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The Last Llanelli Train
Has anyone else read Robert Lewis's series of books about Robin Llewellyn, grubby PI and professional drunk? I've just read The Last Llanelli Train and intend reading the others. Really bleak but a very mature novel for someone in his twenties, as Lewis was when he wrote it. I particularly liked the black humour of the following:
'I've never been one for long, dark nights of the soul. I've tried, but I just couldn't stay awake...'
Gaynor
Well, I've ordered them from Amazon and I'm looking forward to reading all three. But I might save them for a while because I've just finished Llwyd Owen's excellent 'Faith,Hope and Love' and I'm not sure if I haven't achieved my quota of 'bleakness' for the meanwhile
I'm reading Swansea Terminal at the moment. It's certainly not the Swansea of my childhood, when I used to stay with my auntie in King Edward Road. I have no doubt that the sort of life he describes exists though, as it does in any city. I've got the final book ready to read also. My memories of Swansea are of the cricket at St Helen's, the beach, Mumbles, the Kardomah, seeing Nina and Frederick at the Brangwyn Hall and panto at the Grand.Gaynor
My first post since joining the site - your reference to the book came up in one of my Google alerts! Yes, I've read both Last Llanelli Train and Swansea Terminal. As you say, they're incredibly bleak books - the picture of a soulless, drug-ridden Swansea in the latter might have horrified Dylan Thomas (or then again, perhaps it wouldn't) - but they're redeemed by the terrific subtlety of the writing. Have just ordered the final part of the trilogy, Bank of the Black Sheep, but somehow I don't think it'll be one to read during long, miserable autumn evenings!
LOL....thats a great line. Diolch for posting:)