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Headlong Paperback – International Edition, May 3, 2012

3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 504 ratings

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When a local down-on-his-luck landowner asks Martin Clay, a young would-be art historian, to value some paintings, Clay suddenly sees the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to perform a great public service, and at the same time to make his professional reputation - perhaps even rather a lot of money as well. Believing one of the paintings to be a missing masterpiece he hatches a plot to bring the picture into his own possession. As Clay stumbles headlong into the moral and intellectual labyrinth of his own devious plan, things start to go badly out of control . . .
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Rueful and amusing . . . Frayn is that rare writer who succeeds as both a novelist and a dramatist."--"Randy Cohen, The New York Times Book Review"

"Finely wrought and highly comical . . . a perfect introduction to a writer who likes to pull the rug out from under your feet while offering you the most seductive of smiles."--Michael Upchurch", Seattle Times"

"Exceedingly funny, both in event and in intellectual high jinx."--Katherine A.Powers, "The Boston Sunday Globe"

"Part detective story, part art history lesson, part cautionary tale, and entirely funny."--"The New Yorker"

"Frayn isn't stingy, even here, with the laughs, gleefully pricking holes in the overconfidence of academic art criticism. But just below the sugar powder you bite into his tough-minded essay on how history and individual human folly combine and conspire to manufacture art's 'message.'"--Judith Dunford, "Los Angeles Times Book Review"

"Delightful...this novel, deadpan hilarious and wonderfully written, is as effective a work of historical reconstruction as it is a comedy."--David Walton, "Philadelphia Inquirer"

""Headlong "offers an enthralling and refreshingly grown-up take on the alarming speed with which our morals shift to accommodate our desires, and on the lofty and low ways in which the great art of the past continues to affect us."--"Elle"

About the Author

Michael Frayn was born in London in 1933 and began his career as a journalist on the Guardian and the Observer. His novels include Towards the End of the Morning, The Trick of It and A Landing on the Sun. Headlong (1999) was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and Spies (2002) won the Whitbread Best Novel Award. His most recent novel, Skios, was longlisted for the Booker Prize. His fifteen plays range from Noises Off to Copenhagen and, most recently, Afterlife. He is married to the writer Claire Tomalin.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0571283489
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber & Faber (May 3, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780571283484
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571283484
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.1 x 7.7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 504 ratings

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Michael Frayn
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Michael Frayn was born in London in 1933 and began his career as a journalist on the Guardian and the Observer. His novels include Towards the End of the Morning, The Trick of It and Landing on the Sun. Headlong (1999) was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, while his most recent novel, Spies (2002), won the Whitbread Novel Award. His fifteen plays range from Noises Off to Copenhagen and most recently Afterlife.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
504 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book humorous and witty. They describe it as an entertaining read with a thoughtful blend of moral ambiguity, history, and art. The writing quality is praised as good and the narrator is adored. The information provided is informative and interesting, with reference material available. However, opinions differ on the art history coverage, with some finding it fascinating and well-written, while others feel it's too much art history unrelated to the plot.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

10 customers mention "Humor"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor witty and ironic. They describe the book as a terrific blend of farce, moral ambiguity, and scholarship. The outer shell plot is enjoyable for them.

"...It's a bit like Beef Wellington, with the outer shell plot all enjoyable pastry, and the story-within-a-story all good red meat...." Read more

"...it to everyone I meet who is interested in good writing, good plot, good humor. It has it all and written with such beauty. I LOVE this read." Read more

"...first reading the author's "Skios," which I found laugh-out-loud hilarious, I was eager to read another of his books...." Read more

"This book made me laugh so hard I had to bite down on a towel to keep from waking my sleeping husband. What a great writer! The best!" Read more

10 customers mention "Readability"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and interesting. They describe it as a delightful mix of art history with humor in a quieter, ironic style.

"...This one was very interesting, but humorous in a much quieter, ironic style...." Read more

"...Overall an engaging read however." Read more

"...All in all a good bedtime read." Read more

"...blend of farce, moral ambiguity and scholarship, this is one of the best books I've read all year...." Read more

6 customers mention "Moral ambiguity"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting with its thoughtful blend of moral ambiguity, history, art, matrimonial discord, and political, religious, and historical elements. They describe it as an interesting but not page-turning read that offers a rich mix of fracture and pathos.

"...or 'She Stoops to Conquer', but at heart this is a deeply intriguing political inquiry into the work of a great artist, and its blend of political,..." Read more

"...An interesting but hardly a page-turner. \i was sometimes inclined to give it up but I wanted to find out how it all ended" Read more

"...Terrific blend of farce, moral ambiguity and scholarship, this is one of the best books I've read all year...." Read more

"Many twists and turns related to human relationships and moral choices, but more detailed art history than necessary. It got bogged down." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality of the book. They praise the plot, humor, and skill with words. The narrator is described as scheming and hilarious.

