Book Review – Martina Cole's The Take
Gritty Gangland Novel Featuring Freddie and Jimmy Jackson
Jun 21, 2009 Elizabeth Gregory
It is 1984 in London, and Freddie Jackson is about to be released from prison, after serving six years for firearms offenses, attempted murder and malicious wounding. His long-suffering wife Jackie, mother to Freddie's three daughters, is excitedly organising a party to welcome home the man she worships.
Yet Freddie, good-looking, charming and rotten to the core, has no intentions of returning home just yet, not with alcohol and drugs to be consumed and women to be conquered. Having placed her husband on a pedestal during his prison term, Jackie must learn to accept that his time inside has done nothing to correct his irresponsible and adulterous ways.
Freddie, Jimmy, Jackie and Maggie
Meanwhile, Jackie's little sister Maggie is blissfully in love with Freddie's cousin Jimmy, despite being just fourteen years old. Maggie is beautiful, gentle and sweet-natured; everything her overweight and bad-tempered sister is not. Jimmy too is a very different character from the cousin he idolises - despite adoring Freddie and wishing to follow in his footsteps, Jimmy is fiercely loyal to his beloved Maggie.
Martina Cole's novel follows the lives of this mismatched quartet, as Freddie attempts to establish himself as the most powerful player in the criminal circles he frequents, under the patronage of Ozzy, the local crime lord who still resides in the prison where Freddie first befriended him. Soon jealousies start to play a key role as the Jackson family slowly implodes under the pressure of living a violent life of crime.
Violent Criminal Underworld
Cole's novel is a rollercoaster of emotions, introducing a wide cast of supporting characters who each have their own problems to contend with: Freddie's mother Maddie and her philandering husband; Ozzy's seemingly all-powerful sister Patricia; the corrupt policeman who finds himself out of his depth when he gets more than he bargained for from the Jacksons.
Whilst almost unrelentingly bleak, there are flashes of light that indicate for a fleeting instant how life could have been for these individuals, before conflicting passions intervene. Some readers may find the levels of violence and cruelty depicted overwhelming; others will applaud Cole for her unflinching portrayal of the criminal underworld.
Sky 1 Drama Starring Tom Hardy
The Take has now been filmed by Sky as a four-part drama, starring Tom Hardy as Freddie, Shaun Evans as Jimmy Jackson, Kierston Wareing as Jackie Jackson, Charlotte Riley as Maggie and Brian Cox as Ozzy.
The Take by Martina Cole is published in the UK in paperback by Headline (2005), ISBN 0-7472-6767-7.
Cover of Martina Cole's The Take
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Reading & Literature
Latest Articles