Autumn of the Ace by Louis de Bernières (Harvill Secker, 2021)
The Autumn of the Ace by Louis de Bernières This is the final part of the trilogy (begun with The Dust that Falls from Dreams) that Louis de Bernières spoke so entertainingly about at BOOKMARK’s 2019 Festival. He spoke then of how he thinks he’s written just one novel and indeed there are nods and references to all his other novels in this one. His sharply observed characters are once more brought to life (I particularly enjoyed his recreation of the Partisan’s daughter) in this page-turning story of Daniel Pitt and his family. Spanning decades, invoking various continents and settings, and although I felt the last 20 or so pages were a little rushed, I highly recommend this novel from a master story-teller.