"...I recommend it to everyone I meet who is interested in good writing, good plot, good humor. It has it all and written with such beauty...." Read more

"...What a great writer! The best!" Read more

"a Southern mystery set in a small town disrupted by a body= liked the writing with feel of the small town in the midst of a crime- easy pace to..." Read more

"...A real art historian would love the scheming narrator and the hilarious twists and turns." Read more

4 customers mention "Information quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and erudite. They appreciate the reference material and insights into major libraries in London.

"...work that our anti-hero carries out gave me a great insight into the major libraries of London and his chasing of connections and meanings were..." Read more

"The books has fascinating information about Bruegel and the turbulent political and religious times in the Lowlands...." Read more

"...history than I have but it does improve as the plot develops and is erudite" Read more

"Humorous and informative!..." Read more

15 customers mention "Art history"10 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the art history in the book. Some find it interesting and well-researched, covering a period of history during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. They describe the book as part art history, part history of Bruegel and his work, and part story of the Netherlands. Others feel the book provides too much art history unrelated to the plot.

"...the work of a great artist, and its blend of political, religious, historical, and artistic analysis contains a brilliant series of well-asked..." Read more

"This book is part art history, part history of Bruegel and his work, part story of the Netherlands and Spanish Hapsburg rule and reformation/counter..." Read more

"The book is one very long art history lesson. A career's worth of history. Worthy of a PhD thesis...." Read more

"...It covers a most interesting period in history when the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation was at its peak...." Read more

7 customers mention "Ease of use"3 positive4 negative

Customers have different views on the book's ease of use. Some find it easy to follow the plot and consult the dictionary, while others find it complicated, confusing, and repetitive at times.

"...into so many things at once herein that it all ends up being terribly confusing and emotionally deflating in the end, which may be the point, about..." Read more

"...Order the digital version for easy dictionary consultations, lest you like thumbing through Webster's pages...." Read more

"...It does not, however, come fully together as a novel and it at times repetitive." Read more

"...writing with feel of the small town in the midst of a crime- easy pace to solution." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2012
    For an author with a makes-you-fall-down-laughing
    reputation, this is a remarkably sane story at its heart. It does have the same universal absurdities that can be found in 'The Treasure of Sierra Madre'
    or 'She Stoops to Conquer', but at heart this is a deeply intriguing political inquiry into the work of a great artist, and its blend of political, religious, historical, and artistic analysis contains a brilliant series of well-asked questions and decisively imagined
    probable answers.

    It's a bit like Beef Wellington, with the outer shell plot all enjoyable pastry, and the story-within-a-story all good red meat.

    I very much expect the author could never have published his analysis and theory as scholarship -- too much jump-the-potholes speculation -- but, by cleverly wrapping it in a comedic fiction, he can give his best intuitive faculties full play without wasting time peeling Brussels sprouts to go with the meal.

    Mitchell
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2013
    This book has become my favorite. I recommend it to everyone I meet who is interested in good writing, good plot, good humor. It has it all and written with such beauty. I LOVE this read.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2009
    This is not a bad book, exactly. It's just that Frayn dives headlong into so many things at once herein that it all ends up being terribly confusing and emotionally deflating in the end, which may be the point, about where obsessions lead one, or it may not. Who knows? By the end, one simply feels too twirled about to care a damn.

    If you love the paintings of Pieter Brueg(h)el the Elder - one of the things you'll learn is that he altered the orthography of his surname twice, removing and then reinstating the "h" - though nobody quite knows why, then you will love the in depth iconological as well as iconographical (q.v. the book) descriptions of the import of his paintings. I know I did.

    If you're interested in the history of the Netherlands - There were 17 of them, by the way, nether or low lands, that is, or so you shall learn - then the book will also fascinate you. This part was engrossing to me as well.

    It's the modern setting and characters where everything falls short. Only one of the characters is even two dimensional, Martin Clay; the rest, such as his wife Kate, are such one-dimensional stick figures that the reader is hard-pressed to bother or care about them at all.

    At one point in the narrative, Martin is comparing himself to Icarus, who, flying too close to the sun, falls headlong into the sea. By the end, he's describing himself as being thrown headlong into a millpond, by a rout of yobbish Lowlanders.

