Fiction

Trio

Trio

  • Downloads：7411
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-24 00:50:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：William Boyd
  • ISBN：0241295971
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

'An elating read' Sunday Times

A producer。 A novelist。 An actress。

It is summer in 1968， the year of the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy。 There are riots in Paris and the Vietnam War is out of control。 While the world is reeling our three characters are involved in making a Swingin' Sixties movie in sunny Brighton。

All are leading secret lives。 Elfrida is drowning her writer's block in vodka; Talbot， coping with the daily dysfunction of making a film， is hiding something in a secret apartment; and the glamorous Anny is wondering why the CIA is suddenly so interested in her。

But the show must go on and， as it does， the trio's private worlds begin to take over their public ones。 Pressures build inexorably - someone's going to crack。 Or maybe they all will。

From one of Britain's best loved writers comes an exhilarating， tender novel that asks the vital questions: what makes life worth living？ And what do you do if you find it isn't？
_______________________________________________

PRAISE FOR WILLIAM BOYD

'The ultimate in immersive fiction 。 。 。 magnificent' Sunday Times

'A finely judged performance: a deft and resonant alchemy of fact and fiction， of literary myth and imagination' Guardian on Love is Blind

'William Boyd has probably written more classic books than any of his contemporaries' Daily Telegraph

'Simply the best realistic storyteller of his generation' Sebastian Faulks

Download

Reviews

David Wilby ，

Trio is William Boyd's terse， sardonic and deftly humorous take on the world of film-making。 It's presumably called Trio since the plot cuts and splices the stories of three main characters: Anny Viklund， Elfrida Wing and Talbot Kydd， an actress， a novelist and a film producer， as their connected fortunes interweave in occasionally surprising but always shrewdly plotted ways。The novel is set in Brighton in 1968 and， while primarily a triptych of character studies， Boyd locates events broadly wit Trio is William Boyd's terse， sardonic and deftly humorous take on the world of film-making。 It's presumably called Trio since the plot cuts and splices the stories of three main characters: Anny Viklund， Elfrida Wing and Talbot Kydd， an actress， a novelist and a film producer， as their connected fortunes interweave in occasionally surprising but always shrewdly plotted ways。The novel is set in Brighton in 1968 and， while primarily a triptych of character studies， Boyd locates events broadly within the context of the film-industry。 He perfectly captures the atmosphere that anyone who's ever been near a filmset will know - that unmistakable whiff of money， egoism and dazzling lights。 The aire of glitz and glamour is offset by the irresistibly refreshing inclusion of Janet Headstone， a cockney scriptwriter employed to rescue the film from the wobbles of a gaff-prone production crew led by Reggie 'Rodrigo' Tipton。While clearly taking its cue from Martin Amis， Trio veers dangerously into John le Carré territory at times。 So much so that we get bogged down with a good deal of byline intrigue about a grouchy political activitist in Paris （refered to as the philosopher）， and also the ruse of an escaped terrorist on the run from the FBI was a gamble that started well with the spirit of countercultural idealism， but didn't quite work out。Whatever its faults， those can be brushed aside thanks to Boyd's brilliant knack for dialogue， plotting and convincing character portrayal。 Trio has something - call it craftmanship for want of a better word - that just had me hooked。 。。。more

