~ The odds are stacked against you ~ (Outsider - John Francome)

Member Name: blackmagicstar4

Product:	Outsider - John Francome
Date:	11/05/09 (71 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great characters, Fab storyline, Twists and red herrings.

Disadvantages: none

~ The Odds Are Stacked Against You ~


OUTSIDER - JOHN FRANCOMBE

I have just finished this novel last night and being one of another one of my bargain books from Waterstones I thought I would let you know about it. Although this one was not 99p it was not that much more standing at £2.99. I picked it up at the same time I brought Two-Way Spilt as they were both in the bargain bin and I wanted a few books to read through the summer, which obviously didn't happen as I have only just had time to finish both books.
Outsider is an adventure / thriller book and from the front cover I didn't think I was going to like it as it had a picture of a jockey on front and I am not really into horse racing. However when I read the synopsis at the back cover of the book the plot sounded very intriguing and it wasn't just about horse racing although it plays the main theme. I don't read a lot of books and find that I can only get through a book fast if it really interests me and it is hard to put down, then I can read a standard four hundred paged book in about two - three days. I didn't know anything about the author when I choose the book but the other day when I stated it my step dad looked at the book and said 'John Francombe is a jockey isn't he, why you reading about that?' Then it made sense that the author had a good background on the subject matter which I think would have impacted the story. So picking up the book was just luck really, the plot sounded good, the cover is colourful and eye catching which would help gain readers.

Background on John

John Francombe is a highly successful and well known jockey and has written novels such as this one and is a regular on Channel Four horse racing. John was born in Swindon so is quite local to me which I liked. He got into the business by starting an apprenticeship at sixteen not knowing much about it as none of his family was involved in the sport. In his career he has been awarded with an MBE and has won 1,038 races. He won his first race at seventeen in Worchester and retired in the late eighties.
Many jockey's after retiring have turned to writing and John has written many books which I will be looking at after reading this one from him. By looking at his list of novels surprisingly I found a few titles which sound familiar and I may have read two of his other books, in total he has written fifteen books.
John as well as writing novels his recent book being published last year, has featured as a presenter for the races.
Finding out that the author was a champion jockey himself influenced the expectations I had for the book when I started it. Knowing he had first hand experience in the subject I thought it would be good on detail and maybe have some truths on what it is actually like to be a winning jockey.


PLOT

The story 'Outsider' follows the life of Jake Felton, an American jockey who has moved to Britain to further his career in horse racing. After winning two races in the US for trainer Captain Toby Ellerton, he moves his life to become more successful. He finds it hard to fit in at first as the English didn't want a yank about to storm their races but after having support from well known trainers and owners, Jake quickly becomes one of Britain's leading jockey's. He has a lot of winning streaks and live is good, until he has an accident in his car. A few weeks later another accident happens which make him realise that these accidents are staring to get too deliberate. Having the odds against him and the accidents becoming more dangerous and extreme each time Jake has to think could there anyone after him?

Characters - Main Characters

Jake Felton
The main character obviously is Jake Felton who we follow all the way through the book in first person. Jake is an American, who is the son of a successful jockey in the US. Unlike the author of the book, Jake has been brought up around horses and has kept the family sport going.
After moving to the UK Jake seems withdrawn from the other jockey's, he thinks they don't want him around and he finds it hard to fit in. After he becomes a leading jockey his life changes.
Jake is quite a simple man. He owns a nice, big house in the middle of no where, he likes his peace and privacy. From what I got from the book I didn't think his attitude and behaviour fitted with his appearance. He seems to be confident with the women, has a strong head and he doesn't take any crap from people. Knowing this I had the vision he was quite stocky, bald hair and quite rouged but handsome looking. He is described as short being a jockey and people call him midget even though he is quite a catch. I also got the impression that Jake doesn't like to boast about being famous. When he is out he doesn't walk around trying to get attention, he likes his personal space and being by himself a lot.
You really feel involved in Jake's life especially after the author uses first person. We get to find out abit about his past life like his childhood and we see his thoughts and feelings on everything and everyone. Feeling close to the protagonist you fell sympathy for him and I liked the way you knew as much as Jake did as the story unfolded. The reader finds out what is happening at the point Jake does, which is great when you follow his exact emotions.

Toby Ellerton
Ellerton is Jake's trainer and he was the one who brought him across from the US. He owns a nice little yard which some successful horses. He is happy with the wins Jake provides him with and gets him involved with rich, owners of other horses to boost their money and his fame. Toby seems to be hard working and altogether a decent man. He does get some bad luck now and then but seems to work through them eventually.


