This is a review of Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt.
Thanks to NetGalley and Swiftpress for the ARC.
This is essentially a platonic love story between the eponymous protagonists
They initially meet as sparring partners, against a background of finance and the crash of 2008: a relationship which evolves over many years to something much more significant to both men.
Both singular characters, Drayton seems to be a man who finds everything disappointingly simple, except forming human relationships.
Mackenzie starts the book as a man used to disappointing expectations, and meanders through life feeling like he should be achieving more.
An ode to how platonic friendship can mould and stabilise and perform such an important function in men’s lives. A delight to read.

There are so many reasons I should not like this book, not least that it does not come anywhere near passing the Bechdel test, but I absolutely loved it! It’s a strong contender for my Book of the Year.

Following the almost life-long friendship between intelligent-yet-emotionally-unintelligent James and the annoyingly charming Roland, we follow their privileged existences through university in Oxford and life as McKinsey associates. See, I said it’s not the sort of book I should like and possibly neither should you.

But instead, James and Roland decide to put their entire careers on the line to start up a green eco-company that will harness wave power off the Aberdeen coast. There are easily readable breakdowns of what it is to create a start-up company, the investments, needed, the grants available, the prototypes to be tested. The scene where everything relies on a single diver (where more well-financed organizations have two) to effectively shove a plug into a big deep-sea socket had my heart in my mouth.

As well as all that business stuff, there’s the bromance between James and Roland. Now they love each other, now they hate each other, now they find that they need each other.

A story that takes you into a financial world rarely seen in fiction, this is a funny book too, as dry and wry and un-bawdy as pure male friendship can be. An emotional rollercoaster and unexpected treat of a book, I very much recommend. I don’t always buy the books I read on NetGalley; I definitely will for this one.

This is a big book in every sense. It describes the emerging friendship and ongoing partnership between James Drayton and Roland Mackenzie who meet at university and go on to become highly successful businessmen. The strength of the novel is how it is set against the background of 21st-century Economics and the ups and downs of high finance.

James and Roland make an unlikely pair. James is highly focused and pursues his aims relentlessly while Roland is easy going and easily distracted. The sense that opposites attract is possibly overplayed and, at times, their relationship slips into what might be termed the homoerotic! As they climb the tree of global capitalism they meet famous, and ‘real’, people which provides a sense of reality but it makes you wonder whether Elon Musk is really like that!

The scale of the story is almost Dickensian cascading through twenty years of radical Economic change and these changes are reflected in the relationship between the friends. Perhaps the story flags a little towards the end as a girlfriend and, later, wife is introduced, and time appears more compressed as events run on.

Anyway, it is an enjoyable read even if you think that these characters were born with silver spoons in their mouths and were, in one sense, doomed to succeed!

If you've ever watched The Big Short, you know how gripping the world of high finance and enormous money can be. I found some similarities in Alexander Starritt's Drayton and Mackenzie.

This version of London feels totally alien to my own life, despite living just an hour away. James and Roland could as well be on a different planet.

At the heart of the novel are James and Roland, two characters who are brilliantly built and painted. They appeared rather privileged, largely insulated from the everyday problems that bother most of us. I struggled at times to connect with people whose immediate thought after the birth of a child is to secure a spot at a top-tier prep school and map out a path to Oxford or Cambridge. From 24-hour private maternity nurses to buying a Range Rover purely because "the baby needs a safer car". Another reminder that in England, class is still almost everything. I work daily with overworked and underpaid nurses and doctors, and I find that massive wealth and privilege gap upsetting and frustrating.

Gradually, James and Roland grew on me. The dynamics between them and Alice are excellent, and the book explores how people change one another. Don't look here for deeply emotional characters, though—James and Roland are far too "English" for that. At times, their emotional detachment makes the narrative feel a bit lukewarm. For instance, given their heavy financial connections to the EU, you would think Brexit would be a massive crisis. While James shows some concern, Roland doesn't even deem the news worthy of interrupting his morning sleep.

Where the book truly engages is in its description of a tech startup's high-stakes gamble.

The ending slightly let me down. But that's me - I'm sure that for a lot of readers it will be a deeply satisfying ending.

3.5* rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance review copy.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8661546491

I really enjoyed this book, it wasn't my usual read but I thought I'd give it a go. Easy to read and quite a page turner

Love and friendship borne from a chance encounter after their university days in which they were not particularly enamoured with one another. One who was always looking for the next challenge and believing something big awaits him. The other is rather a dreamer and drifter but who is extremely captivating and always full of fun and gusto. Joining together in business which then endured many obstacles tied them to one another. This shows a deep relationship between the two friends who endure the financial crash and its aftermath.

