Changed times

I'm currently reading a novel by Michael Gilbert. It's just a light thriller written in the 1960s. I probably read it in the 70s but since then Michael Gilbert as an author has disappeared into the back recesses of my mind. Anyhow, I fancied a new book after a rather turgid read, just something light, a bit of a distraction before tackling anything more serious for a bit. I scoured the bookshelves & came across this book.

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying. It's written in a style that is rather old-fashioned these days. There's an articulacy & lyricism in the use of language that is enchanting. There are sections of description that fill your mind with pictures & yet don't distract from the pace of the action. A real tonic. I can see I'll be looking out once more for his books.

Some of the descriptions are still valid today. This novel is set in Italy. At one point an Englishman comments about the difference in attitude to driving between the English & the Italian."As a nation we are law-abiding, intolerant, and insistent on priorities. One of the results of this is our morbid passion for queueing. We become bad-tempered if another driver interferes with those priorities by, say, cutting in, or jumping the lights, or pulling out into the wrong lane, even is - get out of my way you cross-eyed cow. Europeans, on the other hand, and more particularly the Italians, regard driving as a sport. Provided the referee isn't looking, you can cheat and bluff to the limit. See that taxi? He thinks I'm going to give way, but I'm not. But you must be cheerful about it, and good tempered when your bluff's called. Molte grazie, signore." Our recent trip to Italy proved to us that this is still very much the Italian attitude to driving, only accompanied a constant sounding of the horn.

We've not found it nearly as bad in other European countries. In France there is a certain macho element, always wanting to be first to move off when the lights turn to green. But they do wait for the lights to turn to green & they happily accept it if you don't want to join in the game. They will give way & show lane discipline like any civilised nation. And rarely do they honk their horns. A flash of lights maybe to warn you there's a police speed trap round the corner, but that's it.