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A Rag, A Bone and a Hank of Hair |
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 A Rag, A Bone and a Hank of Hair byJonathan Gash Viking Press 320 pages, 2000 ISBN 0670885983 Reviewed by Diane Gotfryd I am in love with a flawed antique dealer named Lovejoy. We’ve been together for 21 books. Sure, it drives me nuts sometimes that he never has any money and often gives the last of his food to the robin and the hedgehog in his garden. I really wish some of the other women (and there are many) who fall in love with Lovejoy would at least pay his utility bills for him so he wouldn’t have to take a cold bath every morning. Most of all, when he comes upon a fabulous antique that no one else has discovered, I pray that this time he’ll be able to make some money off it. Lovejoy, born with the unusual gift of being able to identify true antiques merely by being near them (they make a "bong" in his chest), has yet to make a living from it. But he can fake it, and Gash offers us enough tips of the trade to thrill any Antiques Roadshow fan. Interesting though he is, what really makes Lovejoy so, well - loveable, is that he is so honest about himself. While he can’t stand to see a bug crushed, he will happily make fake antiques to order, many of which end up in museums. While he is outraged by injustices done to his friends - he is a wimp. Afraid of guns, pain and powerful women. In other words, he is a prime candidate for trouble, and never more so than in this book, when he is dragged out of his East Anglia village to the antique markets of London. He discovers he has not been a good friend to a cherished colleague who is now dead, or to his widow, now destitute at the hands of a greedy new dealer. "Grief shines from you like black light, Lovejoy," one of his colleagues remarks - and this is true. Lovejoy does not mention his grief, but his attempts to make the world right show us his real feelings. As his mistakes spin out of control, Lovejoy’s plot becomes more desperate. His spur-of-the-moment troupe of assistants include a beautiful apprentice, a disgusting assistant, a dwarf, and a sprinkling of old enemies and kind friends. As is usual in the Lovejoy series, the ending is a mixed bag of good results and food for thought. In every long-running series, if the author is any good, there is a thoughtful pause. A RAG, A BONE AND A HANK OF HAIR provides this moment, and rewards Lovejoy’s fans with a celebratory and culminating adventure that will affect the rest of his life. As a turning point, it is also an excellent introduction for a new reader on the brink of discovering this irresistible series. |
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