Synopsis: 'If you have your health, but you don't have your wealth - then you have less nothing.' asserted Edward Noble.
First, utterly bankrupt in spiritual terms, the amoral Edward Noble is then utterly bankrupted financially.
For a man who dismissed most people as losers, he is now humiliated in every sense as he becomes 'a big league player for the Loserville Losers'. His misadventures soon lead to Skid Row, as he is cuckolded, ripped off and rejected in a perverse about-turn of Fate.
But if Edward can only learn humility, Serendipity, sweet Serendipity is calling to him. She offers him opportunities that he had never dreamt were possible.
Review: Serendipity is quite a roller coaster ride of a book. Our main character, Edward Noble, appears to be the polar opposite of his name, at least at the start of the book.
He seems to be driven by money, making money, and lots of it. Not exactly a likeable trait in today's 'me me me' world.
When an investment goes wrong, it is not the investment owners that take the hit (in a scene that is almost Biblical in its execution), but Edward himself.
He finds himself suddenly unable to live the life he is now thrust into, and the future doesn't look rosy for him all of a sudden.
The narrative is good - it explains Edward's actions whilst at the same time giving us a background into the financial world he was part of. At the first time of reading I wanted to understand exactly why Malcolm and Matt were tucking him up. I then accepted it that banking is very much a dog eat dog world - moreso perhaps than other industries.
In essence, the author tries to get us on side with Edward, even though at the outset, I certainly didn't want to root for him.
Serendipity is a serious book that has occasional light overtones. It takes you on a journey with a man who had suddenly lost everything he considered valuable in his life.
When it is Edward asking a beggar for money, you know that this man's journey is one you have to take alongside him.
Serendipity is one of those novels that taste like a trifle you are not sure about. As you delve more into it, it reveals itself to be a clever tale, and in part, how one can redeem themselves from such a terrible situation.
There's lots of very English slang words to the book, and those of us who are from different parts of England will have fun decoding some of the references.
A line that stood out for me:-
The problem with ladies with real class is that they are fully equipped with a powerful b***-s*** detector, which would eliminate a man with a story to tell like Edward's at 200 yards.
This is a strong debut from author James Duncan. He has also co-authored another work with the multi-talented J Kahele. So if you want to get an understanding of how this author's mind words, start with Serendipity. You cannot go wrong with this!
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