Official Review: Survival Of The Fittest by Robin Hawdon

[bookowlie]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Survival Of The Fittest" by Robin Hawdon.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Survival of the Fittest by Robin Hawdon is a tour de force in the Other Fiction genre. There are major historical perspectives in the book, although the central plot is set in the present. Maurice Aldridge is an antique book dealer in London who is hired by an eccentric American billionaire, Donald Easterly, to track down two written works. The first is a rumored journal by the famous Charles Darwin’s wife Emma. Since she assisted her husband in his work, this would be a significant book to find. The second is a possible secret addendum to Charles’ book about evolution. Easterly also gives Maurice a manuscript written by WWII physicist Klaus Fuchs, who was convicted of giving atomic secrets to the Russians; Fuchs alludes to Emma’s journal in his pages.

The points of view alternate between Maurice in the present, Emma’s journal writings in the 1800’s, and Klaus Fuchs in the 1950’s, while in prison. Maurice’s story is an absorbing mystery, complete with various clues and subtle hints. Emma’s writings provide a peek into the Darwins’ lives, including her conflicted feelings about his work due to her religious beliefs. She worries that people will think Charles is crazy or a Satanist if his controversial beliefs become widely known. Klaus Fuchs’ treatise includes his thoughts about Darwin’s theories and the moral reasons for dealing with the Russians.

The main characters are well developed, particularly Maurice. I loved that he frequently “talked” to his deceased wife and imagined what she would say in return. He is a flawed but well-intentioned character and I just loved him.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style. He is a British writer and his love of words shows. I liked the way small leads were provided for Maurice and the subtle hints that someone might be following him. There are a few twists that are unexpected and very satisfying.

It’s clear that the historical sections were carefully researched by the author. However, these details slow the pacing of the plot considerably. Certainly the main storyline veers off course with the flashbacks of Fuchs’ prison writings and Emma’s journal entries. I am normally a fast reader, but it took me an unusually long time to get through this book. I became absorbed in the central plot, but the historical side stories, while well written, were distracting and made for slow reading.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to readers who like historical fiction and mysteries. I enjoyed the main story, but it was overwhelmed at times by the alternating stories of Darwin’s wife and Fuchs. Still, the subject matter was interesting and I learned some history along the way. Learning something new….that’s always a good thing.

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Survival Of The Fittest
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[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review! It's too bad the plot was so slow with the different time periods. It does sound interesting otherwise, especially to those interested in history, London, and/or the whole evolution debate. Would not be my cup of tea--not my interests. But it sounds like a lot of research went into this, which I'm sure I'd appreciate if I were into those things!

[bookowlie]

Thanks for taking the time to read my review! You mentioned it might not be your cup of tea. Well, one nice thing about books, like this one, that are set in England. They are always putting the kettle on, offering guests a cup of tea, drinking tea.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Yeah, I had a feeling you'd catch that!

What freaks me out is that the British drink it straight after it exits the kettle, practically boiling hot. YEOUCH!

Oh. I just looked this book up on amazon. I thought there was a funny photo of the book, but that is its actual cover.

[bookowlie]

I didn't notice the photo...thanks for pointing it out. I am assuming that's a photo of Charles Darwin? The cover makes him looks like a ghost.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Spooky. It does make him look ghastly.

I like the picture in a picture on the cover.

[bluemel4]

Wonderful review. I really enjoyed reading it. Books that go off on tangents can be difficult to read and keep track of. I do not know much about Darwin's personal life and reading his wife perspective (even though fictional) sounds interesting.

[PashaRu]

Thanks for a great review. I like historical fiction if it's done well. But the subject matter here doesn't butter my biscuit, so I don't think this is destined for my...uh, biscuit plate...?

[zeldas_lullaby]

Snort.

[gali]

Thank you for the lovely review. I have thought about picking up this book when it was offered, but wasn't sure it was for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it despite its flaws.

[bookowlie]

Wonderful review. I really enjoyed reading it. Books that go off on tangents can be difficult to read and keep track of. I do not know much about Darwin's personal life and reading his wife perspective (even though fictional) sounds interesting.

Thanks. The main storyline was great. However, I found the side stories to just be an overload of information that distracted from the main plot. To be fair, some of the info in the flashback stories was interesting by itself, particularly the WWII physicist's story.

-- 10 Jun 2015, 23:37 --

Thanks for a great review. I like historical fiction if it's done well. But the subject matter here doesn't butter my biscuit, so I don't think this is destined for my...uh, biscuit plate...?

OK, that's just plain weird. I don't know whether you mentioned biscuits because they are, well, so English....or I am just not up on all the cool expressions. Anyway, thanks for the compliment about my review, I think?!

-- 10 Jun 2015, 23:39 --

Thank you for the lovely review. I have thought about picking up this book when it was offered, but wasn't sure it was for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it despite its flaws.

Thanks Gali! I have been in the same position before, where I read someone's review of a book I considering selecting. It's always interesting to read about the ones I didn't pick!

[zeldas_lullaby]

I think Pasha's making fun of how the book wasn't my "cup of tea."

[robin hawdon]

Thank you all for your comments on my book, especially 'Bookowlie's' thoughtful review. It may be of interest that the book was inspired by my reading some years ago of Edna Healey's wonderful biography of Emma Darwin, which prompted me to write a novel about the remarkable Darwin family's domestic life. For those who like historical biogs you should read this - it is enthralling!
Robin Hawdon

[PashaRu]

Thanks for a great review. I like historical fiction if it's done well. But the subject matter here doesn't butter my biscuit, so I don't think this is destined for my...uh, biscuit plate...?

OK, that's just plain weird. I don't know whether you mentioned biscuits because they are, well, so English....or I am just not up on all the cool expressions. Anyway, thanks for the compliment about my review, I think?!

Have you never heard this expression? It's like whatever floats your boat, whatever lights your candle, whatever flips your pancake, whatever creames your cheese, etc. Whatever butters your biscuit! So it doesn't butter my biscuit means that it's not something that really appeals to me.

[bookowlie]

Thank you all for your comments on my book, especially 'Bookowlie's' thoughtful review. It may be of interest that the book was inspired by my reading some years ago of Edna Healey's wonderful biography of Emma Darwin, which prompted me to write a novel about the remarkable Darwin family's domestic life. For those who like historical biogs you should read this - it is enthralling!
Robin Hawdon

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I am always interested in finding out the inspiration for a book. With all the branches of the Darwin and Allen family trees, I considered that you might have been a distant descendant!

-- 11 Jun 2015, 10:36 --

Thanks for a great review. I like historical fiction if it's done well. But the subject matter here doesn't butter my biscuit, so I don't think this is destined for my...uh, biscuit plate...?

OK, that's just plain weird. I don't know whether you mentioned biscuits because they are, well, so English....or I am just not up on all the cool expressions. Anyway, thanks for the compliment about my review, I think?!

Have you never heard this expression? It's like whatever floats your boat, whatever lights your candle, whatever flips your pancake, whatever creames your cheese, etc. Whatever butters your biscuit! So it doesn't butter my biscuit means that it's not something that really appeals to me.

Well, I am familiar with the "whatever floats your boat" expression. The others are new to me. I still like the my idea that you tried to make a little joke because the story is set in England. Now I will have to think of a joke about tea or tea kettles.