Product Description

Teenager Benedict Juliard has no other ambition than to ride in steeplechases as an amateur jockey. Having agreed not to do anything that could destroy his father's growing public service and political career, Ben finds himself targeted in an attack mounted by his father's enemies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2237015 in Books
• Published on: 1998-02
• Format: Large Print
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 294 pages

Amazon.com Review
One of the most impressive aspects of Dick Francis's long and celebrated career (he's won three Edgar Awards, the Silver Dagger, the Gold Dagger, a Cartier Diamond Dagger, and was named the 1996 Mystery Writers of America Grand Master) is the freshness that he brings to each of his novels. Though every one of his 30-plus works of fiction has drawn from some aspect of the world of horses, Francis turns this constraint into a powerful source of inspiration. In 10 Lb. Penalty Francis adds several new arrows to his quiver. His protagonist, Ben Juliard, narrates the tale in a vivid first person that begins in his insecure late teens instead of the settled middle age of the usual Francis hero. Also, Ben's relationship with horses is more of a fading dream than an active reality. The book begins with Ben's expulsion from Vivian Durridge's stables; he's removed with a false accusation of glue sniffing. But as Ben soon discovers, it is, in fact, his powerful father's machinations that are behind his ill fortunes. The elder Juliard is "standing for Parliament," and the bachelor candidate needs his son by his side for a year of campaigning if he hopes to win. Ben accedes to his father's wishes. He almost always has, but he soon finds that his "gap year"--his year before entering college--is going to be a nightmare. Orinda Nagle, the widow of the recently deceased Hoopwestern MP, and her companion, Alderney Wyvern, resist George's campaign from the start. Then, Usher Rudd, a muckraking journalist, turns his vitriol to George. When an attempt is made on George's life, he and his son find themselves inside a vigorous tale of suspense that takes several narrative years to sort out.

Francis's lucid prose is the driving force in this political mystery, and the realistic rendering of the complicated father-son relationship between George and Ben adds a sophistication and weight that marks the author's best fiction. --Patrick O'Kelley

From Library Journal
More murderous horseplay from the prolific Francis.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Pleasing lesser Francis (To the Hilt, 1996, etc., etc.) that takes its young hero from horse racing to the far rougher world of British politics. Benedict Juliard may be just a boy--he's only 18 when his father arranges for him to be fired from his job as an amateur jockey so Ben can campaign at his side in a Parliamentary by- election--but his talent for listening to people and drawing them out is such a complement to George Juliard's mastery of big- picture rhetoric that he's an unexpected asset on the campaign trail. Unexpected and unwelcome, not only to Paul Bethune, the opposition candidate, and his hapless wife Isobel, but to Orinda Nagle, vitriolic widow of the late MP for Hoopwestern, who can't understand how the nominating committee for her own party could have made the ghastly mistake, darling, of passing her over for Dennis Nagle's vacant seat--and to Alderney Wyvern, once Dennis's close friend, now Orinda's constant, and rather sinister, companion. As George's campaign gathers steam, and Ben basks in the glow of his father's approval--best here is Francis's sharp portrait of instinctive sympathy between the very different father and son--predictable obstacles emerge. Usher Rudd, a muckraker who's been slinging mud against Paul Bethune, turns his attention to George; somebody tries to kill George; and you find yourself settling in happily to a treat of customary Francis thrills and spills. But the campaign turns out to be only Act One; George's victory and Ben's return to racing merely set the stage for anticlimactic Act Two, five years later, when Wyvern and Rudd come blustering back in search of the revenge they're sure they're owed. Though the toothless villains deprive the story of any strong sense of direction--a surprising disappointment from reliable Francis--the tale is fleetly and unassumingly told, without any of the excess baggage that has often given the distinguished ex-jockey trouble making weight. (Book-of-the-Month Club main selection) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

My first Dick Francis book to read, definitely not my last!
A few days ago my father told me that I should try out "10 lb. Penalty", saying that I might like it. And I surely did enjoy it! Totally hooked, I finished the book in about three days, each page an excitement and pleasure to read.

Here's the main plot: Young soon-to-be eighteen-year-old Benedict Juliar's hopes of becoming a steeplechase jockey are all dashed when he is fired for reason he can't understand. But things become clear as he realizes the whole idea was his father's. George Juliard is a businessman battling a Dorset by-election for a street level entry into politics. And he now needs his son to help him in his campaign. Benedict has no choice and agrees. Unfortunately, things get bad as many strange and dangerous incidents occur. Can Benedict protect his father from a mysterious attacker?

Dick Francis has a style all his own, with a plot which is believable and realistic. But one of the best things I liked about "10 lb. Penalty" is the wonderful array of characters. Each individual has his or her own personality, flaws, and characteristics put on paper so well that you can't help but feel that you know each person. There's characters like Benedict Juliard, George Juliard, Orinda Nagle, Mervyn Teck, Polly, A. L. Wyvern, Usher Rudd, and others. In the story also there is a quality of humor to it, making me chuckle at times. But still this book is ONLY for older people, NOT for younger children, due to language and innuendos.

Most of the reviewers have given less than 5 stars for this book, saying it was very different and not as good as Dick Francis' other books. I cannot agree or disagree with that since this is my first book of his to read and I think 5 stars is very much indeed accurate. I'm now also reading "To the Hilt" which I'm finding VERY interesting and exciting to read!

Francis equally deft in political and equine races
Another exciting thrill ride from one of my favorite authors. In this book, "the turf" takes a supporting role behind a much nastier arena, the world of elective politics. The narrator, Benedict , is the teenage son of George Juliard, a charismatic upstart parliamentary candidate. The father-son relationship forms the centerpiece of the story with some very dirty politicking to keep things interesting. The typical Francis "voice" sounds just a bit out of place coming from a 17-year-old, but as everyone around him learns very quickly, Ben is no ordinary teenager. The villains are predictably nasty: a local codger with a wandering eye and a taste for arson, and a slimy corporate type who wants to be the power, if not behind the throne, then at least behind the movers and shakers in Parliament. There's also an absolutely poisonous journalist/papparazzo who pops up with the odd character assassination every once in awhile Their cumulative efforts to get revenge on Ben and his increasingly prominent father get lamer as they go along. But at the same time, the father-son story becomes more and more compelling. Francis' grasp of the minutiae of the political process is dead on. Even if you've never experienced an election in the UK, many of the activities and characters have their equals on this side of "the pond" as well. This has joined my top list of Francis books, along with Wild Horses and Straight. I only hope that Mr. Francis' health stays robust so he can keep entertaining us for many a year!

Why Is everybody Whining?
Okay, So francis continues to wander farther and farther from the horse races, this one puts the races on the back burner, is that what all the crying is about? Francis's 10lb penalty was actually quite intruiging, maybe a little less gore and action that used to be associated with him, but still a nice easy read as always, this lates book deals with politics, and revolves around the son of a political candidate, it was quite interesting and taught me some things to. i recomend it to anybody