This long book takes us through their adult lives with numerous ups and downs. At times there is quite a bit of humour with a gripping storyline. Sometimes it made me very sad.

A very good read

Roland and James are at university together but their lives take very different paths. The expectations of having an Oxbridge education and the subsequent career path are explored. James appears to have an easy life and a strategic life plan, unlike Roland who gets bored easily and makes impulsive decisions. A slow burner that crafts a friendship between two very different characters. Well written story that describes the world of money and the challenges in succeeding in business. An epic tale of friendship with a real heart.

This is undoubtedly an exceptional novel, about male friendship, 21st century business life, and rags to riches. It is beautifully written, with wry observations and subtle humour. However, I think there are books that particularly resonate at certain moments in our lives, and unfortunately, this was the wrong one for me. Unexpectedly laid up with a badly broken ankle, I needed something instantly gripping, with rather more escapism than realism. There are so many insightful moments in this book, and I apologise for not doing it justice. Do give it a read, because it deserves it.

Do not be daunted by the length of this book! It really does need the space to explore the evolving relationship between this odd pair through the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

The novel develops the vacillations of their partnership against the landscape of contemporary business and political change. It deftly weaves their story through real characters and situations on the world stage, while retaining the inevitable self-deprecation and humour of James and Roland's interactions. We follow the ups and downs of their personal and business relationships, understanding their motivation as they eventually do themselves, with an array of colourful supporting characters.

An absorbing and entertaining read - and really bereft when I had to leave their world.

The story follows a lifelong friendship between two entrepreneurs, James Drayton and Roland MacKenzie.
Both attended Oxford University. James was quickly identified as an oddball but a genius, gaining a first-class degree. Roland managed a 2:2 due to his penchant for having fun and living for the moment. Realising he didn’t have much hope of securing any decent offers in finance, he took a break and taught English in India. James, however, did secure opportunities, but it soon became evident that working for someone else and crunching numbers wasn’t his thing.
The two reconnect when James becomes Roland’s boss at McKinsey, and their partnership begins. Told through both of their perspectives, it becomes apparent that while James is the ideas man, it is Roland who charms others into joining them. There are some in-depth sections detailing the financial crashes at Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, which were extremely interesting and helped create the tense atmosphere and fear of that period — bankers being let go overnight.
This was a touching story about their relationship and understanding of one another, enhanced by the development of each character. Starritt manages to dispel the romantic energy surrounding banking by illustrating its reality: data crunching and reports. It isn’t The Wolf of Wall Street.
Overall, this was a good, solid read with plenty of tender moments within the fast-paced world of finance.
Thank you NetGalley and Swift Press for the opportunity to read this.

Although this is quite a weighty book I felt a part of James and Roland's lives from the very start. They "met" at University but only fleetingly - certainly not enough to make a real mark on each other. Then by random circumstance we find them reunited at management consultant McKinsey. James is the brilliant but slightly "odd" one; Roland is innately lazy but really well liked. James wants to invent something memorable that will change the world; Roland wants to disappear to Japan. Eventually when the world is spiralling with the 2008 financial crisis and banks and other major businesses are foundering James decides that sea powered fuel is the way forward and sets up a company with Roland. They recruit Alan - an engineer based in wildest Scotland and their adventure begins. We follow them through work and personal ups and downs and towards the end I found myself really rooting for them to succeed. The characters of James and Roland will stay with me for a long time. Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read.

What an incredible book! A book of this calibre doesn’t come along very often.

Essentially it is a story of the true, lasting, platonic friendship of two men who are completely different in character, but it also perfectly chronicles our recent history through the banking crisis, the trials and tribulations of start up businesses, entrepreneurship, and how Covid 19 came along, affected the lives of all of us and changed everything. I didn’t know much about engineering or fledgling enterprises except that they needed enormous amounts of money and I enjoyed learning from James and Roland’s journey from good times one minute to standing on the precipice of disaster the next, and then veering back to being on top of the world again and rejoicing along with them.

The writing is exquisite, it is witty with dashes of humour, at times gripping and page-turning, and as it reached the end I was moved to tears. This book has everything – brilliant – to say I enjoyed it is an understatement. I will be looking for other books by this author.

