he: A Novel | 
pickJohn Connolly‘s fictionalised look at the life of Stan Laurel is an absorbing and fascinating read with Connolly clearly having done his research on the man‘s life. The literary conceit of never mentioning Stan by his name mostly works and he gets the rhythms of the Laurel and Hardy dialogue right together with the peculiar nature of their relationship, but Laurel the man remains a mystery as Connolly never quite gets what made him tick.
1. I love Connolly‘s Charlie Parker novel, but HE is the best book I read last year. A wonderful fictional account of Laurel and Hardy‘s friendship.
2. Always. Part of the “control depression” routine
3. In the 30‘s with snow. ☹️
4. Peanut butter and cheese.
5. Sending hugs to all
@howjessreads
A sad story, but a loving story about a partnership & friendship. I wish that the author used the f-word a lot less. I am not a prude, but I found myself cringing towards the end. Give me some euphemisms. Be a little creative.
What was Babe before him? What was he before Babe? It is as though, shortly after their first meeting, they became conjoined, so that all other possible existences ceased at that moment. Is this of consequence? Of course it is.
And of course it is not.
Half of these existences—Babe‘s more than his, because Babe was captured by the light long before he—are anyway unreal. Like the flesh, film is a temporary medium.
It rots, it burns.
pickDo. Not. Miss. This.
A brilliant and beautiful fictionalized account of Stan Laurel‘s life. I read it in two days and wept when reading the final, incredible, longest sentence in the book. I agree with Connolly when he writes: “I loved Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy more than ever, with all their flaws, in all their humanity...” Author‘s Note p. 456.
“ . . . in the belief that it might save them.” This is one of the saddest passages I‘ve ever read.
“When all the memories have departed, so too will he. The dead have no recall.”
I‘ve been reading John Connolly for nigh on twenty years; this is nothing like anything he‘s written before, but so far promises to be lovely.
Fantastic event with John Connolly, organised by the super #noalibis. He introduced 2 Laurel and Hardy movies, talked about his research into Stan Laurel and some interesting facts about his relationship with the likes of Chaplin. ❤️
Think I got a great seat for this evenings reading and interview. At the Ulster Museum, organised by David at #noalibis 😍
Really looking forward to this event on Friday at the Ulster Museum. Love John Connolly ❤️📚#noalibis
It's no secret I am a fan of Mr. Connolly's writing so I am curious about his latest effort. Also the book event at Waterstones Picadilly was really nice. I always love talking about books with other like-minded people. 🤓
