Madness is Better than Defeat cover art

Madness is Better than Defeat

'Beauman writes with rare and bizarre brilliance' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Madness is Better than Defeat

By: Ned Beauman
Narrated by: Eric Meyers
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £15.11

Buy Now for £15.11

Summary

 The dazzling new novel by the Man Booker-nominated, Granta Best of Young British novelist, Ned Beauman.

In 1938, two rival expeditions set off for a lost Mayan temple in the jungles of Honduras, one intending to shoot a screwball comedy on location there, the other intending to disassemble it and ship it back to New York. A seemingly endless stalemate ensues, and twenty years later, when a rogue CIA agent learns that both expeditions are still out in the wilderness, he embarks on a mission to exploit the temple as a geopolitical pawn. But the mission hurtles towards disaster when he discovers that the temple is the locus of grander conspiracies than anyone could have guessed.

(P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2017 Ned Beauman Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Satire Thriller & Suspense Fiction
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c

Critic reviews

Dazzling . . . his best to date . . . If there is one adjective that describes Beauman's prose it is 'buoyant' - a quality which allows the reader to get through a long book with little effort, and the author to carry the considerable heft of his intelligence lightly. And it is a roaming intelligence. (David Patrikarakos)
Madness is Better than Defeat is a Swiss watch: there isn't a single moving part out of place . . . The jokes are superb . . . a zestful romp? Undoubtedly. But that doesn't quite do justice to the experience of reading Madness is Better than Defeat. The book is certainly a literary performance of a high order . . . The clockwork runs beautifully. Every paragraph gives pleasure. (Kevin Power)
Almost perfect . . . This is one of the most purely enjoyable novels I've read in years - by turns sad, moving, thoughtful, intriguing, clever, enlightening, surprising and laugh-out-loud funny - which is more than enough. I can't think of any type of reader who wouldn't enjoy it: whether your thing is genre, literary or, like this, a fizzling, sparking, sparkling mixture of the two. (Darragh McManus)
A teaming shaggy-dog comedy of megalomania and obsession . . . Beauman is a sparkling writer, and his book bustles with diverting micro-narratives . . . A novel of great intelligence and humour, cleverly structured and brimming with tricks . . . a tremendous rainbow (Tim Martin)
Beauman has a gift: he's a natural comic writer. (I've only read one funnier book this year) (Cal Revely-Calder)
It reminded me of a Coen brothers film . . . I found it enchanting, and I was happy to turn every page . . . I really enjoyed it (Tom Sutcliffe)
I am really enjoying it . . . I have no clue what's going to happen when I turn the page (Inua Ellams)
Wildly plotted, comedic . . . One senses that behind the vivacious plotting and baroque characterisation, Beauman's purpose is to question the "madness" of artistic endeavor . . . he emerges from his latest expedition triumphant. (Carl Wilkinson)
Beauman's fourth novel provides his usual humour, oddities, convolutions and impressive writing.
A fun madcap mystery
Wildly original . . . Madness could easily become a confusing mess but Beauman manages to keep the narrative consistently focused and engaging. This madcap ride about the eccentricities of humans will keep you entertained till the last page
Typically quirky . . . Zany and sprawling
Beauman writes with rare and bizarre brilliance
All stars
Most relevant
Absolutely loved this utterly mad and deeply involving take on a 1930s screwball comedy. The plot is broad, far broader than mentioned in the succinct blurb, but most of what takes place centres around two groups of people arriving at a hidden temple in Honduras and staying there for over twenty years.

The book jumps around in a non-linear fashion and the narrator changes between numerous characters throughout. You might be confused for portions of the story but eventually all loose ends are tied up. It's an ambitious book that evidently leans heavily on Herzog and Coppola's forays into the jungle as well as the 1930s Tarzan movie that had so many problems shooting on location.

Ultimately, in terms of a book that really appealed to me - from humour, setting, that front cover! - this was pretty much perfect. I loved it and it has some superb narration but your mileage may vary if you're not a fan of the madcap caper. That said, if you like Coen brothers films or silverscreen success of yesteryear like The Philadelphia Story or It Happened One Night, then this should be right up your alley.

Loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.