The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle
Paperback Published on: 22/04/2021
Price: £9.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
I defy you not to fall in love with Lavelle
Having just this second finished this delicious, bittersweet novel, i feel that Mr Lavelle is going to be a character I'm going to remember for a long time... READ MORE
Perfect for fans of The Binding
This was advertised to me as being one to read if you had enjoyed Bridget Collins' The Binding, so since I loved The Binding I leapt at the chance to read ... READ MORE
Drama & Decadence
The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle harks back to classic topics of social mobility and ambition, keeping up appearances and impressing people you resent and idoli... READ MORE
Drunk on love - for this book!
It’s been so long since I found myself truly immersed in a book but The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle was every bit as addictive as its titular antihero. A dark,... READ MORE
Intoxicated by Mr Lavelle
This delicious historical drama is just the right bit of escapism the world needs right now. Reading this was like eating a devilishly dark chocolate cake ... READ MORE
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the Polari Book Prize 2021
Brothers Benjamin and Edgar have so far led a quiet life, but change is afoot as they enter a world of glorious sights and People of Quality on their Grand Tour of Europe. But a trunk full of powdered silver wigs and matching suits isn't enough to embed them into high society.
As Edgar clings on to conventions, Benjamin pushes against them. And when the charming, seductive Horace Lavelle promises Benjamin a real adventure, it's only a matter of time before chaos and love ensue.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Cornerstone
- ISBN: 9781786090997
- Number of pages: 336
- Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 23 mm
- Weight: 242g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View all‘We are all of us fallible, so let’s forgive each other’s follies’
When Edgar and Benjamin embark on a Tour around Europe, they are out to meet people of quality.
They will make connections and climb the ladder of high soc... READ MORE
“I thought you despised everyone equally…”
NO SPOILERS
“Social conformity is a fever that men are only too eager to catch, no matter if it kills them.”
Blimey! Where do I begin? What a beautifully w... READ MORE
“I thought you despised everyone equally…”
NO SPOILERS
“Social conformity is a fever that men are only too eager to catch, no matter if it kills them.”
Blimey! Where do I begin? What a beautifully... READ MORE
Important topics, graphically portrayed
I’m undecided about this novel.
The writing was excellent. The setting of it, the philiosophy, the whole ethos of the Grand Tour were very well portrayed.... READ MORE
Bawdy, Philosophical, and just plain fun!
This is an unashamedly LGBT historical romp through the 1700s, that doesn’t shy away from the less lovely sides of history. Throughout, Blackmore highlight... READ MORE
A tortured soul on an 18th century road trip with relationship drama!
Neil Blackmore’s “The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle” is a sumptuously described 18th century road-trip for the aspiring upper classes. The tragedy and heartache ... READ MORE
Misled by the initial sales blurb
I rushed to buy this book after reading the Waterstones sales blurb. Bought the hardback, an easy read text, fabulously tactile and attractive cover. But n... READ MORE
entertaining read
A brilliant read exploring some pretty hard themes of love and death, homophobia and family relationships, social hierarchies and bullying.
I devoured this... READ MORE
Intoxicating indeed...
Very different from what I expected, but still very good.
From some of the discussion of it (romp? rollicking?) I was expecting something comparatively l... READ MORE
Totally enthralling
I found this book as intoxicating as the title. I devoured it. Edgar and Benjamin where pretty flat characters and their parents were almost ghostlike. But... READ MORE
Entertaining but with a serious message
I enjoyed ‘The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle’ by Neil Blackmore. Although it had a examined the life of a gay man in the 18th century and has a serious message i... READ MORE
Recommended
The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle was an unusual book for me, but one that I am very glad I chose to read and review. Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers an... READ MORE
Intoxicating and melancholic
Brothers Edgar and Benjamin Bowen set of on a Grand Tour of Europe, just like all other genteel men in XVIII century. Their mission - to visit the places t... READ MORE
Wont Be For Eveyone Due To The Content Matter
Set in 1763. Two brothers, Benjamin and Edgar go on a Grand Tour to set their place in security, to impress the right people and further their parents ambi... READ MORE
Light and entertaining
It's the 1790s and Benjamin and his brother Edgar find themselves on the Grand Tour of Europe, a journey into society pushed upon them by their parents. It... READ MORE
Oh, Horace!
When Edgar and Benjamin embark on a Tour around Europe, they are out to meet people of quality.
They will make connections and climb the ladder of high soc... READ MORE
Innocents Abroad
A dark and decadent tour across Enlightenment Europe, taking in culture, class, love, desire, taboos, family and what makes a person "good."