Book Review: Trouble on the Heath by Terry Jones

Trouble on the Heath was originally part of the Quick Reads collection released by The Reading Agency in 2011. It's written by Monty Python star, Terry Jones.

When Malcolm Thomas forms a protest group to prevent a new build from blocking his views, he gets more than he bargains for, and ends up getting himself (and his dog Nigel) embroiled with corrupt town planners, violent gangsters, and a knap victim.

BOOK SPECS:

Number of Pages: 104

Format: Paperback

Genre: Comedy Drama, Novella

Tropes: Satire, Plan Gone Horribly Wrong, Grumpy Old Man

SHORT REVIEW:

Ok, I cheated. This isn't a romance novel. But in my defense, it's laugh-out-loud funny. If you're fortunate enough to stumble on a paper copy, YOU HAVE TO READ IT! Terry Jones is so entertaining, he made the cold that was making my day miserable not so bad at all.

HEART RATE:

SMUT SCORE:

Buy it on Amazon

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FULL REVIEW:

Plot

Novellas are tricky to write and can sometimes feel underdeveloped or rushed, but Jones actually manages to fit a lot into Trouble on the Health without making it too superficial, so fast-paced you don't know what is happening, or incomplete in sequence.

The only flaw, for me, would have to be the way things end with Trevor, the Head of the Planning Department. It's almost as if his storyline got axed out and there are pages missing from the book. Where was he? Why did he have the notes?

Having said that, the plot is incredibly funny and filled with clever humour. No matter how unlikely or exaggerated your head tells you this story is, you can still actually see it happening. All the while Nigel (the dog), which I think actually represents everyone else including you and me - hence the human name, gets on with his life completely unaware of what is going on right under his nose.

Characters

Jones uses an array of stereotypes: the unloved and ignored wife, the paranoid rich business man, the frustrated civil servant, the extremely calm professor with anger management issues, the cunning switched-on wife, the alienated fashion designer, the criminal with good intentions and a conscience... Sounds like an awful lot to unpack in a hundred and four pages, but the stereotypes actually help him save time in character development, as you brain fills all the gaps. Allowing the writer to have a plethora of characters and move on swiftly, while keeping it simple and straight forward.

Smut and Romance Score

There is no smut or romance in this book once or ever. I read it for the humour. Sorry, my romance nuts.

Writing

Everything in this book revolves around a planning application and the people affected by it. Jones very cleverly describes the common doses of alienation, lack of insight, and "little concern for anything other than what suits me" attitude you so clearly see on the day-to-day basis, especially amongst bigger city dwellers. And in doing so, this book actually works as a satire and social critique, rather than just comedy. Very clever indeed. Makes me think of The Little Prince by Saint-Exupery, which looks like a children's book in the surface, but it's actually a social critique on human greed.

Overall, a really good and quick read bookworms can get done in one sitting; and non-bookworms can use as the perfect way to get into reading.

OUT OF CURIOSITY: 

Trouble on the Heath was originally part of the Quick Reads series. The aim of Quick Reads is to encourage people to get into reading, even people who do not usually read or have not read for a while. The books are just over one hundred pages long and cost only around £1, so it hardly breaks the bank or your schedule. More information on Quick Reads here.

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