the character to care.
That said, William's character is a good character in that he is not black or white. He commits a crime but gives the profits to a charity and obviously has some strong moral values. The prose is also very lyrical in places and the voice of the narrative reads well.

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LibraryThing member jaddington

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this one up to read. I did not expect to sit an entire day and finish the entire book. I did not expect to cry. I though I might laugh, and yes I did several times out loud. I did not expect to have a verbal conversation with the story teller. At one

point I might have said "Why did you not go home with that women you crazy man". Again I was sucked into this world. What world you ask. Well I am not sure. The world that cats see and we can't? The world that as children we see but when we reach adulthood we loose our vision ? And best yet, this is a story about books and the power they have. This story is about family and friendship. And maybe a love story as well. And lets not forget the demons. They are the most important part.

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LibraryThing member pussreboots

How to Make Friends with Demons by Graham Joyce was originally published in 2008 as Memoirs Of A Master Forger under the nom de plum William Heaney. Normally when I review a book, I go by its original title, even if I read a reissued version under a new name. As the author seems to have decided to

take back the pen name, I'm going with the reissued title and author information.

William Heaney, the narrator as nom de plum, is a forty-something, divorce who has a government job and dabbles in making book forgeries on the side. He also for reasons never fully established can see demons. A prank from his school days has come back to bite him on the ass and now he has to clean up his mess.

The book was a pretty quick read, sort of a mashup (at least in my head) of Supernatural and Black Books. Sometimes, though, Heaney reminds me more of an adult Watanuki from CLAMP's xxxHolic manga series than Dean or Sam Winchester, in that he's not especially brave about the demons he sees and he's not exactly out to put an end to them.

For all the fun mix and matching I was doing in my head, I wanted more from the actual novel. It lacked coherence. There wasn't enough conflict or narrative drive to keep me turning the pages. I didn't especially connect with Heaney or any of his friends. They were there and they were entertaining but not especially memorable.

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