Thank you so much to Alexander Starritt, Swift Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy, it is much appreciated.

A good story
I really enjoyed the book, such a clever read. I’m a bit under the weather right now, but once I’m back to full power I’ll post a proper review. Sorry for the delay!

I’m really glad I gave this book a chance.

Drayton and Mackenzie tells the story of two very different men whose friendship begins at university and follows them through the ups and downs of life, careers, relationships and an ambitious business venture. Although there are plenty of business and renewable energy themes running through the story, for me it was the friendship at the heart of the book that kept me reading.

I have to admit, I wasn’t completely hooked straight away and it took me a little while to settle into the story and get to know the characters. In fact, I remember wondering in the first few chapters whether it was going to be a book for me at all. But I’m glad I stuck with it because the characters gradually grew on me and I became invested in what happened to them.

The writing is clever and often quietly funny, and I enjoyed watching the friendship between Drayton and Mackenzie evolve over the years. It’s one of those books that takes its time and feels quite different from the books I would normally pick up, which actually made it a refreshing change.

Was it a new favourite? Probably not. But I enjoyed it, found myself caring about the characters by the end, and finished the book feeling pleased that I’d stepped outside my usual reading comfort zone. Sometimes that’s reason enough to pick up a book, and I’m glad I did

Drayton and Mackenzie is a wonderfully clever, ambitious novel that blends mystery, social commentary, and sharp humour into a story that feels both timely and timeless. Alexander Starritt creates two memorable protagonists whose unlikely partnership drives the narrative, while the backdrop of corporate greed and environmental crisis adds real depth without ever feeling heavy-handed.

What I enjoyed most was the balance between wit and heart. The writing is intelligent and engaging, the characters feel authentic, and the story unfolds with a satisfying mix of intrigue, insight, and emotion. It’s a book that entertains while also giving you plenty to think about long after you’ve turned the final page.

A thoughtful, original, and absorbing read that will appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction with substance and a strong sense of place.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a rollercoaster! There’s comedy & tragedy in this sweeping story set in recent history with a human tale at its heart. A fascinating insight into how a business is created, grows and develops - and what it takes to get there. The central relationship was very real and deeply touching, and it was fascinating from a personal point of view seeing the real life events of my youth and recent past as a backdrop. I very much enjoyed this book.

Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt

Drayton and Mackenzie is one of the rare books that genuinely hit home for me. Starritt offers an honest, clear‑eyed exploration of money, love, and ambition, all anchored by the beating heart of the novel: the friendship between its two central characters. Their bond feels lived‑in and authentic, the kind of relationship that shapes a life in ways both subtle and profound.

The book is witty in that understated, incisive way that catches you off guard, and its emotional power builds quietly until you realise just how deeply it has settled under your skin. Starritt writes with remarkable insight, capturing the compromises, hopes, and contradictions that define adulthood without ever slipping into cynicism.

This is a compelling, thoughtful, and beautifully crafted novel. A must‑read.

Love this book so much. It reads like biography, following the lives of James and Roland. Having once been in the same rowing crew at Oxford, they didn't 'meet', but went about their own ways. James gained a first and Roland, ever the happy go lucky clown, managed a 2:2. Their parents are respectively delighted and shocked.
Move on and they meet again. James is now in a creative phase hoping to invent something that will save the planet; Roland is a bit of a dick, coasting through life, making friends everywhere and in a passing conversation mentions a theory to James - who later realises this could be an important, life changing idea.
From this basis begins a lifelong friendship, a technological enterprise, the possibility of.....everything.
Moving, reflective, joyous and sad, this is a beautiful story of the lives of two friends.

I don't know why I liked this book, it's so totally different to what I usually read, and it was very long. However, I have to say that I absolutely loved this bromance between James and Roland and really miss them now I've finished the book. It drew me in from the outset and the only character I didn't like was Alice, a cold fish if ever there was one. The rest of the cast were so real, so relateable and at times, very funny.

A heartwarming and epic narrative which follows James Drayton and Roland Mackenzie from their university days, through to working together, then as best friends owning a business together. The relationship between the two protagonists is the central aspect to the book, and this develops and grows throughout at a steady pace.

I thought this was a fantastic piece of fiction - it almost feels as if it was a memoir at times, and I was fully immersed and invested in the lives of Drayton and Mackenzie, as well as the other characters who were also well developed.

A fantastic book, and a must-read for anyone who loves books with strong characters and an engrossing plot.