William Boyd’s latest is a character-driven study of the summer of 1968. Told across a trio of characters – a writer, an actor, and a film producer – this book examines secret lives and the impulses that guide our lives. Examining what is kept behind facades, Boyd reels you in to the character’s lives and motivations. Whilst not as strong or engaging as some of his other novels (Any Human Heart is hard to beat), Trio is nonetheless a beautifully told story of embracing the previously unexamined parts of ourselves.

Don’t know how William Boyd does it - even with a subject which holds little interest for this reviewer, the writing is so wonderful that the story carried me along and I was completely involved with the characters, after a rather slow start. The Trio of the title is a young film actress, a producer and a novelist, with the story set in 1968 Brighton. It’s difficult to say much about the plot without including spoilers, but even with an unpromising subject matter, the narrative flows brilliantly, with the characters coming alive and the settings becoming visual in their brilliant descriptions and clarity. If you happen to have an interest in the film industry as well, this is the book for you! Many thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin for my review copy.

This was one of those books where I felt and an urge to google the author. I don't do that often. While reading this beautiful book, I could not stop admiring William Boyd's writing. Just imagine a story told so vividly that it seems more like a movie than a book. I knew instantly- this has to be written by a screenwriter, or, at least, some type of a movie person. I was no wrong. William Boyd is a novelist, a screenwriter. 

The trio of the title are three individuals in Brighton in the late '60s, all connected by a film. Talbot is the producer of the film, a closet homosexual, married with children, and grappling with understanding himself. Elfrida is a fading novelist and an alcoholic, one big book to her name, and trying again and again to commit pen to paper. Anny is an actress, star of the film. Her love life is complicated and somehow she's got herself tangled up with the FBI. All of the characters in this book are intriguing, although it took me a while to get into them. The atmosphere was vibrant and creative, and I enjoyed the story.

A tender and eloquent telling of the interlocking stories of three people as each questions the meaning of their own life and whether and how to make it worth living. Uncannily realistic character portrayal making you wish - for all their weaknesses and idiosyncrasies - that each of them will make it despite the odds certainly not always looking like they're with them.