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'24 for 3 contains some of the tightest, cleanest writing I have seen in a long time This is a little marvel. It's funny, clever, illuminating, deeply kind-hearted and it doesn't overstay its welcome. It's not self-indulgent: things happen in it, surprising things, like in an old-fashioned novel, yet it's perfectly contemporary; and every word has been chosen with subtle care.' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian 'A gem' Salley Vickers 'Very original I loved it' Mick Jagger 'A lovely little novel 24 for 3 is written with beguiling simplicity, and the small wisdoms it offers up are readily accessible to readers who have never been able to make head or tail of cricket' Lionel Shriver, Daily Telegraph
Product Description
Friday: as a Test match between England and India begins, a woman's attention is torn between her husband's insistence on explaining the rules of cricket, her lover's preference for mystery, and the worrying disappearance of her sixteen-year-old stepson. By Tuesday night the outcome of the match will become clear - but whatever happens, the lives of the players will be changed forever. 24 for 3 is a funny and moving story about love, family, and whether or not one should always play by the rules.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfying and deceptively complex,
By George Taylor (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: 24 for 3 (Hardcover)
This book is not really about cricket. The match and the attempt to explain the rules give the story a strong sense of time and place as well as of contrasted ways of seeing events. The summer, the park, the house, and its rooms, and the other room, make boundaries of the ordinary in which things are going on, which threaten to shake apart lives that have grown together. The writing is personal, intimate, yet almost matter-of-fact in an English way. The relationships (the husband and wife, the wife and lover, the mother and son, the au-pair) are shown through activities that are real and intense. You get a strong sense of people living together, but, like the au-pair, from different cultures, operating under different rules. And although it could have been depressing, after all it's about a family breaking up, it is actually humorous, warm and positive. Since in fact it was written by a man, but told by a woman, I wonder if women like it, find it convincing?
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good things come in small packages,
By
This review is from: 24 for 3 (Hardcover)
The narrator of this novella is trying to understand cricket and to make up her mind whether she wants to stay married or be with her lover - referred to throughout as the loss adjuster. The duration of a test match between England and India is the timespan covered by the story. The language and symbolism are beautiful and never contrived. The match and the explanation of the more esoteric rules of cricket appear throughout almost as another character. I found it fascinating especially the way the narrator's thoughts are mirrored by the cricket. Team player or solo performance? You cannot play for both sides and sometimes it is better to play by the rules. Tramps are likened to forgotten cricket umpires, still draped with the teams' pullovers. An impromptu match in the park with friends features as well. You do not need to know or love cricket to enjoy this book. The author is also a poet and it shows in his lyrical use of language - it's a joy to read.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
delightful, crisp, surprising,
This review is from: 24 for 3 (Paperback)
This short book just skips along, throwing surprises at you along the way - smiles in the mind, thoughtful observations, wry questions, vivid pictures. It's written with panache and a lightness of touch that belie the complexity of storytelling. It's no surprise to learn that the author is also a poet - her vision is intense and her language is honed.
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