Julie ，

Folks， I have absolutely no idea what the point of this novel is， but I loved it all the same。 Is that allowed？ Can I tell you that I looked forward each evening to turning the pages of a story that is about the filming of a novel in Brighton， England in 1968 and the intersection of stories of its leading lady， Anny Viklund， an American starlet， its closeted gay producer， Talbot Kydd， and the wife of the director who is pickling her organs in vodka as she attempts her first novel in ten years， t Folks， I have absolutely no idea what the point of this novel is， but I loved it all the same。 Is that allowed？ Can I tell you that I looked forward each evening to turning the pages of a story that is about the filming of a novel in Brighton， England in 1968 and the intersection of stories of its leading lady， Anny Viklund， an American starlet， its closeted gay producer， Talbot Kydd， and the wife of the director who is pickling her organs in vodka as she attempts her first novel in ten years， the awkwardly named Elfrida Wing？ I totally did。 Boyd writes in a wry and snappy style that borders on farce， and the period details， from the frequent appearance of the world's most annoying song， MacArthur Park， to the protests in Paris， and Brighton's resort-vibe seediness， are intoxicating。 It was so lovely to be out of the present world for a spell， in a time and place that seems to refreshingly simple now。 But it's not all levity; there are more sinister subplots afoot， and more weighty matters， such as Talbot reluctantly emerging from the closet， to keep this teetering in an intricately plotted balance。 Colorful， unexpected， rich and off-kilter， Trio is a novel I entered with doubts and exited with questions， but was highly appreciative of the in-between。 。。。more

Agnes Jackson ，

This was an ok read but it rambled a bit。 The characters were well drawn and there was a good sense of time and place。 There was humour around Elfrida’s alcoholism， not that alcoholism is in any way amusing。 I’m afraid I didn’t understand the financial transaction round the script deal。

James Romanow ，

I've been a big fan of Boyd since his "New Confessions。" His novels are subtly funny。 They aren't like say Wodehouse， but are a gentle commentary on us humans。 This one is about a producer trying to keep a movie shoot from falling apart， in 1968 UK。 Egotistical actors， crazed director， corrupt DP， all with a background of the French riots and the beginning of large social changes。Note that not ALL of Boyd's work are comic。 This one is more a great novel with a dry sense of humour。 Highly recomme I've been a big fan of Boyd since his "New Confessions。" His novels are subtly funny。 They aren't like say Wodehouse， but are a gentle commentary on us humans。 This one is about a producer trying to keep a movie shoot from falling apart， in 1968 UK。 Egotistical actors， crazed director， corrupt DP， all with a background of the French riots and the beginning of large social changes。Note that not ALL of Boyd's work are comic。 This one is more a great novel with a dry sense of humour。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Liz ，

My thoughts:* Why did it need to be set in 1968？ There were a few references to Robert Kennedy， the Paris riots， and Czechoslovakia but these had no bearing on the plot and could easily have been replaced by recent events;* Why was it based around a film set？ What did this add？ Some of the organisation etc。 and film company manipulations associated with this bored me; * Why bring in Anny’s ex？ Her storyline could have been cut with little detrimental effect， as could Troy’s;* Though I did like T My thoughts:* Why did it need to be set in 1968？ There were a few references to Robert Kennedy， the Paris riots， and Czechoslovakia but these had no bearing on the plot and could easily have been replaced by recent events;* Why was it based around a film set？ What did this add？ Some of the organisation etc。 and film company manipulations associated with this bored me; * Why bring in Anny’s ex？ Her storyline could have been cut with little detrimental effect， as could Troy’s;* Though I did like Talbot， I felt that just Elfrida’s story could have been a better， separate books I loved this。Not one of his better books， therefore， whatever the hype made of it。。 。。。more

Barbara Bryant ，

This had everything that typically grabs me: a 1960s vibe， eccentric characters， the shenanigans of an ill-fated film set。 Unfortunately， after 100 tedious pages， I had to give it up。 So disappointed。

Margaret ，

Not showstopping。 A bit too self-conscious by far。 The characters are not over-convincing although all very self-delusional。 I liked it enough to not stop reading it but revisiting the Sixties deserved more

Emy ，

Great characters！

Alexandra D。 ，

http://livresforfun。overblog。com/2021。。。 http://livresforfun。overblog。com/2021。。。 。。。more

