‘The Third Most Enjoyable Aspect of Farewell Olympus is h...

‘The third most enjoyable aspect of Farewell Olympus is how Messenger effortlessly inserts new evidence, time and again, that makes us realize what fools we were to think we knew what was happening – or to understand the characters and motivations of the various protagonists. The second most enjoyable aspect is the dry British wit that keeps you smiling – not guffawing but smiling, and occasionally bursting into a giggle. Messenger is especially good at alluding to French and British perceptions and distrust of each other. But the most enjoyable aspect of Farewell Olympus is the ever-changing relationship between the half-brothers. For the first time in their lives, they end up needing each other if they are to survive amid the mysterious thugs. What really scares them, though, is the possibility that they may actually come to like each other. Farewell Olympus makes me wish I had spent a portion of my youth in Paris, chasing dreams and those gorgeous but incomprehensible women. But you and I can ponder this path not taken by reading Messenger’s – I mean Howard’s – deft and witty tale.’ (Amazon US review)