Those who can, do …

… Clever novelists know how to write a story. It’s the clever-clever ones who don’t. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Looking back, reviewing those reviews, I can discern a central thread that wasn’t obvious at the time. It is a simple critique. The novels rarely came alive and the reading experience was seldom enjoyable. Orchestrating a compelling narrative, gripping the reader’s attention, creating believable characters operating in a recognisable social world – none was a central preoccupation in most of the novels I reviewed.