Proof
M. Joseph, 1984; Putnam, 1985
Three words: Horse trailer, wine, plaster of paris. (Or is that five words? :) Anyhow, a great book!
Characters
- Tony Beach
- wine merchant
- Jack Hawthorn
- racehorse trainer
- Flora Hawthorn
- Jack's wife
- Jimmy (James d'Alban)
- Jack's secretary
- Emma
- Tony's wife (deceased)
- Larry Trent
- owns the Silver Moondance, leases horses that Jack trains
- Sheik
- Gerard McGregor
- investigative consultant (aka private detective)
- Detective Sergeant John Ridger
- works for the Thames Valley Police
- Paul Young
- from the "head office" of the Silver Moondance
- Mrs. Palissey
- works for Tony in the wine shop
- Brian
- Mrs. Palissey's nephes, also works for Tony
- Detective Chief Superintendent Wilson
- Howard
- Jack's new head lad
- Zarac
- wine waiter at the Silver Moondance
- Monsieur Henri Tavel
- taught Tony the wine business
- Sung Li
- runs a Chinese restaurant next to Tony's shop
- Orkney Swayle
- one of the owners who sends horses to Jack and FLora
- Kenneth Charter
- founder of Charter Carriers
- Kenneth Junior
- Kenneth Charter's son
- Mrs. Alexis
- feisty bar owner
- Wilfred
- works for Mrs. Alexis
- Vernon
- caterers store manager at Martineau Park racecourse
- Miles Quigley
- caterer for Martineau Park racecourse
- Mervyn
- works under Vernon at Martineau Park
- Denny
- works for Paul Young
- David Naylor
- Kenneth Junior's friend
- Stewart Naylor
- David's father, owns Bernard Naylor Bottling, likes to play war games
Favorite passages
Three words: Horse trailer, wine, plaster of paris. (Or is that five words? :) Anyhow, a great book! Lots of favorite quotes in Proof. I especially like when Tony finds out how much he is like his dad and what courage really means. From his dad's jotter
The battle must be soon now. It is essential not to show fear to the men, but God, I fear. Why can't I have the courage of my father.
Chosen by members of the reading group in the late 1990s. From Proof by Dick Francis.
The group read it
We discussed Proof on December 29, 1997.
This page was first written for the reading group's original site in the late 1990s and was lost when AOL Hometown closed. It has been recovered from the Internet Archive.