chilli13 Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 Came across this bkk novel that I didn´t seem to have noticed before so was just wondering if anyone else had or maybe even have read it? I agree that despite the rave reviews from US it does seem a bit lame & all, but at least with a slightly different approach letting a thai buddhist police guy as main character http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/bangkok_8/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radioman Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 I have recently read this and enjoyed it. I agree that as a work of fiction it is undoubtedly less than top shelf but on the other hand it was easy going, meaning that with a couple of beers under my belt and the sun sinking below the ridgeline it made for a pleasant couple of evenings during the quieter part of Songkhran week. It does take a slightly different approach to the usual oddball farang cop/lawyer/expat whatever, which is refreshing and I would probably read another based around the same characters. There are some great one liners and the fact that the main man is luk kreung with a partially reformed BG for a mother adds a touch that many on here might identify with. Cheers, M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomc12 Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 I think it was a decent read, but thought the ending sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 Read the tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller , Set in Paris, but apart from the weather, it may as well have been bangkok, the way he discribes the sex, cunts, whores, fucking, etcc. DOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli13 Posted April 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 I´ll keep that hery miller book in mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgtp Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Funny, I was reading some Bukowski last night (Factotum) and he refers to Miller while taking a bus ride. "I took Henry Miller with me and tried to read him all the way across. He was good when he was good, and vice versa." I quite like both these authors, Miller and Bukowski. BTW, I enjoyed Bangkok 8 as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Trouble with most if not just about all Thai books the ends suck. Only one I like was the first David Young book. DOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgtp Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 For those of you who did like 'Bangkok 8', a follow-up entitled 'Bangkok Tatoo' recently came out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sukhumvit Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Yeah, the ending was awful. Also, the twist in the tale was telegraphed from pretty early on and it was fairly obvious as to what was going to happen to the antique dealer guy. As for the drugged up snakes at the start, well that was just pure baloney. For me, you could do a lot worse than reading Jake Needham's stuff. A lot better written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanlaurel Posted June 12, 2005 Report Share Posted June 12, 2005 Henry Miller? Has Henry Miller written a Bangkok novel? No? Then let's forget about him here and now. John Burdett aims quite high with his Thai pov main character but does a very decent job. After all it's another crime novel set in and around Bkk's "notorious" nightlife scene... If you are interested in Bkk (or Thailand...or even SEA) as a repeat visitor you can enjoy Bangkok 8 as it has a good load of accurate descriptions of the place and its people. Probably a tad too lectural for the longtimer but well written and good stuff overall. Who cares about the ending if the body is entertaining? I repeat: well written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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