Charles Powell
Charles and Jake know each other through trainers and betting on horses. Charles is Ex Army and has a respect for Jake. After he visits Jake in Hospital after the first accident he is suspicious straight away and offers his help. He seems to know little about a lot of things but he is intelligent and brave. He and Jake become pretty good friends and go through some serious events together. I got the impression that Charles is a man of his word and even though I think he is middle aged he still has strength, skills and knowledge.


Mick Hagan
'The little Irish man' as Jake calls him, who has a big family and is struggling to get money for his family. Mick is also a jockey and even though he is not as successful as Jake he still has plenty of wins and is a very good rider. Jake and Mick have become quite good friends over the few years that they have been riding in the same races and Jake usually drives Mick to the races so they can go together and catch up on the way. Mick is quite a comedian and you can tell they share a friendship by the way they mock each other all the time. This friendship seems to change dramatically as Mick asks Jake to let him win once but Jake doesn't stop horses. Mick seems to change from a funny, happy chap to an angry, aggressive man when he starts to loose big money.

Camilla Fielding
Camilla is the daughter of a very rich owner called Bunty Fielding. She attends the races with her mother and meets Jake when he rides one of her mother's horses. She is a young, attractive woman and is described as a 'very hot 21 year old' that is 'six foot the first four below the waist'. Jake has an instant attraction to her but she seems way out of his league. Camilla is very respectful and doesn't seem interested in wasting time on men. Camilla is very fond of the races and seems to have a soft spot for Jake even though she doesn't show that much of an interest straight away.


Mr and Mrs Zimmer
Mr Zimmer is a multi millionaire and owns a lot of properties. He is not interested in the sports but his wife Sandy goes to all the races and places the bets making him money. Sandy Zimmer is older than Jake but is a young, beautiful woman who has married old Zimmer for his money. Sandy and Jake have spent a summer together and though she wants more of him Jake is reluctant this year. Sandy constantly invites him but he lets her down and avoids her, even though Jake says she is the best lover he has had. Mr Zimmer obviously has no idea of this affair. 1


Other Minor Characters

Geoff Haslam- Journalist who interviews Jake several times and appears in the novel many times.

John Calloway- Neighbour of Jake's who helps him out a lot with travel and information.

Bolton - Bolton is an Ex Para and meets Jake after another one of his accidents. He helps him out a lot and becomes good protection for Jake.


OPINIONS

Narrative

I thought the story was brilliant. It had a simple main theme of the horse racing and it didn't have complicated sub plots to confuse you. Even though there are quite a lot of characters in the story, they are explained well and in plenty of time so you can keep up with each one. I was surprised on how much I enjoyed the book. As thinking it was all just about horse racing I thought it was going to be pretty boring, but having it as a thriller story as well I was really impressed. Thriller and horror are my favourite genres for novels and this becoming this really got me interested.
There is everything included in the book to attract many readers of a varied range. There is the theme of horse racing, a romance plot, a thriller plot and the fact the author is a jockey may interest his fans to read it.
The pace of the book is different throughout and it keeps the action and suspense in good time with the characters. As I mentioned before it was brilliant to find out information and clues the same time Jake does so you share the emotions he is feeling. It does keep you really involved and interested all the way through.
I really liked the way the book started and think this was one of my favourite parts and techniques used. It chucks you straight into tension and grabs your attention straight away which I think is very important in a book. This first chapter is full of emotion, danger and metaphoric language, as the story opens with- 'A long, tortured scream echoed through the tops of the beech trees swaying above me. The pain was so vicious'. I think this is an amazing way to start. After this first few pages it flicks back to before this event. It makes you ask questions straight away. What has happened to this person? And why has it happened?

General

Overall I was surprised to say I really enjoyed reading this book and will look into some of John's other novels. Even though it was in the bargain bin so thought it isn't any good I am glad I took a chance on it. It had a brilliant interesting storyline, well developed and likable characters and different locations and sub plots to keep you interested.
The book was published in 1993 which I think impacts why it was written at this time. In 1993 the British Horseracing board became the governing body over the Jockey Club who does still have an important role. Even though the story doesn't show it's a product of this specific time this may have encouraged certain facts in the book.
The length of the book was of a good size and having 346 pages it was long enough to fit everything in but not too long it dragged on. The pace was steady and it didn't include any irrelevant parts that bored me. It was full of action, suspense and interested events, which also included a few twists and some good red herrings.

CONCLUSION

In concluding I would defiantly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a good, action / thriller novel. The book is certainly one of the best I've read for a while and deserves a great recommendation. The book does have a RRP price of £6.99 although you may find it cheaper like I did. Even if you are not a fan of horse racing you will still enjoy the book as I am not a fan in the slightest but it didn't affect my opinion on the story.



Thanks for reading- Blackmagicstar4- May 09- published on dooyoo and ciao. xx

Summary: A jockey who is being hunted