Voidflower ，

highly entertaining！

Terri Downer ，

This felt more like 3 short stories loosely woven together by location and events。 The three main characters。。。an actress， a movie producer and the wife of the movie director all find themselves in on set in Brighton， UK to make what appears to be a mediocre movie in the late 1960's。 Their stories are interesting enough， really have very little to do with each other。 There are a host of secondary characters， and the action switches between the "trio" with little logic， making it a little hard to This felt more like 3 short stories loosely woven together by location and events。 The three main characters。。。an actress， a movie producer and the wife of the movie director all find themselves in on set in Brighton， UK to make what appears to be a mediocre movie in the late 1960's。 Their stories are interesting enough， really have very little to do with each other。 There are a host of secondary characters， and the action switches between the "trio" with little logic， making it a little hard to keep up with。 I've rounded this up to 3 stars because the trio of characters and their stories were fairly interesting。 I just didn't think it came together as one novel。 。。。more

Rebecca Shtasel ，

I enjoyed reading this book but at the end I was left wondering what it was all about。 It felt like it was building up to something that never actually happened。

Paul Downs ，

Boyd is a skilled writer， and especially good at creating engaging characters and plot。 Engaging， not necessarily likable。 But always worth a read。

Jessica Rosner ，

Not a trifle but not heavy。 This novel is set in England， 1968， in a small town which is host to a film crew making a movie。 As my son once said to me about an exhibit we saw， “it touched all my sweet spots”。Beautiful location。 Important concerns （riots in Paris by students， in the US civil rights activists and their tormentors）， the meaning of life， the right to love whom you choose， class distinction， romance， tragedy， two kind of happen endings to two deserving people。 Also， beautiful locatio Not a trifle but not heavy。 This novel is set in England， 1968， in a small town which is host to a film crew making a movie。 As my son once said to me about an exhibit we saw， “it touched all my sweet spots”。Beautiful location。 Important concerns （riots in Paris by students， in the US civil rights activists and their tormentors）， the meaning of life， the right to love whom you choose， class distinction， romance， tragedy， two kind of happen endings to two deserving people。 Also， beautiful location， humor， excellent writing。 The starlet， her catastrophic though well intentioned choices。 A novelist with writer’s block。 A producer trapped in a phony life。 These are the main characters but there is a lovely assortment of supporting people who feel just fleshed out enough so as not to not matter。 A good read for any season。 。。。more

Sarah Ingram ，

William Boyd is on top form with this compelling story of three very different characters in crisis -all being betrayed in one way or another。 Riveting。

mathilde maire ，

Not what I expected but enjoyable nonetheless。 I was disappointed with the ending though。 Not sure this one will stay with me。

Andrea ，

Only just meh。 It does not sparkle like previous works from Boyd like Restless or Any Human Heart。

Brooke ，

The story itself was definitely a slow burn。 When I was over halfway through the book， nothing all too exciting had happened。 Now being done with the novel， I think the build up was worth it。 In a word， it was very elegantly written， and I became attached to each character。 I loved the setting - summer 1968 - and how MacArthur Park was a recurrence in the novel。 A charming and entertaining summer read :）

Becky Loader ，

Hmmm。。。boring。

Debbi Barton ，

A clever tale of forbidden love in the 60's 。3。5 stars rounded up to 4 🌟 A clever tale of forbidden love in the 60's 。3。5 stars rounded up to 4 🌟 。。。more

Susan ，

Just really did not enjoy this book much。 It was an easy read but meh。 I didn’t really care about the characters at all。

Janne ，

Three characters in search of a resolution to their inner turmoil。 The year is 1968， but this has minimal impact in the lives of those three。 I'm not clear why that specific date was chosen。 The characters are interesting: Elfrida， a once famous writer who has not written anything in ten years and is veering into alcoholism; Anny， a young American actress， successful but insecure and Talbot Kydd， a movie producer who is a closeted gay。 I found the characters sympathetic and the book interesting， Three characters in search of a resolution to their inner turmoil。 The year is 1968， but this has minimal impact in the lives of those three。 I'm not clear why that specific date was chosen。 The characters are interesting: Elfrida， a once famous writer who has not written anything in ten years and is veering into alcoholism; Anny， a young American actress， successful but insecure and Talbot Kydd， a movie producer who is a closeted gay。 I found the characters sympathetic and the book interesting， but not enough for more than 3 stars。 。。。more