    This is certainly how this particular reader felt at the end.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2016
    After first reading the author's "Skios," which I found laugh-out-loud hilarious, I was eager to read another of his books. This one was very interesting, but humorous in a much quieter, ironic style. I do like reading books about academic/professor types and I enjoyed the tangled web of deception that the main character must weave as he tries to make a fortune from a lost painting "discovered" in a neighbor's house. However, some darker themes of his neglect of his wife and his desire to fool those who trust him make him less than admirable in the end. An unexpected bonus of this book is getting a bit of education in the Dutch painters and political events in the Netherlands of the 1500's.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2014
    This book made me laugh so hard I had to bite down on a towel to keep from waking my sleeping husband. What a great writer! The best!
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2013
    Painful to read/listen to. Rarely funny, Main character is totally annoying, ending is not a surprise, just irritating. Sorry I wasted time on it but my book group read it (and as far as I know, none of them liked it any better).
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2012
    The book is one very long art history lesson. A career's worth of history. Worthy of a PhD thesis. I just wanted a good read but the pedantic writer kept adding more and more and more history. As a consequence, the book plodded along like an overburdened carthorse. Eventually, it freed itself of the cart and galloped thankfully to the finish. Don't bother to read the book. Just visit an art museum and enjoy a Bruegel exhibit.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2013
    "When musicians play together ... they must of necessity listen to one another" is the lead sentence in a Tommasini review in The New York Times on 2/1/13. Exactly correct. This is one of the paramount pleasures of playing/singing with others.

    On page 33 of "Headlong" Michael Frayn writes: " they're singing. This would explain why they're not listening to one another. People can't listen to one another if they're singing in counterpoint." Mr. Frayn shows his ignorance about music, and his indifference to checking out what he has written: he knows. Well, he knows nothing about music, but that's not new. Hardly anyone does, with the notable exception (in recent books) of MacEwan's "Amsterdam."

    As to the rest of the book, there is no need at this point to be encyclopedic in writing about it. None of the characters is worth anyone's attention. Period. The history of the Netherlands and Spain is the chief interest in all these pages. The analogy of Spain in the 16th century to Nazi Germany is well taken. The evocation of works by Pieter Breughel caused me to go and take a new look, a plus. The freckling of the pages with countless contractions (in one paragraph alone: he's = he is; he's = he has), especially with polysyllabic nouns is annoying. There were a few grammatical errors, also printing goofs.

    I ordered a new paperback copy, and was sent a remaindered one, splashed with coffee, dotted with notations. My $$ was refunded. Good.

    The Art Forger: A Novel
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Christina Sterenborg
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eleganter eloquenter Humor, ein Roman wie Schokolade
    Reviewed in Germany on October 2, 2020
    Warum geraten manche Romane in Vergessenheit? Diese Geschichte hat es verdient Auf revival Bestseller Listen in den Top Positionen zu stehen. Durch den elegantem Humor werden die Personen und Situationen sehr lebendig. Jedes Wort zergeht auf der Zunge. Wer Kunst mag und britischen Humor, ist hier genau richtig!
  • Marly
    5.0 out of 5 stars A crazy effort to obtain a masterpiece
    Reviewed in France on February 26, 2020
    This book is a lot of fun. The main character thinks he has discovered an old master painting at his neighbor's house. How to get his hands on it without the neighbor realizing its value?
  • Jack C
    5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, intelligent - an education as usual from Michael Frayn.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2016
    One of the best books I have read. I have to say that I read it using a kindle, making frequent detours to click on names and topics (nominalism, iconology, iconography). It was an education. Frayne opened my eyes to a period in History that was not something I knew. As someone who lived briefly in the Netherlands, I am ashamed of how ignorant I was of this traumatic period in their history. The evils of the Spanish occupation and comparisons to Nazi occupied Netherlands really emphasised the traumas that the Netherlandish peoples have been through, thanks to the Roman Catholic Church and later the ideology of the former Catholic Mr Hitler.

    This was a book that is also very funny. If you have met people like Tony Churt, it makes it all the more fun. Laura is another fascinating character, so real in ones mind's eye. Met many of her type as well. I find myself lapsing into Tony Churt speak, dropping the subject or article at the start of a sentence. Must stop that. Really must.

    And finally Art History. If you want an introduction, albeit comic, into the passions of art, this will surely set your intellectual juices flowing.

    My only sadness is it is over and I don't know what on earth I can read next. Will I ever be as entertained as I was with Headlong?
  • Floris Harscamp van Hooghzande
    4.0 out of 5 stars A hymn to Bruegel; an erudite study turned into a marvelous novel!
    Reviewed in Germany on February 27, 2020
    A hymn to Bruegel; an erudite study turned into a marvelous novel!

    As an arthistorian myself, i really enjoyed Reading Frayn’s book on discovering a long lost painting by the Netherlandish painter Pieter Bruegel the elder. Smartly written, through thorough study, but also very readable for laymen.

    I absolutely recommand this book!
  • Moxo
    5.0 out of 5 stars headlong
    Reviewed in France on October 7, 2016
    Loved it! the characters made me laugh and the historical input was invaluable to understanding historical tensions for political supremacy under the desguised of religious wars