KateKing58 ，

It's hard to know how to rate this book。 On the one hand， it's an easy and absorbing read。 The individual chapters are long enough to provide interest and to move the narrative on without losing track of what is happening to the other characters。 And it is clever how our introduction to Elfrida and to Anny are picked up in Elfrida's abortive starts to her book on Virginia Woolf。But the unequal treatment of the characters by the author leaves a sour taste in the mouth。 Talbot is a closeted gay ma It's hard to know how to rate this book。 On the one hand， it's an easy and absorbing read。 The individual chapters are long enough to provide interest and to move the narrative on without losing track of what is happening to the other characters。 And it is clever how our introduction to Elfrida and to Anny are picked up in Elfrida's abortive starts to her book on Virginia Woolf。But the unequal treatment of the characters by the author leaves a sour taste in the mouth。 Talbot is a closeted gay man who is not good at assessing other people。 Are they also gay？ Are they honest？ Are they trying to rip him off？ He has a lot of bad luck but finishes the book richer and freer than when we first met him。 The two women are both damaged and unhappy。 They turn to alcohol or drugs to manage this。 In the end they can't cope with life and leave it either literally or by joining a religious community。 The misogyny does not stop there。 There is the writer Janet mocked for her accent。 Actress Sylvie for trying to hold on to her glory days。 Admittedly many of the male characters are venal and/or vain， but they are treated less cruelly by their creator。 It's really not good enough。 。。。more

Leigh Morris ，

Read a lot of William Boyd’s。 This is not his best。 Okay。 No more。

Nick ，

So well written， catches the atmosphere of the time （1968） well。 Perhaps it peters out a little at the end， but had me wanting to keep on reading to find out what happened。

Hayley ，

Back in the 1980's， Martin， Julian， and Ian were the golden boys of British upper middle brow literature， but William Boyd was there too， publishing a steady stream of good and sometimes excellent novels， but somehow missing out on the adulation the others received。 I haven't read anything of his for ages， so when I came across his latest， I was excited to give it a go。 It didn't disappoint， but it didn't thrill either。It's 1968 and the novel follows three people connected with the making of the Back in the 1980's， Martin， Julian， and Ian were the golden boys of British upper middle brow literature， but William Boyd was there too， publishing a steady stream of good and sometimes excellent novels， but somehow missing out on the adulation the others received。 I haven't read anything of his for ages， so when I came across his latest， I was excited to give it a go。 It didn't disappoint， but it didn't thrill either。It's 1968 and the novel follows three people connected with the making of the very sixties movie Emily Bracegirdle and Her Amazing Ladder to the Moon。 The wife of the director， Elfrida is an alcoholic author， often referred to as the next Virginia Woolf， who has had writer's block for ten years。 The producer， Talbot Kydd is a closeted gay man。 Anny Viklund is the American star of the movie who is being pursued by her ex-husband， a domestic terrorist。 Though set in this most tumultuous year， the external events don't really impinge on the characters， though each of them experiences their own upheavals。 Smart， funny， and intelligent but I didn't really feel that engaged。 I started out with this as an audiobook but didn't like the narrator or pacing so finished it off in print。 。。。more

Anne Murphy ，

Trio is interesting， the characters are trying to find or fully express themselves。 The backdrop is a film being produced which is interesting not as interesting as the interior lives of the characters

Steve ，

Entertaining。

Nicola ，

Oh dear another Book Club stinker that was my recommendation。 I normally really enjoy William Boyd’s writing but this was flat and two dimensional focussing on three charmless characters。 It has only gained 3 stars because of the scene setting in Brighton and East Sussex in 1968。

Sue ，

This is one of my favorite authors， but this was not one of my favorite books。 The ending wasn’t satisfactory。 Followed three persons in England。 Elfrida， Vinny， and Talbotts。 Ok story。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Trio

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Trio&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Trio&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0